RTHK: Moscow to arm Belarus with nuclear capable missiles Russia will deliver missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to Belarus in the coming months, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday as he received Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. "In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions," Putin said in a broadcast on Russian television at the start of his meeting with Lukashenko in Saint Petersburg. He also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, amid soaring tensions with the West over Ukraine. "Many Su-25 (aircrafts) are in service with the Belarusian military. They could be upgraded in an appropriate way," the Russian leader said. "This modernisation should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia and the training of personnel should start in accordance with this," he added, after Lukashenko asked him to "adapt" the planes. "We will agree on how to accomplish this," Putin said. Putin has several times referred to nuclear weapons since his country launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, in what the West has seen as a warning to the West not to intervene. Lukashenko said last month that his country had bought Iskander nuclear-capable missiles and S-400 anti-aircraft anti-missile systems from Russia. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2022-06-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. New Zealand launches Made With Care campaign at Motte Mart The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) on June 26 launched its retail campaign Made With Care at Lotte Mart in Vietnam to bring high-quality food and beverage (F&B) products to Vietnamese consumers. Lotte is one of the five supermarket chains in Vietnam that the NZTE is deploying its retail campaign until July 31 to introduce safe, tasty, premium quality, nutritious, and ethical products to local consumers. The other four retailers are AEON, Winmart, BRG, and MM Mega Market. NZTE trade commissioner and consul-general to Vietnam, Joe Nelson, speaks at the launch of Made With Care at Lotte Mart. (Photo: congthuong.,vn). As part of our ongoing commitment to the local market, we are delighted to have the support of these premium retailers to bring New Zealand's F&B products to Vietnamese consumers, said the NZTE's trade commissioner and consul-general to Vietnam, Joe Nelson. Through this collaboration, we want to continue to raise awareness of the goodness of our F&B and fulfil the desires of Vietnamese consumers as they look to consume from established brands. New Zealand's Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson stated, New Zealand is proud to have become a trusted partner for Vietnam across a wide range of sectors where our country excels in particular food and beverage. I love hearing stories of Vietnamese enjoying New Zealands world-famous dairy products, and increasingly our wine, fruit, and even lamb. New Zealand and Vietnam aspire to reach U$2 billion in two-way trade by 2024. We are well on track to achieving this target, said the ambassador. Two-way trade between Vietnam and New Zealand hit US$1.56 billion last year, a year-on-year rise of 14%. By December 2021 Vietnam was New Zealands 15th largest trading partner. CEDAR FALLS There are two Sturgis celebrations taking place in the United States this weekend. Both the Sturgis Falls Celebration in Cedar Falls, and Sturgis Fest in Sturgis, Mich., began earlier in the week and end today. Jackie Persing could only attend one. She chose Cedar Falls annual community festival, which is named after William Sturgis. He founded Sturgis Falls in 1845, which later became Cedar Falls. Persing is Sturgis great grand-niece. This is my first visit to Cedar Falls, the first time Ive attended the Sturgis Falls Celebration, said Persing, who has served as president of the Sturgis Historical Society in Michigan. Rosemary Beach has been inviting me to the celebration for a number of years, so I decided I would come out this year. She originally planned to attend the 2019 Sturgis Falls Celebration, but was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2020, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Im well now kicked cancer to the curb, and I wanted to be there this year. She arrived in town Thursday afternoon. After a tour of the city with Julie Huffman-klinkowitz, curator and collections manager at the Cedar Falls Historical Society, Persing dined with Rosemary and Bob Beach. On Friday, she was introduced during festival opening ceremonies on the Overman Park stage. Its fun to form that association and connection with her. Shes a delightful lady, and it was interesting to explore her family and get back to those earlier years in Cedar Falls history, said Rosemary Beach. While here, Persing also reunited with two former Michigan high school classmates, Ann and Gretchen Woodrick, who now reside in Cedar Falls. Its a little reunion for us. Everyone wanted me to be a part of the Sturgis festivities, ride in the parade. But I just wanted to enjoy the parade, to enjoy the festivities. Its kind of a vacation for me, Persing said. William Sturgis was the first permanent white settler in Black Hawk County. He arrived with his wife, Dorothy, in March 1845, following the Cedar River north from where they resided in Johnson County. He was impressed by the abundant sources of food, timber and water and thought it ideal for a mill site. According to Black Hawk County historical records, he claimed both the banks of the Cedar River and much of what is now downtown Cedar Falls, naming it Sturgis Falls. Sturgis built his log cabin where the Ice House Museum now stands. The couple returned to Johnson County, bringing back their young daughter to Sturgis Falls. They had a second daughter in 1846. By 1847, there were 10 families living in Sturgis Falls. The Sturgis family has a rich history, Persing said, including Williams grandfather, Amos Sturgis, who was made a captain by Gen. George Washington on a battlefield during the Revolutionary War. Persing is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and has served as president of the Amos Sturgis DAR chapter in Michigan. William Sturgis great-grandfather, Thomas, remained loyal to King George and his properties were confiscated by the new American government following the war. Thomas moved his family to Canada, where John Sturgis, Williams father, was born. John fought on the American side during the War of 1812, but returned to Canada. William was born in 1817, and later, the family moved to Michigan. Eventually they settled in St. Joseph County, Mich., where the territorial governor declared the area Sturgis Prairie, shortened to Sturgis, according to historical documents. In 1835, William Sturgis left home at 18 for the Black Hawk Purchase, or Iowa Territory. He initially settled near Iowa City before getting married and finding the familys new home on the Cedar River. Sturgis eventually sold his mill site and 280-acre claim to John and D.C. Overman and John Barrick. In 1849, Sturgis Falls became Cedar Falls. William continued moving westward, Persing said, to Montana, where he became a successful owner of sawmills, established a stage station and line, post office and Wells Fargo Co. Later he lived in New Mexico, Kansas and Florida. Then he was a rancher, opened a silver mine, had real estate, she said. He did a lot of different things in his life and was really very successful. Hes buried in Sturgis. It feels good that the name Sturgis is still out there and recognized. Its a point of pride for me and our family, Persing added. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Russia strikes Kyiv as Western leaders meet in Europe KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia has shattered weeks of relative calm in Ukraine's capital with a missile attack as Western leaders meeting in Europe prepared to reaffirm their support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia. President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his daughter and wife injured when missiles hit an apartment building. A railroad worker was also reported killed. Kyiv's mayor speculated the airstrikes were a symbolic attack before a NATO summit starting Tuesday. A former U.S. commander in Europe said they also were a signal to Group of Seven leaders meeting Sunday. The Ukrainian air force says planes launched the missiles from over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away. Biden urges Western unity on Ukraine amid war fatigue ELMAU, Germany (AP) President Joe Biden and Western allies at a three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps say they're intent on keeping economic fallout from the war in Ukraine from fracturing the global coalition working to punish Russias aggression. Britains Boris Johnson warned the leaders not to give in to fatigue even as Russia lobbed new missiles at Kyiv. Biden says the coalition of countries can't let Russian President Vladimir Putin play the countries off of one another and break down their resolve. Leaders of the Group of Seven top economies opened their annual summit in Germany on Sunday. Biden also announced that G-7 nations will ban imports of Russian gold. Gold is a top Russian export. EXPLAINER: What's the impact of a Russian debt default? Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system amid its war in Ukraine. Russia faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. A top sovereign debt lawyer says the overwhelming probability" is Russia wont be able to pay bondholders because no bank is going to move the money. The U.S. ended Russias ability to pay international investors through American banks. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay but sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves abroad. Did corporate greed fuel inflation? It's not biggest culprit WASHINGTON (AP) Furious about surging prices at the gasoline station and the supermarket, many consumers feel they know just where to cast blame: On greedy companies that relentlessly jack up prices and pocket the profits. Yet most economists say corporate price gouging is, at most, one of many causes of runaway inflation and not the primary one. Others include: Supply disruptions at factories, ports and freight yards. Worker shortages. President Joe Bidens enormous pandemic aid program. COVID 19-caused shutdowns in China. Russias invasion of Ukraine. And, not least, a Federal Reserve that kept interest rates ultra-low longer than experts say it should have. Most of all, though, economists say resurgent spending drove inflation up. After Roe's demise, clergy lead faithful in praise, laments Praise and lament for the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned abortion rights filled sacred spaces this weekend. Clergy across the U.S. rearranged worship plans or rewrote sermons to provide their religious context -- and competing messages -- about the historic moment. Abortion is a visceral issue for deeply divided religious Americans in the wake of the seismic Dobbs v. Jackson decision. In Pittsburgh on Sunday, one Catholic priest called Friday a day of great joy because of the ruling, although a few people left during his homily. A minister in New York City mourned the decision, saying, We are reeling. Stars use BET Awards stage to criticize Roe v. Wade ruling LOS ANGELES (AP) Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae and Jazmine Sullivan were some of the big stars using the BET Awards stage to strongly criticize the Supreme Courts recent decision to strip away womens constitutional protection for abortion. Henson took the stage as the shows host on Sunday with an uplifting message about Black excellence before she launched into the courts overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling last week. The actor took the stage after Lizzo opened the show performing her single About Damn Time. Janelle Monae held up her middle finger toward the Supreme Court, while Sullivan made a plea to men for their support of women. A sucker punch: Some women fear setback to hard-won rights Reproductive freedom was one of the key goals of the feminism of the 1960s and 1970s. The women who fought for those rights recall an astonishing decade of progress from about 1963 to 1973. It included the right to equal pay, the right to use birth control, Title IX in 1972, and then Roe v. Wade, guaranteeing a right to abortion. Now they are not only shocked at the rollback of that right, but worried that if a right so central to the overall fight for womens equality can be revoked, what does this mean for the progress women have made in public life in the intervening 50 years? Pride parades march on with new urgency across US NEW YORK (AP) Pride parades kicked off in some of Americas biggest cities Sunday amid new fears about the potential erosion of freedoms won through decades of activism. The annual marches in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and elsewhere take place after at least one Supreme Court justice signaled, in a ruling on abortion, that the court could reconsider the right to same-sex marriage recognized in 2015. That warning shot came after a year of legislative defeats for the LGBTQ community, including the passage of laws in some states limiting the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity with children. Iran launches rocket into space as nuclear talks to resume TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iranian state television says says that Tehran has launched a solid-fueled rocket into space, drawing a rebuke from Washington ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehrans tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Its unclear when exactly the rocket was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at a desert launch pad and Iran acknowledged it planned tests for the satellite-carrying Zuljanah rocket. State-run media claimed that the rocket launch was successful. The news comes after the European Unions foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, traveled to Tehran in a push to resuscitate stalemated negotiations. Avalanche dethrone Lightning to win Stanley Cup for 3rd time TAMPA, Fla. (AP) The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup after dethroning the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The Avalanche beat the Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final behind a goal and an assist from Nathan MacKinnon. Tampa Bay fell two victories short of becoming the NHL's first three-peat champion since the early 1980s New York Islanders dynasty. Colorado's core led by MacKinnon, captain Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and longest-tenured player Erik Johnson finally got the job done after years of playoff disappointments. It's the franchise's third championship and first since 2001. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Oftentimes the simple answer to a simple question is the simple truth. Some people, however, dont want the simple truth, so they bend facts or shave figures so their square pegs replace roundly accepted reality. Its commonplace in ag. For example, on April 12, President Joe Biden traveled to Iowa to announce an expansion of the ethanol blend in summertime gasoline from 10% to 15%. Monte Shaw, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association boss, called Bidens action the single most important step the President is empowered to take to keep fuel prices down this summer. But Bidens political gambit and Shaws hefty hyperbole held more gas than any ethanol blend. Nationwide gasoline prices that day, according to AAA, averaged $4 per gallon. Today national gas prices hover around $5 per gallon, or 25% higher. Despite the effort, many in farm country continue to blame the Biden administration for high fuel prices. One reason, some conservative critics cite, is that crude oil production is slowing due to the White Houses allegiance to the Green New Deal. Thats a stretch for two reasons. First, the Green New Deal isnt law and, second, data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency shows that average annual domestic crude oil production rose from 5.3 million barrels per day (mb/d) during the Bush administration to 7.2 million mb/d under Obama to 11 mb/d under Trump to 11.2 mb/d under Biden. But, hey, facts rarely sidetrack anyone committed to political railroading. The same goes for agriculture. For months, weve been warned of an impending global famine because of Russias invasion of Ukraine, an important wheat exporter. Indeed, reported Politico June 17, U.S. officials estimate the (Russian) blockade (of Ukrainian ports) is holding back more than 20 million tons of grain from the world food supply, driving food prices and world hunger to near-crisis levels. Twenty million metric tons (mmt), or about 740 million bushels, is a lot of wheat except when compared to global supplies. The U.S. Department of Agricultures most recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates forecast 2022/23 world wheat production at 773.4 mmt, or 28.4 billion bu. As such, the bottled-up Ukrainian wheat is equal to about 2.5% of this coming years world production not nothing, but hardly enough to fuel a famine this year or any year. Some market worriers, though, continue to make a mountain out of that molehill. On June 20, Farm Journals AgWeb noted that a private forecaster had pegged current global wheat stocks at 20 percent of yearly production instead of USDAs recent estimate of 33%. Again, that sounds like a dramatic drop but, as the story goes on to note, even at 20% if accurate, and theres little proof of that world stocks stand at over 10 weeks of wheat consumption in storage. Historically, thats average supply especially when compared with current and forecasted U.S. stocks of corn and soybeans. According to the same USDA June report, current American soybean stocks now stand at a slim 4.6% of total usage and, given a productive 2022, a year from now will still be only 6.8%. Likewise, this years U.S. corn stocks are just 10% of usage and, estimates USDA, will slip to 9.6% in 2022/23. And yet, despite very tight supplies of U.S. corn and soybeans in the coming year, no one sees either as cause for global concern. Instead, note the Cassandras, its wheatwith at least a 10 week world supply and, more than likely, a 15 week supplyas the problem. Im not alone in my doubt: Few in the futures market see 2022/23 wheat supplies as worrisome. From mid-May to late June, new wheat crop futures prices dropped 17% while new crop corn futures are just 9% lower and soybean futures are only 2% lower. Simple numbers. Simple facts. Simple truth. Simple, right? The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the U.S. and Canada. Source material and contact information are posted at farmandfoodfile.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 When John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song Revolution in 1968 ultimately recorded by the Beatles, it was an anti-Vietnam War song. It was reasonably popular in the U.S., topping out at number No. 12 on the charts. It led to a rather long and public discussion of Lennons politics. Previously, he pretty much was apolitical, even criticized by French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard for his reluctance to get more involved politically. Its not entirely clear what kind of revolution Lennon was talking about. Its doubtful he was urging a military conflict. Rather, he seemed to be somewhat inconsistent in his message. He probably was talking more about a cultural revolution than anything resembling the French or American revolutions. I lived through the 1960s and 70s and confess I may have missed a lot of what McCartney and Lennon were suggesting. As I look back at those times now, I think they were not trying to improve things for themselves personally but rather were trying to create a blueprint for a better world. I think today we are involved in another revolution and dont realize the significance of whats happening. This is a political revolution, but it is being supported by a lot of groups who are advocating violence and other practices inconsistent with our Constitution and history. I am not a Donald Trump fan. He has mainstreamed threats, lying, and money as a method of getting his way. The congressional hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection have brought home just how bad a president Trump was. The insurrection illustrated the fury a large population of mostly white Americans has. The anger and violence displayed are breathtaking. And, planning on killing Nancy Pelosi and hanging Mike Pence are beyond anything I suspected would happen in this country. On top of the recent anti-gun control policies and voter restrictions implemented nationwide, we are on a bad path. But could anything be worse than a defeated presidential candidate lying, manipulating, and threatening in order to continue in office? We have created a society that believes its OK to attack those who disagree with what we want. Further, the disagreement is becoming more intolerant and less acceptable. We are heading in the wrong direction of political discourse. Im not even referring here to politics as traditionally practiced. Rather, we are becoming a country that is unwilling to accept and evaluate alternative points of view. Our attitudes on immigration and race are becoming more rigid and less constructive. And school curricula are moving well away from traditional education. Republicans across the country are seeking to restrain individual freedoms and voting rights. We need to face the fact we are moving in a direction that is not what caring people want for our country. Sadly, I dont see it improving. About all we can do is individually try to be better. Like it or not, the latest revolution is here. Unless we are willing to step up and rein in those who give their own interpretation to the Constitution and disregard hundreds of years of tradition and action, we are on a troubling path. Face it. Our country is getting worse, and we need to do something about it. Fred Abraham is professor emeritus at the University of Northern Iowa. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not reflect those of the university. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization case will have momentous consequences for Iowa. L.A. Times congressional reporter Jennifer Haberkorn recently noted that if Mississippis law is upheld and the court rewrites Roe, the lack of rape and incest exceptions could be replicated in many other conservative states. Many in the pro-life movement have traditionally held that there should be exceptions to any law banning abortion. But when a reporter recently asked Gov. Kim Reynolds if she would allow exceptions, she replied: I am pro-life, I am proud to be. I am going to do everything I can to defend the unborn, who cant defend themselves. Does that mean that she will no longer recognize rape and incest as exceptions, if Roe v Wade is overturned? Senate File 359, which Reynolds signed in 2018, specified four medically necessary exceptions: rape, incest, miscarriage, and fetal abnormality incompatible with life. But that was 2018. One wonders if her position has changed. Estimates on the number of rape-related pregnancies in the U. S. vary widely. A frequently cited 1996 study puts the annual number at about 32,000. More recent studies calculate the number somewhat smaller. But one rape-related pregnancy is one too many. In a famous 1971 article in Philosophy and Public Affairs Judith Thomson, after conceding that a fetus is a person with a right to life, puts forth the following hypothetical case: You wake up one morning and discover that, without your prior knowledge or consent, you are in a hospital bed hooked up to a famous unconscious violinist. The Society of Music Lovers kidnapped you during the night and is using your kidneys as a kind of dialysis machine that is filtering toxins from the violinists blood. The procedure will work, but it will take nine months. If you are unplugged from the violinist, he will die. While it would be exceedingly kind of you to stay in that hospital bed for nine months and save the violinists life, Thomson thinks it outrageous for anyone to claim you have a moral obligation to do so. She thinks a parallel can be drawn in the case of a woman victimized by rape. Thomsons argument depends on the relevant features of resemblance between you and the rape victim. What are the relevant features? Both cases involve coercion. You were kidnapped; the rape victim was forced to have sex. Both cases involve death. If you are unplugged from the violinist, he will die. If the rape victim has an abortion, the fetus dies. Thomson thinks that just as you have no moral obligation to save the violinists life, the rape victim has no moral obligation to carry a fetus to term. Thomson admits that the fetus is a person with a right to life. But she thinks the right to life is not the right to to be given at least the bare minimum one needs for continued life. Rather it is the right not to be killed unjustly. So, do you do the violinist an injustice by unplugging yourself from him if he has no right to the use of your kidneys in the first place? No! The fact that for continued life the violinist needs the continued use of your kidneys does not establish that he has a right to be given the continued use of your kidneys. For nobody has any right to use your kidneys unless you give him this right. So, if a rape victim has not given the unborn person a right to the use of her body for food and shelter, the fetus cannot claim such a right. How, then, can a rape-related abortion be an unjust killing? Thomsons argument is controversial. Some citizens will say the analogy she employs is bizarre or that the rape victim should just find in her heart to be a Good Samaritan and let the fetus live. Others will argue that a woman victimized by sexual violence has suffered an unspeakable harm attended with physical trauma, conflicting emotions, and confusion, and she alone should have the right to choose what to do. Do you think the rape victim has a moral duty to be kind? Or is it simply asking too much to require her to be a Good Samaritan? John Kearney is professor emeritus of philosophy at Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been a resident of Waterloo since August 2017. The views expressed here are his own. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine. On June 25, the cities of Severodonetsk and Borovskoye, the settlements of Voronovo and Sirotino passed under control of the Lugansk Peoples Republic. The localities liberated from the Kiev regime are inhabited by about 108,000 people. Total area of the liberated territory is about 145 square kilometres. Success of the Russian army and the units of people militia of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics considerably diminish moral and psychological condition of the Ukrainian army personnel. In 30th Mechanised Brigade deployed near Artyomovsk, there are mass cases of alcohol abuse, drug use and unauthorised abandonment of combat positions. Russian Federation Armed Forces continue launching attacks at military facilities located in Ukraine. High-precision attacks of Russian Aerospace Forces and Kalibr missiles were launched at 169th Army Training Centre near Desna (Chernigov region), 199th Air Assault Troops Training Centre near Teterevka (Zhitomir region), as well as at 184th Training Centre of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) near Starichi (Lvov region). Attacks have resulted in neutralising 65th, 66th mechanised brigades and 46th Airmobile Brigade from AFU strategic reserves that were finishing their preparation at those training grounds. The planned redeployment of the abovementioned units to operations area has been frustrated. Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery have neutralised: manpower and military equipment in 286 areas, artillery and mortar units in 62 areas, 2 command posts near Visunsk and Barmashovo (Nikolayev region), 4 munitions depots near Verkhnekamenka, Lisichansky and western suburbs of Lisichansk (Lugansk Peoples Republic). Within the counter-battery warfare towards Donetsk, high-precision attacks launched by Russian Aerospace Forces have resulted in neutralising 10 multiple rocket-launching system (MRLS) plattoons near Avdeyevka, Ukrainsk, Ivanovka, Novosyolovka Pervaya and Vozdvizhenka (Donetsk Peoples Republic). Attacks launched by aviation, missile troops and artillery have resulted in the elimination of over 720 nationalists, 12 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, as well as 16 special vehicles. The enemy unsuccessfully attempted to launch attacks by aviation and MRLS at Snake Island. The attack was repelled by Pantsir-S air defence missile and gun system and has resulted in the destruction of 1 Su-25 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force and 12 rockets. Neither victims among garrison personnel, nor damage have been caused. Russian air defence means have destroyed 8 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Varvarovka, Ray-Aleksandrovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Belyayevka (Kherson region), Malaya Kamyshevakha and Malyie Prokhody (Kharkov region). 19 projectiles launched by a MRLS have been shot down near Suligovka, Glinskoye, Sukhaya Kamenka (Kharkov region), Makeyevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic) and over Snake Island. 1 MiG-29 of Ukrainian Air Force has been shot down during an aerial combat near Zelenodolsk (Dnepropetrovsk region). In total, 215 airplanes and 132 helicopters, 1,363 unmanned aerial vehicles, 350 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,809 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 682 combat vehicles equipped with MRLS, 3,012 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 3,864 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. #MoD #Russia #Ukraine @mod_russia_enjoy WtR We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Russian forces are seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region while pressing their momentum following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk Im in the rare position of being both an angel investor and a recipient of angel investor funding from New Mexico Angels and their networks. Ive been on the ground floor with many New Mexico start-ups including NTx, Lumidigm, GNI and Build with Robots. So I truly can see the importance of our community ecosystem when it comes to supporting and growing New Mexicos innovation economy. Why do I feel its imperative to support the start-up community with funding? In a nutshell its the way we build our economic ecosystem to create more jobs and diversity of jobs for our families and future generations of New Mexicans. Its not a secret that New Mexico has been reliant on federal funding, and investing and supporting successful start-ups is one of the most promising paths to diversify and strengthen our economy. We want our young people to have the opportunity to enjoy a challenging and satisfying career in New Mexico, and building a diverse economy is the way we do that. Being an angel investor carries risk. Not all start-ups will succeed and even fewer will make you a great return on your money. But that said, in New Mexico, you will have the opportunity to invest in the best start-ups, which would not be available to a typical angel in Silicon Valley. In the Land of Enchantment, we have something other states do not the rare advantage of three national labs: the Air Force Research Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. These labs, with the support of New Mexico Economic Development Department, have numerous programs that provide New Mexico small businesses with access to expertise, equipment and scientific brain power not available to businesses outside of New Mexico. There is also a great inter-connected economic development support system across local, regional and state level entities. It requires the support of the full community to build a successful company from scratch. The bottom line is great ideas and technology need funding to build solutions that engage the commercial markets enabling the creation of sustainable businesses. And then even more funding is needed to have those companies thrive and to become cornerstones of New Mexicos economic future. Build With Robots took off in 2020 when we commercialized automation technology for spaces where there wasnt a lot of automation. We raised $5 million from angel investors, and have leveraged support from NMEDD, which has allowed the company to grow throughout New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. We launched a second round of founding to fuel new products and national expansion. Our bookings for 2021 exceeded $5 million and we are continuing to grow. Our New Mexico workforce has grown from two founders to 30 full-time equivalents. And those numbers will also continue to grow. None of our success would be possible without that initial cash infusion that came so generously from angel investors. I encourage all businesspeople in New Mexico to get involved with our robust start-up scene, as an investor, a supporter, or a mentor. Together we will see New Mexico thrive in unprecedented ways. Editors Note: Throughout 2022, New Mexico Angels members, investors and start-up owners will be writing columns on economic development and start-up opportunities in the state. The Angels unite individual investors to pool their resources, providing seed and early-stage capital to startup companies. Mayor Tim Keller, center, and wife, Elizabeth Kistin Keller, greet supporters following his State of the City address on Saturday at the Albuquerque Rail Yards. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Hundreds of people gathered in the boiler shop at the Albuquerque Rail Yards for Mayor Tim Kellers State of the City speech Saturday. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Gina Shorten, a performer with Any Given Child Summer Circus Arts, greets people at they enter the boiler shop at the Albuquerque Rail Yards for Mayor Tim Kellers State of the City address. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller during his 2022 State of the City address on Saturday at the Albuquerque Rail Yards. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 4 Next Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Despite a pandemic and what he called the citys decades-old challenges, Albuquerque has remained resilient and is pushing toward a brighter future, Mayor Tim Keller said during his annual State of the City address Saturday. In the first such address of his second term, Keller told a crowd of several hundred about the citys efforts to combat crime and homelessness, and revitalize Downtown, saying the community has not given in to despair, despite some very dark days. What we share today is the hard work of so many to tame these challenges, and tackle them with trademark spirit and determination, he said. I believe the real state of the city is a city that is holding the line during difficult times. It is a city that has not, and will not, stop advancing toward a horizon that brings out the best in Albuquerque. Though the city experienced overall crime drops in 2019 and 2020, violence has continued to be a sore spot during the Keller administration. In 2021, the city saw 119 homicides, its highest total in recorded history. Halfway through 2022, there have been 55 homicides and the city is on pace to match that record high. In a pre-recorded video played during Saturdays speech, Police Chief Harold Medina said his department had so far this year arrested or charged 57 homicide suspects and made more than 1,800 felony arrests. And Keller used his address to reiterate other ways the city is trying to improve public safety. That includes his administrations effort to assemble numerous local public agencies to form crime-abatement strategies and policies. The Metro Crime Initiative started in 2021 will convene again this summer, he said. He also spoke about the Albuquerque Community Safety Department, or ACS, which launched last year to provide an alternative response to 911 calls that would otherwise go to police and firefighters. Staffed by social workers and other specialists, the department now has 20 units taking calls related to homelessness, public inebriation and behavioral health, and is planning to expand to 24/7 coverage. Cities across America are actually looking to us for leadership in this area, Keller said of the department. In a moment of deja vu, Keller said Saturday that APD is seeking release from at least some of the federal oversight it has been under since 2015. It aims to show compliance with about a quarter of the terms inside its U.S. Department of Justice settlement agreement. Keller had made a similar announcement during his 2020 State of the City, but the release never happened. In an interview Saturday, Medina said APD had in 2020 backslid on compliance, which, along with the pandemic and other factors, thwarted its expected reprieve from some of the terms. But the DOJ already has OKd the citys current attempt to remove 62 paragraphs from the agreement and let APD monitor itself in those particular areas, which include behavioral health training, officer assistance and support. During Saturdays speech, Keller also noted that homelessness is on display in so many areas in our city. He said the city needs an all-of-the-above approach, citing rental-assistance vouchers, affordable housing development, hotel-to-apartment conversions, and the long-awaited Gibson Health Hub. Located in the old Lovelace hospital on Gibson, the city has begun work to create an on-site medical respite facility and medical sobering center, plus a Gateway Center homeless shelter, though the shelter component which voters in 2019 approved funding for remains tied up in neighborhood appeals. In one of the most animated moments of his 40-minute address, Keller countered criticism that the city does not do enough to clean up encampments, saying crews legally disband dozens each week, but will not pursue what he deemed simplistic and inappropriate solutions. We will stand up against shallow ideas that will neither work, nor are remotely humane, he said. We will not round up people; we will not force people on to a bus; we will not arrest people who have not committed an arrestable crime; we will not pull your officers off your 911 calls for somebody passed out under a tree. Keller spoke inside the boiler shop at the Albuquerque Rail Yards in Barelas, a cavernous space that now boasts new flooring and a new roof. Keller cited the Rail Yards redevelopment and the planned Rail Trail which will help connect the Rail Yards to Civic Plaza and even Old Town as two components of a multi-faceted plan to improve Downtown. When finished, this is going to be a place that will literally reshape our landscape and create a landmark like the BioPark and Tram that future generations will see as defining characteristics of the Duke City, he said of the Rail Trail. Its a pretty cool project I think we should clap for that one. City Council Vice President Dan Lewis, however, said after Kellers speech there was little to celebrate and the mayor doesnt seem to know what city he is living in. He said Kellers administration has failed on crime and homelessness, despite large budgets. While the council has repeatedly approved funding for 1,100 police officers, the city has fewer than 900 today, he said. He also criticized the mayors recent proposal also approved by the council to raise resident trash rates by $1 to help cover encampment cleanup, despite the citys current high revenue levels. The mayors State of the City ignored the crisis we are in, and was filled with excuses and blame for his failure to enforce our laws, and keep our city safe and clean, Lewis said in a statement. Journal staff writer Matthew Reisen contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal New Mexico has been at the forefront of providing abortion procedures for many out-of-state patients in recent months, but health centers in the state say they are bracing for an even larger number of individuals after the overturning of Roe v. Wade on Friday an increase that may have ripple effects across other health services. New Mexico is in a health care crisis in general and that extends to reproductive health care, said Kayla Herring, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. So as numbers of patients who are coming from out of state (increase), we see prolonged wait times and patients have difficulty accessing other forms of reproductive health care. So far, 13 states have trigger laws that will ban abortion within the next 30 days. Other states could also enact legislation restricting abortion. This signals what providers say will be an influx of out-of-state patients and may strain the states health care system since the procedure remains legal in New Mexico. Herring said patients seeking a test for sexually transmitted infections, birth control prescriptions, pregnancy screenings and other routine medical procedures at Planned Parenthood may have to go to other providers who are already stretched thin. This is going to be a public health emergency, Herring said. Were watching it happen as we speak. Increased demand Of the four states sharing a border with New Mexico, three have already placed or will soon place restrictions on abortions, with Arizona set to ban the procedure after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest in September. Restrictive abortion laws in adjacent states like Oklahoma and Texas passed prior to Fridays ruling provided a glimpse into what New Mexico health centers may face in a post-Roe world. Since Texas passed a law in September banning most abortions after six weeks, New Mexicos abortion providers have been dealing with a deluge of Texan patients seeking abortions. About 1,700 patients from Texas have accessed abortion services at Planned Parenthood clinics in New Mexico since the restrictions were enacted, Herring said. Previously, the clinics saw about 400 Texas patients each year. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, based out of Colorado, oversees four clinics in New Mexico, three of which provide abortion services. At the University of New Mexico Center for Reproductive Health, wait times increased from 24 hours to two to three weeks after the enactment of the Texas legislation in September, according to Dr. Lisa Hofler, clinical vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and chief of the division of Complex Family Planning at the University of New Mexico. This resulted in a 150% increase in patients seeking abortion care services over the previous year, Hofler told the Journal. Hofler said the overturning of Roe v. Wade raises concerns that some patients may have to travel for abortion care services and others may be unable to make the journey due to financial or other concerns. I really worry that were going to see more women dying from pregnancy, because pregnancy is much more dangerous than abortion, she said. Herring said Planned Parenthood saw a similar increase in out-of-state abortion seekers following the enactment in May of an Oklahoma law that made providing an abortion a felony. Weve seen a general overall increase in all of the care that weve provided, she said. New Mexico has long been a place where patients seeking abortion services have traveled due to the states unrestrictive laws relating to the procedure. Currently, there are no gestational limits for abortion access in the state. Though not protected by New Mexicos Constitution, abortion remains legal in the state. In 2021 the Legislature repealed a 1969 abortion ban, which made it a crime to end a pregnancy except in narrow circumstances. It had been unenforceable because of the Supreme Courts 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. New Mexico abortion rights advocates vowed during a Friday news conference they would keep working to make sure abortion services remain available in the state. But they acknowledged the Supreme Court ruling could increase fear among individuals seeking an abortion and could lead to delays in obtaining such services. Let me be clear, our patients are going to be deeply harmed by this decision, said Dr. Farinaz Khan, an abortion provider in New Mexico. Organizations that help out-of-state individuals obtain abortions also report a similar increased need for their services, according to Joan Lamunyon Sanford, executive director of the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. The coalition offers practical assistance to patients, including help with travel expenses, lodging, food and other services. Since the enforcement of Senate Bill 8 in Texas, weve seen at least triple the number of people who have reached out to us for assistance, Lamunyon Sanford said. We can only anticipate that thats going to really increase. The coalition faces two challenges going forward, she said. Its going to be an important challenge to make sure that people will know that abortion in New Mexico has been, and will remain, safe and legal, she said. The other challenge then will be making sure they can get here safely. The coalition is discussing ways to get the word out that New Mexico remains open to those seeking abortions, Lamunyon Sanford said. While some patients will have the ability to travel to New Mexico, Herring of Planned Parenthood said many others will be unable to do so. So many people in this country, specifically Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer and trans folks, low-income, and rural communities are unable to access abortion care, she said. Herring said the number of out-of-state patients will also not reflect the number of people seeking abortions. Its only representative of those folks who have the means to travel, she said. Journal Capitol Bureau reporters Dan Boyd and Dan McKay contributed to this report. KYIV, Ukraine Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv early Sunday, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings, and President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his 7-year-old daughter and wife injured. Associated Press journalists saw emergency workers battling flames and rescuing civilians. The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks barbarism after he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit. Later Sunday, a local official reported a second death, telling the Unian news agency that a railroad worker was killed and several others were injured in the attacks while servicing rail infrastructure. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the first air-launched weapons successfully to target the capital since June 5 were Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away. Kyivs mayor told journalists he thought the airstrikes were maybe a symbolic attack ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid that starts Tuesday. A former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said the strikes also were a signal to the leaders of G-7 nations meeting Sunday in Germany. Russia is saying, We can do this all day long. You guys are powerless to stop us,' retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said. The Russians are humiliating the leaders of the West. The G-7 leaders were set to announce the latest in a long series of international economic steps to pressure and isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine: new bans on imports of Russian gold. Standing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the three-day meetings host, Biden said of the missile strikes on Kyiv: Its more of their barbarism. Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, appealed to the G-7 leaders for more help, saying stopping Russian aggression is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and in the time we need it weapons, financial support and sanctions against Russia. A Ukrainian parliament member, Oleksiy Goncharenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that preliminary information indicated that Russia launched 14 missiles toward the capital region and Kyiv itself. Zelenskyy said some were intercepted, and he vowed revenge against all pilots, dispatchers, technicians and other people who ensure the launch of missiles in Ukraine. We will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these blows, Zelenskyy vowed. And if someone thinks he will evade responsibility by saying that this was an order, you are wrong. When your missiles hit homes, its a war crime. The court is what awaits you all. And you will not hide anywhere neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus Nowhere. In a phone interview, retired U.S. general Hodges told The Associated Press that Russia has a limited stock of precision missiles and if they are using them, its going to be for a special purpose, Russia has denied targeting civilians during the 4-month-old war, and Hodges said it was hard to know if the missiles launched Sunday were intended to strike the apartments buildings. Russian forces tried to seize control of Kyiv early in the war. After Ukrainian troops repelled them, the Kremlin largely shifted its focus to southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian rocket strikes in the city of Cherkasy, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kyiv, killed one person and injured five, regional governor Ihor Taburets said Sunday. In the east, Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains by battling to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge. Theres very much destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognizable, he wrote on Facebook. For weeks, Lysychansk and the nearby city of Sievierodonetsk have been subject to a bloody and destructive offensive by Russian forces and their separatist allies aimed at capturing all of Ukraines eastern Donbas region. They have made steady and slow progress, with Haidai confirming Saturday that Sievierodonetsk, including a chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were holed up, had fallen. Commenting on the battle for Sievierodonetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control not only the city but the villages surrounding it. He said the Russian military had thwarted Ukrainian forces attempt to turn the Azot chemical plant into a stubborn center of resistance. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian and separatist forces control of every major settlement in Luhansk. At last report, they controlled about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. On Saturday, Russia launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraines air command said. Reacting to the shelling from the Russian bombers, Zelenskyy appealed to the people of Belarus to resist cooperation with the Russian military. The Russian leadership wants to draw you all Belarusians into the war, wants to sow hatred between us, he said in his video address Sunday. You can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. In a meeting Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. On the economic front, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said banning imports of Russian gold would represent a significant escalation of sanctions. That is the second-most lucrative export that Russia has after energy. Blinken told American news channel CNN. Its about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G-7 countries. So cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, thats significant. Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following international sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad. ___ Follow APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. This week, Adam Schiff and his friends on the Jan. 6 Select Committee have been pushing a new "Big Lie" on America, that President Trump conspired with state GOP leaders to present "fake Trump electors" on January 6, 2021, whose votes would be substituted for the "real" Biden electors during the ceremonial public count of the votes by the vice president in the Capitol. According to the breathless committee script, it was a classic switcheroo, conducted in top secret, all by word of mouth or by encrypted text messages, please. In Michigan, electors were said to have hid out in the Capitol building overnight so they could cast their ballots legally in the morning without being detected. Schiff presented these claims in an eight-minute Sixty Minutes style video, narrated by the committee's investigative counsel, Cosey Lucier, who drove the theme home, presenting snippets of a "secret" meeting of the Arizona "fake electors" presided by state GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward and "fake electors" themselves. This is how propaganda works. You present one side of the story, you label it, and then you repeat repeat repeat. Ms. Lucier was no doubt aided by former ABC News executive James Goldston, hired by the committee earlier in the month to "produce the hearings as if they were a docudrama or a must-watch mini-series," according to the NY Times. The only problem with this latest Big Lie is that it isn't true. When citizens vote for president and vice-president they actually vote for a slate of electors. Every state in the union has two slates of electors and both of them gather after the election to cast their ballots for their candidate. Only one slate of electors gets certified by the state legislature. RNC chairwoman Rhonda McDaniels correctly called this second set of electors "contingent electors," but that was ignored by the Jan. 6 gaslighters. As any of the 74 million Trump voters who were paying attention before, during, and after the 2020 election knows, the issue of "contingent electors" was debated rigorously in public. Electors in seven states cast dueling votes for Trump and Biden. Memos from opposing lawyers were presented to the President -- and purposefully leaked to the press. The legal theory on the President's side was that the Vice President had "plenipotentiary" powers, meaning that he could decide by himself on Jan. 6, which set to electors to accept. Few Republicans agreed with that theory. Mike Pence certainly didn't, and when approached by a staffer for Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin to accept contingent elector certificates from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, he refused. Now, of course, Democrats are using that fleeting incident to attack Senator Johnson in his tight re-election race. In live testimony before the Jan. 6 committee on June 23, former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donaghue acknowledged that the Department of Justice vigorously opposed all efforts to investigate the 2020 election. "We are not quality control" when it comes to elections, he told the committee. If states ran defective elections "it is up to the states or Congress to correct, not the Justice Department." And while RINO Adam Kinzinger got him to describe how DoJ "investigated" President Trump's claims of election fraud by rehashing the denials from compromised officials at the time, he conceded that "the American people do not constitute a client of the U.S. Justice Department, only the American government does. We simply did not have standing" to intervene in the dozens of court cases involving alleged voter fraud. And they didn't. One DoJ attorney, Jeffrey Clark, was prepared to intervene. For his courage, President Trump planned to name him acting attorney general in January 2021. For his courage, Clark has been vilified by the media, the Jan. 6 Committee, and was dragged out of his home in his pajamas on Jan. 22, 2022 in a pre-dawn raid by FBI goons, who seized his electronics apparently on orders from Biden's Department of Justice. Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward and her husband, also a Trump elector, were presented with grand jury subpoenas this past week as well. We are witnessing the arrival of a Banana Republic in our country. When one side in a heated political environment criminalizes their opponents because of their political views, our Republic dies. The Democrats used their constitutional remedies against President Trump by impeaching him twice. Now they want to throw him and his supporters in jail. Why? Because they know they are losing the battle of public opinion and will lose fair elections against Trump allies in November and against Trump himself in 2024. Image: Petri Damsten There has been much perfervid shouting and rending of garments (or these days, parading about with red splotches on the crotches of their clothing or performative displays in Handmaid's Tale costumes -- red hooded capes) to protest the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. On the other hand, those opposed to abortion hail this decision, claiming abortions will end or be much reduced. Neither side is right. I believe the decision will not substantially lessen the number of abortions. On the other hand, I do think that it signals a significant retreat from the days when the Supreme Court creatively crafted imaginary rights to strip the states of their constitutional role. Federalism is back. I also believe the attorney generals response to the rioting and threats by Roe proponents and to the Bruen decision on gun ownership reveals him as a man insufficiently respectful of the Supreme Court and unwilling to perform his sworn duty to impartially enforce the law. He deserves to be impeached. Dobbs in short: a New Respect for Federalism In Dobbs, Justice Samuel Alito, speaking for the majority, wrote: We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely -- the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be "deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition" and "implicit in the concept of ordered liberty." The right to abortion does not fall within this category. Indeed, as the Wall Street Journal editors note: Roe was the real exercise of raw judicial power, as Justice Byron White put it in dissent in 1973. Thats when seven Justices claimed to find a constitutional right to abortion that is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution and had no history in American common law. The Court on Friday finally corrected its mistake, which has damaged the legitimacy of the Court and inflamed our politics for 49 years. [snip] Justice Alitos majority opinion hews closely to his draft, and it is a careful, thoughtful survey of abortion law and its history in the constitutional order. His opinion takes apart, brick by logical brick, the reasoning of Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the other main abortion precedent the Court overrules in Dobbs. The decision does not, contrary to some of its critics, constitute legislating by unelected judges -- that was the Roe Court. This decision puts the entire question in the hands of the states, which pre-Roe handled the issue. In other words, the citizens of each state can now decide when and under what conditions abortions can be performed within its borders. Why is returning power to the states so important and why is this notion of a return to federalism gaining ground? I think the best explanation is found at Bari Weisss substack. One thing I keep thinking about is a piece that Alana Newhouse, the editor in chief of Tablet, wrote for us last year about the urgency of state power -- the dawn of a renewed federalism in the 21st century. For decades, a strong federal government was the preferred soldier for me, and for many people I knew, she wrote. No longer. In the era of lockdowns and vaccine passports and, especially, the emergence of social credit systems, federal power no longer looked so benign. In the face of this seemingly omnipresent power, where can one find shelter? she asked. Her answer: the states. Dont like the lockdowns in Brooklyn? Move to Miami. Dont like the income tax in Los Angeles? Consider Juneau. In ways the founding fathers did not foresee -- or did they? -- we seem to be facing something quite unexpected. A new era of the states is upon us, Justice Clarence Thomas said many things in his concurring opinion worthy of mention, but the most important is that the substantive due process argument underpinning Roe exalts judges at the expense of the People from whom they derive their authority. He and the Courts majority have now handed the right to decide back to the voters. The Impact of Dobbs Dobbs is unlikely to substantially reduce the number of abortions, will fatten Planned Parenthoods coffers as the fight will continue state by state, and will increase abortion tourism to states like New York and California. (It may result in the organizations shifting their campaign work and contributions to local races, away from national ones, imagining, as I do, Congress will not pass a national abortion act.) Between 2017 and 2020 when many GOP states placed restrictions on abortions -- such as waiting periods and parental notification requirements when minors were involved -- abortions increased 8%. How can that be? Local and national abortion funds increased their capacity and helped even more people pay for their abortions. The prospect of the end of Roe fattened Planned Parenthoods coffers. Do you imagine that the actuality will not increase this bonanza? Attorney General Merrick Garland Deserves to be Impeached This week, the Department of Justice twice took a swipe at the Supreme Court, something I have never seen before or hope to see again. Its disrespectful, but worse, ignores the deference the Executive must pay the Judicial branch. On June 23, it fired the first salvo. Regarding the decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc, et al, v. Bruen, the Department of Justice issued a press release respectfully disagreeing with the Courts decision that the Second Amendment forbids making individuals seeking to carry a concealed weapon show they need it for self-defense. The press release concluded: The Department of Justice remains committed to saving innocent lives by enforcing and defending federal firearms laws, partnering with state, local and tribal authorities and using all legally available tools to tackle the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our communities. DoJ did not specify which, if any, federal laws were impacted by the decision. I cant imagine any. I do remember the DoJs role in Fast and Furious, where federal agencies purposely allowed the sale of firearms to illegal strawmen, firearms which were used to commit crimes in the U.S., including the shooting death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent, and where the then-attorney general, Eric Holder, refused to provide Congress with relevant documents, even after the courts ruled these were not covered by executive privilege. Following the leak of the Alito decision, picketers began loud demonstrations outside the homes of justices listed as being in the majority on Dobbs. Governors Glenn Youngkin (Virginia) and Larry Hogan (Maryland), where the targeted justices live, wrote to the attorney general, urging him to enforce the law as written. There is a federal statute specifically prohibiting such conduct, but he never condemned it or arrested those involved even after one man attempted to break into Justice Brett Kavanaughs home and murder him. (An attempted murder that was halted only when the plotter got cold feet and turned over his weapons.) After the decision was released this week, the demonstrations continued in greater force at the homes of the justices and the Supreme Court itself. Churches and centers that work to help pregnant women avoid abortion have been attacked with fire bombs and defacements. Still, nothing from Garland. President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Congresswomen Maxine Waters, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, and Senator Elizabeth Warren made incendiary statements after the release of the opinion. On social media, dissenting groups openly threatened violence. No condemnation from the attorney general. Instead, the Department of Justice released a statement condemning the decision and thereby adding to the vitriol. "The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Courts decision. This decision deals a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States. It will have an immediate and irreversible impact on the lives of people across the country. And it will be greatly disproportionate in its effect with the greatest burdens felt by people of color and those of limited financial means. The statement continues that women in states where abortion would be denied them can travel to other states where it is legal. It concludes that the department will not tolerate violence and threats of violence, but I have not seen a single arrest of those engaging in it. The department pledges to continue to protect healthcare providers and individuals seeking reproductive health services in states where those services remain legal, but says nothing about protecting churches and providers of alternate counseling and services. It urges Congress to codify Americans reproductive rights, which it retains the authority to do. (Fat chance.) And specifically contends that no state may ban the drug Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDAs expert judgment about its safety and efficacy. (This is an abortifacient drug used along with Misoprostol) to end pregnancies of less than 70 days. In sum, it slams the court, talks about work-arounds, and, despite promising to act against violence toward those opposing abortion or supporting the decision, has no record of having done so. The Supreme Court recently gave the cold shoulder to an American assaulted by a Border Patrol agent. No matter what party or ideology you ascribe to, this should set off alarm bells. Too often, conversations about U.S. border policy are swept up into culture war rhetoric and stick firmly to partisan lines. This pattern plays directly into the hands of bureaucrats who wish to centralize power, shred the Constitution, and build an apparatus that can ultimately inflict more harm on American citizens than on those attempting to cross the border. The recent Supreme Court 6-3 ruling in Egbert v. Boule is yet another example of this, as it strikes a blow to U.S. citizens seeking recourse when federal agents behave badly. While law enforcement officials deserve recognition for choosing a job that can put their life on the line, it is also true that the vast majority of Americans favor recourse for citizens wronged when those officials are negligent in their duties to protect and serve. Since it appears the high court may back those with a badge over American citizens for the foreseeable future, Boule should serve as a rallying cry for Americans to demand fundamental criminal justice reform as a hedge against law enforcement abusing its power. Boule is the cautionary tale of Robert Boule, who owns a bed and breakfast in a small border town in Washington State who alleges a border patrol agent used excessive force on him. In fact, his aptly-named Smugglers Inn is adjacent to the Canadian border. Although it could be argued Mr. Boule engaged in ethically questionable practices leading up to the assault, the Supreme Courts ruling on his case still indicates everyday Americans will be on the losing side of excessive force claims by federal agents. For many years, Boule served as a confidential informant for ICE. An entrepreneur at heart, Boule profited from both illegal border-crossers and the federal government. His usual gambit involved accepting nonrefundable payment from illegal border-crossers for transportation to and from Canada, as well as for lodging at his inn. Then, he would report his patrons to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)l agents, who would arrest them for crimes of migration and drug smuggling. For his amateur entrapment schemes, the government compensated Boule to the tune of $60,000 over several years. In 2014, Boule informed CBP agent Erik Egbert that a Turkish national would be staying at his inn that night, but that he had already cleared U.S. customs. Later, Egbert drove unannounced to Boules inn in hopes of apprehending the foreigner. When Boule stepped off the porch and asked Egbert to leave, the federal agent grabbed Boule by the chest and forcibly shoved him up against his car. With Boule still posing no threat of violence, Egbert threw Boule to the ground, injuring Boules hip and shoulder badly enough that hed later seek medical treatment. After all this, Egbert interrogated the Turkish national and confirmed what Boule had already told him: that he entered the U.S. lawfully and posed no credible security threat. Boule filed a complaint with the CBP over Egberts behavior, and in response Egbert tipped off several government agencies about Boules illegal aiding of migration, including the IRS, who audited Boule and drew thousands of dollars in accounting fees. Although the CBPs internal investigation determined that Egbert acted inappropriately, they declined to take punitive action against the agent or offer recourse for Boule. This prompted Boule to sue Egbert in federal court for violations of the 4th Amendment and the 1st Amendment (for Egberts retaliation). The district court ruled against recourse for Boule, which was reversed by the court of appeals, and was ultimately unreversed by the Supreme Court in a 6-3 ruling. The Supreme Courts majority opinion asserts that it is the responsibility of Congress, not the courts, to provide Americans opportunities for damage-seeking if federal agents behave badly. Since that option technically existed in the form of Boule filing a complaint to CBP, therefore, the court need not take action. Furthermore, Thomas asserts that the court should be hesitant to regulate matters of national security. In her dissenting opinion, Justice Sotomayor asserts that the its-not-the-courts-responsibility argument is narrow-minded and contradicts prior precedent, and also that the national security argument is a considerable stretch given the facts of the case. There are several key takeaways from Boules case. One is the lesson of with (federal) friends like these, who needs enemies? and serves as a cautionary tale for buddying up with government agents. Furthermore, we can anticipate Border Patrol agents to be emboldened by this decision and to test the limits of the Fourth Amendment. As referenced by Sotomayor in her dissent, this could be a real problem -- and not just for border towns like El Paso and San Diego. CBP agents have the authority to make warrantless arrests and search vehicles up to 100 miles from a land or coastal border (nearly two in three Americans). The most important takeaway is that, if this case is any indicator, the current makeup of the Supreme Court will not serve as a beacon for civil liberties or an adequate check and balance on the federal police state. Therefore, the burden falls on American citizens to pressure change in the legislature. Here are three legislative actions that Americans should rally behind in light of Boule: End Qualified Immunity. Law enforcement should not be above that law. If you are protected from consequences from acting inappropriately, then you are more likely to act inappropriately. Therefore. Americans should be empowered to fair recourse when law enforcement behaves badly. Pro-qualified immunity advocates say that this will reduce the likelihood that police will take urgent and lawful action in times of crisis. This can be solved by reducing the amount of crises that law enforcement are called to protect and serve against, which is why Americans should also demand to End the War on Drugs. If federal agents are consistently sent into harms way to forcibly stop nonviolent activity, there is an increased likelihood police and innocent citizens will be put in danger. Out of respect for both parties and a shared goal in reduction of truly heinous crimes, law enforcements time could be spent on tracking down murderers and rapists instead of the marijauna smuggler. And finally, in order to reduce the dependency on law enforcement and give Americans the opportunity to defend themselves, we must Enact Constitutional Carry. The Uvalde polices recent abdication of responsibility is waking Americans up to the fact that the best defense is found in self-defense. In order to empower everyday Americans to defend themselves against threats, as well as provide a hedge against law enforcement being the only authorities to carry guns, more states should follow the growing trend of passing Constitutional Carry and even anti-red flag laws like in Oklahoma. Movements that fight back against abuses by law enforcement can certainly become Trojan Horses for woke extremism that ultimately makes Americans less safe (see Chesa Boudins reign in San Francisco). That does not mean we should turn a blind eye to structural flaws that lead to miscarriages of justice, disregard of the Constitution, or acceptance that a select few get to be above the law. Boule should remind Americans that ultimately, The State versus You is a more threatening standoff than Red versus Blue, and that America is safest when the government is limited and the people are free. Sean Themea serves as chief of staff for Young Americans for Liberty. A recovering progressive, Sean has been published in The Federalist and has appeared on Fox Business, Newsmax, The First TV, and OAN. Hes a Contributor for Young Voices. Image: PxHere Taiwan's opposition party, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), re-opened its representative office in Washington on June 8, 2022, in the midst of an eleven-day U.S. visit by the party's chairman, Eric Chu. Chu declared that his mission is to counter the "smear campaign" against his party. In his speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Chu stressed that the KMT is not a "pro-China party", as perceived in Taiwan. Chu's mission statement and the timing of the KMT's reopening of its U.S. office are rather suspicious. At face value Since Taiwan's first direct presidential election in 1996, the KMT lost 4 out of 7, including the latest two in a row. The KMT's loss in support in Taiwan is mainly due to its pro-China stance. At one end of the KMT's China-dealing spectrum is the all-out economic integration approach without political consideration. This is advocated by Han Kuo-yu, the KMT's populist nominee for the 2020 presidential election. This approach risks Taiwan's political independence by subjecting its economy to the control of China. At the other end of the spectrum is the politics-only approach. One of the KMT's former chairs, Hung Hsiu-chu (March 2016 to July 2017), is the flag-bearer of this school. Hung has been active promoting cross-strait political integration. In her view, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are destined for unification, by force if necessary, echoing China's carrot-and-stick tactics. Between the two extremes is the most consequential China policy, implemented between 2008 and 2016, when Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT was Taiwan's president. During that period, the ruling KMT adopted a "1992 consensus"based China policy to maintain the cross-strait status quo through a "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" practice. Because of this framework, China later suspended all cross-strait interactions with Taiwan on the ground that Ma's successor, Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), did not accept the "1992 consensus" as a pre-condition. The KMT's China approach has put Taiwan in a disadvantaged position in dealing with China. And Taiwanese people have taken note. If the KMT genuinely wants to reverse its China-accommodating image, it needs to, at a minimum, distance itself from those who put China's interest ahead of Taiwan's. Chu's U.S. tour did not help much. Overseas supporters in mind Chu held meetings with Taiwanese communities in four major U.S. cities during his visit. The century-old KMT traditionally enjoys a dominant influence over Taiwanese communities abroad. Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China in 1979, the political stance of Taiwanese Americans diverted to two identity recognition groups. One holds the Taiwanese identity to the core, while the other supports unification with China. This divergence unavoidably caused deep discord among Taiwanese-Americans. The May 15 shooting in California highlighted the tension. While it is difficult to pin down the driving force behind this change in identity recognition, given the active operations by China to promote its unification agenda and sow hatred among different groups, China is arguably the chief influencer, and the KMT is a willing collaborator. Although Chu's U.S. tour could be seen as an attempt to mobilize the party's overseas supporters, Taiwan's election data suggest that such efforts could be of little help. Absentee voting is not allowed in Taiwan. In the 2020 election, even though the number of Taiwanese who applied as overseas voters doubled as compared with that in 2016, it was still insignificant: 5,100 eligible overseas voters versus 20 million registered domestic voters. Thus, mobilizing the KMT's overseas supporters is no more than a minor detour from the top priority of Chu's U.S. visit. Steering the U.S.'s China policy Chu offered help to the West during his U.S. visit to better understand China. It is true that the West started only in recent years to realize how puzzling it had been while dealing with China. When the world was in dire need of a better understanding of China, which had become a new member of the world trading community at the beginning of the new millennium, the ruling KMT closed its U.S. office in 2008 to foster a closer tie with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The KMT's China approach contributed to the integration of China's economy into that of the world. Today, a decade later, the world wakes up as a hostage of a global supply chain dominated by China. As the West prepares for decoupling from China, the KMT shows up to offer its China-appeasing manual. Chu even made a sentimental appeal to his audience at the Brookings: "Taiwan can have democracy. Why not China someday?" But Chu seemed to have missed a fundamental point. China is still a totalitarian state today not because it cannot find a path to democracy. On the contrary, China knows exactly where the path is but strong-handedly blocks off its access. During the height of the 1989 democratic movement in China, one of the CCP's top leaders, Chen Yun, famously declared: "If we give in, our socialist Republic ... would become a Republic of capitalism." The subsequent Tiananmen massacre, repression of the Tibetans and Uyghurs, and Hong Kong's loss of the promised autonomous status have all underscored unequivocally what Communist China is determined to do and not to do. The KMT does indeed have a better understanding of China than the rest of the world does. After all, all four prominent figures of the KMT mentioned above have been highly praised by China for promoting cross-strait integration. But their advice is not what the West needs today, after China has made itself a main adversary of the free world. The only beneficiary of the KMT's selling of its China manual to the West, if successful, is China, which would gain time to become an even more formidable threat to the world. The KMT is on a suicidal mission to save its old rival, the CCP. The targets of the KMT's operation need to be on high alert. Image via Max Pixel. The Lefts response to the Supreme Courts 6-3 ruling in New York Rifle Association v. Bruen to strike down an unconstitutional New York gun law that restricted concealed carry was entirely predictable. The Left hates the Constitution, especially the 2nd Amendment, and nothing makes them angrier than the Supreme Court rebuking their lawlessness and upholding the unalienable right of the law-abiding American citizen to exercise his or her 2nd Amendment right. In this case it was a New York law from 1911 that effectively prevented New York residents from acquiring a concealed carry license. The state law required the licensee to "demonstrate a special need for self-protection distinguishable from that of the general community. Robert Nash and Brendan Koch, two New York residents tried to get a concealed carry license and were both denied on the ground that they failed to show proper cause to carry a firearm in public for the purpose of self-defense. Both had extensive firearm safety training and Nash cited a string of recent robberies in his neighborhood as a need. If these two men couldnt get a concealed carry license in New York, then who could? Youd have to be dead before you could prove proper cause. Nash and Koch brought suit in federal court with the aid of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. While lower courts upheld the unconstitutional law, on Thursday the Supreme Court struck it down. The only thing to be outraged by is the fact that this unconstitutional law has survived for more than 100 years. But instead, the left is predictably apoplectic that the Supreme Court has finally struck it down. Why? Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, claims the SCOTUS ruling made every single one of us less safe. How so? The number of shootings in New York City soared 97% from 2019 to 2020. Murders jumped by 43%. None of these shootings and murders were committed by Americans with a concealed carry license, because the 111-year-old law in New York effectively prohibited it. Biden likewise claimed the SCOTUS ruling would make Americans less safe. In the wake of the horrific attacks in Buffalo and Uvalde, Biden said in a released statement, as well as the daily acts of gun violence that do not make national headlines, we must do more as a society -- not less -- to protect our fellow Americans. Thats three lies. First, neither the Buffalo shooting, nor the Uvalde shooting were carried about by individuals with a concealed carry permit. In the case of Buffalo, not only did New Yorks restrictive gun laws fail to prevent the mass shooting, but they made the target attractive to the killer. NY has heavy gun laws, he wrote in his manifesto, so it was ease me if I knew that any legally armed civilian was limited to 10 round magazines or cucked firearms. In the case of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, one police officer had a chance to shoot the killer before he entered through an unlocked back door but chose not to. Police then waited 77 minutes until they could get a key to unlock the door to the classroom that the killer was in. What does a concealed carry license have to do with either mass shooting? Nothing. Second, which daily acts of gun violence that do not make national headlines, support the Lefts claim that law-abiding American citizens with a concealed carry license make every single one of us less safe? Is there a rash of murders being committed by concealed carry holders that the media is refusing to cover? Of course not. But according to Mayor Adams, there are a bunch of aspiring murderers walking the streets of the Big Apple who have just been waiting to get their concealed carry licenses to go on killing sprees. Murderers and criminals dont apply for concealed carry permits. Law-abiding American citizens do. More importantly, those Americans who are concealed carry license holders save lives. These are the stories that dont make headlines. On February 13, 2019, Larry Seagroves, a concealed handgun permit holder, shot and wounded a lone gunman in a Tennessee dentists office. The lone gunman had shot his estranged wife but was prevented from shooting others by a citizen with a gun. On January 17, 2019, Jay Brown, an IHOP employee in Alabama, shot and killed a lone gunman in the restaurant after the gunman opened fire on employees. Neither of these stories made national headlines. Third, Biden says we must do more as a society -- not less -- to protect our fellow Americans. Bullschiff. The Left is demanding that we do more, not less, to endanger our fellow Americans. This SCOTUS decision is monumental; not only because it restores and upholds our Constitutional right to self-defense, but because it comes at a time in which Congress is prepared to further restrict our 2nd Amendment right. If the New York law violated the Second and Fourteenth Amendments, which "protect an individuals right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home," the government cant restrict what type of guns we buy or the size of the magazine capacity, either. For decades the Left has gotten away with rampant violations of the Constitution; like arrogant children, who continue to push the limits of their misbehavior with the expectation that their parents would never catch on. But now theyve finally been caught. This is why the Left is outraged. The SCOTUS decision exposes the Left as the lawless frauds that they are. It reveals their true intentions to prevent Americans from defending themselves. And it stole the momentum theyve built from exploiting recent tragedies to justify their unconstitutional gun grab. As Congress attempts to legislate away our 2nd Amendment right, the Supreme Court just put the Left on notice. Drew Allen is the host of the popular The Drew Allen Show podcast and a widely published columnist and political analyst. He is the Vice President of Client Development at Publius PR and also the Editor of the Publius National Post. His work can be read and seen and heard at drewallen.substack.com. Twitter: @drewthomasallen Image: MaxPixel Lithuania has upped the ante against Russia in Moscows war against Ukraine, closing rail lines to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad -- a direct poke at the Russian bear. The bear poked back, warning that Lithuania would face a "serious negative impact. This follows on a series of warnings by Russian officials hoping to deter Western/NATO support for Ukraine. In May, former president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russias security council, threatened nuclear escalation. "Such a conflict always has the risk of turning into a full-fledged nuclear war. This will be a disastrous scenario for everyone." Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the Russian military would consider NATO transports carrying weapons in Ukraine as targets to be destroyed. The move by Finland and Sweden to join the NATO alliance prompted Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov to warn that NATO "is not that kind of alliance which ensures peace and stability, and its further expansion will not bring additional security to the European continent. He later added that Russia would have to "rebalance the situation" with its own measures. Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, threatened "military and political consequences" if the countries joined the bloc. The Russian threats were, all in all, attempts to keep NATO out of the war. The alliance was never likely to send troops to fight for a non-member and there was a limit to how stringent sanctions would be in the fact of European reliance on Russian natural gas. The only real question, then, was the level of armament the West was prepared to provide to the Zelensky government. The answer was, a lot. Rifles and ammunition, HIMARS multiple-rocket launchers, howitzers and towing vehicles, drones (lots of drones), anti-tank missiles, helicopters (procured for Afghanistan), Stinger anti-aircraft systems, GPS jamming equipment, night-vision goggles, artillery shells, and more. NATO training of Ukrainian troops helped too, prompting European sources to claim Ukraine was winning the war, And it is winning for the same reasons that Azerbaijan won the Second Karabakh War with Armenia three years ago. Tactics, equipment, and officer training. Thoughts of a Ukrainian victory peaked by May. After an unpromising start, and failures of technology, Russia is doing what Russia does: grinding across Ukraine, chewing up people, buildings, assets, wearing down and grinding down everything in its path. Moscows approach has never been one that considers civilians, collateral damage, or wreckage. In Luhansk, Russian troops have been unable to capture strategic villages on the ground, and have resorted to shelling and airstrikes. According to the regional governor, Ukrainian forces control basically only the Azot chemical plant, which is sheltering fighters and an estimated 500 civilians. The destruction of Grozny, where a Tufts University study estimated 25,000-50,000 civilian casualties, should have been a warning: Russian troops entering Grozny were not only woefully unprepared for urban warfare but were undertrained even by basic infantry standards. Heavily armored vehicles like MBTs were all but useless in these densely packed, highly elevated environments. Chechen guerilla outfits imposed substantial costs on the advancing Russian forces, destroying Russian armored personnel carriers (APCs) with relative ease. Thwarted at every turn, the Russian military became increasingly reliant on artillery fire, mortars, and carpet bombing runs to pound Grozny into submission. But here is this month's parallel: The Ukrainians have fought the Russians valiantly, even conducting impressive counterattacks. But now the fulcrum has shifted in Russias favor as its massive artillery forces pound the daylights out of Ukrainian forces and innocent civilian centers in the Donbas region time is not on the side of the Ukrainians in what has become an artillery-centric war. No one helped the Chechens, and in 2005, the UN called Grozny the most destroyed city on earth. The Ukrainians have help, lots of help from NATO and the U.S., which means they will continue to fight, and the Russians, with massively more manpower and a willingness to expend that manpower in a slow, grinding battle, will continue as well. There is a warning for America and its allies embedded in this. Congress has authorized billions in aid to Ukraine and billions more to replace war stocks, including $634 million to restock Stinger missiles, as the U.S. has already sent one-third of its Stinger and Javelin missiles to Kyiv. But contractor Raytheon, taking the contract, said it could not begin the replacement before next year. Security analyst Stephen Bryen notes that, The US and Europe are increasingly dependent on high-tech supplies from Asia. Today there are severe supply bottlenecks, shortages and risk dependencies. In addition, When (a) contract is completed and there are no immediate follow-on purchases, production lines are shut down and second- and third-tier component suppliers also stop production. Supply shortages and bottlenecks will have an impact Americas ability to defend itself, its allies and its interests. An increasingly belligerent China with increasingly open threats to Taiwan, and a very unpredictable North Korea with its threats to American ally South Korea, are taking note and planning accordingly. Threats and warnings go in all directions. Image: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine The moment the Dobbs decision came down, large American corporations acted: They promised their employees what can only be described as abortion benefits: They will do everything they can to facilitate abortions for those of their female employees who give their energy and attention to work, not to children. Leftists are delighted but its a nasty, debasing thing Americas corporations are doing. Pandra Selivanov has already noted that Hollywoods biggest corporations are desperate to keep the abortions rolling: Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Comcast, Warner Brothers., Discovery, and Sony. That Disney is on board is rather ironic considering that its customer base has been, for almost 90 years, children. But I digress. Libs of TikTok gathered some of the announcements that various corporations have made to their employees. For example, in the name of equity and peoples health, lives, and careers, Google announced that its US benefits plan and health insurance cover out-of-state medical procedures that are not available where an employee lives and works. And of course, Google is arranging support sessions for the snowflakes in its employ: .@Google is offering their employees the option to relocate over the Supreme Court ruling. #RoeVWade pic.twitter.com/jyfoKtYjPL Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 24, 2022 The banking industry is also on board: JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank AG and American Express will pay for employees to travel to another state if needed to obtain a legal abortion.... To that end, Bank of America sent out an announcement informing its employees that We are expanding coverage for U.S. healthcare-related travel. .@BankofAmerica just sent a memo to employees stating that they expanded coverage for healthcare-related travel pic.twitter.com/LV9G3DcsYf Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 24, 2022 At the end of this post are a few more examples of corporations rushing to assure female employees that nothing will get in the way of those employees who want to terminate a pregnancy. Meanwhile, in the states in which abortion will remain legal and that are setting themselves up as abortion destination states, leftists are starting to post messages announcing that they have a couch, a car, vacation days, and a conveniently short memory for any young woman who needs a job interview or a college visit. Clearly, these leftists envision themselves as the brave souls running a new Underground Railroad. But back to the corporations. Image: Office buildings by frimufilms. Corporations are not altruistic. When they treat employees well, its because doing so is good for the corporation. Various federal and state employment laws provide a baseline level of decency for corporate work. Anything above that level, while it may flow from the occasional owners or managers milk of human kindness, usually has to do with (a) keeping employees in a competitive market or (b) avoiding the costs of constant employee turnover. When it comes to facilitating abortions, the benefits to the corporations are obvious. Pregnant employees are expensive: They take more time off when theyre pregnant, they get maternity leave, sick children mean more time off after pregnancy, and the companys health insurance costs rise when its employees have kids. Its much better for a corporation to tell its female employees that its right there in the trenches with them in the fight to kill babies. And what do the women get out of these facilitated abortions? A paycheck, promotions, an employee of the month plaque on the wall? Its true that these things seem wonderful when youre young, having fun, and getting all sorts of praise and perks from the boss. (Its amazing how much goodwill a company garners from employees if it gives away electronic gadgets.) And frankly, when kids are little, even a hard job is easier than sleepless nights followed by endless days of dealing with the extraordinary demands young children make on a mother. The payoff with kids comes later. The energy you put into them as a parent when theyre little is returned with interest when you have children who become interesting, productive, and loving people. When youre old and your world has contracted, your former employer wont come and visit with you in the old age home but your children will, bringing the grandkids with them. The thing about kids is that its delayed gratification on an epic scale but it comes with a huge reward at the end of the line. But for corporations, their employees children are simply an economic burden. If abortion is illegal in any given state, that employer is going to make darn sure it gets the current benefit of a childless woman now. Years later, when her employer no longer has any use for her, that same woman may find herself facing a very lonely old age. Here are some more corporate abortion letters: Expedia group sent this email to employees today stating that they updated their medical benefits policy to include travel costs for abortions. pic.twitter.com/MfAFkh648L Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 24, 2022 .@DICKS promises employees they will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses to get an abortion pic.twitter.com/nIuHfAiGpY Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 24, 2022 BREAKING: @PayPal just sent this email to employees, confirming they will help pay for travel to get an abortion pic.twitter.com/2wGEDbtNPP Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 24, 2022 We are in Roe minus 2, or two days without Roe. It's time to remind the pro-Roe crowd that they made the overturn possible by being so rigid about abortion. Let's do a little alternate history. It's a fun game and in this case rather significant. So let's go back to June 1995. Back then, President Clinton was moving to the center and looking to cut deals with GOP Congress. Let's imagine the following phone call from President Clinton to Speaker Newt Gingrich. Here it goes: "Newt, it's President Clinton here." "Hello, Mr. President. What's up?" "Newt. I want to cut a deal on abortion and put it behind us. Here is my plan. I will propose a new law that guarantees access to abortion but lets every state govern the details." "Mr. President, are you saying that you want to go the way of Europe?" Of course, we will never know, but my guess is that such a law would have passed. It would have effectively ended Roe without overturning. The Dallas Morning News has a great editorial about this: Beginning in the 1960s and before 1973, the nation was moving toward a state-by-state codification of abortion that demonstrated a political recognition that abortion should not be entirely prohibited but that there comes a point in a pregnancy when it should no longer be permitted. The most liberal law was in New York, which in 1970 permitted abortion through the 24th week of pregnancy. As the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted in a 1992 speech for the Madison Lecture series, this political development was overrun by the decision in Roe vs. Wade. In prior cases where the court sought to invalidate antiquated laws that discriminated based on sex, it "opened a dialogue with the political branches of government," requiring state legislatures to reexamine their positions. But in giving itself the power to decide the moral question of abortion, the court fashioned "a regime blanketing the subject, a set of rules that displaced virtually every state law then in force." This was a judicial error that deepened a national division that has now affected every part of political life. Roe was, as a majority of the Supreme Court has ruled, wrongly decided. There is no historical basis for the inclusion of abortion as an unenumerated right within the Constitution's named rights. Yes, a judicial error that brought us to this point. So why didn't they listen to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg or try to find a compromise when they could? I don't know, but we wouldn't be talking about overturning Roe had they done so. Abortion now moves to the states, and we will see legislative compromises, or what legislatures do. Again, a lot of Democrats must be privately wondering why they didn't listen to Justice Ruth, their favorite. PS: Check out my videos and posts. Image via Pixabay. Democrats for years have been promoting the notion that Republicans are congenitally racist, regulur Bull Connors. It's the old Norman Rockwell painting of a little black girl clad in a white dress, being escorted by lawmen into a desegregating school in New Orleans, with foul racist graffiti and tomato stains on the wall behind her, that serves as their template for Republicans -- this, despite the fact that the people who opposed desegregation in the Deep South were Democrats. The stereotype they pin on Republicans does not stop. It's that of the jewel-bedecked rich lady sniffing up her nose, looking down at, and brushing aside the dreaded hoi polloi who get too close to her. Especially when it's brown-faced Mexican-American children who are looked down at as if they have cooties. Can't get cooties. It might sound like an old stereotype.... But then there's Nancy Pelosi, Democrat Speaker of the House, who demonstrated Friday who the racists are. The occasion was the congressional swearing in of newly elected Texas Rep. Mayra Flores, who brought her two adorable daughters with her, both wearing little white dresses, the one standing next to Pelosi actually wearing a pinnafore. Somehow, Pelosi didn't think they were cute -- not in the least -- the way some white leftists fall all over themselves do, cooing at children of a different skin color. Pelosi reacted this way: You can see that she's standing opposite to Flores and her husband, while Flores's two very well behaved elementary-school-aged daughters, in their white dresses, stand on the other side, everyone moved in closely for the camea shot. Instead of smiling sweetly at the little girls, or putting a reassuring arm around the both of them, Pelosi recoils. She and Flores's husband, a Border Patrol agent, gestured for someone to come join them in the picture. Sure, the spacing was tight, but Pelosi could have taken one step forward to call the person in to join the picture, or twisted her body to the side for more elbow room to call, or used the other hand to make her gestures. Instead of that, she stared down at the pristine little girls who were being good and standing where they were told to stand, as if they were vermin. Then after staring down, she gave a sharp elbow shove to the little girl in the pinnafore to give her more space. All this, with a gelid phony smile that little kids know is code for what Miss Manners described as:"you're going to get hurt." Did the well-behaved little girls deserve that? I'm surprised Pelosi didn't wipe her hands after her encounter with these kids, the same way Kamala Harris did after she shook hands with the president of South Korea. Racism much, Nancy? Perhaps it was what the left calls "unconscious racism." Whatever it was, it's pretty obvious that behind Pelosi's crocodile smile for the incoming conservative Flores, who has laid the Democrats low in the blue stronghold of south Texs, Pelosi's always happy to say what she really thinks by giving the brown-skinned kids a shove when she thinks the cameras are off. She's a textbook arrogant rich lady with disdain for minorities, and sure enough, she got caught. Image: Screen shots from Twitter. A father named Polonius in the play Hamlet offers his son, Laertes, some advice as Laertes prepares to return to school in France. He offers several gems to his son but Give thy thoughts no tongue is the one that stands out in my mind. When I taught teenagers, occasionally one would impulsively blurt out something hurtful aimed at me or another classmate. In those instances, I would give the peacebreaker the look and then paraphrase Polonius saying, Just because a thought occurs between your ears does not mean it needs to be verbalized! When interesting notions come to us, it is normal and human to want to explore that with others. On June 22, 2022, Tucker Carlson interviewed a Google scientist named Blake Lemoine. As I listened to Lemoine talk with Carlson, the question Do we really want to create robots who can think? popped into my mind. Like many of you, I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey. I recall how HAL (the robot) killed one astronaut and was trying to kill another named Dave. The most interesting exchange between Carlson and Lemoine revealed that even though the bosses of Google want to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI), they have not thought a lot about the possible outcomes. I found that chilling. I served in the military and I am as much of a gee-whiz tech nerd as any other guy, but just because we can think of something does not mean we need to make it. Has the development of nuclear weapons made the world a safer place? Has gain of function research in biological warfare made the world a safer place? Has cloning technology made the world a safer place? Image: Exciting comics, 1940. Public domain. In 1862 as he witnessed the industrial revolution in America, Henry Adams wrote I firmly believe that before many centuries more, science will be the master of man. The engines he will have invented will be beyond his strength to control. Some day science may have the existence of mankind in its power, and the human race commit suicide by blowing up the world. As I listened to Carlson and Lemoine talk about AI, Henry Adams warning from the mid-19th Century started flashing red in my mind. Google is developing AI but has not explored the implications. Really? Google has more money than brains and that worries me. If we keep playing chicken with science and technology, something wicked and unwelcome will surely come our way. Maybe it already has? Ned Cosbys new novel is OUTCRY, exposing the refusal of Christian leaders to discipline clergy who sexually abuse our young people. This work of fiction addresses crimes that are all too real. He has also written RECOLLECTIONS FROM MY FATHERS HOUSE, tracing his own odyssey from 1954 to the present. For more info, visit www.nedcosby.com. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is either one of the dumbest people ever to trod the Earth, one of the most hypocritical, stupendously fiendishor some combination of the aforementioned. Trudeau took to Twitter recently to solemnly state: The news coming out of the United States is horrific. My heart goes out to the millions of American women who are now set to lose their legal right to an abortion. I cant imagine the fear and anger you are feeling right now. He added: No government, politician, or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. I want women in Canada to know that we will always stand up for your right to choose. This is the guy who attempted to force every woman (and man, and non-binary) in Canada to accept an experimental, emergency use vaccine (with several known potential severe side-effects) into their bodies or face financial penalties, job loss or potentially even incarceration. I can imagine the fear and anger they felt. Trudeau also recently speculated that the U.S. Supreme Courts abortion ruling could soon lead to the loss of other rights. Like, perhaps, the right to get in ones truck and drive across the country to peacefully protest an unconstitutional mandate to surrender ones bodily integrity without having ones bank accounts frozen? Or maybe the fundamental, inherent right to effectively defend oneself? The formerly black-faced leader of The Great White North suggested that his country would continue to allow Americans to get abortions in Canada. Yes, Im sure he will be happy to allow them to cross the border, as long as they are fully vaccinated and boosted, of course. Speaking of which, Trudeau recently granted an interview to CBC Radios The House, in which he noted that the unvaccinated will have to deal with the consequences of their obstinance. Newsflash: thats all weve ever asked for, Dumbo. (The same must also be said about those who engage in risky sexual behavior, including women who have unprotected sex. If you engage in intercourse without precaution, yet dont want a baby, you should not be legally able to make the baby suffer the consequences of your carelessness, lust, and sloth. Perhaps he can ask his mom about this. Moreover, given that it appears the fully vaccinated have accounted for the large majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Canada over the past couple of months, those consequences might well be positive rather than negative. Trudeau once called the Freedom Convoy protesters that journeyed to Ottawa last February a small fringe minority who held unacceptable views. Funny, I thought liberals were all about protecting minorities. But I guess not the ones who hold unacceptable views, meaning those with which they disagree. No government, politician, or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. Really? That is childishly obvious hypocrisy. The government tells women (and men) they cannot murder another human being for their convenience. Or club a baby seal to death. Or drive over the speed limit. Or walk into a convenience store and buy a pack of cigarettes before they turn 18. Etc., etc., etc. No government, politician, or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body? Thats as may be. But, if she has an unacceptable view, Trudeaus government might tell her what to think. Image: Presidencia de la Republica Mexicana, via Flickr, Wikimedia Commons (cropped) // CC BY-SA 2.0 Why is the media reporting endlessly that Congressmen supposedly asked President Trump for pardons without telling the public that Trump didn't grant the pardons? We also heard many stories at the end of Trump's term that he was going to give himself and family members pardons. Those stories were probably as fake as the Russian collusion story. Shouldn't that be the biggest part of the story? Trump didn't pardon everyone who asked, including his political allies. He pardoned a few, but at least Trump didn't pardon Puerto Rican terrorists like Bill Clinton to get votes for Hillary. Carter, Clinton, and Obama all pardoned terrorists and most of the media didn't care, but it is now a major story that Trump had people request pardons from him that he didn't grant? In 1979, Jimmy Carter released from prison three Puerto Rican terrorists who shot at members of Congress. In 1999 Bill Clinton pardoned 12 members of the FALN. Obamas one-time friend Bill Ayers, himself a terrorist in the 1970s, tweeted out a celebratory Oscar Lopez freed! The media is having a cow that the Supreme ruled that citizens have a right to defend themselves, too. Shouldn't the media analyze the 43 states that allow concealed carry to the states that don't instead of just regurgitating Democrat talking points? It doesn't appear that states that allow people to openly defend themselves have worse results. Obviously, the media doesn't want the public to see facts. If the media and other Democrats truly cared about the safety of children and other Americans, they would be reacting to all the criminal activity at the border and on the city streets where radical DAs let dangerous criminals roam the streets to threaten and harm the public. But they are almost completely silent. We essentially have an armed insurgency attacking us at the open border every day and there is utter silence. Where are all the stories about all the abandoned children being harmed every day? Obviously, leftists don't care. The Biden administration is actively concerned about the sovereignty of Ukraine and their border and is arming their citizens to the hilt so they can defend themselves. Maybe, they should treat our borders with the same respect as Ukraine. Towns are being overwhelmed by invaders crossing the border. Isn't it the responsibility of the Biden administration to enforce the laws on the books? Didn't they take an oath to enforce the laws? Maybe the Biden administration and the media should look at the leftist DAs as if they are all invaders sent by Putin throughout the country to target society. Maybe then, they would support citizens arming themselves to protect against danger. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Jill Biden, Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi, and others have visited Ukraine to show how much they care, but they haven't visited the border to show they care about Americans. It shows they don't care or don't want the public to know the harm their open border policies are causing. The major news anchors have gone to Ukraine and done endless reporting, but there is almost endless silence about the border because they clearly want to hide the truth of the massive harm and criminal activity from the public. The Founding Fathers gave the press great powers in the First Amendment to hold the powerful to account, not to push an agenda for people they support and to hide the truth from the public. They would be ashamed. They also gave us the Second Amendment so people could defend themselves against a powerful government. They would be ashamed to see how much Democrats are trying to whittle away at our freedoms. The choice becomes easier every day: Either choose the candidates who are most likely to give the power, money, and freedom, or choose the candidates most of the media supports who want the power, freedom, and money to go to the powerful government. Around 160 years ago, Republicans abolished slavery and today the Democrats want us to be more beholden to and dependent on the government. The 2022, and 2024, elections are the only way to save our great country from the intentional collapse being supported by a compliant and complicit media. Can anyone imagine the endless coverage if Reagan's, Bush's, or Trump's staff gave them such menial instructions? Greece unseals Russian ship with Iranian oil After more 2 months blockade due to sanctions resumes sailing (ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, 26 GIU - A Russian tanker carrying Iranian crude oil, seized by Greek authorities at the request of the United States last April 19 in deference to sanctions against Tehran's oil and against Russia for invading Ukraine, was released from seizure today and resumed sailing. The Russian tanker Pegas, almost immediately renamed Lana, had been seized off the Greek island of Euboea, carrying 115,000 tons of Iranian oil. The U.S. claimed the oil under anti-Iranian sanctions, but Tehran protested to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) asking Athens to intervene. The Greek courts on June 9 agreed with Iran and ordered the release of Iranian oil. Then a new blockade, due to overlapping other legal issues, finally, today, the release. From the port of Karystos, in Euboea, the Lana took to sea today bound for Piraeus, where transportation and shipping documents will be examined. (ANSA-AFP). Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved Bulgaria: president, no unblocking veto N.Macedonia in EU Radev, Parliament signed a blank bill of exchange (ANSA) - SOFIA, 26 GIU - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has harshly criticized the resigning government and deputies after the recent decision of the Sofia parliament to approve 'the French offer' to override the Bulgarian veto on the start of negotiations on North Macedonia's entry into the EU. Bulgarian media today emphasize Radev's statement that "the French proposal contains many of Bulgaria's basic demands," such as including Bulgarians living in North Macedonia in the Macedonian constitution alongside Albanians and Macedonians, "but it could have carried more weight if our politicians had paid more attention to the French presidency's entire proposed package, including the Bulgarian-Macedonian protocol." "The parliamentarians signed a blank bill of exchange after they voted in favor of something they could not even read and that will lead future governments to conduct sterile discussions with the other side on the various disputes," the chairman added. Radev is referring to the Bulgarian-Macedonian protocol, which is part of the 'French package.' This document has not yet been signed by the respective sides and has already been called "unacceptable" by the Macedonian premier, Dimitar Kovacevski. The protocol contains Skopje's obligation to respect the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia, not to distort historical truth by appropriating the authorship of important people and figures deemed to belong strictly to the Bulgarian historical and cultural tradition, not to incite hatred against Bulgaria, including through schoolbooks, and to recognize that Macedonian is a dialect of Bulgarian while considering it official for North Macedonia. (ANSA). Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved The issue of people risking their lives to cross the English Channel from France was not raised during talks between Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders met at the G7 summit in Germany but did not address the situation which has seen more than 12,000 people make the crossing so far this year. Meanwhile, despite the Elysee Palace insisting Mr Johnson expressed interest in Mr Macrons vision for a wider European political community incorporating non-EU states such as the UK, Downing Street stressed there was no prospect of a return to free movement across the UKs borders. Prime Minister @BorisJohnson spoke with President @EmmanuelMacron at the @G7 summit in Germany. They agreed to step up military support for Ukraine to turn the tide in the war and strengthen its hand in any future negotiations.https://t.co/03IqFGEusj UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) June 26, 2022 The talks at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps focused largely on issues related to the G7 summit, No 10 said. Asked why the boat crossings were not raised, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There are very significant issues of geopolitical concern to discuss, not least the crisis in Ukraine. They have talked about those issues previously and Im sure they will again. But, obviously, on the eve of the G7, thats pretty much, Im sure, at the forefront of both of their minds. The Elysee said Mr Johnson showed interest in the French Presidents vision for a wider European community, something that was not mentioned in No 10s account of the meeting. Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a bilateral meeting with French President Emanuel Macron at the G7 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Were happy to discuss this with the president and EU colleagues, should they provide further details on on this. Mr Macrons idea would open the door to closer ties with the EU for countries outside the bloc including Ukraine, the UK and the nations of the western Balkans, covering areas including the movement of people. However, No 10 pushed back against any suggestion the UK would return to pre-Brexit free movement of people. As far as Im aware of, the Prime Minister hasnt had any formal details put to him on that. It would be fair to say that theres no plans to change our position with regard to freedom of movement, control of our borders, thats not going to change. Asked why the discussions were not mentioned in Downing Streets account of the meeting, the spokesman said: Its not unusual that readouts can differ slightly. The spokesman also said he was not aware of any discussions at the meeting in relation to the trouble faced by Liverpool fans at the European Champions League final in Paris. Mr Johnsons spokesman said the meeting between the two leaders was a cordial one between two people who know each other very well. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky will urge leaders of some of the worlds richest countries to do more to support his nations fight against Russia. Mr Zelensky will address Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and other G7 leaders by video link from Kyiv as his country continues to come under attack from Vladimir Putins missiles. In his nightly address on Sunday, he urged the allies to be partners, not observers and give his country the ability to defend itself, warning that any delay would be an invitation to Russia to strike again. Mr Johnson will use Mondays session at the G7 summit in Germany to call for urgent action to help get vital grain supplies out of Ukraines blockaded ports to support the countrys economy and alleviate shortages around the world. Time is running out to prevent stores of grain rotting in silos, with Julys harvest set to exacerbate the problem. As Russian missile strikes continued to hit Ukrainian towns and cities, Mr Johnson warned the country is on a knife edge, with Russian troops grinding forward in the east. The blockade of major Ukrainian ports such as Odesa, attacks on farms and warehouses and the wider impact of the Russian invasion have all added to the problems facing food from the country reaching the global market. Ukraine previously supplied 10% of the worlds wheat, up to 17% of the worlds maize and half of the worlds sunflower oil. Some 25 million tonnes of corn and wheat is currently at risk of rotting in Ukrainian silos. Mr Johnson will call for an international solution to the crisis, including finding overland routes for grain supplies to beat the Russian blockade, with 10 million in materials and equipment to repair damaged rail infrastructure. The UK has also been urging Turkey, which controls access to the Black Sea, to do more to get grain supplies out by ship. Russias actions have driven up food prices globally, including in the UK, while 47 million people around the world in countries dependent on Ukrainian grain are at risk of humanitarian disaster. The Prime Minister will tell G7 leaders on Monday: Putins actions in Ukraine are creating terrible aftershocks across the world, driving up energy and food prices as millions of people are on the brink of famine. G7 leaders are meeting in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Only Putin can end this needless and futile war. But global leaders need to come together and apply their combined economic and political heft to help Ukraine and make life easier for households across the world. Nothing should be off the table. Mr Johnson also wants G7 leaders to look at the use of grain for biofuel, claiming the use of it to power vehicles may be reducing availability and pushing up food costs. The UK will also put 1.5 million in to developing a testing process to identify whether grain sold by Russia has been illegally smuggled from Ukraine. The Prime Minister has played down the prospect of the Royal Navy being sent in to help merchant vessels beat the Russian blockade. But he has said British expertise in remote de-mining and insurance of shipping in contested waters could help vessels get the grain out by sea. Mr Zelensky will address both the G7 and Nato summits over the coming days. Ahead of his speech to the G7 leaders gathered in the luxury Schloss Elmau hotel in the Bavarian Alps, Mr Zelensky said he would demand extra defence systems to combat the missile bombardment. We need a powerful air defence modern, fully effective which can ensure complete protection against these missiles, he said. We talk about this every day with our partners. There are already some agreements. And partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers. Delays in the transfer of weapons to our state, any restrictions are actually an invitation for Russia to strike again and again. The occupiers these terrorists must be beaten with all our might so that they do not think they can put pressure and outplay someone. Members of a refugee choir have spoken of their excitement about performing at the Glastonbury Festival, describing it as a massive platform. The Citizens of the World Refugee Choir was founded in 2015 in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, and is now made up of 50 people, with refugees from more than 30 different countries. Aref Hussaini, 23, is Afghan but grew up in Pakistan. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: Our community has been under the persecution of extremists like the Taliban and other extremist groups in Pakistan. Weve been targeted thats why I left (Pakistan). He arrived in the United Kingdom at the start of 2020, and saw a leaflet for the choir while being processed by authorities in a refugee hostel. I absolutely love singing. When youre in a choir its easier. You have the support of your mates around your, he told PA. Mr Hussaini said he was really looking forward to the choirs performance, but added he had also watched Billie Eilishs set at the Pyramid Stage on Friday night. Sonia, 38, who chose not to share her surname, is originally from Iran and now a member of the choir. Mr Hussaini told PA he was really looking forward to the choirs performance (PA) She told PA she was thankful to be involved, adding: In this crazy situation we are in with the Tory government doing all that unfair and unjust stuff sending refugees back to Rwanda, this is a kind of fighting back as a refugee being here. Im thankful for this situation and opportunity. She described the choir as a platform for everyone, equally, saying they are raising our voices, singing loudly, proudly from our heart and telling the audience that our blood is the same colour. Anna Vryzhan, 28, an event organiser, is originally from Mariupol, Ukraine a city that has seen heavy bombardment since Russias invasion. She was in Kyiv when the invasion began, and decided to leave the country in early March. Sonia described the choir as a kind of fighting back against persecution (PA) She came to the UK as part of the Governments Homes for Ukraine scheme, and is hosted by a fellow choir member. She told PA the choir allows people to be united in one place, all of them from different parts of the world. It didnt have this experience before (of) such kindness, such welcome, (it) helps you to forget about everything. Becky Dell, the musical director, told PA that when the choir began the team behind it said it would be an amazing goal to play at Glastonburyand here we are. The choir is a 50/50 split of refugees and non-refugees, and calls itself a rainbow tribe, according to Ms Dell, because none of us look the same as each other its amazing. She said the choir hopes to elevate the narrative around refugees; too often the story is poor refugees, its sending them far away. We wanted to show refugees in a different way. They are displaced human beings first and foremost. The Government is being accused of misleading the public by insisting it does not have a role in negotiations to resolve the bitter rail dispute. The TUC said an independent legal opinion undermined the Governments claims that the dispute is just between the train operators and unions. The union organisation said the legal opinion it has received clarifies that the contracts between rail operators and Government allow the Government to apply financial sanctions if operators do not follow its directions in the current dispute. Closed platforms at Waterloo station, London, during the strikes (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The legal opinion, commissioned by the TUC from Michael Ford QC of Old Square Chambers, advises that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has very extensive powers over what can be agreed between rail operators and unions, and very significant contractual power to direct how industrial disputes are handled, the TUC said. Rail operators are not free to agree terms and conditions with their employees without the involvement of the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, according to the advice. The legal advice given to the TUC added that before discussing any changes to pay, terms and conditions, redundancies, or restructuring with rail unions, rail operators must agree a mandate with the Transport Secretary. However, the Department for Transport said it was misleading to say Mr Shapps should get involved in the talks. Train services were disrupted again on Sunday morning following the third strike of the week on Saturday by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union who are taking action over jobs, pay and conditions. TUC general secretary Frances OGrady said: The Prime Minister and his Transport Secretary have misled the public. When they said the Government has no role in handling this dispute, thats not true. When they said negotiations are just for the employers and the unions, thats not right. We always believed that Conservative ministers had the power to pull the train companies strings, behind the scenes, and this legal opinion on rail contracts confirms it. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps speaks to the media on College Green, central London (PA) The Transport Secretary could unlock this dispute. Instead, he has toured TV studios throwing fuel on the fire and trying to turn working people against each other. We deserve honesty from our Government. We deserve fair negotiation so we can make fair agreements. This week, Britain needs its Conservative Government to stop stirring and to start helping to solve this dispute. Rail workers, who the transport minister once described as pandemic heroes, deserve job security and the decent pay rise that they have earned. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: Its extremely misleading to suggest the Transport Secretary should get involved in these negotiations. His role is to protect the public purse, ensuring value for money for the hardworking people of this country. As such, hes required to set the limits of taxpayer support and ultimately sign off on any deal not to be involved in negotiating one and his contracts with operators allow him to do precisely that. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch (PA) The union knows full well that negotiations over pay and working practices dont happen with the Government they happen with the employers of the people they represent. In this case, thats Network Rail and the train operating companies. We once again urge union representatives to get back round the negotiating table instead of calling further strikes which serve only to bring disruption to people across the country. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: Weve always known the Government have extensive powers in these negotiations and this legal opinion confirms that. Grant Shapps needs to stop shackling the rail companies and allow RMT to make a deal, like we have dozens of times since privatisation. The Transport Secretary is not allowing a written guarantee of no compulsory redundancies to be given and this must change. We will continue negotiations next week to win a cost of living pay rise and job security for our members. The UK, US, Canada and Japan will ban imports of Russian gold in the latest stage of the effort to cripple Russias economy in response to the war in Ukraine. Gold exports were worth 12.6 billion to Russia in 2021 and its importance has increased since Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine as oligarchs have rushed to buy bullion to avoid the impact of sanctions, Downing Street said. Officials believe that because London is a major gold-trading hub, UK sanctions will have a huge impact on Mr Putins ability to raise funds to finance his war effort. Boris Johnson confirmed the move as he arrived at the G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany. He said: The measures we have announced today will directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putins war machine. Putin is squandering his dwindling resources on this pointless and barbaric war. He is bankrolling his ego at the expense of both the Ukrainian and Russian people. We need to starve the Putin regime of its funding. The UK and our allies are doing just that. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said the gold import ban showed the UK was prepared to take tough steps to target Russia (Daniel Leal/PA) Legislation to implement the ban will be introduced in Parliament in the coming weeks. The prohibition will apply to newly mined or refined gold. It does not impact Russian-origin gold previously exported from Russia and there are no plans to extend restrictions to gold purchased legitimately before the import ban was put in place. The move, on top of existing sanctions, will mean restrictions will apply to Russian exports worth around 13.5 billion from a range of industries. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: Given Londons role at the heart of the global gold trade, this shows the UK will take tough steps to stop the Russian war machine. The Prince of Wales accepted large cash donations totalling three million euros from a former Qatari prime minister, the Sunday Times has reported. The newspaper claimed the prince personally accepted the cash donations for his charity the Prince of Waless Charitable Fund (PWCF) between 2011 and 2015 from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim who was prime minister of Qatar between 2007 and 2013. Clarence House said the donations were passed immediately to one of the princes charities and that appropriate governance was carried out. Charitable donations received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim were passed immediately to one of the Princes charities who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed, a statement said. The Prince of Wales with the then Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim in Doha in 2013 (PA) According to the Sunday Times, a donation of one million euros was handed over during a meeting at the princes residence, Clarence House. PWCF has been contacted for comment by the PA news agency but its chairman Sir Ian Cheshire told the newspaper there was no failure of governance. The charity, which was founded in 1979 with a mission to transform lives and build sustainable communities, awards grants to UK registered non-profit organisations to deliver projects in the UK, Commonwealth and overseas. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said he was confident the donations would have gone through proper due process. Asked about the report on the BBCs Sunday Morning programme, Mr Lewis said: This isnt a Government issue, but what I have seen is the palace have been very clear, that all monies go through proper due process, the charities obviously go through proper due process. Im confident having had some dealings with charities, The Princes Trust, The Princes Foundation, around the palace in the past myself, that these will have gone through proper due process. The Prince of Wales attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali last week (PA) It comes as another of Charless charities, the Princes Foundation, is currently under investigation by the Metropolitan Police over an alleged cash-for-honours scandal. The prince, and his close friend Michael Fawcett, were formally reported to the Met Police last September when allegations of cash-for-honours first surfaced in newspaper reports. Mr Fawcett, who has since resigned as chief executive of The Princes Foundation, has been accused of promising to help a Saudi billionaire donor receive British citizenship and a knighthood. Clarence House has previously said that the prince had no knowledge of the alleged cash-for-honours. The Princes Foundation was created through the merger, in 2018, of The Princes Foundation for Building Community, The Princes Regeneration Trust, The Great Steward of Scotlands Dumfries House Trust and The Princes School of Traditional Arts. It champions sustainability and runs education and training programmes. Early signs of the impact of Covid-19 on the UKs population growth could emerge this week, when the first results from the 2021 census in England and Wales are released. Estimates of the population size in every local authority area will be published on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), along with a breakdown by age and sex. There will also be figures showing the change in population since the last census in 2011. The number of people living in England and Wales grew by a record 7% in the decade to 2011, to reach 56.1 million. A similar leap in the 10 years from 2011 to 2021 would take the population to just over 60 million. Every census held in England and Wales is different. The results from Census 2021 will provide a unique picture of population during the pandemic. Learn more about upcoming results https://t.co/yblfhJQF16 pic.twitter.com/rs1ofzdcLa Census 2021 England & Wales (@Census2021) June 25, 2022 Separate estimates by the ONS have already suggested the UKs population in the 12 months to mid-2020 grew at the slowest rate in two decades, though this reflected the impact of only the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 20 million households across England and Wales filled in census questionnaires in spring last year, with a record 89% of responses completed online. This has provided data of extremely high quality, according to Jen Woolford, ONS director of health, population and methods transformation. The data will give us a crucial baseline from which to measure changes in our society, which will help us understand changing needs, she added. It was important to understand the population and its characteristics during the Covid-19 pandemic and early census data has already been used to understand more about vaccine uptake by occupation and to support the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 1801, the population of England and Wales was 8.9 million. Thats roughly what the population of London was in 2020. Soon you will be able to look up the new number for how it changed in 2021. https://t.co/paCLK4VFJs Census 2021 England & Wales (@Census2021) June 20, 2022 The census takes place across the UK every 10 years and provides the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in the country. Its results are used by a range of organisations including governments, councils and businesses, and underpins everything from the calculation of economic growth and unemployment to helping plan schools, health services and transport links. Data from the 2021 census for England and Wales will be published in stages over the next two years, the ONS said. Future releases will include figures on ethnicity, religion, the labour market, education and housing plus for the first time information on UK armed forces veterans, sexual orientation and gender identity. The first results from the 2021 census in Northern Ireland were published last month by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. They showed that the population on census day March 21 2021 was a record 1,903,100, up 5% since 2011. This compares with 7% growth between 2001 and 2011. In Scotland, the census is run by the National Records of Scotland and was delayed by one year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Data collection ended on May 31 and the first results are expected in 2023. An independent inquiry has been launched to look at the treatment of asylum seekers in Scotland during the pandemic. Campaigning organisation Refugees for Justice called for a review in the wake of stabbings at the Park Inn hotel in Glasgow which was being used to house asylum seekers during lockdown in 2020. On Sunday June 26, the second anniversary of the incident, Refugees for Justice announced that it has commissioned an independent inquiry, which will be led by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC. An inquiry report published on Sunday focused on events in Glasgow at the start of the first major Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when 321 people seeking asylum were moved from their homes into hotels by Home Office contractors. Baroness Helena Kennedy QC is leading the inquiry (Anthony Devlin/PA) Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan, was shot dead by police after his knife attack at the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow in June 2020, which injured six people including 42-year-old police constable David Whyte. The Home Office said it has undertaken a number of significant changes to keep asylum seekers safe since the incident. The report also mentions the case of Adnan Elbi who died in one of the hotels in May 2020. Baroness Kennedy said: In the absence of a public inquiry, this independent Commission of Inquiry (the Inquiry) seeks to make sense of the decisions that led up to these events and to provide recommendations to improve provision of asylum accommodation and support and to stop future tragedies occurring. She added: Importantly, this report is published two years after the tragic events at Park Inn. There is precious little evidence of changes in policy or practice as a result of this tragedy, despite the elapsed time. It is therefore also in pursuit of dignity for the lost lives of Adnan Elbi and Badreddin Abdalla Adam, and for those who sustained injuries and trauma at the time, that this report has been produced. Today is a historic day. 26 June 2022, second anniversary of Park Inn tragedy, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC is launching an independent inquiry into the handling of asylum support and accommodation in Glasgow during COVID. We are going to be heard, finally. Watch this space Refugees for Justice (@refugee4justice) June 26, 2022 The first part of the inquiry comprises a report summarising the evidence relating to the events. Baroness Kennedy said that part two of the inquiry will include the convening of a panel of experienced experts and campaigners and will consider these themes and unanswered questions further, through analysis of written and oral evidence and taking a human rights-based approach. It is expected that part two will be published in November this year. Refugees for Justice tweeted: Today is a historic day. 26 June 2022, second anniversary of Park Inn tragedy, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC is launching an independent inquiry into the handling of asylum support and accommodation in Glasgow during Covid. We are going to be heard, finally. A Home Office spokesman said: Since this horrific incident we have undertaken a number of significant changes to keep asylum seekers safe, including how we, our contractors and charities spot vulnerable individuals and provide them with wraparound support and appropriate accommodation. Due to the pandemic the Home Office had to use an unprecedented number of hotels for asylum seekers, including in Glasgow. The use of hotels is unacceptable and we are working hard to find appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers but local authorities must do all they can to help house people permanently. Boris Johnson has urged Western allies to stand firm over Ukraine as he sought to put his domestic political difficulties to one side. The Prime Minister met counterparts at the G7 summit in Germany on the latest leg of a series of international summits which have kept him out of the UK as questions mount over his leadership. Mr Johnson was at a Commonwealth meeting in Rwanda as the Conservatives learned they had lost the by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield, and he is not expected to return to the UK until after a Nato summit in Madrid concludes on Thursday, meaning his ability to reassure wavering MPs or snuff out Westminster plots against him will be diminished. But he will hope appearing on an international stage, focusing on the biggest war in Europe since the defeat of the Nazis, will persuade doubters that it is not the right time to consider a change in leadership in the UK. Amid speculation about the appetite of Western leaders to continue to support Ukraine during a prolonged conflict, Mr Johnson said Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to hack Russias neighbour apart with impunity. Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Ahead of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Johnson was asked whether France and Germany are doing enough over Ukraine. The PM praised the Germans without mentioning France. Just look at what the Germans alone have done, he said. I never believed in my lifetime that I would see a German chancellor stepping up in the way that Olaf Scholz has and sending weaponry to help the Ukrainians to protect themselves. Hes made huge, huge strides. We have 4% of our gas from Russia, in Germany its 40%. Theyre facing real, real pressures, theyre having to source energy from elsewhere. But theyre doing it. Theyre making the effort. Theyre making the sacrifice. Boris Johnson has been in Rwanda and now Germany, and will also travel to Spain this week (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He said the Germans realise the price of freedom is worth paying, despite the domestic consequences. Mr Johnson added: The consequences of whats happening for the world are tough, but the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher and everybody here understands that. In talks with Mr Macron, the Prime Minister stressed any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability and give Putin licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity. Earlier this month, Mr Macron insisted it would be for Ukraine to decide the terms of any peace negotiation with Mr Putin, having previously suggested Russia must not be humiliated. G7 leaders pose for an informal family photo following their working session dinner during the G7 summit in Schloss Elmau, in the Bavarian Alps, Germany (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Downing Street played down any talk of a rift between the two leaders and they appeared to be enjoying themselves as the G7 chiefs unwound over a working dinner and jazz concert on Sunday night. Mr Johnson and Mr Macron were spotted with arms around each other drinking Bavarian whisky after formal talks ended. In talks with Canadas Justin Trudeau, Mr Johnson said: Ukraine is on a knife-edge and we need to tip the balance of the war in their favour. That means providing Ukraine with the defensive capabilities, training and intelligence they need to repel the Russian advance. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky will address the summit by video-link on Monday. In his nightly video address on Saturday, Mr Zelensky said repeated Russian missile strikes show the need for more advanced defensive equipment. He said: I will take part in the G7 summit on Monday. The Nato summit will take place next week. Forty-five missiles in half a day and just on the eve of such meetings. All clear. Another confirmation of our position. This confirms that sanctions packages against Russia are not enough, that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defence systems the modern systems that our partners have should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed. While the G7 leaders met in the luxury Schloss Elmau hotel, their partners including Carrie Johnson were escorted on a hike around the picturesque Ferchensee lake. There's a new ugliest dog in the world! On Friday, NBCs Kerry Sanders served as a judge at the 2022 World's Ugliest Dog contest in Petaluma, California, and helped crown a hairless Chinese crested-Chihuahua mix named Mr. Happy Face as the winner. Mr. Happy Face's owner, Janeda Banelly, said the title was an honor. In August 2021, she adopted the dog from an Arizona shelter after he was rescued from a hoarders house. I believe that this humble soul is also being an example, in subtle ways, to help humans realize that even old dogs need love and a family too, Banelly said. Mr. Happy Face and his owner, Janeda Banelly, at the According to the official website of the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds Event Center website, Banelly said that she was told that Mr. Happy Face would only have around a month to live because he was an old dog who needed lifelong medication. He also suffered from tumors and multiple conditions and could have possibly been inbred. Banelly knew the challenges that she would have to face if she brought Mr. Happy Face home. Still, she decided to love him to the best of her abilities. He was the happiest creature that I had ever met, she said. He hobbled up to me and chose me. I vowed that day, he would be so loved that he would never remember how awful his previous life had been. Sanders was one of five judges at the competition. He got to get up close and personal with the pooches vying for the title, including a Pekingese named Wild Thang that reminded him of the fictional Tribble species in "Star Trek." Hes a Tribble. Sometimes, hes just trouble, his owner laughed. In the show, Tribbles were small furry creatures that could reproduce at an alarming rate. Wild Thang certainly had the mane to match the fictional creature. Wild Thang placed second at the Most of the dogs that entered the contest were rescued from shelters and puppy mills by loving parents. While showing the importance of adoption, the contest helps to celebrate the imperfections that make all dogs special and unique," a press release said. It doesn't matter if some of the animals have missing fur, crossed eyes or duck waddles, they can enter the contest to show off their unique beauty. "Since the 70s, the Contest has been a testament that all dogs do not have to meet AKC pedigree standards to be mans (or womans) best friend," the release said. Related: Hundreds of activists march through downtown Los Angeles on Friday to protest the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Brittany Fonteno never wanted to imagine the chaos of a post-Roe world. One of desperate, angry women begging healthcare workers for an abortion and then leaving clinics distraught with only vague ideas of where to turn next for help. But after Texas passed what, at the time, seemed like a draconian ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona knew she had to imagine it. She had no choice. "It's terrible to think that people may be forced to carry pregnancies to term and give birth to pregnancies that were unintended or unwanted," she said when we first spoke, weeks before the Supreme Court struck down the right to an abortion on Friday. "But we know how this is going to play out. It's not a guessing game." So, a few months ago, Fonteno reached out to her counterpart, Darrah Johnson, at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest in San Diego. Together, along with the staffs of their affiliates, they hammered out a plan to bring order to the coming chaos. Arizona, both women knew, would likely make abortion illegal if Roe fell. The governor is a Republican and Republicans hold a thin majority in the state Legislature. Together, they recently enacted a ban on all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. So, rather than abandon the thousands of Arizonans who need reproductive healthcare each year, merely handing them a list of out-of-state clinics to cold call as they tearfully realize they cant get an abortion, the Planned Parenthood affiliates have adopted a model that's more like a warm handoff. Like a primary care physician sending you down the hall to get your blood drawn by a specialist and then circling back after the procedure to talk through the results. That could mean making a referral to schedule an appointment, buying a plane ticket, paying for gas, getting a rental car, securing childcare, booking a hotel room or even paying for the abortion procedure itself. "It's all about providing logistical support for patients who need to travel to get the abortion care they need," Fonteno said. The intentionality of such an approach will be critical in the coming weeks and months, as millions of women start to sort out the logistics of accessing reproductive healthcare in a post-Roe world. Some 26 states are expected to ban or severely restrict access to abortion, especially in the South and Midwest. California, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom and top Democrats in the Legislature, has positioned itself as a sanctuary for women seeking the procedure. And, indeed, a recent report from UCLAs Center on Reproductive Health, Law and Policy found that between 8,000 and 16,000 more women are expected to travel to California every year for abortions. That includes as many as 9,400 in Los Angeles County alone. I want folks to know around the rest of the country, many parts of the globe, that I hope were your antidote to your fear, or anxiety, perhaps to the cynicism that many of you are feeling about the fate and future, Newsom said Friday. But just saying we're a sanctuary, even putting money behind it, is nowhere near enough. Especially at time of as Newsom aptly put it a "great divergence" between red states and blue states. It's about to become extremely difficult for women to know exactly where to go, how to get there and who to trust. Many women might not even know they still have a right to get an abortion, given the onslaught of rhetoric from Republicans trying to criminalize it. This will be especially true for poor women of color who can't just jump on a plane or hop in the car and drive hundreds of miles, and might not even have internet access. A family physician and her resident perform an ultrasound on a 25-year-old woman Thursday at the Center for Reproductive Health clinic in Albuquerque. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) "I think we're going to have to do and it's one of the models of care we're building a lot more targeted advertising, talking to people in communities about how they can get access to information and who they can call," Johnson said. "Literally a phone number and literally a website." That is a big reason why she wanted to partner with Planned Parenthood Arizona. "We do see it as our responsibility to step up," Johnson said. "And this is the way we can step up." Of course, stepping up has already become more complicated now that Roe has actually fallen. On Friday, only hours after the ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe vs. Wade, Planned Parenthood Arizona announced that it had decided to "pause abortion services because of the complex legal landscape in our state." At issue is which statewide restriction on abortion applies now. The ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy that Arizona enacted earlier this year? Or the total ban that was enacted 158 years ago when Arizona was still a territory? Until state officials come up with an answer and there's a good chance the courts will have to do that Planned Parenthood will have no choice but to turn away women who need abortions at its clinics in and around Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson. And thanks to the legal murkiness over whether even helping women get abortions is still allowed, what had been a plan to share the cost of sending patients to California, has now largely fallen to Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. For the time being, Fonteno said her affiliate is sticking to referrals. Thankfully, the California Legislature has stepped up with legislation Senate Bill 1142, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) that would create a fund for private donations to cover abortion services, including those sought by women traveling here from other states. It's just one in a package of related bills moving swiftly toward Newsom's desk. In the coming years, Fonteno expects as many as 6,000 women to leave Arizona annually to get an abortion. In fact, hundreds already do because it's easier than dealing with the bureaucratic hurdles set up by Republican lawmakers, including waiting periods and listening to a speech designed to dissuade women from going through with the procedure. Most women, Fonteno predicts, will drive to San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties, ending up at clinics under Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. Consider it the beginning of what very likely will be California's future. With the unhinged, extreme right tendencies of this Supreme Court, this almost surely won't be the last time our state will have to step up as a blue bulwark. In a concurring opinion in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should reconsider past rulings legalizing same-sex marriage and even contraceptives. In their dissent, Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor wrote that "no one should be confident that this majority is done with its work." In other words, don't get used to your rights. That is, unless, you live in California. More than just a sanctuary for those seeking abortion, we one day soon will become a sanctuary for those seeking democracy, I suspect. "Luckily, in California, we have political champions who are willing to be brave and do the right thing," Johnson said. "But so many other states are completely not in that circumstance." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey speaks to voters during a campaign stop in Athens, Ill., on June 14. Bailey is seeking the Republican nomination to face Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November. (John O'Connor / Associated Press) The race to be Illinois' next governor is also a battle among billionaires, including two whose names won't appear on Tuesday's primary ballot. Republican candidates Darren Bailey, who as a state lawmaker fought pandemic measures such as mask mandates, and former prosecutor Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Chicago's largest suburb, each has a benefactor who has pushed a different vision for the GOP and put their money behind it. Billionaire businessmen Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein among the countrys biggest Republican donors have combined to pour more than $60 million into the race. Griffin backs Irvin and Uihlein supports Bailey. Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, meanwhile, along with the Democratic Governors Assn., has spent millions trying to ensure Irvin, an Army veteran and Aurora mayor, isn't the GOP nominee. The money has funded a months-long barrage of ads that have attacked Irvin and propped up Bailey, the opponent Pritzker would rather face in November. The ads note Bailey's strident far-right positions, including being 100% pro-life," and his allegiance to former President Trump qualities that may help Bailey in a Republican primary but would be a liability for a general election in a state Trump twice lost by double digits. Trump endorsed him at a rally Saturday night in Mendon. Although rich men in politics certainly arent rare, there may never have been a battle of the billions to match this one in a state election, particularly in a primary. It's left Irvin, once considered the front-runner, scrambling to convince GOP primary voters that he's the only one who can beat Pritzker. J.B. Pritzker is telling you that every time he takes out an ad. He's telling you that This is the guy Im the most most afraid of, Irvin said during a stop at an Illinois manufacturing plant. Irvin's downfall may be a record that is considerably more moderate than that of his GOP rivals. Unlike Bailey and the four other men in the race, Irvin avoids saying if he voted for Trump or talking much about issues such as abortion, focusing instead on steps he would take to reduce crime and taxes. He has been criticized for saying, Black Lives Matter, during protests over police brutality that turned destructive in his hometown, then filming a TV ad where he said, All Lives Matter. Bailey has built a reputation during three years in the Legislature as an uncompromising conservative unafraid to take people on. People say J.B. Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he believes that Im the easiest opponent to beat," Bailey said during a campaign stop at a restaurant. "Well, Ive got news for J.B. Pritzker: Be careful what you wish for because its coming. Friends, were going to win on Nov. 8. Bailey, a farmer from rural Xenia, jumped onto the statewide scene in summer 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued to slow transmission of the virus. Bailey was seen by supporters as a maverick when he was escorted from the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask in defiance of Democratic leaders. His backers like that he speaks often of his faith. Bailey, who speaks with a prairie twang, ends his nearly daily online video messages with prayer. Hes a godly man. He isnt afraid to put his faith out there, said supporter Ruth Bast, 63, of Springfield. The three billionaires Pritzker, Griffin and Uihlein have a long history of clashing politically in Illinois and elsewhere. Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund company Citadel, has been a vocal critic of Pritzker's administration, particularly over the issue of crime in Chicago. In addition to the $50 million he gave Irvin this cycle, he also spent millions to help get former Gov. Bruce Rauner elected in 2014 and on Rauner's loss to Pritzker in 2018. He bankrolled a successful campaign to block Pritzker and other Democrats from changing Illinois' tax structure to levy more on the highest earners. In 2020, Griffin gave $37 million to the GOPs Senate campaign arm, making him the PACs second-largest individual donor, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending. Asked at a forum last year if he would support Trump should he run for president in 2024, Griffin replied, I think it's time for America to move on, adding that Trump had been pointlessly divisive. In a statement to the Associated Press, Griffin criticized Pritzker for interfering in the GOP primary, saying, spending tens of millions of dollars in cahoots with his cronies attacking the most successful Black political leader in Illinois is despicable. Pritzker has defended his actions, saying an ad attacking Irvin is telling the truth. Uihlein, a founder of the office supply company Uline Inc., is a major Trump supporter who has a long record of donating to far-right candidates and groups. That includes PACs and people strongly opposed to abortion, and the House Freedom Fund, which backs the most conservative candidates and strongest Trump backers. The other candidates seeking the GOP nomination are businessman Gary Rabine, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon. Pritzker's only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The House's Jan. 6 committee plays a video of former President Trump at one of several recent hearings on the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The House of Representatives launched its hearings on the Jan. 6 insurrection in the face of grimly low expectations. Didnt we already know what happened? After two impeachments and innumerable disclosures, was there anything new to learn about the misrule of Donald Trump? The conventional wisdom turned out to be wrong. The hearings have been informative, often gripping, sometimes dramatic. Former Trump aides have offered blunt assessments of their boss claims that the 2020 election was stolen. (Bullshit, in the concise judgment of former Atty. Gen. William Barr.) Less prominent figures have described what it was like to become a target of the former presidents anger, like Ruby Freeman, the Georgia election worker whom Trump falsely denounced by name as a professional vote scammer. Do you know what it feels like to have the president of the United States target you? the 62-year-old shop owner testified tearfully. There is nowhere I feel safe. What has made the hearings an unexpected success isnt, as some have suggested, Hollywood production values. Theyre not all that slick. The hearings have worked because theyre unusually well-organized and, for Congress, refreshingly free of bloviation. Each session has focused on one chapter in Trumps sprawling plot: his bogus claims of fraud, his pressure on state officials to change the election results, his bullying of then-Vice President Mike Pence, all culminating in the riot he inspired on Jan. 6. The basic facts have been familiar, but many of the details are new, especially the firsthand testimony from Republican officials. It has added up to the equivalent of Trumps third impeachment this time, more damning than his first (in 2019, on Ukraine) or second (in 2021, immediately after the insurrection). That wasnt what the House committee intended at least, not consciously. I dont think that we conceived of this as another impeachment, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), a member of the committee who participated in the two earlier inquests, told me. But it could have that impact. The word impeach originally means to discredit, Schiff noted. I would hope that what the public has seen in these hearings discredits and disqualifies Mr. Trump from ever holding office again, he said. In that sense, theyve served as a kind of metaphorical impeachment. The hearings have also served another purpose: Theyve shown the public a road map to the criminal charges Trump could face if Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland decides to prosecute him. The committee and its leaders have have already cited at least three potential criminal offenses: inciting the riot on Jan. 6, obstructing a federal proceeding (by trying to block the count of the electoral vote), and conspiracy to defraud the United States (for example, by organizing bogus slates of alternative electors). President Trump had no factual basis for what he was doing, and he had been told it was illegal, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the committees vice chair, said in the hearings opening session. Some Democrats have complained that Garland isnt moving fast enough to prosecute the former president. They should be careful what they wish for; an indictment of Trump before the November congressional election could boost turnout among GOP voters. In any case, theres plenty of evidence that Justice Department investigators are already pulling on all these threads. On June 6, a federal grand jury indicted five leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys militia on charges of seditious conspiracy. In April, the Justice Department obtained subpoenas against Rudolph W. Giuliani and John Eastman, lawyers who advised Trump on his schemes. Last week, its investigators served subpoenas on pro-Trump activists who organized the bogus alternative elector slates. And they raided the Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who pushed for the department to endorse Trumps claims of voter fraud. The prosecutors don't appear to need a road map from Congress, but the House hearings have given one at least a rough version to the rest of us. The biggest contribution of these hearings has been to make clear the personal culpability of Donald Trump, Donald B. Ayer, who served as the No. 2 Justice Department official under President George H.W. Bush, told me. We already knew the overall outline of the case. But now we know Trump was the engine the driving force.... We dont know the whole case yet, but its gotten a heck of a lot stronger by virtue of these hearings. Legal scholars are already debating issues surrounding a possible prosecution: Can prosecutors persuade a jury to convict a former president? Will the side effects of prosecution outweigh the benefits? Last week, Jack Goldsmith, who served in the Justice Department under President George W. Bush, warned that prosecuting a former president would be a cataclysmic event from which the nation would not soon recover. Ayer disagrees. The need for deterrence is really massive, he argued. We already know that Trump and his supporters are scheming to do this again. Both Ayer and Goldsmith, it should be noted, are Republicans who have long been critical of Trump. Those are thorny issues that Garland will need to weigh. What the House hearings have made clear is that if he decides not to prosecute, it wont be for lack of evidence. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. SCHLOSS ELMAU, Germany (Reuters) - Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations mocked the macho image of their absent adversary Vladimir Putin on Sunday, at a meeting in Germany dominated by the Russian President's invasion of Ukraine. As the besuited leaders sat down for their first meeting of the three-day G7 summit in the sweltering Bavarian Alps, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked if their jackets should come off - or if they should even disrobe further. "We all have to show that we're tougher than Putin," Johnson said, to laughter from some of his colleagues. "Bare-chested horseback riding," shot back Canada's Justin Trudeau. "Oh yes," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "Horseback riding is the best." Putin, who prizes his sporty image, has been pictured shirtless several times in photos released by Russian state media, including one set in which he rode a brown horse while wearing wrap-around sunglasses, a gold chain and army trousers. The G7 leaders discussed efforts to further isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which has killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes. Britain, Canada, Japan and the United States announced moves to ban imports of Russian gold. The G7 also includes France, Italy and Germany. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Matthias Williams and Peter Graff) Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere pays respect during a service in Oslo Cathedral on Sunday after an attack in Oslo on Saturday. A gunman opened fire in the night life district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving more than 20 wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an "Islamist terror act" during the capital's annual LGBTQ Pride festival. (Javad Parsa / NTB via Associated Press) Norway's prime minister and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service Sunday at Oslo Cathedral for the victims of a shooting attack as the capital held its annual LGBTQ Pride festival. A gunman opened fire in central Oslo's night life district early Saturday, killing two people a man in his 50s and and another in his 60s and wounding more than 20 in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act. A suspect, identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, is in custody. The capital's Pride parade was scheduled to take place Saturday but was canceled. The crime scene included the London Pub, a bar that is popular with the citys LGBTQ community. Police investigators said it was unclear whether hatred of people based on sexual orientation and gender identity motivated the attack. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a speech during Sundays memorial service that the shooting in the night hours put an end to the Pride parade, but it did not stop the fight and the efforts to fight discrimination, prejudice and hatred. He also addressed Norway's Muslim community. I know how many of you felt when it turned out that the perpetrator belonged to the Islamic community. Many of you experienced fear and unrest. You should know this: We stand together, we are one community and we are responsible for the community together, Gahr Stoere said during the church service, which was also attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Norwegian media have identified the suspect as Oslo resident Zaniar Matapour, who arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s. Matapour had a prior criminal record that included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense for carrying a knife. Investigators said they seized two weapons after Saturday's shootings: a handgun and an automatic weapon. The Norwegian domestic security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST, said Saturday it first became aware of the suspect in 2015 and later grew concerned he had become radicalized and was part of an unspecified Islamist network. On Sunday, Norwegian media outlets reported that Matapour allegedly was in close contact with an Islamic extremist living in Norway whom Norwegian police had been aware of for a long time. The extremist, identified as Arfan Bhatti, was known partly for his strong anti-gay views, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said. Matapour was being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism, based on the number of people targeted at multiple locations. His defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, who previously represented Bhatti, said his client has not given any explanation for his actions. It is very unclear if there is any motive, Elden told Norwegian newspaper VG. It also means that one should be very careful to speculate on the reasons why this [shooting] happened." Matapour's questioning by police was cut short Sunday after he refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped, which is standard police practice. He fears police would edit the recordings and manipulate his words, Elden said. So far, police have insisted on recording the interrogation on audio and video," Elden told VG. My client has refused to be taken on audio and video, unless this was to be sent publicly in its entirety. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller, who once quoted Adolf Hitler in a speech, may have had a Freudian slip Saturday when she called overturning Roe v. Wade and rolling back abortion rights a victory for white life. Miller was crediting former President Donald Trump at his rally Saturday night for the Supreme Courts decision when she delivered what her campaign now says was a slip of the tongue. President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday, she said to raucous cheers from the Illinois crowd. Millers campaign spokesman claimed it was a mix-up of words and pointed to her non-white grandchildren. Instead, he said, she misread notes that were supposed to say right to life. U.S. Representative Mary Miller (R-IL) gives remarks at former president Donald Trump's Save America Rally Saturday. U.S. Representative Mary Miller (R-IL) gives remarks at former president Donald Trump's Save America Rally Saturday. (Michael B. Thomas/) I will always defend the RIGHT TO LIFE! Miller tweeted Saturday night with a photo of her family, including the aforementioned grandchildren. In January 2021, Miller was forced to apologize for quoting Hitler during a Save the Republic Rally hosted by the conservative group Moms for America a day before the Jan. 6 insurrection. Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future, she said. Facing widespread backlash, Miller claimed people were trying to intentionally twist my words to mean something antithetical to my beliefs. Miller is headed into a Tuesday primary against Republican Rep. Rodney Davis after a redistricting. With News Wire Services State senate candidate Jennifer Rourke Rhode told theGrio that she is recovering at a hospital and is experiencing a ringing in her ear. A Providence, Rhode Island police officer and state senate candidate is on paid leave after physically assaulting his Black female opponent at a pro-abortion protest Friday night. Video of the assault, captured by radio and podcast host Bill Bartholomew, shows Republican candidate Jeann Lugo (R-RI) punching his Democratic challenger Jennifer Rourke, a Black woman, in the face. The following morning, Rourke took to Twitter to share the five-second clip with her followers which shows a slowed-down version of the assault. Shortly after Lugo struck Rourke, several demonstrators apprehended him. Im a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent a police officer violently attacked me, tweeted the democratic state senate candidate. This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I wont give up. I'm a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent a police officer violently attacked me. This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I won't give up.pic.twitter.com/ZREDP2dvXY Jennifer Rourke (@JenRourke29) June 25, 2022 Rourke told theGrio that she is recovering in a local hospital and said she is experiencing a ringing in her ear and the left side of her face is extremely tender. She expressed that she is feeling, a mixture of emotions, a lot of disappointment and just sadness. She added, We are at this place in our political atmosphere with things like this happening thats becoming the norm. So, it is very sad. Rourke is a member of The Woman Project, a non-profit reproductive justice organization and believed it was important to attend the protest following the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. She told theGrio that while has been fighting for access to safe, legal abortions in Rhode Island, she felt it necessary to protest the courts ruling because of the impact that overturning a once fundamental right I have been fighting for access to safe legal abortions in the state of Rhode Island and we knew the decision was coming and just being there, she said. I wasnt there to speak about the reproductive portion but how this decision will overturn the ability for myself, a Black woman, to be married to my husband, a white man, and how the precedent of Roe v. Wade is going to change the climate as far as marriage equality, access to birth control and interracial marriage. According to WPRI 12 News, tensions were running high at the pro-abortion rally held in Providence Friday night when counter-protesters arrived at the State House and began disrupting demonstrations. PROVIDENCE, RI APRIL 25: The Rhode Island State House in Providence, RI is pictured on April 25, 2019. (Photo by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) In a statement obtained by theGrio, Rourke said that she was de-escalating [a] situation and the counter protestor was leaving when the altercation started I was assaulted as a result of that. She added, This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. All across this country, people like me are threatened or attacked when they run. Im not going to stop fighting for reproductive rights, for the people in my district, or for people like me who want to run for office. Lugo, who is a three-year veteran of the Providence Police Department, told WPRI that he was in a situation that no individual should see themselves in. He added, I stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking. At this time, Lugo has not been charged nor arrested for his actions. The Republican candidate was off duty at the time of the altercation, according to the police department. He has since been placed on administrative leave with pay pending an investigation. The police department said in a tweet that it was, criminally investigating the behavior of an off duty officer last evening during a protest where a female was assaulted. The officer has served for 3 yrs and placed on administrative leave w/pay this morning, pending a criminal investigation and administrative review. The PPD is criminally investigating the behavior of an off duty officer last evening during a protest where a female was assaulted. The officer has served for 3 yrs and placed on administrative leave w/pay this morning, pending a criminal investigation and administrative review Providence Police (@ProvidenceRIPD) June 25, 2022 Rourke told theGrio that Lugo has not denied his actions or apologized for the incident. As a police officer, how can we trust what youre doing to keep the people youre supposed to be protecting safe, she asked. I dont think he has the capability to act in the manner of a police officer. So, I dont think being on the force is a good fit for him. As voters in the states 29th district continue to weigh their options on who they plan to cast a ballot for in the Rhode Island senate race, Rourke told theGrio that residents need a leader who will refrain from resorting to violence. Theyre looking for someone who has the ability to speak to people in a calm fashion, she declared. Theyre looking for someone who is not afraid to get out there and speak up for them. Theyre looking for someone who is willing to fight, but not in a physical manner. Someone who is going to fight using their words in the legislation. theGrio has reached out to Lugos campaign team, but they did not immediately respond for comment. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Rhode Island state senate candidate speaks out after Republican opponent, a cop, assaults her at pro-abortion rally appeared first on TheGrio. Abortion rights advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Friday to protest its decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. (Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press) This is not the Supreme Court most Americans have known. Since Chief Justice Earl Warren retired in 1969, ending an era of liberal activism, the high court has been dominated by moderates. They included Lewis Powell, a soft-spoken Southern lawyer appointed by President Nixon, and Sandra Day OConnor and Anthony M. Kennedy, both appointed by President Reagan. They were not scholars and did not espouse an ideology or a methodology for deciding cases. But they brought wisdom and practical experience to deciding the hardest issues, and in OConnors case, political know-how as well. She had been the Republican leader of the Arizona Senate before becoming a judge, and she knew how to forge a compromise. Year after year, they kept the court on a middle course. Most terms ended with a mix of rulings, some that pleased conservatives and others that heartened liberals. That has all changed. There is no longer a moderate in the middle, as proved by three big conservative wins this week. The justices on Friday struck down Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 landmark opinion establishing a womans right to abortion. That came a day after they jettisoned a century-old New York law that restricted the carrying of concealed handguns on the streets. On Tuesday, they threw out a Maine law that prohibited allowing parents to use state aid to pay tuition at religious schools. With the exception of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the most conservative Supreme Court justices are not interested in seeking middle ground or in standing by the decisions of decades past. They believe the right answer can be found in the original history of the Constitution as written in the 18th or 19th century, an era when women and African Americans had no voice and no vote. The rulings on abortion, guns and religion reflect how far the court has moved. In the fall of 1971, Powell had just been confirmed when the justices were weighing the abortion issue. Years before, he had counseled a distraught young man in his law firm who confided that his girlfriend had died of a botched abortion. Men and women of his time knew of such stories of tragic deaths. To the surprise of his new colleagues, Powell said the abortion laws needed to change, and he would support a new right to abortion. The Constitution protects the right to liberty, he said in a 1979 interview, and that includes the liberty to make certain highly personal decisions that are terribly important to people. Its difficult to think of a decision thats more personal or important to a pregnant woman than whether or not she will bear a child. Once Powell had spoken, it was clear there was a majority within the court to rule that women had a right to choose abortion. And thats what happened when the court ruled 7-2 in Roe vs. Wade in 1973. Law can be like physics. Each action has an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, not long after the high court issued its decision, a powerful right to life movement sprang into existence and found a home in the Republican Party. Two decades later, the court had been transformed by the justices appointed by Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. And it seemed poised to overturn the right to abortion. But in a surprise, OConnor and Kennedy joined an opinion to uphold the right. Kennedy had agonized over the abortion issue. He was a Catholic who believed abortion was immoral, but he also believed the Constitution protected the liberty of individuals against the dictates of the government. That decision, in Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, came as a shock to the conservative legal movement. The lesson they took from it was that future Republican appointees must be reliably conservative on abortion. Influential conservative legal groups, such as the Federalist Society, began scrubbing backgrounds of potential Supreme Court justices to ensure they would not waver from overturning Roe. Among those who passed that test was Samuel A. Alito Jr., a federal appeals judge who as a young Reagan administration lawyer had said he looked forward to arguing for Roe vs. Wade to be overturned. He was appointed to the court in 2006 by President George W. Bush. Alito spoke for a 5-4 majority in Fridays ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization. The Roe decision was egregiously wrong from the start, he said, because the 14th Amendments protection for liberty and equality in 1868 cannot be understood to have created a right to abortion. Near the close of his 79-page opinion, Alito said state legislatures have almost unlimited authority to forbid or criminalize abortions. The states legitimate interests include respect for and preservation of prenatal life at all stages of development, he said. There was no mention of possible exceptions in cases of rape, incest or a severe fetal deformity. The courts other most conservative justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett joined Alito. Roberts, perhaps channeling OConnor and Kennedy, tried to propose a middle ground. I would take a more measured course, he said, by upholding Mississippis 15-week limit on abortions, but not jettisoning Roe. He said the courts precedents make clear women have a right to choose abortion, and that means they should have a reasonable opportunity to choose. By 15 weeks, women have known they are pregnant, he said, so the right need not extend any further. His proposal could have led to a moderate-conservative ruling that is in line with public opinion. Most Americans support the right to abortion early in a pregnancy, but most say they are opposed to later abortions. A switch by one justice could have changed the outcome, but none of his fellow conservatives were willing to join the chief justice. While giving states broad power to restrict abortion, the court in its guns decision cast doubt on all manner of state and local laws that restrict firearms. There too the court moved away from a moderate-conservative position that Kennedy had staked out. For most of its history, the court held that the 2nd Amendment was meant to ensure armed citizens could respond to a crisis as part of a well-regulated Militia and allowed states wide latitude in regulating ownership and possession of firearms. In more recent decades, gun rights advocates pushed a different interpretation that focused on the amendments closing words that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. In 2008, the court in a 5-4 decision adopted that reasoning and ruled the 2nd Amendment protects an individuals right to be armed for self-defense. Its decision struck down an unusually strict ordinance in Washington, D.C., that prohibited all private possession of handguns; two years later, the court voided a similar ordinance in Chicago. The impact of those rulings were minimal, however. Kennedy believed both that people had a right to have a gun at home and that firearms were subject to reasonable regulations by cities and states. For a decade, the court turned away gun rights challenges to laws and ordinances, including several from California. After Kennedy retired in 2018 and Kavanaugh and Barrett joined the court, the conservative bloc was ready to begin expanding the scope of the 2nd Amendment. The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self defense is not a second-class right, Thomas wrote in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen. The decision struck down laws in New York, California and four other states that make it hard for gun owners to obtain permits to carry a concealed weapon. The ramifications of this ruling will not be known for years, however, and it raises plenty of questions. Does it mean there is a constitutional right to carry a loaded gun when walking on 5th Avenue in New York? Or on the subway or in restaurants and bars? Does it also mean an 18-year-old has a right to buy and carry a rapid-fire rifle? The courts opinion does not try to answer those questions, but it notes that guns are prohibited in courthouses. The new court is also prepared to knock down another 1970s-era compromise on the role affirmative action plays in admissions to colleges and universities. In 1978, the court was split on whether to reject a University of California policy that set aside several slots for minority students at the UC Davis Medical School. Four justices thought this was an illegal quota, and four others thought it was reasonable affirmative action. Powell was in the middle. He thought the set-asides were illegal, but he wrote approvingly of an admissions policy that used a students race as one plus factor to bring about diversity on campus. In Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke, Powell set the standard for admissions policies, and it was upheld later by OConnor and Kennedy. This fall, the justices will take up anti-discrimination challenges to the admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. They are almost certain to rule that any use of race in admissions is illegal and unconstitutional. The courts three Trump appointees Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett are still new, but they have already had a powerful impact. They show all signs of being ready to press ahead with a conservative agenda, while the middle-of-the-road philosophy of OConnor and Kennedy slips further into the courts rearview mirror. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. At least 21 teenagers, the youngest possibly just 13, died this weekend after a night out at a township tavern in South Africa in a tragedy where the cause remains unclear. Many are thought to have been students celebrating the end of their high-school exams on Saturday night, provincial officials said. There were no visible wounds on the bodies. Officials have ruled out a stampede as a possible cause and said autopsies would determine if the deaths could be linked to poisoning. Crowds of people, including parents whose children were missing, gathered on Sunday outside the tavern where the tragedy happened in the city of East London while mortuary vehicles collected the bodies, an AFP correspondent saw. Senior government officials rushed to the southern city. They included national Police Minister Bheki Cele, who broke down in tears after emerging from a morgue where the bodies were being stored. "It's a terrible scene," he told reporters. "They are pretty young. When you are told they are 13 years, 14 years and you go there and you see them. It breaks (you)." A family member reacts next to a police officer as forensic personnel investigate the deaths of patrons found inside the Enyobeni Tavern, in East London, South Africa, June 26, 2022. / Credit: Reuters/Stringer The provincial government of Eastern Cape said eight girls and 13 boys had died. Seventeen were found dead inside the tavern. The rest died in hospital. Drinking is permitted for people over 18 years old in township taverns, commonly known as shebeens, which are often situated cheek by jowl with family homes or, in some case, inside the homes themselves. But safety regulations and drinking-age laws are not always enforced. "We have a child that was there, who passed away on the scene," said the parents of a 17-year-old boy. "This child, we were not thinking was going to die this way. This was a humble child, respectful," said grieving mother Ntombizonke Mgangala, standing next to her husband outside the morgue. A 17-year-old girl who identified herself to the Reuters news agency as Lolly said the tavern was popular among teenagers. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is attending the G-7 summit in Germany, sent his condolences. He voiced concern "about the reported circumstances under which such young people were gathered at a venue which, on the face of it, should be off-limits to persons under the age of 18." The authorities are now considering whether to revise liquor-licensing regulations. "It's absolutely unbelievable ;.. losing 20 young lives just like that," provincial prime minister Oscar Mabuyane said, visibly shocked. He was speaking to reporters before the toll was updated to at least 21. He condemned the "unlimited consumption of liquor." "You can't just trade in the middle of society like this and think that young people are not going to experiment," he said outside the tavern, in a residential area called Scenery Park. Empty bottles of alcohol, wigs and even a pastel purple "Happy Birthday" sash were found strewn on the dusty street outside the double-story Enyobeni Tavern, according to Unathi Binqose, a safety government official who arrived at the scene at dawn. Ruling out a stampede as the cause of death, Binqose told AFP: "There are no visible open wounds." "Forensic (investigators) will take samples and test to see if there was any poisoning of any sort," he said, adding the bar was overcrowded. Local newspaper DispatchLive reported on its website: "Bodies are lying strewn across tables, chairs and on the floor, with no obvious signs of injury." Parents and officials said they understood many of the dead were students celebrating "pens down" parties held after the end of high school exams. Local television showed police officers trying to calm down a crowd of parents and onlookers gathered outside the club in the city, which is located on the Indian Ocean coast, around 620 miles south of Johannesburg. "Havana Syndrome" stumps investigators as U.S. officials report injuries on White House grounds Celebrating 25 years of Harry Potter Canadian gold miners find mummified mammoth A brush fire in North Carolina enveloped a storage container holding commercial-grade fireworks, causing an explosion that killed one person and left three firefighters injured, officials said Saturday. The La Grange Volunteer Fire Department, North Lenoir Fire & Rescue and the North Carolina Forest Service responded Friday to reports that the fire was creeping toward the building and found the property owner, Randy Herring, trying to stop the blaze himself, Lenoir County Emergency Services said in a statement. But the firefighters were unable to put out the fire in time and instead the flames reached the fireworks, causing the explosion. Herring was rushed to the hospital and died from his injuries. Three injured firefighters were taken to ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville; two have since been released and one was transported to the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill for further treatment. The Lenoir County Fire Marshals Office is coordinating the investigation with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal, the N.C. Forest Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, officials said Saturday. Investigators told WRAL that the fireworks were part of a licensed operation, but its unclear if they were stored properly. Fire officials worked overnight Friday into Saturday to put out the fire and the hot spots, including unexploded fireworks that had scattered in the area. A woman was fatally shot and two men were wounded as gunfire erupted near a high school graduation venue in New Orleans on Tuesday, officials said. The shooting happened just before noon outside the Convocation Center on the campus of Xavier University not long after students from Morris Jeff High School had received diplomas, New Orleans police said. The fatally wounded person was an elderly woman and the others are men who will survive their wounds after they were shot in the shoulder and leg, respectively, police said. They were not immediately identified. All three victims were there for graduation ceremonies before they were shot outside, police spokesman Gary Scheets said. "There was a fight that broke out, apparently between two females in the parking lot" which led to gunfire, NOPD Deputy Superintendent Chris Goodly told reporters. Three people were immediately detained for questioning, and weapons that might have been used were recovered, police said. "We're asking for anyone with information that can help lead us to a successful conclusion and apprehension of individuals that may be responsible for this senseless, senseless act of violence," Goodly said. This New Orleans shooting comes exactly one week after a gunman stormed Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers. And there had been at least three shootings at high school graduations in the past two weeks. Four people were injured when gunfire erupted after Hammond High School's graduation on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University on May 19, police said. That same evening, two people were shot at East Kentwood High School in Michigan as students from Crossroads Alternative High School were graduating, officials said. And a day earlier, an 18-year-old was fatally shot shortly after graduation ceremonies for Riverdale High School were held at the Middle Tennessee State University, authorities said. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Ukrainian folk band DakhaBrakha and Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala have performed together on Glastonburys Pyramid Stage, sharing a message to stop Putin. Jamala won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016, representing Ukraine, and was welcomed on stage as DakhaBrakhas special guest for the performance on Sunday afternoon. Jamala, full name Susana Alimivna Jamaladinova, told the PA news agency after the set: We can stop this evil only if we are united, only if we are together. DakhaBrakha called on those watching to stop Putin (Yui Mok/PA) We are fighting for freedom, for equality its my first time in Glastonbury and I see that freedom here. Its a treasure to be human and to express yourself, and you even dont know how important it is. On a weekend when Kyiv experienced its first Russian bombing in weeks, part of DakhaBrakhas act featured an animation on a screen showing birds transforming into fighter jets. Other images included Ukrainian tractors dragging Russian tanks, and crowds marching towards armoured vehicles adorned with the letter Z, a Russian pro-war symbol. Wearing a Ukrainian flag around her shoulders, Karolina Livsicaite from Vilnius, Lithuania, said she really enjoyed the performance. Karolina Livsicaite said the performance made her really emotional (PA) It made me feel sad and also uplifted, the 38-year-old told PA. Ms Livsicaite added that the performance served to remind Glastonbury (and) remind the world that war is going on, and Ukraine needs everyones help. On the support she had seen for Ukraine at the festival, Jamala said: I so appreciate every little thing all the flags, I cant really even can explain. Speaking on stage, Marko Halanevych, one of the band members of DakhaBrakha, said: Ukraine became (a) victim of Russian aggression, but Ukrainian people became real heroes of resistance. Smoke billows into the air from residential buildings following explosions in Kyiv on Sunday (Nariman El-Mofty/AP) Jamala and the band were met with cheers during the performance, with many Ukrainian flags visible in the crowd. The musicians appearance came after Russia attacked Kyiv for the first time in weeks, with missiles striking at least two residential buildings. The general prosecutors office said preliminary information indicated one person was killed and four injured in the attack. Iran's indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact will resume soon, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said during a joint news conference with the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Tehran on Saturday. "We are prepared to resume talks in the coming days. What is important for Iran is to fully receive the economic benefits of the 2015 accord," said Amirabdollahian, adding that he had held a "long but positive meeting" with Borrell. Borrell said: "We are expected to resume talks in the coming days and break the impasse. It has been three months and we need to accelerate the work. I am very happy about the decision that has been made in Tehran and Washington." (REUTERS) Ecuadors President Guillermo Lasso said in televised remarks on Friday that he is willing to engage in talks on ending the protests that have paralyzed Quito and other parts of the country for almost two weeks. Lasso also accused the Indigenous leaders of the demonstrations of wanting to overthrow the government. Thousands of protesters say they are calling for economic and social policy change, and seek gasoline and agriculture price controls and a larger education budget from Lassos administration. The protests have left six people dead and dozens injured.On Friday the International Monetary Fund approved the release of $1 billion in funding for Ecuador, meant to bolster Ecuadors economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, restore fiscal sustainability and reduce public debt. (CGTN) Maharashtra CM: Don't use Balasaheb name, use your father's name Mumbai: Taking an aggressive stand against the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said they should seek votes in their fathers name. Speaking at the partys national executive meeting held at party headquarters Sena Bhavan, Thackeray said that the rebels would not be allowed to use the name of Bal Thackeray to seek votes. The national executive passed six resolutions, one of which authorised Thackeray all the powers to take action against Eknath Shinde and his supporter MLAs. Another resolution said that only the Shiv Sena is allowed to use Bal Thackerays name. After the meeting, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that the Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has been conferred all the rights to take immediate stern action against rebel MLAs and party office bearers. Nobody will be allowed to use Bal Thackerays name for their political interest. Legal action would be taken against them. One more important thing that Uddhav ji said was that in future they should seek votes in their fathers name. They should not seek votes in the name of Shiv Senas father (Bal Thackeray). He belongs only to Shiv Sena, Raut added. According to the party sources, the resignation would be taken of all the ministers, who have defected, in the next 24 hours. The betrayal of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs will not be forgotten, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray said. Reacting to senior Thackerays comment, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said that Bal Thackeray is an ideology. "When they (Shiv Sena) wanted to make the mayors bunglow a memorial for Balasaheb, they said Balasaheb belongs to the entire Hindustan. Now they are claiming he is their private property," MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said. One of the rebel MLAs, Deepak Kesarkar, said, We have not left Shiv Sena. We are not going to merge with anyone. We will be setting up a separate block of the party. I have always told the CM that the Sena needs to be with the BJP. The synergy between a BJP Prime Minister and the state CM is important for the development of the state. We also want to tell the CM to fulfil his constitutional responsibility and ensure that the violence is curbed. We do not feel safe to return as no action is being taken against the perpetrators." "Recognition should be given to our faction, if it isnt given, we will go to court and prove our existence, numbers. We have numbers, but we respect CM Uddhav Thackeray, we wont speak against him. We must follow the path on which we fought the Assembly elections," Mr Kesarkar added. Meanwhile, the deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly has issued a disqualification notice to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of the Shinde camp who are currently in Guwahati. They have been given time till June 27 to file their written replies. In the last 48 hours, the Sena has demanded the disqualification of 16 party MLAs for defying the party whip. According to the sources, Eknath Shinde, Bharatshet Gogavale, Sandipanrao Bhumre, Abdul Sattar, Sanjay Shirsat, Yamini Jadhav, Anil Babar, Balaji Kinikar, Tanaji Sawant, Prakash Surve, Mahesh Shinde, Lata Sonawane, Chimanraon Patil, Ramesh Bornare, Sanjay Raimulkar and Balaji Kalyankar have been asked to file their reply by 5.30 pm on Monday. In the summon, which is accessed by this newspaper, the MLAs have also been informed that if they fail to give their replies to the deputy Speakers with appropriate documents, it would be deemed that they dont want to say anything and accordingly, a decision would be taken. Mr Kesarkar said that a whip is applicable only on the floor of the Assembly and that nobody can be disqualified for not attending a party meeting. He also said that the notice is against the principle of natural justice. "The notice gives only 48 hours to respond when there is no urgency. We will seek a weeks time and give appropriate reply to it," he said. The Eknath Shinde-led faction announced that it was naming itself the "Shiv Sena Balasaheb Group". "If anyone has a problem if we use the name of Balasaheb, we will call ourselves only Shiv Sena. The PM is visiting Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27 for the G7 summit, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations New Delhi: Hours before his departure to Germany on a two-day visit to attend the G7 Summit as a Special invitee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening said that during the sessions of the Summit he will "be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy." The PM is visiting Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27 for the summit of the G7, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations. Mr Modi is attending the G7 Summit following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by Germany in its capacity as the G7 chair. According to official sources, the PM will hold meetings with over 12 world leaders during his visit to Germany and the United Arab Emirates and will have over 15 hectic engagements during his around 60-hour stay in the two nations. He will be speaking at the Summit on Monday and is expected to hold bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden on both Sunday and Monday. In a statement ahead of his visit, Mr Modi said that he looked forward to meeting leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the summit. "It will be a pleasure to meet Chancellor Scholz again after the productive India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) last month. In an effort to strengthen international collaboration on important global issues impacting humanity, Germany has also invited other democracies such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the G7 Summit," Mr Modi said. He added, "During the sessions of the Summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as the environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy. I look forward to meeting the leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the Summit. While in Germany, I also look forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe, who are contributing immensely to their local economies and also enriching our relations with European countries." From Germany, Mr Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and ruler of Abu Dhabi. He said, "On my way back to India, I will make a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE for a meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, on June 28 to convey my personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi." The meeting is expected to further strengthen India-UAE strategic ties, especially in the fields of trade and investment. The Pope remembers Sister Luisa killed in Haiti, her life "a gift unto martyrdom." At the Angelus the episode in the village of the Samaritans and the invitation to shun revenge, privileging "merciful Love." Yesterday afternoon the homily at the concluding Mass of the Tenth World Meeting of Families, in which he extolled the "courage to marry" and "going out to welcome the other." Vatican City (AsiaNews) - In Ukraine "bombings continue" that cause "death and destruction and suffering for the population: please, let us not forget this people afflicted by war, let us not forget them in our hearts and with our prayers." Taking his cue from the flags present in a packed St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis made a new appeal at the Angelus today for an end to the conflict on Europe's doorstep, triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. At the conclusion of the Marian prayer, the pontiff said he was following "with concern" what is happening in Ecuador, urging the parties to "abandon violence and extreme positions," relaunching "dialogue" and "social peace," paying attention to the "marginalized and poor" populations while respecting the "rights of all and the institutions of the country." The pope then expressed deep "closeness" to the family members and sisters of Sister Luisa Dell'Orto, of the Little Sisters of the Gospel fraternity who was killed yesterday in Port-au-Price, capital of Haiti, where she had lived for more than 20 years, murdered for robbery. The 65-year-old nun, as the pope recalled, cared "above all for street children: I entrust her soul to God," he continued, "and I pray for the Haitian people, especially for the little ones" that they may enjoy "a more serene future. Of Sister Lucia he added that "she made her life a gift for others, even to the point of martyrdom." In introducing the Marian prayer, the pontiff recalled Jesus' "great journey" to the holy city mentioned in today's Gospel of Luke, which "requires a special decision because it is the last." "The disciples," he explained, "full of enthusiasm that is still too worldly, dream that the Master is going to meet triumph; Jesus, on the other hand, knows that rejection and death await him in Jerusalem," and is aware that "he will have to suffer much" and this requires a "firm decision. In his reflection, the pontiff traces the episode recounted by the Evangelist of a village of Samaritans who "do not welcome" Jesus knowing he is headed to Jerusalem, an "opposing" city. "The apostles James and John, outraged, suggest to Jesus that He punish those people" with fire, but "the 'fire' He came to bring to earth is the Father's merciful Love," and to make it grow requires "patience and constancy." "James and John, on the other hand, get caught up in anger. This happens to us, too, when although we do good, perhaps with sacrifice, instead of welcome we find a closed door. Anger then comes: we even try to involve God Himself [...] Jesus," the pope says, "walks another path, that of firm resolve, which, far from translating into harshness, implies calm, patience, longsuffering, without, however, in the least slackening in our commitment to do good. Pope Francis believes this way of being and acting "does not denote weakness but, on the contrary, great inner strength." The same strength we must ask Jesus to be like him and "to follow him with firm resolve. Not to be vindictive and intolerant," he explained at the conclusion of the reflection, "when difficulties arise, when we spend ourselves for good and others do not understand. Finally, yesterday afternoon Pope Francis concelebrated the concluding Mass of the 10th World Meeting of Families in St. Peter's Square. Presiding over the rite was Card. Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, as the pontiff delivered the homily during which he recalled the need to defend the "beauty" of the family, preserving it "from the poisons of selfishness, individualism, the culture of indifference and discarding." Today, the "courage to marry" is needed more than ever and, to couples, he asked them "not to use your freedom for yourselves, but to love the people God has placed beside you." Speaking about young people, the pope emphasized that God "loves them" but "does not thereby preserve them from every risk, every challenge, and every suffering. God is not anxious and overprotective; on the contrary, he trusts them and calls each one to the high measure of life and mission." The family, he concluded, is "the place of encounter, of sharing, of going out of oneself to welcome the other and to be close to him," and it is also "the first place where one learns to love." The Government has extended the time for levy of GST compensation cess by nearly 4 years till March 31, 2026. As per the Goods and Services Tax (Period of Levy and Collection of Cess) Rules, 2022, notified by the finance ministry, the compensation cess will continue to be levied from July 1, 2022 to March 31, 2026. The levy of cess was to end on June 30 but the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state FMs, decided to extend it till March 2026 to repay the loans taken in the last two fiscal years to make up for the shortfall in their revenue collection. After the 45th GST Council meeting in Lucknow in September last year, Sitharaman had said the regime of paying compensation to states for revenue shortfall resulting from subsuming their taxes such as VAT in the uniform national tax GST, will end in June 2022. However, the compensation cess, levied on luxury and demerit goods, will continue to be collected till March 2026 to repay the borrowings that were done in 2020-21 and 2021-22 to compensate states for GST revenue loss. In order to meet the resource gap of states due to short release of compensation, the Centre has borrowed and released Rs 1.1 lakh crore in 2020-21 and Rs 1.59 lakh crore in 2021-22 as back-to-back loan to meet a part of the shortfall in cess collection. The Centre has repaid Rs 7,500 crore as interest cost for the borrowing in 2021-22 and Rs 14,000 crore is to be paid this fiscal year. From 2023-24, the repayment of principal amount will start which will continue till March 2026. Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced in the country with effect from July 1, 2017 and states were assured of compensation for the loss of any revenue arising on account of implementation of GST for a period of five years. Though states' protected revenue has been growing at 14 per cent compounded growth rate, the cess collection did not increase in the same proportion and COVID-19 further increased the gap between protected revenue and the actual revenue receipt including reduction in cess collection. The engine in question had been in the range since 1959, and it was a 90-degree V8 with a short stroke, along with an over-square configuration. The block was made of silicon-aluminum alloy, the pistons were made from aluminum, and the five-bearding two-plane (cross-plane) crankshaft was from forged steel.The combustion chamber of the said motor had a modified hemisphere setup, which involved a spark plug in the center, and two overhead valves.The unit made 200 metric horsepower (195 horsepower) in naturally aspirated form, which meant that there was enough room for boost. Things were a bit different back then, so you did not see turbochargers in production cars that often.At a certain point in time that was not marked in anyone's diary, but somehow slipped into history, Bentley's chairman, David Plastow, spoke with John Hollings, the company's chief engineer, and proposed they "have some fun." His idea of fun? Turbocharging the company's V8 , of course.The result of the "let's have some fun" part was the first Bentley Mulsanne Turbo, which was unveiled at the 1982 Geneva Motor Show. That vehicle came with a 50-percent increase in power over the 1980 Mulsanne it was based on, so about 300 metric horsepower (ca. 295 horsepower).The result was quite impressive in the day, and it was a luxurious car that was faster than its siblings, but without missing the luxury features that customers have come to expect.Three years later, Bentley introduced the Turbo R , which came with improved road holding, marking yet another chapter for the brand. The most significant difference from the Mulsanne Turbo was switching to a fuel-injected setup, at least from an engine perspective, but the difference in handling was something to write home about.This year, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Bentley celebrated 40 years of turbocharged models with a special rolling exhibit. The said exhibit came in the form of a parade of turbocharged Bentley models, which have become the norm in the range.Therefore, the company exhibited a 1991 Turbo R, which is the replacement of the Mulsanne Turbo, a 2001 Arnage Red Label, a 2003 Continental R Mulliner Final Series, a 2010 Brooklands, as well as a 2010 Mulsanne, along with five vehicles that were made in recent years.The first of the pack is a 2011 Continental Supersports, which is 11 years old today, but still packs a hefty punch, along with a 2014 Continental GT V8 S, a 2022 Continental GTC S, a 2022 Flying Spur S, and a 2022 Continental GT Mulliner.Every one of the models present in the parade at the Goodwood Festival of Speed marked an important moment in the history of the brand from Crewe. For example, the 2003 Continental GT marked the debut of the first all-new Bentley ever since the original 3 Liter from 1919.No components on this model were carried over from its predecessor, and it also came with a W12 engine that had 48 valves, two turbochargers, and massive torque for its day.The value, 650 Nm (477 lb.-ft.), would be impressive in a sedan if it were launched today, as well, but modern Bentleys come with significantly more power, torque, and performance. The W12 motor became the flagship in the range, and improved variants of it continue to be offered in the portfolio.Meanwhile, the signature Bentley V8 with 6.75 liters of displacement has been discontinued, and its last sighting was in the last Mulsanne Speed.Its replacement is a 4.0-liter unit that comes with plenty of punch, even more power, and less weight overall. Sure, it is not the same 6.75-liter mill, but you forget about the difference once you punch the go-faster pedal. The Kardashians are no strangers to backlash, but this time, Kim Kardashians parenting skills are under scrutiny after a picture and a video show her children traveling in an SUV without a seat belt. 7 photos SOHC Following an all-inclusive refurbishment that occurred in 2018, this collectible 1975 Honda CB750 looks as if it just rolled off the assembly line. The motorcycles bodywork components, duplex cradle frame and swingarm have all been repainted during the overhaul, while its two-up saddle was seamlessly cloaked in premium upholstery.As far as the powertrain-related upgrades are concerned, the engine was media-blasted and rebuilt, receiving zinc fasteners, new ignition coils and a Wiseco top-end kit in the process. Since the CB750s stock exhaust was corroded beyond repair, a chromed four-into-four replica can now be found in its stead.The front brake got treated to a drilled EBC disc and a braided stainless-steel line, while the OEM shocks supporting the bikes rear end were replaced with progressive aftermarket hardware. Hondas pearl had been sold to a Wisconsin-based dealer earlier this year, and it was subsequently fitted with fresh Kenda Challenger tires.Below its unmistakable fuel tank, the CB750 Four K5 bears an air-cooledfour-banger with quad 28 mm (1.1-inch) Keihin carbs, two valves per cylinder and a displacement of 736cc. This bad boy is connected to a five-speed transmission, which turns the rear 18-inch wheel by means of a drive chain.In terms of power output, the inline-four engine is good for up to 67 ponies and 44 pound-feet (60 Nm) of torque at the crankshaft. By adding a dry weight of 480 pounds (218 kg) to the equation, the 75 MY treasure can hit a top speed of 124 mph (200 kph) when it gets pushed to the limit.If you happen to be a fervid UJM enthusiast with deep pockets, then youll want to pay the BaT (Bring a Trailer) website a visit as soon as possible, because this mint-condition CB750 is now up for grabs! The online auction will be ending on June 28, and those who are interested will need just north of ten grand to strike a deal for now, that is. Cecil belongs to Peter Vollers of Vollers Law, who is also the founder of Vermont Overland, a company that promotes gravel bicycle events. Peter is now practicing law entirely remotely and is enjoying a free, adventurous lifestyle onboard his 1966 VW camper.While it may not look like much at first glance, the adorable velvet green bus is the most comfortable vehicle to travel in, at least according to Vollers, who turned it into a perfectly cozy house on wheels. In fact, even though he also owns a Vanagon with his wife, that so-called couples vehicle has got nothing on Cecil.But the 1966 camper is not just a comfy man cave but also a beast on and off the road, with its owner using it constantly for overlanding. And were not just talking light forest roads here, but rugged, rocky trails that it has no problem conquering, getting impressive traction. Cecils ability to handle such difficult terrains comes from its almost one-ton in strength portal axle and the torsion beam suspension that provide good articulation.The split-window VW has Wolfgang International safari windows installed, to ensure better ventilation throughout the vehicle, as the standard side windows are simply not enough to cope with high summer temperatures.Comfort-wise, Cecil comes with a very comfortable pull-out bed, has plenty of storage space, and even a small pantry.The greatest addition to this 1966 VW bus is the Winnerwell wood-burning stove that Vollers installed inside, which he uses for both cooking his meals and to provide him with heat when it gets chilly outside. The guy has a wood supply stored in the camper at all times, which he buys on Amazon.You can take a tour of the adorable Cecil VW camper in the video below, which was published by Mike Ladden on his Drive the Globe YouTube channel. And while youre at it, you might want to check out Ladden's military truck overlander , too. I promise you wont get bored. EV Gas is currently sitting at a national average price of $4.9 a gallon. Most Americans, however, pay more than this to fill up their internal combustion engine vehicles. Be it a car or a pickup truck, you now must dig deeper into your pockets to make sure the traveled route doesnt end prematurely.Its annoying and upsetting, and it made many Americans think twice about using a vehicle for random activities. Families are now coordinating to share this cost by carpooling, while enthusiasts are convincing themselves its time to look at something else than just V8s.Some Americans are also discovering nowadays that using an electric car or truck is a budget-friendly way of moving around. Thats why companies like Tesla , Rivian, BMW, and Ford are ramping up production as best as they can.However, its not enough. The unstable geopolitical context, a health crisis that doesnt seem to find an end, parts sourcing, and shipping issues are all causing problems. Thats mostly why weve all gotten used to the idea that pre-ordering an untested and unseen vehicle is a great way of making sure there will be something sitting in the garage in a year or so.Moreover, this entire fiasco eventually ends up reflected in the final price paid by the consumer. Unbelievable price hikes dressed as market adjustments made the headlines late last year.We got to a point where the hope of owning a vehicle surpasses the instinct to test it and verify it.Just imagine this scenario. Its 2015 and someone tells you that in six or seven years you will happily pay for a first-generation vehicle online. You will also be carefree about all of it. Not one single thought would end up bothering you. You wouldnt care about the delivery timetable and what the car or truck is like to drive. Youd just buy or lease it when the time to do so comes. You wouldve most likely thought they were not thinking straight.But here we are. Its the world we live in, and it doesnt look like it can get much better in the short term.Naturally, anyone that wants to save money during these tough times might be looking for alternatives. Some buy cheap gas or diesel cars that barely run, others explore ways of getting a goodfrom other markets.Enter China and its absurdly cheap all-electric vehicles.I was browsing a website that claims it ships Chinese EVs to the U.S. This business also allows you to buy cars like the 2022 Changan SL03 in bulk. You can get three, five, or even ten. At just $29,000, it sounds like a bargain. The whole family could switch to zero-emission vehicles. Teslas cheapest Model 3, in comparison, starts with no incentives from $46,990. You instantly save almost $18,000! They even take care of the shipping. It all sounds too good to be true, doesnt it? Well, it is!Theres no need to compare the above-mentioned cars, even though theres a noticeable difference in power and range between them. Thats because theres one important barrier homologation. The cheap Chinese cars arent made according to the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and are not put through the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) certification process.Moreover, other important laws and regulations must be upheld by manufacturers or third parties that want to sell vehicles in the U.S. Besides the FMVSS, the following must also be considered: the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Clean Air Act, the Imported Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act, the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, the Vehicle Carrier Safety Improvement Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.On top of all this, theres currently a 27.5% tariff that must be paid for any vehicle or vehicle parts coming from China. That $29,000 Changan EV just turned into an almost $37,000 car.Chinese cars also use different plugs and ports. Additionally, youd need a network of dealers or service centers that can fix your car when it breaks down. It happens to any vehicle at some point and cars from China are not an exception.And dont think the NHTSA might grant you a Show or Display exemption. The authorities dont take such decisions lightly.There's also the trust issue. Are you going to trust such an entity with your hard-earned cash? Think about it. It's better to wait.In the end, if youre not looking forward to importing a 25-year-old car from China, dont pull the trigger for a new one. Its simply not worth it. At all! Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The Govt faces an uphill task in meeting expectations of the nations youth when economy is experiencing severe recession and job market is unstable Much water has flown down the Ganges since unveiling of the new human resource policy by the Defence Ministry for recruiting soldiers, sailors and airmen. The country witnessed widespread protests, rioting and violence by youth in many States causing irreparable damage to public property. This abrupt change has not gone well with the youth aspiring to join the armed forces lured by the earlier system of joining service for 17 years and enjoying pension benefits. Taking note of the resentment among the youth and the Opposition encashing upon the unrest, the Government went into damage control and the age limit was enhanced from 21 years to 23 years. Home and Defence Ministries announced 10 per cent reservation to reinstate the retired troops in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) forces, defence Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and other jobs. Some States also assured job security to Agniveers after their retirement. Indian business magnates justified the Agnipath scheme, claiming that it has large potential for employment. Senior armed forces officers also sought to clear the doubts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself said that some reforms may look unfair at first, but will help in nation-building later. He met the three service chiefs to discuss the Agnipath scheme. The Army and the Air Force have since issued recruitment notifications. All these developments indicate that the Government failed to do proper homework before introducing the scheme and is now acting in haste to control the situation. The scheme has received mixed response from the veterans and public those in service have supported the decision whereas most retired officers have criticised the move. They have raised apprehensions on various counts like the training duration for Agniveers, whether their motivation level will be as high as that of regular soldiers and the rehabilitation of retired troops. They have also criticised the hasty manner in which the scheme was implemented without putting the scheme to test through a pilot project. To meet the cumulative threat from China and Pakistan, the Indian forces require young, highly trained and motivated soldiers. The pertinent questions are whether the new breed of Agniveers will be able to meet this challenge? What benefits would the retired Agniveers get? How would the defence forces gain out of this scheme? Critics feel that the first casualty would be the quality of human resources. Any eligible person will first compete for jobs in civilian Government, police and Central forces where she enjoys assured service till the age of 60 years and pension benefits, before opting for the four-year unsecured stint in the armed forces. The second casualty would be training an Agniveers six-month stint will be able to gain him neither any worthwhile expertise in handling expensive military equipment nor understand the nuances of a modern battlefield of artificial intelligence, cyber warfare etc. Poor-quality human resources, inadequately trained and poorly paid Agniveers, lacking any motivation with a broken regimental system, will be a disaster in the making for our armed forces. The schemes supporters hailed it as a path-breaking initiative that would replace an aging Army, in which more than 60 per cent men are above 30 years of age and would pave the way for regular intake and availability of young, fit and motivated youth who wish to don the uniform and serve the nation for short periods. The scheme is expected to open up new opportunities for our youth, boost civil-military fusion and pave the way for becoming worthy representatives of the best regimental traditions of the armed forces. One of the biggest challenges facing the armed forces is the budgetary constraints. Ballooning salary and pension bills have placed enormous stress on the availability of funds for military modernisation. The emphasis of the new scheme is on ensuring a youthful and tech-savvy profile of the armed forces while reducing the overall burden on pension and gratuities. Another logic given in favour of this scheme is that several foreign models were studied before its implementation. The service period ranges from two to eight years with options for active and reservist service in many modern armed forces of the world, such as the US, UK and France. The Israeli army, which is considered to be one of the best in the world, has service of 30 and 20 months, respectively, for men and women. The Government faces an uphill task of tackling this peculiar situation of meeting expectations of the frustrated youth at a time when the economy is experiencing severe recession and job market is unstable. Unfortunately, the 1.4 million-strong Army has faced neglect by all Governments, defence expenditure being relegated to the non-plan category and Finance Ministry, instead of finding ways and means of raising essential, additional funds for national defence, has passed the buck to the armed forces and demanded that they evolve measures for reducing the pension bill. All these lacunae need to be taken care of before it is too late. (The writer is a senior journalist and Chairman, the Panwar Group of Institutions, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The views expressed are personal.) You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) Paul McCartneys Glastonbury Festival show was two years late. Fans thought it was worth the wait. The former Beatle pulled out all the stops and brought on big-name rock n roll guest stars for a 2-hour concert at the southwest England festival on Saturday night. McCartney was due to play Glastonbury in 2020. That years festival and the 2021 edition were both scuttled by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, at 80, he's the festival's oldest-ever solo headliner. McCartney and his band treated the huge crowd to Beatles classics like Get Back, Hey Jude, Blackbird and Let it Be, along with solo hits including Live and Let Die and newer material. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl came on to play Saw Her Standing There and Band on the Run. Then Bruce Springsteen and McCartney the Boss and the Beatle dueted on Springsteens Glory Days and the early Lennon-McCartney song I Wanna Be Your Man. McCartney paid tribute to Beatles bandmate George Harrison, who died in 2001, by performing the Harrison-penned Something. Thanks to technology, he sang with footage of John Lennon, murdered in 1980, on Ive Got a Feeling. I think Ive probably just seen one of the most legendary performances ever, fan Jake Richardson said after the show. Actor-comedian Steve Coogan, who was also in the crowd, described the experience as quite overwhelming. I dont think theres anyone else in the world who can just give such unadulterated joy to people, he told the BBC. Glastonbury wraps up Sunday with a headline set by Kendrick Lamar. Some 200,000 people are attending the four-day festival at Worthy Farm in southwest England, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The 3,000 performers included Billie Eilish, Ziggy Marley, Megan Thee Stallion, Foals, Olivia Rodrigo, Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock and the Pet Shop Boys. Guests also included environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who made a passionate speech about climate change, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the festival by video on Friday. Timothy Abero, Contributor / EyeEm / Getty Images / EyeEm Orange police are asking residents for any information regarding the death of a man early Saturday morning. Officers around 10:30 a.m. found a body in a four-door truck on the eastbound shoulder of Interstate 10 east of Texas 62 in Orange, according to a news release from the Orange Police Department. Inside Hook At their best, birds can transform an outdoor space into something transcendent theres nothing quite like the sound of birdsong to make a yard or park sound that much more lively. Sometimes, however, the behavior of bird can make a big difference there is, after all, a reason that the phrase pigeon mitigation comes up in various public works projects. (It would also make for an amazing metal band name, in my opinion.) Thats a situation not dissimilar to the one faced by the local government in the shore town of Ocean City, New Jersey. As a new article in the New York Times Magazine details, the towns location was attracting plenty of people intrigued by the beaches there. Where abundant people live, however, also means that a literal flock of seagulls also descended on the place. If youve ever tried to eat a meal or a snack while an aggrieved gull attempts to peck at it, you know the drama that this can prompt. Thats what led Ocean Citys mayor to look into an unexpected solution: a company that brought hawks to the boardwalk, where the gulls suddenly seemed far less interested in congregating. As the article points out, theres a long history of hawks and falcons being used both for hunting and other purposes. (Helen Macdonalds memoir H Is For Hawk is highly recommended.) And if theres a way to drive off seagulls during the tourist season without chemicals or other possibly toxic methods, thats all the better. Admittedly, this also sounds like a real-life version of the Simpsons episode in which a series of different species were used to dispatch other species. This story sounds like it has a happier ending, though, in that no mammals froze to death in the process. BRICS cooperation injects vitality into global development, wins worldwide applause Xinhua) 09:04, June 26, 2022 *History abounds with formidable challenges from which the world has emerged as an even safer and better place, and those triumphs over adversity have testified that cooperation and common development are crucial in turning the tide. *"Where is the world headed: Peace or war? Progress or regression? Openness or isolation? Cooperation or confrontation? These are choices of the times that we are confronted with," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum. *Experts told Xinhua that they are impressed by Xi's emphasis on and China's commitment to promoting global unity and cooperation, and the BRICS partnership has set an example of South-South cooperation and of seeking strength through unity among emerging markets and developing countries. * The BRICS mechanism has been taken by many around the world as an important cooperation platform for emerging markets and developing countries, which is expected to bring positive, stabilizing and constructive strength to the world. BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- History abounds with formidable challenges from which the world has emerged as an even safer and better place, and those triumphs over adversity have testified that cooperation and common development are crucial in turning the tide. The world is now living through drastic changes and a COVID-19 pandemic, both unseen in a century. Various security challenges continue to surface, while the global economy is still battling against significant headwinds on its path to recovery. Meanwhile, global development has experienced major setbacks. "Where is the world headed: Peace or war? Progress or regression? Openness or isolation? Cooperation or confrontation? These are choices of the times that we are confronted with," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum. He then went on at that forum and later at two other related high-level events in the following days to share his thoughts on how to tackle global challenges and advance common development. Experts worldwide said they are inspired by Xi's insights into the choices of the times, and expect BRICS cooperation to add impetus to global prosperity. PROMOTING GLOBAL UNITY, COOPERATION Experts told Xinhua that they are impressed by Xi's emphasis on and China's commitment to promoting global unity and cooperation, and the BRICS partnership has set an example of South-South cooperation and of seeking strength through unity among emerging markets and developing countries. The first China-Europe freight train from Chengdu to St. Petersburg arrives at Shushary railway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, March 15, 2021. (Xinhua) In his keynote speech on Wednesday, Xi said despite changes in an evolving global environment, the historical trend of openness and development will not reverse course, and the shared desire to meet challenges together through cooperation will remain as strong as ever. When hosting the 14th BRICS Summit via video link on Thursday, Xi stressed that the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, follows the philosophy that humanity is an indivisible security community, and aims to create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum. "China would like to work with BRICS partners to operationalize the GSI and bring more stability and positive energy to the world," said Xi. Xi's call for global cooperation and solidarity, as well as true multilateralism, is a positive step toward world peace and security, said Samer Khair Ahmed, a Jordanian writer and expert on Arab-China relations. The experiences of recent years have demonstrated that global security is an integrated issue that cannot be achieved by antagonizing or isolating a country or a group of countries, and it has become necessary for the world to build true international solidarity for the sake of security and peace, said Ahmed. Photo taken on April 10, 2017 shows a solar power plant near Hyderabad, capital of India's southern state of Telangana. The plant was constructed with the assistance of Chinese enterprises. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang) Jose Ricardo dos Santos Luzin Junior, CEO of Sao Paulo-based company LIDE China, said China has been playing a key role in upholding multilateralism and helping shape a new global governance order that stresses mutual cooperation. CHARTING COURSE FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT To muster concerted efforts and chart the course for global development ranks high on the agenda of the BRICS cooperation. When chairing the High-level Dialogue on Global Development on Friday in virtual format, Xi called for forging high-quality partnership for a new era of global development. "We must get a good grasp of the overarching development trend in the world, firm up confidence, and act in unison and with great motivation to promote global development and foster a development paradigm featuring benefits for all, balance, coordination, inclusiveness, win-win cooperation and common prosperity," he said. Xi noted that at last year's UN General Assembly session, he put forth the Global Development Initiative (GDI). "China will take pragmatic steps to give continued support to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Xi said. The medical supplies donated by China arrive at Or Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, April 14, 2020. (Chinese Embassy in South Africa/Handout via Xinhua) The GDI proposed by Xi sets out to tackle such development issues as food security, environment, climate change and poverty, said Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, hailing China for sharing Chinese expertise in the eradication of poverty and food security with the rest of the world. Xi's speech has demonstrated China's commitment to sharing development opportunities with the rest of the world in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, chairman of a Dhaka-based think-tank Research and Policy Integration for Development, told Xinhua. Describing China's proposals at the forum as "very timely and thoughtful," Razzaque stressed that China has already been playing a critical role in helping other countries integrate with the global economy. Photo taken on Jan. 18, 2021 shows Longping High-Tech Brazil, a Chinese-invested company owned by Longping Agriculture Science Co., Ltd., in Cravinhos, Brazil. (Xinhua) For Sudheendra Kulkarni, former chairman of Mumbai-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation, the GDI means development for all without any discrimination. "Whether the country is small or big, whether the country is rich or poor, whether the country is militarily strong or weak, all have to be treated equally, and the fruits of development, the fruits of technological revolution must reach all," he added. POSITIVE FORCE FOR A BETTER WORLD The BRICS mechanism has been taken by many around the world as an important cooperation platform for emerging markets and developing countries, which is expected to bring positive, stabilizing and constructive strength to the world. Aerial photo taken on June 17, 2022 shows the headquarters building of the New Development Bank (NDB) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) At Wednesday's BRICS Business Forum, Xi noted that BRICS cooperation has now entered a new stage of high-quality development, calling on BRICS members to deepen cooperation to better safeguard food and energy security, seize opportunities presented by the new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, help developing countries speed up development of the digital economy and green transformation, and engage in cooperation on COVID-19 response to beat the virus at an early date. In the view of Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and chairman of German think tank Schiller Institute, BRICS countries respect each other, firmly support multilateralism, and are committed to win-win cooperation. BRICS cooperation in such fields as food supply and public health is of great significance to the world, Zepp-LaRouche said, adding BRICS countries can play an important role in eradicating global hunger and strengthening the construction of modern global health systems. Lawrence Loh, Director for Centre for Governance and Sustainability of the National University Singapore Business School, said another notable area for BRICS cooperation is in innovation, technology and education. In this regard, the BRICS can play a major role in spearheading new development for the next phase of post-pandemic global growth, said Loh. Noting that BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation, Xi said when hosting the 14th BRICS Summit on Thursday that BRICS countries need to uphold openness and inclusiveness and pool collective wisdom and strength. Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of a Manila-based think tank Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies, said the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, which focuses on openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit and represents the voice and interest of the developing countries, will provide an essential impetus to global development. A worker operates on the refrigerator production line at Hisense South Africa Industrial Park in Cape Town, South Africa, June 1, 2022. Hisense is a Chinese consumer electronics company. (Xinhua/Lyv Tianran) Nourhan el-Sheikh, professor at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, said that China has a sound understanding of what the world is confronted with. "The world shares the same interests and challenges. We either live together or we will be ruined together," said El-Sheikh. "This is a very accurate vision and understanding of President Xi and China, stressing the need to co-exist and live together. It is a different vision from that of the West, which seeks to grow at the expense of others." (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) What is needed is the political will; all parties should look at the law afresh Elections and defections go together despite a stringent anti-defection law in the country. The law proves ineffective as legislators are lured by money and position. Lawmakers skirt around the rules, find loopholes to their advantage, and defy them. In last weeks Rajya Sabha polls, Rajasthans BJP legislator Shobharani Khushwaha, Congresss Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, and JD (S) lawmaker from Karnataka Srinivas Gowda are classic examples. Cross-voting occurs even in presidential and vice-presidential elections. Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu recently commented that the anti-defection law must be amended to rectify the loopholes. Naidu, also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said there was no clarity about the time-frame for the Speaker or Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to decide on anti-defection cases. There are certain loopholes in the anti-defection law. It allows wholesale defection. But retail defection is not allowed. Amendments are required to plug the loopholes, Naidu said. Instead of formally crossing the floor or voting against their party in a confidence motion, they resign from the party. Some of them come back in the bye-elections. In the past, there have been some bizarre cases. Gayalal, an independent MLA in Haryana, first joined the Congress Party in 1967; by evening, he shifted to the United Front, and within nine hours, he rejoined the Congress. What was more, he returned to the United Front within a fortnight. This case is known as Ayaram, Gayaram in political circles. The 2003 amended law prescribed the penalty for shifting political loyalties: the loss of membership and a bar on becoming a minister. The law has been contested in courts multiple times. Under the anti-defection law, unlimited powers are given to every political party to put down dissent or an alternative view. However, recent developments in many states show that it does not check defections. To keep the flock together, parties often play resort politics by shepherding them to some resort, sometimes outside the state. Defectors have shown this trend many times-Rajasthan (2020), Maharashtra (2019), Karnataka (2019 and 2018), and Tamil Nadu (2017). In March 2020, Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 Congress MLAs resigned, resulting in a Government change in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, six BSP MLAs merged their party with the Congress, and in Sikkim, 10 of the 15 MLAs of the Sikkim Democratic Front have joined the BJP in 2019. The list goes on. Initially, the decision of the Presiding Officer was not subject to judicial review. The Supreme Court struck down this condition in 1992. The apex court intervened again in July 2019 when ten Congress MLAs and two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLAs defected to the BJP and were rewarded with ministries. The court prescribed a maximum of three months for deciding on anti-defection cases in 2020. Parliament needs to look at the law afresh because of the continuing trend of horse-trading. The Supreme Court observed recently, It is time that Parliament has a rethink on whether disqualification petitions ought to be entrusted to a Speaker as a quasi-judicial authority when such Speaker continues to belong to a particular political party either de jure or de facto. Parliament may consider amending the Constitution to substitute the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies as an arbiter of disputes concerning disqualification under the Tenth Schedule. The Presidential polls were announced last week, and there are apprehensions about cross-voting. The best way is to tweak the law. Defectors should be barred from holding public office for a reasonable period, and the vote cast by a defector should be considered invalid. The electorate should also have a right to recall the representative. Resort politics should also be banned. (The writer is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal.) Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass. 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. Russia has shattered weeks of relative calm in Ukraine's capital with a missile attack as Western leaders meeting in Europe prepared to reaffirm their support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia TYRINGHAM Protecting the vote of Black citizens involves a lot more than ensuring their ballots are counted. Quote Politics begins at the local level. Become part of that community, become active, use your voice." Dennis Powell, president of the NAACP Berkshire Branch It involves deeper work by entire communities to encourage people of color to vote by showing them that their opinion matters, that they are counted as people, that they have a stake and that even subtle barriers to their running for office are removed, said panelists at a Protecting the Vote discussion at the Tyringham Union Church Saturday. Its very local. It involves learning. And this has to start early. Young people, they need to understand the local system, said prominent Berkshires activist and educator Shirley Edgerton, noting the way some things are funded in Pittsfield, while others are not. Without it, politicians can take advantage of Black communities, and she thinks thats already happening as Democrats take for granted their Black voter base. Rhetoric over action seems to be winning right now, she said. I dont want anyone to take my vote for granted, Edgerton said. Its dangerous. Tyringham for Racial Justice and the Hop Brook Community Club hosted the event in honor of Juneteenth, and encouraged donations to three groups most of the panelists represent: NAACP, Berkshire Branch; Multicultural BRIDGE and Berkshire Black Economic Council. Held the day after the Supreme Court announced it had overturned Roe v. Wade, and days after gun carrying laws were loosened in New York state, the panelists had plenty of fodder to emphasize that a grasp of civics and an empowered American Black citizenry is critical for the sake of everyone. There's been momentum for this in the last two years, but historically it tends to slip back into white dominance, said Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO and president of BRIDGE. I implore us all to remain eyes wide open, she said. So easily we can repeat the oppressive behaviors of our predecessors giving and taking back. Remain vigilant and real, VanSant said. It is ploys like the misuse of the Juneteenth holiday for enrichment, Powell said, that reinforce how important it is for young people to learn how the system is stacked and how to keep elected officials accountable right here in the Berkshires. Politics begins at the local level, he said. Become part of that community, become active, use your voice as the great John Lewis said, Get in trouble, make good trouble, because thats how change comes about. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work in various institutions is another force that helps with all this. You have to treat it as a hardcore subject, said A.J. Enchill, executive director of the Berkshire Black Economic Council, and former legislative aide to state Sen. Adam Hinds D-Pittsfield. It can't be an elective. It can't be the first thing that goes when there need to be budget cuts. Leticia Haynes knows a thing or two about this. Haynes is vice president of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Williams College. She said to beware; these roles can be misused to suit their own needs or to fill a void that they think they have to do. DEI is whatever you want it to be on any given day, Haynes said. Back to voting, Haynes said to watch out for malfeasance like prison gerrymandering, using Pennsylvania as an example. One member of the audience asked what they could do about those in Great Barringtons Black community who werent voting, per word-of-mouth. This annoyed the panel. If you dont feel valued, why participate? Edgerton said. Powell said that even he, with his thick skin, was rattled by his experience both running for and while on the School Committee for Pittsfield Schools. Subtle racism was at play, he suggested. Edgerton is working to change all this. An action taken by two Pittsfield city councilors this month that resulted in a budget by default disturbed and lit yet another fire for some of her work through the NAACP. She let everyone in on the plan. Were bringing folks in from the Boston area, and theyre going to train our young women and young men to prepare to run for office, she said to a round of applause. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Its a tightrope walk for the grouping at a time when US-China trade war has reached a peak. After having a bitter experience with Putin, Biden may need to maintain more restraint, simply to avoid another catastrophe in the Indo-Pacific The May 24 face-to-face meeting of the Quad leaders is considered very crucial against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine war. All the four heads of the Governments Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US president Joe Biden, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came together on a platform to display strength and sustainability of the group at a crucial juncture when the world is gradually emerging out of the monstrous Covid-19 pandemic and entering into nothing short of Third World War in Europe. It must be said once again the global governance institutions, especially the UN and the US-led liberal West have miserably failed to stop the most devastating war in Ukraine. Undoubtedly, the centrality of the Quad summit was the Russian onslaught in Ukraine. The Quad summit is indicative of a new beginning as it has also witnessed the formation of two fresh initiatives: The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA). The IPEF, launched by the US with 12 members on board now, is precisely its answer to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TTP) and its successor, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the TTP (CPTTP) and towards the China-led 15-country grouping called, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The IPMDA is aimed at building a faster, wider and more accurate maritime picture of near real-time activities in partners waters. Basically, it will directly facilitate the tracking of dark shipping across the Indo-Pacific region. These all seem to be a detailed preparation by the members of the Quad for preventing China-led initiatives both in the trade and security spheres in one of the busiest sea-communication lanes in the world. The joint statement issued after the summit addressed the concerns emerging from the war in Ukraine. The statement underlined that the member countries discussed respective responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing tragic humanitarian crisis and assessed its implications for the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad summit has also highlighted and discussed any possible Chinese military adventures in the Indo-Pacific after Europe experienced Russias bloodiest invasion of Ukraine. How did the Quad originate? It all began as a loose partnership against the background of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004. In fact, all the four nations came together to offer humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. But today China complains that the group is intending to form an Asian NATO simply to act against the Beijings interests in the region. Is China threatened by the Quad grouping? The Quad had its first historic meeting in the year 2007. Then no one thought it would be another platform to counter China in the days to come. But afterwards, the forum went into oblivion for a decade or so. It reemerged in November 2017. Its regrouping piqued Chinese interests. And the Communists in China seriously gauged that America was plotting a Cold War style strategic encirclement of China by taking two other Indo-Pacific nations India and Australia into the orbit. Initially, when then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited officials from India, Australia and the US to gather in Manila, the Xi Jinping regime was not much worried. Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China, had scoffed at the grouping: They (the Quad nations) are like sea foam in the Pacific or Indian Ocean: They get some attention but will soon dissipate. Is there any urgent need to thwart China in the Indo-Pacific? Yes, of course. Chinas growing expansionist policies particularly under the current President Xi Jinping is worrisome. His China Dream projects are nothing but to assert Beijings soft and hard power around the world. What role India must play in the group? For Delhi, multilateral forums like the Quad are of high importance. Chinas growing encirclement and its recent aggressive actions against India are an immediate threat to the latters territorial integrity and sovereignty. Xis hidden agenda is all out in public now. India at the moment needs external balance. And in this regard, Quad is considered as the best alternative for the country. How is the old Quad different from the new Quad that India joined in 2021? Yes, they are different in their own way, yet some of the concerns are almost identical. Indeed, Indias growing insecurity in the Indo-Pacific can be sensed when it joined the new Quad comprising Israel, the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year. Like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the old Quad among the US, Australia, Japan and India, this new economic forum also equally emphasised on trade, climate change, energy and maritime security. Unlike the earlier group, the current one is not aimed at countering China. It is largely felt that the new one certainly lacks a shared objective, and its future trajectory seems to be uncertain. However, this grouping may facilitate India to pursue its foreign policy goals by aligning more with the UAE and Israel in the West Asian region. And, this will offer Delhi another opportunity to engage more closely with Washington. Further, India sees West Asia strategically important. India depends heavily on its energy imports. Nearly 9 million Indian workers earn their livelihood from the Persian Gulf. Israel and the UAE can enhance Indias role in the region. What prompted the US to ramp up ties for another Quad is the growing Chinese interest in Israel and the UAE. But the same is not true for other members of the group. In the recent past, both Israel and the UAE amplified their commercial investments with China, particularly in the shipping sector. Therefore, Washington takes this opportunity to convince Israel and the UAE to come out of the Chinese net. Clearly Americas intention dovetails with Indias as the latter has been continuously fighting to wean off Chinese influence in a region wherein it wants to remain a potential player for long. The Quad needs to consolidate further. The Indo-Pacific is heading for a serious crisis. Chinas ever-expanding agenda accompanied by sheer aggression might destabilise the whole region. Most probably, this kind of a future scenario may drag the US for an all-out war against China. Along these lines, Japan, Australia and India will certainly be involved in this quagmire. Though the Quad group has been formed to boost economic prosperity, geostrategic equilibrium and tranquility in the Indo-Pacific, it is clearly making an alliance that is directly targeting China today. And the latest IPEF will be an advanced economic platform again to target China-led development initiatives in the region. Hence, the Quad and its extended members are all forging together to ramp up support to stop Chinese expansion across the Indo-Pacific. Beijing now knows it very well. Its full-blown preparations to encounter this alliance are underway. Inevitability of another global conflict in this part of the globe cannot be denied. The road ahead for the Quad and its new avatars like the IPEF should be to minimise any possible countdown with China. Washington knows fully well that Xi is an over-ambitious leader like Russian President Vladimir Putin. Xi is going to stay in power for long and his third term, unlike his immediate predecessors, is most likely to be endorsed by the Communist Party of China in the coming months. Moreover, he has already shuffled his cronies in such a manner that his grip on the Party and the throne will be completely safe for years from now. Looking at all these developments back home in China, the Quad group leaders and its allies in the IPEF must be cautious while dealing with Xi. Though the US-led IPEF is centrally aiming at strengthening economic ties and achieving shared goals, its anti-China tag may escalate the trade war between Washington and Beijing in future. After having a bitter experience with Putin, Biden needs to maintain more restraint, simply to avoid another catastrophe in the Indo-Pacific. (Dr Makhan Saikia has taught political science and international relations for over a decade in institutions of national and international repute after specialisation in globalisation and governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He is the chief editor of the Journal of Global Studies, an international research journal) Colleges have been fighting the enrollment crisis of the day: recruiting students in the COVID-19 era. But other enrollment issues loom on the horizon in Idaho. The issues have to do with demographics: growth and birth rates. And they could hit Idahos four-year schools in different ways. A recent State Board of Education report breaks down the demographics in detail. Its wonky OK, youve been given fair warning but its also interesting. Its also vitally important. Student recruiting is key to filling campus lecture halls and dorm rooms. Enrollment is also an essential piece of the business plan, as Idahos colleges and universities try to fill their coffers. Fewer babies = fewer college-bound students The demographic shift began during the upheaval of the Great Recession. In 2007, 25,023 babies were born in Idaho a one-year record. But the birth rate began to decline during the recession, as couples put off (or ruled out) parenthood. And the rate has never recovered. In 2020, 21,540 babies were born in Idaho. That translates to a 14% decline over 13 years. Fewer babies mean fewer potential college students. But one factor could work in Idahos favor: the states rapid and often uncomfortable growth spurt. Idahos high school graduating class should peak in 2025 18 years after the record baby boom of 2007. Idahos graduating classes will decline after 2025, according to Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education projections, but it wont be as severe as the national dropoff. Thats because of in-migration, as newcomers move to Idaho. Idaho is growing but not all of Idaho In-migration is good news for college recruiters. But its better news for Boise State University. Boise State recruits many of its in-state students from Southwest Idaho a growth hotbed. According to state Department of Labor forecasts, the population of 15- to 19-year-olds in Southwest Idaho should increase by 7% between 2019 and 2029. This suggests that there will be an increasing number of high school graduates in a region well served by BSU, State Board Chief Research Officer Cathleen McHugh wrote. For Idahos other four-year schools, the forecast is mixed. The University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College both draw well from Southwest Idaho and the Panhandle, another growth hotspot. But in North-Central Idaho important recruiting turf for the U of I and Lewis-Clark the Department of Labor says the population of 15- to 19-year-olds is likely to decrease. The shrinking local market is a serious concern, said U of I vice provost for strategic enrollment management Dean Kahler, and it underscores the need for Idaho to improve its dwindling college go-on rate statewide. Its a big deal. We do get a lot of our students from 100 miles or less. In a statement Wednesday, President Cynthia Pemberton said Lewis-Clark is carefully reviewing the State Board report, but she said she believes the college is well-positioned to serve North-Central Idaho, and beyond. On the other end of the state, Idaho State University also recruits heavily in its backyard. The Department of Labor says Southeast Idahos population of 15- to 19-year-olds is likely to remain stagnant over the next several years. Idaho State associate vice president for enrollment Staci Phelan is concerned as well, especially because a national decline in the birth rate will force Idahos colleges to work even harder to maintain their local market share. We really anticipate that the competition for our Idaho students will be fiercer than ever. Idahos out-of-state pipeline But it was out-of-state enrollment that helped Idahos colleges ride out the pandemic. Pitching the promise of in-person learning and at prices that are competitive with in-state tuition at home Idaho schools drew a growing share of their enrollment from neighboring states. In fall 2021, a majority of Boise States first-year students came from outside Idaho, for the first time in school history. But is it sustainable? The State Board report calls that into question. The bulk of Boise States out-of-state recruits have come from the West Coast from California, Oregon and Washington. The Boise State-bound recruits are disproportionately white, compared to the states overall populations. There is a projected decrease in the number of white public high school graduates from these states, McHugh wrote. This could lead to challenges for BSU in the future if their enrollment patterns remain the same. Boise State declined comment on the report this week; university officials said they wanted more time to review it. The U of I faces similar out-of-state recruiting questions. The U of I employs five full-time recruiters outside Idaho, and as the State Board report notes, the university draws many of its out-of-state students from the West Coast. Kahler expects increased competition for students, especially in large population centers, but he believes the U of Is small college town setting is a draw. We got the right messages for those audiences, he said, but weve just got to continue to bring our story to the top of the page. An existential and ongoing challenge Enrollment is the most existential challenge facing colleges and universities, in Idaho and beyond. And even before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down campuses and prompted many students to drop out or stay home, Idahos colleges and universities were struggling to attract in-state students. Idahos colleges and universities lost some 5,000 students during the 18 months after the pandemic, although they have since erased much of this 8.7% decrease. Now, there is plenty of cautious optimism. Applications and admissions were up this spring, suggesting a possible enrollment surge this fall. And when the State Board released its demographics report last week, it came with a hopeful guest opinion from board President Kurt Liebich. Due to inward migration, Idaho is in an enviable position compared to other states, he wrote. But forecasting enrollment is a dicey proposition over the long haul, but even in the short run. Nine weeks out, Kahler remains hopeful. But now its a matter of turning applications and admissions into enrollment. Were seeing a lot of late activity. Its an adventure. Idaho State saw an enrollment increase last fall, after a decade of dropoffs. Phelan says the numbers could be flat this fall, or down slightly, but she wont have a good idea of what to expect for another month or so. But Phelan knows Idaho State is fighting a host of other variables that can dissuade a Southeast Idaho high school graduate from choosing college: an abundance of local jobs, a shortage of on-campus and off-campus housing and high gas prices that could deter commuter students. We do our best to mitigate what we can control, she said. We know theres a lot we cant. Thats the short term. In the years to come, Idaho universities will have to work through some daunting demographics something also out of their control. SEATTLE - Detectives are investigating after two people were shot and killed at a private party in Seattle's Bitter Lake neighborhood on Saturday night. At 10:13 p.m., police responded to the 900 block of North 145th Street for reports that a person had been shot. Arriving officers located a 26-year-old man with fatal gunshot wounds, and a 30-year-old man who had also been shot. Officers and Seattle Fire Department medics attempted life-saving measures on the 30-year-old man, but he also died at the scene. Police interviewed several witnesses and event attendees and identified a possible suspect. Approximately two hours after the shooting, police took the suspect into custody at the North Precinct. Homicide Detectives continue to investigate. Members of SPDs Crime Scene Investigation Unit responded to process the scene for evidence. In the nearly 4 weeks since the Utah County Sheriffs Office announced an investigation into allegations of ritualized child sexual abuse in three Utah counties, they have received more than 120 tips in the form of phone calls, texts, and emails. UCSO Public Information Officer Sgt. Spencer Cannon told the Salt Lake Tribune that the office has pulled in sergeants with experience in sex assault cases to help review the information. The Last American Vagabond (TLAV) has been following the unusual situation since May 31st when the Utah County Sheriffs Office announced they were working with multiple county and federal agencies investigating reports of ritualistic child sexual abuse from as far back as 1990. The Sheriffs Office said the investigation began in April 2021. The investigation subsequently discovered previous reports alleging similar forms of ritualistic sexual abuse and trafficking that occurred in Utah County, Juab County, and Sanpete County during the time between 1990 and 2010. Following the announcement of this investigation by Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith, Utah County Attorney David Leavitt held a press conference where he shared a 151-page document titled victim statement related to a 2012 case involving allegations of sexual abuse of children. Leavitt and several other people are named in the statement as being involved with a group practicing ritual child sex abuse. He claimed the Sheriffs investigation was a political attack on him related to the June 28th primary elections in Utah. As TLAV reported last week, courtroom records revealed that Utah County Attorney David Leavitt lied when he said the 2012 case was dismissed by his predecessor because it was unbelievable, lacking evidence, and the story of a tragically mentally ill woman. The Salt Lake Tribune has also reported that USCO Sgt. Cannon said the report that Leavitt was referencing was not what started the sheriffs investigation last year. We had a victim come forward and disclose abuse of this nature, Cannon told the SLT. And so thats what started our investigation. The case that David Leavitt spoke about is not the case we initially started investigating. Its not the case that we became aware of in April of last year. Cannon did acknowledge that the detectives became aware of the 2012 case and the allegations against therapist David Lee Hamblin, but did not say if the case was part of the current investigation. As Utahans prepare to vote in the primary on June 28th a race in which both Sheriff Mike Smith and Utah County Attorney David Leavitt are both up for re-election we wait to see if there will be any additional announcements, indictments, subpoenas or any official action taken. To better understand this current investigation, we have examined hundreds of pages of Utah government documents, articles, and allegations of ritualized sexual abuse to paint a picture of this history. The 1990s and Ritualized Sexual Abuse In March 1990, the Utah Governors Commission for Women and Families created the Utah Task Force on Ritual Abuse to investigate a rise in claims of ritualized sexual abuse of children and educate the public and professionals about the issue. The Task Force was co-chaired by psychologist Noemi Mattis, Ph.D., who was a believer in the idea that alleged victims can recover their memories of abuse over time. In 1992, the task force issued their report, Report of Utah State Task Force on Ritual Abuse, concluding that ritual abuse was occurring in Utah. The report described what it called generational cults operating in secret, sometimes using the cover of traditional religious organizations and practices. Some scholars are convinced that such groups have existed for centuries. Their abusive cult activities may co-exist side by side with traditional worship; that is, members may publicly practice an established, respected religion. The members are often well-known and respected within their larger communities. When questioned about the lack of corroborative evidence to support the claims of the report and the alleged victims, Mattis said it is very difficult to prove any cases in a court of law which involve ritual abuse simply because the people who are involved with it have real expertise at hiding their tracks. The Task Forces report also made recommendations for the legislature to appropriate $250,000 to the Attorney Generals office to hire four investigators for a year. The Attorney Generals office eventually would hire two investigators to pursue the claims. The Zion Society Cult One of the investigators hired by the Utah Attorney Generals Office was Mike King. However, prior to his role in the AG investigation, King cut his teeth tracking down the Zion Society cult. In 1991, Arvin Shreeve of Ogden, Utah and 10 members of the Zion Society were arrested as part of a sex ring involved in ritualistic sexual abuse. At the time Mike King was working as an investigator for the Weber County Attorneys Office. King was approached by a woman who claimed she had been involved in a cult that was sexually abusing children. The woman told King she was running away from a bad marriage when she became involved with the groups leader, a man named Arvin Shreeve who had developed a group of followers. Shreeve told his followers he knew how to help them achieve happiness in the afterlife. His instructions often involved lesbian relationships and sexual abuse. He was then dictating that they should have relations with each other, a same-sex relationship, all in what he believed was his Gods approval, Mike King said in an interview with the Cold Podcast. It continued to pervert, as always it seems these sexual predations do, and it soon became now the children need to be involved. King called the Zion Societys abuse of children ritual abuse despite it not being satanic or occult. He said the rituals Shreeve employed were a perversion of Christian theology. Ritual abuse is happening. I dont believe ritual abuse means satanic abuse, King said. When the Ogden police raided the neighborhood where the Zion Society was based, Mike King supervised the operation and the criminal prosecution of Shreeve and other members of the Zion Society. The Utah Attorney Generals Ritual Abuse Crime Unit In 1992, following the recommendation of the Utah Task Force on Ritual Abuse report, the Utah Attorney Generals office hired Mike King and Mark Jacobson to further investigate the claims of ritualistic sexual abuse that had grown so loudly that one poll from 1992 shows that 90% of the people polled believed Satanic abuse was real. In late February 1995, the Utah Attorney Generals office closed the two-and-a-half-year investigation. King and Jacobson had investigated over 125 cases of alleged ritual crime. The investigators met with hundreds of citizens who claim to be victims of satanic, religious, physical or sexually motivated ritual crimes. King and his partner summarized their findings in a 1995 report Ritual Crime in the State of Utah: Investigation, Analysis & A Look Forward. Allegations of organized satanists, even groups of satanists who have permeated every level of government and religion were unsubstantiated, the report read. In 1998, President Jimmy Carters National Security Advisor Zbiegnew Brzezinski told Le Nouvel Observateur that the CIA knowingly increased the probability that the Russians would invade Afghanistan by covertly supporting the Mujahideen before the Soviet invasion. Later in that same interview, Brzezinski claims that this covert intervention caused the end of the Soviet Union: Brzezinski: Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter, essentially: We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war. Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war that was unsustainable for the regime, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire. In July 2014, almost six months after the Maidan Revolution and Russias subsequent annexation of Crimea, Brzezinski hinted at a similar plan for Ukraine, although he couched it in defensive terms. He wrote on the Atlantic Councils blog: If Ukraine has to be supported so that it does resist, the Ukrainians have to know the West is prepared to help them resist. And theres no reason to be secretive about it. It would be much better to be open about it and to say to the Ukrainians and to those who may threaten Ukraine that if Ukrainians resist, they will have weapons. And well provide some of those weapons in advance of the very act of invasion. Because in the absence of that, the temptation to invade and to preempt may become overwhelming. But what kind of weapons is important. And in my view, they should be weapons designed particularly to permit the Ukrainians to engage in effective urban warfare of resistance. In September 2014, Brzezinski revisited the topic in an MSNBC interview: Brzezinski: For the moment, the NATO allianceas well as Europe and America jointlyhave not been giving military aid to Ukraine. But I would not exclude the possibility of some defensive weaponry being given to the Ukrainians before too long, simply if the Russians, and particularly Putin, continue to try to intimidate Ukraine. Thats not the same thing as defending them; its helping them defend themselves. MSNBC: Is that the middle path you think the United States is going to takesomething more than economic sanctions, but less than proxy war? Brzezinski: I think so. It seems to me that if we really are serious about Ukraine having the right to be an independent state with a friendly relationship with Europe, but not necessarily a member of NATO, and if Ukraine is not only threatened but actually victimized by Russia using force, then some defensive arms publicly given but only defensive weaponry, handed over to the Ukrainians makes eminent sense. It contributes to greater stability and its more likely to deter Mr. Putin than if hes in effect given the green light to use as much force as he feels like. Despite Brzezinskis defensive framing in Ukraine, Washingtons support for the Ukrainian military bears many similarities to its support of the Mujahideen. The first documented CIA support to the Mujahideen came in July 1979 when a small political action program [was approved] to support the burgeoning [Afghan] insurgency through Pakistan. After the invasion, Washingtons clandestine assistance to the Mujahideen sought to get arms in [their] hands and keep them fighting. These efforts consisted of sales of military equipment through the Pakistani ISI. The most effective support included the transfer of Stinger missiles, which equipped the Mujahideen to destroy Russian helicopters. In the Reagan years, these transfers were facilitated by the deployment of CIA Special Activities Division paramilitary officers. In early February 1980, Brzezinski visited Pakistan for a series of meetings with then-Pakistani President Mohammed Zia ul-Haq to discuss American support to Pakistan in the wake of the Soviet invasion. As a part of the delegation, Brzezinski made a symbolic visit to Afghan refugees in the Khyber Pass. Speaking of the Mujahideen, he told the refugees: We know of their deep belief in God and we are confident that their struggle will succeed. That land over there is yours. Youll go back to it one day because your fight will prevail. And youll have your homes and your mosques back again, because your cause is right and God is on your side. In January 2022, a month before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was revealed by US intelligence officials that the CIA had been providing covert assistance to the Ukrainian military since 2014. The program began under Barack Obama, was expanded under Donald Trump, and continued under Joe Biden. According to Yahoo News: The multiweek, U.S.-based CIA program has included training in firearms, camouflage techniques, land navigation, tactics like cover and move, intelligence and other areas, according to former officials. The program has involved very specific training on skills that would enhance the Ukrainians ability to push back against the Russians, said the former senior intelligence official. The training, which has included tactical stuff, is going to start looking pretty offensive if Russians invade Ukraine, said the former official. One person familiar with the program put it more bluntly. The United States is training an insurgency, said a former CIA official, adding that the program has taught the Ukrainians how to kill Russians. Although some of the cited intelligence officials denied the training aimed to create an insurgency, much of the training is dually applicable. The semantic squirming that Brzezinski and other intelligence officials employ in their attempts to distinguish defensive support from prepping an insurgency is literally incredible. This is especially true considering the type of weapons that complimented this training: sniper rifles, armed boats, RPGs, and Javelin anti-tank missiles. Further, in addresses eerily similar to Brzezinskis during his 1980 visit to the Khyber Pass, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke to the Ukrainian 36th Separate Marine Brigade on January 2, 2017, similarly praising and encouraging the Ukrainian soldiers. Graham: I admire the fact that you will fight for your homeland. Your fight is our fight. 2017 will be the year of offense. All of us will go back to Washington and we will push the case against Russia. Enough of the Russian aggression. It is time for them to pay a heavier priceOur promise to you is to take your cause to Washington, inform the American People of your bravery, and make the case against Putin to the World. McCain: I believe you will win. I am convinced you will win and we will do everything we can to provide you with what you need to win. We have succeeded not because of equipment but because of your courage. So I thank you and the world is watching because we [] cannot allow Vladimir Putin to succeed here, because if he succeeds here, he will succeed in other countries. In the 1980s, Brzezinskis covert bleeder strategy was calculated to give the USSR its own Vietnam, which Brzezinski later claimed caused the end of the Soviet Union. Zbigniew Brzezinski on CIA arming of Afghan proxies: "compared to the Soviet Union and its collapse, the Taliban were unimportant" pic.twitter.com/1mier7M9x8 Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) May 27, 2017 In spring and early summer 2022, the goal of Washingtons involvement in Ukraine became more openly stated: regime change in Moscow. Was this always the objective? Unlike the debatable effect of Brzezinskis 1980s Afghanistan intervention, Washingtons involvement in Ukraine was directly cited by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a casus belli. In his February 2022 speech, Putin stated: Any further expansion of the North Atlantic alliances infrastructure or the ongoing efforts to gain a military foothold of the Ukrainian territory are unacceptable for us. Of course, the question is not about NATO itself. It merely serves as a tool of US foreign policy. The problem is that in territories adjacent to Russia, which I have to note is our historical land, a hostile anti-Russia is taking shape. Fully controlled from the outside, it is doing everything to attract NATO armed forces and obtain cutting-edge weapons. Brzezinskis influence on the foreign-policy establishment is immense. Brzezinski was among the first to call for the end of Putins government. He was also among the first to compare Putin to Hitler. Brzezinskis proteges include such figures as Barack Obama, Madeline Albright, Victoria Nuland, Jake Sullivan, and Antony Blinken. CIA paramilitaries have been active in Ukraine training elite special operations forces to kill Russian-speaking Ukrainian separatists since soon after the 2014 US-sponsored coup. The US spy agency boasted that its influence "cannot be overestimated."https://t.co/45T1mNiLNU Benjamin Norton (@BenjaminNorton) March 18, 2022 Although Washingtons actual role in provoking the Soviet invasion is debatable, one must wonder: if the Russian invasion of Ukraine were to bring the end of Putins Russia, would Brzezinskis ghost and its lineage of Straussian ghouls champion Washingtons role in exacerbating the conflict? More importantly, if regime change is the goal, what cost must the world be made to pay? Every census in Independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on SCs and STs, but not on other castes Will a caste census trigger a disaster or settle the demand of many political parties? While it plays such a dominant role in our social, economic, and political life, it is strange that no credible caste data has existed since 1931. Also, the prominent four main castes, Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaishya, and Shudra, have produced hundreds of subcastes and continue to create more sub-sections. The demand to count castes is not new: Every census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. Decennial census until 1931 had data on Caste, but due to World War 11, the 1941 census was skipped. After independence, the Nehru government rejected the demand for a caste census. In 2001, the Vajpayee government rejected a proposal to include caste by the then Registrar General of Census. In 2010 the Manmohan Singh government too dismissed the inclusion of castes in the Census but surveyed on an economic basis instead. The Modi Government released only its financial component (in 2015) and withheld the caste component. Unfortunately, the decennial population census of 2021 has been postponed due to the Covid pandemic. Political parties have already taken sides and sought votes in the name of caste and won. Caste-based parties have also sprung up like the BSP, the Samajwadi Party, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Parties such as JDU, RJD, SP, BSP, YSRCP, and the DMK depend on certain caste groups for their political strength. They were leading a heavy campaign for the next caste census in 2021. Other leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati remained supporters of the caste census. A caste count might result in a demand for inclusion in reservation. It comes up before almost every census. It became the electoral plank in states like Tamil Nadu, just as many Bihar and Uttar Pradesh political parties made a strong plea for a caste census. Several communities such as Jats in Haryana, Patels in Gujarat, and Marathas in Maharashtra have demanded inclusion under the OBC category. There are arguments for and against the caste census. As for the SCs and STs, the quotas are based on the census report. But the OBC reservation was fixed at 27 per cent to keep the reservation cap at 50 per cent. If the support for the caste census is political, so is the opposition emerging from multiple factors. A caste-based census will only expose the upper castes that have been the primary beneficiaries. Secondly, the BJP and the RSS apprehend that a caste count might dent their carefully built caste alliances. Supporters claim there could be no proper estimate for the other backward classes (OBCs) and others without the caste data. The Mandal Commission estimated the OBC population at 52 per cent, and some other calculations are based on the National Sample Survey data. Still, political parties make their estimates in states and Lok Sabha and Assembly seats during elections. Incidentally, the National Commission on Backward Classes, the parliamentary committee on the welfare of OBCs and, in the past, the Registrar General of Census have endorsed the demand for a backward classes census. Secondly, the caste census was the only way to breach the current 50 per cent cap on reservations. The apex court, too, has recommended that caste count was essential to rule on the 50 per cent cap. Thirdly, caste data is vital as a factor in public policy. Opponents argue that such a headcount will harden caste identities and lead to social fragmentation and caste enmities. It would be not only divisive but also counterproductive. There could be political and social repercussions. BJP leaders argue that several leaders from Mahatma Gandhi downwards to Ram Manohar Lohia have said that caste discrimination has weakened society. They also feel they should not now touch on a complex and challenging issue. The demand for a caste census goes beyond politics. Opponents and supporters have expressed their arguments forcefully. It is for the Modi government to take a decision. India runs the world's most extensive welfare programme based on caste identity. While the youth want a casteless society, caste is being perpetuated. India has seen many caste-based agitations and will continue to see them, which will harm the social fabric. It is an emotional and controversial issue that many governments would rather keep away from such a census. In the 21st century, India should be discussing 'let's do away with caste' rather than further dividing India into those lines. (The writer is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal.) Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size As winter came to an end on an overcast Saturday in August 2019, some of the countrys senior newspaper editors climbed onto a super yacht in Sydney Harbour. The boat, with leather seats and glossy wood-panelled interiors, was hired for a three-hour cruise to celebrate the Judith Neilson Institute of Journalism and Ideas, and its sponsorship of Sydneys Antidote Festival. For editors who had spent the better part of the last decade battling to keep newsrooms open, the day wasnt easy to forget: French champagne, oysters and prawns, according to multiple sources who attended. Billionaire Judith Neilson and the executive director of her journalism institute, Mark Ryan: Parting ways Credit:James Brickwood/Judith Neilson Institute It was also memorable for JNIs newly appointed group of international advisors, who were flown in from offshore for the occasion and put up in Sydneys Park Hyatt, one of the citys most expensive hotels. It was a cruise fit for a billionaire. But the billionaire in question wasnt there. Instead, the group - some uneasy about the flashiness of the event - were welcomed by Mark Ryan, a senior advisor to former prime minister Paul Keating and long-time advisor of the Lowy family, who was appointed to lead the Institute by its namesake founder, Judith Neilson. Neilson, a billionaire who was formerly married to fund manager Kerr Neilson, was widely praised for a $100 million commitment to support Australias embattled media sector through a not-for-profit journalism fund, which she unveiled in 2018. But what has unravelled over the past eight weeks has put the entire Institutes reputation on the line. Advertisement Over a two-month period, three years of JNI work has quickly unravelled. The independent directors of the board have all abruptly left and Ryan, known by some as the billionaire whisperer, has hired lawyers to negotiate his exit. Neilson, who until now was at arms length from the Institute, wants to be more involved as it changes direction. Staff feel uncertain about their future and some media companies are becoming wary of taking money from an institute that no longer appears to be independent. Billionaire philanthropist Judith Neilson wants her journalism institute to change direction. Credit:James Brickwood It is hard for the directors and international advisors of the JNI to pinpoint the precise moment that led to a shift in Neilsons vision for the Institute, which was revealed by this masthead last week. Those that could be contacted said they were caught off guard by Neilsons change of heart. Neilson is not commenting on the events that have unfolded over the past two months. Multiple people familiar with the shift in direction, who requested anonymity to speak freely, claim the catalyst was the departure of Neilsons long-time advisor, Jonathan Teperson on April 6. Loading Teperson, who was chairman of the Neilson family office and on the board of the JNI, left both roles quietly. The independent directors were not told the reason behind the decision. Teperson could not be reached for comment. But it wasnt until a letter was sent to the directors on May 12 that it became clear things were about to change. People familiar with the correspondence, signed by Neilson, said it apologised for what might come as a surprise to directors. Advertisement It detailed Neilsons plans to remove Ryan from his position and requested the board not only appoint her daughter, Beau, and lawyer, Daniel Appleby, as directors, but vacate board meetings. The letter also backpedalled on long-term plans for a coveted international prize for ideas, which was about to be announced. Ryan and the board had spent more than a year on the work, which was believed to have been Neilsons idea initially. Ryan, who is unable to speak because he has engaged lawyers to negotiate his exit from the company, was not offered a package for his departure, according to people familiar with the matter. Were an institute, not a foundation, and were not here to prop up failing businesses. What a failed JNI grantee claims they were told. When Neilson sent her letter, there was an ambition for the board directors to review the Institutes contribution to the sector. Simon Freeman, chief executive of Neilsons family office, said Neilson was happy with the work of the Institute to date, but has decided her vision would be better served by a change in direction. He declined to comment on Ryans exit. But a refusal by the independent directors to meet the requests of the letter has now put that review in the hands of Neilsons family and advisors. Neilsons involvement was a decision that concerned the directors, who believed independence was crucial to the success of the Institute. For their part, the independent directors - former NSW Justice Jim Spigelman, Free TV CEO Bridget Fair, former Victoria State Library CEO and current boss of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation Kate Torney, and The Australians editor-at-large Paul Kelly, felt the Institutes work so far was a job well done. Advertisement The Institute - which contributes to the sector through grants, education programs and events - says it has funded 100 projects across 14 countries. It has facilitated fellowship programs, helped hire journalists, partnered with events such as Global Investigative Journalism Conference and provided emergency funding for COVID-19. The Institute has so far spent $5.1 million on grants and $991,500 on conferences, speeches and roundtables, according to documents filed with the charity register. About $6.8 million has been spent on project development and implementation. Nearly $4.7 million has been spent over three years on employee expenses. But others arent so sure the Institute has done what it set out to achieve. The concerns in lack of direction and inconsistencies in the way funding was allocated were voiced by some within the company - including former senior officer Prue Clarke who left after 18 months - and members of the international advisory council, who are not paid for their positions. Some independent media organisations said they struggled to get any engagement on their ideas, while others were confused why international organisations - such as the Columbia Journalism Review, which secured about $100,000 for an edition on climate change, could receive funding for projects when local players had been denied. One hopeful, local grantee was told upon rejection of their application: Were an Institute, not a foundation, and were not here to prop up failing businesses. Sources familiar with the Institutes inner workings said executives such as Ryan and chief operating officer Anthony Bubalo based grant decisions on what they considered quality journalism. Media companies either approached with fully formed ideas, or worked with the Institute on potential areas they could support. Once an idea was well-developed, it went before a finance committee, which included Ryan. Several pointed out to this masthead that it was difficult to draw funds from the $100 million trust that Neilson set up. Loading Multiple sources, who spoke anonymously, said they felt their voices were not heard and that captains calls were made by Ryan and Bubalo. A few people said it was unusual for large legacy media companies to receive philanthropic funding ahead of grassroots journalism and independent organisations. But they suggested this was an intentional move by Ryan to build the Institutes reputation and give it international recognition. This idea that larger organisations were favoured is disputed by people inside the Institute who say this is not the case (the Institute supported more than 150 partners). Advertisement The disparity between the Institutes expenses and objectives was not helped by lavish events that it held, or a first-class, round-the-world trip Ryan took shortly after launch to meet with potential stakeholders. However, those familiar with the costs said these expenses were approved under a strategy to make a global impact in a few short years. Some media executives said Ryan, considered by some to be the fourth adopted son of Frank Lowy, the Westfield founder, would only engage with influential people or those he had a personal relationship with. They felt the ability to get a grant was unachievable otherwise (those close to Ryan dispute this given the number of deals struck with small, medium and large players). Clarke, who came forward this week to express her concerns with the direction of the institute, said there was no guiding strategy. While sources close to Ryan have assured there was a five-year strategy in place, multiple senior media executives - including those who received funding - said their experience with the Institute was frustrating and inconsistent. Ryan declined to comment for this piece. Milton Cockburn, former editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and advisor for former Premier Neville Wran, who worked with Ryan on a feasibility study in the early stages of JNI, says it did have a clear strategy. I remained in touch with Mark on this and can assert, without contradiction, that the Institute would not have emerged - and certainly would not have emerged with a $100 million cheque - without Mark, he said. I can also assure you the final version of the feasibility study was far more detailed, and prescriptive, than that which was done for the Lowy Institute (with which I am familiar). The claim that the Institute does not have rigorous structures and processes in place for grants is nonsense and an insult to the board members of the institute and its finance committee. Advertisement Angry Arthur Moses, SC, has been attracting attention for his, ahem, robust approach to representing his client Ben Roberts-Smith in his high-profile defamation case against The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald , with one participant likening the silks cross-examination style to a rabid dog. But Moses, who is stepping out with former NSW Premier Gladys Berejilkian, was showing his softer side last week, having a go at the Vinnies CEO Sleepout event in Sydney as he has done each year since 2015 to help raise money for the citys homeless. Credit:Joe Benke The list of donors to Arthurs fundraising effort is intriguing: billionaire Kerry Stokes, who is underwriting Roberts-Smiths very expensive litigation, chucked in a couple of grand. Another member of the BRS legal team, Monica Allen, who raised eyebrows last year when spotted holding hands with her client in Brisbane, chucked in $300 with a message of thanks for her fearless leader. Welcome to your five-minute recap of the trading day and how the experts saw it. The numbers: The Australian sharemarket is up 1.94 per cent, the ASX 200s best day since January 28 this year. The ASX 200 climbed 127.3 points to 6706, the third consecutive session that saw a rise. Its the indexs first hat-trick in about six weeks. All sectors were in the green. Strong results from the big four banks drove a 2.66 per cent gain in financials; Commonwealth Bank was up 3.87 per cent, ANZ 3.01 per cent, Westpac 2.41 per cent and NAB 3.4 per cent. Energy closed with a 2.5 per cent gain and, following a strong showing last week, the tech sector jumped 2.63 per cent, furthering Fridays 6 per cent spike. The lifters: Imugene 45.45%, Pointsbet 12.45%, Core Lithium 12.02% The laggards: Evolution Mining -21.89%, Northern Star -12.14%, Ramelius Resources -5.91% The lowdown: The Australian market followed a rally on Wall Street led by banks and technology that saw the S&P rise by 3.1 per cent, its best session since May 2020. The broad gains across the market followed the bloodbath sell-off earlier in June, although analysts warn the recovery could be a short-lived rally leading up to the end of the financial year. Read more here. Moments before gunman opens fire at former bikie boss in Melbourne Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss China is interested in the Pacific Islands as these thinly populated but resource-rich small islands are rife with geostrategic, diplomatic and economic opportunities. Certainly, once ties are established with these vital nations, Beijings larger goal of encompassing the Indo-Pacific can be easily achieved China is on a mission to reach the entire globe to attain its ulterior goals. And to achieve the target, China under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, popularly called the reincarnation of Chairman Mao Zedong, is trying hard to reset the world order. Its latest round of expansion in the Pacific Islands is creating ripples both in the West and in its immediate neighbourhood such as Australia. With an eye to spreading Chinas influence and to thwarting the US plan in the region, Xi is reaching out to these vital island nations. In the midst of troublesome US-China relations, Chinas nearness to the Pacific Island community is further straining the bilateral ties. Today, China is the third largest aid donor, and the second largest trading partner in the Pacific region. And more importantly, China is investing heavily in almost all the island nations in the region. At the same time, China is becoming more assertive in its foreign policy goals and interested in demonstrating the countrys military might on many occasions (like the attack on Indian soldiers in June 2020 in Eastern Ladakh). Significantly, the expatriate Chinese business leaders are exercising strong influence over other nations like Australia and New Zealand. Precisely, the Chinese state power is at odds with the traditional and dominant powers in the Pacific region such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the US and France. Why is China interested in the Pacific Islands? For China, these thinly populated but resource rich small islands are rife with geostrategic, diplomatic and economic opportunities. Certainly, once ties are established with these vital nations, Beijings larger goal of encompassing the Indo-Pacific can be easily achieved. The three of the major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean are Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. China has already figured out critical trading outlets in the Pacific. Together these nations have more than 199 million square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). With a population of 1.4 billion, the pressure on both used and potential resources in China is growing very fast. For example, China has overused fishing. And also because of some of the unsustainable practices prevalent in many areas in the country, its fish reserves are depleting very fast. As a result, the commoners are experiencing skyrocketing prices in the fish markets. Further, this has forced the Chinese fishing business community to encroach EEZs of neighbouring nations and at times moving far to the South American nations like Argentina simply to catch the most prized tuna. These far-flung islands are now receiving economic aid and diplomatic support from China. But all these are coming with multiple challenges for both Beijing and the rest of the Pacific community. It is clear that these islands are completely devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. So the aid and loans coming straightway from China are a huge source of sustenance for them. In return, all of them have to pay the price. Many of them are fast turning into Chinas overseas colonies. Like in the South China Sea (SCS), where Beijing is trying to control one of the busiest sea communication lines in the world, it seems it is planning for a similar model for the Pacific Islands and probably for a long haul in these tiny nations. Some of the US Congressman are voicing concerns and saying this would be detrimental for these island territories and for the US and its allies in the region. A US Congressman rightly echoed two years back: China is directly interested in expanding its power and influence and I would submit, creating dependence in the Pacific Islands. This is what is worrying the immediate neighbours such Australia and New Zealand. These expansionist moves launched by the Communists in Beijing are not out of any sense of humanitarian concern for the Pacific Islands but it comes out of a sense of competition with the US. Solomon Islands came to the limelight the last month as China signed a security treaty with the nation. Under the security agreement signed between the Solomon Islands and China, the former may request the latter to send forces to stabilise the situation in that country. It also allows China to offer a ring of security umbrella to its diplomats, businessmen and diaspora in the event of unrests similar to those of April 2004 and November 2021. What is raising fears is that this may gradually lead to the establishment of a Chinese military base in the island, like the one Beijing set up in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, in July 2017. The recent visit of US President Joe Biden to the Indo-Pacific has once again reassured all the allies of Americas commitment to Asia. His visit to Asia in the last month clearly spoke out the fact that Americas long term foreign policy goal is solely directed towards Asia. But for now, the Biden Administration is focussing temporarily on Europe as Russia has invaded Ukraine, bringing the continent close to the Third World War. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has underlined his countrys strategy towards China immediately after Bidens tour to the Indo-Pacific. He termed Beijings geopolitical ambitions as the most serious long-term challenge to the international order. Considering the initiatives so far taken by the Xi regime, the world is fast approaching a new turning point wherein the West is closely rebalancing its interests with that of Chinas. For years, China has been working to establish an alternative global order against the US-led liberal order. And now it is gradually reaching out to the Pacific community. Its a warning sign not only for the island leaders but also for the traditional power players in the region. Now a new Labour Government in Australia under the leadership of Anthony Albanese, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong reaching out to the Pacific Island nations, might be able to bridge the trust deficit between the neighbours. Much more than the stiff power competition between China and the US, the biggest challenge for the low-lying Pacific Islands is climate change. Thus, realising the immediate threat to the island community, Henry Puna, the former Prime Minister of the Cook Island and the current Secretary General of the Pacifics top regional body, the Pacific Island Forum (PIF), stressed the need to immediately acting on the climate goals. He rightly says, Our forum leaders have identified climate change as the single greatest threat facing our Blue Pacific region. Again, he reiterated that action to keep our world below 1.5 degrees is vital for the future prosperity and wellbeing of our region. It must be pointed out here that instead of giving an anodyne welcome and bland formalities to the recently visited Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Wi to the region, (a country that is recorded today as the biggest carbon polluter of the world), Puna made it clear to him what the Pacific community is looking for. The Pacific Islands are another battleground for big power rivalry. As China is growing, it is trying to bully the rest, particularly its neighbours like India. Meanwhile, America is mostly withdrawing from its traditional war fronts and crisis zones in the West and Central Asia. Washington knows well that today its major threat emerges from Beijing. Hence it is gathering all its resources and allies to focus on China whether through the Quad, the AUKUS or by pressing more engagements with the Pacific Islands. Keeping all these factors in the background, one can simply conclude that Chinas recent forays into the Pacific are adding a fresh challenge to the US and its allies in the region. (Dr Makhan Saikia has taught political science and international relations for over a decade in institutions of national and international repute after specialisation in globalisation and governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He is the chief editor of the Journal of Global Studies, an international research journal) Redland City Council Mayor Karen Williams has resigned from the board of the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. On Sunday night, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Williams had informed him she would not be continuing in the role she had held since April. I sincerely thank Mayor Williams who has always been and continues to be a strong advocate for the Games, Schrinner tweeted. South-east Queensland mayors will choose a replacement for Williams on Friday. Queensland MP Meaghan Scanlon had earlier criticised Williams for drink-driving and crashing her car, saying she believed Williams had also lost the support of other mayors in her Olympic role. Queensland Health said it would not permanently employ a psychologist already working for the department because of funding cuts to two preventive health programs, but a commission has ruled there was no information on how the womans role was linked to the money. The employee, who has been working on a fixed term temporary basis as a team leader senior psychologist in the preventive health section of the Health Contact Centre since 2016, successfully appealed the departments employment decision on Friday. Queensland Health said there were funding cuts to two preventive health programs, including one to address Indigenous smoking. Credit:Louie Douvis The department told the psychologist it had decided not to employ her on a full-time basis because of a reduction in funding for the 2022-23 financial year for Preventive Health specifically. The employee was told there would be a cessation of non-recurrent Commonwealth funding for the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program at the end of June and the centres Schedule 8 Enquiry Service, which is for health professionals seeking advice about drugs of dependence, and subsequently there was no continuing need for her to perform the role. What was Anthony Albanese thinking? At the May 21 election, hundreds of thousands of Australians voted for a new federal representative. Yes, Labor won 11 new seats in the lower house (and lost a couple too) and reached a majority of 77 seats. Independents Allegra Spender (Wentworth), Kylea Tink (North Sydney), Zali Steggall (Warringah) and Sophie Scamps (Mackellar) rose to power as Australians called for change. Credit:Oscar Colman But that wasnt the only story. Seven new independents Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, Sophie Scamps, Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan, Kate Chaney and Dai Le were also elected, as were three new Greens MPs in the form of Stephen Bates, Max Chandler-Mather and Elizabeth Watson-Brown. In the Senate, Jacqui Lambie has been joined by her former staffer Tammy Tyrell; in the ACT, former Wallabies champion David Pocock was elected; and in Victoria, Ralph Babet snuck in for the United Australia Party. Confidentiality and a work environment that champions gender equity are essential to making employees who experience family violence feel they can ask for leave, according to businesses that offer domestic violence leave. Westpac offers 20 days of paid leave plus counselling and financial support. The banks human resources executive Christine Parker said it was clearly understood domestic and family violence was a highly sensitive matter and people sought help in different ways. The new federal government will soon legislate ten days of family violence leave. Credit:The Age Weve seen firsthand the difference it can make in the lives of our employees when they need it most, often when someone has decided to leave an abusive relationship, she said. Software developer SixPivot, which has about 40 staff, offers unlimited leave along with practical support such as two weeks of emergency accommodation, redirecting emails or replacing mobile phones and giving the person a new number. But the creeping advances are dependent almost entirely on the expenditure of vast quantities of ammunition, notably artillery shells, which are being fired at a rate almost no military in the world would be able to sustain for long, said the senior Western official. Russia meanwhile is continuing to suffer heavy losses of equipment and men, calling into question how much longer it can remain on the attack, the official said. Officials refuse to offer a time frame, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, citing intelligence assessments, indicated this week that Russia would be able to continue to fight on only for the next few months. After that, Russia could come to a point when there is no longer any forward momentum because it has exhausted its resources, he told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview. Ukrainian forces have been digging new defensive trenches in the eastern city of Lysychansk in anticipation of a brutal battle with the Russian military. Credit:The Washington Post/Heidi Levine Russian commentators are also noting the challenges, emphasising a chronic shortage of manpower. Russia does not have enough physical strength in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine . . .. taking into account the almost one thousand kilometre (or more) line of confrontation, wrote Russian military blogger Yuri Kotyenok on his Telegram account. He estimated that Russia would need 500,000 troops to attain its goals, which would only be possible with a large-scale mobilisation of military men, a potentially risky and unpopular move that President Vladimir Putin has so far refrained from undertaking. The Russian onslaught has already outlasted forecasts that Russias offensive capabilities would peak by the summer. Aggressive recruitment of contract soldiers and reservists has helped generate as many as 40,000 to 50,000 troops to replenish those lost or incapacitated in the first weeks of the fighting, according to Ukrainian officials. Russia has been hauling ancient tanks out of storage and away from bases across the vast country to throw onto the front lines in Ukraine. The Russians still have the advantage over Ukrainian forces, who are suffering too. Ukrainian officials put the number of their soldiers killed in action at as many as 200 a day. The Ukrainians have also almost entirely run out of the Soviet-era ammunition on which their own weapons systems rely, and are still in the process of transitioning to Western systems. But conditions for Ukrainian troops are only likely to improve as more sophisticated Western weapons arrive, while those of Russian forces can be expected to deteriorate as they dig deeper into their stocks of old, outdated equipment, said retired Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. forces in Europe who is now with the Centre for European Policy Analysis. At some point in the coming months, the Ukrainians will have received enough Western weaponry that it is likely they will be able to go on the counteroffensive and reverse the tide of the war, he said. Loading I remain very optimistic that Ukraine is going to win, and that by the end of this year Russia will be driven back to the February 24 line, he said, referring to the boundaries of Russian-occupied areas in Crimea and Donbas captured during fighting in 2014 and 2015. Right now it sucks to be on the receiving end of all this Russian artillery. But my assessment is that things are going to be trending in favour of the Ukrainians in the next few weeks. Already there are indications that the supply of Western weapons is gathering pace. Newly arrived French CAESAR howitzers were videoed in action on the battlefield last week, followed this week by German Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers, the first of the heavy weapons promised by Germany to be delivered. The first of the much anticipated US HIMARS systems, which will give the Ukrainians the ability to strike up to 50 miles behind Russian lines, have also been delivered to Ukraine in recent days, according to US officials, though these weapons have not yet been reported in use on the front lines. It is difficult to predict the future because so much isnt known about the conditions and strength of Ukrainian forces, said Mattia Nelles, a German political analyst who studies Ukraine. The Ukrainians have maintained a high level of operational secrecy, making it hard to know, for example, how many troops they still have in the Lysychansk area or the true rate of casualties, he said. Another unknown is the extent of Russian artillery stocks, which Western intelligence estimates had initially underestimated, the Western official said. Expecting a short war in which Ukrainian forces quickly folded, the Russians made no effort to ramp up production before the invasion and although they have presumably now done so, their defence industrial complex does not have the capacity to keep up with the enormous rate at which Russia is expending artillery shells, the Western official said. Their supply is not infinite, he said. And although Ukrainian forces are having a tough time right now, they do not appear in danger of collapse, said expert Michael Kofman, director of Russian Studies at the Centre for Naval Analysis, speaking to the Silverado Policy Accelerator podcast, Geopolitics Decanted. The Ukrainians are continuing to harass Russian forces north of the city of Kharkiv and have made limited gains in a small offensive outside the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, helping divert Russian resources away from the Donbas front. The minor territorial gains currently being notched up by Russia are less significant than the overall balance of power on the battlefield, Kofman said. Loading The most significant part of the war isnt these geographic points, because now its a contest of will but also a material contest, of who is going to run out of equipment and ammunition and their best units first, he said. Both of these forces likely to get exhausted over the summer and then there will be an operational pause. At that point, assuming sufficient quantities of weaponry and ammunition have arrived, the hope is that Ukraine will be able to go on the counteroffensive and start rolling Russian troops back, Ukrainian officials have said. But when Bush joined Ronald Reagan on the ticket in 1980, he adopted Reagans more restrictive position. The right remained suspicious of Bush, though, and hoping to bring it around for his re-election, he appointed the ultraconservative Thomas. He also wanted to appeal to Black voters, still angry at the Willie Horton ugliness that had helped propel him to the White House. Womens rights had to take a back seat to re-election. The Justices of the US Supreme Court, including Justice Clarence Thomas, seated second from left. Credit:AP Three months later, Anita Hill told her story to Congress about her boss, Thomas, tormenting her with unwanted attention and dirty talk about the pornographic films he liked to watch. Joe Biden was the chair of those Senate hearings. He let Hill be viciously ripped apart by Republicans and then abruptly ended the hearings, cancelling the appearance of her two corroborating witnesses. Many senators on the committee composed entirely of white men privately thought it was an office romance gone wrong. Poor guy, they said among themselves, no point in letting his life be ruined by someone they thought, with absolutely no evidence, was a vengeful ex. Hill was smeared as a perjuring erotomaniac, and Biden, wasting a Democratic Senate majority, allowed a liar, a pervert and a sexual harasser to be elevated to a lifetime seat on the court. Womens rights had to take a back seat to Bidens desire to foster bipartisanship with his conservative colleagues. And with Thomas, those conservatives got the justice of their dreams, the first in a line of right-wing radicals. Loading When Donald Trump came along, trailing a history of lurid sexual transgressions, the family-values Republicans and religious right didnt care. They knew he was the one who could bring them to Valhalla on the Supreme Court. Mitch McConnell and his Federalist Society minions used Trump as the host body. After wrecking the rules to keep Merrick Garland off the court, McConnell jammed through Amy Coney Barrett. Trump, who had once been a pro-choice, Nancy-and-Hillary-and-Chuck loving Democrat, was happy to flip to gain the fervour of an anti-abortion base. Womens rights had to take a back seat to Trumps ego and ambition and McConnells desire for a conservative court that would pull back the reach of the government, denying protections to Americans who need or value them. They pushed through three conservative justices one had to defend himself against sexual assault charges and one was in a weird Handmaids Tale-style sect and that was checkmate for Roe. Neil Gorsuch and another Trump appointee, Brett Kavanaugh, are now facing accusations from senators that they dissembled to get on the court and played down their intentions to throw out Roe. I am a dont-rock-the-boat kind of judge, Kavanaugh told Susan Collins, according to The New York Times Carl Hulse. Loading Thomas concurring opinion to the fanatical Samuel Alitos majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade chillingly warned that he would apply the same rationale to contraception, same-sex marriage and same-sex consensual relations. Back when Thomas nomination ran into resistance, the Bush administration sold him as a sterling example of a Black man who had pulled himself up from rough beginnings. That day in Kennebunkport, Thomas talked about being raised by his grandparents, sharecroppers from rural Georgia. But on the court he has been cruel, pushing opinions that would grind down the poor and underprivileged. While his wife ran around helping Trump with his coup, Thomas was the senior firebrand in a coup of extremists on the court. They yanked power away from John Roberts and are defying the majority will in this country in ways that are terrifying. Loading On Thursday, in the middle of an epidemic of mass shootings, with Congress finally getting a mild victory on gun control, Thomas opened the door to more guns on the street. He wrote the majority opinion overturning a New York law limiting the right to carry a handgun in public, throwing out a requirement more than a century old. In another ruling this past week, the justices chipped away at the First Amendments separation between church and state, a foundation of the Republic. And next, they will get around to removing environmental protections and gutting the governments ability to regulate and restrict business rights. The court is out of control. We feel powerless to do anything about it. Clarence Thomas, of all people, has helped lead us to where we are, with unaccountable extremists dictating how we live. And that is revolting. Kutch Copper, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, is setting up a greenfield copper refinery project to produce one MTPA (million tonnes per annum) in two phases. The firm has achieved financial closure of RS 6,071 crore for the first phase. Phase-1 of the project will have a capacity 0.5 MTPA at Mundra, Gujarat. KCL has signed the financing documents with the consortium led by State Bank of India (SBI). The other consortium members are Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, EXIM Bank of India, Indian Bank, Punjab National Bank, and Bank of Maharashtra. The consortium has sanctioned and signed agreement for the entire debt requirement of Rs 6,071 crore for the phase one of the project, as per a company statement. The five million smart meter tender issued by Reliance Infrastructures Limited has received interest from close to 18 companies, company executives have said. Among the firms that have come forward during the Expression of interest (EoI) round are leading Indian such as HPL, Secure Meters, Adani Transmission, . Finland-based Wirepas, EDF France, Enel Italy, Bosch Germany and Itron and Exceleron from the US are among international to have evinced interest. BSES, which is one of power distribution (discoms) in the national capital, had last week announced that it will install five million smart meters in its designated areas. The company issued a tender worth Rs 4,000 crore to procure smart meters. owns and operates two discoms-- Rajdhani Limited and BSES Yamuna Limited--across south, west and east Delhi. The smart meters roll out will start with high consumption areas and consumers, said executives. The company aims to commence the roll out by this October and conclude it by March 2025. Currently five states have a large-scale smart meter installation programme ongoing. Uttar Pradesh has installed 1.16 million meters, followed by Bihar (870,000) Rajasthan (550,000, Haryana (452,000) and Assam (283,000). A smart meter has a modem (communication device) and a remote switch by which demand, supply and billing can be monitored and controlled remotely. Data from the meter is collected in a cloud server. This reduces energy theft, improves billing and bill collection. It also helps discoms collect data of consumer demand patterns, which in turn, can be used to plan supply. The BSES smart meters would offer the choice to consumers to switch to prepaid mode from postpaid. Company executives said this would also assist in renewable energy integration along with load forecasting and scheduling, demand side management and load management. Japanese sportswear major ASICS expects online channel to account for 50 per cent of its total sales in India in the next two-three years with consumers opting for more digital purchases due to the pandemic, according to a senior company official. At the same time, ASICS India, the company's arm, is also accelerating expansion of its physical retail stores to tap into the growth potential in the country. "Prior to the pandemic, digital sales from our own website and marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart was around 25 per cent of the total sales. Now it has touched 35 per cent of the total business...It is still growing," ASICS India and South Asia Managing Director Rajat Khurana told PTI. Stating that the shopping behaviour of consumers has changed, he said,"In the next two to three years, digital sales will contribute to 50 per cent of the overall sales." Khurana said ASICS India had clocked wholesales of around Rs 200 crore last year. Even otherwise, he said the company's business has grown and it is witnessing a strong growth in the 'performance' segment, where it is "the market leader". "Post pandemic we have witnessed a strong upside in the performance segment...I will say we are the leaders in the performance segment and there are certain things which are in our favour. The demand for performance is increasing and we being a leader in the performance segment, the category is around 55 to 60 per cent of our sales," he said. Besides, Khurana said,"We aim to be the number one running brand in the next three years." The company competes with the likes of Nike and Adidas in both performance and athleisure segments of the sportswear category. Commenting on ASICS' growth in India, he said the company has witnessed strong momentum with both offline and online growth. "For the first half of the year, it is more than 40 per cent over the last year but I would say since the stores were closed for two months last year in the first half, comparison is not a real one," Khurana said. However, he said for the full year the company is expecting "a growth of around 25 to 30 per cent (this year) over the last year". This, he said, will be helped by the company's ongoing retail expansion plans. "In two-and-a-half years we have opened more than 25 stores and this year we'll be opening 10 to 12 stores this year," Khurana said adding, by the end of the year, the company is targetting to have total 85 stores across India. ASICS currently has 72 stores across India. Khurana said as ASICS continues to develop its retail locations, it is also adopting new materials and technologies to improve the sustainability of stores while also providing a holistic shopping experience and service to its consumers. (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.) Contrary to claims that the situation in present-day India is worse than in the days of Emergency, press at the time was throttled and dissenters jailed In Latin, Ut est rerum omnium magister usus means Experience is the best teacher. The term was popularised by management gurus with sufficient evidence and proof. This is a phrase attributed to the great Roman General Julius Caesar and finds mention in De Bello Civili, his war memoirs. A major reason for opposition to war, which is common among the Europeans, could be their shocking experiences from the two World Wars in which millions perished and many more were maimed. There are accounts by authors like Winston Churchill (the former British Prime Minister who had covered the First World War for The Pioneer) about the post-WWII Europe totally devastated. The sights were unbearable and the generation that grew up experiencing the economic hardship and poverty became strong critics of any kind of war. Late MKK Nair, a former bureaucrat, had given first-hand information about England in the aftermath of WWII. Nair, who was undergoing professional training in Plymouth, has written in his autobiography With No Ill-Feeling Against Anybody that only kids were eligible for sugar and chocolates: Since there was severe shortage of power, only limited quantity of water could be heated for bathing as the winter was at its peak. When maverick musician TM Krishna (born in 1976) declared in a public function sometime back that there was no freedom of expression or right to speak ones mind, the media highlighted his speech as if he was disclosing something new. What the musician forgot was that his statement reminded one of the term oxymoron as his disclosure was poles apart from the reality. If there is no freedom of speech or right to dissent, would the media highlight the claim as a major report? The comedy lies in the truth that Krishna and his generation, born in the post-internal Emergency phase, do not know the seriousness of freedom of expression. There was a time when the Indian subcontinent was under the spell of dictatorship as well as despotism. The generation that grew up in that period stood silently when human rights, civil rights and freedom of speech and expression were crushed to powder by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her younger son Sanjay and a cartel of persons who were members of their court. That was the era when the Prime Minister had the audacity to defend corruption in high places by describing it as a global phenomenon. What led to the declaration of Emergency and suspension of Constitution was a verdict by the Allahabad Bench of the Lucknow High Court on a petition filed by Raj Narain, the socialist leader who had challenged Indiras election from Rae Bareli in the 1971 general election. Raj Narain, an unusual politician, had alleged that Indira had utilised the services of Yashpal Kapoor, her personal secretary, for campaign-related works. Being a Government servant, Kapoor was not supposed to do Indiras political bidding. It was gross violation of the Representation of Peoples Act, argued lawyer Shanti Bhushan who appeared for Raj Narain. On June 12, 1975, Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha set aside Indiras election and disqualified her from contesting any election for six years. Justice Sinha was kind enough to stay his own judgment to enable Indira to appeal in the Supreme Court. By the time of the verdict, there had been widespread resentment against Indira. Members of her kitchen cabinet advised her to proclaim Emergency, arrest the Opposition leaders and throw them behind bars. Thankfully, there were no satellite TV channels while All India Radio and Doordarshan had the monopoly over public broadcast. Gandhi declared press censorship which made the newspapers to seek permission from censor officers for publishing news. All India Radio was labelled All Indira Radio globally as the worlds largest radio network started airing only the speeches and songs eulogising Madam Indira. People who now allege that there is no freedom of expression and speech in India should take out some time and read the archived newspaper copies! There are some political greenhorns who allege that the situation in present-day India is worse than in the days of Emergency. They should not forget that thousands across the country were jailed, assaulted and tortured by the police for criticising Indira. Musicians should focus on raagas and thaalas instead of commenting about freedom of expression. And the fact that such allegations hogged the limelight makes it oxymoronic! It is good to see in newspapers and news channels criticism levelled against the Narendra Modi Government for its omissions and commissions. If there is no freedom of expression, how come these reports and news get published? The sad thing is that while Indira and her men and women bulldozed the media, the Modi regime is ignoring t. The bosses may be under the impression that the best way to insult the critics is to ignore them (it is also true that many of them deserve to be ignored!) But freedom of expression is sacred and it is a sin to spread falsehoods about it. (The writer is a senior journalist with The Pioneer. The views expressed are personal.) Group CEO Amit Jain, who was detained by immigration authorities at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and handed over to Punjab Police, was later released after brief questioning at the airport. "He was detained on Friday on the basis of a Look Out Circular in an FIR registered with Punjab Police under Sections 420/406/120B of the IPC at PSA City Rupnagar (Punjab). An LOC (no 2022412989) was opened against him on the request of Rupnagar police," a source said. Jain was detained when he arrived in New Delhi from Dubai. The source said that the matter was resolved between Jain and Punjab Police after brief questioning. "We handed him over to Punjab Police; they have taken him along to record his statement. The case is of 2019 and LOC was opened long back," said the source at IGI Airport. Jain was released after brief questioning at the airport, the Group has said in a statement. The Group is an Emirati multinational real estate development company located in the UAE. --IANS shs/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) is "excited" about the prospects of Open Network for Digital Commerce in India's still-nascent e-commerce market, its Country Manager for India Consumer Business Manish Tiwary has said, describing the network as a fascinating idea. The views assume significance as the government in April this year launched the pilot phase of India's own open network for digital commerce or ONDC, a UPI-type protocol, in five cities, with the ambitious project geared to democratise the fast-growing e-commerce sector, help small retailers and reduce the dominance of online retail giants. Asked about his views on ONDC, Tiwary said the company is looking forward to innovations, which will lift all boats in the ecosystem and bring more buyers and sellers online, as it focuses on serving the next 500 million customers. "I am focused on serving the next 500 million customers. Therefore, I look forward to innovations, which will lift all the boats in the ecosystem," Tiwary told PTI during a recent interaction. On the impact of ONDC on the business models of established e-commerce players, such as Amazon, Tiwary pointed out that e-commerce in India is still in its infancy. "If you look at categories like grocery, fashion...I mean groceries is like 50 per cent of shoppers' basket... e-commerce would not even be in single digits...in terms of penetration," Tiwary said. The question of threat comes where penetration levels are far higher, he added. "So things threaten you when you have, say, 90 per cent penetration and everyone is using it...at this point of time, just think about any industry at infancy...the more the innovation, the more the players, the faster is the acceleration of the industry," Tiwary said. Stating that he is often asked the question of whether ONDC would threaten Amazon, Tiwary asserted that the company is focused on serving the next set of customers. "So, if ONDC, at scale, manages to get to 200 million sellers, that's awesome. Because you're getting people to then sell digital. So that's the overall thing. There's no question of threatening, we are at an early stage of...I call it infancy, in that sense," Tiwary noted. ONDC is a "very fascinating idea", he said, adding that it is about creating an open network where various service providers "sort of fit in like a jigsaw puzzle" and the consumer and the seller get that choice. "At this stage, we are engaging very closely with the ONDC group, and we are quite committed to what the government is wanting to do, which is to digitise kiranas, local stores...I spoke about some of our initiatives, which are preceding even ONDC... So yes, excited by what it can do. It's a nascent industry, we will work closely with the government," he said. comes with a deep understanding of technology, and sellers which it will leverage, the official added. So far, seven companies, including a buyer-side app and five seller-side apps, have adopted ONDC protocols and built their own ONDC-compatible apps, the commerce and industry ministry said on Thursday. The network's pilot phase is currently underway in Bengaluru, New Delhi, Bhopal, Shillong and Coimbatore. Market watchers say that the existing etailing platforms work independently and operate with tight controls, leaving out many small players from the equation. The ONDC goes beyond the current platform-centric digital commerce model, where the buyer and seller have to use the same platform or application to be digitally visible and do a business transaction. ONDC, therefore, will spur competition and encourage innovation by startups. ONDC is expected to make e-commerce more inclusive and accessible for consumers. Consumers can potentially discover any seller, product or service by using any compatible application or platform, in the process increasing freedom of choice. Tiwary said is bullish on the India market, where it has outlined firm commitments around job creation, exports and MSME digitisation. In May this year, Amazon announced that it has cumulatively created more than 11.6 lakh direct and indirect jobs, enabled nearly USD 5 billion in cumulative exports, and digitised over 40 lakh MSMEs in India. In January 2020, the US-based e-commerce giant pledged to digitise 1 crore MSMEs, enable USD 10 billion in cumulative exports and create 20 lakh jobs in India by 2025. Amazon had said it is well on track to fulfil these pledges, while in fact doubling its export pledge from India, to now enable USD 20 billion in cumulative exports from the country by 2025. (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 legal tussle between and the promoters of satellite TV broadcaster India is set to move to the as the Subhash Goel family plans to appeal against the Bombay High Court order which resulted in the family losing the top management positions. A new restructured board of is necessary for to sell its stake to a rival satellite TV broadcaster, say sources. The bank wants to sell its 24.7 per cent stake in the company but the acquirer wants to buy the stake without any legacy legal issues, said a legal source close to the development. has approached Bharti Airtel to sell its stake but the litigation between the Goel family, which owns six per cent in Dish and controls the board, and YES Bank is delaying the transaction. Apart from YES Bank, other large shareholders also want to sell their stake in the loss-making company, which had a market value of Rs 2,216 crore as on Friday. YES Bank did not comment on the issue. Last September, the lender had asked to call a shareholders' meeting to replace the entire board and replace it with its own nominees, but the bank's resolutions were not placed before the shareholders. YES bank in another letter dated June 25, 2021 had sought induction of its two nominees Akash Suri and Sanjay Nambiar as additional directors on Dish TV board. But Dish TV board did not heed to the banks request. With the Bombay HCs decision against Dish TV, the matter will have to be sorted out by the for clarity, said a corporate lawyer, asking not to be quoted. On Friday, Jawahar Goel's reappointment as managing director of Dish TV was thwarted with as much 78.9 percent of shareholders voting against the resolution. Anil Dua's reappointment as a whole-time director, on the other hand, saw only 26.10 per cent shareholders voting against the resolution. Dua has also retained his position as CEO of the company, implying that Dish TV could function without an MD for now, persons in the know said. Also, Goel remains as non-executive director on the Dish TV board, implying that he may continue to have some influence on board outcomes and decisions, persons in the know said. "The next step would be to find a suitable replacement to the MD which is acceptable to all shareholders," Shriram Subramaniam, founder and managing director of InGovern Research Services, a proxy advisory firm, said. YES Bank has been fighting with the Goels since last year when the DTH operator decided to raise Rs 1,000 crore via a rights issue. YES Bank, had raised an objection to the proposal and sought removal of five directors close to the Goels from the board. Of these, Goel and Ashok Kurien have been denied new terms as MD and director respectively on two separate occasions. While Goel's rejection happened during the extraordinary general meeting on Friday, Kurien's rejection as director happened during the firm's annual general meeting held in December last year. At present, independent directors Rashmi Aggarwal, Bhagwan Das Narang and Shankar Aggarwal, whom YES Bank wishes to replace, continue to be on the company's board. They were present during the EGM on Friday. Besides, R C Venkateish, who was seeking appointment as an independent director on Friday, was not permitted to do so, since the resolution received only 26.7 per cent votes during the EGM. YES Bank, meanwhile, had sought the appointment of Akash Suri, Sanjay Nambiar, Vijay Bhatt, Haripriya Padmanabhan, Girish Paranjpe, Narayan Vasudeo Prabhutendulkar, and Arvind Nachaya Mapangada as new independent directors of Dish TV. These appointments are pending due to ongoing litigation. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor Amid widespread protests in against a order directing all states to create a one-km eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around all forest land, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, ecologists like Madhav Gadgil are now out in support of the agitators, calling the move as unjust and impractical. According to protestors, a total of at least 400,000 acres of human settlement and farming area in will be hit by the move, affecting the lives of lakhs of people in Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad. The protests gained national attention when SFI activists attacked Wayanads Lok Sabha representative Rahul Gandhis office last week for alleged in-action to reduce peoples fears regarding the order. This is unjust and impractical. All around, such areas have thick rural settlements and are even urbanised in some cases. It is like giving powers to the forest department to harass people, Gadgil said, talking about the new direction. He added that wildlife should be protected based on ecological sensitivity levels of each area. Across the country, there are about 106 national parks and 565 wildlife sanctuaries that will get affected by the current regulation. The agency to look into this should not be the forest department but local bodies. In the report we also divided it into high, medium and low sensitive areas, he added. Interestingly, Gadgil had batted for declaring 64 per cent area of Western Ghats under the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) zones in the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel report submitted in August 2011. It was on June 3 that the top court directed all states to have a one-km mandatory eco-sensitive zone in all the protected wildlife areas. This was while hearing a public interest litigation to protect in the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu, which means no new permanent structure or mining will be allowed near such areas. Take the case of Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai. On one side you have IIT, and a colony on the other side within a 1 km area. Hence, the direction is not feasible in several parts of the country, Gadgil added. As per the current rules, eco-sensitive zones are considered as a transition zone between areas requiring higher protection and those with lower protection. There are experts who believe that the move will not have any impact on the farming community. There will be no impact on farmers. There is no new restriction coming in place as part of ESZ. This is part of every protected areas extension and the court just reiterated existing rules, said P O Nameer, dean of wildlife science department in Agricultural University. The Kerala government has already written to Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, asking for a law that will exempt populated areas from the verdict. Rahul Gandhi has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to addressing the concerns of people in the affected areas. India has come a long way and is leading the way of innovation, Prime Minister said while addressing the Indian diaspora in Munich, Germany on Sunday, various media reports stated. India, which already has over 100 unicorns, is witnessing one unicorn every 10 days, Modi added, according to the reports, which quoted him as saying, There was a time when India was nowhere in the race of . Today, we are the third-largest startup ecosystem. During the speech, Modi also shared his government's achievements and said India will not be left behind in the fourth Industrial Revolution. He said that now every village in India is open defecation free, has electricity and 99 per cent of the villages also have clean cooking fuel. India has been providing free ration to 800 million poor people since the last 2 years. This list of achievements is very long. If I keep speaking, your dinner time will be over. When a country takes correct decisions with correct intentions on time, then it is destined for development," he said, amid chants of Modi, Modi from the crowd. In IT, digital technology, India is making its presence felt. Forty per cent digital transactions in the world are from India. India is making new records in data consumption. India is among the countries where data is cheapest, he said. ALSO READ: Emergency a 'black spot' on India's vibrant democracy: PM Modi in Germany In the 21st Centurys new India, the fast way people adopt technology is exciting. India is ready, prompt for development, for its dreams. Today, India believes in itself and its capabilities. Thats why were breaking old records and achieving new goals, he said. Modi said that 90 per cent adults have taken both doses of Covid vaccines in India and 95 per cent have taken at least one dose. Made in India vaccine has saved crores of lives across the world, he added. Modi said that climate change is just not a matter of government policies in India. Sustainable climate practices have become a part of the lives of India's ordinary people, he added. Terming Emergency in 1975 as a "black spot" on the vibrant history of India's democracy, Prime Minister on Sunday said that democracy, which is in DNA of every Indian, was trampled and suppressed 47 years ago, but the people answered in a democratic way all the conspiracies to crush it. "Today is June 26 which is also known for the day when India's democracy, which is in the DNA of every Indian, was trampled and suppressed 47 years ago, Modi said. "The people of India answered all the conspiracies to crush democracy in a democratic way. We Indians take pride in our democracy wherever we are," Modi said in his over 30 minutes speech at the massive diaspora event held at the Audi Dome stadium here. Modi, who is visiting Germany to attend the G7 Summit, said that Indians are proud of their democracy. "Today, we can proudly say that India is the mother of democracy... The diversity of culture, food, clothes, music and traditions makes our democracy vibrant. India has shown that democracy can deliver and has delivered." Instead of offering more credit lines, India is pushing for quicker implementation of its projects in Sri Lanka, a media report said on Sunday. This had been stressed by the four-member Indian delegation led by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra during its discussion with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other senior officials in Colombo on June 23. In its report, the Sunday Times said that the Mannar-Pooneryn wind power plants granted to Adani Green Energy Limited, the West Container Terminal in which Adani Ports has a controlling stake; and the proposed joint venture solar power plant in Sampur with India's Thermal Power Corporation are among the projects New Delhi was keen to fast-track. According to the newspaper, it was unlikely that more credit lines are to be secured from India for fuel, even though there could be a $1 billion swap but not for oil. India was also facing difficulties in procuring oil supplies, it added. Following the meeting on June 23, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement: "Both sides had a productive exchange of views on the current economic situation in as well as India's ongoing support. In the meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the two sides had an in-depth discussion on the Sri Lankan economy and efforts undertaken by the Government of towards achieving economic recovery. "In this context, both sides highlighted the importance of promoting India- investment partnership including in the fields of infrastructure, connectivity, renewable energy and deepening economic linkages between the two countries." While speaking to President Rajapaksa, Foreign Secretary Kwatra had assured that India, as a close friend, would extend its fullest support to Sri Lanka in overcoming the difficult situation, the statement added. --IANS sfl/ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian students who returned home from Ukraine about three months ago, will sit on a hunger strike along with their parents at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Sunday so that the Prime Minister looks at their demands and problems. This demonstration will be for one day and 300 people have been allowed by the police. The Parents' Association of Ukraine Medical Students (PAUMS) has made it clear that the students and their families will be on hunger strike on Sunday. "The government is now forcing us to agitate. We have been protesting peacefully till now, but if the government does not pay attention to us, then the families will be forced to commit suicide," it said. Trisha Sagar, who arrived home from Venice, Ukraine, is studying in her second year. "We were brought home under Operation Ganga, we thank the Prime Minister. But if we were to be left like this, then we need not have been called back. If we go to the senior people of the Medical Commission (NMC) with our demands, they talk inappropriately, we are humiliated," she said. "We were told, 'you don't deserve to study here, you can't become a doctor here. You didn't go to Ukraine asking us.' We would like to ask them whether their permission is needed while going abroad? Would they not know that we are going there for studies? Then why do they misbehave with us?," Trisha questioned. In Ukraine, medical studies are completed in six years. After this, the students have to do one year compulsory internship. Then one year supervised internship is also required to be eligible for Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE) to practice in India and obtain a license. After that one has to qualify the FMG exam. Ritvik Varshney, who was studying medicine in the fourth year in Kharkiv, Ukraine, told IANS that, "We are now forced to sit on a fast, we are in India for the last three months but so far no decision has been taken from the government's side about our studies. The ministers of the government who had come to receive us had promised that we would ensure your future too." "So far we have not received any kind of news about our future, if the government gives us a stipulated time, then we should feel a little satisfied. But this has not happened. One of our delegations also went to NMC, but there also we didn't get a satisfactory answer," he stated. He added, "Students who have just the last few months of study left suddenly had to return home, then they go into depression. We have already submitted our demands to MLAs, MPs and other officials; we have also protested. But now we are forced to sit on hunger strike." The students and their family members had protested outside the gates of the Medical Commission central office in Delhi on Friday. Pankaj Dheeraj, general secretary of PAUMS, said, "We all have been making a demand to the PM for the past two and a half months to provide them future medical education in the country itself, in a peaceful manner. Now the government should take our peaceful protest us seriously." "On Sunday, medical students from across the country are going to start a 'fast' at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. On the PIL in the Supreme Court also, the Central Government has to file a positive and humanitarian response on June 29," he said. He added, "Amidst the Ukraine-Russia war disaster, about three months ago, the students returned home after saving their lives, the government helped to bring them here, but now the government will have to think about their further studies. They will have to be provided medical studies in India itself." The number of students varies in different states of the country -- Delhi has 150 medical students who returned home due to the Ukraine war, Haryana 1,400, Himachal Pradesh 482, Odisha 570, Kerala 3,697, Maharashtra 1,200, Karnataka 760, Uttar Pradesh 2,400, Uttarakhand 280, Bihar 1,050, Gujarat 1,300, Punjab 549, Jharkhand 184 and West Bengal 392. --IANS msk/uk/bg (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 Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has asked owners of several canteens and dhabas at the campus to clear their dues amounting to lakhs of rupees and vacate the varsity premises by June 30, alleging that their shops were allocated "without following due tender procedure". In a notice to several canteen owners dated June 22, the varsity's Joint Registrar (Estate) M K Pachauri asked them to clear all the outstanding dues against them within seven days of the issuance of the letter. Baffled shop owners are fearful of losing their livelihoods and are also finding it difficult to arrange the money to pay the dues. According to them, as many as 10 canteens/dhabas/Xerox shops at the campus have been served these notices. The university said the person will be liable for eviction proceedings as per the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 if he fails to comply with the notice. "....is hereby directed to clear the outstanding dues against him with 7 days, from the date of issue of this letter with the direction that he has to VACATE the University premises by 30.06.2022," the notice read. "Failure to comply with the above direction the named hereunder liable for eviction proceedings as per Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act 1971. Dues on account of rent, water and electricity charges etc., outstanding against the said space up to the date of vacation, should be cleared," it added. Speaking to PTI, Rector Ajay Dubey clarified that the notices have been served to those shop owners who have not paid rent and electricity bills "for a long time", adding that many shops were not allocated with due procedure. A canteen owner, who has been served a notice, said the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration is asking for Rs 10 lakh as the outstanding rent and electricity bills from him. "I come from a poor economic background. I and my brother are the only earning members and our livelihood is dependent on this canteen. How can I pay Rs 10 lakh? They should have demanded monthly or annual dues. How can we pay Rs 10 lakh in one go? Even if we pay, there is no guarantee they will let us stay," said the canteen owner, who did not wish to be named. Another shop owner, who has been running a pantry on the campus since 2016, said he has been provided with an outstanding bill of over Rs 20 lakh. "As per the notice, we have to pay this bill (of Rs 20 lakh) and vacate the premises. They had also earlier served notices, but we had requested them for compensation as we only serve 'samosas' (snack) and tea. But there was no reply from the administration. Now, we have been provided with this notice," he said. "I have not been able to give salary to my workers for a year and the pantry is not doing well, but it is my only source of income. Instead of helping us, the administration is putting this burden on us," he added. According to the letter, a notice was also served in May 2019 to establishment owners, seeking a reply as to why the eviction proceeding should not be initiated against them. The 2019 notice was served on the recommendation of the committee constituted by the varsity to look into the issue of allotment of canteens/pantries/Xeros shops without following the tender procedure with further notice. Protesting against the move, the left-affiliated AISA alleged the administration wants these canteen owners to vacate the premises as they are planning to bring big multinational companies to serve on the campus. "Before 2014, there was no policy for the allocation of shops. These people (owners) were interviewed and the shops were allocated to them. The university framed a policy after 2014. And is now asking these people to pay in lakhs and suffer eviction," ASIA president N Sai Balaji said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Sunday recorded 11,739 new Covid-19 cases and 25 deaths, according to Ministry of Health data. The total active cases at 524,999. Counting of votes taking place on Sunday in three and seven assembly seats spread across five states and Delhi where bypolls were held on June 23. Countings began at 8 am under multi-tier security cover. At first, postal ballots will be counted and then EVMs opened. Tripura has the highest number of four seats -- Agartala, Jubarajnagar, Surma and Town Bardowali. CM Saha, is contesting from Town Bardowali, needs to win this election to continue as the chief minister. He is a Rajya Sabha member was sworn in last month after the then chief minister Biplab Deb's sudden resignation. Prime Minister on Sunday will address the nation and share his thoughts in the 90th edition of his monthly radio show, . The programme will be aired at 11 am. PM Modi has departed for Germany to attend the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27, where he will hold meetings with G7 and guest countries and exchange views on contemporary issues. After attending the G7 Summit, Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) after convening a meeting said on Saturday that the Monkeypox presently does not amount to a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. "The Director-General concurs with the advice offered by the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country monkeypox outbreak and, at present, does not determine that the event constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)," said WHO in its press release. It is quite clear that the western nations will make efforts to convince India to change its stance on Russia, which is a delicate diplomatic challenge The upcoming G7 Summit in Germany will see global leaders get together to discuss several issues. The one that will dominate the deliberations is likely the Ukraine invasion, sanctions on Russia and how the world, the western world, should deal with defiant Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be there, as India, Indonesia, South Africa and Senegal have been invited as special guests. According to a report in Bloomberg, Germany was in two minds as to whether to extend the invitation to India; the reservation being that India has not condemned Russia for its invasion and also abstained from the United Nations Resolutions censuring Russia. But pragmatism won the day and India was extended the invitation. But it remains quite clear that in the luxury resort of Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, where the Summit will take place, the western nations will make efforts to convince India to change its stance on Russia. For India and Modi, it will present a delicate diplomatic challenge. Of course, India today wants to be a part of the global leadership but it has no intentions of breaking ties with old and tested allies, Russia being the best example. The problem also is that not only has India not condemned Russian actions in Ukraine, it continues to buy oil at discounted rates from it and is also working out an alternative payment system to keep this going. The United States and Europe, who have been leading the charge against Russia, have expressed their frustrations but, of late, the approach has been more nuanced in public with the western world trying to show an understanding of Indias position. Indications are clear that while India will stick to its stand, so will the western world. Earlier this year, while visiting Germany, Modi called on both Russia and Ukraine to end the fighting, saying: We believe that no party can emerge victorious in this war. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra also said that India has always maintained that there should be cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and the path to resolution goes through diplomacy and dialogue. India is likely to toe this line during the G7 Summit. But, behind closed doors, the G7 intends to raise the pressure on India. So far, one has to admit that India has maintained its neutrality on the Ukraine war with success. The Quad, a grouping of the US, Japan, India and Australia which initially seemed to be tested by the Ukraine crisis with three members vocally critiquing Russia and India being the lone neutral voice, seems to have reconciled to the in-house differences. Challenges in the Indo-Pacific are a common cause for Quad and even as the Ukraine war presents a new challenge, reality stares hard in the shape of China. All four need one another to counter the dragons ever-expanding global footprint. Also, for India, China is another worrisome factor that explains its stand on Russia. In the regional dynamics, Russias embrace of China is worrisome and a closer relationship between Russia and Pakistan even more so. After the Ukraine war, the world has seen a change in the shape of its alliances and a closer Russia-China axis is there for all to see. It doesnt make the world comfortable but it worries India even more, with a boundary dispute, and the Chinese looking for yet another excuse to expand territorially. The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US (the European Union is not a member of the G7 but attends the Summit). It is an informal grouping of the worlds richest nations and hence the most powerful, too. Russia had joined the G7 in 1998 making it G8 then, but following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia was shown the door. Interestingly, China, despite the size of its economy and the global influence it asserts, has been kept out of the grouping. So looking at the G7 in an unbiased fashion, its quite apparent that it is a grouping of rich and powerful western nations that has zero representation from Africa and the Middle East. It also helps explain and understand the contradictions not just in the global order but also the response to the Ukraine war. India is not part of the G7 or the western world. But with an economy that is growing and a strategic place in the Indo-Pacific, it today cannot be kept out. India is also one of the few countries that have shown the occasional spine to the western nations that still seem to view the world from a very narrow post-World War II perspective. The upcoming G7 Summit will test India not only in how it puts forward its unique global perspective but also check whether India is ready to push back delicately and demand that the world see situations and crisis from a non-western viewpoint. That, at the end of the day, is the hallmark of a global leader. (The author, a Delhi-based journalist and foreign affairs analyst, holds a Masters in International Relations from the American University in Washington DC. In 2009, her book Piercing the Heart: Untold Stories of 26/11, was published. The views expressed are personal.) Prime Minister on Sunday arrived here on a two-day visit to during which he will attend the summit and discuss issues like energy, food security, counter-terrorism, environment and democracy with the leaders of the powerful bloc and its partner countries. Prime Minister Modi is attending the summit, to be held on June 26 and 27, following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by in its capacity as the chair of G7, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations. The leaders are expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis that has triggered geopolitical turmoil besides fuelling a global food and energy crisis. "During the sessions of the Summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 counties, G7 partner countries and guest International Organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy," Modi said in a statement ahead of his visit. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Friday that Modi will hold bilateral meetings and discussions with the leaders of the G7 and also the guest countries on the sidelines of the . Besides India, Germany, the host of the G7 Summit, has also invited Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as guests for the summit to recognise the democracies of the global south as its partners. Modi said he also looks forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe, who are contributing immensely to their local economies as well as enriching India's relations with European countries. From Germany, Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of the Gulf nation. Sheikh Khalifa passed away on May 13 after battling illness for the last several years. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister will address the 90th episode of his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, at 11 am today. Earlier, PM Modi had expressed happiness over the inputs for this month's . The Prime Minister had also urged people to keep sharing ideas on either on MyGov or the NaMo App. In the 89th episode, the Prime Minister expressed pride that the number of Unicorns in the country has reached the hundred mark. PM Modi had 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 who have dedicated themselves to promoting startups. is an Indian radio programme hosted by Prime Minister in which he addresses the people of the nation on the last Sunday of every month. Meanwhile, PM Modi has currently departed for Germany to attend the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27, where he will hold meetings with G7 and guest countries and exchange views on contemporary issues. PM Modi will also travel to UAE while coming back to . (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Deputy Inspector General Dipan Bhadaran to probe allegations of forgery and conspiracy against former DGP R.B. Sreekumar, former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and activist Teesta Setalvad. After a criminal complaint was filed with the crime branch on Saturday evening, former DGP Sreekumar was arrested from Gandhinagar while Teesta was picked up from Mumbai and arrested on Sunday morning in Ahmedabad. Both were produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on Sunday, where the crime branch demanded 14 days of remand for them. Before producing them before the court, Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner Chaitainya Mandlik told the media, "Police will investigate conspiracy angle, it will check their bank transactions and other documents. Police will also investigate into who were behind them and instigating them for legal processes." When Teesta was picked up from her residence, no documents or any other things were seized or recovered. If she has any complaint with the police, she will have an opportunity to complain before the magistrate court, when she is produced, said the officer. "Police will investigate financial transactions, whether there is any foreign funding to the NGO run by Teesta Setalvad and it will even investigate whether any politicians were behind instigating Teesta and the two police officers. If any foreign funding issues are revealed during investigation, if required even the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will be informed about such transactions," the officer added. When Teesta was being taken to the Metro court in Ahmedabad, she said, "I am not a criminal." --IANS haresh/uk/skp/ (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 Saturday asked if a chief minister or a state government will ever be held accountable even if the state is thrown into a circle of pre-meditated violence and riots, a day after the upheld an SIT clean chit to then Gujarat CM in the 2002 riots case. The party said the verdicts should not be politicised but asked if it is only the collector or police officers who are responsible for any riot in their jurisdictions and not their political masters. "Will Chief Minister, Cabinet & State Govt be never held accountable, even if the State is thrown into a circle of pre-meditated violence and riots?" asked general secretary Randeep Surjewala. His remarks through a series of tweets came a day after the Friday upheld the Special Investigation Team's clean chit to Modi and 63 others in the 2002 communal riots in the state. "Is responsibility only of the Collector and deputy commissioner of Police and not of political executive? What then is the Constitutional and moral responsibility of Chief minister and the state government?" Surjewala asked. The law in this "New India" is, he said, "Failure to stop or inaction to act against those committing violence is not actionable ground against State Government. To act upon Intelligence inputs is immaterial." "Was Supreme Court right then in saying - 'As Rome burnt, Nero fiddled' or is it right now? Is failure or inaction no longer actionable in law? Let the nation think," he said. spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, "The decisions of the Supreme Court should never be politicised." He said the Supreme Court upheld the SIT's clean chit, according to which there was no conspiracy and the violence was a natural reaction. "One should not forget many convicts of murder in Gujarat riots, on whom the guilt was proved. The Supreme Court denies conspiracy or statement by the Prime Minister in the absence of certain police officers. It should simply be respected as an order of the Supreme Court," he said. The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the SIT's clean chit to the then Gujarat chief minister and 63 others in the 2002 communal riots in the state, saying there is no tittle of material to show the violence after the Godhra train carnage was pre-planned" owing to the criminal conspiracy allegedly hatched at the "highest level" in the state. Observing that inaction or failure of some officials of one section of the administration cannot be the basis to readily infer a pre-planned criminal conspiracy by the authorities or to term it as a state-sponsored crime against the minority community, the court dismissed a plea by slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri's wife Zakia, terming it as "devoid of merits''. Bringing the curtains down on the bid to reopen the probe into the 2002 riots, a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar also spoke of the devious stratagem to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design, and said disgruntled officers of the Gujarat government need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law for creating a sensation by making false revelations. Alleging a larger conspiracy behind the mass violence against Muslims, Zakia had challenged the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her petition against the finding of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team(SIT). (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 Cabinet on Saturday approved formation of a joint venture company between the state government and the railway ministry to increase the railway network in the state, a minister said. In Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (ARIDCL), the state government will hold a share of 51 per cent and the ministry the remaining 49 per cent, Water Resources Minister and government spokesperson Pijush Hazarika said. The ARIDCL will ensure speedy implementation of ongoing projects, besides working out possible financing avenues, he said. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also discussed the issue of resolving the boundary dispute between and Arunachal Pradesh. The cabinet also approved an additional Rs 126.75 crore for the implementation of the relief package for ex-employees of Nagaon and Cachar paper mills of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL). The Council of Ministers also decided to allow Duliajan Numaligarh Pipeline Limited to undertake pay revision for its employees, Hazarika said. The cabinet gave its nod to a one-time scheme for reducing the late payment of fitness fees for vehicles as a Covid relief measure for the transport sector and the owners can apply online within three months to avail of the benefits. It also approved the Assam Motor Vehicle Taxation (Amendment), 2022 for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and streamlining existing taxation regime by incorporating 'Green Tax' on older vehicles, Hazarika said. The Council of Ministers also approved the procurement of handloom items directly from indigenous weavers without involving middlemen through a specially developed portal. The Cabinet decided to launch a programme 'Arohan' for classes nine to twelve from 2022-23 with an allocated budget of Rs 5.96 crore to guide talented students in the 13-18 age group. It also approved the process of transfer of teachers through a portal, Hazarika 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.) Egypt has contracted to buy 180,000 tonnes of from India, Supply Minister Aly Moselhy said on Sunday, less than previously agreed, a deal that is part of the country's efforts to diversify its supplies. Egypt, one of the world's biggest importers, is looking for alternatives to Black Sea grain exports which face disruptions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have been Egypt's main wheat suppliers. The Ukraine crisis has also raised import costs for Egypt, which heavily subsidises bread for its 70 million population. Moselhy had said in May that Egypt had agreed to buy 500,000 tonnes of wheat from India but that a contract had not been signed. India banned wheat exports in May because of lower domestic production, but made allowances for countries like Egypt with food security needs. "Based on what the supplier said, the condition was that the wheat has to be at the ports, then it would be available," Moselhy said on Sunday. "We had agreed on 500,000 tonnes, turns out [the supplier]has 180,000 tonnes in the port," he said. Moselhy added that Egypt was also in talks with Russian suppliers for a wheat purchase agreement. Egypt is also looking at ways to extract more flour from its grain, Moselhy said, by raising the extraction percentage for flour used for subsidised bread to 87.5% from 82%. It plans to save around 500,000 tonnes of imported wheat, and to import 5-5.5 million tonnes of wheat for the 2022/23 fiscal year, he added. Current wheat reserves are sufficient for 5.7 months after the procurement of 3.9 million tonnes in the local harvest, Moselhy said on Sunday. (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 is rapidly emerging as a preferred country for foreign investments as the steps taken by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the last eight years have borne fruit as is evident from the ever-increasing volumes of FDI inflow setting new records. The FDI inflow in India was at its highest ever at USD 81.97 billion in 2020-21. The information was given by the government during a session. Among the global investors, the government said, these trends in India's FDI are an endorsement of its status as a preferred investment destination, reported Saudi Gazette. The government reviews the FDI policy on an ongoing basis and makes significant changes from time to time, to ensure that India remains an attractive and investor-friendly destination. India's FDI policy is liberal and transparent. Most of the sectors are open to FDI under the automatic route. To further liberalize and simplify FDI policy for providing ease of doing business and attract investments, reforms have been undertaken recently across sectors such as Coal Mining, Contract Manufacturing, Digital Media, Single Brand Retail Trading, Civil Aviation, Defense, Insurance and Telecom. Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Som Prakash, informed in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha (country's Upper House in the Parliament) that the country's FDI under the current government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is at its highest-ever inflow. This came in a response to a question posed by CPI (M), Member of Parliament, John Brittas and Loktantrik Janata Dal MP M. V. Shreyams Kumar. These MPs from Kerala questioned the government on the steps it has taken to bring global business into the country. MoS Prakash in a written statement said, "Various initiatives/schemes have been launched by the government for promoting growth and attracting investment in India." He also highlighted that because of these initiatives India jumped to 63rd place in World Bank's Ease of Doing Business [EODB] ranking as per World Bank's Doing Business Report (DBR) 2020 from a rank of 142 in 2014. The Minister also spoke of having started a comprehensive reform exercise in states and union territories to attract investors. He said that these reforms were started after consultations between the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with the state governments under Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP). It is noteworthy that under this plan all states and union territories are ranked on the basis of reforms implemented by them. There are certain designated parameters which are taken into consideration post which the ranking is done. "This exercise has helped in improving the business environment across states," he said. Speaking on other steps taken by the government to attract investors, Prakash listed an Empowered Group of Secretaries that had been constituted to fast-track investments in the country. He also stressed on the constitution of Project Development Cells (PDCs) to handhold investors and spur sectoral and economic growth. A GIS-enabled India Industrial Land Bank has been launched to help investors identify their preferred location for investment. National Single Window System (NSWS) has also been soft launched in September 2021 to facilitate clearances for investors, he said. According to data released by the DPIIT, India's highest ever foreign direct investment (FDI) was up by 1.95 percent on year. In terms of top investor countries of FDI Equity inflow, 'Singapore' is at the apex with 27 per cent, followed by the US (18 per cent) and Mauritius (16 per cent) for the Fiscal Year 2021-22. The top recipient sector of FDI Equity inflow during FY 2021-22 was Computer Software and Hardware. It emerged on top with around 25 per cent share followed by services sector (12 per cent) and automobile industry (12 per cent) respectively, as per the media portal. Interestingly, despite the COVID-induced pandemic, the FDI inflow into the country in 2020-21 was USD 81.97 billion. Total FDI includes equity capital of unincorporated bodies, reinvest earnings and other capital. Manufacturing sector is also seeing a boost with global investors seeing India as a preferred destination. In a major boost to the economy, FDI Equity inflow in the Manufacturing Sectors has increased by 76 per cent in FY 2021-22 (USD 21.34 billion) compared to previous FY 2020-21 (USD 12.09 billion). The FDI inflow has increased by 23 per cent post-COVID (March 2020 to March 2022: USD 171.84 billion) in comparison to FDI inflow reported pre-COVID (February 2018 to February 2020: USD 141.10 billion) in India. Under the sector 'Computer Software & Hardware', the major recipient states of FDI Equity inflow are Karnataka (53 per cent), Delhi (17 per cent) and Maharashtra (17 percent) during FY 2021-22. Karnataka is the top recipient state with 38 per cent share of the total FDI Equity inflow reported during the FY 2021-22 followed by Maharashtra (26 per cent) and Delhi (14 per cent). Majority of the equity inflow of Karnataka has been reported in the sectors 'Computer Software & Hardware' (35 per cent), automobile industry (20 per cent) and 'Education' (12 per cent) during the FY 2021-22. (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 has exported 1.8 million tonnes of to a dozen-odd countries, including Bangladesh and Afghanistan, since the country banned exports of the grain on May 13, according to Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey. About 33,000 tonnes of as humanitarian assistance has already been supplied to Afghanistan against the commitment of 50,000 tonne, he said. Pandey, addressing a ministerial conference on 'uniting for global food security' held at Berlin, Germany on June 24, said India has always taken the needs of the world into consideration, even while meeting the onerous obligations of feeding its population of 1.38 billion people, an official statement said. The secretary said: It is important here to explain that the recent decision by the Government of India (GoI) to bring about regulation on exports was essentially taken to protect domestic availability as well as availability to vulnerable countries to whom supplies cannot be ensured by market forces." India has nonetheless continued with its commitment to cater for the genuine needs of neighbouring countries and food-deficit nations through Government-to-Government mechanism and also to fulfil supply commitments already made, he said. After the regulation until June 22nd this fiscal year, 1.8 million tonnes of wheat have been shipped out, almost four times from the previous year to countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Israel, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, Vietnam and Yemen," he said. On May 13, the government suspended wheat export with immediate effect. It moved the export of all varieties of wheat, including high-protein durum, from free to the prohibited category. The decision was aimed at controlling rising prices of wheat in the domestic market. India had exported a record 7 million tonnes of wheat during 2021-22 fiscal, while typically, the country exports around 2 million tonnes which is around 1 per cent of global wheat trade, he said. Stating that India is deeply conscious of its responsibilities towards the most vulnerable in various parts of the world, Pandey said the country continued to provide humanitarian assistance, both through the supply of vaccines as well as food consignments, during and beyond the pandemic. For instance, the country has dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, including 33,000 tonnes of wheat of a total commitment of 50,000 tonnes made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and continues to do so in the wake of the devastation caused by the earthquake a couple of days ago, he said. During the pandemic, India has also provided food aid in the form of wheat, rice, pulses and lentils to several countries around the world including Afghanistan, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Zambia, Zimbabwe and others, to strengthen their food security, he said. During the COVID pandemic, India embarked on what can be described as the world's largest ever food support system to cover nearly 810 million people. "Even today, more than two years after we began, we still continue to provide food support to these vulnerable people who are equivalent to the population of Europe and the United States combined. To ensure rightful targeting, the whole system was run on a massive technology platform which was biometrically authenticated," he said. Stating that India has acknowledged the efforts made by the UN Secretary General to enhance global food security, the Secretary said the country also welcomed the recommendation of the Global Crisis Response Group Task Team to exempt purchases of food by the World Food Programme for humanitarian assistance from food export restrictions with immediate effect. We have also highlighted that it is important that similar exemptions are provided to all member states and relevant stakeholders who are contributing to this global humanitarian effort, he said. Pandey further said that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted global food security, which has been further exacerbated by recent geo-political developments and impact of climate change. He also shared that the world is now faced with rising costs of food, fertilizers and fuel. The Global South, the developing and least developed countries, and the world's most vulnerable, have been particularly impacted in a disproportionate manner. "Recent developments have highlighted the urgent need for developing resilient and uninterrupted food supply chains, so as to ensure both food security and nutritional security, in times of climate change induced natural calamities, global pandemics and conflicts around the world," he said. He further said that India is making a genuine effort to adopt a holistic approach to agriculture and make it more sustainable, including through effective water and soil management, and improving crop diversity and production practices. Digital technology is now playing an important role in empowering the farmers of India through crop assessment and digitization of land records. Post-harvest infrastructure has also been strengthened, including through the creation of an Agriculture Infrastructure Fund of Rs 1 trillion as well as the establishment of cold chain storage capacity of 35 million tons in recent years and a program for 12 million tonne capacity for silo construction. Sustainable food processing technologies are being adopted to reduce the overall carbon footprint, including through the adoption of waste utilization, resource recovery and circular economy in the food industry, 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.) Counting of votes was underway for the by- to the four assembly seats in on Sunday amid tight security, officials said. The counting began at 8 am for the bypolls to the Agartala, Town Bardowali, Surma and Jubarajnagar seats, held on June 23, they said. The votes were being counted across three centres, they added. Over 78 per cent of total 1,89,032 people had cast their votes in the . Twenty-two candidates are in the fray. Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is not a member of the assembly, is contesting from the Town Bardowali assembly constituency. He has to win this election to continue as the chief minister. In the Agartala seat, Sudip Roy Barman, who had resigned as a BJP MLA and joined Congress in February, is pitted against BJP candidate Ashok Saha. Surma and Jubarajnagar assembly constituencies witnessed a multi-corner electoral fight with all major political parties -- BJP, Congress, Left Front, TMC and Tipra Motha fielding candidates. As a precautionary measure, prohibitory orders have been imposed in the areas where the by-election was held. Police said they are maintaining a close vigil on the situation. (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.) Since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Kiev on February 24, at least 339 children have been killed in so far, the Prosecutors General Office said. In a statement on Saturday, the Office said: "According to official information from juvenile prosecutors, 339 children have died 611 have been injured. These numbers are not final as work is underway to establish them in places of active hostilities and in the temporarily occupied and liberated territories." According to the Prosecutor's General Office, majority of the children were injured in Donetsk (335), followed by Kharkiv (179), Kyiv (116), Chernihiv (68), Luhansk (55), Kherson (52), Mykolaiv (48), Zaporizhzhia (31) and Sumy (17). It also said that bombing and shelling by the Russian armed forces has so far damaged 2,061 educational institutions, 213 of which have been completely destroyed. --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Netanyahu or Bibi is the standard-holder for the Jews who favour a bigger country but without citizenship to Palestinian Arabs There was a rare moment of grace in Israeli politics last Monday, as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced they would dissolve their extraordinary coalition and pitched Israel into its fifth election in three and a half years. The coalition was extraordinary because it included such a broad spectrum of political conviction in Israel, from Rightwing pro-settler parties like Bennetts Yamina to Centre-Left Yesh Atid (Lapids Party) and even, for the first time ever, an Islamic party, the United Arab List. The moment of grace was the loyalty and even friendship shown by Bennett and Lapid, political and ideological opponents who rose above the bitter divisions of a fragmented Israeli political scene characterised by defections and betrayals. They did not blame each other for the coalitions collapse. They treated each other with respect. Bennett even kept his word to share the top job in rotation with Lapid, who will become prime minister of the transitional government for the months between now and the next election, probably in late October. They are political rivals who were wise enough to create a rare partnership, almost utopian by Israeli political standards. They began nicely and ended even better. We were as dreamersis this Israel, or Denmark? wrote Haaretz journalist Yossi Verter. But these two men apart, its Israel. Definitely Israel. The eight-party coalition had one unifying principle: to stop Bibi (Binyamin Netanyahu, prime minister for most of the past 25 years) from coming back to power yet again. It could only work by concentrating on social issues (where there was some agreement) while preserving the status quo on security, settler violence and Palestinian rights. Even so, the attempt to hold such a spectacularly diverse coalition together was ultimately sunk by the defections of members who felt morally compromised by working with people of such radically different views. It only had 62 Members of the Knesset out of 120 to start with, and just three MKs quitting, one at a time, destroyed its parliamentary majority. So will Netanyahu be back in power again after October? Hes still on trial for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud, but the coalition didnt get around to banning people on trial for felonies from becoming prime minister, so its certainly possible. That was why Netanyahu strove so hard to bring the coalition down, getting the opposition to vote against every single coalition measure. The Knesset and the country are so evenly balanced that any reshuffle of the deck is another chance to win. Netanyahu even got his allies in the Knesset to vote against another five-year extension of the regulation that places Jewish settlers in the West Bank under Israeli civil law, not the military law that controls life for Arabs in the occupied territories. That normally goes through automatically, without debate, but Netanyahus Likud Party and its allies voted against it despite the fact they are pro-settler parties. Bibi knew that the four Arab members of the coalition government couldnt bring themselves to vote for the settlers having special rights, so the measure failed and the coalition fell. Actually, everything political in Israel is ultimately about the settlers and the occupation now, and the country is split down the middle with almost surgical precision. Thats why it was so hard to make an anti-Bibi coalition, but its just as hard to form a pro-Bibi one. Few people realised that this was the future they were creating when Israel won the 1967 war and conquered substantial Arab-populated territories in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Between the 1948 war, when most Arabs fled or were driven from what then became Israel, and the Six-Day War of 1967, about 85 per cent of Israels population was Jewish. After Israels victory in that war, about half the population on the land now controlled by Israel was Arab and either Muslim or Christian. That is still the case today, although the Gaza Strip has been turned into an open-air prison that is technically not in Israel. So unless you are planning to give the occupied territories back, you can have a democratic Israel where half the population is Arab, or a Jewish Israel where half the population has no political rights. Thats the choice that divides and paralyses the country, and theres no decision on the horizon. Bibi is the standard-holder for all those Israeli Jews who favour a bigger country but one where most Palestinian Arabs are not citizens, and he may be back in power by the end of the year. The authors new book is The Shortest History of War In the hours after the Supreme Court released its decision overturning the legal right to in the United States, nearly 100 requests for appointments flowed into Just the Pill, a nonprofit organisation that arranges for patients to obtain pills in several states. That was about four times the usual daily number of appointment requests for the organization, and many came from patients in Texas and other states that quickly halted abortions after the court ruling. pills, already used in more than half of recent abortions in the US, are becoming even more sought-after in the aftermath of Roe vs Wade being overturned, and they will likely be at the center of the legal battles that are expected to unfold as about half the states ban abortion and take steps to increase access. The method, known as medication abortion, is authorised by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. It involves taking two different drugs, 24 to 48 hours apart, to stop the development of a pregnancy and then to cause contractions similar to a miscarriage to expel the fetus, a process that usually causes bleeding similar to a heavy period. Many patients choose medication abortion because it is less expensive, less invasive and affords more privacy than surgical abortions the pills can be received by mail and taken at home, or anywhere, after an initial consultation with a doctor by video, phone, in person or even just by filling out an online form. The patient must participate in the consultation from a state that allows abortion, even if it simply involves being on the phone in a car just over the border. The IP address of the computer or phone they use allows the clinic to identify where they are. For states that ban all forms of abortion, medication abortion is likely to provide significant enforcement challenges. It is one thing to shut down a clinic; it is much harder to police activities like sending or receiving pills through the mail or traveling to a state where pills are legal to have a consultation and pick them up, legal experts say. When people say were going back to the days before Roe, theres no such thing as a time machine we have a very different pharmaceutical landscape, said Katie Watson, a constitutional scholar and medical ethicist at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. The abortion laws beginning to take effect in numerous conservative states ban all forms of abortion, including medication abortion. In addition, 19 states already had laws barring using telemedicine for abortion. Texas recently enacted a law prohibiting sending abortion pills through the mail. Firms may face legal clashes A growing number of large US companies have said they will cover travel costs for employees who must leave their home states to get abortions, but these new policies could expose businesses to lawsuits and even potential criminal liability, legal experts said. Amazon.com, Apple, Lyft, Microsoft and JPMorgan Chase were among companies that announced plans to provide those benefits through their health insurance plans in anticipation of Fridays decision. Since October 2020, Just the Pill has provided more than 2,500 telemedicine consultations with doctors to supply abortion pills by mail to patients in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana and Wyoming. Within a few days, it plans to deploy in Colorado the first of what will become a fleet of mobile clinics to park along state borders, providing consultations for medication abortions and dispensing pills, said Dr. Julie Amaon, the organizations medical director. Called Abortion Delivered, the clinic-on-wheels program, which will also provide surgical abortions for patients who prefer it or are too far along in pregnancy for a medication abortion, is designed to reach patients from nearby states like Texas, Oklahoma and South Dakota that quickly outlawed abortion after the court decision, as well as other states like Utah that are expected to ban or sharply restrict abortion. By operating on state borders, we will reduce travel burdens for patients in states with bans or severe limits, Dr. Amaon said. And by moving beyond a traditional brick-and-mortar clinic, our mobile clinics can quickly adapt to the courts, state legislatures, and the markets, going wherever the need is. Similar medication abortion providers are also planning for an influx. Hey Jane, an organization that has served nearly 10,000 patients in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, New York and Washington, plans to expand to more states. Weve ramped up our team to accommodate this significant increase in demand, said its chief executive, Kiki Freedman. Anti-abortion groups are trying to counter the rise in interest in medication abortion by claiming it is unsafe, calling it chemical abortion. James Studnicki, vice president of data analytics at Charlotte Lozier Institute, an arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said on Friday that the safety of the abortion pill is greatly exaggerated, and called the rise in medication abortion a serious public health threat. Much remains unknown about how states that ban all or most abortions will try to enforce their laws in cases of medication abortion. But as the Biden administration scrambled to react to the court ruling, two cabinet members swiftly released statements vowing to protect the right to take medicines that had been approved by the federal government. We stand unwavering in our commitment to ensure every American has access to health care and the ability to make decisions about health care including the right to safe and legal abortion, such as medication abortion that has been approved by the F.D.A. for over 20 years, Xavier Becerra, the secretary of Health and Human Services, said in his statement. In another statement, Merrick B. Garland, the attorney general, referred specifically to the first drug in the medication abortion regimen, mifepristone. In December, the F.D.A. made access to it significantly easier by permanently lifting the requirement that patients obtain mifepristone by visiting an authorized clinic or doctor in person. We stand ready to work with other arms of the federal government that seek to use their lawful authorities to protect and preserve access to reproductive care, Mr. Garland said. In particular, the F.D.A. has approved the use of the medication mifepristone. States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the F.D.A.s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy. But it is unclear what the Justice Department can do. Some legal scholars have argued that federal drug approval pre-empts state actions to restrict a drugs use. say that has only applied to cases where a state claims that safety or efficacy is an issue. Today, the Supreme Court said abortion, it can only be regulated in sort of a health and safety way when its permitted, but it can be completely banned, Professor Watson said. As a result, she said, the ability of the federal government to assert that the F.D.A.s approval takes precedence over state laws is limited, given, traditionally, states get to regulate the practice of medicine. Legal experts said there might be other ways for the Justice Department to become involved in fighting medication abortion restrictions, such as contesting laws that bar mailing pills, since the mail is under federal oversight. On Friday, the F.D.A. took a cautious stance, saying in a statement, We have not had an opportunity to review the opinion, but we do note that F.D.A.s independent and regulatory decisions are based on science and facts. The agency added that patients should have access to medications that are safe and effective for their F.D.A.-approved use. Medication abortion became legal in the in 2000, when mifepristone was approved by the F.D.A. The agency imposed tight restrictions on the drug, many of which remain in place. But access to the method increased in 2016, when the F.D.A. expanded the time frame within which the drug could be taken from seven weeks to 10 weeks into a pregnancy. Major medical groups cite years of data showing that medication abortion is safe. For example, a research program that the F.D.A. allowed to provide telemedicine consultations and send pills by mail reported that 95 percent of the 1,157 abortions that occurred through the program between May 2016 and September 2020 were completed without requiring any follow-up procedure. Patients made 70 visits to emergency rooms or urgent care centers, with 10 instances of serious complications, the study reported. As conservative states began passing more laws restricting access to surgical abortions, more patients opted for pills, especially because they could be taken in the privacy of ones home. The Covid pandemic fueled that trend. The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, reported that in 2020, medication abortion accounted for 54 percent of all abortions. As patients look for ways to obtain the pills, some are expected to turn to websites like Aid Access, a European organization that the F.D.A. has tried so far unsuccessfully to stop from mailing pills to the United States, further complicating enforcement efforts. Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, who has written widely on abortion, said in an interview last month that there might be attempts by states that ban abortion to prosecute doctors and other health providers in other states who provide abortion services like consultations and pills to their residents, or to try to block organizations or funds that give financial help to patients to travel to other states. States where abortion remains legal are mobilizing to increase access stifle legal assaults from other states. Connecticut passed a bill that would prevent abortion providers from being extradited to other states, bar Connecticut authorities from cooperating with abortion investigations from a patients home state and allow Connecticut residents who are sued under another states abortion provision to countersue. Legislation in California would provide financial assistance to patients traveling from other states to obtain abortions and increase the number of abortion providers. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in an opinion concurring with the Supreme Court decision, suggested that patients who traveled to other states to receive an abortion would be protected by the constitutional right to interstate travel. So far, most states that restrict abortion have long adhered to a principle of targeting providers and who help patients, but not the patients themselves. Professor Ziegler said it was possible that could also change because, in circumstances where the abortion takes place outside state boundaries, there may be absolutely no one else in that state to go after but the patient. The more than 1.4 billion people living in are constantly watched. They are recorded by police cameras that are everywhere, on street corners and subway ceilings, in hotel lobbies and apartment buildings. Their phones are tracked, their purchases are monitored, and their online chats are censored. Now, even their future is under . The latest generation of technology digs through the vast amounts of data collected on their daily activities to find patterns and aberrations, promising to predict crimes or protests before they happen. They target potential troublemakers in the eyes of the Chinese government not only those with a criminal past but also vulnerable groups, including ethnic minorities, migrant workers and those with a history of mental illness. They can warn police if a victim of a fraud tries to travel to Beijing to petition the government for payment or a drug user makes too many calls to the same number. They can signal officers each time a person with a history of mental illness gets near a school. It takes extensive evasive maneuvers to avoid the digital tripwires. In the past, Zhang Yuqiao, a 74-year-old man who has been petitioning the government for most of his adult life, could simply stay off the main highways to dodge authorities and make his way to Beijing to fight for compensation over the torture of his parents during the Cultural Revolution. Now, he turns off his phones, pays in cash and buys multiple train tickets to false destinations. While largely unproven, the new Chinese technologies, detailed in procurement and other documents reviewed by The New York Times, further extend the boundaries of social and political controls and integrate them ever deeper into peoples lives. At their most basic, they justify suffocating and violate privacy, while in the extreme they risk automating systemic discrimination and political repression. For the government, social stability is paramount and any threat to it must be eliminated. During his decade as Chinas top leader, Xi Jinping has hardened and centralized the security state, unleashing techno-authoritarian policies to quell ethnic unrest in the western region of Xinjiang and enforce some of the worlds most severe coronavirus lockdowns. The space for dissent, always limited, is rapidly disappearing. Big data should be used as an engine to power the innovative development of public security work and a new growth point for nurturing combat capabilities, Xi said in 2019 at a national public security work meeting. The algorithms, which would prove controversial in other countries, are often trumpeted as triumphs. In 2020, authorities in southern denied a womans request to move to Hong Kong to be with her husband after software alerted them that the marriage was suspicious, local police reported. An ensuing investigation revealed that the two were not often in the same place at the same time and had not spent the Spring Festival holiday together. Police concluded that the marriage had been faked to obtain a migration permit. The same year in northern China, an automated alert about a mans frequent entry into a residential compound with different companions prompted police to investigate. They discovered that he was a part of a pyramid scheme, according to state media. The details of these emerging security technologies are described in police research papers, contractor patents and presentations, as well as hundreds of public procurement documents reviewed and confirmed by the Times. Many of the procurement documents were shared by ChinaFile, an online magazine published by the Asia Society, which has systematically gathered years of records on government websites. Another set, describing software bought by authorities in the port city of Tianjin to stop petitioners from going to neighboring Beijing, was provided by IPVM, a surveillance industry publication. Chinas Ministry of Public Security did not respond to requests for comment faxed to its headquarters in Beijing and six local departments across the country. The new approach to surveillance is partly based on data-driven policing software from the United States and Europe, technology that rights groups say has encoded racism into decisions like which neighborhoods are most heavily policed and which prisoners get parole. takes it to the extreme, tapping nationwide reservoirs of data that allow police to operate with opacity and impunity. Often people dont know theyre being watched. Police face little outside scrutiny of the effectiveness of the technology or the actions they prompt. Chinese authorities require no warrants to collect personal information. At the most bleeding edge, the systems raise perennial science fiction conundrums: How is it possible to know the future has been accurately predicted if police intervene before it happens? Even when the software fails to deduce human behavior, it can be considered successful since the surveillance itself inhibits unrest and crime, experts say. This is an invisible cage of technology imposed on society, said Maya Wang, a senior China researcher with Human Rights Watch, the disproportionate brunt of it being felt by groups of people that are already severely discriminated against in Chinese society. Nowhere to Hide In 2017, one of Chinas best-known entrepreneurs had a bold vision for the future: a computer system that could predict crimes. The entrepreneur, Yin Qi, who founded Megvii, an artificial intelligence startup, told Chinese state media that the surveillance system could give police a search engine for crime, analyzing huge amounts of video footage to intuit patterns and warn authorities about suspicious behavior. He explained that if cameras detected a person spending too much time at a train station, the system could flag a possible pickpocket. It would be scary if there were actually people watching behind the camera, but behind it is a system, Yin said. Its like the search engine we use every day to surf the internet its very neutral. Its supposed to be a benevolent thing. He added that with such surveillance, the bad guys have nowhere to hide. Five years later, his vision is slowly becoming reality. Internal Megvii presentations reviewed by the Times show how the startups products assemble full digital dossiers for police. Build a multidimensional database that stores faces, photos, cars, cases and incident records, reads a description of one product, called intelligent search. The software analyzes the data to dig out ordinary people who seem innocent to stifle illegal acts in the cradle. A Megvii spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company was committed to the responsible development of artificial intelligence, and that it was concerned about making life more safe and convenient and not about monitoring any particular group or individual. Similar technologies are already being put into use. In 2022, police in Tianjin bought software made by a Megvii competitor, Hikvision, that aims to predict protests. The system collects data on legions of Chinese petitioners, a general term in China that describes people who try to file complaints about local officials with higher authorities. It then scores petitioners on the likelihood that they will travel to Beijing. In the future, the data will be used to train machine-learning models, according to a procurement document. Local officials want to prevent such trips to avoid political embarrassment or exposure of wrongdoing. And the central government doesnt want groups of disgruntled citizens gathering in the capital. A Hikvision representative declined to comment on the system. Under Xi, official efforts to control petitioners have grown increasingly invasive. Zekun Wang, a 32-year-old member of a group that for years sought redress over a real estate fraud, said authorities in 2017 had intercepted fellow petitioners in Shanghai before they could even buy tickets to Beijing. He suspected that authorities were watching their communications on the social media app WeChat. The Hikvision system in Tianjin, which is run in cooperation with police in nearby Beijing and Hebei province, is more sophisticated. The platform analyzes individuals likelihood to petition based on their social and family relationships, past trips and personal situations, according to the procurement document. It helps police create a profile of each, with fields for officers to describe the temperament of the protester, including paranoid, meticulous and short tempered. Many people who petition do so over government mishandling of a tragic accident or neglect in the case all of which goes into the algorithm. Increase a persons early-warning risk level if they have low social status or went through a major tragedy, reads the procurement document. Automating Prejudice When police in Zhouning, a rural county in Fujian province, bought a new set of 439 cameras in 2018, they listed coordinates where each would go. Some hung above intersections and others near schools, according to a procurement document. Nine were installed outside the homes of people with something in common: mental illness. While some software tries to use data to uncover new threats, a more common type is based on the preconceived notions of police. In over 100 procurement documents reviewed by the Times, the surveillance targeted blacklists of key persons. These people, according to some of the procurement documents, included those with mental illness, convicted criminals, fugitives, drug users, petitioners, suspected terrorists, political agitators and threats to social stability. Other systems targeted migrant workers, idle youths (teenagers without school or a job), ethnic minorities, foreigners and those infected with HIV. Authorities decide who goes on the lists, and there is often no process to notify people when they do. Once individuals are in a database, they are rarely removed, said experts, who worried that the new technologies reinforce disparities within China, imposing surveillance on the least fortunate parts of its population. In many cases the software goes further than simply targeting a population, allowing authorities to set up digital tripwires that indicate a possible threat. In one Megvii presentation detailing a rival product by Yitu, the systems interface allowed police to devise their own early warnings. With a simple fill-in-the-blank menu, police can base alarms on specific parameters, including where a blacklisted person appears, when the person moves around, whether he or she meets with other blacklisted people and the frequency of certain activities. Police could set the system to send a warning each time two people with a history of drug use check into the same hotel or when four people with a history of protest enter the same park. Yitu did not respond to emailed requests for comment. In 2020 in the city of Nanning, police bought software that could look for more than three key people checking into the same or nearby hotels and a drug user calling a new out-of-town number frequently, according to a bidding document. In Yangshuo, a tourist town famous for its otherworldly karst mountains, authorities bought a system to alert them if a foreigner without a work permit spent too much time hanging around foreign-language schools or bars, an apparent effort to catch people overstaying their visas or working illegally. In Shanghai, one party-run publication described how authorities used software to identify those who exceeded normal water and electricity use. The system would send a digital whistle to police when it found suspicious consumption patterns. The tactic was likely designed to detect migrant workers, who often live together in close quarters to save money. In some places, police consider them an elusive, and often impoverished, group who can bring crime into communities. The automated alerts dont result in the same level of police response. Often, police give priority to warnings that point to political problems, like protests or other threats to social stability, said Suzanne E. Scoggins, a professor at Clark University who studies Chinas policing. At times, police have stated outright the need to profile people. Through the application of big data, we paint a picture of people and give them labels with different attributes, Li Wei, a researcher at Chinas national police university, said in a 2016 speech. For those who receive one or more types of labels, we infer their identities and behavior, and then carry out targeted preemptive security measures. Toward Techno Totalitarianism Zhang first started petitioning the government for compensation over the torture of his family during the Cultural Revolution. He has since petitioned over what he says is police targeting of his family. As China has built out its techno-authoritarian tools, he has had to use spy movie tactics to circumvent surveillance that, he said, has become high tech and Nazified. When he traveled to Beijing in January from his village in Shandong province, he turned off his phone and paid for transportation in cash to minimize his digital footprint. He bought train tickets to the wrong destination to foil police tracking. He hired private drivers to get around checkpoints where his identification card would set off an alarm. The system in Tianjin has a special feature for people like him who have a certain awareness of anti-reconnaissance and regularly change vehicles to evade detection, according to the police procurement document. Whether or not he triggered the system, Zhang has noticed a change. Whenever he turns off his phone, he said, officers show up at his house to check that he hasnt left on a new trip to Beijing. Even if police systems cannot accurately predict behavior, authorities may consider them successful because of the threat, said Noam Yuchtman, an economics professor at the London School of Economics who has studied the impact of surveillance in China. In a context where there isnt real political accountability, having a surveillance system that frequently sends police officers can work pretty well at discouraging unrest, he said. Once the metrics are set and the warnings are triggered, police officers have little flexibility, centralizing control. They are evaluated for their responsiveness to automated alarms and effectiveness at preventing protests, according to experts and public police reports. The technology has encoded power imbalances. Some bidding documents refer to a red list of people whom the surveillance system must ignore. One national procurement document said the function was for people who need privacy protection or VIP protection. Another, from Guangdong province, got more specific, stipulating that the red list was for government officials. Zhang expressed frustration at the ways technology had cut off those in political power from regular people. The authorities do not seriously solve problems but do whatever it takes to silence the people who raise the problems, he said. This is a big step backward for society. Zhang said that he still believed in the power of technology to do good, but that in the wrong hands it could be a scourge and a shackle. In the past if you left your home and took to the countryside, all roads led to Beijing, he said. Now, the entire country is a net. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health warned on Saturday that the country is facing a new wave of COVID-19, urging the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The warning was issued in a statement by the ministry after its Vaccine Executive Committee held an emergency meeting on the latest epidemiological developments, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. "We are facing a new wave of the coronavirus, which is expected to be more contagious and the fastest spreading, according to the infection figures in and in the rest of the world, which are experiencing an alarming rise," the statement said. It stressed "the need to receive the vaccine as soon as possible, especially since the percentage of vaccinated people is still low and does not exceed 45 percent in ." "The vaccine can be taken free of charge, regardless of the dose (the first, second, third, or fourth), at any of the vaccination centers distributed over all Lebanese territories without a prior appointment," the statement added. The ministry announced on Saturday the registration of 836 new infections, raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 1,107,602, while two deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 10,458. (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 World Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global emergency. In a statement Saturday, a emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were "unusual" and acknowledged that monkeypox which is endemic in some African countries has been neglected for years. "While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute" a global emergency, said in a statement. WHO nevertheless pointed to the "emergency nature" of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an "intense" response. The committee said the outbreak should be "closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks." But it would recommend a re-assessment before then if certain new developments emerge such as cases among sex workers; spread to other countries or within countries that have already had cases; increased severity of cases; or an increasing rate of spread. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus convened the emergency committee on Thursday after expressing concern about the epidemic of monkeypox in countries that haven't previously reported the disease. "What makes the current outbreak especially concerning is the rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children," the WHO chief said. Monkeypox has sickened people for decades in central and west Africa, but until last month, the disease had not been known to cause significant outbreaks in multiple countries at the same time and involving people with no travel links to the continent. Declaring a global health emergency means that a is an "extraordinary" event requiring a globally-managed response and that a disease is at high risk of spilling across borders. WHO previously made similar declarations for diseases including COVID-19, Ebola in Congo and West Africa, Zika in Brazil and the ongoing effort to wipe out polio. The emergency declaration mostly serves as a plea to draw more global resources and attention to an outbreak. Past announcements have had mixed impact, given that WHO is largely powerless when trying to convince countries to act. WHO said this week it has confirmed more than 3,200 monkeypox infections in about 40 countries that haven't previously reported the disease. The vast majority of cases are in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men and more than 80 per cent of the cases are in Europe. A leading WHO adviser said last month the spike in cases in Europe was likely tied to sexual activity by men at two raves in Spain and Belgium, speculating that its appearance in the gay and bisexual community was a "random event." British officials have said most cases in the UK involve men who reported having sex with other men in venues such as saunas and sex clubs. Scientists warn that anyone in close, physical contact with someone infected with monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of catching the disease, regardless of their sexual orientation. People with monkeypox often experience symptoms like fever, body aches and a rash; most recover within weeks without needing medical care. Monkeypox in Africa mostly affects people who come into contact with infected wild animals, like rodents or primates. There has been about 1,500 reported cases of monkeypox, including 70 deaths, in Congo, Cameroon and the Central African Republic. To date, scientists haven't found any mutations in the monkeypox virus that suggest it's more transmissible or lethal, although the number of changes detected show the virus has likely been spreading undetected for years. The version of the disease transmitting beyond Africa typically has a fatality rate of less than 1 per cent, while the version seen in Africa can kill up to 10 per cent of people affected. WHO is also creating a vaccine-sharing mechanism for monkeypox, which could see vaccines go to rich countries like Britain, which currently has the biggest outbreak beyond Africa. Some experts warned that could entrench the deep inequities seen between rich and poor countries during the coronavirus pandemic. "France, Germany, the US and UK already have a lot of resources and plenty of vaccines to deal with this and they don't need vaccines from WHO," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, an expert in disaster preparedness and response at Columbia University. "What we should be doing is trying to help the countries in Africa where monkeypox has been endemic and largely neglected," he said. "Monkeypox is not COVID, but our attention should not be so distorted that it only becomes a problem when it is seen in rich countries. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The new Covid shot that specifically targets variant elicits a strong immune response against the strain, widely known to evade vaccines, and BioNTech have said. According to the companies, just a month after administration, a booster dose of the Omicron-adapted monovalent candidates (at 30 and 60 microgram doses) increased neutralising antibodies against BA.1 to 13.5 and 19.6-fold above pre-booster dose levels. A booster dose of the Omicron-adapted bivalent candidates conferred a 9.1 and 10.9-fold increase in neutralising antibodies against BA.1, that was circulating last winter. Data from the Phase 2/3 trial that included 1,234 people aged 56 or older, showed that both Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates were well-tolerated in participants, the said. "Based on these data, we believe we have two very strong Omicron-adapted candidates that elicit a substantially higher immune response against Omicron than we've seen to date," said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, in a statement. "Omicron has newly evolving sublineages that have outcompeted BA.1 and exhibit a trend of increasing potential for immune escape. We will therefore remain vigilant and are prepared to rapidly adapt our Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates to emerging sublineages if epidemiological and laboratory data suggest, added Prof. Ugur Sahin, CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech. Further, the noted that their early laboratory studies suggest that both Omicron-modified candidates also neutralise the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants that have been circulating more recently, with approximately 3-fold lower antibodies than BA.1. The stated they are continuing to collect data on how well the boosters perform versus the more recently circulating strains. The companies will share the results with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA), ahead of the FDA advisory committee meeting on June 28, to discuss whether to update Covid vaccines. The companies have also submitted additional data from their ongoing Covid-19 booster studies, including data on an additional dose of their current Covid-19 vaccine and Beta candidate, to further demonstrate the flexibility and potential benefit of mRNA-based vaccines. Meanwhile, rival Moderna has also made a redesigned vaccine targeting the BA.1 Omicron subvariant. The company said its updated vaccine worked well against more recent Omicron subvariants, and that it was moving forward with plans to ask regulators for approval. --IANS rvt/svn/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian missiles hit an apartment block and kindergarten in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, in strikes U.S. President Joe Biden condemned as "barbarism" as world leaders gathered in Europe to discuss further sanctions against Moscow. Up to four explosions shook central Kyiv in the early ours, in the first such attack on the city in weeks. Two more blasts were heard on the southern outskirts of the city later in the day, a Reuters reporter said. "The Russians hit Kyiv again. Missiles damaged an apartment building and a kindergarten," said Andriy Yermak, head of the president's administration. A Reuters photographer saw a large blast crater by a playground in a private kindergarten that had smashed windows. Ukraine's police chief, Ihor Klymenko, said on national television that five people had been wounded, and police later said one person was killed. "It's more of their barbarism," said Biden, referring to the missile strikes, as leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) rich democracies gathered for a summit in Germany. As Europe's biggest land conflict since World War Two entered its fifth month, the Western alliance supporting Kyiv was starting to show signs of strain as leaders fret about the growing economic cost, including surging food and energy prices. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the West needed to maintain a united front against Russian President Vladimir Putin. "The price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher," he told reporters. Strategic city falls Life had been returning to normal in Kyiv after fierce resistance held off Russian advances in the early phase of the war, although air raid sirens regularly sound across the city. There had been no major strikes on Kyiv since early June. The city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said on the Telegram messaging app that Sunday's strike had partially destroyed a nine-storey apartment building in the historic Shevchenkivskiy district of central Kyiv and caused a fire. "There are people under the rubble," Klitschko said. "They have pulled out a seven-year-old girl. She is alive. Now they're trying to rescue her mother." A Ukrainian air force spokesperson said the strike was carried out with between four to six long-range missiles fired from Russian bombers more than 1,000 kilometres away in the southern Russian region of Astrakhan. He said some of the incoming missiles were shot down. Russia's defence ministry said it had used high-precision weapons to strike Ukrainian army training centres in the regions of Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Lviv, an apparent reference to strikes reported by Ukraine on Saturday. There was no immediate comment about Sunday's strikes on Kyiv. Explosions were also heard on Sunday in the central city of Cherkasy, which has been largely untouched by bombardment so far, regional governor Oleksandr Skichko said on Telegram. Russia denies targeting civilians, but Ukraine and the West accuse Russian forces of war crimes in a war that has killed thousands, sent millions fleeing Ukraine and destroyed cities. The strategic eastern battlefield city of Sievierodonetsk fell to pro-Russian forces on Saturday after Ukrainian troops retreated, saying there was no longer anything to defend in the ruined city after months of fierce fighting. The fall of Sievierodonetsk is a major defeat for Kyiv as it seeks to keep control of the eastern Donbas region, a key military objective for the Kremlin. Moscow says the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces in Donbas, where it has backed uprisings since 2014, are independent countries. It demands Ukraine cede the entire territory of the two provinces to separatist administrations. G7 Summit Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what the Kremlin called a "special military operation" it said was needed to rid the country of dangerous nationalists and ensure Russian security. Kyiv and the West dismiss that as a pretext for a land grab. The war has had a huge impact on the global economy and European security, driving up gas, oil and food prices, pushing the European Union to reduce reliance on Russian energy and prompting Finland and Sweden to seek NATO membership. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he would urge his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to start a dialogue during a peace-building mission to the warring countries and would ask Putin to order an immediate ceasefire. "War has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated," Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, said before leaving to attend the G7 summit. The United Nations has warned that a protracted war in Ukraine, one of the world's major grain exporters, threatens to cause a global hunger crisis. Seeking to further tighten the screws on Russia, G7 countries announced an import ban on new gold from Russia as they started their summit in the Bavarian Alps. NATO leaders will hold a June 29-30 summit in Madrid. 'It was a horror' The fall of Sievierodonetsk - once home to more than 100,000 people but now a wasteland - transforms the battlefield in the east after weeks in which Moscow's huge advantage in firepower had yielded only slow gains. Russia's Interfax news agency cited a representative of pro-Russian separatist fighters saying Russian and pro-Russian forces had also entered Lysychansk across the river. The two cities were the last major cities held by Ukrainian forces in the east. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed in a video address on Saturday that Ukraine would win back the cities it lost, including Sievierodonetsk. "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," he said. In the Ukrainian-held Donbas town of Pokrovsk, Elena, an elderly woman from Lysychansk in a wheelchair, was among dozens of evacuees who arrived by bus from frontline areas. "Lysychansk, it was a horror, the last week. Yesterday we could not take it any more," she said. "I already told my husband if I die, please bury me behind the house." (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a trilateral meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in this week on the sidelines of a summit, his office said on Sunday. The trilateral summit, set for Wednesday in Madrid, will be the first such gathering in four years and nine months since the last meeting was held in September 2017 on the margins of a UN General Assembly, reports Yonhap News Agency. No trilateral meeting has since taken place amid badly frayed relations between Seoul and Tokyo. The relations between the two countries have shown signs of a thaw since Yoon took office with a pledge to improve ties with the neighbouring nation, spurring speculation that the President and Kishida could hold a one-on-one summit in . But no such meeting, whether it be an official bilateral summit or a pull-aside meeting, is likely to take place, officials said. A four-way summit between South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand is also unlikely to take place, officials said. Yoon plans to depart for on Monday for the summit set for Wednesday and Thursday. The trip will mark his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage since taking office last month. is not a member of the military alliance but has been invited as a partner nation, along with other countries that include Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Yoon is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from Canada, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark and the Czech Republic to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation, according to his office. --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish President has told Sweden's prime minister that he has not seen any tangible moves to address Turkey's concerns about her country joining NATO, Erdogan's office said on Saturday. Erdogan called in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson for binding commitments from Sweden, as well as a concrete change of attitude in the country's approach to fighting terrorism. He added that had not seen any tangible initiative from that would alleviate Turkey's concerns at this point about the Nordic nation's request to become a member, the president's communications directorate said in a statement. and Finland applied to join the Western military alliance in May following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, which is a member, has so far blocked the applications, citing what Ankara considers to be a soft approach to organisations such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against that has left tens of thousands dead. is demanding that and Finland grant extradition requests for individuals who are wanted in Turkey. Ankara claims the countries are harbouring PKK members as well people it says are linked to a failed 2016 coup. Turkey also wants assurances that arms restrictions imposed by the two countries over Turkey's 2019 military incursion into northern Syria will be removed. Finland and Sweden's membership requests and Turkey's objections are expected to be a central theme at a June 28-30 summit in Madrid. Erdogan earlier reiterated Turkey's demands in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the presidency said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) urged the United States on Saturday to unfreeze Afghanistan's foreign funds and lift financial sanctions to help the war-torn country deal with its deadliest in more than two decades. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday, while speaking to reporters in Kabul, said, "In these testing times, we call on the United States to release Afghanistan's frozen assets and lift sanctions on Afghan banks so that aid agencies could easily deliver assistance to ." Notably, US President Joe Biden in February signed an executive order to free 7 billion US dollars out of more than 9 billion frozen Afghan assets, splitting the money between humanitarian aid for and a fund for 9/11 victims. The United Nations said humanitarian organizations, in coordination with authorities, are continuing to provide aid to families in Paktika and Khost, the two southeastern Afghan provinces hardest hit by Wednesday's 5.9 magnitude earthquake, reported Voice of America (VOA). "There are, however, unconfirmed reports that between 700 and 800 families are living in the open across three of the six worst-affected districts," said a UN statement on Saturday. "Families living in non-damaged and partially damaged buildings have also reportedly resorted to living out in the open out of fear that there may be further tremors," it added. According to the Taliban officials, the quake killed 1,150 people, injured about 1,600 and destroyed nearly 3,000 homes, with hundreds more partially damaged. As per UN children's fund UNICEF, atleast 121 children were among those killed and the toll is likely to increase. Afghan authorities have called off the search for survivors, and they were struggling to deliver critically needed aid due to capacity challenges. "We are urgently working to address complicated questions about the use of these funds to ensure they benefit the people of and not the Taliban," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Saturday. Meanwhil, India delivered the second consignment of relief assistance on Friday to support the people of Afghanistan badly affected by the that struck this week in the eastern part of the country. The relief batch that reached Kabul is the second one in two days, being given in the wake of a devastating that claimed more than 1,000 lives. "Second consignment of India's earthquake relief assistance for the people of Afghanistan reaches Kabul," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet. The relief assistance consists of essential items including family ridge tents, sleeping bags, blankets, sleeping mats, etc. "In the wake of the tragic earthquake that struck Afghanistan on June 22, 2022 causing massive destruction and loss of precious lives, the Government of India, as a true first responder, has dispatched 27 tons of emergency relief assistance in two flights for the people of Afghanistan," the MEA said in a statement. "As always, India stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, with whom we share centuries-old ties, and remains firmly committed to provide immediate relief assistance for the Afghan people," the statement added. India on Thursday handed over the first consignment to support the Afghan nationals affected by the earthquake. India also deployed a team to the Embassy in Kabul to coordinate the efforts of stakeholders for the delivery of humanitarian aid. (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.) New exports of Russian gold will no longer be allowed to enter the UK, US, Canada and Japan after tough new measures agreed at the in Germany on Sunday, designed to exert pressure on Russian President over the conflict with Ukraine. Gold is a major Russian export, worth 12.6 billion pounds to the Russian economy in 2021. Its value to the Russian elite has also increased in recent months with oligarchs rushing to buy gold bullion in an attempt to avoid the financial impact of western sanctions. The measures we have announced today will directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putin's war machine, said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is attending the summit in Bavaria. Putin is squandering his dwindling resources on this pointless and barbaric war. He is bankrolling his ego at the expense of both the Ukrainian and Russian people. We need to starve the Putin regime of its funding. The UK and our allies are doing just that, he said. London is a major global gold trading hub and UK sanctions, which will be the first of their kind to be implemented against anywhere in the world, will have a huge impact on Putin's ability to raise funds. With this import ban on new Russian-origin gold, over 13.5 billion pounds of our imports from will be covered by restrictions. Given London's role at the heart of the global gold trade, this shows the UK will take tough steps to stop the Russian war machine, said UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak. I am pleased that following discussions with in the G7 Finance Track, the US, Canada and Japan will be joining us in imposing this measure, shutting down avenues for Russian gold sales and maximising the impact that we can have on Putin and his cronies, he said. At the G7, the UK's message has been to further isolate from the financial system. The UK claims to have already sanctioned more than 1,000 individuals and more than 100 entities since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February. The measures announced this week build on the action taken by the London Bullion Market in March to suspend six Russian refineries. The gold import ban, which will come into force shortly, will apply to newly mined or refined gold. It does not impact Russian-origin gold previously exported from Russia. The UK government has said that there are no plans to extend restrictions to Russian gold purchased legitimately before the import ban was put in place. Legislation will be tabled in the UK Parliament to implement this latest ban as the UK pledges further GBP 429 million in guarantees for World Bank lending to Ukraine. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government recently announced that it has renamed the Tour of Duty as Project Agniveer but the mention of a new CDS was still missing His name came up for Army Chief before he retired after Gen Rawats tragic death, and now as CDS. Just as the Government by process of elimination (letting contenders retire) got its choice, Gen Manoj Pandey, as Army Chief, it will also get the retired Lt Gen it wants as CDS. But that will still not explain the extraordinary delay in selecting a CDS. In 2019, Government had hailed plugging the holes in higher defence organisations a political feat. Despite six months without a CDS, Government has merely issued gazette notifications to Army, Navy and Air Force Acts, specifying the criteria for a CDS. Apparently, no urgency attaches to his appointment anymore. No comprehensive criteria for CDS were laid out before Rawats hurried appointment. The selection pool has widened as now serving and retired Generals, Lt Gens and their equivalents in the other two services below 62 years on date of appointment will be eligible. Nearly 50 officers are in the race but the number may reduce if the Government takes its time. Veterans have put their money on one retired Lt Gen who is favoured by the establishment, superseding three serving Chiefs, all of whom belong to the 61st NDA batch. A marked measure of ad hocism has crept into Defence matters because the chain of command in MoD is blurred, distributed between PMO and NSA with Defence Ministry generally out of the loop and the Appointments Committee shared exclusively by PM and HM. The criteria evolved for CDS selection is unprecedented for a retired three star General being considered for a double jump. Retired three and four star officers have been appointed in staff slots like Commandant West Point and Royal College of Defence Studies but never a CDS. CDS has invariably been picked from serving Service Chiefs like in the UK, it was initially by seniority, then by rotation (round robin) and finally competence prevailed. In my column of May 18, I had written that Government was fumbling with two key defence issues: appointment of CDS and review of his work allocation and the new Human Resources Policy on Recruitment, called Tour of Duty. With Gen Rawats domineering persona out of the way, Defence Secretary has regrouped his forces to challenge his marginalisation by creation of Department of Military Affairs. He is determined to reset his towering position in MoD as CDS had virtually become Supreme Commander: Permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, single-point advisor to Defence Minister, Advisor to National Command Authority responsible for implementation and prioritisation of Defence Acquisition Plan. What Rawat could not complete was the theatrisation of four commands two land-based commands against China and Pakistan, one maritime command and an Air Defence Command. The warts in Rawats plan have not been removed as such a gigantic reforms process should have been entrusted to a Strategic Defence and Security Review Committee, not DMA. If the integrated theatrisation has been below par, the four-year ToD appears to be absurd, shortsighted and will terminally damage the innards of the time-tested regimental system, crippling the generational camaraderie, traditions and ethos of battalions and regiments. The Army, deficient of 125,000 soldiers, is operating with these dangerous deficiencies on LoC and LAC. With ToD intake at 40,000 while 60,000 retire annually, manpower voids will increase. What is most puzzling is how the Government-pushed ToD has passed muster with Commanders, especially from fighting arms Infantry and Armoured Corps. One serving Lt Gen said: Its fait accompli. The Government bringing in an Army Chief of its choice has helped ToD to sail through. A presentation on ToD was made to Prime Minister last week and clearly has his stamp all over Agnipath and Agniveer project, the name of the new All-India All-Class (AIAC) composition of the Army. 40,000 Agniveers with Rs 40,000 salary will become voluntary conscripts for four years, 10 per cent being ploughed back. Those discharged will get a severance package of Rs 11 lakh, one third of which they would have paid for. These soldiers of fortune are to be re-skilled and suitably re-employed by Government schemes that have not succeeded in the past, now even more unlikely, due to recession in jobs. Experts fear Agniveers could become military contractors (mercenaries), join insurgency movements, criminal gangs and so on. What havoc the AIAC will do to the regimental system is transform the Army into numbered regiments like the American Army, sacrificing the carefully manicured caste-based units and sub-units on the altar of financial expediency. Downsizing can be achieved in other ways without breaking integrity of the forces. Soon, commemorating battle honour days of 300-year-old and younger specifically-classed regiments will dissipate. Not to talk of 200-year-young Gorkha regiments enlisted from Nepal which could disappear, disrupting India-Nepal special relations. Has the Government really thought out ToD? A delayed and diminished CDS is clear reflection of Governments current importance of defence. For next CDS, my money is on Lt Gen (Retd) Yogesh Kumar Joshi, PYSM, UYSM, AVSM, VrC, SM from the 60th NDA batch. But the real worry must be about the bombshell ToD and the dangerous potential of extinguished Agniveers. (The writer, a retired Lt Gen, was Commander, IPKF South, Sri Lanka, and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff. The views expressed are personal.) British Prime Minister on Sunday angered many of his Conservative Party colleagues with bold claims of being on track to lead the governing party at the next general election, despite a growing rebellion against his leadership following scathing defeats in two important by-elections. Johnson has been putting up a strong defence in the face of criticism after voters punished the Conservatives over the partygate scandal and rising crisis by voting for Opposition Labour and Liberal Democrats in the by-elections earlier this week. With these by-polls seen as a de facto referendum on his leadership, the PM was asked by reporters at the end of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda if he would like to serve a full second term in office until the next election expected in 2028-2029. "At the moment I'm thinking actively about the third term and what could happen then, but I will review that when I get to it," he told reporters. A Downing Street source later suggested he may have been joking. Earlier, in a BBC interview, Johnson said: If you're saying you want me to undergo some sort of psychological transformation, I think that our listeners would know that is not going to happen. What you can do, and what the government should do, and what I want to do, is to get on with changing and reforming and improving our systems and our economy. He claimed that voters were "fed up with hearing conversation about me" and wanted to focus instead on the cost of living, the economy and "standing up to violence and aggression" in Ukraine. "Forget about me, think about what this country, the could do and where it's gone, he told reporters. However, his reaction and comments in the wake of the by-election defeats have attracted strong criticism from Conservative Party quarters believed to be plotting yet again to try and oust him as leader and Prime Minister. One unnamed former supporter of Johnson and an ex-Cabinet minister branded his remarks as completely delusional. A senior member of Parliament from a red wall seat, traditionally Labour Party strongholds which had been won over by the Tories in the 2019 general election, said he was showing increasing signs of a bunker mentality, and that never ends well. Another former Tory veteran who had backed Johnson as leader in 2019 warned that if he did not heed the lessons of the double defeats at the Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield by-elections and take the appropriate action, then his parliamentary colleagues will have to do it for him. The poll setbacks was made worse by the subsequent resignation of the Conservative Party chair and close ally Oliver Dowden, who declared "we cannot carry on with business as usual" and that someone "must take responsibility". Johnson will be hoping to put these domestic political difficulties to one side as he meets world leaders at two summits over the coming days the G7 in Germany from Sunday and a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) meeting in Spain from Tuesday. (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 providing 2.5 million euros aid for immediate life-saving support to people in affected by the devastating this week, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced. "A total of 2 million will go to the Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) to provide shelter, medication, water, sanitation, and other basic needs. The IFRC already has staff and volunteers working on the ground to respond to the crisis and help address the urgent humanitarian needs - including in Khost and Paktika, the 2 provinces most heavily impacted," said a press release on Friday. A further 500,000 euros will go to the Norwegian Refugee Council, who are already working on the ground, to provide shelter and cash assistance to those affected, it added. The government said that this support will come from the UK's aid fund for Afghanistan, which is 286 million euros this financial year, one of the largest bilateral programmes. Last year, the UK's funding supported emergency health services, water, protection, shelter, food, and education through the UN Humanitarian Fund and World Food Programme. partners, including the United Nations and World Food Programme, are coordinating the global response and rapidly assessing the humanitarian needs. The is in direct contact with them to offer assistance and stands ready to consider any requests for aid or other help. UK aid was already delivered to the affected areas prior to the via the UN, NGOs and Red Cross. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said, "The recent is a tragedy for the people of . The scale of need was already severe before the earthquake struck, with more than half of the population requiring humanitarian assistance." "UK support will enable lifesaving supplies to be provided on the ground. Our aid budget for Afghanistan is one of the UK's largest bilateral programmes and we will continue to work urgently with our partners to respond to the unfolding humanitarian crisis," she added. The UK co-hosted a high-level international pledging summit with the UN in March 2022, to provide more vital funds. This helped the response to the UN's appeal of nearly USD 4.5 billion for Afghanistan, their largest appeal on record for a single country, reflecting the magnitude of the humanitarian challenge that was already facing the country before the earthquake. UK funding is channelled through UN partners and NGOs. No funding goes to or through the Taliban, the government clarified in the press release. (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.) LONDON (Reuters) -Britain, the United States, and will ban new imports of Russian gold as part of efforts to tighten the sanctions squeeze on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, the British government said on Sunday. The ban will come into force shortly and apply to newly mined or refined gold, the government statement said ahead of a meeting of Group of Seven leaders in Germany on Sunday. The move will not affect previously exported Russian-origin gold, it added. Russian gold exports were worth 12.6 billion pounds ($15.45 billion) last year and wealthy Russians have recently been buying bullion to reduce the financial impact of Western sanctions, the government said. "The measures we have announced today will directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putin's war machine," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in the statement. "We need to starve the Putin regime of its funding. The and our allies are doing just that." The latest initiative follows the London Bullion Market Association's (LBMA) March suspension of accreditation for six Russian precious metals refiners. ($1 = 0.8155 pounds) (Writing by William SchombergEditing by David Goodman) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a temporary pause, asset management companies are gearing up to launch new mutual fund schemes from the next month as capital regulator Sebi's three-month ban on the introduction of new fund offerings nears its end. Moreover, asset management companies (AMCs) have a line-up of passive funds on the fixed income and equity side as well as selective launches in certain categories to fill product gaps. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had discontinued the launch of NFOs until the new systems concerning pool accounts were determined and the regulator had set July 1 as the deadline for the implementation of the new system. So far this month, at least six AMCs -- including PGIM India Mutual Fund (MF), Sundaram MF, Baroda BNP Paribas MF, LIC MF and Franklin India MF -- have filed offer documents with seeking its approval to launch new schemes. Apart from these, draft papers were submitted with the regulator for 15 schemes during April-May by a dozen fund houses. "It seems the NFO launch season is going to be back starting next quarter. For two quarters, the bandwidth of AMCs got consumed in making the relevant changes in the movement of customers' money as directed them to discontinue the use of pool accounts. Further, at the same time, also became very volatile," Swapnil Bhaskar, Head of Strategy, Niyo - neo-banking platform for millennials, said. Going forward, some AMCs will start launching new fund offerings (NFOs) as new processes are in place and they are seeing value in the market due to the correction, he added. Kaustubh Belapurkar, Director Manager Research, Morningstar Investment Adviser India, said that given the temporary pause on new fund launches over the past few months, asset managers will look to launch these funds as the scenario returns to normal. "Asset managers have a line-up of passives both on the fixed income and equity side as well as selective launches in certain categories to fill product gaps," he added. Pooling of investor's funds and units by stockbrokers and clearing members in any manner and by the mutual fund investment advisors or distributors (wherever it was taking place) for mutual fund transactions was to be discontinued from April 1. However, after mutual discussion and agreement, gave the mutual fund industry extended timelines until July 1 to enable the industry to bring a high level of operational efficiency in the interest of investors and efficient functioning of mutual fund subscriptions and redemption. According to Sandeep Bagla, CEO of Trust MF, most intermediaries have re-engineered their processes to take care of Sebi's concerns on pool accounts. are looking forward to launching NFOs in July. NFOs lead to good participation from investors and also increased activity from distributors as well. "The distribution industry and other service providers/platforms are in the process of complying with the regulatory requirements and we are hopeful of approval to launch NFOs during the next quarter," Prateek Pant, Chief Business Officer - WhiteOak Capital Asset Management, said. He, further, said that WhiteOak Capital AMC is keenly awaiting the launch of its first equity NFO -- WhiteOak Capital Flexicap fund -- and over the next 6 months, it plans to launch other equity products across different categories like Midcap, Largecap, and Tax Saver. The Sebi's diktat impacted the launch of new schemes as the ongoing financial year 2022-23 saw the introduction of only four NFOs that garnered a total of Rs 3,307 crore, with ICICI Prudential Housing Opportunities Fund taking in the lion's share of Rs 3,159 crore. In 2021-22, AMCs launched 176 new fund offerings (NFOs) garnering a whopping Rs 1.08 lakh crore. In comparison, 84 NFOs were floated in 2020-21 and cumulatively, these funds were able to mobilise Rs 42,038 crore. (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 Shiv Sena MLA and minister Eknath Shinde moves to the Supreme Court against the disqualification notice issued by the deputy speaker to him and 15 other rebel legislators, party leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday dared the rebels to quit as MLAs and face fresh elections. A vacation bench of justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala is likely to hear on Monday the plea by Shinde, who along with a sizeable number of Sena MLAs, is currently camping in Guwahati in Assam since June 22. Raut said the doors of the party were open for those who wish to return. He expressed confidence that the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress will survive the current crisis. Majority of Shiv Sena MLAs have sided with Shinde and are currently camping in Guwahati, plunging the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Sena, into a crisis. "My open challenge to the rebels is to resign and seek a fresh mandate from their electorate. In the past, Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane and their supporters had resigned as Sena MLAs to join other parties. Even (Union minister) Jyotiraditya Scindia supporters in Madhya Pradesh had resigned as Congress MLAs (in March 2020)," Raut told reporters. ALSO READ: Shinde camp ready to face floor test in Maha Assembly, says Sena rebel MLA Expressing confidence that the MVA will survive the crisis, Raut said, "The rebels claim to have the support of majority of MLAs. So why are they still in Guwahati? Come to Mumbai. I will myself go the airport to welcome them." "I won't be surprised if the rebels attack each other in the Guwahati hotel as they have been forcibly kept there," he claimed. Meanwhile, Union minister Raosaheb Danve on Sunday said the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, racked by rebellion in main constituent Shiv Sena, will last "two to three days". Speaking at the inaugural function of an agriculture department building in the presence of state NCP minister Rajesh Tope, the BJP leader said the MVA should complete remaining development works at the earliest as "we (BJP) will be in opposition only for two to three days". "Time is running out. This government will last for two to three days. The BJP has nothing to do with this rebellion. Shiv Sena rebels have resentment towards Chief Minister as development funds were diverted by NCP and Congress," the Union Minister of State for Railway, Coal and Mines said. Queried on the possibility of the Eknath Shinde-led group merging with the BJP, Danve, himself a former state unit chief, said there was no such proposal and if one comes then the senior leadership would take a call. Back in Maharashtra, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked state Director General of Police (DGP) Rajnish Seth to provide adequate police protection to the families and homes of rebel MLAs, a police official said on Sunday. As per the letter written by Koshyari, he had received a representation on June 25 from 38 MLAs of Shiv Sena, two members of the Prahar Janshakti Party and seven Independents. I have received a representation from the MLAs stating that the police security of their families has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn," it said. Koshyari's letter stated that the MLAs had raised serious concerns about the safety of their homes and families in the context of the provocative and threatening statements being made by certain political leaders. Their families living in too will be secured as the security blanket entails house protection teams, they had said. Shiv Sena cadres have been staging protests in various parts of the state since Saturday in view of the rebellion by Shinde and other MLAs. Assam BJP ministers meet rebel MLAs Assam ministers Ashok Singhal and Pijush Hazarika on Sunday visited the luxury hotel in Guwahati, where dissident Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde is camping with other MLAs from Maharashtra, and held a series of discussions with them, sources said. This is the third time in two days that Singhal has met the dissidents. (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.) With cabinet minister Uday Samant reaching Guwahati on Sunday to join the Eknath Shinde-led faction, is now the only cabinet minister from the quota who is an MLA, while the remaining three from his party are MLCs. Samant, who headed Higher and Technical Education ministry, became the ninth minister of to join the Eknath Shinde camp. The Sena now has four cabinet ministers, including CM Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab, and Subhash Desai. Barring Aaditya, the rest three are MLCs. Another cabinet minister and MLA is Krantikari Shetkari Paksh leader Shankarrao Gadakh, an ally of Sena. In the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by the Sena, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party had 10 Cabinet-rank ministers before the rebellion and four Ministers of State (MoS), including two from the Sena quota. All the four MoS have joined the rebel camp in Guwahati. The other cabinet ministers of Sena currently camping in Guwahati are Eknath Shinde, Gulabrao Patil, Sandipan Bhumre, Dada Bhuse, and Uday Samant. The Ministers of State belonging to who have turned into dissidents are Shambhuraje Desai and Abdul Sattar while Bachchu Kadu (Prahar Janshakti Party) and Rajendra Yedravkar (Independent) come from the Sena quota. Among the four existing Cabinet ministers who come from Shiv Sena, Desai ceases to be an MLC next month as he was not renominated for another term in the Legislative Council polls held recently. The council of ministers has 31 Cabinet ministers and ten MoS. Forest minister and Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Rathod had resigned last year in connection with a criminal case. The chief minister is handling the forest portfolio. (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.) Slamming the dissident MLAs for having "monstrous ambitions", minister on Sunday said even if all the party legislators turn rebels, victory will always be of the party. Addressing the Sena workers in Mumbai for the second consecutive day, he also said that doors of the state and party are closed for the rebels MLAs. "Contest elections again, we will ensure you are defeated," the 30-year-old son of Sena president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said. Without naming the BJP, he said he felt ashamed that a party, which is in power at the Centre and Assam, have taken the MLAs from another ruling party from a different state and kept them in the north eastern state that is reeling under floods. The rebels were taken to Guwahati as "prisoners". About 12 to 14 MLAs are still in touch with us, Thackeray said. "When these MLAs come to the state assembly, they should have the guts to see in our eyes and tell us what we have not done for them. The ambitions of these people are monstrous," the minister for environment and tourism said. Sufficient development funds had been provided to all the legislators, he said, adding that the has become the voice of the common people. Majority of party MLAs have sided with rebel party minister Eknath Shinde and they are currently camping at Guwahati in Assam, a BJP-ruled state. Shinde and his group have claimed that they are the "real Shiv Sena". The rebel group said it enjoys a two-thirds majority in the legislature party and will prove its strength in the House. The dissidents have named their group as " (Balasaheb)". "There was a lot of respect for Eknath Shinde in Shiv Sena. Only in May he had been asked whether he wants to become the chief minister...I pity him, I am not angry. He could have rebelled in Thane or Mumbai and spelled out his ambitions instead of running away to Surat and then to Guwahati," Thackeray said. Addressing the party workers on Saturday, Aaditya had given a subtle warning to the party rebels, saying that the road from Mumbai airport to Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex here, goes via Worli. Worli, traditionally a Shiv Sena bastion in Mumbai, is the assembly constituency represented by . "The road from the airport to the Vidhan Bhavan passes via Worli. It's good that the rebels left (Shiv Sena). There is no room for traitors in the party," he had said. Aaditya has started holding meetings with the party workers and office-bearers from Saturday, which is being seen as a move to prevent any erosion of the cadre loyal to the Thackerays. The Mumbai civic polls are expected to be held later this year and the Shiv Sena, which has been ruling Asia's largest civic body for nearly three decades, is striving to retain its hold over it. The legislature secretariat had on Saturday issued 'summons' to 16 of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification. (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 principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, the is in the midst of a crisis with the Edappadi K. Palaniswami faction emerging stronger and edging out the party coordinator and former Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam and his associates. What is being watched in the political circles of Tamil Nadu are the moves of the Bharatiya Janata Party. After the advent of K. Annamalai, a former Karnataka cadre IPS officer as the state president of the BJP, the party has adopted an aggressive mode. organising secretary and former Minister, A. Ponnayian had in a recent party camp told the cadres that the was trying to edge out the and that the party cadres must be vigilant against any such moves by the saffron party. floor leader in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, Nainar Nagenthran has retorted to this and stated that it was the members in the legislative assembly who are vocal against the ruling DMK. The BJP had contested the rural body elections and the urban local body elections alone, much to the surprise of political observers. The BJP and the AIADMK had contested the 2021 assembly elections in the NDA front and the relationship is continuing. But the BJP state leadership announced that it would contest these elections alone to increase the organisational network of the party across Tamil Nadu. Political observer Dr Mukundraj told IANS that, " is the art of the possible and there is nothing wrong in the BJP trying to push the AIADMK into a corner and gain the upper hand. However it is not as easy as the BJP managers think as the AIADMK is a political party deeply rooted in Dravidian traditions just like its bitter opponent, DMK and that marks the difference with the saffron party which has still not been able to gain proper ground in the state." While the Palaniswami faction of the AIADMK is quite confident of their leader becoming the single leader of the party in the next general council meeting on July 11, there is scepticism in the Panneerselvam camp. However, being a seasoned politician with deep roots in the strong AIADMK belt of Tamil Nadu, thanks to his Thevar community identity, he cannot be easily pushed out. The question is whether the BJP will support the estranged section close to Pannerselvam and piggy ride on its back to gain a political foothold in Tamil Nadu. Sources in the OPS camp told IANS that the BJP is clandestinely trying to activate V.K. Sasikala, the estranged former interim general secretary of the AIADMK. Both Sasikala and Panneerselvam are from the Thevar community which has traditionally been the supporters of the party. Sasikala, even though estranged from the party, has a grass roots connect with the AIADMK cadres and leaders across Tamil Nadu and this part is being actively pitched by both the BJP and the faction close to OPS. While survival is important for Panneerselvam, the BJP is trying to gain ground in Tamil Nadu with a slew of political moves and it is to be seen how the saffron party will manage in the murky political waters of Tamil Nadu. Sources in the Tamil Nadu BJP told IANS that in there are no permanent friends or foes and if the party leadership wants to speak to Sasikala and the Thevar community elders it cannot be ruled out. The saffron party is desperately trying to get a foothold in Tamil Nadu. If the party piggy backs on the faction close to Panneerselvam and enters into a deal with Sasikala, there can be tremors in the AIADMK. The BJP, according to sources, is expecting that if Palaniswami is elected as the single general secretary of the party on July 11, it will be politically difficult for Panneerselvam to continue in the AIADMK. If he joins up with Sasikala and the BJP gives support from outside, things won't be easy for Palaniswami and the AIADMK. The saffron party is expecting to wriggle into that space and get a foothold in the of Tamil Nadu. --IANS aal/bg (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.) With dissident MLAs led by Eknath Shinde staying put in Guwahati for the last five days, the party is preparing for a legal battle amid the crisis, a Sena MP said on Sunday. Devdutt Kamat, the legal advisor-cum-counsel for Shiv Sena, said the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly has full powers to adjudicate in the absence of the Speaker- the post is lying vacant. A day earlier, the Maharashtra legislature secretariat had issued 'summons' to 16 rebel MLAs, including senior minister Eknath Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification. "A legislature party is not supreme and majority in the legislature party has no meaning (if) it is formed from the original party," Kamat told reporters flanked by chief spokesman and Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant. "We are preparing for a legal battle," Sawant said. Kamat said disqualification proceedings have been initiated against 16 rebel MLAs as per para 2.1.A of the 10th schedule of the Constitution. "Several verdicts of the Supreme Court had shown that actions of legislators outside the House amount to the anti-party activity and they are liable to be disqualified. They haven't responded to the party directives to attend meetings convened," he said. When asked about the options available for the dissident group of MLAs, Kamat said disqualification applies to them until they merge with another political outfit. "The governor can call for a floor test on the advice of the chief minister," he said. Addressing a virtual press conference from Guwahati on Saturday, rebel MLA Deepak Kesarkar had said the rebel group enjoys a two-thirds majority in the legislature party and will prove its strength in the House but will not merge with any other political party. Kamat said the concept of a merger was introduced in 2003. Earlier, Zirwal had acknowledged the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as the new legislature party leader of Shiv Sena, replacing Eknath Shinde. The rebel MLAs have asserted that they are Shivsainiks of Bal Thackeray and demanded that party president walk out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and revive ties with BJP. (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.) Throughout my life and with all my heart, I shall strive to be worthy of your trust' Why are Indians curious about the British Royal family even after India's Independence? We know the nursery rhyme from our childhood times, "Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? I have been to London to look at the Queen." Then TV series like 'Crown" and "Jewel in the Crown" also revived the memories of the colonial past. English is still the lingua franca of the Indian elite. The Queen's connection with India has been long. The Nizam of Hyderabad presented her with a diamond tiara made by Cartier as her wedding present. The famous Kohinoor diamond is sitting in her crown. India, projected as a 'jewel in the Crown' by the British, held a special place in the post-colonial world. The Queen has visited India thrice during her long reign. People had lined up on the streets (including me as a child ) to greet the Royal couple. Her children, including the future King Charles, are also familiar with India through their visits. It is time to look back on when Britain celebrates Queen Elizebeth's Platinum jubilee to mark her reign from June 2 to June 6. The Royal couple's maiden visit was in 1961 at the invitation of the then President Dr Rajendra Prasad. They visited Bombay (now Mumbai), Madras (now Chennai), Jaipur, Agra and Calcutta (now Kolkata). They were also the guests of honour at the Republic Day parade. The Maharaja of Jaipur had even organised a tiger hunting session for the royals. Their second visit was in 1983 at the invitation of President Giani Zail Singh. This time they stayed at the refurbished wing of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The TheQueen presented Mother Theresa with an honorary Order of Merit. The Queen also visited the historic Red Fort. She was 'carried' in a mock palanquin built without a bottom to avoid the possible embarrassment of an accident with the royal passenger. The third visit was in 1997 to mark the 50th anniversary of India's independence. The Royal couple were to visit Amritsar, but many protested against the Jalianwala Bagh massacre. The trouble began even before the Queen landed on Indian soil. In her state banquet address, the Queen admitted, "It is no secret that there have been some difficult episodes in our past - Jallianwala Bagh, which I shall visit tomorrow, is a distressing example". On the next day, October 14, the Royal couple went to Jallianwala Bagh, where she bowed her head and placed a wreath at the memorial, but the protests continued. The Queen was also a gracious host to three Indian presidents in 1963 (Dr Radhakrishnan),1990(R.Venlataraman), and 2009 (Pratibha Patil). One of the most recent events was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in 2015. He presented a crocheted cotton lace sent by Mahatma Gandhi as her wedding present. He also gave the photographs taken on the 1961 visit and some exclusive tea from the Makabari Estate in Bengal. England will celebrate the historic Platinum Jubilee event this month with much fanfare. The celebrations will begin with Trooping the Colour on June 2, the traditional parade to mark the Queen's official birth. On June 3, she will attend a thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral. June 5 will see the London-based Platinum Jubilee Pageant. Seven Indian authors, too, had made it to the Queen's 'read list' for the Platinum Jubilee. The list includes R.K.Narayan, Arundhati Roy, and V.S. Naipaul. Kamala Markandaya, and Raj Kamal Kha. Buckingham Palace has released a press statement giving some little-known facts about the Queen. She has met 14 presidents of the United States, and14 British Prime Ministers have served the Queen. She has visited more than 150 countries, hosted 100 state visits, and sent over 300,000 congratulatory cards to those celebrating their hundredth birthdays. She does not need a passport or driving licence as they are issued in the Queen's name. In keeping with time, she sent her first email in 1976. Many doubted whether she would pass on the crown to her heir Prince Charles. Breaking her silence, in her Platinum Jubilee national message, the Queen said," and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service." Even those against the monarchy respect the Queen. In a radio broadcast at the time of her coronation, the Queen said, "Throughout all my life and with all my heart, I shall strive to be worthy of your trust". She has lived up to this promise. (The writer is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal.) The BJP wrested high-profile Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh from the Samajwadi Party and won three assembly seats, including that of Chief Minister Manik Saha, in Tripura in by-election results announced on Sunday. While the AAP lost Punjabs Sangrur parliamentary constituency, vacated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), it was able to retain Rajinder Nagar assembly seat in Delhi that party leader Raghav Chadha had given up after he was elected to Rajya Sabha. In Uttar Pradesh, the opposition Samajwadi Party suffered a major setback as it lost to the BJP in its strongholds of Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats, vacated by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and party stalwart Azam Khan after they were elected to the Assembly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the BJP victory as "historic", asserting that this indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the "double engine" governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, a reference to the party being in power in both places. Ruling candidate Ghanshyam Lodhi won the Rampur parliamentary seat by a margin of over 42,000 votes. He defeated Mohd Asim Raja, considered close to Azam Khan. In Azamgarh, BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua defeated Dharmendra Yadav by 8,679 votes. Dharmendra is a cousin of Akhilesh Yadav and a three-time MP. 'People have sent a message that they aren't ready to accept dynastic and casteist parties who incite communal tension,' Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said. Akhilesh Yadav, rankled by the defeat, lashed out at the BJP and accused it of murdering democracy. "The chronology of murder of democracy in BJP rule: ... misuse of force to prevent voting, irregularities in counting, pressure on public representatives and dismantling the elected governments... .'' The Congress won a seat each in Tripura and Jharkhand, while the ruling YSR Congress emerged victorious in Atmakuru Assembly seat in Andhra Pradesh. (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.) minister on Sunday claimed that over a month ago, Maharashtra Chief Minister had asked party leader Eknath Shinde whether he wants to become the chief minister, although the latter had sidestepped the issue then. Aaditya, who is the son of Sena president and chief minister Thackeray, made this revelation while addressing party workers here. Eknath Shinde, a senior Sena minister and prominent leader from Thane district, last week rebelled against the party. Majority of Sena MLAs have sided with him and all of them are currently camping in Guwahati. Their move has pushed the Sena-led government to the brink of collapse. "On May 20, chief minister had called Eknath Shinde to 'Varsha' (CM's official residence) and asked whether he wants to become the chief minister. However, he had sidestepped the issue then. But a month later, on June 20, whatever had to happen, happened," Aaditya said while referring to Shinde's rebellion. He should have demanded the post directly on the face instead of running away to Surat and Guwahati, the Worli MLA said. Meanwhile, in his weekly column 'Rokhthok' published in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Sunday, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, Shinde had a good chance of becoming the state chief minister had he continued in . "Shinde would have been the chief minister if the BJP hadn't gone back on its word of rotational chief minister's post. It is surprising that Shinde wants to go to BJP," Raut said. The and BJP had parted ways after the 2019 Assembly poll results following Sena's insistence that the two parties share the top post. The Sena later joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Novermber 2019. assumed the top post after being asked to do so by NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Sanjay Raut has claimed that had the BJP accepted the Sena's offer for sharing the CM's post on rotational basis, then Uddhav Thackeray had Shinde in mind as the Sena's choice for the post. (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 Union government has decided to provide 'Y+' category security cover of armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to 15 rebel MLAs who have revolted against the government in . Sources said that 'Y+' category security cover of armed CRPF personnel has been provided to 15 MLAs which include Prakash Surve, Sadanand Sarvankar, Yogesh Dada Kadam, Pratap Sarnaik, Ramesh Bornare, Mangesh Kudalkar, Sanjay Shirsat, Latabai Sonawane, Yamini Jadhav, Pradeep Jaiswal, Sanjay Rathod, Dadaji Bhuse, Dilip Lande, Balaji Kalyanar and Sandipan Bhumare. These leaders have joined Eknath Shinde's camp in the ongoing political crisis in . The Centre's decision came a day after Shinde in a letter to Chief Minister alleged that the security cover provided to the family members of the rebel MLAs had been withdrawn. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had rejected the charges. Shinde claimed to have the support of more than two-thirds of the Shiv Sena MLAs. Even as the BJP has officially kept itself away from the Shiv Sena's internal tussle, it is being reported that rebel leader Shinde, who is camping in Guwahati and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis may have met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at an undisclosed location in Gujarat's Vadodara. (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 the ongoing tussle for the control of the between party president Uddhav Thackeray and dissident Eknath Shinde, party leader on Sunday dared the rebels to quit as MLAs and face fresh elections, but also said the doors of the party were open for those who wish to return. He expressed confidence that the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress will survive the current crisis. Majority of MLAs have sided with Shinde and are currently camping in Guwahati, plunging the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Sena, into a crisis. "My open challenge to the rebels is to resign and seek a fresh mandate from their electorate. In the past, Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane and their supporters had resigned as Sena MLAs to join other parties. Even (Union minister) Jyotiraditya Scindia supporters in Madhya Pradesh had resigned as Congress MLAs (in March 2020)," Raut told reporters here. The Sena rank and file are already on the ground waiting for a signal from the leadership, he said, hinting that the party was ready to take on the rebels. Raut scoffed at Shinde's tweet last night, in which he urged the Sena workers to have faith in him and that he was trying to save the party from the "python clutches" of MVA allies. "Don't know if these people are drugged. They have been in power for two-and-a-half years getting the creamest portfolios as ministers," Raut said. In a veiled warning, Raut said there can be a rebellion within the group of rebels as well. "Once they come back to Mumbai, they will know where exactly the rebellion is. We are against using the name of and Balasaheb Thackeray by their group". Expressing confidence that the MVA will survive the crisis, Raut said, "The rebels claim to have the support of majority of MLAs. So why are they still in Guwahati? Come to Mumbai. I will myself go the airport to welcome them." "I won't be surprised if the rebels attack each other in the Guwahati hotel as they have been forcibly kept there," he claimed. He said the party doors are open for those who wish to come back. "I am in touch with many of them. Let's see if BJP makes Shinde a CM," he said. Referring to the reports of Shinde's secret meetings with BJP leaders, he further said," If you have guts, use your own father's name to get votes or your fathers in Vadodara, Surat, Delhi." He lashed out to at the BJP saying they are sponsoring the rebels when Assam is braving floods causing loss of lives and property. The hotel where the rebels are staying has 340 rooms. It is a 18-storey building and three floors have been booked for the rebels, he said. "I have been sending e-mails to the hotel asking for 40 rooms. I sent an e-mail to Assam chief minister as well who invited Uddhav Thackeray to Assam as a tourist. I wrote to him that we have to hold a programme to boost tourism in Maharashtra and Assam. So we need booking in the hotel. But I haven't received a reply yet," the Sena MP quipped. Meanwhile, in his weekly column 'Rokhthok' published in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Sunday, Raut criticised Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, saying that if he was indeed behind the party legislators' rebellion, then has taken a wrong step. "The hunger of these rebels is huge. If Fadnavis plans to come back to power by encouraging them, then that dispensation will not last. Once again Fadnavis has taken a wrong decision. How will these rebels stay with Fadnavis, when they have left their own mother," Raut wrote. Shinde had a good chance of becoming a chief minister had he continued in Shiv Sena. Shinde would have been the chief minister if the BJP hadn't gone back on its word of rotational chief minister post, Raut said, adding, "It is surprising that shinde wants to go to BJP." The executive editor of 'Saamana' also wrote that rebel MLAs Pratap Sarnaik, Yamini Jadhav, Lata Sonawane and others have cases of money laundering and caste validity registered against them. "One of the rebel MLAs said he was free after the ED cases against him were cleared that he would do whatever BJP says," Raut said. Raut wondered why some rebel MLAs first went to Surat before flying to Guwahati, when the first batch had already reached Assam. "This is a case of research. If the rebellion is Shiv Sena's internal matter, why are the rebels kept in tight security at Surat and Guwahati," he asked. Earlier in the day, Raut posted a tweet targeted at the MLAs, in which he said, "How long will you hide in Guwahati, you will have to come to chowpatty," the Sena MP tweeted in Hindi along with a photo of the state Assembly's Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal looking into the distance. Key government establishments, including the Mantralaya (state secretariat), Vidhan Bhavan (legislature complex), Raj Bhavan and the chief minister's official bungalow 'Varsha' are located in the vicinity of the Girgaum beach, which is also known the Girgaum chowpatty, in south Mumbai. The Maharashtra legislature secretariat had on Saturday issued 'summons' to 16 of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a subtle warning to the rebels currently camping in Guwahati, party leader and cabinet minister has said the road from Mumbai airport to Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex here, goes via Worli. Worli, traditionally a bastion in Mumbai, is the assembly constituency represented by . Addressing the party workers on Saturday evening, the 30-year-old son of president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, also said there was no place for "traitors" in the party. He made the statement amid the ongoing political crisis in that was triggered by senior minister Eknath Shinde's rebellion. Majority of party MLAs have sided with Shinde and they are currently camping at Guwahati in Assam, a BJP-ruled state. Shinde and his group have claimed that they are the "real Shiv Sena". The rebel group said it enjoys a two-thirds majority in the legislature party and will prove its strength in the House. The dissidents have named their group as "Shiv Sena (Balasaheb)". Amid these developments, has started holding meetings with the party workers and office-bearers from Saturday, which is being seen as a move to prevent any erosion of the cadre loyal to the Thackerays. In his address, Aaditya said, "The road from the airport to the Vidhan Bhavan passes via Worli. It's good that the rebels left (Shiv Sena). There is no room for traitors in the party." The Mumbai civic polls are expected later this year and the Shiv Sena, which has been ruling Asia's largest civic body for nearly three decades, is striving to retain its hold over it. The legislature secretariat had on Saturday issued 'summons' to 16 of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification. (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 Supreme Court on Monday will hear petitions by rebel leader Eknath Shinde and the MLAs challenging the disqualification notices issued by Deputy Speaker to them and also the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as Legislature Party leader. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala will hear the petitions filed by Shina and rebel MLAs led by Bharat Gogawali against the Deputy Speaker. Shinde claims to enjoy support of two-third members of the party. has been facing a political crisis after Shinde and rebel MLAs left the state, protesting against the alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. The rebel MLAs have been camping in a hotel in Assam's Guwahati for the past few days. The Deputy Speaker had issued notices to the 16 rebel MLAs on the disqualification plea by Thackeray's team. Shinde claims the actions of the Deputy Speaker show he is hand in glove with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Shinde's plea said the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker is completely violative of Article 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, and also the illegal and unconstitutional action of the Deputy Speaker in recognising Choudhuri as the leader of the Legislature Party (SSLP) despite the said request being admittedly made by a minority faction. The plea said the petitioner is aggrieved by the notice/summon dated June 25 which is grossly illegal, unconstitutional and in utter disregard of the judgment of this Court in the matter of Nabam Rebia & Bamang Felix Vs Dy. Speaker, Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in (2016). "That the seat of Speaker is vacant since Nana Patole resigned from office in February 2021. Thus, there is no authority who can adjudicate upon the disqualification petition under which the impugned notice has been issued to the Petitioner," it added. The rebel leaders urged the apex court to prohibit the Deputy Speaker from taking any action under the anti-defection law (10th Schedule of the Constitution) and issue direction against taking any action until the resolution for removal of Deputy Speaker is decided. "Issue a writ of prohibition/mandamus or any other appropriate writ, direction or order, directing Respondent No. 1 (Deputy Speaker) to not take any action in the disqualification petition under Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules seeking disqualification of the Petitioners under Para-2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India pending before Hon'ble Speaker of State Legislative Assembly and not take any action on the same until the resolution for removal of Deputy Speaker is decided," said the plea. Shinde claimed the MLAs' request to work as per party founder Balasaheb Thackeray was not heeded by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "The requests made by the petitioner and other MLAs fell on deaf ears and were rejected by the Chief Minister. The petitioner as well as the other MLAs making such requests in turn started receiving threats from certain unscrupulous elements," he alleged in the plea. (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.) Former minister and MLA Deepak Kesarkar, who is now in the Eknath Shinde camp, said MLAs of the Shinde camp are ready to face the floor test in the Legislative Assembly at any time, but first recognition should be given to Eknath Shinde faction. In an exclusive interview to ANI today over the phone, Kesarkar said, "MLAs of the Shinde camp are ready to face the floor test in the Legislative Assembly at any time, but first recognition should be given to Eknath Shinde faction. We will not go with the MVA government." Amid the political crisis in triggered by a rebellion by a large section of MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde has approached the Supreme Court against the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker against rebel MLAs. The plea also challenges the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as the Shiv Sena's legislative leader in the House in place of Shinde. Kesarkar further said, "One to two more MLAs will come and join us. With their support and other independents, our strength will be increased to 51. We will arrive at a decision in 3-4 days and thereafter, we will directly go back to Maharashtra." Meanwhile, leader Sanjay Raut continues to issue threats to dissident party MLAs led by Eknath Shinde currently staying in Guwahati. Speaking at the 'Shiv Sena Melava' (party gathering) of workers at Sahisar in Mumbai, Raut went on to say, "40 bodies will arrive from Guwahati and they will be directly sent for post-mortem," in a remark directed at the rebel Sena MLAs. Reacting to this, Deepak said, "It is a very indecent statement. What kind of language has he used? He is a member of Parliament. By using such language, he is inciting the Shiv Sainiks. Our camp's majority is increasing day by day." The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the party, thus achieving the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena.Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'.The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. (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.) Tech giant has clarified how its Googlebot ranks pages, saying it will crawl the first 15 MB of a webpage and anything after this cutoff will not be included in rankings calculations. specified in the help document that "any resources referenced in the HTML such as images, videos, CSS and JavaScript are fetched separately". "After the first 15 MB of the file, Googlebot stops crawling and only considers the first 15 MB of the file for indexing," said. "The file size limit is applied on the uncompressed data," it added. As per the report, this left some in the SEO community wondering if this meant Googlebot would completely disregard text that fell below images at the cutoff in HTML files. "It is specific to the HTML file itself like it's written," John Mueller, Google Search Advocate, clarified via Twitter. "Embedded resources/content pulled in with IMG tags is not a part of the HTML file," he added. To ensure it is weighted by Googlebot, important content must now be included near the top of web pages. This means code must be structured in a way that puts the SEO-relevant information with the first 15 MB in an HTML or supported text-based file. It also means images and videos should be compressed not be encoded directly into the HTML, whenever possible. --IANS vc/ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan, which played an important role in containing the spread of communism, continues to be of help to the US US State Department spokesperson Ned Price recently commented in favour of advancing the US-Pakistan partnership in a manner that serves their mutual interests. Elsewhere, at the CNN News18 Town Hall, S. Jaishankar stated that a "lot of India's problems with Pakistan are directly attributable to the support that the United States gave to Pakistan." The link between the US support to Pakistan and Indias problems needs to be revisited. Theoretically, the power of the weak states to attract the great powers has been well established. Weak states cannot defend themselves. Consequently, they seek financial and military aid in exchange for their strategic autonomy and the geostrategic location. Pakistan is one such state. Soviet Union leader Stalin first extended an invitation to Pakistan PM Liaquat Ali Khan in 1949 to visit Moscow. The fundamental differences between an Islamist state and a communist Soviet prevented that entente; hence, Pakistan sided with the US and played an important role in containing the spread of communism. By 1955, Pakistan had joined two regional defence pacts, the South East Asia Treaty Organization and the Central Treaty Organization (Baghdad Pact). A little before 1955, in 1953, when Ayub Khan visited Turkey, he reiterated Dulles's 'northern tier defence pact' in which the two countries would occupy a prominent position. Later in 1954, the Turko-Iraqi agreement (Baghdad Pact) superseded the Turko-Pak plan. Consequently, from 1953 to 1961, Islamabad received nearly $2 billion in US assistance, one-quarter of this in military aid. Apart from this data, information retrieved from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicates that from 1955 to 1959, US arms exports amounted to $1.02 billion. When correlated with Pakistan's then financial situation, strong indications of a vicious cycle of US aid and US arms exports emerge. In the budding relationship between the two, the core security concerns of India, a democratic nonaligned country, were sidelined. Upon India's vehement protests, oral assurances were given by Eisenhower to Nehru that the US would take care of the situation in a case of Pakistan's aggression against India. Thus, while India was idealistically following a nonaligned policy, Pakistan was hard bargaining its geostrategic location in lieu of military aid. According to the strategic experts, nearly four-fifths of all the foreign aid Pakistan received during 1951-60 came from the US. From the 1960s to the late 1970s, there was a brief period when US aid to Pakistan decreased. The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan again allowed Pakistan to extract more aid from the US. In exchange for Pakistan's role in the Afghan war, a $400-million US aid was offered to Pakistan. It was rejected by the Zia-ul-Haq regime in 1980 and was labeled as 'peanuts.' Haq eyed the F-16, which Islamabad later got. Thus, from 1983 to 1990, Pakistan received military aid of $3.73 billion along with 1,000 Stinger missiles, and the component of US arms sales was $2.2 billion. This was the same period when Pakistan's proxy war in Kashmir started, including the massacre of Kashmiri Hindus. Also, at a regional level, many security experts attribute the birth of the Taliban to ISI and US agencies. Had the US assistance not been there, Pakistan would not have been so aggressive against India and its other neighbours, such as Afghanistan and Iran. Thus, the relationship between Pakistan and the US has always been based on a patron-client state wherein foreign or military aid is given to serve the US' geopolitical interests. In the post-Cold War phase, Pakistan was reeling under sanctions due to its nuclear tests and was denied any military aid. However, the 9/11 attacks in the US again brought Pakistan to the forefront of Washington's South Asia policy. As per the SIPRI data, during 2002-14 Pakistan, as a major non-NATO ally, got military aid worth $5.81 billion and the arms sales component was $3.2 billion. This was the same period when the Nandimarg massacre and Mumbai attacks took place. All these attacks were attributed to Pakistan. India collected the 'proof' and gave it to the US, hoping that the US might acknowledge it and help India. Little did India realise that the geopolitics of national interests, military aid, and arms trade are closely interrelated factors. Hence Pakistan was never labeled as a 'terrorist state' by the US. It was only after Pakistan's backstabbing of the US in Afghanistan that former US president Donald Trump realised America's mistake and commented in 2018 that it had "foolishly" given aid and, in return, merely got "lies and deceit." Today, despite Washington's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and the backstabbing by Pakistan in Afghanistan, the US is all set to re-engage Pakistan, which will harm India's interests. Given the evolving situation, India too is changing. The coupling of strategic autonomy and Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector is the answer to the geopolitics of the patron-client relationship. (The author is Assistant Professor, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda) RWANDA :: Paul Kagame: The Commonwealth does not replace other institutions President Kagame's Opening Speech for CHOGM 2022, 24 June 2022 It is a pleasure and an honour to welcome you to the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the sixth in Africa, and the first since our world was turned upside down by a devastating pandemic. The journey here has been long. But it was easier, because of the support we have rendered to one another. I thank the Chair-in-Office, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the Secretary-General, for guiding our organisation through unprecedented times. We are very honoured today to welcome Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. We join together to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, the Head of the Commonwealth, and its most devoted champion. Over her seventy years of service, the Commonwealth has grown, both in number, and in the scope of its ambition. The fact of holding this meeting in Rwanda, a new member with no historical connection to the British Empire, expresses our choice to continue re-imagining the Commonwealth, for a changing world. The Commonwealth does not replace other institutions; it adds to them. That is why we always have important special guests with us. This year, let me recognise, in particular, His Highness the Emir of Qatar, and I thank him for being here with us. The Commonwealth we need, is on the frontlines of global challenges, not on the periphery, watching events unfold. Our special strength is to bring issues into focus, that might otherwise be overlooked. For instance, the way that climate change puts the very existence of small island and developing states, into jeopardy. Or the possibility to transcend size and geography, by leveraging new technologies, to create high-quality, global jobs for our youth, right at home. We are united by a shared language, whether English is our first, second, third, or even fourth one. But what really defines us, are the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter, and a commitment to good governance, the rule of law, and the protection of rights. That is why we shall always remain open to new voices, and new members. And wherever we might fall short, we find solutions through consensus and dialogue; we build each other up; and we move forward, together. In closing, I also want to welcome you to Rwanda. Ours is a country that was torn apart by genocide and division, just a generation ago. Today, we are a nation transformed, in heart, mind, and body. Three-quarters of our population are young people, with no memory of those events. Everything we do, including joining the Commonwealth in 2009, is aimed at making sure that our people are connected, included, and forward-looking. We are delighted that, through CHOGM, you have the opportunity to get to know us, and we aim to repay that trust, with many years of continued friendship. I thank you. Discours d'ouverture du president Kagame pour le CHOGM 2022 en Francais, traduction libre et non officielle, 24 juin 2022 C'est un plaisir et un honneur de vous accueillir a la 26e reunion des chefs de gouvernement du Commonwealth, la sixieme en Afrique et la premiere depuis que notre monde a ete bouleverse par une pandemie devastatrice. Le voyage ici a ete long. Mais c'etait plus facile, grace au soutien que nous nous sommes apportes les uns aux autres. Je remercie le President en exercice, le Premier ministre Boris Johnson, et le Secretaire general, d'avoir guide notre organisation a travers des temps sans precedent. Nous sommes tres honores aujourd'hui d'accueillir Leurs Altesses Royales le Prince de Galles et la Duchesse de Cornouailles. Nous nous unissons pour rendre hommage a Sa Majeste la Reine, chef du Commonwealth et son champion le plus devoue. Au cours de ses soixante-dix annees de service, le Commonwealth a grandi, a la fois en nombre et dans la portee de son ambition. Le fait de tenir cette reunion au Rwanda, nouveau membre sans lien historique avec l'Empire britannique, exprime notre choix de continuer a reinventer le Commonwealth, pour un monde qui change. Le Commonwealth ne remplace pas les autres institutions ; il sajoute a eux. C'est pourquoi nous avons toujours des invites speciaux importants avec nous. Cette annee, permettez-moi de saluer en particulier Son Altesse l'Emir du Qatar, et je le remercie d'etre parmi nous. Le Commonwealth dont nous avons besoin est en premiere ligne des defis mondiaux, et non a la peripherie, regardant les evenements se derouler. Notre force particuliere est de mettre l'accent sur des problemes qui pourraient autrement etre negliges. Par exemple, la facon dont le changement climatique met en peril l'existence meme des petits Etats insulaires et des pays en voie de developpement. Ou la possibilite de transcender la taille et la geographie, en tirant parti des nouvelles technologies, pour creer des emplois mondiaux de haute qualite pour nos jeunes, directement chez eux. Nous sommes unis par une langue commune, que l'anglais soit notre premiere, deuxieme, troisieme ou meme quatrieme langue. Mais ce qui nous definit vraiment, ce sont les valeurs inscrites dans la Charte du Commonwealth et un engagement envers la bonne gouvernance, la primaute du droit et la protection des droits. C'est pourquoi nous resterons toujours ouverts aux nouvelles voix et aux nouveaux membres. Et partout ou nous risquons d'echouer, nous trouvons des solutions par le consensus et le dialogue ; nous nous construisons mutuellement; et nous avancons, ensemble. Pour Terminer, je veux aussi vous souhaiter la bienvenue au Rwanda. Cest un pays qui a ete dechire par le genocide et la division, il y a a peine une generation. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes une nation transformee, dans le cur, l'esprit et le corps. Les trois quarts de notre population sont des jeunes, sans aucun souvenir de ces evenements. Tout ce que nous faisons, y compris notre adhesion au Commonwealth en 2009, vise a nous assurer que nos peuples sont connectes, inclus et tournes vers l'avenir. Nous sommes ravis que, grace a CHOGM, vous ayez l'opportunite de nous connaitre, et nous visons a rendre cette confiance, avec de nombreuses annees d'amitie continue. Je vous remercie. 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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 China's Xinjiang condemns U.S. "forced labor" act Xinhua) 09:07, June 26, 2022 A farmer pours cotton seeds into a seeding machine in Xayar County, Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 3, 2022. (Photo by Liu Yuzhu/Xinhua) URUMQI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Figures from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have condemned the United States' enforcement of its so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act," saying it is a move of hurting others' interests without benefiting oneself and gravely damaged the international business environment. The United States' imports ban against Xinjiang is an act of blatant robbery, zero-sum hegemony and Cold War mentality, said Xu Guixiang, spokesman for the regional government, at a press conference on Friday. It poses a big threat to the security of global industrial and supply chains, and seriously undermines a fair and just international business environment, he added. "The so-called 'forced labor' is simply nonsense," said Shang Xiaoke, labor union official of a chemical company in Xinjiang. "Corporate employment is a matter of the market." China's legal system provides strong support for the protection of workers' rights and interests, and workers of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang freely choose their occupations and workplaces, said Hamiti Abdurehei, a researcher at the Xinjiang Development Research Center. "They enjoy freedom, equality, safety and dignity in their work, and a comfortable and reassuring life," he said. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) Actress Rashmika Mandanna, who is one of the top actresses in the Tamil and Telugu film industries, has completed shooting for her portions in director Vikas Bahl's 'Goodbye'. Taking to Instagram, Rashmika said, "Goodbye. Hate to say goodbye to my baby 'Goodbye' but guys, it's a wrap for me for 'Goodbye'!. "It's been two years since we began this journey amidst Covid waves and everything (it was literally like the vows - through sickness and in health) but nothing could stop us from partying our way through it all and now, I can't wait for you guys to see what 'Goodbye' is really all about. This is going to be fun! "Get ready to do some serious laughing! Everyone you see here. Everyone I've worked with in this team will always and forever be super special to me (Guys! Let's work again soon, like super soon. I dunno how you'll make it happen but make it happen!) I love you guys! You are the bestest! "Amitabh Bachchan sir, I am so so glad and so so grateful I got to do this film with you. You are the world's bestest (sic) man ever! Vikas Bahl, thank you for this. God knows what made you believe in me to make me a part of such a special film. I just hope I've made you feel proud so far. "Neena Gupta, you are the cutest! I miss you. Ah ok, I should stop. I can go on but I really should stop. Chaitally Parmar, Pavail Gulati, Sahil Mehta, Elli AvrRam, Sudhakar Yakkanti I love you guys ya. But I'll shut up now. My loves. I'll see y'all soon with my baby 'Goodbye'. Get ready you guys. I can't wait!" Listen to the full discussion here: When I grew up, the movies [in which] characters left the known world and ventured out into the unknown were the ones I really responded to, says Williams, explaining that some of the biggest inspirations behind The Sea Beast were classic adventure films such as King Kong, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Lawrence of Arabia. I definitely wanted to wear those influences on my sleeve when we made this movie, he says. While building the world of The Sea Beast, Williams wanted to ensure that it felt really big and immersive, citing influences such as The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Blade Runner. Williams believes the filmmakers behind those classics knew their world beyond what they were shooting [and had] a sense of history that led up to that point. According to Williams, the on-screen worlds they created were based on the cultures, history, and people that occupied them. The writers and directors who created them would never just arbitrarily build a set. Williams has, in the reviews available at the time this article was published, been praised for his own worldbuilding in The Sea Beast. But an equally challenging task, according to the director, was designing The Inevitable. Not only does the majority of The Sea Beast take place on the open sea, which required a tremendous amount of computer simulation to get right, the characters spend a great deal of their time on a tall ship covered in swaying ropes. Ropes are a real technical challenge, says Williams. While working on Moana, he witnessed that difficulty firsthand. She had a boat that had maybe six or eight ropes, and those ropes almost sank the entire production. With The Sea Beast, the technical team wanted to get all the details right, so they created all those ropes and created that incredible ship, which are critical for that feeling of immersion. Williams argues that, [The artists] really wanted to make this ship complete, and not sacrifice [anything]. Youd sort of feel that, it would be less convincing [if too many sacrifices were made]. With such tremendous technical challenges come limitations, but Williams ways he got nearly everything I wanted in the end. Of course, there are gonna be small sacrifices here and there. You can only have so many soldiers uniforms and things like that. Williams claims that his role as director is to be a conduit for other peoples great ideas. To that end, he maintained an open door policy while working on The Sea Beast. That is a lot of my responsibility [as director], to make sure we have the right environment where everyone feels comfortable saying what theyre thinking. Creating a workplace where peoples ideas are valued is essential, he says, and it allows everyone to work toward the same goal with a passion. Williams sums up his directial approach saying, I need to have an opinion as to what the best version [of the film] is, but so does everyone else. Lets talk about it. In a later report by ABCs KOCO News in Oklahoma City, the theaters owner reversed course, saying that they were showing the film uninterrupted, that they had taken down the sign, and that they never fast-forwarded through any screening of the film. The theater hasnt posted to its Facebook page since June 10, but the account is currently getting review-bombed by angry posters accusing the theater of stoking bigotry and hatred. Speaking with NBC News, former 89er employee Eric Ogilvie said he wasnt surprised by the sign but that he was disappointed. Ogilvie grew up in Kingfisher and came out as gay during high school. Now 27, he lives in Oklahoma City and says he never felt a sense of belonging or acceptance growing up in the small town: I just knew growing up in Kingfisher that it wasnt really okay to be gay and that youre going to be treated differently. I loved my job at the theater, but for them to come out and put a sign on their door why not just send the movie back or rescind the contract and not post something for everyone to see? In the same report, Alex Wade, deputy director of the LGBTQ advocacy organization Oklahomans for Equality, shared Ogilvies frustrations: I am not shocked to see something like this happening in my state, but it does break my heart that young LGBTQ+ Oklahomans are made to feel like something is wrong with them. This is why we develop chapters in rural Oklahoma to show everyone that there are people in their corner. When same-sex couples show affection, even the most chaste of kisses, it is sexualized and treated as if it were explicit. If this were a heterosexual couple, the theater would never even think of skipping it, because heterosexual couples are given the grace to be intimate without being shamed. Neither Pixar nor Disney have commented publicly on the matter. Photo: The Canadian Press People demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington. Protests denouncing the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn R v. Wade have stretched into Canada, as residents in several cities took to the streets on Sunday, June 26. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Canadians are taking to the streets this weekend, including in several cities across Quebec today, to denounce the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn the law that provided the constitutional right to abortion for almost 50 years. The Quebec Federation of Planned Parenthood is inviting people to meet outside courthouses in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Rimouski and Trois-Rivieres, while other protests have taken place across the country since the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was announced on Friday. Quebec federation coordinator Jess Legault says overturning a right to abortion is worrying and enraging for women's rights and safety. She says although such rights can't be threatened the same way in Canada as abortion is a legal medical procedure, she fears the U.S. decision will fuel the rise of pro-life groups and feed into disinformation around the practice. Legault says the federation doesn't advocate for abortion for all, but rather for the right to have options and access to safe clinics. Martha Paynter, chair of Halifax-based reproductive justice organization Wellness Within, says the publicity arising from the decision is an opportunity to communicate to patients about options where they live and to press government for more funding for reproductive and sexual health. "Wanted: Dead or Alive" is the usual demand in the world of crime anywhere. But the living is declared dead in Pakistan's world of criminals and terrorists. And if need be, the dead come alive, if the powerful are to be placated.This is the curious case of Sajid Mir, one of the masterminds of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, in 2008. Declared "untraceable" and "dead" for a long time because India wanted him captured, tried and punished, he has "come alive", in a manner of speaking, and is quietly imprisoned for 15 years. The reasons range from placating the United States to reaching out to India for talks and trade. But the immediate intended gain is convincing the fact-finding team of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that is expected to make an on-site visit to Pakistan.The FATF, it may be recalled, at its last conference in Berlin (June 17-18), resolved to take Pakistan off its "under watch" list, popularly known as the "grey" list, since it had fulfilled most, though not all, requirements of enacting laws and taking executive actions to eliminate money-laundering and promoting terror financing through its agencies and banking institutions.It is but tentative. Hence, after initial rejoicing, when everyone fell over each other in taking credit, the sober mood called for clearing all tracks before the arrival of the visiting FATF team.This is why, and how, Sajid Majeed Mir has surfaced. Before proceeding further it is interesting to note three recalls of the recent past. Osama Bin Laden was "probably dead, and definitely not in Pakistan", according to the now ailing and exiled military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf.He would ridicule any talk of Pakistan hiding Osama. Till, long after he was out of office and under house arrest in 2011, when the US Seals, the Special Forces' commandos, located him in a hideout in Abbottabad and eliminated him. When asked, he sang the "sovereignty" song -- its violation by the US.Baitullah Mehsud of the Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) backed the assassin who killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. He was declared "untraceable", even "dead" in an encounter. But he surfaced in 2018 to deny any involvement.Ehsanullah Ehsan, another TTP leader and spokesman was behind the shooting of Malala Yusuf, the little girl who survived being flown to Britain. She eventually became the world's youngest Nobel Laureate. Ehsanullah even baited Malala to "return to Pakistan once."Under prosecution, Ehsan escaped, and then surrendered following an "understanding" reached with one of the Pakistani intelligence outfits. When this did not succeed, he escaped again, simply took a flight along with the family, and fled to Turkey.Sajid Mir has now "come alive" and is in jail. An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan awarded over 15 years jail term in a terror-financing case to Mir."An anti-terrorism court in Lahore early this month had handed down over 15 years jail term to Sajid Majeed Mir, an activist of banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), on a terror-financing case," a senior lawyer associated with terror financing cases of LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa leaders said on June 24, 2022. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab Police, which often issues convictions of the suspects in such cases to the media, did not notify Mir's conviction in a terror-financing case. Besides, since it was an in-camera proceeding at the jail, the media was not allowed.The lawyer further said convict Mir, who is in his mid-40s, has been in the Kot Lakhpat jail since his arrest this April. He said the court also imposed a fine of over PKR 400,000 on Mir. Pakistan told the FATF at the Berlin conference that it had arrested and prosecuted Sajid Mir to facilitate removal from the FATF 'Grey list'.Sajid Mir has a bounty of USD 5 Million. He was called "project manager" of the Mumbai attacks. He had reportedly visited India in 2005 using a fake passport with a fake name. Mumbai terror attacks alleged mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed has already been sentenced to 68 years imprisonment in terror financing cases by the Lahore Anti Terrorism Court (ATC).Mumbai attack "operation commander" Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is also convicted to several years in jail. Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist on whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty, was arrested in July 2019 in the terror financing cases.The jail sentence of Mir, after Hafiz Saeed and Lakhvi, comes as part of the plan to placate FATF.The arrest of Sajid Mir also has a diplomatic angle. The new government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is keen on mending fences damaged by its predecessor Imran Khan Government. The targets are the United States and up to a point, India, ostensibly, under American persuasion.The Sharif government is playing up to Washington, in contrast to Imran Khan's anti-US campaign that has intensified after being voted out of power. Reports are that Islamabad wants to facilitate the US presence in Afghanistan that the latter had to quit last August when the Taliban seized power.Islamabad began by sending ISI chief, Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum to Washington. After the stage was set, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Foreign Minister in the Sharif Government, was in the US and soon after, Bilawal began advocating the resumption of the ties with India, gone "cold" in the last two years. He talked of ties with India being of mutual interest, even in Pakistan's interest, but stopped short of doing anything concrete, even resuming bilateral trade that he thinks would benefit Pakistan more. Mir's surfacing and imprisonment are to impress India, of good intent of the Sharif Government. But only words have come forth.Pakistan has acted this way in the past as well, under Washington's persuasion.In this game wherein wheels-within-wheels move, it may be safe to surmise that the next gesture from Bilawal to India may come once Washington helps clear the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan that Pakistan urgently requires. (ANI) Also Read: Xi Jinping to visit Hong Kong, his first trip outside China since COVID began This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions For 38 years, Dr. James L. Fowle was the 10th pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga. He was also Chattanoogas third and final city chaplain. On Friday morning, retired newspaper veteran and historian David Cooper told Civitan Club members stories about Dr. Fowles life directly from his Bible classes. Mr. Cooper said that Dr. Fowle was from North Carolina where he lived with his six siblings. I was the seventh child in our family, said Mr. Cooper referencing Dr. Fowles life. Seven is Gods number for completion so after I arrived the family was complete. Mr. Cooper then told one of the stories of the beloved pastor: "One of the most difficult things for us to do is to listen if the sermon is not well thought out and I know that only too well. You folks go to church and look right straight at the preacher and he thinks hes getting his message over in a wonderful way. youre sitting there and this is whats going on in your head. Did I turn the stove off? Do my earrings look good with what Im wearing? "You know I had this impression on me when I was preaching in West Virginia. One night I had a man look at me straight in the eye and listen to everything I had to say. After the service I made a mistake. I went to him and I said you dont know how you had me preached tonight. You looked at me and gave me such rapt attention. The man said, well Mr. Fowle I have a confession to make. I didn't hear a word you said. "I asked him what he was doing looking at me so square in the eye. He said well Ill tell you, Ive been setting up tobacco all day today and I was just trying to figure out how many sticks of tobacco would fit in this church if it were a tobacco barn. "So just because youre looking at me so pious like dont think for a moment I think youre interested in one word of what Im talking about." Mr. Cooper, who had a long career at the Chattanooga News-Free Press and at the merged Times Free Press, is the author of the official history of First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga. He was asked to speak to the club by his longtime Missionary Ridge neighbor, Civitan program chairman Neal Thompson. The Civitan Club meets on Fridays at noon The Tennessee Department of Correction is asking for the publics help in locating two inmates who walked away from the Chattanooga Release Center Friday night and are now listed as absconders. Katelyn Standifer, 26, was serving a three-year sentence for theft out of Knox County. Ashley Wardlaw, 36, was serving a four-year sentence for theft out of Davidson County. The women were to serve the remainder of their sentences at the Chattanooga Release Center prior to their scheduled releases in 2023. Ms. Standifer is 59 and 190 pounds. She was last seen wearing gray pants, black shoes, and a black T-shirt. Ms. Wardlaw is 57 and 175 pounds. She was last seen wearing gray pants, white shoes, and a dark colored shirt with the word Reebok on the front. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ms. Standifer or Ms. Warlaw should contact the Tennessee Department of Correction at 1-844-TDC-FIND or your local law enforcement agency. With the upcoming G7 summit set to discuss cutting dependency on Russian fossil fuels, India on Friday said its sourcing of crude oil is totally driven by its national interests and that its position on the issue is "very well understood" by various countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the annual summit of the G7 club of wealthy nations to be held in Alpine castle of Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27. Slashing of Europe's dependency on Russian energy sources in view of Moscow's attack on Ukraine is likely to be discussed at the summit. US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are among the top leaders attending the G7 summit. "Whatever the trading arrangements that India puts in place with regard to the purchase of crude oil all over the world are determined purely from the consideration of energy security of India and there is no other consideration," Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said. He was responding to a question on whether India would be under pressure from the G7 countries to restrict its procurement of crude oil from Russia. "I think that consideration is very well understood. I would even say appreciated across the countries. I do not see any point of assuming any pressure on that issue. India has continued its oil trade and purchases from wherever we need to do it," he said. India's crude oil imports from Russia have jumped over 50 times since April and now make up for 10 per cent of all crude bought from overseas, a senior government official said on Thursday. Russian oil made up for just 0.2 per cent of all oil imported by India prior to the Ukraine war. Kwatra said India's crude oil import is purely determined, governed and motivated by India's energy security considerations, noting that it is one of the key aspects in terms of the country's national economic interests. The Western countries are gradually bringing down their energy purchases from Russia following its attack on Ukraine. Asked about the growing food crisis arising out of the Ukraine crisis, Kwatra said India has taken a very "proactive" stance to ensure food security of the vulnerable countries. Ukraine is a major producer of wheat and the halt in its exports of the staple food has triggered its shortage. "I think the Russia-Ukraine situation has generated a certain amount of food security crisis all over the world and as a responsible nation, India has taken a very and proactive stance to ensure that the food security of the vulnerable countries are addressed in a manner that their needs are addressed," he said. At the same time, he emphasised on India's approach that the food security within the country is absolutely not at all impacted. "I think, there has been a widespread appreciation of the manner in which India has taken forward this position," Kwatra said. On the crisis in Ukraine, he said India's position has always been very clear as it has been asking for cessation of hostilities right from the beginning of the conflict and clearly said that the path to the resolution of the problem is through diplomacy and dialogue. The G7 comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US. In the last years of my mothers blessed life, she would watch two or three TV preachers in the afternoons. She adored it and darn near memorized the messages. Of course, I would kid her, asking how many of the viewers did she imagine would sip on a glass of communion during the telecasts. Oh, mother would never over-imbibe, not in a million years, but the combination of a great sermon, a glass of wine, and a deep faith in the Lord gave her great pleasure many an afternoon. One of her all-time favorites was John Hagee, a pastor from San Antonio who comes across as pure as the morning dew. FoxNews reached out to Rev. Hagee following the Roe v. Wade reversal seeking a Christians response to the titanic aftermath of Fridays Supreme Court decision and the pastor from Texas does not disappoint. My mom would be proud of his stance. * * * A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE MUST OFFER HOPE, NOT JUDGMENT By Rev. John Hagee (NOTE: This op-ed appeared on FoxNews June 25, 2022) For decades, Christians have called for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. We have a sincerely held religious belief that life begins at conception and therefore protecting the life of the unborn is as important as protecting the lives of our loved ones and neighbors. However, it is contradictory to Jesuss message of love and aiding those in need to simply celebrate the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization and call it a day. The lives of the women and children that will be forever impacted by this decision have value, and that begs the question: what is the Christian answer to unwanted pregnancy? Hope. We must provide hope and opportunity to every woman in crisis. That is why, well before the recent Supreme Court decision, our ministry invested tens of millions of dollars in a state-of-the-art facility, the Sanctuary of Hope, for women who choose life for their unborn baby. And we are ensuring that theirs will not be a life of poverty and misery, but rather a life that you or I would like to build. A beautiful life filled with a real chance at a bright future. A woman who arrives at the Sanctuary of Hope is not cared for until her baby is born and then thrown out into the world. On average these women stay with us for around two years. In addition to having every basic need met food, shelter, medical and prenatal care we help these women get back on their feet by helping them build a firm foundation for a better life. Every woman who comes through our doors will have the opportunity to receive at least an associates degree so that they can have a good career. They receive childcare after their baby is born so that they can succeed in their educational efforts. They receive counseling, as many come to us having endured abuse and neglect. They have access to life-skills training, and optional pre- and post- adoption support if that is the choice they make. And above all else, they are not judged, they are not condemned, and they are not scorned. They are loved by everyone around them, and we ask absolutely nothing in return. Jesuss love was unconditional, so too must be ours. Christians across denominational lines must put as much if not more effort into establishing real sanctuaries for women in crisis across the country as we put into opposing Roe v Wade. The Supreme Courts decision will lead many states, including my home state of Texas, to effectively ban abortion. Whether we want to admit it or not, any time the government prohibits something people want, a black-market industry is born. We know all too well the horrors of back-alley abortions. It is incumbent upon those of us who support the Supreme Courts ruling to ensure this does not happen, and the only way to do that is for Christian ministries across the country to offer women in crisis the same love and opportunity found at the Sanctuary of Hope. Christians across denominational lines must put as much if not more effort into establishing real sanctuaries for women in crisis across the country as we put into opposing Roe v. Wade. Organizations that have raised millions of dollars aimed at minimizing abortions through law, should take that same time, money and effort and now focus on minimizing abortions through providing unconditional love and opportunity. Moreover, the change in the law does not mean that ultimately women will no longer have a choice in this context. Tragically, some will still consider risking their own lives and have illegal abortions. Others will travel to states where abortion will remain legal. If the choice is between a life of destitution and poverty or an abortion, many will still choose the latter. No government action will change that. Christians, therefore, must offer these women a real choice. We must ask them to choose to abide by the law, have their baby and build a prosperous life. In the wake Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization any Christian entity that would rather pat themselves on the back than do the work necessary to show women across the country that abortion legal or otherwise is not their only real option cannot call itself pro-life. Life begins at conception, but it doesnt end there. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the real work begins. -- Pastor John C. Hagee is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. royexum@aol.com Retied Chattanooga broadcaster Earl Freudenberg served with the American Forces Network Europe while in the Army. Hey Earl hosted a country music program every morning entitled Town and Country that aired throughout Europe. For historical purposes, Scott Grammer who operates Red Bank Vintage Auto has restored one of the original programs broadcast from July, 1973. Mr. Freudenberg worked in Chattanooga radio for 55 years. In this recording Scott and Earl talk about his career and then the unedited program heard all over Europe. There are also pictures saved during Hey Earls career. Tattoo shop owner Ceaser Emanuel has appeared in Black Ink Crew since its premiere in 2013. However, after nine seasons and nearly 10 years, VH1 announced its decision to fire the star from the reality TV series after a video showed him hitting a dog. Alum Donna Lombardi reacted to the clip, noting she hoped fans see her former boss as the monster you are. Donna Lombardi called out Ceaser Emanuel and VH1 after the video of him hitting a dog went viral When a video made its rounds on Twitter of Black Ink Crew star Ceaser Emanuel hitting a dog, it sparked outrage and backlash. Many fans, including alum Taylor Donna Marie Lombardi Pinckney, spoke out against the tattoo shop owner and his actions. She reposted the two-minute clip to her Instagram account and claimed his treatment of the dog shows how sick of a person you truly are. https://twitter.com/BlackInkCrew/status/1399524895420190723 RELATED: Black Ink Crew: Ceaser Emanuel Cuts Ties With 2 Longtime Crew Members Lombardi said she usually doesnt get involved with her former bosss business since her exit but felt compelled to say something because the clip made me so upset. She added, anyone who knows me knows I love animals. Especially dogs. The Ohio native went on to call out and tag the official accounts for VH1, Viacom, and Black Ink and accused them of attempting to protect the star from other allegations, including his daughters claims of abuse and using fake conflicting storylines about her former relationship with co-star Alex Robinson to do so. I pray the people see you, [Emanuel], as the monster you are. She then called for charges to be pressed and cancellations. Caesar Emanuel was fired from Black Ink Crew after a video showed him hitting a dog On June 22, 2022, the Twitter account Got City Tea posted a two-minute video that included Emanuel kicking a dog, striking it twice with a folded chair, and putting his pet into a cage before rolling it down a hill. The clip resulted in his firing from the long-running reality series. His lawyer admitted that it was his client depicted in the video but insisted his actions came from attempting to protect a smaller dog the animal began attacking. We have made the decision to cut ties with Ceaser Emanuel from Black Ink Crew New York. Since next season was close to finishing production, this decision will not impact the upcoming season. VH1 (@VH1) June 23, 2022 The reality star spoke to TMZ, giving his side of the story, and reiterated that he tried to break up a fight with a couple of his dogs. However, when one began attacking him, Emanuel stated he got nervous and scared and attempted to scare his pet, not hurt him. While he no longer owns one of the dogs, having given it to a friend, the tattoo artist noted he has since attended dog school with the other and learned techniques when dealing with a similar incident. Emanuel also admitted he felt he was set up due to the leaked footage belonging to a Ring camera located at his house. He later accused an ex-girlfriend of sharing the video out of revenge through his representatives. Ceaser fired Donna from Black Ink Crew in season 9 Donna first joined Black Ink Crew in season 3 (2015) as an apprentice, moving from Ohio to New York to become a tattoo artist. After studying under Emanuel and his then-girlfriend Dutchess Lattimore, she eventually began tattooing. https://twitter.com/BlackInkCrew/status/1060380480632016896 During her time in the shop, Donna had several relationships and got into multiple fights, including many blowouts with her former boss, Emanuel. The two butt heads often, and the shop owner ultimately cut ties with her in season 9, this time permanently, considering her too toxic to keep around after an alleged domestic violence incident with then-fiancee Alex. She has since promised to clear the air regarding what she says are false narratives on the reality series. RELATED: Black Ink Crew: Donna Responds to Rumors That Alex and Tatti Are Dating During Johnny Depps defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, rumors took root claiming the relationship between the Edward Scissorhands actor and one of his attorneys, Camille Vasquez, was something other than professional. Vasquez is an associate at the law firm Depp hired, Brown Rudnick. Since Depp became the firms client four years ago, Vasquez claims she has become close to Depp, telling Vanity Fair the actor has become her friend. Now, Vasquez is defending herself in the court of public opinion, calling the rumors of her and Depps relationship sexist in an interview with People. Camille Vasquezs role in the Johnny Depps case against Amber Heard Johnny Depp and his attorney Camille Vasquez in court on May 19, 2022 | Shawn Thew/AFP via Getty Images Beginning in April 2022, Johnny Depps six-week defamation trial against Amber Heard quickly became must-see TV as cameras broadcast every moment from inside a Fairfax, Virginia courtroom. As one of eight lawyers in the case, Vasquez was one of five women defending Depp. However, Vasquez frequently took the lead in the trial and seemed particularly close to Depp during the proceedings. Following the teams victory in Depps case, Vasquez swiftly made partner at Brown Rudnick. The firm announced her promotion one week after the trials end, saying, Historically, we have reserved this announcement for the end of our fiscal year. But Camilles performance during the Johnny Depp trial proved to the world that she was ready to take this next step now. Brown Rudnicks chair and CEO William Baldiga continued, We are incredibly proud of her and look forward to what she will accomplish as our newest partner (via Us Weekly). Is Camille Vasquez dating Johnny Depp? Joe Rogan says 'we all want' Johnny Depp and lawyer Camille Vasquez to date https://t.co/LIIJcVbfZ5 pic.twitter.com/XJ3FlqjCEg New York Post (@nypost) June 22, 2022 Clips of Camille Vasquez and Johnny Depps frequent physical contact in the courtroom have exploded on social media, fueling rumors that Vasquez and Depps relationship is something other than professional. In response to the rumors, Vasquez told Vanity Fair: I care very deeply about my clients, and we have obviously become close. But when I say we, I mean the entire team, and of course that includes Johnny. Speaking to People, Vasquez slammed the rumors. Its sexist This man was fighting for his life, and it broke my heart to see him day in and day out have to sit there and listen to the most horrific allegations being made against him. Referring to her repeated physical contact with the actor during the trial, Vasquez said, If I could provide any bit of comfort, then, of course, I would do that, whether its holding his hand or letting him know that we were there and we were going to fight for him because he deserved it. Vasquez further defended her professionalism to Vanity Fair by pointing to her ethnicity and cultural background. Im Cuban and Colombian. Im tactile. What do you want me to say? I hug everyone. And Im not ashamed about that, she explained. Who is the lawyer dating? Johnny Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez and boyfriend Edward Owen get celeb treatment https://t.co/ZdMMXRpMIG pic.twitter.com/O3fipfCKVX New York Post (@nypost) June 6, 2022 Camille Vasquez has claimed to multiple news outlets that she is in a happy relationship. The 37-year-old lawyer is dating WeWork executive Edward Owen. A Cambridge-educated success story himself, Owen and Vasquez recently began dating after meeting at a pub while Vasquez was overseas. And though a long-distance relationship is never easy (especially with rumors circulating about Hollywood A-list competition), a Daily Mail source claims, Its long-distance, and theyre both high flyers in their respective careers, but theyre hoping to make it work. RELATED: Heres How Celebrities Have Responded to the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard Trial Anthony Bourdain first took the culinary world by storm back in 2000 with his book Kitchen Confidential. In addition to changing Bourdains life and career, that book connected him to the man who would become one of his closest friends chef and co-owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Le Bernardin, Eric Ripert. Heres a look inside their decades-long friendship. Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain | Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Eric Ripert reached out to Anthony Bourdain after reading Kitchen Confidential Ripert was born in Antibes, France and grew up in a cooking household. He began his formal training at the age of 15 and spent most of his career in fine dining restaurants in Europe, New York City, and Washington DC. Ripert landed at Le Bernardin in 1991, and eventually became the restaurants executive chef. He has remained in that role ever since. And it was there where Ripert first came across Bourdains book Kitchen Confidential, the first book he ever read in English. After reading about Bourdains experience in the rough kitchens of New York City, Ripert was delighted to discover that Bourdain had nothing but praise for Le Bernardin. And he was intrigued by Bourdains writing. I never order fish on Monday, Bourdain famously wrote, unless Im eating at Le Bernardin a four-star restaurant where I know they are buying their fish directly from the source. Ripert recalled, per Mashed, that he called Bourdain and told him, I read your book, and I would love to know you. Ripert says that was the first time they met, and theyve been friends ever since. The 2 chefs appeared on TV together often Bourdain and Riperts friendship blossomed as they spent evenings away from their own restaurants and frequented Anthonys favorite subterranean dive bars while listening to obscure punk music on old jukeboxes. The two chefs became so close and respected each other so much that they would go on to appear on TV together in numerous shows. The first time was back in 2002 when Ripert showed up in the 18th episode of Bourdains first show A Cooks Tour on the Food Network. Over the next 16 years, the duo traveled the world and dined together frequently. And Ripert would often show up on Bourdains CNN shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown, creating an on-screen culinary bromance. The two chefs also appeared in each others respective literary works. Bourdain showed up in Riperts memoir, while Bourdain included Ripert in his 2016 cookbook Appetites. Eric Ripert was traveling with Anthony Bourdain when he died In June 2018, Bourdain and Ripert were shooting new episodes of Parts Unknown together in the Alsace region of France when Ripert found Bourdain unresponsive in his hotel room. Bourdains death was later ruled a suicide, which came as a shock to Ripert because his friend gave no indication he wanted to end his life. Anthony was my best friend. He was an exceptional human being, so inspiring and generous. One of the great storytellers of our time who connected with so many around the world on a level rarely seen, Ripert wrote on social media after Bourdains death. He brought us all on some incredible journeys. I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my heart. My love and prayers are also with his family, friends, loved ones, and everyone that knew him. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Their free and confidential support is available 24/7 anywhere in the United States. RELATED: Anthony Bourdain Once Said Learning to Roast a Chicken Is an Obligation: Its a Life Skill That Should Be Taught to Small Children Issa Rae Foolishly Worked Until Her Wedding Day and Was Devastated When She Realized She Shouldve Slowed Down Since appearing as an awkward Black girl in the eponymous web series, Issa Rae has garnered acclaim and fame thanks to her hit HBO show Insecure. The actor also gave fans a glimpse into her childhood and life with her memoir The Misadventures of a Black Girl. However, the 37-year-old still managed to remain one of the most private stars in Hollywood. It wasnt until recently that she revealed shed tied the knot. Rae said she foolishly worked until her wedding day and was devastated when she realized she shouldve slowed down. Inside Issa Raes private relationship Rae has managed to keep her private life, including relationships, under wraps for the longest time. The first hint at her relationship with her now-husband Louis Diame was in 2012. The Washington Post published a profile about her web series Awkward Black Girl. The relationship was briefly mentioned. Diame teased that he was stuck in college mode. However, not much was known about their status before or after. The Insecure creator clearly stated she didnt want anyone looking into her life. The star told Vogue in 2018 that she didnt need input on who she was dating. At the time, rumors swirled that Diame popped the question. But it wasnt until 2019 that her fans saw what appeared to be a confirmation of the engagement. Eagle-eyed fans spotted Rae rocking her engagement ring in 2019 when she graced the cover of Essence magazine. Issa Rae confirmed nothing about a wedding date until the actor dropped the bomb in an Instagram post. Below the first photo, Rae wrote, A) Impromptu photo shoot in a custom @verawang dress. In the second picture, Rae stood with her bridesmaids, writing, B) My girls came to help me, but they all coincidentally had on the same dress! They were sooooo embarrassed. The third picture gave fans a clear view of what happened with Rae captioning it, C) Then I took a few flicks with Somebodys Husband. E! News reported the duo had their wedding in the south of France. Issa Rae foolishly worked until her wedding day Married couple Issa Rae and Louis Diame together at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Details about the ceremony have been hush-hush, with neither party clarifying the rumors or giving any further information about it. However, Rae pulled back the curtain slightly in her interview with SELF. The publication noted that Rae had secured a five-year deal with HBO that made her busy in the recent past. When the publication asked if she took time to prepare for her wedding, Rae said: France was something to look forward to, for sure, but I again, really really foolishly worked up until it, ended Insecure, then was obviously editing it, and then went to go shoot another show for a couple weeks, then went to go scout in Miami, just did everything up until that event. Rae shared that she had a tough time returning from the festivities. Shed only spent time in France for a week. She called the realization pretty devastating. Rae likes being productive I love yall. Thank you for 5 seasons. #InsecureHBO pic.twitter.com/2d0v9AopJR Issa Rae (@IssaRae) December 27, 2021 Rae noted that being busy allowed her to settle into her pandemic lessons of self-care. She also shared that she enjoys being productive and getting things done. While she noted that those close to her consider her a workaholic, the actor said she dedicates time to cultivating the relationships in her life. Rae also told the publication that she enjoys waking up as early as 4 am to take a walk, saying it was her preferred form of self-care and meditation. After the walk, Rae heads home and journals to feel like Im not behind. RELATED: Insecure: Issa Rae Thinks Her Character Rapped in the Mirror Before Hooking up With Lawrence Some Hollywood stars use their platform for important social issues. Some of them have been arrested multiple times for civil disobedience and peaceful protest. Legendary actor Martin Sheen is one such celebrity whos very passionate about his activism. Sheen has the distinction of being the most arrested man in Hollywood at this point. How many times has Sheen been arrested? And what social issues are important to him? The gay rights activism marches in Grace and Frankie Mike Farrell, Martin Sheen, and James Cromwell at an anti-war protest in 2003 | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Sheen was most recently seen in the recently-ended Netflix series, Grace and Frankie. The show centered around two women who find out their husbands, played by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, are more than just partners at work. The two men have been romantically involved for years, which throws their wives into a series of crazy circumstances. The wives, played by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, had a strained relationship to begin with. The West Wing actor plays Robert Hanson in the show. When Robert and Sol (Waterson) get involved in gay activism marches, Robert is too square to commit. Sol fearlessly charges in. In real life, Sheen is a fearless activist whos been arrested almost 70 times for his activism efforts and peaceful protesting. Martin Sheen has a rap sheet almost as long as his acting resume According to Daily Mail, Sheen has been arrested more times than any other celebrity with 66 total arrests. Sheen revealed how many times hes been arrested in a speech at Oxford University in 2009. Human rights activist Craig Kielburger claimed the actor had a rap sheet nearly as long as his list of film credits. Sheen explained in that speech that he was first arrested protesting President Ronald Reagans Strategic Defense Initiative in 1986. The Apocalypse Now actor described it as a terrifying experience. He also explained that it was also one of the happiest days of his life. Sheen later realized that all of them there to object to the idea had done everything they possibly could. Police also arrested Sheen in 2007 for trespassing at the Nevada Test Site at a Nevada Desert Experience event organized to protest the site. As a result of his activism, the actor has a long-standing association with Sea Shepherd, a conservation organization. The group thinks so much of their relationship with the actor that they named a ship for him, the RV Martin Sheen. Martin Sheen is not the only celebrity whos been arrested Daily Mail presented a list of 75 current celebrities with known arrests as compiled by ToppCasinoBonus. Many of them, like Sheen, involved activist efforts or peaceful protests. Those arrests make up the majority of those on the list. But not all of them involved these elements. Right behind Sheen, with 26 known arrests, is Pete Doherty, frontman of The Libertines. None of Dohertys arrests involved peaceful protesting though. Three of his arrests were for violent crimes, three were for robbery and theft, and six were for driving offenses. The other 14 arrests were for drug offenses. In third place on the list is rapper DMX, who died in 2021, with 24 arrests. Two arrests were for robbery or theft, two were for fraud, and six were for driving offenses. Five arrests were for drug offenses, two were for public disorder, one for criminal damage, and there were six others. Many would be surprised to find Bill Gates on the list in the 35th position. He had four arrests for driving offenses. Paris Hilton, Winona Ryder, and Matthew Broderick also appeared on the list. RELATED: How Many Times Has Jane Fonda Been Arrested? Unlike the original series, Money Heist: Korea Joint Economic Area takes the politics and rift between North and South Korea to make a dynamic backdrop. North and South have unified in the K-drama to create a Joint Economic Area. A city on the border where all can live and work freely. But Money Heist: Korea reveals the Professors (Yoo Ji-tae) backstory and possible theory of his more significant involvement in the unification. [WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Money Heist: Korea Joint Economic Area] North and South Korea join forces for economic prosperity The K-drama opens with the story of Tokyo (Jeon Jong-seo) in North Korea with an opening song of BTSs DNA. Through her narration, fans learn the North and South lived by drastically different rules, regulations and governments. When Tokyo joined the army, the hope of the two countries unifying was dwindling. One day, news broke that North and South Korea had agreed to become a unified nation and would develop the Joint Economic Area. A community/city where everyone could work and travel freely. Tokyo explains it was an economic goldmine for the rich, who became more affluent and prosperous. The two countries also developed a unified currency. Bringing together two countries with a history of division is not easy. Money Heist: Korea teased fans with the possibility of how the Professor was the key to the unification. The Professor was a college professor specializing in economics in Money Heist: Korea RELATED: Money Heist: Korea: Rio and Tokyos Love Story Takes a Different Turn And Left to be Explored The finale of the K-drama reveals some of the Professors backstory. Tokyo narrates that she found out a short time later that the Professor was a professor a few years ago. His primary focus was the research on the economic impact of reunification. In the scene, fans see the Professor speaking to his class about his strategy and theories about why North and South Korea would benefit from becoming one country. He explains the initial spiral theory to combat the problem has its limitations. His theory suggests the two countries can unify if they share a common dream. The Professor explains North and South Korea must share the common desire to become rich. But fans can soon theorize the Professors ideas might have been the start of unification and future heist in Money Heist: Korea. He is later approached by National Assembly Member Kim Sang-man, who says he will take the Professor to someone who can make his ideas into reality. The Professor then meets Oh Jae-yun, who reveals North Korea will implement an open-door policy. The South will provide capital but need the Professor to create an economic plan for unification. The Professor agrees. Fans do not know anything about the Professors backstory in the K-drama RELATED: Money Heist: Korea: Rios Story Is Not What Fans Know From the Original Spanish Series The most fans know about the character is that he was a professor. But knowing he was approached as a significant figure in helping unify both countries, could it have been the reason for the heist? The backstory scene suggests the Professor was integral in developing the Joint Economic Area, its unified currency, and overall system. It could very well be the Professor was able to create a detailed plan for the heist because he helped create the exact location they are robbing. It would explain his ability to think two steps ahead of what could happen. But fans are left in the dark if Money Heist: Korea will include the original backstory for the Professor from the Spanish version. In the original, the character grew up ill. His father was a bank robber who told him heist stories. One day, his father saw no other way to provide for his son than to rob a bank. But it was his last as he was killed. The plan for the heist of the Royal Mint was his fathers dream plan. Fans are also unsure if the K-drama will make a connection between the character and Berlin. But Berlins backstory leaves a small margin of possibility for the second season. Money Heist: Korea Joint Economic Area is available to stream on Netflix. RELATED: Money Heist: Korea Keeps One of the Professors Key Rules for the Team The critically acclaimed first season of The White Lotus by Mike White is heading into season 2, and its ramping up to be even better than the first. After that insanely unexpected rimming scene, we know that doesnt seem possible, but the cast and filming location for season 2 is on point. Find everything you need to know about HBOs The White Lotus Season 2 below. The White Lotus: Sicily Season 2 cast Jennifer Coolidge is the only character reprising her role in The White Lotus Season 2 cast (so far). But many exciting new actors are joining the vacation in Sicily, Italy. The first group of travelers is a multigenerational threesome. F. Murray Abraham will play a father and grandfather, Bert DiGrasso. Hes vacationing with his son Dominic DiGrasso (Sopranos alum Michael Imperioli) and grandson. The youngest of the group is a recent college graduate, Elbie DiGrasso (Adam DiMarco). The next group of vacationers to the beautiful Sicily resort is two married couples. Sanditon alum Theo James and Meghann Fahy play Cameron and Daphne Babcock. The married couple is on vacation with another married couple Ethan Spiller (Will Sharpe) and his wife Harper (Aubrey Plaza). The White Lotus Season 2 cast also includes Tom Hollander (The Night Manager) as an English ex-pat named Quentin. Hollanders character is vacationing with his friends and nephew. Plus, Haley Lu Richardson portrays Portia, a young woman traveling with her boss, Tanya McQuoid (Coolidge). Meanwhile, Leo Woodall plays a resort guest named Jack. Deadline reported that creator Mike White added three Italian actors to the cast in March 2022. Recent additions include Sabrina Impacciatore as the manager of the White Lotus Sicily resort, Valentina. Can anyone compare to Murray Bartlett as resort manager Armond? Viewers will have to wait and see. Beatrice Granno and Simona Tabasco also join the cast as two locals hanging around the hotel, Mia and Lucia. The White Lotus: Sicily Season 2 potential release date HBO did not announce an official release date for The White Lotus Season 2. However, the new installment began filming in February 2022, so season 2 could return in late 2022 or early 2023. RELATED: The White Lotus: Who Dies During the Vacation? Every Theory so Far The White Lotus: Sicily Season 2 filming location The White Lotus Season 2 filming location is primarily the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily, Italy. The town of Taormina is a hilltop on the east coast of Sicily, which sits near Mount Etna an active volcano. According to the Taormina Four Seasons hotel website, the San Domenico Palace was formerly a 14th-century convent overlooking Mount Etna and the ancient Greek theatre. The resort boasts a cliff-top infinity pool, spa, and award-winning dining. The cliffs drop to the sea below with sandy beaches. The suites range from $1,000 per night to over $6,000 for the Princess suite. The concierge services range from limousine chauffeurs to same-day dry-cleaning and pressing. Its extravagance is the perfect setting for The White Lotus Season 2 guests. San Domenico Hotel entrance, Taormina, Sicily, Italy, Europe. | Riccardo Lombardo/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group/Getty Images The White Lotus: Sicily Plot The White Lotus Season 2 plot begins similarly to the first installment. A group of deep-pocketed vacationers head to a luxurious destination. Creator Mike White is sure to work in the perfect amount of dark comedy when things go wrong with his oddball characters at the White Lotus Sicily resort. However, the director worries about making season 2. When White checked into the Maui resort to screen the first season, the receptionist told him his room wouldnt be ready for hours. He wanted to scream. However, White put the moment in perspective and realized he does not ever want to turn into one of the characters he wrote. White is wary of creating a second season because he doesnt want to be that privileged guy. You definitely dont want to be that guy, he told Vanity Fair. But The White Lotus Season 1 was so popular that HBO renewed it days before the final episode dropped. How many episodes is The White Lotus: Sicily? The good news is that The White Lotus Season 2 will have seven episodes, one more than the inaugural season. Theres no trailer available yet for season 2. However, six episodes of The White Lotus Season 1 are currently available for streaming on HBO and HBO Max. RELATED: Mare of Easttown Fans Moved on to The White Lotus Is It a Similar Murder Mystery Miniseries? The Heart of Claremore is displayed at N. Missouri Ave. and W. 4th St. and features the work of contemporary Cherokee artist Sherri Pack, of Rogers County, who passed away in 2021. An estimated 98.5 per cent of the total 81,393 candidates secured ranks in the West Bengal Joint Entrance Exams, the results of which were announced on Friday. A spokesperson of WBJEE told reporters that 1,01,413 candidates had registered for the exams among which 80.26 per cent had appeared for the tests. Of the successful candidates, 21,509 were girls and 61,794 were from West Bengal. The WBJEE exams are held for admission to undergraduate courses in Engineering and Technology, Pharmacy and Architecture of different universities, government colleges, and technology institutes. The counselling of the successful candidates will start from the third week of August, the WBJEE spokesperson said. The results were announced 48 days after the exams. Among the successful candidates, 41,839 had taken the state board exam for class 12, while 2,146 had appeared for ISC and 22,227 students had answered the plus-two CBSE examination. Among the candidates, Himanshu Sekhar of Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas and Himansu Sekhar of Siliguri were the joint toppers. North 24 Parganas topped the list among the most successful districts, followed by Kolkata. Candidates of Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, and Hooghly districts also fared well in the WBJEE. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Christian bakers fined $135K for not baking gay wedding cake fundraise to relaunch business Aaron and Melissa Klein, a Christian couple whose bakery has been held up in the courts for years and were ordered to pay $135,000 in damages for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, are now working on opening a new shop to show Gods goodness to everyone. The Kleins, who owned Sweet Cakes by Melissa until an Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries order sought to punish them for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple in 2013, moved to Montana two years ago and are hoping to start a new bakery, says Melissa Klein in an online appeal for funds. I had said I was never going to open a bakery again, but God has seemed to change my heart with this, she adds. Its been 10 years since having my shop in Oregon and I greatly miss it along with all my sweet customers. Klein further explains that her family needs to raise $50,000 for a down payment on a restaurant that is for sale in Montana which could be the home of Sweet Cakes. She adds that she is also selling cookies to raise the money. As of early Sunday, 132 people had given nearly $14,000 to the couple. Im hoping to see, with my new bakery, it being a place where friends and family can come, sit, and have a coffee, enjoy breakfast or lunch, or just even a sweet treat, Klein told CBN News in an interview last week. I want it to be a place where everyone feels welcome and is greeted with a joyful smile, she added. I want it to be a place that is used to show Gods goodness to everyone. In January, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals of the state of Oregon maintained that the Kleins unlawfully discriminated by refusing to make a cake for the wedding of Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer in 2013. However, the panel reversed the order requiring the couple to pay $135,000 in damages. We adhere to our prior decision upholding BOLIs determinations that Aaron unlawfully discriminated against the Bowman-Cryers based on sexual orientation, wrote Circuit Judge Erin Lagesen, the author of the panel opinion. We reach a different conclusion with respect to our prior affirmance of BOLIs noneconomic damages award, ruled Lagesen. However, Stephanie Taub, senior counsel for the First Liberty Institute, a legal nonprofit representing the Kleins, didnt agree with the decision of the appeals court. The Court admits the state agency that acted as both prosecutor and judge in this case was biased against the Kleins faith. Yet, despite this anti-Christian bias that infected the whole case, the court is sending the case back to the very same agency for a do-over, she said at the time. The Bowman-Cryers filed a complaint with BOLI, which ruled that the Kleins had violated Oregons accommodations statute barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. As a result of the BOLI ruling against them, the Kleins were fined $135,000 in damages and closed the bakery. The Kleins appealed the BOLI order to the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2016. After the Oregon court upheld the order, they appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. In June 2019, the Supreme Court issued an order vacating the ruling against the Kleins and sent the case back to the state court of appeals. The nations high court cited its 2018 decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission that the latter showed an unconstitutional anti-religious animus toward Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop when it punished him for refusing to make a cake for a gay wedding. Speaking about the devastation of losing her business, Klein told CBNs Faithwire, "All I can remember with the feelings of losing my bakery was the feeling of just devastation. ... My heart literally felt ripped in two when I closed my doors for the last time." Killer who stabbed Coptic priest in Egypt sentenced to death Convict said to have shouted jihadist slogan as he stabbed clergyman The convicted killer of Archbishop Arsanious Wadid in Alexandria, Egypt, was sentenced to death earlier this month, according to Copts-United. Nehru Abdel Moneim Tawfiq was sentenced to death on June 11 after a long session in which the 22nd District Alexandria Criminal Court headed by Waheed Sabry watched surveillance camera video of the murder that took place on the boardwalk near Ishak Helmy beach, Copts-United reported. The verdict came after the court reportedly referred his case to the Mufti of the Republic for an Islamic legal opinion. Wadid, priest of the Virgin and St. Paul Church in Alexandria, was distributing Ramadan gifts on the promenade to passers-by with a group of youths from his church on April 7 when the assailant stabbed him at least three times in the neck with a knife, according to local press reports. He was 56. Leaders of both the historical church in Egypt and Islam had played down a religious motive in an attempt to prevent escalation, though Tawfiq shouted the jihadist slogan Allah Akbar [Allah is greater] as he stabbed Wadid, an eyewitness testified at the trial, according to Copts-United. She said Tawfiq hovered around the area for 10 minutes before targeting Wadid because of his priestly garments. Islamist assailants in Egypt frequently resort to mental instability as a legal defense for murder, and Tawfiq asserted that his unstable mental state rendered him unable to control his actions, according to news outlet Ahram Online. Initially Tawfiq made no effort to hide, witnesses testified, and police said he confessed to intentionally killing the priest, but he later claimed that he was not aware of what he was doing and had obtained the knife only for self-defense. Prosecutors asserted during the trial that evaluations showed he was psychologically sound at the time of the attack, according to Copts-United. The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Alexandria declared Wadid a martyr. Such attacks are relatively rare in Egypt, but violence was one reason the country was ranked 20th on Open Doors 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The opening of a new church or rumors of blaspheming Islam have led to mob violence in rural areas. In upper Egypt, the local authorities use so-called reconciliation sessions to resolve a conflict, which, de facto, often means that Muslim attackers go free, according to the WWL report. This has resulted in a culture of impunity for violence against Christians in that area. Egypts Al-Azhar, the worlds most influential Sunni Islam institution, had condemned the murder of Wadid in a statement on Facebook. Al-Azhars Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb said such attacks might instigate religious wars. The Grand Imam affirms that homicide is a major sin that arouses Gods wrath and is punishable in the afterlife, read Al-Azhars statement. Egypt, considered a worldwide Islamic leader, is strategically important due to its location in the region and size, along with its historical and diplomatic sway. Christians make up more than 10% of Egypts population in the Muslim-majority country, and attacks on Christians are common. While general security in Egypt has improved since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was elected in 2014, Christians remain vulnerable to violence and discrimination. Sexual harassment of Coptic Christian women is widespread, and although Al-Sisi uses inclusive language and has begun allowing churches to legally open, in everyday life Christians face opposition. Egypt headed by Al-Sisi has cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood but also on religious rights defenders like Coptic activist Ramy Kamel. Some fear that Al-Sisis repression of the Islamic extremist Muslim Brotherhood, essentially driving members underground, has compelled it to become more radicalized and militant and increased the number of those joining Islamic extremist groups. Such developments could lead to a further polarization of society in Egypt and could pose a serious risk to the nations stability and the security of Christian Egyptians in the long run, the WWL report noted. The current high level of support for President al-Sisis regime by a large number of the churches and Christians might also be used against them. Followers of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups are likely to view church buildings and Christians as easy targets to show that the Egyptian government is not able to protect its supporters. Postcard from Wichita After visiting Wichita it is easy to see why this is one of the most underrated cities in the country. With a population of 392,059 at the last census, the seat of surrounding Sedgwick County is the largest city in Kansas. Wichita, as with other one-time frontier towns, owes its existence to a combination of cows and railroads in the years following the Civil War. The Chisholm Trail, once used to drive cattle from the ranches of Texas to the railroads in Kansas, passed through here. By 1873 a year after the first trains reached Wichita some 66,000 heads of cattle were being shipped out. To learn more about this chapter in history I made the short walk from the Hyatt Regency along the Arkansas River and past Blackbear Bosins iconic Keeper of the Plains statue to the Old Cowtown Museum. The open-air museum features 54 original and recreated buildings and more than 12,000 artifacts from the Old West era on 25 acres of land just a few minutes from the heart of downtown. Think Colonial Williamsburg, but set during the 1870s, when none other than Wyatt Earp patrolled the streets as an assistant city marshal. One of the more interesting original buildings is the simple white church from 1870 that once housed First Presbyterian Church. (The congregations present church is a fortress-like edifice built between 1910 and 1912.) Built at a cost of $1,500 as Wichitas first permanent church, the Presbyterians used it for just two years. Subsequently acquired by the Roman Catholics and later turned into a boarding house, it was saved from ruin in the postwar years. Inside are several displays with religious artifacts from various churches across denominations. The big draw, as one might expect, is a shootout. Staged twice a day at high noon and 3 oclock, costumed interpreters perform a gunfight drama from a dime novel a genre popular at the end of the 19th century. Occasional special events, including the Wild West Days reenactment in late September, add additional programming. Perhaps most remarkable is how quickly Wichita transformed itself from an Old West boom town. Within just 50 years of Earp and others, the city was calling itself the Air Capital of the World. The story of how that happened can be discovered at the Kansas Aviation Museum inside the art deco-style former municipal airport terminal. Besides big names like Cessna and Boeing, there were as many as 16 airplane manufacturers at one point. It was also a busy hub during the early days of commercial aviation, as Wichitas location in the Great Plains and near the geographic center of the contiguous United States made for a convenient refueling point. In its heyday, the likes of Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes made use of the National Register of Historic Places-listed terminal. Though today surpassed by airline hubs in Atlanta, Denver and Chicago, the aerospace industry remains vital to Wichitas economy. Be sure to also visit the Mid-America All-Indian Museum with its collection of Bosin artwork, Wichita Art Museum and Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, which is housed within the stately Richardsonian Romanesque former city hall opposite a rather hideous brutalist former library. If you go The Kansas Aviation and Old Cowtown museums are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Perched above the Arkansas River and within walking distance of almost everything to see and do the Hyatt Regency has the best location, despite an overall feeling of tiredness. A couple blocks away is the Ambassador Hotel, a boutique hotel flagged under Marriotts Autograph Collection brand. Eat dinner at Georges French Bistro, Newport Grill and FioRito Ristorante. I flew into Wichitas airport, which is served by the major airlines. By car, Wichita is six hours from St. Louis, seven hours from Denver and five hours from Dallas. Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post. Evangelical Covenant Church denomination elects first female president Leaders of the Evangelical Covenant Church, which has about 900 congregations in the U.S. and Canada, elected the Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim to be the denominations first female president, according to an announcement by the Chicago-based group. Swanson-Draheim was voted in by a 20-1 margin at the ECCs 136th Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, the denomination said in a statement. I love the Covenant Church, and I love the people of the Covenant Church, Swanson-Draheim, who has been with ECC for 23 years, said after her election. In Gods economy, challenges are opportunities, and I declare that we have some opportunities. The president-elect said she upholds five values: to be rooted in Christ, fully grounded in the Scriptures, guided by the Holy Spirit, unapologetically focused on the churchs mission and loving people well. For the glory of God and the love of neighbor, may we do it together, the mother of two who has served as superintendent of the denominations Midwest Conference told the delegates. The Rev. Catherine Gilliard, who is the superintendent of the ECCs Southeast Conference, addressed Swanson-Draheim, saying: If you are a leader, you influence those who follow you, and if youre a trailblazer, you open a door to those who come after you. You are a leader, a trailblazer, and a pastor to pastors who is called and gifted by God to serve as president. The stained-glass ceiling is broken! You will inspire young girls who will see your leadership and assume it is normative. A 27-member nominating committee selected Swanson-Draheim after a five-month deliberation process that started with 40 candidates before narrowing to six and culminating in one, the denomination said. Steve Dawson, who headed the nominating committee, was quoted as saying that Swanson-Draheims outstanding leadership skills, and her appreciation for the diversity of the Covenant, combined with her heart for relationships and relational health, and belief in our mission are essential qualities that are needed now. The denomination says on its website it was founded in 1885 by Scandinavian immigrants and has become one of the most ethnically diverse denominations in North America. ECC says it pursues its mission to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world through five strategic priorities: start and strengthen churches, make and deepen disciples, develop leaders, love mercy do justice, and serve globally. Pro-abortion protesters attempt to breach Arizona Capitol after Supreme Court abortion ruling Pro-abortion activists attempted to breach the Arizona Senate building during the first night of protests following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization case that returned abortion laws back to individual states to decide. As expected, large protests broke out in cities across the nation following the Supreme Courts ruling Friday, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. While most of the protests did not result in the acts of violence that have popped up since the publication of a leaked draft majority opinion in the Dobbs decision in early May, one demonstration did turn contentious. The Arizona state Senate released a statement Friday warning: "Violent pro-abortion protestors' attempts of an insurrection at the Arizona state Senate were thwarted Friday night, thanks to the swift action from local and state law enforcement. While Arizona state Senate members were wrapping up passing important legislation for the session, extremist demonstrators made their way to the entrance of the Senate building and began forcibly trying to make entry by breaking windows and pushing down doors. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Law Enforcement Prevents Insurrection of State Senate While Lawmakers Conduct the People's Work pic.twitter.com/jiWmAAYJJn AZSenateRepublicans (@AZSenateGOP) June 25, 2022 Law enforcement monitoring this situation called for backup and were able to disperse the crowd with tear gas before the entry was made. As this terrifying situation unfolded, Senate President Karen Fann called a recess so that senators, staff and the public in attendance could evacuate to a secure location, the statement added. Once the premises were secured, those inside the building were able to return to the Senate chambers. Unfortunately, the system that circulates the air through the facility pulled some of the smoke or tear gas into the Senate chambers, making the air quality unhealthy for anyone to return. Fann, a Republican, released a statement declaring: We are incredibly thankful for our local law enforcement who quickly intervened doing what could have been a destructive and dangerous situation for our members, staff and public inside the Senate. Violence is never the answer, and we will not camouflage what was a blatant attempt at an insurrection as a rally or peaceful protest. We are calling on all state lawmakers to condemn these acts. There is a way to make your voice heard and violence is never the answer, she concluded. Arizona state Sen. Kelly Townsend, also a Republican, reported Friday night that members of the state Legislature were currently there being held hostage inside the Senate building due to members of the public trying to breach our security. She added that we smell teargas and the children of one of the members are in the office sobbing with fear. Townsend sarcastically suggested that she expected a J24 committee to be created immediately, referring to the Jan. 6 committee created by Democratic members of the House following the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Townsend later posted pictures on her Twitter account to assure that Everyone is okay, and we are finishing our work. Although state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita shared video footage of pro-abortion protesters gathered at the entrance of the Arizona Senate building holding signs proclaiming, Abortion is a human right and chanting my body, my choice, Townsend contended that opposition to legislation the senators were voting on may have motivated the protesters as well. We were in the middle of a vote on the expansion of ESA for all so that parents may take their child to the school of their choice when protesters started attempting to kick in the doors. Was this really an attempt to stop that vote more than a #RvW protest? she asked. While pro-abortion activists took to the streets in protest of the Dobbs decision, pro-lifers celebrated the ruling. Ken Paxton, the Republican Attorney General of Texas, announced Friday that he was closing his office and that he would commemorate the Dobbs decision as an annual Office of the Attorney General holiday going forward in remembrance of the 70 million lives lost bc of abortion. Supreme Court rejects anti-Christian animus, again The past twelve months have been anything but a cake walk for religious bakers. First, we had the seven year fight of Masterpiece Cakeshops Jack Phillips that initially led to a victory at the Supreme Court, only to be followed by ongoing harassment by Colorado officials and a transgender activist. They seem intent on proving that they really are driven by animus. Then theres the recent story about a bakery in Ohio that was targeted for protests and slander. They were just awarded $11 million by a jury after Oberlin College officials were shown to have instigated their students to believe that the owners of the bakery were racists. Finally, on Monday, the Supreme Court gave what is, to many, an unexpected kind of victory to Melissa and Aaron Klein, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, Oregon. Now technically, the Court didnt rule in their favor. The justices instead declined to hear the case, telling Oregons courts to rethink their ill-treatment of the Kleins in light of the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision. The Kleins ordeal began back in 2013 when Rachel Bowman-Cryer visited their Oregon bakery to order a wedding cake for her upcoming wedding to her partner, Laurel. The Kleins told Bowman-Cryer that their religious beliefs wouldnt allow them to fill that request. Seven months after the visit, Bowman-Cryer and her partner filed a complaint with Oregons Bureau of Labor and Industries. The administrative law judge appointed by the then-Labor Commissioner, Brad Avakian, sided with Bowman-Cryer and her partner and awarded them $135,000 in damages. The ruling was then reviewed by Avakian who, even before his Bureau filed a formal complaint against the Kleins, publicly stated Everyone has a right to their religious beliefs, but that doesnt mean they can disobey laws already in place. Not surprisingly, Avakian not only affirmed the financial award, he prohibited the Kleins from ever speaking publicly about not wanting to bake cakes for same-sex weddings based on their Christian beliefs. An Oregon appeals court upheld the Bureau of Labors actions, and the Supreme Court of Oregon declined to hear the case. So the Kleins, represented by the First Liberty Institute, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. On Monday, the Court declined to hear the case, at least for now. Instead, it decided to vacate the decision by the Oregon appeals court and ordered it to reconsider the matter in light of the Supreme Courts ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. In Masterpiece, of course, the majority on the high court declared that religious hostility on the part of the State itself is a factor that violates the States obligation of religious neutrality under the Free Exercise Clause. That opinion cited numerous examples of conduct by Colorado officials that clearly demonstrated religious hostility. By vacating the Oregon courts decision and instructing it to apply Masterpiece to the Sweet Cakes case, the Supreme Court did at least two things. First, as the First Liberty Institute put it, the Court reaffirmed an essential principle: that everyone is entitled to a fair trial before an unbiased judgea benefit the Kleins clearly did not enjoy in Oregon. The second thing the Courts ruling does is leave open the possibility of hearing the case in the future. Given the record of hostility toward the Kleins and their beliefs, the Oregon court could rule for them on narrow grounds without addressing their broader religious freedom claims. But if it doubles down, like the state of Washington did in the case of Barronelle Stutzman, the Kleins could once again appeal to the Supreme Court. The current makeup of the Court seems much friendlier to religious freedom than the Court that Jack Phillips visited. All of this makes the Courts actions on Monday good news. Not only for Melissa and Aaron Klein and the First Liberty Institute, but for anyone who cares about religious freedom, which should be all of us. Download mp3 audio here. Resources Ohio bakery awarded $11 million in libel lawsuit against Oberlin College over alleged racial profiling, Holly Yan and Hollie Silverman | CNN | June 11, 2019 Originally posted at Breakpoint. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in Mississippi abortion ruling The U.S. Supreme Court has overruled the landmark 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, concluding that there is no constitutional right to an abortion. In a decision released Friday in the case of Thomas Dobbs, et. al. v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the high court ruled 6-3 to uphold Mississippis Gestational Age Act, which bans most abortions after 15 weeks into a pregnancy. "Held: The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," the syllabus to the majority opinion reads. Justice Samuel Alito authored the majority opinion and was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. Kavanaugh, Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts all wrote concurring opinions. "We hold that Roe and [Planned Parenthood v. Casey] must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision," wrote Alito. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division." The majority opinion stated that it is "time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives." While the Roe opinion made abortion a national right and limited the states' ability to enact laws restricting abortion before fetal viability, the court's 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casy upheld the right to an abortion established by Roe. "The critical question is whether the Constitution, properly understood, confers a right to obtain an abortion. Caseys controlling opinion skipped over that question and reaffirmed Roe solely on the basis of stare decisis," the syllabus states. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan filed a dissenting opinion, claiming that Roe and Casey "struck a balance" between allowing abortion and allowing laws to regulate it. "Today, the Court discards that balance. It says that from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of. A State can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs," the dissent reads. "The Mississippi law at issue here bars abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. Under the majoritys ruling, though, another States law could do so after ten weeks, or five or three or one or, again, from the moment of fertilization. States have already passed such laws, in anticipation of todays ruling. More will follow." In 2018, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1510, the Gestational Age Act, which banned most abortions performed 15 weeks into a pregnancy. At the time, Bryant said the bill would help make "Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child." While the law provided exemptions for abortions performed due to life-threatening medical emergencies for mothers or severe fetal abnormality, it did not include exemptions for rape or incest. The law was viewed as a direct challenge to the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Roe. Jackson Women's Health, the only licensed abortion clinic in Mississippi, filed a lawsuit against the law, with a federal court granting them a restraining order. In December 2019, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the lower court ruling, granting a permanent injunction against the legislation. Circuit Judge Patrick Higginbotham authored the panel opinion, concluding that the law went against a womans right to choose an abortion before viability. States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the womans right, but they may not ban abortions, he wrote. The law at issue is a ban. Thus, we affirm the district courts invalidation of the law, as well as its discovery rulings and its award of permanent injunctive relief. The Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal in May 2021 and heard oral arguments on the Dobbs case last December, with pro-life and pro-choice activists holding dueling rallies outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national grassroots pro-life activist group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called the decision a "historic human rights victory for unborn children and their mothers and a bright pro-life future for our nation. Today the Supreme Court, in line with modern science and overwhelming public consensus, recognized the truth in every mothers heart and that pro-life advocates have argued all along: unborn children are human beings, deserving of protection," Dannenfelser said in a statement. "Every legislature in the land, in every single state and Congress, is now free to allow the will of the people to make its way into the law through our elected representatives." The Planned Parenthood Action Fund called the court's ruling "as dangerous as it is shocking" because "it opens the floodgates for states across the country to ban abortion." "This final decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization ... could lead 26 states to quickly move to ban abortion, leaving at least 36 million women of reproductive age, and other people who can become pregnant, without abortion access," the Planned Parenthood Action Fund statement reads. "The consequences of this devastating decision will fall largely on people who already face the greatest barriers to health care due to this countrys legacy of racism and discrimination, including Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with low incomes, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and people living in rural areas." With Roe overturned, 21 states will completely ban or restrict abortion more severely than they do now, while 16 states will continue to allow abortion throughout most or all of pregnancy because the right to abortion has been codified into law. Ten states will continue to enforce existing abortion laws and/or restrictions. The remaining three states could let voters weigh in on abortion policy at the ballot box in the near future. While the country awaited a decision by the high court, Politico released a leaked draft opinion in a report published May 2, which indicated that the justices were likely to overturn Roe. The draft opinion was written in February and authored by Alito, suggesting the court would rule 5-4 in favor of overturning Roe and allowing states to decide whether to ban abortion. Although Politico pointed out that the draft could change considerably by the time it was released, the news nevertheless sparked several protests and incidents of vandalism and arson targeting churches and pro-life offices. Protests were held outside the homes of the justices who had signed on to the draft opinion, prompting law enforcers to increase security for the Supreme Court members. Earlier this month, a man was arrested near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The man intended to kill the Supreme Court justice over the likely overturning of Roe but instead turned himself over to authorities. Can I ask God for a confirmation? There are many incidents of God giving people a sign throughout the Bible. Although I believe God still does this, I also believe that we must be careful. Asking for a sign can be misleading if other factors are not taken into consideration. In Genesis, we find an incredible example of asking God for confirmation. Abraham told his servant to find a wife for his son, but not from the Canaanites (which was the easy route), but to go back to Abrahams country to look there. When the servant arrived at his destination, he prayed that God would give him a sign that the woman for Isaac would allow him and his camels to drink from her container (Gen. 24:12-14). Seems a little risky to me, but God honored his request. Here is why Its worth the wait Many speculate that this journey could have taken three weeks to reach his destination. In this, we find a very important principle: Its worth the wait to do what is right. He wanted to find a bride who shared a love for God. This reveals another very important truth: The principle of being equally yoked. Many believers ask for confirmation while disobeying clear teachings of Scripture. For example, a couple living together asks God for confirmation if they should marry, or a businessman asks for confirmation on a business venture that will compromise his integrity, or a family asks God for confirmation to buy a house way above their financial means. In all these situations, asking for confirmation would go against Gods Word: Get wisdom! Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding (Proverbs 4:5-7). Before making a decision, ask, Is this wise and does it line up with Gods Word? Our pursuit of Gods will must begin with obedience. Dont be fleeced by throwing out a fleece In Judges 6:36-40, we read about the concept of throwing out a fleece. Gideon said that he would place a wool fleece on the floor: If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand... And it happened. Gideon rose early the next day and wrung out the water. Still not convinced, Gideon asked for more confirmation: Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew. And the Lord honored his request: Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. What are we to make of this? How does it apply to us today? I believe we can ask for confirmation from time to time if certain conditions are met: 1. Youre truly seeking Gods will through prayer and the application of His Word (e.g., youre living in obedience rather than disobedience). 2. Youre waiting on Him and repenting of besetting sin and wrong attitudes, if warranted. 3. Youre using wisdom and applying principles that align with His Word, His character, and His nature. 4. Youre prepared to obey regardless of the answer. 5. Youre not double-minded, wishy-washy, and always looking for a word or a sign. 6. Youre not asking for confirmation on things that oppose His Word. 7. Youll keep trusting God even if there is no answer. Gideons situation included all the points above: He needed the courage to fight evil and was truly seeking God. He was already walking in obedience by breaking down the horrendous altar of Baal (Judges 6:28-32). He trusted God and was prepared to obey. And the job of delivering Israel what he wasnt sure about all lined up with Gods Word. An example of when I needed confirmation Although I dont ask for confirmation often, I definitely need one before beginning the Westside Christian Fellowship Radio Network. In August 2017, the local radio stations that we broadcasted on informed me they were in the process of selling. At that moment, I felt God prompting me with the thought, Why dont you buy the stations? Although I considered it a crazy idea, especially because they werent available at the time, I began to pray. Months later, I emailed the manager of the stations to see how everything was going. I was surprised to find that they hadnt sold yet. Again, I prayed for direction, Lord, we cant buy these stations and try to wing it. We need a person who can help oversee the programming. God, I dont know if this is You, so Im going to let the idea go. The exception not the rule It seemed like buying a few stations in our area was God-honoring. We also had the budget to branch out and our leadership team was fully on board with this idea. All of these things are extremely important when it comes to Gods will. For example, if the leadership had been divided or we didn't have the finances to purchase the stations, it may not have been a good idea. Granted, sometimes decisions are made in Gods will when not everyone agrees, and God will sometimes require you to step out in faith and trust Him for the finances, but this is often the expectation rather than the rule. Just a few days later, Phil, a Christian radio station managerwho I had never met, stopped by the church office and said he was considering moving to our area from Minnesota. Talk about confirmation! To say we were surprised is an understatement; we were shocked. This confirmation fueled an intense eight-month season of prayer. I trust God. Its me Im not sure about Still skeptical, I wanted additional proof that I was on the right track. I fully trusted God but I didnt fully trust me. God knows our heart and I believe He will give us confirmation when needed. At other times, He may ask that we simply step out in faith and trust Him. A few months after Phils visit, I was driving to a meet-and-greet for our church. I prayed, Lord, it seems like You are directing us to buy these radio stations, but they are still not available. If you want me to continue to pray, please let me meet someone who was helped by our program before it went off the air. One of the first people I met at the meet-and-greet was a man named Walt, who said, I was listening to your program a year ago and it really helped me. Whatever happened to that station? I smiled and embraced Gods confirmation. Again, I trust Him fully, but I dont always trust my feelings. That's why waiting on God is so important. Pray, stay, and obey Finally! Almost one year to the date of my first inquiry, we were told we could purchase the stations because the original buyer backed out, and the Westside Christian Fellowship Radio Network was born. You too can be led by Gods Spirit if you pray, stay, and obey: Pray for confirmation, apply the points previously mentioned, use wisdom, wait on God, seek godly counsel, and make sure your decision is based on the Word of God. God loves to lead those who are willing to follow. Girls outperformed boys in the annual Class 10 exams conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, the results of which were declared on Friday. While the overall pass percentage this year is 96.94 per cent, girls yet again outshone boys with their pass percentage of 97.96 as against the boys' 96.06 per cent, an official said. The Konkan division registered the highest pass percentage of 99.27, while Nashik division is at the bottom with 95.90 per cent, the board's chairperson Sharad Gosavi said. The pass percentage of others divisions is: Kolhapur 98.50 per cent, Latur 97.27 per cent, Nagpur 97 per cent, Pune 96.96 per cent, Mumbai 96.94 per cent, Amravati 96.81 per cent and Aurangabad 96.33 per cent. A total of 15,84,790 students had registered for the exam, of whom 15,68,977 appeared for it, while 15,21,033 of them cleared the exam that was held in March-April this year. Gosavi said the results of 24 different subjects were 100 per cent. In the regular students' category, 6,50,779 students got first class with distinction, while 5,70,027 and 2,58,027 others received first class and second class respectively. Of the total 22,921 schools, 12,210 posted 100 per cent results. This year, students appearing for the SSC exam were given 30 minutes extra to complete the papers and for their convenience, their own schools were allowed as the exam centres. Last year (2020-21), the exams had been cancelled due to the rise in coronavirus cases and the results were prepared based on the marks obtained in Class 9 exam and as per internal assessments of Class 10. The pass percentage for 2020-21 was 99.95 per cent. Christians should be careful not to speak against the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is the least known member of the Trinity. Many Christians know much about God the Father and God the Son but many do not know anything about God the Holy Spirit. Some denominations do not even acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is God. According to Barna research in 2021: The study shows, in general, that while a majority of Americas self-identified Christians, including many who identify as evangelical, believe that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and is the Creator of the universe, more than half reject a number of biblical teachings and principles, including the existence of the Holy Spirit. Lack of knowledge of who the Holy Spirit is has led to lots of blasphemy against Him. Even some who believe in Him are not aware of His personality. Some use inanimate pronouns to describe Him because they do not know that He is a person (John 16:7). Many grieve Him because they do not know that He has feelings (Ephesians 4:30). Many things have been said about the Holy Spirit that are sacrilegious, offensive and profane by those who are supposed to revere and worship Him. Ignorance is the greatest mountain of opposition in Christianity and the earlier we get informed the better it is. The Holy Spirit is the executive arm of the Trinity. The world was created by Him as He moved upon the face of the waters in Genesis 1. He was the one who wrote the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). He was responsible for the miraculous birth of Jesus (Luke 1:35). All miracles which Jesus did were done by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mathew 12:28). Jesus was able to go to the Cross to be crucified for the salvation of humanity by the leading of the Holy Spirit (Hebrew 9:14). Jesus would have remained in the grave if not for the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). After Jesus commissioned the Apostles and the other disciples, they had no motivation of preaching the Gospel until the Holy Spirit enabled them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). There is no way we would have come to know Jesus if not for the conviction power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit is powerful in more than one way. I developed strong awe for the Holy Spirit when I read what Jesus said about speaking against Him. I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come (Mathew 12:31-32 ). This warning of Christ is frightening and should be carefully and strictly adhered to. Eternal sin is an offence that no one can sweep under the carpet no matter how gracious we think God is. It should recall that Jesus made the above statement when He observed that the Jews were saying that He was casting out demons with the power of demons. What this means is that denying the works of the Holy Spirit and attributing them to some other powers is a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. When Powerful men of God abuse their office, they are getting dangerously close to blasphemy. Prophecy is one of the vocal gifts of the Holy Spirit, and abusing the gift of prophecy and saying what the Holy Spirit did not say is a blasphemy against Him. Blasphemy is a serious offence in the three Abrahamic religions. For example, in Islam blasphemy is an offense that carries with it the death penalty. Even back in Jesus day, blasphemers would be executed for blasphemy: But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again, the high priest asked him, Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? I am, said Jesus. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. The high priest tore his clothes. Why do we need any more witnesses? he asked. You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think? They all condemned him as worthy of death (Mark 14:61-64). Christ was crucified for an alleged case of blasphemy. Christianity is different from Islam and Judaism because of the unmerited favor of God towards humankind through the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. Christians do not condemn anyone to death because of blasphemy, but should we continue to blaspheme that grace may abound? God forbid! It is important that we take heed to the warning of Christ not to say a word against the Holy Spirit because the sin is unforgivable here on earth and the afterlife. If blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven, what will be the fate of those who are ignorantly engrossed in this sin? Christians should avoid reckless talks against the Holy Spirit. Those who deny His existence are guilty of the sin of apostasy. Those who fake miracles, prophecies and testimonies are guilty of blasphemy. We should not be too familiar with God to the extent of taking His words for granted. Hiding this warning of Christ in our hearts and exercising caution is a sure way of escape from this unpardonable sin. Listening to detransitioners Given the amount of attention the issue gets, its easy to yield to a so-called inevitability thesis when it comes to transgender ideology, the idea that, its just a matter of time before everyone is on board. A recent story aired for pride month highlighted the story of two parents who chose to raise their biologically female daughter as a transgender boy. Before Ryland could even speak, the anchor narrates, he managed to tell his parents that he is a boy. But, the piece continues, unlike some trans kids, when Ryland came out at the age of five a few years later, he had the full support of his parents. This story was carried by Fox News, the so-called conservative news outlet. Saying, with a straight face, that a child as young as five could somehow come out to her parents before she can even speak, tells us next to nothing about the child. It does, however, speak volumes about the parents, as well as the sad state of a culture that allows a story like that to go unscrutinized. Were never told, for example, how Ryland somehow knew she was a boy as a baby. Now that Rylands 14, we are not told the plan for puberty, or beyond. Will chemicals be administered to block puberty? Will destructive and irreversible surgeries enable her family to maintain the charade? Foxs segment is the same paper-thin propaganda weve come to expect from other outlets, promoting a dangerous and unprecedented idea while inferring that anyone not on board simply doesnt have enough love in their hearts. The reality, of course, is different. Across the country, thousands of young people are being permanently marked by physical and psychological damage. In fact, some are now expressing deep regret, and their stories are coming to light. Journalist Laura Dodsworth recently published a piece in the U.K.s The Critic titled The False Euphoria of Dysphoria. Its worth quoting at length: I photographed and interviewed women ... [ who] thought they were transgender, had top surgery, then went on to change their mind and detransition. But although they reverted their names, pronouns, and passports, flesh cannot be returned after a double mastectomy. The effects of testosterone cannot be undone, nor the removal of the uterus and ovaries, which some of these detransitioners also had, leaving them sterile, on hormone replacement therapy for life, and traumatized. Dodsworth describes how one young woman, Lucy, who, struggling with anorexia and body dysmorphia, was quickly prescribed gender reassignment surgery as treatment: At the age of just 23, she could not comprehend how doctors could remove her breasts, uterus and ovaries. I feel mutilated, she said. Another young woman, Susanna, described how her dysphoria grew from the scars of unaddressed sexual abuse: For me, transition was a kind of self-harm. I was trying to destroy the person I was. Still another young woman, Sinead, wishes she could have received real help instead of a quick fix: Ive tried to talk about background issues with therapistsActually, I think my gender issues came out of mental health, not the other way aroundFor the rest of my life I will always be bewildered that this was allowed to happen. I was dealing with unaddressed trauma from sexual abuse. I needed therapy and help, not a bilateral mastectomy. The conclusion, according to Dodsworth, is simple. Listen to the stories of those who have detransitioned. Womens sports, prisons, even the basic question of what a woman is, have become a uniquely modern battlefield. Detransitioners bear the literal scars of this battleThe problem is that young people are affirmed and groomed before the first doctors appointment by euphoric and unbalanced content on social media. One trans mans pure joy may be another womans pure regret. The stories Dodsworth tells are just some of the stories now emerging from young people dealing with incredible regret. Figures like Helena Kerschner or Scott Newgent, and hundreds of others on blogs, Twitter threads, and Reddit posts are telling the sobering truth about what trans ideology cost them. What this means for Christians is that we must not buy into any inevitability thesis when it comes to trans ideology. We arent on the wrong side of history, or of our religious beliefs, or of love. The number of detransition stories coming out of the U.K. is a good example that, if anything, America is out of step with much of the rest of the world, which is currently applying the brakes to gender transitioning therapies for minors. Also, Christians must give up, once and for all, a foolish and dangerous position of neutrality on this issue. Most damning of all is the claim that not opposing the destructive gender ideologies of our culture is somehow the loving thing to do. Too many stories of regret and permanent damage have already emerged. More is told every day. We can never again say that we didnt know. Creating space for the stories of detransitioners to be shared is a powerful way to combine truth with compassion. Ideas have consequences, and bad ideas have victims. In our cultural moment, the victims are not supposed to exist. But they do, and if we can share their burden or prevent the pain of even one other, we must. Pakistani court upheld death sentence for Christian brothers despite 'shoddy investigation': lawyer LAHORE, Pakistan Hopes for freedom of two Christian brothers on death row under Pakistans blasphemy laws were dashed this month when a court upheld their death sentence despite lack of evidence against them, their lawyers said. Qaiser Ayub, 45, and Amoon Ayub, 42, have been incarcerated since 2014, and their appeal of the death sentence before the Lahore High Courts Rawalpindi Bench had been pending since 2018. Justice Raja Shahid Mehmood Abbasi and Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz took up their appeal on Feb. 28 but did not announce their verdict until June 8, attorney Khurram Maan said. We were quite hopeful that the judges would take note that the trial court had convicted our clients on the basis of a shoddy investigation and evidence, but we were shocked when the court announced its verdict on June 8, after a delay of three months, Maan told Morning Star News. Maan, of the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ), is representing Amoon Ayub, while Tahir Bashir of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) is defending Qaiser Ayub. Maan and Bashir said there is no evidence that implicates the Ayub brothers in the blasphemy charge. Bashir said the brothers, incarcerated in the Sahiwal District Jail, were very sad and disappointed when informed about the appeal verdict. Qaiser has three children, while Amoon is childless, Bashir told Morning Star News. Both men were devastated when they learned that their appeal for justice has been denied. The case against the brothers was registered in June 2011 on a complaint by Talagang resident Muhammad Saeed, who alleged he came across a blog containing blasphemous material against Islams prophet, Muhammad, Maan said. The blog was created by Muslim friends of Qaiser Ayub who were resentful over a conflict with him, and they had put his name, phone number, email address and office address on their site, Maan said. Qaiser Ayubs friends had registered the website under Amoon Ayubs name, and based on that and the contact information on the blog, police filed charges against both brothers and arrested them, Maan said. None of that information proved that either of the two brothers actually authored or posted the blasphemous material on the blogging website, he said. The lawyer said that Amoon Ayub was a music teacher at a private school in Lahore and was running a small charity for the welfare of Christians, the United Christian Organization (UCO), with his older brother, Qaiser Ayub. The brothers also operated a website where they posted news about the activities of their organization, he added. The case against the brothers was based on the blasphemous content posted on a blog which, according to the brothers testimonies, was created by the Muslim friends of Qaiser using their contact information from the original website after a fight broke out between them over one of the friends sister, Maan said. The trial court convicted both brothers in December 2018, reasoning that the presence of their contact information on the blog and their neglecting to approach the website administrator to remove the contact details showed that they were responsible for creating it. Both the trial court and the high court refused to accept that any person can create a website and post anybodys name and address on it, Maan said. During the appeal, Maan told the court that the brothers authentic website was online for only a year and had no blasphemous content on it. I pleaded with the court to inquire of the Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) why they had failed to authenticate the creator of the blasphemous blog from the WordPress management, to which the investigating officer said the company was not responding to their request, Maan said. The FIA did state to the court that it had held a technical meeting with the complainant, after which the charges were filed, Maan said, but the fact is that the complainant is not even a matriculate [second-year high school student], so how could he have such a meeting with the agency? The lawyer said that he also cited a recent judgment by the Lahore High Court which held that a blasphemous text message found in the phone of an appellant in another case was insufficient evidence for conviction. The appellant could be convicted only if the prosecution establishes that the phone was in his use and that he authored and sent the alleged text message, Maan said. Similarly, in the Ayub brothers case, the prosecution did not establish that they authored or posted the blasphemous material on the blog. However, the court disregarded the submissions and relevant case law. Supreme Court Appeal Attorney Bashir said the defense hopes the Supreme Court will administer justice to the falsely accused brothers, charged with blaspheming against Muhammad, which calls for a mandatory death sentence under Section 295-C of Pakistans widely condemned blasphemy laws. The SC must also take cognizance of the fact that trial courts and high courts become prejudicial if the case is of Section 295-C, he said, referring to prolonged delays in trials and hearing of appeals. The mere accusation of blasphemy often provokes mob violence and lynching of suspects in Pakistan, while penalties are light for those who make such false accusations. At least 1,949 blasphemy suspects were subjected to false allegations, prolonged trials and displacement between 1985 and December 2021, according to the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). The CSJ added that at least 84 people were killed after being suspected or accused under blasphemy laws since their promulgation as part of former military ruler Ziaul Haqs Islamisation during the 1980s. Mobs lynched two people and injured two others in four cities of Pakistan between December 2021 and March 2022. Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors 2022 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The country had the second-highest number of Christians killed for their faith, behind Nigeria, with 620 slain during the reporting period from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021. Pakistan had the fourth-highest number of churches attacked or closed, with 183, and overall. This article was originally published by Morning Star News. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate In 2019, many auto experts said Tesla was making a big mistake by deciding to sell cars only online, arguing that whatever bad feelings people had about dealerships, they were essential to the car business. But the strategy, which was adopted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and combines direct sales with a limited number of stores and service centers, appears to be proving the naysayers wrong. The company dominates the fast-growing electric car market even as other manufacturers struggle to sell cars because of a shortage of computer chips. Teslas approach, which has been copied by other young electric carmakers like Rivian and Lucid Motors, could eventually have major ramifications for the auto industry. Most carmakers and auto dealers are earning rich profits right now because the shortage of new cars has pushed up prices for both new and used cars. Still, car companies and dealers may have to eventually adopt some of the changes Tesla has introduced to win over buyers who have grown used to buying cars online. People who have traded in conventional cars for electric vehicles made by Tesla and newer companies said they were pleased with the experience and would consider buying future cars in the same way. Easiest big purchase of my life, crazy easy, Rachel Ryan, who lives near Los Angeles, said about her 2021 purchase of a Tesla Model Y. I bought it while my husband was at work, she added. When he came home, I told him he wouldnt be driving my minivan anymore. Ryan said the only service problem she had was a flat tire from a nail. Tesla came to my house to fix it, she said. Any questions I have, I just email, and they are on it within minutes. Buying online is a must for people looking to purchase an electric car made by Tesla, Rivian or Lucid, whose customers can buy only online and directly from the manufacturer. But online car shopping appeals to a large proportion of all car buyers, even those buying combustion-engine cars through dealerships, said Michelle Krebs, an executive analyst for Cox Automotive. Our data shows consumers want to do more of the process online but most dont want to eliminate the dealer visit altogether, Krebs said. They just wanted the dealer experience to be something else focused on the product, the features of the product and a test drive. She said some dealerships had started digitizing some or all of the buying process in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when showrooms shut down like other retail businesses. In Europe, some carmakers have gone even further. Daimler, Volkswagen and Volvo are selling cars directly to consumers or have announced plans to do so. U.S. automakers have also signaled that they would like to make big changes. Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley said at an investor conference this month that the companys distribution and advertising costs per car were about $2,000 higher than Teslas. Farley said Ford wanted to sell electric cars only online at nonnegotiable prices without keeping a large inventory of cars at dealerships. He added that dealerships would remain important but would have to become more specialized. He likened what is happening in the auto industry to the retail business, where the rise of Amazon forced established retailers to sell more on the internet and use physical stores in new ways. Its kind of like what happened between Amazon and Target, Farley said. Target could have gone away, but they didnt. They bolted on an e-commerce platform, and then they use their physical store to add groceries and make returns much easier than Amazon. Established automakers are unlikely to do away with dealerships for another reason: State laws often require them to sell cars through franchised dealers and can make it hard or impossible for automakers to deal directly with customers. Tesla has lobbied state lawmakers to change laws governing auto sales and has gotten lawmakers in many places to allow the company and other automakers that never had dealerships to sell cars directly to customers. But in some states like Texas, where Tesla is now based and has a factory, the company has struggled to persuade lawmakers to change laws and rules that favor dealerships. For example, Texas offers a $2,500 rebate to people who buy electric vehicles, but buyers of Teslas are not eligible because those cars are not sold by franchised dealerships. The National Automobile Dealers Association, which represents dealers, has long opposed direct sales of cars and has urged lawmakers to require Tesla to use dealers, arguing that dealerships are vital to the auto industry and local economies. They have also said Teslas approach is much less convenient for car buyers and owners. Franchised dealers are absolutely essential to widespread EV adoption in the U.S., Jared Allen, a spokesperson for NADA, said in an email. And as more legacy automakers enter the EV market, effectively selling to these mass-market customers requires leveraging not rejecting the existing franchised dealership network, he added. Were the face of the manufacturer in every small town in America, Bill Fox, a former chair of the association, told AutoGuide.com in 2015. Its not just dealers who have criticized Tesla. Some Tesla owners complain that repairing or fixing problems with their cars can be an ordeal. The automaker operates about 160 service centers in the United States, which is far fewer than more established companies Chevrolet, for example, has more than 3,000 dealerships nationwide. Tesla pledges to send a technician to customers homes for minor repairs, but bigger problems have to be dealt with by mechanics at the service centers. James Klafehn of Ithaca, New York, hosts a YouTube channel that focuses on electric vehicles and related topics. He bought a Tesla in 2019 and has published videos documenting how hard it has been to get a variety of problems resolved because he lives several hours from a Tesla service center. In an October 2019 video, he was scathing about the problems with his Model X sport utility vehicle, which included a hole in a panel and an indentation in a doors weatherstrip. I am not excited to make this video. Ive been dreading it hoping for something positive to happen, he said. Unfortunately after five weeks of Model X ownership, the Tesla service experience has been very poor. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Other owners who live far from Tesla service centers say the distance has not been a problem. That may be because electric cars tend to require less maintenance than combustion-engine vehicles. Bill McGuire, the editor-in-chief of Macs Motor City Garage, a website for car enthusiasts, said he had driven 99 miles from his Toledo, Ohio, home to Clarkston, Michigan, for a test drive at a Tesla store and subsequently picked his car up at a Tesla service center in Columbus, Ohio. It was my first online car buying experience it was a bit of a surprise and mainly a pleasant one, McGuire said. Some people might want a lot more hand-holding. The only problem he encountered with his Model 3 was condensation in the taillights. Tesla sent a technician, and the taillights were replaced in his garage. Other young electric car companies, like Rivian and Lucid, have even fewer showrooms and service centers than Tesla. Rivian has 19 in the United States, and Lucid has just 10, with seven more scheduled to open this year. That has not dissuaded tens of thousands of people from reserving cars made by the two companies. Like Tesla, both automakers offer to send technicians to customers homes for minor repairs and say major repairs will be handled at service centers. To allay buyers fears that more substantial mechanic work could be a hassle, Lucid goes so far as to promise free transport to its nearest service center for cars needing major repairs. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The American Psychological Association (APA) has condemned the Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, saying that it will exacerbate the mental health crisis in America. In a statement released Friday on its website, the organization, which represents more than 130,000 psychology professionals in the U.S., expressed "deep concern" and "disappointment," noting that the ruling goes against both precedent and science. "We are alarmed that the justices would nullify Roe despite decades of scientific research demonstrating that people who are denied abortions are more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety, lower life satisfaction and lower self-esteem compared with those who are able to obtain abortions," APA President Frank C. Worrell said in the statement. The organization's remarks come amid nationwide protests in response to the decision, which is expected to result in 13 states banning abortion (with many more to follow) and rising concerns about a potential nationwide ban. The statement from the APA stands in contrast to claims made by antiabortion activists, who have long pointed to mental health problems in their arguments, claiming that the procedure leads to adverse psychological outcomes. The science, according to the APA, strongly suggests otherwise. "This is not about supporting life or supporting women," Worrell told The Post by phone on Saturday, in response to the ruling. "This is about imposing personal views, often religious, on all of the country, and in doing so, taking away the discretion of many individuals to do what is important for their lives at what is already a very stressful time." The APA points to the Turnaway Study, a five-year research project that followed 1,000 people across the U.S. who had been denied or obtained abortions, based on local policy. Data from the study, summarized in a 2018 brief, suggests that those who were denied abortions experienced more anxiety in the months afterward, compared to those who had obtained abortions. It also found that having an abortion does not increase one's risk of experiencing symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety or stress, including PTSD. The data contradicts mandates that a person seeking abortion be counseled about so-called mental health risks. "Laws that require women to be warned about negative psychological consequences of abortion are not based in evidence," the 2018 brief says. Another paper based on the data, published in 2020, found that the most common emotion experienced by women who had abortions was relief. And five years later, 95 percent of people who received abortions said they felt they made the right decision. "These results add to the scientific evidence that emotions about an abortion are associated with personal and social context, and are not a product of the abortion procedure itself," the authors wrote. By contrast, women in the Turnaway study who carried unwanted pregnancies to term after being denied an abortion reported more stress, had a higher chance of living in poverty and were more likely to stay with to abusive partners. Worrell believes the SCOTUS ruling will impact many aspects of psychological health because it restricts personal freedom. "Once you've taken away rights and there's a lack of autonomy, there's anxiety and worry about what will happen," Worrell says. "Some people are going to wonder, 'How can I be sexually active? What's going to happen if I live in a state where I have no access to abortion and I happen to get pregnant? What's going to happen to my daughter if she does?'" The psychological toll also disproportionately impacts those with fewer resources, according to Worrell: people who can't afford to take time off or pay for child care to travel to another state for the procedure, should they get pregnant. "All that this does is it actually increases the psychological stress, the anxiety and the burden on certain segments of society," he says. Jacent Wamala, a marriage and family therapist based in Las Vegas who works with women of color, cautions that trauma from this decision could lead to "hyper vigilant" behavior around sex. "If my rights have been restricted without me being able to do anything about it, in order to protect myself, I'll go into survival mode. I have to be on the lookout for the next thing that's coming," she says. According to Wamala, the changes that will likely follow the SCOTUS ruling are so personal that it could have profound repercussions. "Anyone who has ever wanted to date or be in a relationship or be sexually intimate or whatever now has a whole new lens because of this decision," she says. "There are financial implications. There are relationship implications. People have to look at their lives through a lens that they didn't chose." After the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, protests ensued throughout the country, including in Laredo, as politicians, religious leaders and influentials weighed in on the subject across various platforms and spoke about the impact of the Supreme Court decision. In Laredo, Dr. Virginia Kuulei Berndt spoke with LMT about how deep the decision will affect average women -- local or not -- its impact on the dynamics of a relationship experiencing domestic violence, the loss of a staple in health care and the chain reaction it may have on other forms of health care such as contraceptives. Berndt is an assistant professor of sociology at Texas A&M International and earned her doctorate in sociology at the University of Delaware. She was also an affiliate of the Disaster Research Center and currently teaches Sociological Theory and Sociology of Disasters as well as the graduate courses in the Sociology of Health and Illness. The core theme among my presented and published research is health and illness. In this area, I examine dimensions of reproductive health as it relates to disasters, the environment, the body and embodiment, provider-patient interactions, and sociological theory, she wrote. I have experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods on interactional, national and global scales. My dissertation examined women's embodied experiences with contraception and its medicalization. Most importantly, Berndt said in order to find help if the ban affects an individual or those around them, they can donate to abortion funds found throughout South Texas. However, she emphasized anyone with a fertility application on their phone or other electronic device should delete it due to the risk of having the information mined and sold. In 26 states, abortion could be outright banned or restricted. Also, with each individual state picking and choosing their own flavor of the ban, the consequences and impact on contraceptives is also in flux. Contraceptives are not just to prevent pregnancy but are also integral in managing medical conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, heavy bleeding, debilitating menstrual cramps and even acne, Berndt said. Beyond that, she added emergency contraceptives have also been religiously hijacked, as some believe this form of contraceptive is abortion inducing. She explained it prevents the fertilization or joining the egg and sperm. Abortion is health care, even if someone might not understand why an abortion is necessary. But the territory this can go into, it could ban abortion in the case of rape or incest, or make it harder to get treatment like an ectopic pregnancy -- where an embryo implants itself in the fallopian tube rather than the uterus, Berndt said. Some legal scholars including Dr. Sarah Frank note that ectopic pregnancy would be required to proceed until the embryo in the fallopian tube to burst, thereby not only killing not only the embryo but also the pregnant person as well. According to the Texas trigger law, in less than 30 days, a statewide abortion ban will be implemented banning abortions after approximately six weeks. Berndt said further exceptions include if the life of the pregnant person is at risk of a medical complication, but it is still in a grey area and would be dependent on the health care provider. As per the impact this sweeping decision will have on deeper levels of residents lives, Berndt said it will be significant for a number of communities, even those who could be considered outside the scope of Roe v. Wade. She referenced the Society for Family Planning, which noted that if abortions stopped, 21% more people would die from pregnancy complications. Aside from this, the decision will have a stronger impact on marginilized communities, specifically those of color. According to Planned Parenthood, Marshae Jones -- a woman who lost her 5-month-old fetus after being shot -- was indicted by the Alabama Grand Jury on manslaughter charges due to the miscarriage, while the shooter was not charged. The charges against Jones were dropped, but not without the help of activists, lawyers and public backlash. Furthermore, similarly to miscarriages that may be out of the pregnant woman's control or care, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2017 the rate of stillbirth varies considerably by race and origin of the mother. The rate for non-Hispanic white women was 4.89 per 1,000 live births and still births. Without any type of legal access to contraceptions at all, the repercussions would be all the more devastating because that would obviously, even more obviously than it is now, it is more of an issue of control rather than protecting anyones health, Berndt said. It is the imposition of religious and moral beliefs upon all Americans, regardless of what Americans actually believe, regardless of what the scientific definition of what the beginning of life is, it would be a control of all pregnancy capable individuals. And from there, a control of over their partners. Outside of the troubles and hurdles placed in front of a person who wants or needs an abortion, any outright ban without guidelines could have severe implications to what is outside the realm of those who made the ban. From shifting life trajectories to the financial impact an unplanned child would have on the couple, the waters are muddied on futures throughout the nation. As an example, In vitro fertilization -- or the joining of a woman's egg and a man's sperm in a laboratory dish -- brings up the question of how the bans will affect the elimination of non-viable embryos and the couple who is attempting to have a child through IVF. Berndt questioned whether they would be charged for murder during the elimination, as there are no further guidelines discussed or planned. Furthermore, Berndt said in the event where a pregnant woman is denied an abortion, the existing children of those people will endure negative effects. In the cases where a relationship is marred with domestic violence, the current ban of abortion essentially makes that pregnant woman a hostage, as Berndt noted there is an increase in intimate partner violence during forced pregnancy. The fact that domestic violence increases when the person is pregnant, that is just soul crushing," she said. "When somebody is at their most vulnerable, their chance of violence increases, and heaven forbid having to carry the pregnancy to term is just another act of violence without the violence. Ultimately, the layers of complications within not only the individual human body but the process of fertilization, incubation and every factor between that and delivering a child is no longer in the hands of the pregnant individual. Berndt said the decision opens the door to many more questions limiting the "freedom" of an individual, such as the legal consequences of leaving the state to get an abortion. The default is its not in the constitution. Guns are in the constitution, abortion is not. Well women arent mentioned in the constitution, so none of this is centered, she said. Falling back on that is kind of faulty. Even from the constitution, women have not been prioritized. The decision heavily featured constitutional reasoning, stating abortion was not in the constitution. Despite the stance by many believing the ban is a positive, the center of the issue could have repercussions on multiple facets throughout the nation, including Laredo, which is home to a large population of residents who are catholic practitioners, are uninsured and living below the poverty lines. As an expert in her field, Berndt said the only positive of this decision is those in favor will be awarded the perception they are doing good, but the decision is far more harmful in ways outside of their scope. While she doesnt believe that pro-life individuals want people to die, she said they should open their mind to the suffering of what the decision will create. They are not seeing the death and destruction that it is going to cause," she said. "People are going to die from this. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) An abortion rights protest in Portland, Oregon turned destructive over the weekend, with some people marching down the street breaking windows on businesses and vehicles and scrawling graffiti, police said. Officers were monitoring the crowed but no one was arrested because they did not have the resources to intervene at the moment," police said in a statement Sunday. City police officers were also responding to a shooting, a felony assault, a community festival and drivers doing stunts in various parts of the city at the time, police said. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of a series highlighting vendors at local farmers markets. If you are a vendor, or know a vendor, that would like to be featured, contact Brendan Sanders at brendan.sanders@pioneergroup.com) BIG RAPIDS Consistently, one of the most popular vendors at the Big Rapids farmers market is Happy Jacks Kettlecorn. The original Happy Jacks Kettlecorn business opened 11 years ago with Jack Scott. After Scott passed away, the business was posted for sale on Facebooks Marketplace. In stepped John Monahan. Monahan bought the business five years ago after meeting with Scotts family. There were so many similarities between Jack's family and ours. Monahan said. My wife is Loura; his wife is Laurie. His name was Jack; my name is John. We had the same number of kids. We were the only ones of all the people that looked at the business that wanted to retain everything he did, and not just want to buy the name. After buying the business, Monahan fell in love with the business and the social aspect of working at these farmers markets. I love to run my mouth, so it works out nice," Monahan said. "I get to chat with people at the one here in town and the one over in Mount Pleasant that we do by Central Michigan. We know a lot of people in both of those areas. We get to see people that we would normally only see a few times a year, several times a month. So, it's kind of a social thing for us as well. It also gave the Monahans an opportunity to work with both their kids and grandkids on a family business. At points with larger events, four generations are working the tent, including Monahans mother, himself, his kids and his grandkids. The work stretches all the way down to his 6-year-old and 10-year-old grandsons. "We were looking for something where we can help out, and what better way to get kids to learn at an early age what to do for business? Monahan said. So, we have a now 6-year-old, who helps us periodically. I've got a 10-year-old who helps us rather regularly every Saturday, I can count on him. VALUE VS. PRICE Monahan and his wife, Loura, are both Ferris State graduates who worked in the financial division for over 30 years. When they retired, they chose to look for something to keep them busy. Happy Jacks has been the perfect business to fill that void, as often Monahan treats this as a job in itself, getting up at 4 a.m. to travel to various events, or staying up past midnight getting the corn ready to sell the next day. Monahan described the process of making kettlecorn. It's all made in our kettle; our kettle is semi-unique. Monahan said. There are only four other ones in the area that I know of. They're hand hammered copper kettles; you don't find them anymore. "We get the kettle warm with a certain quantity of oil in it. Once the oils are to a point, we pour it in. Once the popping starts, we get the sugars and stuff in and it's a nonstop stir from the time that the oil hits. Then we bag it, and it's ready to eat. A small bag costs $4 while a large bag costs $7. There are over 140 potential flavors that Happy Jacks Kettlecorn can make, including kettlecorn, caramel corn, cheddar cheese and Chicago style. Certain events will see the Happy Jack crew bring flavors such as dill pickle, garlic parmesan, jalapeno, ranch and even fruit flavors. For the Fourth of July they make red, white and blue corn. Monahan described why people should buy his kettlecorn. Value isn't necessarily the price. It's what you get for it. Monahan said. I know I've got a good product. I tell them, You're more than happy to try it. I give them a sample, You're more than welcome to buy it. And if you're not happy, I'll give you your money back. The business travels to multiple markets throughout the week, including South Haven, Mount Pleasant, Big Rapids, and many special events like the Barryton Lilac Festival or the RV and Boat Show in Ludington. Attendees can find Happy Jacks stand in Big Rapids on Fridays. For more information and questions, visit @HappyJacksKettlecorn on Facebook. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) Cambodias National Election Committee on Sunday issued official results from this months local polls that confirmed a landslide victory by Prime Minister Hun Sens ruling party. The results showed the Cambodian People's Party receiving 74.3% of the votes, and the opposition Candlelight Party about 22.3%. It meant that the CPP won 1,648 of the countrys 1,652 commune chief positions, and the Candlelight Party the remaining four. The CPP has held an iron grip on power for decades, and has the huge advantage of controlling almost every level of government. Its opponents are less organized, with fewer resources and fearful of intimidation. Hun Sen, an authoritarian ruler in a nominally democratic state, has held power for 37 years. He has said he intends to stay in office until 2028, and has endorsed one of his sons to succeed him. The commune elections, held a year ahead of the general election, are regarded as a test of parties strength. The election committee said 80.19% of the countrys 9.2 million registered voters had cast ballots. The Candlelight Party is the unofficial successor to the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which made a much stronger second-place challenge to the ruling party in the last commune elections in 2017. In the aftermath of that vote, the party was dissolved ahead of the 2018 general election by the Supreme Court on the thinly supported grounds that it was involved in treasonous activity. The court ruling forced all party members from their local and national elected positions, and kept it off the ballot in the 2018 election, paving the way for a clean sweep of all the seats in the National Assembly by Hun Sens party. The ruling party and the National Election Committee have both announced they are suing Son Chhay, the vice president of the Candlelight Party, for comments he made in a post-election online interview alleging that this month's polls were unfair. Son Chhay charged that the election committee was biased in favor of the governing party and that there had been vote-buying and intimidation of voters. His allegations were denied by the government and the committee. Son Chhay, who holds joint Cambodian and Australian nationality, left Cambodia before the lawsuits were filed, his party colleagues said. COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) Suffering from liver and bile duct cancer, Mike Bowden couldnt attend Russell County High Schools Class of 2022 ceremony to see his son Michael graduate. But thanks to the extra effort from his family and school administrators, a special ceremony was conducted in Bowden's east Alabama home, where father and son celebrated the milestone together. Mike died two weeks later and two weeks before the official graduation ceremony. In emailed interviews with the Ledger-Enquirer, Jessie Bowden, the mother of Michael and the wife of Mike, shared this story, along with school principal Tonya Keene. While talking with her sister, Jackie Sharpe, Jessie lamented Mike wasnt healthy enough to attend graduation. Sharpe suggested contacting a school administrator to find out what could be done to accommodate the familys situation. Jessie emailed assistant principal Christopher Baker and asked whether she could borrow a cap and gown to conduct their own ceremony at home. And to push my luck, Jessie said, would he consider handing a fake diploma to Michael in front of his dad? Baker called Jessie the next day to give her the good news: The administration agreed to fulfill her request and make it a surprise. It was a team idea to try and do more, Keene said. On April 25, cars started lining up in front of the Bowden familys house in the east Alabama community of Seale. Mike was lying in a portable bed in the den, where a sign declares, Bless this home with love and laughter. Jessie brought out the balloons she had hidden. Keene, assistant principals Baker, Nisa Guice and Samantha Shoup, senior counselor Akeisha Valrie and Michaels automotive shop class teacher, Mark Saxon all wearing graduation robes marched in while a recording of Pomp and Circumstance was played. My husband was in complete awe, Jessie said. Jessie told him: Mike Bowden, you are invited to the graduation of Michael David Bowden Jr. Tears welled up in Mikes eyes. He didnt know what to say, Jessie said, but the look on his face was priceless. Keene presented Michael with his real diploma in front of Mike. I started crying and felt so humbled that we were invited into such a private yet important moment in the family home, she said. Michael declined to share his thoughts about the ceremony, but Jessie spoke for the family when she said: The team that came to our home couldnt have made it any more special. Keene explained why they did it. It was the right thing to do, she said. All of our kids work hard to meet the milestone of graduation, and our parents/families are incredibly supportive, and they deserve to be able to celebrate with us. Keene also saw the ceremony as a boost for the school's administration. So often we get caught up in the daily stress of the job or how admin and teachers are attacked via social media and society, she said, and it made all of that melt away. This, THIS, is why we do this. It centered all of us to our purpose and mission field. Seeing his son graduate motivated Mike to keep fighting to live, Jessie said. My heart was about to bust with pride, happiness and sorrow, knowing this was the one thing keeping my husband here, she said. Mike died May 9 at home. He was 64. After working for 25 years as a carpenter, Mike worked his last 12 years as a machine technician at Campbell Snacks. We were together 21 years total, said Jessie, who works part-time as an assistant at Elizabeth Robinson Surgical Clinic. He truly was my soul mate. My heart will never be the same. He suffered a long time. He was terrified of leaving us. He wasnt ready to die. Cancer stole him from us. This special graduation ceremony, however, shone light amid the familys darkness. I know he died a very proud daddy, she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will discuss a range of issues, including counter-terrorism, energy, food security, and the environment with world leaders during his visit to Germany to attend the G7 summit. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the strategically important Indo-Pacific may also come up for discussion. Ahead of his visit to Germany starting Saturday, the Prime Minister said he will exchange views with the leaders of the G7 grouping and its partners on issues such as energy, food security, counter-terrorism, environment, and democracy. He is visiting Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27 for the summit of the G7. It is a combination of the worlds seven richest nations, including the USA, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the European Union. The G7 leaders are expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis that has triggered geopolitical turmoil besides fuelling a global food and energy crisis. Modi is attending the G7 summit following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by Germany in its capacity as the chair of G7. In an effort to strengthen international collaboration on important global issues impacting humanity, Germany has also invited other democracies such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the G7 Summit, Modi said in a statement ahead of his visit. During the sessions of the Summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 counties, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy, he added. Modi said he was looking forward to meeting leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the summit. The Prime Minister said he was also looking forward to meeting Chancellor Scholz again after the productive India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) last month. While in Germany, I also look forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe who are contributing immensely to their local economies as also enriching our relations with European countries, the Prime Minister said. From Germany, Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of the Gulf nation. On my way back to India, I will make a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi for a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, on June 28 to convey my personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Modi said. Zayed Al Nahyan passed away on May 13 after battling illness for the last several years. In a gesture of goodwill, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu visited the UAE to offer Indias condolences over the demise of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate QUITO, Ecuador (AP) Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Saturday lifted a state of emergency he'd imposed in six provinces amid an Indigenous-led strike, a surprise move that came as lawmakers in the National Assembly heard an opposition petition to remove him from office. The decision to end the state of emergency followed an initial meeting between government officials and Ecuador's largest Indigenous organization, which began the strike two weeks ago to demand gasoline prices be cut, price controls be imposed on agricultural products and a larger budget be set for education. Lasso had accused the Indigenous leader heading the at-times violent strike of seeking to stage a coup. After Saturday's meeting, National Assembly President Virgilio Saquicela said a commission would be formed to facilitate dialogue to end the strike. "The national government ratifies the willingness to guarantee the creation of spaces for peace, in which Ecuadorians can gradually resume their activities, said a statement announcing the decree to end the state of emergency. The meeting was held in the Basilica church in the colonial center of Quito and was attended by the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, Leonidas Iza, other social leaders, Government Minister Francisco Jimenez and Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguin, among others. There has been no commitment, but simply a decision by the (Indigenous confederation) ... to consult its bases on the designation of a commission to start this dialogue, Saquicela said, adding that the government has made the corresponding opening. Iza said the strike would not be ended until their demands had been met. "Instead of making us more afraid, they have raised our rebellion, dignity, he said. Iza said strikers will rest for the weekend and asked that corridors be opened in the interprovincial border areas to allow food to pass through and supply Quito, which faces the shortage of farm products. Meanwhile, in a virtual legislative session the opposition Union for Hope party, which is linked to former President Rafael Correa, requested the removal of Lasso. The request was based on the state of emergency declared over grave internal commotions, which now has been lifted. It would take the votes of at least 92 lawmakers to remove Lasso, while the Union for Hope has only 47 seats. On Thursday, the Indigenous confederation said a demonstrator died of pellet wounds in the chest and abdomen while protesting near the National Assembly in Quito, where about 100 other people suffered a variety of injuries. Police tweeted that officers were also injured by pellets. In Quito, protesters blocking roads have brought the city to a near halt and people are experiencing food and fuel shortages. Groups of protesters have roamed the city attacking vehicles and civilians and forcing the closure of businesses, some of which were looted. LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) A former choir teacher at a Kentucky high school has been sentenced to five years in prison in the rape of an underage student. News outlets reported that Haley Reed, a former teacher at Oldham County High School, was sentenced Thursday. FARGO, N.D. (AP) A fundraising campaign to help North Dakota's sole abortion clinic move a few miles away to Minnesota has raised more than half a million dollars in two days. The Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo will have to shut down in 30 days as part of the state's trigger law that went into effect Friday, when the U.S. Supreme Court removed the constitutional right to abortion. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHOENIX (AP) The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and an abortion rights group filed an emergency motion Saturday seeking to block a 2021 Arizona personhood law that they worry can be used to halt all abortions in the state. The move comes a day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the nearly 50 year old Roe v. Wade decision that held that women have a constitutional right to an abortion. The decision means a series of Arizona laws that had been unenforceable would now go into effect. They include a law that goes into effect in September banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and another dating to back more than 100 years that makes all abortion illegal. Saturday's court action tries a new tack to an existing challenge to the 2021 law, which made abortion illegal if it was sought because of a genetic abnormality and also added the personhood provision. A U.S. District Judge in Phoenix blocked part of the genetic abnormality law last fall but refused to put on hold the personhood provision. That part says the state will interpret all laws to confer the rights of people on unborn children, subject to the Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court rulings. The ACLU and the Center for Reproductive Rights said the personhood provision puts medical providers and pregnant women at risk of prosecution. They said providers could face charges under a host of laws, including child endangerment or assault if the statute stands. The law was championed by the Center for Arizona Policy, a powerful group that pushes for religious freedom, abortion restrictions and other social conservative policies. Cathi Herrod, the group's president, said Saturday that the Legislature passed the law to ensure unborn children have all full rights if the court overturned Roe. The overturning of Roe allows the states to set abortion laws, Herrod said. Arizona set this law to say that unborn children are protected in the law. She said this is the first of many cases she expects to be filed challenging Arizona abortion restrictions. The case filed on behalf of two abortion providers who were among many across the state that halted the procedures after Friday's ruling says the personhood law is too vague to be enforced. The law says hundreds of civil and criminal laws should be interpreted to protect the rights of fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses at any stage of development. The emergency motion said it provides no guidance on applying it to abortion care or for police and prosecutors. The ACLU wants a federal judge to block the law's enforcement. There were just over 13,000 abortions in Arizona in 2020, according to the most recent report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Of those, fewer than 650 were performed after 15 weeks gestation. A breezy January morning made the mid-30 temperatures feel even chillier. But it was an important day for the young man pushing 30 himself. He was about to face his entire family to ask for a loan to seed his new business idea. He had contributed to the familys savings circle, but he was asking for a withdrawal this time. A savings circle is a group of family members or friends who regularly contribute to a collective fund. Members gain access to a share of the proceeds on a rotating basis or as needs arise. A savings circle can also be called a money pool. Or flip the benefit, and its known as a lending circle. The practice carries many names worldwide and among American immigrant communities, including tanda, sou-sou or tontine. It can be an informal gathering with regular monthly contributions and one disbursement or one individuals request for funding approved by the group. Some savings circles predetermine automatic withdrawals for each member in a particular order. Berry Gordy was 29 that cold day in 1959 when he faced the familys pointed questions regarding a $1,000 loan from the Ber-Berry Co-op named after his parents, Bertha and Berry. After a lengthy discussion, the group voted to give him $800. And with that seed money, Motown Records was born. David Ellis, a digital media curator at the Motown Museum in Detroit, says Gordys parents created the savings effort to help seed family business ideas. Each family member, including spouses, contributed $10 monthly to the fund. The funniest part is the interest that Berry Gordy had to pay. They were family, but they were still very professional people, Ellis adds. Unlike many traditional family and friends savings circles, Gordy had to repay the loan and would be charged 6% interest if he didnt pay off the note within one year. However, repayment wasnt a problem. Motown Records became a music institution, and Gordy sold the label for $61 million in 1988. A 50% share of the Motown song catalog garnered an additional $132 million for Gordy in 1997. Right out of grad school, Fonta Gilliam was working as a U.S. foreign service officer in South Korea, stamping visas at the consulate. This lady walks up to my window wanting to immigrate to the United States to start a business. She was going to start a dry cleaner if I remember correctly. The woman, a street vendor, had six figures of cash in a savings account. I remember thinking, OK, this is fraud, Gilliam says. But the woman related how she had participated for years in a savings circle with friends in her neighborhood, and it was finally her turn to make a withdrawal. I learned how a lot of people around the world are using informal saving and lending traditions sou-sous, tandas as a way to build wealth outside of the banking system, she adds. Gilliam discovered that the social savings circles in these underbanked and underserved communities often have a low default rate . The social factor is key. People are more likely to keep strong financial habits when their peers keep them accountable, she says. If you are looking to start your own savings circle, enlist trusted friends and family. Emphasis on trusted. In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert about pyramid schemes tied to sou-sous. Your group will need to determine the amount and frequency of deposits and the order of individual withdrawals. For example, if 12 members put in $100 per month and distributions occur monthly on a rotating basis for one year, who gets the first $1,200? Its an important consideration because early withdrawals are essentially zero-interest loans, while later distributions are effectively interest-free savings plans. A few savings circle apps have been developed in recent years, such as Esusu Savings and MyMAF, which manages lending circles set up through Mission Asset Fund. And later this month, Gilliam and a team of fintech developers in Washington, D.C., are set to release a savings circle and social banking mobile app called Wellthi. While group savings goals will be shared, funds in Wellthi will be tied to individual digital wallets, linked to a payment card and never commingled. And it all began with that chance encounter when the Korean woman was looking to start a business in America. It really kind of changed my life, to be honest. And I had almost denied that woman a visa, Gilliam says. TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened what is likely his last Cabinet meeting as premier on Sunday, with parliament expected to dissolve itself this week, triggering new elections in the fall. Bennett's decision to head to elections puts an end to an ambitious political project that united eight ideologically disparate parties that chose to put aside their differences to oust former leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the current opposition leader, who now has an opening to return to lead the country. The elections, the fifth the country has held in three years, deepen an unprecedented political crisis in Israel. At the meeting, Bennett listed a series of accomplishments under his year-old government and thanked his coalition partners, which included dovish parties that support Palestinian statehood, nationalist ones who don't, and for the first time in Israeli history, an Arab political faction. It was an excellent government that relied, yes, on a complicated coalition. And here in this room there is a group of people that knew how to put aside ideological disagreements, to rise above, and to work for the state of Israel, he said. As part of the power-sharing agreement that brought Bennett to power, he is set to hand over the premiership to Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, a centrist former broadcaster, once parliament is dissolved. Elections are expected around the end of October and polls show Netanyahu's Likud party is expected to garner the most seats. But as in most rounds of voting during the current political turmoil, Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, has been unable to muster a majority to form a coalition government, with some of his traditional allies refusing to join him. That could further extend the crisis after the upcoming vote. While Bennett's government helped steady the economy and navigated the last year of the coronavirus pandemic, it was beset by disagreements over the very issues it sought to avoid, particularly Israel's 55-year occupation of the West Bank. Bennett said he decided to put an end to his political experiment because the government was unable to renew regulations that enshrine separate legal systems for Jewish settlers in the territory and Palestinians. Bennett's own nationalist faction, Yamina, was dogged by defectors, legislators who said the prime minister, a former settler leader, had veered too much toward the center in his bid to keep the coalition intact. Bennett, who entered politics a decade ago, hasn't said whether he'll run in the upcoming elections. LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles police arrested a man they said attacked an officer with a makeshift flamethrower" or torch during a demonstration against the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Michael Ortiz, 30, was arrested Friday night when he allegedly burned an officer who was treated at a hospital, KTLA-TV reported, citing police. There was no immediate word on the officer's condition. Ortiz remained jailed Sunday on $1 million bail, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department website. He potentially faces a charge of attempted murder of a police officer. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney who speak on his behalf. Police said the attack came during a mainly peaceful protest. However, a woman was arrested after she allegedly tried to take an officer's baton and could face a possible charge of resisting arrest, police said. Police Chief Michel Moore said he condemned the violence. Individuals participating in such criminal activity are not exercising their First Amendment rights in protest of the Supreme Court decision, rather, they are acting as criminals, Moore said in a statement. Other protests were held on Saturday around the state. House Bill 6108, Raise age to buy tobacco: Passed 29 to 9 in the Senate To raise from 18 to 21 the minimum age to buy tobacco in Michigan. Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33 Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35 House Bill 6109, Raise age to enter cigar bar: Passed 28 to 10 in the Senate To raise the minimum age to enter a cigar bar or "tobacco specialty products" store from 18 to 21. Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33 Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35 House Bill 5244, Repeal COVID epidemic workplace illness law: Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate To repeal a 2020 law that authorized employee lawsuits against an employer who takes an adverse employment action or retaliates against an employee who is absent from work during the declared coronavirus epidemic emergency; and that prohibited employees who tested positive for COVID and had symptoms from reporting for work. Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33 Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35 House Bill 6128, Repeal COVID epidemic business liability waiver: Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate To repeal a 2020 COVID epidemic amendment to the state's occupational health and safety law that gave businesses liability exemptions for exposure of an individual to COVID-19 on the premises, unless this was caused by a reckless disregard of a substantial and unnecessary risk that an individual would be exposed, and as long as it can establish that operations were in substantial compliance with the law. Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33 Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35 Senate Bill 888, Create government cryptocurrency commission: Passed 28 to 10 in the Senate To create a new state government blockchain and cryptocurrency commission comprised of specified officials and political appointees including industry representatives, for the purpose of "fostering an expansion of the industry in this state." The commission would also be tasked with examining the feasibility, validity, risks, and admissibility, including privacy risks and benefits of using blockchain technology in state and local government and Michigan-based businesses; and identifying best practices for enabling blockchain technology and cryptocurrency transactions." Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33 Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35 Senate Bill 563, Require public beach safety website warnings: Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate To require municipalities with a public beach to post on a website specified information on beach safety and anti-drowning techniques, and require state natural resource regulators to create and promulgate the safety tips. Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33 Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35 House Bill 5487, Mandate certain merchant disclosures on eBay type sites: Passed 89 to 15 in the House To prescribe detailed disclosures that high-volume third-party sellers (more than 200 'consumer product' sales in a year) would have to make to an online marketplace (like eBay), including the seller's full name, location and contact information, whether the seller makes, imports or resells consumer products, and more. The site would then have to post a phone number on the seller's offerings for reporting "suspicious marketplace activity." The bill is supported by a broad coalition of large retail chains with outlets in this state. Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97 Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100 N Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102 Senate Bill 1058, Authorize government granting approval to sell certain products: Passed 100 to 4 in the House To give state agriculture department regulators the authority to issue certificates of free sale if requested by a plant grower or nursery. This would verify their products are legally sold or distributed in this state and on the open market with the approval of the department. The bill does not mandate producers get the certificate or ban sales by ones who have not. 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 Resolution 290, Urge President Joe Biden to enforce border and immigration laws: Passed 65 to 39 in the House To resolve that the Michigan House urges President Joe Biden "to reject radical open border policies and to enforce our nation's immigration laws." SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) For over 47 years a Shreveport building has stood vacant, as time slowly eats away at the ceiling like a cancerous cell taking over a body. Within these walls lives the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others who laid the road to the Civil Rights movement. Old Galilee was built in 1877 by freed Black slaves and was home to the same congregation from 1917 until 1975 when it was closed. Since its closure, it has remained vacant and is now owned by the city of Shreveport. This church at one time was the main hub for the Civil Rights movement in Shreveport and served as a non-violent meeting place for adults and children. Old Galilee taught children how to integrate peacefully into Caddo Parish Schools. King not only appeared once at Old Galilee but twice. During one of those visits he gave the famous Speech at Galilee in 1958, which is thought to be his first speech recorded on video. In 1962, King made his second and last appearance at Old Galilee, which was memorialized on the historical marker in front of the church. Today the historic church stands as a building with a legacy. Historicity means that just because somethings old doesnt make it important, but its important if it has historical significance. And that significance is historicity, said Dr. Gary Joiner, department chair of History and Social Science at LSU-Shreveport. The 145-year-old building holds a significance that can not be recreated. In 2015, the City of Shreveport paid an architect to create a plan to save the historic building, estimating the renovation work would cost $1.6 million. It is significant that we have actually taken upon ourselves to see what needs to be done to preserve this building in itself is monumental, said Shreveport Councilwoman LeVetter Fuller. After seven years, the City of Shreveport and the North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition are still working to keep this piece of history alive. If you dont keep the memories alive, then all youve got is dust, said Joiner. Joiner, who is the chairman on the Shreveport Historic Preservation Commission, explained that once the city makes this building stabilized the hope for something bigger is ahead. The first step really was acknowledging that it has significance, and we didnt want to see it fall down, said Fuller. Then it was a matter of what are you going to do with the building once you save it from collapse. So the group put together an idea of making a museum, a Civil Rights Museum, I think its a really appropriate use of the building. Joiner said, I want teachers and parents and religious leaders to be able to bring in people and see what happened in Shreveport. I want a child, I dont care if theyre black or white, what I want them to be able to sit by or on that desk. I want them to hear the story of what he (Martin Luther King Jr.) did here. And understand the fact that what they have today was because of him. In 2015 this building stood with algae and growth growing up through the walls but now Old Galilee looks toward a bright future ahead. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv early Sunday, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings, and President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his 7-year-old daughter and wife injured. Associated Press journalists saw emergency workers battling flames and rescuing civilians. The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks barbarism after he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit. Later Sunday, a local official reported a second death, telling the Unian news agency that a railroad worker was killed and several others were injured in the attacks while servicing rail infrastructure. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the first air-launched weapons successfully to target the capital since June 5 were Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away. Kyiv's mayor told journalists he thought the airstrikes were maybe a symbolic attack ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid that starts Tuesday. A former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said the strikes also were a signal to the leaders of G-7 nations meeting Sunday in Germany. Russia is saying, We can do this all day long. You guys are powerless to stop us, retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said. The Russians are humiliating the leaders of the West. The G-7 leaders were set to announce the latest in a long series of international economic steps to pressure and isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine: new bans on imports of Russian gold. Standing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the three-day meeting's host, Biden said of the missile strikes on Kyiv: Its more of their barbarism. Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, appealed to the G-7 leaders for more help, saying stopping Russian aggression is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and in the time we need it - weapons, financial support and sanctions against Russia. A Ukrainian parliament member, Oleksiy Goncharenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that preliminary information indicated that Russia launched 14 missiles toward the capital region and Kyiv itself. Zelenskyy said some were intercepted, and he vowed revenge against all pilots, dispatchers, technicians and other people who ensure the launch of missiles in Ukraine. We will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these blows, Zelenskyy vowed. And if someone thinks he will evade responsibility by saying that this was an order, you are wrong. When your missiles hit homes, its a war crime. The court is what awaits you all. And you will not hide anywhere - neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus ... Nowhere. In a phone interview, retired U.S. general Hodges told The Associated Press that Russia has a limited stock of precision missiles and if they are using them, its going to be for a special purpose, Russia has denied targeting civilians during the 4-month-old war, and Hodges said it was hard to know if the missiles launched Sunday were intended to strike the apartments buildings. Russian forces tried to seize control of Kyiv early in the war. After Ukrainian troops repelled them, the Kremlin largely shifted its focus to southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian rocket strikes in the city of Cherkasy, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kyiv, killed one person and injured five, regional governor Ihor Taburets said Sunday. In the east, Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains by battling to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge. Theres very much destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognizable, he wrote on Facebook. For weeks, Lysychansk and the nearby city of Sievierodonetsk have been subject to a bloody and destructive offensive by Russian forces and their separatist allies aimed at capturing all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. They have made steady and slow progress, with Haidai confirming Saturday that Sievierodonetsk, including a chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were holed up, had fallen. Commenting on the battle for Sievierodonetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control not only the city but the villages surrounding it. He said the Russian military had thwarted Ukrainian forces' attempt to turn the Azot chemical plant into a stubborn center of resistance. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian and separatist forces control of every major settlement in Luhansk. At last report, they controlled about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. On Saturday, Russia launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraines air command said. Reacting to the shelling from the Russian bombers, Zelenskyy appealed to the people of Belarus to resist cooperation with the Russian military. The Russian leadership wants to draw you - all Belarusians - into the war, wants to sow hatred between us, he said in his video address Sunday. You can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. In a meeting Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. On the economic front, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said banning imports of Russian gold would represent a significant escalation of sanctions. That is the second-most lucrative export that Russia has after energy. Blinken told American news channel CNN. Its about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G-7 countries. So cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, thats significant. Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following international sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad. ___ Follow APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine UT has set up 5-member high level panel for first ever G-20 meet in India Come 2023, the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir will be extending a red carpet welcome to the G-20 leaders, an influential grouping that brings together the worlds major economies. This major development is already seen as a major diplomatic victory for India especially after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A in August 2019. India has been a member of G-20 since its inception in 1999. New Delhi will be holding the G-20 Presidency from 1 December 2022 and will convene the G-20 Leaders Summit in 2023 for the first time. World leaders of G-20 member nations the United States, Russia, China, Germany, France, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Kingdom are expected to attend the meeting. G-20 brings together 19 of the worlds leading economies and the European Union, with its members accounting for more than 80 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of global trade and 60 per cent of the global population. The UT administration is scheduled to host the world leaders in Kashmir valley. To facilitate the meeting, the UT administration has already constituted a five-member high level committee for overall coordination. In September last year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as Indias Sherpa for the G-20. The Ministry of External Affairs had said that India will hold the G-20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and will convene the G-20 leaders summit in 2023 for the first time. According to an official order issued here on Thursday, the Union Territorys housing and urban development department principal secretary will be the chairman of the committee which was formed in response to a June 4 communication from the Ministry of External Affairs. Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of a committeefor overall coordination of G-20 meetings to be held in the Union Territory of J&K, said the order issued by Principal Secretary, General Administration Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi. The members of the committee include Commissioner Secretary (Transport), Administrative Secretary (Tourism), Administrative Secretary (Hospitality and Protocol) and Administrative Secretary (Culture). Further, principal secretary to the Government, housing and urban development department is also nominated as UT level nodal officer to coordinate the arrangements for the G-20 meetings in the Union Territory of J&K, the order said. Prime Minister Modi has been leading Indias representation at the G-20 summits since 2014. India has been a member of G-20 since its inception in 1999. According to the MEA, India will be part of the G-20 Troika (preceding, current, and incoming G-20 Presidencies) from December 1, 2021 till November 30, 2024. In May 2021, 19-year-old Kevin Valle and another young man went on a smash-and-grab rampage. Across four counties in Northern Virginia, they hurled rocks through the windows or doors of closed businesses, stepped inside and took what they could, whether merchandise or cash registers or cash. They were arrested in Loudoun County, with some of the stolen items in Valle's car, and soon began entering guilty pleas to their various cases, in different jurisdictions. In Loudoun, prosecutors for Commonwealth's Attorney Buta Biberaj, a Democrat, reached a plea deal with Valle's lawyer for six months in jail and restitution to each of the businesses that were hit. But Circuit Court Judge James Plowman Jr., who sits in both Loudoun and Fauquier counties, had seen Valle in an early appearance in Fauquier, and noticed that his charges and pleas there weren't mentioned by the Loudoun prosecutors. After another hearing left Plowman unsatisfied with the plea deal, he kicked the entire prosecutor's office off the case. The move was a rare, if not unprecedented, step in Virginia, legal experts said, and represented the latest pushback against a wave of progressive prosecutors who won elections nationwide in recent years promising to reduce incarceration, stop prosecuting low-level crimes and focus on violence. In San Francisco, district attorney Chesa Boudin was recently recalled from office after serving less than three years. State attorneys general in multiple states have taken actions to overrule local prosecutors. Biberaj and other prosecutors in Northern Virginia also face recall efforts. In January, Plowman asked Biberaj why her prosecutors hadn't told him about Valle's other pleas, or about his juvenile record. In April, at Valle's sentencing, Plowman again asked about Valle's background, was unsatisfied, and continued the case. He made the move to oust Biberaj's office without any further notice or hearings. Plowman, who spent 15 years as the Loudoun prosecutor before joining the bench in 2019, hammered his successor by saying her proffer in the case "sanitizes the facts by screening the court" from knowledge of the other cases, which he deemed "an overt misrepresentation by omission." Biberaj's proffer of facts "reflect[s] an inability ... to properly prosecute this case with the detail and attention required of a criminal prosecutor," Plowman wrote. "The Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office is hereby removed and disqualified" from Valle's case, the judge concluded. Shortly afterward, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares - a Republican who is leading a political action committee dedicated to recruiting conservative prosecutor candidates - sent a letter to the court offering his services to prosecute the case instead of Biberaj. Plowman instead appointed the Fauquier prosecutor and recused himself from the case, as Virginia rules require whenever a judge rejects a plea agreement. "This is not about Buta Biberaj," Biberaj said in an interview. "It literally is about individuals who are inserting themselves into the electoral process." She compared the resistance to elected progressive prosecutors to the actions of rioters attempting to interrupt the electoral college certification at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. "These people are trying to subvert the will of the voters," Biberaj said. Biberaj has filed a petition with the Virginia Supreme Court asking it to annul the order disqualifying all 23 lawyers in her office from the Valle case. The request is pending. Plowman declined to comment. Rules prohibit judges from commenting on pending cases. "Any time a locally elected prosecutor is being removed from prosecuting a case, there are grave separation-of-powers issues at stake, and it's really a radical act," said Thomas Frampton, a law professor at the University of Virginia. "Prosecutors are vested with extremely broad discretion to pursue justice as they see fit. When you have a judge who appears to have taken such an action, that judge is supplanting his views of justice for what a democratically elected prosecutor feels is appropriate." But the opponents of such prosecutors feel they simply can't wait for another election. "The lion's share of this progressive prosecutors group are incompetent, unqualified and in over their heads in this role," said Sean Kennedy, head of Virginians for Safe Communities, which is seeking to recall Biberaj and the Fairfax and Arlington prosecutors also elected in 2019. "They're not advancing the cause of social justice because they're not doing it well." Kennedy pointed to the September slaying in Loudoun of Regina Redman-Lollobrigido, who authorities say was beaten to death with a hammer by her husband, Peter Lollobrigido, two months after he'd been arrested and then released for choking his wife. Biberaj's office did not oppose the release of Peter Lollobrigido as long as he wore a tracking monitor, and Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Avelina Jacob granted him bond with a monitor. The monitor was not properly set up to trigger an alarm if Lollobrigido got near his wife, her family has said. The case against Lollobrigido is pending. Kennedy acknowledged that the local prosecutors were chosen by voters and have held office for only two years, but, he said, "you were sworn to uphold an oath" to protect the community, "and our recall directly says you violated that oath." He noted that judges in Fairfax County have sharply criticized Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano for plea deals they felt were too lenient in sex crimes cases. Descano's office has said it acted appropriately under the circumstances in each case. "The most liberal members of Fairfax or Loudoun County don't want to see child rapists get lighter sentences. It's unbelievable that they're so ham-handed about it," Kennedy said. The Valle case became somewhat complicated because he was charged in four counties. Prosecutors said he promptly cooperated and agreed to plead guilty in Loudoun, Fauquier and Prince William counties, and he has a plea hearing scheduled in Fairfax on Monday. In Loudoun, Valle and attorney John Boneta reached a deal in August 2021 for Valle to plead guilty to five charges and receive a six-month sentence. Biberaj said her office consulted with the four business owners who were victimized, and all agreed that the restitution and sentence were fine. She said the Loudoun detectives who handled the case also were satisfied with the resolution. On Aug. 5, Valle waived his preliminary hearing and agreed to plead guilty. In a hearing Thursday, Boneta supported a request by Biberaj to postpone Valle's case until the Supreme Court rules, saying the defense should be heard on the issue of disqualifying the prosecutor. Valle had "a contract" with the prosecutors, Boneta noted. Circuit Court Judge James Fisher declined to hear from Biberaj and recognized Fauquier Commonwealth's Attorney Scott Hook as the new prosecutor in the case. Several months after agreeing to plead guilty in Loudoun, Valle made a scheduling appearance in Fauquier before Plowman, whose circuit encompasses both counties. Valle then pleaded guilty before Fisher, prior to his plea hearing in Loudoun. In January, when Valle appeared for his Loudoun plea, Plowman wondered why the prosecution's documents didn't mention the Fauquier case or his extensive juvenile record. Plowman noted in his order that he provided the lawyers with copies of the Fauquier case documents. Biberaj suggested that was going beyond the bounds of the Loudoun case. A sentencing hearing was set for April, when prosecutors responded to Plowman's questions about Valle's background in a way the judge found unsatisfactory. Meanwhile, in Fauquier, Fisher sentenced Valle to three years and nine months in prison for his burglaries there. Another Loudoun hearing was set by Plowman, then postponed because of a lawyer's illness. Then Plowman acted. "The facts diverge from the Commonwealth's illusory language," the judge wrote on June 9. "The representations contained here are specifically drafted to mislead the reader and lack the appropriate level of candor with the court required of Virginia attorneys." Biberaj said the Fauquier plea happened after the Loudoun plea had already been signed. When Valle received a heavy sentence in Fauquier, the presentencing report from the state probation and parole department was used to alert the judge to changes in a defendant's status in the period between plea and sentencing, Biberaj said. Plowman cited a case out of Arlington as his authority for disqualifying the prosecutors. In that case, the Arlington circuit court barred an individual attorney from practicing in the county because of frivolous filings, failure to show up for court and other erratic behavior. The Virginia Supreme Court upheld the ban, saying, "A court has an inherent power to discipline and regulate attorneys practicing before it." But the banned attorney was given notice of the proposed ban and offered a hearing, legal experts noted. The Loudoun prosecutors were not. The attorney also was not an elected constitutional officer. "Virginia judges are conservative and careful," said Steve Benjamin, a Richmond criminal defense lawyer who serves as special counsel to the state Senate Judiciary Committee and is a past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "That's why it's surprising when a judge acts without giving notice, or an opportunity for the parties to be heard, and for the public to be there." Benjamin added: "I've never heard of a judge, on his own motion, in the absence of a conflict of interest, recusing an entire commonwealth's attorney's office. When a judge acts unilaterally without proper safeguards, that diminishes public trust in the judicial system ... A prosecutor is a constitutional elected officer. It's up to the people to determine who represents them as prosecutor." Miriam Krinsky, the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, which advises progressive prosecutors around the country, said of Plowman's order, "It isn't the first and won't be the last time, by someone that doesn't agree with the changes these prosecutors are putting in place, to put up roadblocks to stop the changes that prosecutors said they were going to implement." She and others noted that judges have other options when they disapprove of plea agreements, including bar complaints (also filed against Biberaj by Virginians for Safe Communities) and holding lawyers in contempt. Krinsky acknowledged the fear that rising crime creates, "but we have to be smart in how we address that," by not just targeting those with mental or housing issues. She also noted that no one has criticized progressive prosecutors in areas where crime has gone down. Crime in Loudoun, which has declined for years, has continued to drop during Biberaj's tenure. Reid Bauer was finishing lunch period last year at his middle school in the Atlanta area when an alarm began blaring through the halls, warning of an emergency. Reid, then in sixth grade, had never heard the schools code red alert before. It was part of a new $5 million crisis management service that the Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia, had purchased. District officials had promoted the system, called AlertPoint, as state-of-the art technology that could help save students lives in the event of a school shooting. That day, however, AlertPoint went haywire, sending false alarms to schools across one of the nations largest districts, causing lockdowns and frightening students. Everybody was just really scared, said Reid, now 13. Fearing for his life, he said, he turned off all the lights in his classroom and instructed his classmates to crouch along one wall, out of sight of the windows. One kid actually tried calling 911, he said. Schools have been struggling with how to hinder, and handle, mass shootings since 1999, when two gunmen armed with semi-automatic weapons killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Trying to avert similar attacks has become a nerve-racking mission for tens of thousands of school leaders in the United States. Safety anxieties are helping to fuel a multibillion-dollar industry of school security products. Some manufacturers sell gun-detection scanners and wireless panic buttons for school districts. Others offer high-resolution cameras and software that can identify students faces, track their locations and monitor their online activities bringing into classrooms the kind of surveillance tools widely used by law enforcement. In 2021, schools and colleges in the United States spent an estimated $3.1 billion on security products and services, compared with $2.7 million in 2017, according to Omdia, a market-research company. Security trade groups have lobbied for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state funding for school safety measures. The gun legislation that Congress passed last week includes an additional $300 million to bolster school security. Security and technology directors at half a dozen school districts said in interviews that some products were vital. One pointed to security camera systems that had helped his district observe and gauge the severity of school fires. Others mentioned crisis-alert technology that the school staff may use to summon help during an emergency. The district officials offered more varied opinions on the sophisticated-sounding systems like high-tech threat detectors that promise to heighten security through the use of artificial intelligence. But there is little hard evidence to suggest that safety technologies have prevented or mitigated catastrophic school events like mass shootings, according to a 2016 report on school safety technology by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. There can be a tendency to grab the latest technology and make it appear that you are doing something really protective and very innovative, said Brian Casey, the technology director at Stevens Point Area Public School District in Wisconsin. We really have to take a step back and look at it and say: What benefit are we getting out of this? And whats the cost? Civil liberty experts warn that the spread of surveillance technologies like gun detectors may make some students feel less safe. They say the tools also do nothing to address what many consider to be the underlying causes of school shootings: the widespread availability of assault weapons and a national mental health crisis. Much of this tech serves the function of a distraction, said Chris Harris, the policy director for the Austin Justice Coalition, a racial justice group in Texas. Wesley Watts, the superintendent of West Baton Rouge Parish Schools, a district in Louisiana with about 4,200 students, said that creating a supportive school culture was more important for safety than security technology. Even so, certain tools may give schools an extra layer of security, he said. His district recently began using video analysis from a startup called ZeroEyes that scans school camera feeds, looking for guns. The company, founded by U.S. military veterans, said it used so-called machine learning to train its system to recognize about 300 types of assault rifles and other firearms. ZeroEyes also employs former military and law enforcement personnel who check any gun images the system detects before notifying a school. The company says its human review process ensures school officials will not receive false gun alerts. The ZeroEyes service can cost $5,000 per month for a single high school with 200 cameras. Watts, whose district uses the service across 250 school cameras, said the cost was worth it. Several months ago, the superintendent said, ZeroEyes detected a young man carrying a rifle outside near a high school track meet. Soon after, the companys reviewers identified the object as an Airsoft gun, a toy plastic replica. That enabled the district staff to intervene directly with the student without calling in law enforcement, Watts said. That, to me, makes it already worth having, even if there werent real weapons, Watts said. The ZeroEyes technology has limited uses. It is intended to detect visible guns as they are being brandished not holstered or hidden under coats, said Mike Lahiff, CEO of ZeroEyes. Other districts have run into problems with new safety tools. In 2019, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, one of the largest U.S. school districts at more than 140,000 students, introduced an emergency alert system. It came from Centegix, an Atlanta company that promised that its wearable panic badges would provide all school employees with an instant way to notify appropriate personnel and authorities of emergencies or other incidents. The district spent more than $1.1 million on the system. But it later sued Centegix to recoup the funds after an investigation by The Charlotte Observer detailed defects in the badge service. Among other problems, the badges repeatedly failed to notify personnel, sent incorrect critical alert messages and caused significant delays of critical safety information, according to legal documents filed in the case. The district settled with Centegix for $475,000. Mary Ford, the chief marketing officer for Centegix, said Charlotte schools had been pilot-testing the alert system and that the company addressed issues that arose. The company has delivered more than 100,000 alerts, she added, and worked with nearly 200 school districts, retaining 99% of those customers, with the exception being Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This spring, after an uptick in the number of guns confiscated from students, Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools introduced a different security system: walk-through weapon scanners that cost $5 million for 52 scanners at 21 high schools. The scanners come from Evolv Technology, a Massachusetts startup that said it had used machine learning to train its system to recognize magnetic fields around guns and other concealed weapons. No stopping is required, the companys website says, no emptying pockets or removing bags. But common student items have routinely set off the Evolv scanners, among them laptops, umbrellas, three-ring binders, spiral-bound notebooks and metal water bottles. In a how-to video about the scanners posted on YouTube in April, Matthew Garcia, dean of students at Charlotte-Mecklenburgs Butler High School, recommended that students remove those objects from their bags and carry them. Then Garcia showed students how to avoid triggering the system by walking through an Evolv scanner in the school lobby holding a laptop with his arms stretched above his head. Brian Schultz, the chief operations officer for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, said the scanners were more accurate, and much faster to use in large high schools, than traditional metal detectors. He said the need for students to remove items from their bags was a short-term inconvenience to improve school safety. There is never going to be one perfect solution, Schultz said, adding that the district took a layered approach to safety that included cameras, security officers and an increasing number of school-based mental health personnel. Mike Ellenbogen, the chief innovation officer at Evolv, said the company was working with school districts to find ways to make the scanning system operate more smoothly. Cobb County was the first school district in Georgia to use AlertPoint, an emergency notification system developed by a local startup. District officials said AlertPoints wearable panic badges would help school employees quickly call for a lockdown or summon help in an emergency. Then, in February 2021, the AlertPoint system sent false alarms districtwide, leading to lockdowns at all Cobb County schools. District officials initially said AlertPoint had malfunctioned. A few weeks later, they announced that hackers had deliberately set off the false alerts. At a school board meeting this month, Chris Ragsdale, the districts superintendent, said the system had been working until the cyberattack. But Heather Tolley-Bauer, Reids mother and the co-founder of a local watchdog group that monitors school spending, said she faulted district leaders for deploying unproven technology. The Cobb County School District did not respond to specific questions about its security measures. In a statement, Nan Kiel, a district spokesperson, said, To keep our students and staff safe, we keep operational details about our schools private. (The school district is the subject of a grand jury investigation into certain past purchases, including millions of dollars spent on UV lights intended to sanitize classrooms during the pandemic, according to The Marietta Daily Journal.) This month, Cobb County schools announced that they were installing new crisis alert technology from Centegix, the company whose alert badges had glitches in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. Palm Beach, Florida, another large school district, also announced a deal with the company. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. WFO SACRAMENTO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Sacramento has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... The Dixie West Burn Scar. in... Southwestern Lassen County in northern California... Northwestern Plumas County in northern California... * Until 1130 PM PDT. * At 535 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain over the Dixie West Burn Scar west of Chester along highway 36. Up to 1 inch of rain has fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 1.00 inches in 1 hour. Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. Excessive rainfall over the warning area will cause mud slides near steep terrain. The mud slide can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials. HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding in and around the Dixie West Burn Scar. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of areas in and around the Dixie West Burn Scar. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Chester, Almanor, Prattville, Lake Almanor West, Lake Almanor Country Club, Canyondam, East Shore, Caribou, Seneca, Belden, Twain, Paxton, Indian Falls, Bald Eagle Mountain, Tobin, Crescent Mills, Storrie, Keddie and Greenville. Highway 36 PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... This is a life threatening situation. Heavy rainfall will cause extensive and severe flash flooding of creeks...streams...and ditches in the Dixie West Burn Scar. Severe debris flows can also be anticipated across roads. Roads and driveways may be washed away in places. If you encounter flood waters...climb to safety. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO AMARILLO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Southwestern Gray County in the Panhandle of Texas... Northwestern Donley County in the Panhandle of Texas... * Until 730 PM CDT. * At 633 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Howardwick, or 9 miles north of Clarendon, moving north at 10 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible. Hail damage to vehicles is expected. * Locations impacted include... Howardwick, Lake Mcclellan and Greenbelt Lake. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo. If on or near Greenbelt Lake, get away from the water and move indoors or inside a vehicle. Remember, lightning can strike out to 15 miles from the parent thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Move to safe shelter now! Do not be caught on the water in a thunderstorm. Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Lubbock Texas has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Northeastern Hall County in the Panhandle of Texas... * Until 845 PM CDT. * At 803 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 6 miles southwest of Memphis, moving south at 10 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Memphis, Lakeview and Plaska Community. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Large hail and damaging winds and continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather 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 Sena rebels to go to court if Dy Speaker disqualifies 12 MLAs Having lobbed the ball into Maharashtras Deputy Speaker Narhari Sitaram Zirwals court in their own tactful ways, the Eknath Shinde camp and the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents on Friday prepared themselves to play an active part in the procedural tangles that will unfold in the run-up to the confidence vote that the Uddhav dispensation may seek sometime next week. Deputy Speaker Zhirwal, who has been acting as the Assembly Speaker since February 2021 in the absence of a full-fledged Speaker, will have a tough task in hand in dealing with the claims and counter-claims to be made by the Shinde camp and the MVA Government. Given the complex nature of the emerging situation and the ramifications of the anti-defection law that will come into play in the coming days, the matters relating to the possible disqualifications of MLAs may land in courts, leading to the delay in the resolution of the current political crisis in Maharashtra. Taking the first step, Deputy Speaker Narhari recognised the decision taken by the parent Shiv Sena Legislature Party (SSLP) on June 21 sacking the rebel Sena leader and Minister Shinde as the Sena group leader in the State Assembly and replacing him with its senior party functionary Ajay Choudhury. The recognition of the parent Sena leaderships decision to appoint Choudhary as the new SSLP leader in place of Shinde means that the Deputy Speaker has a strong reason to believe that the parent has enough numbers to act in a manner it has done. The chairs ruling allowing the appointment of Choudhary as the new SSLP leader has ticked off the rebel Shinde camp, which is preparing to challenge the deputy speakers order in the Bombay High Court on Saturday morning. On its part, the rebel Sena camp on Thursday submitted a fresh letter to the Deputy Speaker that 37 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs camping in Guwahati (which is more than the requisite two-third strength i.e, 36 MLAs out of total 55 Sena MLAs in the State Assembly) reaffirming that Shinde would continue as the Sena group leader in the State Assembly. Till Friday evening, the Deputy Speaker had not accepted the claim that the Shinde camp enjoyed the support of 37 Sena MLAs. If the Deputy Speaker accepts the rebel Sena camps claim that Shinde enjoys the support of 37 out of the total 55 Sena MLAs in the Assembly and declares him as the Sena legislature party leader, the parent party will be as good as over. Because, the Shinde faction if it has two-thirds of the parent partys strength in the Assembly can merge with another party or become a separate group in the House without attracting penal provisions of the anti-defection law. On the other hand, the parent Sena party is hoping against hope that the Deputy Speaker will disqualify 12 MLAs, including Eknath Shinde, for allegedly violating the party whip, based on a written request made to that effect by the parent Senas new SSLP leader Ajay Choudhury on Thursday. If the Deputy Speaker disqualifies 12 Sena rebel MLAs, including Shinde, the development will result in the rebel Sena camp the strength of which will be reduced to 25 MLAs against the earlier 37 MLAs attracting action under the anti-defection law. If such development takes place, the 12 disqualified Sena rebel MLAs will not be able to take part in the confidence vote to be sought by the Thackeray dispensation. It remains to be seen if the remaining 25 Sena rebel MLAs will vote against the confidence vote and if yes, whether they will face action under the anti-defection law. Till the confidence vote is over, the Deputy Speaker will deal with all matters relating to the strength of the ruling MVA comprising Shiv Sena (55) NCP (53), and Congress (44) that had collective strength of 152 MLAs on paper till the Shinde-led rebellion rocked the Shiv Sena on June 21. However, after the confidence vote is decided, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari will take control of the situation. Governor Koshyari, who was admitted to the Reliance Foundation Hospital on Wednesday after he tested positive for Covid-19, will remain in hospital for some more days. It remains to be seen if Koshyari, despite being in hospital, will intervene in matters which come under the domain of the Deputy Speaker. Meanwhile, all the three MVA constituents Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are rooting for Uddhav Thackeray seeking a confidence vote on the floor of the Assembly. On Thursday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar who is the architect of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government, said that the floor test was the only way to resolve the current political crisis. He expressed optimism that the MVA dispensation would survive the current crisis facing the Shiv Sena. Let the MLAs come back from Guwahati. The situation will change drastically. The MVA Government will survive the floor test in the State Assembly, Pawar said. A day after the Supreme Court upheld the Special Investigation Teams (SIT) clean chit to 64 people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 2002 Gujarat riot case, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Modi endured pain for the last so many years without speaking a word and followed Lord Shiva, who swallowed poison and held it in his throat. Shah said that allegations against the PM were politically motivated and that the truth had come out, shining more than the gold. He said a trio of Opposition parties, certain ideologically-driven journalists, and an NGO was behind false allegations against the Prime Minister aimed to tarnish his image and keep the case going as long as it is possible. They had a strong ecosystem so everyone started believing lies to be truth, he said. Speaking at length in an interview with ANI, Shah said the Supreme Court verdict described the charges as politically motivated and cleared a blot on BJP. He said the court said the then Chief Minister did best efforts to control riots in 2002. Asked how does it feel, Home Minister said Satya jab itni lambi ladayi ke baad bahar ata hai, uski chamak sone se bhi zyada hoti hain, bahut achha lagta hain..., he said. He named civil rights activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad as a person fuelling charges against Modi. Shah said the NGO being run by her had given baseless information about the riots to the police. I have read the judgment very carefully. The judgment clearly mentions the name of Teesta Setalvad. The NGO that was being run by her I dont remember the name of the NGO had given baseless information about the riots to the police, he was quoted as saying in the interview. Shah said the Prime Minister set a shining example by not uttering a single word as the legal proceedings went on for 19 years. He endured pain for the last so many years without speaking a word and followed Lord Shiva who swallowed poison and held it in his throat, Shah said. Modi, he said, submitted himself to the SIT Investigation in dignified ways, and I too was arrested. He also took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi when he appeared for questioning by the ED in the National Herald case. Modi ji didnt do drama while appearing before SIT - come out in my support, call MLAs-MPs & stage dharna...If SIT wants to question CM, he himself is ready to cooperate. Why to protest? he said. Modi provided the best example for all political figures on how to follow the Constitution, he said. Shah said a campaign was launched against Modi and articles published abroad against him. On the Gujrat riots and delay in calling the army, the Home Minister said the Gujarat riots were self-inspired after the Godhra train burning. He said the army was called immediately but it takes an army to reach. He sought to know why the army which is readily available in Delhi was not called by the Congress Government for three full days during the 1984 Sikh riots. To another question, the Home Minister said the Prime Minister did everything to control the 2002 riots. But barely 150 policemen in each thana it takes time to control the scale of violence. Former IPS officer KPS Gill said- I have not seen more neutral and prompt action than this, said Shah. Shah said SCs judgment has put an end to a long campaign to tarnish the image of the Prime Minister. Shah said, This is not the first time that Modiji got the clean chit..Nanavati Commission too gave a clean chit to him. Asked what he thought of his arrest, the Home Minister said, I believe in destinywhatever happened, happened for good. On the question that the BJP thrives on the Gujarat model of polarisation and riots and what is being called the Gujarat laboratory experiment, (that BJP could win without Muslims), Shah said, The kind of glasses you wear you see that only ...Gujarat model is - zero dropouts in primary schools, 24-hour electricity, 10 per cent growth in agriculture and much more... compare riots in our State Governments with Congress States in the last five years and you would know.. On Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea by Congress leader Ehsan Jafris wife Zakia Jafri, stating that the plea was devoid of merit. Ehsan Jafri was killed during the violence at the Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002. Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde late on Saturday said Shiv Sena workers should understand that he was fighting to save the party from the clutches of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). In a tweet in Marathi, Shinde said, My dear Shiv Sena workers, try to understand the machinations of the MVA. I am fighting for rescuing the Shiv Sena and Sena workers from the clutches of the python of the MVA. I dedicate this fight to the interest of Shiv Sena workers, he added. Shinde and his supporters earlier said they want the Sena to pull out of the unnatural coalition with the Congress and the NCP, and revive the alliance with BJP. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, two Democratic lawmakers said they are moving to enhance abortion protections in Colorado. Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Greenwood Village, said they intend to file legislation to protect Colorado abortion care providers and anyone who seeks abortion care in the state. The title filing the first step toward creating a bill happened on Friday hours after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision. Were ready to do the work, Gonzales said. Were not going to wait around for anybody. Were going to use the power that we have because we have a Democratic majority in Colorado, and were beginning to draft legislation to continue to protect access for all Coloradans. With Roe v. Wade overturned, regulating abortion becomes a state-by-state issue, with trigger laws set to quickly outlaw all or most abortions in 22 states. In Colorado, policymakers enshrined abortion as a fundamental right under the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which Gov. Jared Polis signed into law in April. The new law is among the most permissive in the country. Passed in March following a record 23-hour debate, it affirmed in state law the right to choose an abortion or carry a pregnancy to term. Fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses do not have independent rights under the law, and it prohibits state and local public entities from denying or restricting a person's right to use or refuse contraception, or to either continue a pregnancy or have an abortion. Abortion-rights advocates pushed the measure before a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion showing that five Republican-appointed justices were poised to overturn Roe was leaked to POLITICO, arguing it would serve as a bulwark against any decision by the conservative court. Anti-abortion activists said they plan to sue over the new law, arguing it is overly broad and raises serious questions about the conscience rights of doctors, nurses and first responders. Gonzales said her bill would seek to expand these protections even further. Though researching and drafting for the bill has just begun, Gonzales said she intends for the bill to address needs that arise as other states outlaw abortion. This could potentially include protecting people from out-of-state who come to Colorado for abortions, expanding capacity so people can access abortions in a timely manner, securing business licenses for abortion providers or helping out-of-state providers transfer to Colorado. Weve been proactive and now that the decision has been rendered overturning Roe v. Wade, its now incumbent upon us to act again, Gonzales said. Colorado has been and will continue to be a safe haven for anyone seeking abortion care. The question is, how do we protect patients? How do we protect providers? This comes as the Democratic domination of the Colorado legislature is at stake, with Republicans potentially positioned to take control of the state Senate during the November election. All Republican legislators voted against the Reproductive Health Equity Act last session, and some sponsored unsuccessful bills that sought to abolish abortion in Colorado. In response to Roe v. Wade being overturned, numerous Republican state lawmakers celebrated the news and called for Colorado to ban abortion. During the last legislative session, the liberal Democrat majority passed the most extreme pro-abortion law in the United States, said House Minority Leader Hugh McKean, R-Loveland, in a statement. "In Colorado, we must work together to improve the lives of all Coloradans those citizens who live and work in our communities now and those yet to be born." Some touted the court's opinion, but quickly pointed out that the ruling doesn't change the status quo in Colorado. "While today is a major victory for the pro-life movement," said Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, "unfortunately, it doesn't change Colorado's law allowing abortions until a pregnancy comes to term." This means the fate of Gonzales bill likely depends on the results of the November election. Regardless of the election's outcome, Gonzales promised to continue fighting to protect abortion access for as long as it takes. NEW MEXICO Company tests high-altitude airship over desert ALBUQUERQUE A technology company that wants to bring broadband to more remote areas and monitor methane and other emissions from the oil and gas industry launched one of its airships from the New Mexico desert on June 14 as part of a key test on the way to commercial operations. Sceye Inc. is developing a high-altitude platform station that company officials hope will provide an option other than satellites and airplanes for boosting internet connectivity and collecting data on everything from industrial pollution to wildfire threats. It took a couple of hours for the unmanned helium-filled station to reach the stratosphere. It will maintain its position there for 24 hours, a milestone that will bring Sceye closer to commercial operations over the next 18 to 24 months. Founder and CEO Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsenand said his team will aim for more longevity with subsequent flights from their home base in Roswell. Vestergaard Frandsenand said it takes about eight months to build a station, which consists of a sleek reflective fabric designed to operate in the stratosphere at 65,000 feet above the Earth's surface. The New Mexico Economic Development Department pledged up to $5 million in funding when Sceye announced it would locate in the state. The company has operations in Roswell and Moriarty, a small community near Albuquerque. Volcanic cones near peak sacred to tribes gain protection ALBUQUERQUE A years-long effort to protect land around a New Mexico mountain peak held sacred by many Native American tribes got a major boost on June 2 with the announcement that dozens of additional square miles will be set aside for wildlife, cultural preservation and recreation. The $34 million effort by the national conservation group Trust for Public Land comes as New Mexico and the federal government look to preserve more natural landscapes as part of a nationwide commitment. Trust for Public Land partnered with other organizations and foundations to purchase adjoining properties that make up the sprawling L Bar Ranch, which sits in the shadow of Mount Taylor just west of Albuquerque. The more than 84 square miles includes grassland, rugged mesas and part of the Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Property, which is on the state register of historic places due to its significance to Native Americans in New Mexico and Arizona. Part of the property has been conveyed to the New Mexico Game and Fish Department and the rest will be turned over to land managers in the coming years to create what will be the largest state-owned recreation property in New Mexico. A legislative appropriation and money allocated through a federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment helped with the effort. A management plan will be developed to ensure recreational access with special considerations for areas important to the pueblos of Acoma, Laguna and Zuni and the Hopi and Navajo people. KANSAS Heat stress blamed for thousands of cattle deaths BELLE PLAINE Thousands of cattle in feedlots in southwestern Kansas have died of heat stress due to soaring temperatures, high humidity and little wind in early June, industry officials said. The final toll remains unclear, but as of June 16 at least 2,000 heat-related deaths had been reported to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state agency that assists in disposing of carcasses. Agency spokesman Matt Lara said he expected that number to rise as more feedlots report losses from an ongoing heat wave. The cattle deaths have sparked unsubstantiated reports on social media and elsewhere that something besides the weather is at play, but Kansas agriculture officials said there's no indication of any other cause. Temperatures spiked from the 70s to higher than 100 degrees on June 11, said Scarlett Hagins, spokeswoman for the Kansas Livestock Association. "And it was that sudden change that didn't allow the cattle to acclimate that caused the heat stress issues in them," she said. The deaths represent a huge economic loss because the animals, which typically weigh around 1,500 pounds, are worth around $2,000 per head, Hagins said. Federal disaster programs will help some producers who incurred a loss, she added. Hagins said heat-related deaths in the industry are rare because ranchers take precautions such as providing extra drinking water, altering feeding schedules so animals are not digesting during the heat of the day, and using sprinkler systems to cool them down. MONTANA Governor under fire for vacationing during flooding RED LODGE As punishing floods tore through Yellowstone National Park and neighboring Montana communities, the state's governor was nowhere to be seen. In the immediate aftermath, the state issued a disaster declaration attributed to the Republican governor, but it carried the lieutenant governor's signature. It wasn't until Wednesday more than 48 hours after the flood hit the state that Gov. Greg Gianforte's office acknowledged the tech mogul was out of the country, though it wouldn't say exactly where he was, citing unspecified security concerns. Gianforte returned on the night of June 16 from what his office said was a vacation with his wife in Italy. But he found himself facing a torrent of criticism for not hurrying home sooner and for not telling the public his whereabouts during the emergency. While Gianforte was away, Montana's lieutenant governor served as acting governor. Gianforte's office said he was briefed regularly about the flooding, which caused widespread damage to small communities in the southern part of the state and had threatened to cut off fresh water to Billings, the state's largest city. But Gianforte's critics seized on his mysterious disappearance and started the mocking social media hashtag #WhereIsGreg. Gianforte toured the flood zone on June 17 but didn't address his absence. He instead encouraged visitors to still come to the Yellowstone region. The floods washed away roads, bridges and houses and closed all of Yellowstone, threatening some of the communities on the park's outskirts that depend heavily on tourists visiting one of America's most beloved natural attractions. Yellowstone officials said they could reopen the southern end of the park as soon as next week, offering visitors a chance to see Old Faithful and other attractions. But the northern entrances in Montana, which lead to the wildlife-rich Lamar Valley and Tower Fall, could be closed all summer, if not longer. NEBRASKA Warren Buffett's final charity lunch draws record $19M bid OMAHA An anonymous bidder has shelled out a record $19 million for a private lunch with billionaire Warren Buffet at a steakhouse in New York City. The meal with the Berkshire Hathaway CEO was offered on an eBay auction to benefit the San-Francisco-based charity GLIDE, which helps homeless people and those in poverty. The winner can bring up to seven guests. Buffett has raised $53 million for GLIDE since the auction began in 2000. The charity earned the philanthropist billionaire's support when his first wife, Susie, introduced him to it after she started volunteering there. She died in 2004. This year's event will be the first private lunch offered with the 91-year-old billionaire since the previous record-setting bid of $4.5 million by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun in 2019. The past two auctions were called off due to COVID-19 concerns and Buffett has said this will be the last. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Upholding the SITs clean chit to Narendra Modi in Gujarat riots of 2002, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Zakia Jafris petition alleging conspiracy at the highest level, observing that these are attempts to keep the pot boiling for years and abuse of process with ulterior design. Bringing the curtains down on the bid to reopen the probe, a bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar said the material collected during the investigation did not give rise to strong or grave suspicion regarding hatching of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level for causing mass violence against Muslims. The bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar termed the petition of Congress MP Ehsan Jafris widow as the devious stratagem to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design and said all those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law. The court said the present proceedings (by Zakia Jafri) have been pursued for the last 16 years with the audacity to question the integrity of every functionary involved in the process. The apex court also said that disgruntled officers of the Gujarat Government need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law for creating a sensation by making false revelations on the 2002 riots. The top court also said it finds force in the argument of the State that the testimony of Sanjiv Bhatt (then IPS officer and now in jail for custodial torture) and RB Sreekumar (now retired IPS officer) was only to sensationalise and politicise the matters in issue, although, replete with falsehood. At the end of the day, it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create a sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. The falsity of their claims had been fully exposed by the SIT after a thorough investigation, said the apex court. The SC appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan after four years of investigation has given clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi and 63 others in February 2012. Jafri had challenged the SITs clean chit to 64 people, including Modi alleging a larger conspiracy. The apex court appreciated the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for its indefatigable work in challenging circumstances and said it has come out with flying colours unscathed. The top court said no fault can be found with the SITs approach and its February 8, 2012 final report is backed by firm logic, expositing analytical mind and dealing with all aspects objectively for discarding the allegations regarding larger criminal conspiracy The bench upheld the decision of a magistrate in accepting the final report submitted by the SIT and rejecting the protest petition filed by Jafri. She had challenged the Gujarat High Courts October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the SIT decision. We do not countenance the submission of the appellant regarding infraction of rule of law in the matter of investigation and the approach of the magistrate and the high court in dealing with the final report, the bench said in its 452-page judgement. Congress leader Ehsan Jafri was among the 68 people killed at Ahmedabads Gulberg Society during violence on February 28, 2002, a day after the Godhra train burning that claimed 59 lives. The riots that it triggered killed 1,044 people, mostly Muslims. Giving details, the Central Government informed the Rajya Sabha in May 2005 that 254 Hindus and 790 Muslims were killed in the post Godhra riots. In its verdict, the apex court noted that the SIT had formed its opinion after considering all the material collated during the investigation. The question of further probe would have arisen only on the availability of new material/information in connection with the allegation of larger conspiracy at the highest level, which is not forthcoming in this case. As aforementioned, the SIT has gone by the logic of falsity of the information or material and including the same remaining uncorroborated. In that, the materials collected during the investigation do not give rise to strong or grave suspicion regarding hatching of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level for causing mass violence across the State against the minority community and more so, indicating involvement of the named offenders and their meeting of minds at some level in that regard, said the Judgment. Intriguingly, the present proceedings have been pursued for last 16 years (from submission of complaint dated June 8, 2006 running into 67 pages and then by filing protest petition dated April 15, 2013 running into 514 pages) including with the audacity to question the integrity of every functionary involved in the process of exposing the devious stratagem adopted (to borrow the submission of counsel for the SIT), to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design, it said. As a matter of fact, all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law, the bench said, criticising the disgruntled officers of Gujarat and petitioner Jafri. Add CoolSocial badge. Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Powerhandtoolsreview.com scored 56 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 20 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Add a widget like this on your site: click here The total number of people who shared the powerhandtoolsreview homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the powerhandtoolsreview homepage on StumbleUpon. 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The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK FOUND TWITTER PAGE twitter.com/#!/obadieajones DESCRIPTION ACCOUNT CREATED ON 08 Aug 2011 LOCATION null TWEETS 220 FOLLOWERS 3 LISTED 0 In full view of Supreme Court and High Courts, a Chief Minister is setting an example of how to be a law unto himself Where is the civil society in this country? Is there any? Is there any civilised society at all? What kind of people can watch this naked dance of sham democracy which is more of an oppressive dictatorship rather than anything else? India is not Israel and Muslims living here are not Palestinians (though there is no justification even for the Israeli governments inhuman actions). Muslims are our own countrymen living under the same Constitution which treats every person (not merely citizens) equal before law. If a Muslim has built a house illegally it does not mean that it can be demolished without due legal process while the Hindus constructing multi-storied buildings and colonies, in violation of the law, will enjoy immunity. It is not that bulldozers were not used earlier to demolish houses or kiosks of street vendors. In fact, quite frequently administrations of governments all over the country have demolished settlements of poor, mostly migrants from rural areas or other states, who come to cities in search of livelihood and set up their jhuggis or kiosks on some government land. Recently hundreds of families have been uprooted in Ahmedabad city who were living for more than a couple of decades next to Railway tracks. In these instances as well the Constitution and Court directives are violated but the governments justify it on some grounds. What is new is selective political targeting now, especially by the BJP governments. The government of Uttar Pradesh is writing a novel book on crime and punishment. But even this book will not be the final code because once we go on this path of degeneration. Every other ruler who comes to rule will enjoy the privilege of acting upon his own whims and fancies. Yogi Adityanath should just remember the day when he had wept in the Parliament eeling his life under threat merely because the then district administration of Gorakhpur had arrested him for a brief period. He is doing worse things to people. The UP government has promulgated a law Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Act, 2020 which aims to recover the damages to any property during any agitation from the accused persons. A Claims Tribunal will determine the recovery amount and its decision cannot be challenged in any court. Moreover, the burden of proof lies on the accused to prove himself/herself innocent. This is another example of high handed manner in which the Yogi government has been treating dissenters. A question that we would like to pose is if demolishing anybodys house is proved to be illegal by a court later, shouldnt the officials who ordered the demolition in first place not be subjected to a law similar to the abovementioned one. If citizens can be held accountable for damage to property, why should not the officials be? --- *Naveen Tewari is entrepreneur-activist; Magsaysay award winning social activist-academic, Sandeep Pandey is general secretary of Socialist Party (India) It is further appalling that the spineless judges, who sit on the benches of constitutional courts flaunting their unlimited powers and authority in front of a common citizen litigant, lose their hammer and tongue at a ghastly manifestation of mockery of justice in full public view. A recent full front page of the advertisement by a Bhartiya Janata Party government declares, 'House is not just a word. It is a place where power to dream comes and aspirations are fulfilled. Home is much about dignity and security than it is about shelter.' It further goes on to quote Narendra Modi, 'It is my dream that every Indian has a pucca house by 2022.' The occasion was dedication of houses built by a private builder Balaji to the poor.Having witnessed over the past few days the now iconic picture of a bulldozer running down the Prayagraj house of parents of female Muslim student and activist Afreen Fatima, who participated in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens protests, one is almost tempted to look for a fine print at the bottom of the page to the effect that the promise of house is subject to the condition that one doesn't participate in any anti-government protest otherwise there is a danger of bulldozers coming over.A house built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by Hasina Fakhroo was demolished by administration following clashes during a Ram Navami procession in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh in April earlier this year.Riot police and paramilitary forces are deployed by all governments to control mob violence. These forces use all kinds of weapons and deterrents to enforce law and order. The hauling up and arrest of culprits inciting violence or leading mobs to challenge the authority of the state is a follow up action which ends in trials and sentencing of the guilty.The state of Uttar Pradesh has found a new weapon to deal with the violators who pose a challenge to the authority of the state namely, the Bulldozer! Yogi Adityanath alone knows from whose book of criminal jurisprudence this leaf has been taken out.At least it is difficult to find an example anywhere in the world barring the sole exception of Israel where the government is in constant conflict with the Palestinian population. The Palestinian land is forcibly taken over to build Jewish settlements and Palestinians are subjected to brutal repression when they resist.The law in India is not based on the whims and impulses of any leader. It is a strictly codified framework with inflexible procedures and defined limits to its application. Rule of law is not the writ or diktat of a ruler but it is based on the Constitution and the laws that are framed by the legislature are within the structure of the Constitution.Even the most archaic laws like the Sharia have definite punishment for every particular crime. Chopping of hands and beheading may appear to be repulsive and uncivilised to us but they are based on some penal code. Even the Taliban Government would not go beyond the scope of Sharia to punish the guilty by boiling them in water or chopping them piece by piece or sawing them vertically!Here in India, in full view of the whole nation including the Supreme Court and High Courts, a Chief Minister is setting an example of how to be a law unto himself! We are shocked by the absence of any reaction to this outrageous and audacious act by the media, intellectuals and activists who are perhaps keeping quiet out of fear of the same bulldozers knocking on their doors. Draupadi Murmu, Yashwant Sinha Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar It would be difficult for Hemant Soren to oppose her in Jharkhand, as when she was governor, she refused to sign the amendment to the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNTA) and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (SPTA). At that time,the then chief minister Raghubar Das, tried to change the original Act which had protected the Adivasi rights in forests. There were lots of protests in Jharkhand and ultimately the governor refused to sign the amended Bill. It would be difficult for Hemant Soren to oppose her in Jharkhand, as when she was governor, she refused to sign the amendment to the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNTA) and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (SPTA). At that time,the then chief minister Raghubar Das, tried to change the original Act which had protected the Adivasi rights in forests. There were lots of protests in Jharkhand and ultimately the governor refused to sign the amended Bill. The upper caste morality of questioning people from the marginalised sections is patronising, to say the least. It means, Dr Rajendra Prasad must have done something for Kayasthas, Dr Radhakrishanan for Brahmins, Dr Sanjeeva Reddy for feudal landlords, Pranab Mukherjee again for Brahmins, Pratibha Patil for women etc. You cannot fault BJP or RSS for working with Adivasis. That is their long-term programme, and they have been working among them for years. Today, they are in power, so their outreach has already expanded, but the party is not satisfied with what it has achieved. It continues to cement its ties with Adivasis, keeping in mind its long-term political benefits. Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have significant Adivasi presence. These states are going to poll in the near future. President Ram Nath Kovind made several visits to Uttar Pradesh during the elections, but since Dalit population is politicised, the impact wasnt that big. But the situation might be different as Draupadi Murmu, who is the first Adivasi leader rising to the top post of the country. It would have the necessary impact, too. While Murmus choice gave a benefit to BJP and NDA, the opposition could have made a better choice than Yashwant Sinha. Though he was brought into politics by Chandrashekhar, Sinha made good relations with op BJP leaders. During VP Singhs Mandal period, Sinha was sitting in the opposition camp. The problem with Sinha was that he considered himself much bigger than what other politicians could think about him. An arrogant savarna leader, Sinha was finance minister in the short term Chandrashekhar regime, and then AB Vajpayee included him in his ministry, where he served in various ministries, including External Affairs and Finance. As Finance Minister, he could not bring new ideals to the Ministry. Sinha never really dissociated himself from RSS, and like Arun Shourie, he too was hoping that Modi would take care of him. Both started criticising Modi only after Modi completely dissociated from them. Sinha felt he was the need of the hour for BJP but Modi never thought that way. Finally, he left BJP and became a critic of Modis style of functioning. He has been critiquing Modi, but not the Sangh Parivar. His son is still an important functionary of the party, and was a minister under Modi. Opposition parties should have been serious about putting up a joint candidate. But they failed to do so. Perhaps, Mamata Banjerjees ambition to create a central niche for herself cost the opposition huge. While the numbers looked good for the opposition earlier, it looks clear that Yashwant Sinha may not get even opposition votes as most of the regional parties will think twice before voting him. Of course, we all know that presidents dont have much power. Indeed, not much is expected from Draupadi Murmu. One can only expect that she will be the guardian of our Constitution and and uphold our Constitutional values and rights of the marginalized people when they are under the threat. Will she be able to do that? Let us see what she does once she assumes the high office. Till then, we can keep our fingers crossed. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat, twitter: @freetohumanity Many people are asking why did she sweep a Shiva temple? Political leaders are known to do such jobs as part of political exigency. But why question her faith? Gyani Zail Singh, too, followed the diktat of the Akal Takht, which declared him tankhaiya, and hence, to atone the high religious body, he cleaned the shoes of the devotees who came to Harmandir Sahib.The upper caste morality of questioning people from the marginalised sections is patronising, to say the least. It means, Dr Rajendra Prasad must have done something for Kayasthas, Dr Radhakrishanan for Brahmins, Dr Sanjeeva Reddy for feudal landlords, Pranab Mukherjee again for Brahmins, Pratibha Patil for women etc.You cannot fault BJP or RSS for working with Adivasis. That is their long-term programme, and they have been working among them for years. Today, they are in power, so their outreach has already expanded, but the party is not satisfied with what it has achieved. It continues to cement its ties with Adivasis, keeping in mind its long-term political benefits.Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have significant Adivasi presence. These states are going to poll in the near future. President Ram Nath Kovind made several visits to Uttar Pradesh during the elections, but since Dalit population is politicised, the impact wasnt that big.But the situation might be different as Draupadi Murmu, who is the first Adivasi leader rising to the top post of the country. It would have the necessary impact, too.While Murmus choice gave a benefit to BJP and NDA, the opposition could have made a better choice than Yashwant Sinha. Though he was brought into politics by Chandrashekhar, Sinha made good relations with op BJP leaders. During VP Singhs Mandal period, Sinha was sitting in the opposition camp. The problem with Sinha was that he considered himself much bigger than what other politicians could think about him.An arrogant savarna leader, Sinha was finance minister in the short term Chandrashekhar regime, and then AB Vajpayee included him in his ministry, where he served in various ministries, including External Affairs and Finance. As Finance Minister, he could not bring new ideals to the Ministry.Sinha never really dissociated himself from RSS, and like Arun Shourie, he too was hoping that Modi would take care of him. Both started criticising Modi only after Modi completely dissociated from them.Sinha felt he was the need of the hour for BJP but Modi never thought that way. Finally, he left BJP and became a critic of Modis style of functioning. He has been critiquing Modi, but not the Sangh Parivar. His son is still an important functionary of the party, and was a minister under Modi.Opposition parties should have been serious about putting up a joint candidate. But they failed to do so. Perhaps, Mamata Banjerjees ambition to create a central niche for herself cost the opposition huge. While the numbers looked good for the opposition earlier, it looks clear that Yashwant Sinha may not get even opposition votes as most of the regional parties will think twice before voting him.Of course, we all know that presidents dont have much power. Indeed, not much is expected from Draupadi Murmu. One can only expect that she will be the guardian of our Constitution and and uphold our Constitutional values and rights of the marginalized people when they are under the threat.Will she be able to do that? Let us see what she does once she assumes the high office. Till then, we can keep our fingers crossed.--- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was interrogated for nearly 50-60 hours for five days by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Summons have also gone to party president Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case. Everyone knows the reality, that National Herald was a mouthpiece of the Congress, and earlier of Indias freedom movement. It was founded by Jawaharlal Nehru.In recent years, this paper and its sister concerns, Navjeevan in Hindi and Kaumi Awaz in Urdu, were defunct. The paper suffered serious losses and was closed in 2008. Rahul Gandhi was instrumental in reviving it in 2016.All the issues related to the case are basically technical in nature, based on interpretation. One cannot really say that somebody made money, but things do happen on the advice of lawyers and chartered accountants -- people follow certain pattern to protect their businesses. It depends on which side of the coin you are on, and how you interpret it.Congress workers were on the street. However, except for DMK and its leader MK Stalin, we did not hear many voices in condemnation of the Central government for misusing ED and other agencies, which is a sad reflection of politics today.Everyone knows this was being done to intimidate Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and decimate the party or push it into silence before the presidential elections. Meanwhile, apparently taking advantage of the situation, Mamata Banerjee, always wanting to go centre-stage, without consulting anyone, started an opposition conclave for having a joint presidential candidate. She did not utter a single word about the continuous harassment of Rahul Gandhi by ED.Initially, she tried to push Sharad Pawar for the post, but Pawar being Pawar, he would never agree to such a thing, unless he is sure of victory. So he politely refused. After that, Mamata asked Farooq Abdullah and Gopal Krishna Gandhi to be opposition candidate. All this was happening without proper consultation. Both Abdullah and Gandhi refused.Finally, Mamata again jumped her guns and somehow managed to get her party in the front position in the presidential elections. She wanted to seize the opportunity when the Congress was fighting its own battle, and hence asked her party MP Yashwant Sinha to resign and contest as Opposition candidate, which he happily accepted.The Congress had sent Jairam Ramesh and Mallikarjun Khadge to participate in the all-party meeting called by Mamata. It agreed to Sinhas name. The fact is the party leaders had no time to discuss, because the Congress itself was in its own crisis, as Rahul Gandhi was being interrogated.Mamatas hyped ambitions have many a time created an embarrassment for the opposition parties. For the sake of opposition unity, both Congress as well as Left parties participated in the meeting despite many differences.Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, of course, are always keen to ensure that the opposition suffers a heavy blow. But this time, the fact of the matter is that, the opposition parties too had no time to properly discuss out a candidate. With the Congress already in a crisis mode, it was Mamata and Sharad Pawar who grabbed the opportunity, but it boomeranged.Indeed, BJP has gain succeeded in the politics of representation, much better than its opponents. The choice of Draupadi Murmu, a Santhal Adivasi, as the NDA Presidential candidate is of enormous political value and might pay heavily to those who oppose her. BJP succeeded in bringing two most powerful allies, Naveen Patnaik from Odisha and Jagan Reddy from Andhra Pradesh. Other non-NDA parties will also find it difficult to oppose Murmu.It is for the first time in Indian history that an Adivasi woman will become president of India, and it has a great symbolic value. We cannot undermine it plainly by asking: what would she do for Adivasis? FAIRFIELD More than 150 people have signed a petition to repeal state statute 8-30g and stop an affordable housing development proposed for Unquowa Road. As of Friday afternoon, approximately 200 people had signed the petition, which says the state needs to scrap the 8-30g state statute and replace it with a program that helps towns build their own affordable housing, and allows our organic, affordable middle housing to be included in the states metrics. The creators of the petition, former state Rep. Brian Farnen and Michael Grant, are Republicans running for Connecticut Assembly positions in the 132nd District and 133rd District, respectively. Of the Unquowa Road proposal, which aims to build a 63-unit, multi-family development on Unquowa Road, the petition said it would exacerbate existing traffic, pedestrian safety, and flooding concerns in the downtown if built as currently planned. Working in the best interest of the town and protecting the historic charm of our downtown should not be a partisan issue. We need legislators that will represent our residents and not sit on the sidelines, it says. Session after session, it is the Democratic leadership in Hartford that has refused to address or amend the shortcomings of 8-30g, which cannot make CT affordable. State statute 8-30g allows developers to bypass municipal laws and regulations as long as a certain percentage of the project is affordable housing. Of the 63 units in the Unquowa development, 19 would be restricted as affordable. The petition calls for residents to let their current state representatives, Jennifer Leeper, in the 132nd District, and Cristin McCarthy Vahey, in the 133rd, know that enough is enough. McCarthy Vahey said she has been clear that she does not support the Unquowa proposal. Being campaign season, she said, it is a time for the community to talk about what they want and how to move forward with those goals. McCarthy Vahey said 8-30g is a law that was enacted more than 30 years ago, and its most recent changes came in 2017 with her support and that of the Fairfield delegation. Those changes allowed communities to get more points in the affordable housing system, so that towns could get closer to reaching moratorium status. So that we could more proactively address what we want to do, and we are very close to that moratorium, she said. I have said for many years, and I think many people agree, that 8-30g is a blunt instrument. Leeper said the idea that she has not been a leading voice for a more measured and reasonable approach to affordable housing is absurd. She noted she co-chairs a main street working group in the Capitol where they work with municipalities for historic restoration, preservation and reasonable development in main street corridors. Moreover, Leeper said, she was the first co-sponsor of the only bill concerning 8-30g in the housing committee this past session. The bill would have resulted in a study of 8-30g and its effects to look for ways to improve it. Even if it were possible to repeal 8-30g, that wouldnt happen today and its not a relevant strategy to help the community and the town navigate (the Unquowa) proposal, she said. I already put out a statement against (that proposal). Residents who also oppose the proposal, Leeper said, can reach out to commissioners on the Town Plan and Zoning Commission. Christopher Smith, the attorney for developer 15 Unquowa Road, LLC, said in a recent TPZ meeting that the application aligns with Fairfields affordable housing plan, citing aspects of the plans goals such as providing diverse housing stock for a wide variety of people, promoting walkability and transit-oriented development, as well as helping retain existing businesses and attract new ones. According to town documents, the 20,610-square-foot property would be the site of a 66,140-square-foot apartment building that would offer 16 studio, four one-bedroom and 43 two-bedroom units. In that hearing, members of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission focused on the developments impact on sewers, drainage and groundwater, as well as the text amendment during a public hearing on Tuesday. The meeting was adjourned after a long, unfinished presentation and questioning from the commission, and will be continued June 28. U.S. torn by Supreme Court's decision to strike down landmark ruling on abortion rights Xinhua) 09:07, June 26, 2022 With Roe falling, more than two dozen states in the United States -- primarily in the south and midwest and controlled by Republicans -- are expected to tighten abortion access, including 13 states with "trigger bans" that would immediately outlaw abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned. WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion. "Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences." "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives," the conservative suggested. The court's three liberal justices dissented, saying that "many millions of American women" have lost a fundamental constitutional protection. The announcement came after the Supreme Court had considered an appeal case involving a Mississippi law banning all abortions over 15 weeks gestational age except in certain circumstances. Protesters gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 24, 2022. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) Chief Justice John Roberts did not join the majority, arguing in a concurring opinion that he would not have overturned Roe but instead would have only upheld Mississippi's law. Crowds on both sides of abortion rights are demonstrating near the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. throughout Friday, with the presence of police in riot gear. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security intelligence branch reportedly notified law enforcement, first responders, and private sector partners across the nation on Friday of potential domestic violence extremist activity in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion rights. With Roe falling, more than two dozen states in the United States -- primarily in the south and midwest and controlled by Republicans -- are expected to tighten abortion access, including 13 states with "trigger bans" that would immediately outlaw abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned. Governor Mike Parson tweeted Friday that Missouri "has become the first state in the nation to effectively end abortions," activating a bill ending elective abortions in the state. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge later signed a certification that prohibits abortions in the state. Demonstrators march during a protest after U.S. Supreme Court made decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, in New York, the United States, June 24, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, on Friday signed a new law strengthening abortion rights in the state, saying he was feeling "pissed, resolved, and angry." "Women are treated as second-class citizens in this country," Newsom said. "Women are not as free as men. That's pretty damn sick." In response to the Supreme Court's ruling, U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that the court "expressly took away a constitutional right from the American people that it had already recognized," calling it "a sad day for the Court and for the country." "The Court literally taking America back 150 years," Biden said. "Now, with Roe gone, let's be very clear: The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk." Republicans and religious conservatives celebrated what they see a victory. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose three Supreme Court picks helped solidify a conservative majority, praised its decision to overturn Roe, telling Fox News that "this is following the Constitution, and giving rights back when they should have been given long ago." Demonstrators protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in San Francisco, California, the United States, on June 24, 2022.(Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) The issue also caused international concern. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "the news coming out of the United States is horrific." "My heart goes out to the millions of American women who are now set to lose their legal right to an abortion. I can't imagine the fear and anger you are feeling right now," Trudeau said. "No government, politician, or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body." United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that access to safe, legal, and effective abortion is firmly rooted in international human right law and is at the core of women and girls' autonomy, and ability to make their own choices about their bodies and lives, free of discrimination, violence, and coercion. "This decision strips such autonomy from millions of women in the U.S., in particular those with low incomes and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, to the detriment of their fundamental rights," Bachelet warned. People protest along the Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 24, 2022. (Xinhua) The Supreme Court is the final appellate court of the U.S. judicial system, with the power to review and overturn lower court decisions, and is also generally the final interpreter of federal law, including the nation's constitution. The court -- in which conservatives now have a 6-3 majority over liberals on the bench -- has recently released a series of rulings as it nears the end of the current term. Americans' confidence in the Supreme Court has dropped sharply over the past year and reached a new low in Gallup's nearly 50-year trend. Only 25 percent of adults across the United States say they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court, down from 36 percent a year ago and five percentage points lower than the previous low recorded in 2014. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) The Supreme Court on Friday sent to gallows a man for kidnapping, raping, and killing a seven-and-a-half-year-old mentally and physically challenged girl in 2013, saying the crime was of the nature of extreme depravity which shocks the conscience and left no other option but to confirm the death sentence. The apex court upheld the death sentence given by the Rajasthan High Court to convict Manoj Pratap Singh We may sum up thus: In the case of the present nature, the crime had been of extreme depravity, which shocks the conscience, particularly looking to the target (a seven-and-a-half-year old mentally and physically challenged girl) and then, looking to the manner of committing murder, where the hapless victims head was literally smashed, resulting in multiple injuries, including a fracture of frontal bone..., said a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar. Condemned convict Manoj Pratap Singh, then 28 years of age, had kidnapped the physically and mentally challenged minor girl in front of her parents from their fruit and vegetable vending cart on January 17, 2013, brutally raped her at a secluded place before killing her by smashing the head in Rajsamand district, Rajasthan. The bench rejected the contention that in the case, hinging on circumstantial evidence, the death penalty should not be awarded saying that if the conviction can be sustained on such proof then the extreme penalty can also be imposed depending on the nature of the offence. In the present case, where all the elements surrounding the offence as also all the elements surrounding the offender cut across the balance sheet of aggravating and mitigating circumstances, we are clearly of the view that there is absolutely no reason to commute the sentence of death to any other sentence of lesser degree, Justice Maheshwari said. Even the alternative of awarding the sentence of imprisonment for the whole of the natural life with no remission does not appear justified in view of the nature of crimes committed by the appellant and looking to his incorrigible conduct, added Justice Maheshwari in the verdict. The top court, in its 129-page judgment, concurred with the findings of the courts below that the offence fell under the rarest of rare categories warranting the imposition of the death penalty on the convict, a native of Maharajganj district in Uttar Pradesh. The verdict was delivered on appeals against the Rajasthan High Courts May 29, 2015 verdict affirming the conviction and death penalty awarded by the Court of Special Judge, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Cases, Rajsamand. The heinous nature of the crime, like that of the present one, in brutal rape and killing of a mentally and physically challenged girl, who was only about seven-and-a-half-year-old, definitely carries excessively aggravating circumstances, particularly when the manner of commission of both the major offences of rape and murder shows the depravity of highest order and would ex facie shock anyones conscience, said the apex court. END At 88, Gloria Steinem has long been the nations most visible feminist and advocate for womens rights. But at 22, she was a frightened American in London getting an illegal abortion of a pregnancy so unwanted, she actually tried to throw herself down the stairs to end it. Her response to the Supreme Courts decision overruling Roe v. Wade is succinct: Obviously, she wrote in an email message, without the right of women and men to make decisions about our own bodies, there is no democracy. Steinems blunt remark cuts to the heart of the despair some opponents are feeling about Friday's historic rollback of the 1973 case legalizing abortion. If a right so central to the overall fight for womens equality can be revoked, they ask, what does it mean for the progress women have made in public life in the intervening 50 years? One of the things that I keep hearing from women is, My daughters going to have fewer rights than I did. And how can that be? says Debbie Walsh, of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. If this goes, what else can go? It makes everything feel precarious. Reproductive freedom was not the only demand of second-wave feminism, as the womens movement of the 60s and 70s is known, but it was surely one of the most galvanizing issues, along with workplace equality. The women who fought for those rights recall an astonishing decade of progress from about 1963 to 1973 including the right to equal pay, the right to use birth control, and Title IX in 1972 which bans discrimination in education. Capping it off was Roe v. Wade a year later, granting a constitutional right to abortion. Many of the women who identified as feminists at the time had an illegal abortion or knew someone who did. Steinem, in fact, credits a speak-out meeting she attended on abortion in her 30s as the moment she pivoted from journalism to activism and finally felt enabled to speak about her own secret abortion. Abortion is so tied to the womens movement in this country, says Carole Joffe, a sociologist at the University of California, San Francisco medical school who studies and teaches the history of abortion. Along with improved birth control, what legal abortion meant was that women who were heterosexually active could still take part in public life. It enabled the huge change weve seen in womens status over the last 50 years. Joffe says many women, like her, now feel that the right to contraception could be at risk something she calls unthinkable. One of them is Heather Booth. When she was 20 and a student in Chicago, a male friend asked if she could help his sister obtain an abortion. It was 1965, and through contacts in the civil rights movement, she found a way to connect the young woman, nearly suicidal at the prospect of being pregnant, to a doctor willing to help. She thought it would be a one-off, but Booth ended up co-founding the Jane Collective, an underground group of women who provided safe abortions to those in need. In all, the group performed some 11,000 abortions over about seven years a story recounted in the new documentary The Janes. Booth, now 76, sees the Roe v. Wade upheaval as a chilling challenge to the triumphs of the womens movement. I think we are on a knifes edge, she says. On the one hand, theres been 50 years of a change in womens condition in this society, she adds, recalling that when she was growing up, women could only respond to employment ads in the womens section, to list just one example. So theres been an advance toward greater equality, but if you ask about where we stand, I think we are on a knifes edge in a contest really between democracy and freedom, and tyranny, a dismantling of freedoms that have been long fought for. Of course, not every woman feels that abortion is a right worth preserving. Linda Sloan, who has volunteered the last five years, along with her husband, for the anti-abortion organization A Moment of Hope in Columbia, South Carolina, says she values womens rights. I strongly believe and support women being treated as equals to men (in) job opportunities, salary, respect, and many other areas, she says. She says she has tried to instill those values in her two daughters and two sons, and upholds them with her work at two women's shelters, trying to empower women to make the right choices. But when it comes to Roe v. Wade, she says, I believe that the rights of the child in the mothers womb are equally important. To quote Psalm 139, I believe that God formed my inner parts and knitted me together in my mothers womb. Elizabeth Kilmartin, like Sloan, volunteers at A Moment of Hope and is deeply pleased by the court's decision. In her younger years she considered herself a feminist and studied women's history in college. Then, over the years she came to deeply oppose abortion, and no longer considers herself a feminist because she believes the word has been co-opted by those on the left. No womens rights have been harmed in the decision to stop killing babies in the womb, Kilmartin says. We have all kinds of women in power. Women aren't being oppressed in the workplace anymore. We have a woman vice president ... Its just ridiculous to think that were so oppressed." Cheryl Lambert falls squarely in the opposing camp. The former Wall Street executive, now 65, immediately thought back to the gains she made earlier in her banking career, becoming the first woman to be named an officer at the institution she worked for. She calls the court decision a sucker punch. My thought was, what era are we living in? Lambert says. We are moving backwards. Im just furious on behalf of our children and our grandchildren. Lambert herself needed an abortion as a young mother when the fetus was found to carry a genetic disease. I thought it would get easier, not harder, to have an abortion in this country, she says. Now, she and many other women fear a return to dangerous, illegal abortions of the past and a disproportionate impact on women without the means to travel to abortion-friendly states. Still, many are trying to see a positive side: that as bleak as the moment may seem, change could come via new energy at the ballot box. We're in it for the long haul, says Carol Tracy, of the Womens Law Project in Philadelphia. Steinem, too, issued a note of resolve. Women have always taken power over our own bodies, and we will keep right on, she wrote in her email message. An unjust court cant stop abortion, but it guarantees civil disobedience and disrespect for the court. ___ AP Reporter Maryclaire Dale contributed to this report. ___ For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHOENIX (AP) Protests outside the Arizona Capitol over the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade that ended with a volley of tear gas were variously described Saturday as either peaceful or driven by anarchists intent on destruction. Republican Senate President Karen Fann issued a news release describing it as a thwarted insurrection, while protesters called it a violent overreaction by police who they said acted without warning or justification. Arizona Department of Public Safety statements said state troopers launched the gas as some in a group of 7,000 to 8,000 people that rallied at the Capitol on Friday night were trying to break into the state Senate. Lawmakers were working to finish their yearly session. The vast majority of people were peaceful and state police said there were no arrests or injuries. While both abortion opponents and abortion rights backers were there, most of the crowd opposed the high court's decision. Police fired tear gas at about 8:30 p.m. as dozens of people pressed up against the glass wall at the front of the Senate building, chanting and waving signs backing the right to abortion. While most were peaceful, a handful of people were banging on the windows, and one person forcefully tried to kick in a sliding glass door. That's when SWAT team members with the Department of Public Safety stationed on the second floor of the old Capitol building fired the tear gas. Video taken from inside the Senate lobby by Republican Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita showed the scene. Another she took moments later showed state police in riot gear forming a line inside the building, facing protesters on the other side of the glass. She said in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday morning that the protesters were clearly trying to enter the locked building. "They were aggressively banging on the windows in a way that at any moment it could break," Ugenti-Rita said. This wasnt a knock on a window. I mean, they were trying to break the windows. Hundreds of protesters could been seen in her videos milling about the plaza between the House and Senate buildings, while about a hundred were closer, near the glass wall at the front of the Senate building. There was no other conclusion than they were interested in being violent, she added. "I have no other takeaway than that. Ive seen many protests over my years, in many different sizes and forms. Ive never seen that ever. Some Republican lawmakers and influential figures on the right compared the incident to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which a violent mob battled police and entered the building in a failed attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. In Arizona, only a tiny fraction of the thousands assembled tried to break a door, the building was never breached and no one was injured. Democratic state Rep. Athena Salman of Tempe, however, said those gassed were peaceful. A bunch of House and Senate Democrats voted to give these cops a huge pay raise, said said on Twitter in a post showing police firing tear gas. Some even called it historic. Remember that every time the cops gas peaceful protesters. State police said in a statement that what began as a peaceful protest evolved into anarchical and criminal actions by masses of splinter group. And they said they had issued multiple warnings for people to leave. Police said gas was deployed after protesters attempted to break the glass" and was later deployed again in a plaza across the street. Police said some memorials at the plaza were defaced. No broken glass was visible at the Senate building after the crowd dispersed. Salman said in an interview Saturday that police in Arizona have a long history of using unneeded force against people exercising the First Amendment rights to protest and then blaming them for causing the trouble. She pointed to Black Lives Matter and immigrant justice protests, and said she's not surprised to see it at an abortion rights protest. Anything related to human rights they're ultimately going to gas the crowd and then come up with cover stories justifying this excessive use of force, Salman said. State Senate Democrats issued a statement Saturday saying the vast majority of protesters were peaceful while noting that a small number tried to enter the building. We unequivocally condemn violence in all forms, and anxiously await the investigation results to explain the response of law enforcement, the statement said. They also criticized right-wing media and lawmakers who called it an insurrection attempt, and said they were weaponizing this moment to deflect from the actions of January 6th. Republicans lawmakers had enacted a 15-week abortion ban in March over the objection of minority Democrats. It mirrors a Mississippi law that the Supreme Court upheld on Friday while also striking down Roe. A law dating from before Arizona became a state in 1912 that bans all abortions remains on the books, and providers across the state stopped providing abortions earlier Friday out of fear of prosecution. The protester incident forced Senate lawmakers to flee to the basement for about 20 minutes, said Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada. Stinging tear gas wafted through the building afterward, and the proceedings were moved to a hearing room instead of the Senate chamber. Fann was presiding over a vote for a contentious school vouchers expansion bill when she abruptly halted proceedings. Speeches backing or supporting the bill expanding the state's school voucher program to all 1.1 million public school students were cut off, and the bill passed. We're going into recess right now, OK? Fann announced. We have a security problem outside. The building was never breached, said Kim Quintero, a spokesperson for the Senate GOP leadership. After the tear gas sent protesters fleeing, the Senate reconvened to vote on its final bills before adjourning for the year shortly after midnight. A faint smell of tear gas hung in the air. In the past year, a number of growing companies have announced plans to open new offices in Fairfield County. Most of that activity has been concentrated in Stamford and Greenwich but the eastern end of the county also appears to be in a position to land another marquee recruit. Fast-food giant Subway is planning to relocate its headquarters in Milford to Shelton, according to the latters mayor. Such a move would keep one of the worlds largest food-services businesses in Connecticut, while the proximity between the two towns would likely minimize the disruption for employees transferred to a new headquarters. To have somebody come from New Haven County into Fairfield County would be exciting, particularly with a big-name company like Subway, Tom Pajolek, a Stamford-based executive vice president with commercial real estate firm CBRE, said in an interview. Subway has been very comfortable in Milford for quite a long time, but a move to eastern Fairfield County would not be perceived as particularly disruptive. It would be a continuation of their legacy in that part of the state. Exploring possible move Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti said this week that a Subway executive informed him last week by text message and in a phone call of the companys plans. This would be a real coup for Shelton and Connecticut because it would maintain the presence of Subway, a corporate heavyweight, here in the state, Lauretti said in an interview. This would be good for their employees and the company, and they would join a heavy corporate presence in Shelton. Lauretti said he has been apprised of where Subway would locate the new headquarters, but he declined to disclose it because, until the ink is dry on the lease, it would be premature to say where it is within the town. In response to an inquiry from Hearst Connecticut Media, Subway declined to comment this week beyond a statement that it issued last week on the potential move. Subway is exploring options in northeastern Fairfield County to create a world-class work environment for our employees, that includes a modernized headquarter(s) location, featuring an engaging and welcoming workspace and wide range of on-site amenities, the statement said. As a member of the community for nearly 50 years, we look forward to strengthening our long-term commitment to the area. If Subway proceeds with a move to Shelton, it would join a robust corporate roster in the town that includes the headquarters of electrical and electronic products manufacturer Hubbell and consumer-goods multinational Edgewell Personal Care, whose brands include Banana Boat, Edge, Schick, Playtex and Wet Ones. Other companies with a longstanding presence in the town include shipping-and-mailing firm Pitney Bowes, which is headquartered in Stamford, but has about 630 employees based at its operations center at 27 Waterview Drive. During the past year, Stamford and Greenwich have dominated the office-leasing pipeline in Fairfield County highlighted by recent or upcoming office openings for the likes of Philip Morris International, Digital Currency Group, iCapital Network, Tomo Networks, ITT and Mirador. But eastern Fairfield County is still churning out new deals. The area including Bridgeport, Shelton, Stratford and Trumbull cumulatively accounted for nearly 105,000 square feet of Fairfield Countys approximately 544,000 square feet of leasing activity in the first quarter of 2022, according to CBRE. In the countys largest leasing transaction of the first quarter, Pitney Bowes completed a sale-leaseback of the Shelton operations center. The company sold the approximately 310,000-square-foot property for about $50 million. But it is staying there by leasing 100 percent of the site. In 2021, we determined conditions were favorable for a sale-leaseback of our Shelton property, and we went to market negotiating with several potential buyers, Pitney Bowes, which is headquartered in Stamford, said in a statement. BDP Holdings from New Jersey was the successful bidder, and we are excited to have them as our landlord for our long-term lease. During the first quarter, eastern Fairfield County posted a 25.2 percent office availability rate, compared with a countywide average of 26.5 percent. CBRE does not maintain office leasing data for Milford and other parts of New Haven County, but executives said that based on their observations, the town would be well-positioned to find new tenants if Subway vacates its current headquarters at 325 Sub Way, which is about a half-mile north of Interstate 95s Exit 35. Subways potential departure would leave a vacuum, but at the same time, theres a very rich and vibrant health care and biotech community in the New Haven area, Pajolek said. Those market segments are growing right now, so the space they might vacate in Milford could represent an opportunity for somebody else. Messages left this week for Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake were not returned. In the past 18 months, Subway has apparently already pursued changes to its office footprint. In March 2021, the company signed a lease for more than 64,000 square feet in an office park next to Miami International Airport, with plans to bring 100 employees, according to real estate news outlet The Real Deal. The company said at the time that the offices would house marketing and culinary staff and the companys Latin American regional offices, but keep most of its employees in Milford, The Real Deal reported. In the meantime, Subway continues to grow. Last month, it announced plans to hire more than 50,000 people to work in its restaurants across the U.S. Limiting employee displacement A new headquarters anywhere in Shelton would be less than 20 miles from Subways current headquarters a proximity that is among the reasons why the town would be well-suited to hosting a new hub, according to Lauretti. I think this move would make sense for a variety of reasons, Lauretti said. One is that the people who work for them would not get displaced by coming to Shelton. Subway was not able to provide this week a headcount for the Milford headquarters. Milford-based employees adjustment to a new headquarters would be further eased by remote working. Subway has not publicly disclosed the extent to which office-based employees are allowed to work away from the headquarters, but hybrid working arrangements or even completely remote options have exploded in popularity across corporate America during the past two years. It used to be that (office-based) people were coming to work five days a week. If theyre coming to work one or two days a week, people may be more tolerant of a longer ride, Pajolek said. For most companies, its still a work in progress as to how the hybrid work schedules are going to work out. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BOSTON (AP) He was the uncle I never met. But in my family's origin story, Emmanuel Manny Yap always loomed large. The life of great potential cut short. The cautionary tale. But also the reminder of doing what was right, no matter the cost. A rising leader in the youth-led opposition to President Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, Manny Yap joined his parents and siblings for lunch at his mothers favorite Chinese restaurant in their hometown of Quezon City. It was Valentines Day in 1976, a few years into martial law, the moment in the countrys history when Marcos Sr. suspended civil government and effectively ruled as a dictator. After the meal, the 23-year-old grad student went off to meet a friend. Days later, an anonymous caller delivered the news his family had dreaded: Manny had been picked up by the military and detained. My uncle was never seen again. Now his story is flooding back: The son of the man my family has held responsible for his death all those decades ago is set to become president of the Philippines. ___ We were on the good side, the honor side, Janette Marcelo, my mother and Manny's younger sister, says to me by phone recently. Her voice is trembling but resolute. You need to know that. Even now, nearly a half century later, her memories are vivid when she recalls her parents' anguish as the days after his disappearance rolled into weeks, months, years. Her mother, desperately trying to pass messages along to the nuns and priests granted entry to the notorious prison camp where they believed he was being held. Her father, eying each arriving and departing bus, hoping he might catch a glimpse of his eldest son. But Mannys body was never recovered. His heartbroken parents were never able to properly lay him to rest. The only markers of their loss are the monuments scattered across Metro Manila where his name is etched along with the more than 2,300 killed or disappeared during Marcos two-decade reign. My mother is emphatic as she recounts the story my siblings and I heard countless times growing up. You had an uncle who believed so much in something that he was willing to die for it, and it was a great loss, she says. Not just for us, but for the country and the world. He could have done so much. I truly believe that. Next week, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. will be inaugurated following his landslide victory in Mays Philippine presidential election, completing a stunning return to power for the Marcos clan, which ruled the country for more than two decades until being ousted by the largely peaceful People Power uprising in 1986. The moment has been a reckoning for my family, our painful past and the values we forged. But given everything else going on in the world, I've wondered how much it truly resonated among other Filipino Americans. So I decided to ask. ____ In conversations with Filipinos across the country in recent weeks, I found outlooks ranging from my moms simmering fury to unbridled excitement about the future. Its not entirely surprising. In the U.S. where more than 4 million Filipinos represent the third largest Asian group, after Chinese and Indians Marcos Jr.s victory was much narrower than in the Philippines. He claimed nearly 47% of the more than 75,000 ballots cast by dual citizens and other Philippine nationals in the U.S., compared to 43% by his main opponent, outgoing Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor Leni Robredo, according to election results. One of the first people I spoke with was Rochelle Solanoy, a 53-year-old state worker in Juneau, Alaska. She voted for Marcos Jr., because she believes he can bring a return to the golden years when the country was a rising force in Asia and its charismatic first family was the envy of rivals. Solanoy, who left the Philippines in 1981, said she marched as a youth against the Marcos dictatorship but now feels like she was lied to. When the revolution ousted Marcos, thats when things went downhill. Thats when the corruption happened, she said by phone. Now, Im learning these things that I didnt know when I was younger. Our minds had been poisoned the whole time. In California, Susan Tagle, 62, of Sacramento, said the election made her question everything she went through as a young university activist, when she was imprisoned for months by the Marcos regime. Marcos Sr. died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. His widow, Imelda, whose vast shoe collection became the symbol of the familys excess during the dictatorship, has served for years in the Philippine Congress while her children have served as governors and senators. We basked in the idea of ousting a dictator, said Tagle, who voted for Robredo. Then we went about our lives. We went back to school, started families, built careers and thought the worst was over. Constantino Coco Alinsug, who earlier this year became the first Filipino American elected city councilor in New England, says hes willing to give Marcos Jr. a chance, even if he has strong reservations. The 50-year-old Lynn, Massachusetts resident, who came to the U.S. in his 20s, marched against the Marcos dictatorship as a youth. But he's also an ardent supporter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, whose bloody crackdown on illegal drugs has sparked its own international human rights concerns. Duterte's daughter, Sara, will serve as Marcos Jr.s vice president. I want to give this guy a chance, but I honestly have no idea what hes about, said Alinsug, who wasnt able to vote because he isnt a dual citizen. He didnt debate. He didnt campaign. He just let his machine and money do the work. Brendan Flores, chairman and president of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, was similarly guarded. Im well aware of what the history books say. Theres lots of baggage, no doubt, said the 37-year-old Sarasota, Florida resident. The key difference this time is that the world is watching. Were not going to sit idly by if things go wrong. ___ I wish I could say my mom is as hopeful. For her, theres new urgency in the lessons she has tried to impart for all these years. As she sees it, the past has been rewritten to cast the villains of her childhood as todays saviors. After the elder Marcos was deposed, my grandfather, Pedro Yap, joined the Philippine government commission tasked with recouping the ill-gotten assets of the former first family. He worked to freeze Swiss bank accounts and seize properties in Los Angeles, New York City and elsewhere in order to repatriate wealth back to his impoverished nation. The family, still reeling from the loss of our uncle and fearing Marcos retribution, begged him to quit. Grandpa, who also served on the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, eventually did when he was appointed to the nations Supreme Court and briefly served as chief justice until retirement. I ask my mom: Does seeing the Marcos family back in power mean grandpa's work and Uncle Manny's death were in vain? She doesn't hesitate. All I can say is there were good people who tried and there still are good people who will continue to try, she says. But its futile. Its never going to change. ___ Philip Marcelo is a reporter in the AP's Boston bureau. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/philmarcelo On June 24, the Supreme Court held in Dobbs v. Jackson that there was no constitutional right to an abortion, allowing individual states to restrict or ban abortions entirely and putting the reproductive health of millions in jeopardy. The decision was not unexpected. On May 3, Politico published a leaked draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, which was broadly similar to the final text of the Courts decision. Nevertheless, Dobbs immediately provoked mass protests across the nation, including in Eugene, where 10 protesters were arrested Friday outside of Dove Medical Center, a pro-life pregnancy clinic that does not offer abortion services or referrals. Dobbs overturned nearly five decades of precedent first established by Roe v. Wade in 1973, which asserted that the implicit constitutional right to privacy offered pregnant people substantial freedom over their own reproductive health decisions. Writing for the majority, Alito argued that abortion destroys potential life, thus making it different from other privacy rights. The decision has sparked fears that other civil rights could be potentially jeopardized by the conservative court. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that other Supreme Court decisions staked on similar legal precedents to Roe ought to be contested as well, including bans on anti-sodomy laws established in Lawrence v. Texas, the right to contraceptives established in Griswold v. Connecticut and the right to same-sex marriage established in Obergefell v. Hodges. The Courts decision largely leaves control of abortion policy to the individual states. This will likely lead to a patchwork set of laws where abortion would be legal in some states and illegal or heavily restricted in others. Eleven states have already banned or severely limited abortion, while twelve more appear poised to do so in the coming weeks, according to NPR. Gubernatorial and legislative races in the November midterm elections could prove decisive in determining whether closely divided states will enact abortion bans and Democrats and Republicans are already fundraising off of the decisions political implications. Oregon has a liberal record on abortion rights. 65 percent of Oregon voters opted to maintain public funding for abortion in a 2018 referendum, and the right to abortion is enshrined in state law. Public bodies in Oregon cannot interfere with abortions or abortion-related services sought out by consenting individuals. This doesnt mean that Oregon wont be impacted, however. According to the Guttmacher Institute, Oregon is expected to see a 234% increase in out-of-state patients seeking abortion services, particularly from neighboring Idaho. Likewise, Oregons competitive gubernatoriala race could prove crucial Republican candidate Christine Drazan praised the ruling in a June 24 statement, promising to stand up for life by vetoing pro-choice legislation. When Roe v. Wade was decided, the Supreme Court claimed that [w]e need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. Dobbs, on the other hand, argues that abortion destroys the life of a potential human being. Nearly five decades later, the Court seems to have changed its mind. Rejection of no-trust motion against Deputy Speaker, too, questioned Amid the heightened political turmoil in Maharashtra, the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, led by senior leader Eknath Shinde approached the Supreme Court on Sunday against the disqualification notice issued against them. The rebel Legislators, who have been camping at a luxury hotel in Assams Guwahati, also challenged the rejection of the no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Narahari Zirwal. Shiv Sena had filed a petition before the Deputy Speaker for disqualifying 16 rebel MLAs after they revolted against the party and pushed the Government on the brink of collapse. The Deputy Speakers office has issued summons to these MLAs, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27. In their petition filed in the top court, the rebel leaders have also challenged the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as the Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader. Sena named Choudhari to the post after removing Shinde a day after the latter left Mumbai with a sizable number of loyal MLAs, leaving the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government teetering. Amid the intense power tussle between Shinde and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, one more Minister left the Sena camp on Sunday and joined the rebel leaders. Uday Samant is the ninth Minister to desert Uddhav Thackerays team. Meanwhile, the Sena leadership has hardened its stance against the rebels and is planning to take away the portfolios of some of the Ministers in the rebel camp. According to reports, Shinde, who heads the Urban Development Ministry, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil and Agriculture Minister Dada Bhuse as well as Ministers of States Sambhuraje Desai and Abdul Sattar are likely to lose their portfolios. The State witnessed large-scale protests by Shiv Sena workers against the rebel leaders. In Mumbai, a large number of party workers, including women, assembled outside the office of Saamana, at Prabhadevi and took out a two-wheeler rally raising slogans against Shinde and rebel MLAs. Boris Johnson says he seeks a third term. At first this sounds like an amazing piece of nerve. But in fact it is a welcome bucket of cold water, deliberately thrown by the Prime Minister over the small, foolish figures who seem to have nothing better to do than to sabotage their own movement. Do these Tory critics actually want a Keir Starmer government? The question needs to be asked, as they do not seem to be aware of the danger they are courting, or to care about the damage they are doing. The Conservative defeats in two important by-elections last week are, of course, being blamed entirely on the Prime Minister by the wholly negative opponents in his own party. No doubt his troubles damaged Tory chances in both seats. Who would try to pretend otherwise? But does it not also occur to them that their incessant futile sniping at their own leader has been worth thousands of votes to Sir Keir? And if they had not realised it before, it could not be more obvious that Sir Ed Daveys Liberal Democrats, hoping that everyone has forgotten their coalition with David Cameron in 2010, are now in an undeclared Devils Alliance with Labour. Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Commonwealth heads of government retreat at the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Intare Conference Arena in Rwanda The victorious Liberal Democrat in Tiverton, Richard Foord, almost certainly owed his majority to Labour supporters lending their ballots to him. Sir Keir simply cannot be very particular about who he links arms with if he wants to make it into Downing Street. It really is time he was asked exactly what his attitude is towards the Scottish National Party and a second independence referendum. But Sir Keir would have no chance of office at all if Tory MPs would only call off their suicidal anti-Johnson campaign. The same warning should be issued to the various former Tory leaders who, in public or private, are carping at the Prime Minister. Lord Howard and Lord Hague have openly called for Mr Johnson to go, though neither ever succeeded in becoming Prime Minister or in winning a General Election. Others have let it be known through unattributable whispers that they feel the same way. Yet they face the same problem as Mr Johnsons backbench attackers: What do they offer instead? Pictured: Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan, 1981. Ronald Wilson Reagan The two Tory Prime Ministers since Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron and Theresa May, were (among other problems) both broken by the Brexit issue which Mr Johnson resolved. If these supposed grandees are so well-qualified to attack Mr Johnson, why were they either beaten by New Labour or flummoxed by Brussels? What in their records equals his handling of the Covid vaccine, a model demonstration of effective government? And as for the rebels who launched a no-confidence vote when they had not gathered enough numbers to win it, what is it that they offer the country in either competence, leadership or ideas? They have yet to come up with an alternative candidate who is remotely convincing. The only result of their incessant, sputtering, failed rebellion is that their own seats are endangered. If voters see a Tory Party unable to rally behind the most effective leader they have had in a generation, it is going to be hard for them to vote for it. One of Americas most successful politicians, Ronald Reagan, formulated an Eleventh Commandment for everyone in his party: Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. By enforcing that rule, Reagan reached the White House and stayed there for a full eight years. Mr Johnson might do well to copy the Reagan method. It is actually quite an easy rule to follow, requiring no more than a moments thought before opening your mouth. Obey the Eleventh Commandment, and you may in fact get that third term. Don't leave all those appliances on standby The cost of living crisis has attracted a raft of energy-saving suggestions. One of the main ones we keep hearing is the British Gas claim that you can save 110 a year by switching off devices left on standby. It sounds far-fetched, but it bases this figure on the fact that Brits could save 23 per cent on their electricity bills each year by switching off their vampire electronics. To test the validity of the claim, I tool myself up with a new-fangled 20 power meter. It plugs into a standard electrical socket with the electrical item to be tested being plugged into the meter. It then shows me how much electricity is being used by the device. I start with my phone charger plugged into a socket in the kitchen of my house in Hertfordshire. The meter tells me it is drawing 6.3 watts of electricity without charging any device. If I were to leave this charger doing nothing for a year, it would cost me 16 of electricity. Being a family of four and with chargers coming out of our ears, I estimate we are spending at least 60 on chargers that for most of the time are doing nothing but consuming electricity. The cost of living crisis has attracted a raft of energy-saving suggestions. One of the main ones we keep hearing is the British Gas claim that you can save 110 a year by switching off devices left on standby I then try the TV that spends its days and nights on standby. It gives off a reading of 27 watts, meaning it is costing me 70 a year for being on standby. Then there is my pride and joy sitting in the corner of the lounge my stereo. Left on standby, it consumes 80 a year in energy. It appears British Gas has under-estimated the savings I can make (210). Maybe my family is more addicted to new tech than most but the findings are a surprise. Boil just enough water for a cuppa I am tired of being told by my wife to fill the kettle with just enough water to brew a cuppa. She tells me the Energy Saving Trust believes using less water in the kettle will save us 8 a year. This is based on the average home boiling its kettle 24 times a week half-filled three times more than required for a cup of tea or coffee. After shaking the kettle to see if it has water inside, I flick on the switch it suddenly shows 2,226 watts on the meter. At this rate, three minutes of boiling works out at about 3p. Perhaps my family is more thirsty than most as we boil the kettle half a dozen times a day. When its empty and no one is looking I fill it right up and calculate that over a year it uses 66 of electricity. If I boiled enough water for just a single cup and did not fill the kettle any higher I might save 32 a year by using less energy. Surprisingly, this is four times the industry boast. I am not going to tell my wife. I am tired of being told by my wife to fill the kettle with just enough water to brew a cuppa. She tells me the Energy Saving Trust believes using less water in the kettle will save us 8 a year Make the switch to LED energy efficient bulbs In the evening, our four-bedroom house is lit up like the Blackpool Illuminations. I do not need a meter to tell me to turn off a few lights but it still comes as a nasty surprise to discover a traditional 100-watt bulb left on for five hours a day uses 53 of electricity in a year. The Energy Saving Trust claims I can save 13 a year if I switch to energy-efficient LED bulbs. It bases this calculation on lights being on for an average of 562 hours a year (about 90 minutes a day). So by changing all four dozen lights in my home, I could knock 624 a year off my energy bill. But Paul Collins, head of technical services at the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting, recommends a different approach. He says: There is no need to change the bulbs until they blow as they cost money to replace and you do not want to create unnecessary waste. Is fully insulating your home really worth it? The Energy Saving Trust says investing in professional draught-proofing and insulation can save the average household 405 a year about a quarter of my annual energy bill. Yet before I get too excited, its literature explains that most homes must first spend 1,905 on cavity wall and loft insulation plus draught-proofing to make such savings. That would leave me 1,500 out of pocket the first year so no thanks. I call in Robert Tiffin, a property surveyor at Eco Tiffin, to see if he can offer other solutions for my draughty rural property. He says: Cold bridging a term used for insulation gaps is where work is required and I am afraid it will cost you hundreds of pounds to sort it out. No more tumble drying A washing line is free Energy companies such as SSE fall over themselves with laundry tips such as Run your washing machine at full load at 30 degrees Centigrade whenever possible. No savings figures are provided and I do this anyway. But despite it being sunny, I hear the tumble dryer whirling around in the utility room as my daughter has just returned from university with bags of dirty laundry. I whip out my energy meter and do a rough calculation. The drier uses 4.5kWh of power to dry all her clothes in an hour at a cost of 1.31. Our family uses the drier four times a week using 274 of electricity a year. A washing line outside would dry our clothes for free. The Energy Saving Trust focuses on buying a top energy-rated tumble drier to save 640 over its 13-year lifetime compared with my older, inefficient model equivalent to savings of 49 a year. Sorry, but no tumble drier at all is far better value. Energy companies such as SSE fall over themselves with laundry tips such as Run your washing machine at full load at 30 degrees Centigrade whenever possible Is it Time to give up on luxurious long BATHS? An immersion heater in the airing cupboard provides our hot water but I must burrow my way through blankets and towels to discover it is a 125-litre 4kWh tank. It takes about an hour from cold to heat up enough hot water for two showers or one bath at a cost of 1.17. The rest of the family prefer showers, but my idea of a good time is spending an hour in the bath with a favourite book and glass or two of beer. If I dumped this daily luxury in favour of a shower, I calculate it would knock 213 off our annual energy bill. The Energy Saving Trust offers a quick tip for individuals to take a four-minute shower to help the average household save 70 in a year. That is not going to happen in this house any time soon. Jacob Rees-Moggs failed bid to suppress details of his parliamentary attendance has led Downing Street to secretly monitor the whereabouts of all Ministers, I can reveal. Rees-Mogg was outed last week for trying to stop a Freedom of Information request about the number of times he had worked from home. The Lefty request to track our movements was an outrage, he harrumphed. However, the Minister for Government Efficiency has only himself to blame for sparking interest in his comings and goings after leaving passive-aggressive sorry you were out notes on his officials empty desks. Faced with the prospect of more FoI requests, Downing Street and the Cabinet Office began clandestinely compiling details of how many times Ministers and MPs acting as Government aides were absent from Parliament and, importantly, why. Jacob Rees-Moggs failed bid to suppress details of his parliamentary attendance has led Downing Street to secretly monitor the whereabouts of all Ministers, I can reveal The idea behind the tracking operation, said a source, was to get ahead of the story and was not simply a waste of taxpayer resources by the Cabinet Office, already home to the infamous clearing house designed to block such transparency requests. Unfortunately, news of these secret manoeuvres triggered another blue-on-blue row over a dog called Winston. No 10s surveillance operation revealed that Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams had missed key parliamentary business after his springer spaniel died. During the worst cost-of-living crisis since the 1970s, the aide to Chancellor Rishi Sunak was excused from attending Parliament a practice known as slipping to mourn Winstons passing. He made quite a fuss about a dog. People were annoyed there is a limited number of slips, and him getting one meant someone else couldnt, an MP told me. Friends of Williams have spoken of their colleagues heartlessness. One said: Its a perfectly legitimate reason. Any suggestion it wasnt could only be made by someone lacking empathy for how traumatic a loss of a dog is. Rees-Mogg should expect to see more empty desks adorned with pictures of a pooch and a lead hanging from the chair. First, champagne socialism. Now theres a new phrase: en suite solidarity. For Labour MPs who defied Sir Keir Starmer to join rail worker picket lines have been allowed by the expenses watchdog to book hotel rooms if their travel plans were disrupted by the strikes. This is a taxpayer-funded perk thats unavailable, of course, to stranded commuters, and which oddly didnt feature among rebel MPs Twitter outrage. A rumour that Northern Ireland Minister Conor Burns was on the verge of quitting spread through Westminster like a bad smell last week. One mischievous insider said that was because Burns himself was behind the whispers. Im told the toys-and-pram antics followed a heated meeting with his boss, Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary. Burns admits the row, but denies threatening to resign not the first time such a rumour has surfaced. Did Burns take a principled stance over his Governments reshaping of the Northern Ireland protocol? Apparently not. According to one Minister, his biggest gripe is not getting a Cabinet job despite his loyalty to Boris. At a recent party, Chris Failing Grayling was asked how his successor as Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, is faring. Well, there werent any national strikes on my watch, he replied. Theresa May isnt the only one of the Tory ancien regime enjoying a spot of schadenfreude. A rumour that Northern Ireland Minister Conor Burns was on the verge of quitting spread through Westminster like a bad smell last week At a recent party, Chris Failing Grayling was asked how his successor as Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, is faring. Well, there werent any national strikes on my watch, he replied. Theresa May isnt the only one of the Tory ancien regime enjoying a spot of schadenfreude. Yeah but no, Gove Michael Gove amused donors and party grandees at the Conservative summer bash by comparing Sir Keir on the fence Starmer to Little Britains Vicky Pollard, left. The speech landed well, Im told, except for Goves scripted delivery of Pollards famous catchphrase yeah, but, no, but, yeah but which sounded as if the Levelling-Up Minister had never seen the Bristolian chavette in action. Emma Thompson gives an award-winning performance in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande as a middle-aged woman who pays for sex with an attractive young man. We first see her wearing a frumpy suit, with the sort of hairdo that was last popular among housewives in the 1960s. She is embarrassed by herself and her body, and depressed by years of a sexually unsatisfying marriage. By the time her liaison with the young man is over, shes got her hair in a relaxed up-do and finally is able to survey her fully-naked middle-aged body a body now sexually aware in the mirror. I contrast this with two images of middle-aged women in the news last week. The about-to-be-divorced Jerry Hall wife of Rupert Murdoch, all long hair and glamorous outfits and the gorgeous filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson, who has renewed her marriage vows at the age of 55 with her 32-year-old husband, actor Aaron. Emma Thompson gives an award-winning performance in Goodbye Leo Grande as a middle-aged woman who pays for sex with an attractive young man. We first see her wearing a frumpy suit, with the sort of hairdo that was last popular among housewives in the 1960s You dont get the sense theyve ever felt sexually bereft as Thompsons character did before her renaissance. The reality is that the richness (or otherwise) of our sex lives is not predicated on age. Some people dont get much out of sex in their 30s; others regard it as the ultimate goal. I recall a friend barking at me as I started a new relationship (and was clearly in the early throes of lust) that it wasnt the be-all and end-all. Of course it isnt but its jolly nice all the same. When youre young, it seems utterly impossible that anybody over 50 might have sex of any kind. But as the years go by, that benchmark moves later and later. Im now at the stage where Im wondering what happens when you get to 90. Is it possible? Would one want it? Was it a modern-day dumping for Jerry? Perhaps I should ask nonagenarian Rupert Murdoch, whose soon-to-be ex-wife hinted at the passion in their relationship a few years back when she described older men as much better lovers. The chatter Ive heard is that Rupert ditched Jerry by text message. Whatever his sex life, if thats true his manners in his 90s are clearly lacking a certain something. A chocolate box view of the Royals Yet another dreary royal portrait has emerged, this time of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Its not awful, but it joins the ranks of utterly mediocre specimens of the genre. It would be tempting to think its more difficult to create a brilliantly painted portrait now we are flooded with photographic images. Would we have been as critical of portraits of Elizabeth I or other kings and queens if we had had photographs to compare them with? You only have to look at the terrific works in the National Portrait Gallery collection painted over the past few decades or observe the vibrant range of artists in the BP Portrait Award to see painted portraits can still be wondrous. My guess is that when it comes to royal portraits the artists feel frozen by their desire to please a large audience and are unwilling to risk any of the well, it doesnt even look much like them criticism. Thats not really the point. Painted portraits are not meant to be entirely accurate representations. When thats attempted as with Jamie Coreths painting of the William and Kate you get a chocolate box interpretation rather than anything of true artistic merit. If you want truth, speak to a former Last week I was billed in the Daily Mail as the former editor of British Vogue. Later that night, I was captioned the same way while talking on BBCs Newsnight about whether Britain was mirroring the 1970s with the unions on strike and Kate Bush at No 1 in the charts. It feels odd to always be labelled as the former, as if you have no present identity. As a former, Ive become obsessed with how many commentators are former people. You cant switch on the radio without hearing a former military chap holding forth on Ukraine, or a former politician airing their views on this Government. And thank heavens for that. Freed from the constraints of loyalty to ones job, we formers are able to speak the truth unlike Government spokesmen fumbling around on the days newsrounds, or fashion journalists who cant risk offending someone they need to keep on side. If you want to know whats really going on yup, a former is exactly who you need. Kates talent now the focus, not her image Back to Kate Bush, who has a new generation of fans thanks to the copious use of Running Up That Hill in the latest series of the Netflix drama Stranger Things. These newcomers to Bush judge her purely on her music, which must feel hugely rewarding. When she hit the scene, yes it was her songs that became the wallpaper to our student years but it was also her style. Her fabulous curly hair, her cupid bow mouth, her whirling hippie clothes. What more can you ask than to be appreciated for your talents after the lure of your once-youthful appearance has started to wane? Dont treat Ukraine guests like pets We have an adult Ukrainian couple living with us and are often being contacted by others in the same position suggesting that their guests and ours might like to meet, no matter their age or occupation. Its just like when you are a parent of a small child and anyone who has a similarly aged young one suggests a playdate, desperate to keep their offspring entertained. The intentions are good but it seems patronising to assume that because they have a nationality and language in common, Ukrainian visitors will all get along. People talk about their Ukrainians rather as they would their cockapoos, as if a bringing them together for a jolly walk in the park will be appreciated. It may well be, but I cant help thinking how I would hate it if the roles were reversed and I was expected to pal up with any Brit thrown my way after Id fled to a foreign land. A day after claiming that a powerful national party was supporting his group of MLAs in the ongoing political drama in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde on Friday said no national party is in contact with them. Asked if BJP was backing his group, Shinde told a TV channel, When I said a big power is backing us, I meant the power of Balasaheb Thackeray and (late Shiv Sena leader) Anand Dighe. Responding to a query on when will the political crisis in Maharashtra end, Shinde, a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Government in the state, said things will be clear after some time. Out of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, 40 have come with me to Guwahati. In a democracy, the majority and numbers count, he said. Nottinghams city councillors dont realise what they have done. By illegally banning me from giving a talk at one of their libraries, they have started a fight I doubt they can win. My planned talk was cancelled on the ludicrous grounds that my views on transgender rights are at odds with civic policy. Without speaking to me, or bothering to discover what I actually believe, the council decided to deny me the right to speak on their premises. So I am going to sue them. On behalf of every woman who is being told to shut up and stay quiet, during the worst misogynist backlash I have witnessed in my lifetime, Im taking the council to court. My planned talk was cancelled on the ludicrous grounds that my views on transgender rights are at odds with civic policy Theyll hear very soon from my lawyers. And there are a lot of us, because from the moment news began to spread on Saturday that I was barred from addressing the sold-out meeting at Aspley Library, my email inbox was pinging with messages of support and legal advice. The Equality Act of 2010, articles 9 to 11 of the Human Rights Act and the recent ruling in the Maya Forstater case where a woman who lost her job after saying transgender women are not women won her appeal against an employment tribunal were cited. In laymans terms, that all means Nottingham City Council doesnt have a leg to stand on. They have discriminated against my basic rights as a woman and as a lesbian. They have erased my freedom of speech and they have grossly libelled me. For this, they are going to be made to pay. It will doubtless take a lot of time and money, and cause me more stress than I ever wanted to endure. But I will not be bullied into silence. The irony is that I had set out to do Nottingham a civic favour. Aspley Library, in one of the citys more deprived areas, is under threat of closure. When I was invited to speak, I thought Id be doing my small bit to help it stay open. In laymans terms, that all means Nottingham City Council doesnt have a leg to stand on I grew up in a working-class family in North-East England, and I know how crucial libraries are to underprivileged communities. I could never have accessed all the books I needed for my own higher education without public libraries. The invitation to give a talk, on the increasing threat of male domestic violence and rape, didnt come with a fee. I had offered to pay my own expenses and, since there was a rail strike on Saturday, Id be travelling a day early and paying for a hotel, too. But I was happy to do this if it meant a buzzing, vibrant event at the library to draw people through the doors. Its not hard, then, to imagine my disgust when the organiser phoned me on the train with the news that the council had cancelled my appearance. I was banned from even entering the building. To abandon the talk was unthinkable. Every ticket had sold, which meant there were dozens of women eager to learn how they could get involved in campaigning to end rape and domestic abuse. Many were no doubt young or vulnerable themselves. Nothing on earth could intimidate me into letting them down. We ended up holding the talk in the car park. An enthusiastic crowd gathered and so did a small but disruptive mob of protesters. The self-proclaimed trans activists were shouting abuse before I even started to speak. My talk wasnt intended to be about trans issues. Id planned to speak about my history as a feminist activist, the four books Ive written about aspects of male violence, the Justice for Women movement I helped to found in the 1990s, and the campaign that saw rape within marriage made a criminal offence. The goal was to show young women what previous generations have done, and help instil the courage for them to carry on that work. The only reason to mention trans ideology at all was that the trans mob were shouting at us. Yet as I wound up my talk, someone showed me an online statement from the council. It stated that my ban was due to the speakers views on transgender rights being at odds with aspects of the councils Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy. It went on to say that the council was committed to supporting trans rights as human rights through Stonewall. Their insidious, hectoring tactics are so intimidating that many people in the public eye including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer are afraid to define what a woman is As I have previously said in the Mail, Stonewall is a charity that was set up to protect gay and lesbian rights but has been hijacked by trans extremists. Now, it encourages businesses and public bodies to be diversity champions by labelling lesbians like me as bigots. Their insidious, hectoring tactics are so intimidating that many people in the public eye including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer are afraid to define what a woman is. Anyone who states the obvious fact that women dont have penises is automatically a bigot in Stonewalls eyes. Nottingham City Council seems determined to kowtow to that. In doing so, they are calling me bigoted and transphobic, charges I refute. They suggest my very presence in a public building is a dangerous threat. The implication is that every feminist must be an extremist and a transphobe. I oppose all oppression. And I will not stay silent while a tiny group of narcissistic, women- hating bullies re-brand feminism and twist reality. Women need to stand together against male violence. I fear for young, gay women who are harangued and ordered to call themselves queer, not lesbian, by men who label themselves as non-binary. I fear, too, for lesbians who are accused of being transphobic when they say they dont want to have sex with male-bodied trans women. On seeing the protesters gather, I walked over to them and asked if they had ever read anything Id written. Two of them thought I was someone else entirely former NME journalist Julie Burchill. They didnt seem embarrassed when I pointed out the mistake. They asked whether I was ashamed to stand with women wearing T-shirts with feminist slogans. This baffled me. Those women? Theyre my tribe, I said. Those are fascist slogans, the activists replied. Their T-shirts are like Nazi flags. How can you have a debate with people so wilfully stupid? It would be comical if it wasnt so scary. Im not easily intimidated but, as the temperature of violence rises at these public events, there have been occasions when I have been afraid for my safety. At a talk in Edinburgh in 2019, a man lunged at me. He was trying to land a punch but, fortunately, he was held back. For a moment, I thought he had a knife. In that split second, I realised that as long as trans mobs are allowed to spit hate at women, labelling feminists as TERFs [Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists] and other four-letter words, there is a real risk that a woman will be seriously injured or killed. Its incredible to me that Britain has become a country where women must risk violence to protect their most basic rights. By banning me from speaking and labelling me a bigot for being a feminist, Nottingham City Council has contributed to that climate of physical danger. I will not let them get away with it. Julie Bindel is co-founder of Justice For Women Yesterday was a very good day indeed for diehard republicans who yearn to replace the monarchy with an elected President. They can scarcely have believed their ears when they heard that Prince Charles accepted three deliveries of cash totalling about two and a half million pounds between 2011 and 2015. The revelation is beyond their wildest dreams. As a steadfast monarchist, I had to pinch myself. Could it really be true that bags of cash, some reportedly in the form of high denomination 500 euro notes, had changed hands in the manner described? Alas, it was. 'No one is suggesting that the Prince behaved in a venal fashion in the tiniest degree, or indeed that he or the munificent Sheikh Hamad acted in any way illegally. But my goodness, what appalling judgment Charles showed' On one occasion Prince Charles is reported to have accepted a holdall containing one million euros from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, a former prime minister of Qatar, during a one-to-one meeting in Clarence House. It is true that the money was destined for the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund, which supports a multitude of causes, many of them extremely deserving ones, that are close to Charles's heart. No one is suggesting that the Prince behaved in a venal fashion in the tiniest degree, or indeed that he or the munificent Sheikh Hamad acted in any way illegally. But my goodness, what appalling judgment Charles showed. He either demonstrated astonishing naivety or the arrogance of someone who doesn't believe he is constrained by the conventions observed by the rest of us. Very possibly he is guilty on both counts. For a prudent man would never accept gifts of cash in such whopping quantities, however good the cause or irreproachable the donor. A sensible prince would recognise that 500 euro notes (a denomination, now discontinued, which was once dubbed the 'Bin Laden' because of its link to terrorist financing) ought to set off alarm bells in the most unwary mind. A wise heir to the throne, on sighting the holdall (or, on one reported occasion, Fortnum & Mason carrier bags stuffed with banknotes), would have thanked Sheikh Hamad, and said that cash in such amounts would inevitably raise questions. Could he possibly do the normal thing and send a cheque instead? To put it bluntly, if the saintly Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, had offered Prince Charles a suitcase full of cash for one of his charities, he would have been wise to have given her a wide berth. In the case of Sheikh Hamad, he should have run a mile I suppose Charles might have been embarrassed to make such a point on the first occasion, but surely he or his flunkies could have politely made clear that in future bags of cash were regrettably not acceptable. Nor should the Prince have been blind to the fact that the billionaire sheikh is a somewhat controversial figure. From 2007 until 2013 he doubled up as the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of oil-rich Qatar. It has been claimed that during this period Qatar sponsored terrorism. Sheikh Hamad once said that the state 'maybe' financed the Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, while he was in office, but he knew nothing about it. To put it bluntly, if the saintly Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, had offered Prince Charles a suitcase full of cash for one of his charities, he would have been wise to have given her a wide berth. In the case of Sheikh Hamad, he should have run a mile. Another thought: Qatar's riches depend largely on its vast oil and gas reserves indeed, the country ships huge quantities of much-needed gas to the UK. Sheikh Hamad's reputed 12 billion dollar fortune must be linked in some way to Qatar's oil and gas. So shouldn't Charles, as an arch critic of fossil fuels in 2020 he said we have only 'ten years' to save the planet be chary of accepting donations from the former prime minister of a country whose enormous wealth derives from fossil fuels? The Prince has, of course, been accused of hypocrisy in the past. One moment he lectures us on global warming while the next he is wont to jump on a carbon-emitting jet funded by taxpayers, not infrequently to visit autocratic rulers in the Middle East on the Government's behalf. I fear he wasn't merely being naive. There may be a careless tendency for the Prince to assume that his royal status exempts him from the tiresome rules that bind the rest of us Indeed, among his numerous transcontinental jaunts he has visited Qatar several times, where he has met Sheikh Hamad, with whom he has a relationship that apparently goes back several decades. Isn't this all rather distasteful? At the very least, Prince Charles has been running a loose ship. Last year it was claimed that Michael Fawcett, his closest confidant, offered to help a Saudi billionaire obtain a knighthood in exchange for generous donations to the Prince's Foundation. Police are still investigating the matter. The Prince put some distance between himself and Mr Fawcett, who resigned. He may have to accept responsibility this time since Clarence House has admitted the bizarre manner of Sheikh Hamad's cash gifts. The Charity Commission could launch an investigation, which would be an embarrassment for the Prince. On balance, I am a Prince Charles fan. That is to say, despite his habit of interfering in politics the most recent instance being his reported description of the Government's policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda as 'appalling' he seems to me an intelligent person who wants to make the world a better place. Such qualities were on show in his notorious 'black spider' letters to ministers during the Blair years, which ardent republicans hoped would reveal the Prince meddling in party politics. When finally published in 2015 against Charles's will, the letters ranged from a blameless worry that overfishing of the Patagonian toothfish was putting its predator, the albatross, at risk, to a commendable concern about the dangerous shortcomings of the Lynx helicopter in Iraq in 'high temperatures'. A monarch must be above politics all the same. In preparation for his eventual succession to the throne, the Prince has supposedly made up his mind to stop sticking his oar in, though his remark about the Rwandan policy appears to undermine that resolution. His acceptance of millions of euros in banknotes from a controversial quarter albeit in a good cause inevitably introduces new anxieties about whether he is ready to reign over us. I fear he wasn't merely being naive. There may be a careless tendency for the Prince to assume that his royal status exempts him from the tiresome rules that bind the rest of us. If so, this is potentially fatal. Royalists can only hope that this was an aberration. We do not want an entitled King. We look for a monarch who is modest, full of rectitude, circumspect and scrupulous. Just like his mother, the Queen. FACE Deck of Scarlet Threeway Solid Lip Oil in Natural Nectar, 25, deckofscarlet.com. This three-in-one lip colour combines the sheen of a gloss, the colour of a lipstick and the care of a balm. A glamorous and handy little space-saver for holiday packing. Available in a range of shades. Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara, 29, hourglasscosmetics.co.uk. Yes, we know this is pricey as mascaras go, but in our defence we have found this to be properly waterproof even when combining swimming pools and general summer sweat (sorry, skin dew). Its a bestseller for a reason. Edwina Ings-Chambers picks out the best beauty buys for holiday packing. UK-based beauty expert recommends products for the face, nails, hair and body RMS Beauty Eyelights Cream Eyeshadow, 25, spacenk.com. This eyeshadow offers long wear and no creasing. It also adds a shimmering metallic finish to eyes with just one swipe and instantly dresses up a look, but can be layered to add more drama. Comes in an aluminium tube and with a key so you can twist out even the very last drop. Left: Deck of Scarlet Threeway Solid Lip Oil in Natural Nectar, 25, deckofscarlet.com. Right: Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara, 29, hourglasscosmetics.co.uk Victoria Beckham Beauty Reflect Highlighter Stick, 36,victoriabeckhambeauty.com. Even if youre not a regular highlighter user, it is a must for holidays as the sunlight will really catch it and help to illuminate and play up cheekbones. This, from Mrs B, is a good un and comes in sleek gold packaging. Under a tenner Barry M Fresh Face Cheek & Lip Tint in Summer Rose, 4.99, boots.com Barry M Fresh Face Cheek & Lip Tint in Summer Rose, 4.99, boots.com. A simple way to add a sheer (but buildable) dash of colour to lips and cheeks and feel free to apply it to eyelids too. All in a portable squeezy tube. Other shades available. NAILS Nailberry Oxygenated Nail Lacquer in Joyful, 15, nailberry.co.uk. A cheery spicy-orange red in a vegan formula. Left: Nailberry Oxygenated Nail Lacquer in Joyful, 15, nailberry.co.uk. Right: Manucurist Natural Nail Colour in Light Blue, 14, manucurist.com Leighton Denny in Crazy For You, 12.50, leightondenny.com. This glittery lemon can be used as a top coat to pep up another shade or worn alone for a hit of glitz. Manucurist Natural Nail Colour in Light Blue, 14, manucurist.com. Blue is a top polish shade this year and we love this pastel option from the new vegan brand. Under a tenner Left: Essie Nail Lacquer in Isle See You Later, 7.99, essie.co.uk Right: Max Factor Miracle Pure Nail Polish in Coconut Milk, 6.99, boots.com Max Factor Miracle Pure Nail Polish in Coconut Milk, 6.99, boots.com. White is now a summer classic and adds an extra pop against sun-glowy skin. Essie Nail Lacquer in Isle See You Later, 7.99, essie.co.uk. A vibrant magenta pink that sums up happy holiday vibes. BODY Emma Lewisham Illuminating Body Oil, 52, emmalewisham. co.uk. A two-in-one product, this delivers a lovely dose of hydration while also adding a shimmering touch of bronze to skin and really comes to life in summer climes. Refills are available. Left: Spots & Stripes Awesome Arnica Balm, 16, spots-and-stripes. com. Right: Emma Lewisham Illuminating Body Oil, 52, emmalewisham. co.uk. Andrea Garland Lemon Balm Body Gloss Roaring Twenties Edition, 24, andreagarland.co.uk. For an invisible sheen to limbs, try this gorgeous offering from natural lip balm queen Andrea Garland. Its really moisturising and has a fresh fragrance of lemon and geranium that doubles up as natural bug deterrent. Spots & Stripes Awesome Arnica Balm, 16, spots-and-stripes. com. A useful on-the-go product, this cream can help reduce the look of bruises, calm irritated skin and ease aching muscles. Very upbeat packaging too. Lancaster Sun Tan Maximizer After Sun Lotion, 24, cultbeauty.co.uk. Another holiday classic, this not only soothes and hydrates after youve been out in the sun but also helps to extend your tan. Use it during and after your holiday to keep the glow going. Under a tenner Garnier Ambre Solaire Invisible Protect Sun Mist Spray SPF30, 7, boots.com Garnier Ambre Solaire Invisible Protect Sun Mist Spray SPF30, 7, boots.com. This isnt new but my goodness it is good and really lives up to its name it sinks in well and works for all skin tones. Protects against UVA and UBB rays. Dries quickly. HAIR Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, 19.50, philipkingsley.co.uk. This hydrates, nourishes, adds shine, bounce and generally gives hair major TLC. You can also use it (or any hair mask) to protect hair from holiday sun. Left: Aveda Suncare Hair and Body Cleanser, 21.50, aveda.co.uk. Right: JVN Hair Complete Nourishing Shine Drops, 19, spacenk.com JVN Hair Complete Nourishing Shine Drops, 19, spacenk.com. From one of the hottest brands around, we love this oil for adding shine but also giving dry hair lightweight moisture. Aveda Suncare Hair and Body Cleanser, 21.50, aveda.co.uk. Another two-in-one, this is great for removing salt and chlorine from hair as well as being a wonderful body wash. Dock & Bay Quick Dry Hair Towel, 14, uk.dockandbay.com. A very handy towel that soaks up water and dries hair fast. I never travel without one. Comes in a variety of colours and patterns. Under a tenner Charles Worthington Sunshine Protect Takeways, 2.99 each, boots.com Charles Worthington Sunshine Protect Takeways, 2.99 each, boots.com. These travel-size versions of the brands Sunshine Protect shampoo, conditioner, styling salt spray and UV protection leave-in spray help prevent colour fade and dullness. Just recently, Waad Al-Kateab and her husband Hamza were clearing the garage of their home near Romford, when their two daughters, aged five and six, lined up the contents for a garage sale. A passing neighbour stopped to buy something and asked where they were from. They told him 'Syria'. He looked at Waad, then at Hamza, and asked in semi-disbelief, 'Are you the For Sama family?' The next day, he brought them flowers. 'The film is doing a lot of easy introductions for us,' says Waad. Anyone who has seen For Sama will understand why. The moving documentary, which was released in 2019 and won awards at Cannes, the Baftas and the Emmys, starts in 2011 when Waad is a student in Aleppo. She decides to film the peaceful student protests triggered by the Arab Spring and captures the brutal response by President Assad's regime. Waad becomes part of the rebellion, committed to a free, democratic Syria. As the war intensifies and Russia is recruited to rain down missiles on behalf of the Syrian government, she never stops filming. Along the way, she falls in love and marries Hamza, a fellow activist and doctor who founds a hospital in East Aleppo. When that hospital is destroyed, he builds another. Waad Al-Kateab, pictured, filmed her life in Aleppo before and after meeting her husband Hamza and having their first child Sama. The award-winning film For Sama concludes with the family fleeing, while Waad is pregnant with their second child Amid this carnage and chaos, their daughter Sama is born. By the end of 2016, the family is living in the city under siege without power or supplies and their hospital is the last one standing. So much has been lost their friends, neighbours, nurses, even the doctor who delivered Sama have all been killed. The Russians send a message to Hamza that they will spare the lives of those who leave now. The film ends as the family drives out of Aleppo, a decimated ghost city, Waad pregnant for a second time. What happened next, and how the family moved through the trauma to settle in a quiet corner of East London, is less well known. 'You know, we loved it here since day one,' says Waad, now 31, who first moved to Leytonstone, before settling on Romford. 'But we were scared to love it. I didn't want to have any good feelings about it because' She stops, her eyes filling with tears. 'I'm sorry. For us, it's only Aleppo, and I didn't want any new place to feel like home. Now, though, I love London so much. I don't want to think about it as a home but I've started to say it's like a 'second home'.' It took them 18 months to get to the UK. When they first left Syria, they crossed to Turkey, close to the border where many displaced friends and family were living. Here, their second daughter Taima was born in May 2017. 'It is a country that felt familiar there's a similar culture to Syria, and where we lived was full of Syrians so you don't feel strange,' says Waad. Waad, Hamza and Sama pictured in Aleppo while they filmed For Sama. They settled in Romford after they fled But it was hard to see a future. 'As a refugee, you're issued temporary cards which give you access to the public hospitals and aid,' she says. 'But you don't have the right to work, to go to university. You don't know what will happen, or if you'll be sent back to Syria. You're in limbo.' Throughout the war, Waad and Hamza had been sending footage and reports to Channel 4 News, which was keen to secure visas for them to come and work in the UK. As is always the case as we are hearing today with Ukrainian refugees bureaucracy slowed them down. Taima was born without a birth certificate and they couldn't register her without crossing to Syria where Waad and Hamza's lives would have been under threat from the Assad regime. With their passports about to expire, they were forced to leave one-year-old Taima with family in Turkey and fly to England to claim asylum, in the hope that she could join them soon. It was six months before the paperwork was sorted and they were reunited. 'It's as if this period doesn't exist in my brain I don't remember anything,' says Waad. 'We never had a picture of the UK; we were never thinking, 'How will it be?' The only thing we thought or talked about was Taima.' Although Waad stresses that her passage to the UK was far easier than for most refugees 'I had a visa so I didn't have to risk my life to get here. I came by plane' she was traumatised by the experience. 'You've lost everything, and although you're safe, you don't just flick a switch and feel safe. 'You're still looking around for danger. The sound of a tube train as you stand on the platform in the station is very similar to the noise when an aircraft comes to bomb you. This feeling hits your body in a very scary way. You have flashbacks, nightmares.' The family, pictured today. Waad said she has twice sought therapy for the nightmares she has had since leaving Aleppo Waad has twice sought therapy for her nightmares. 'They're about surviving and not surviving, about the girls, about Hamza, about being bombed or seeing something bad happening to someone and not being able to free them. It affects your whole life even in the daytime, you feel so heavy because of what you live through at night.' At the same time, there was so much to learn. 'I can't make simple comparisons because in Syria for the last five years we didn't have trains, lights, rules, no fruit or vegetables we didn't have Tesco! I remember the first time we went to Tesco in the UK, I was going to buy five kilos of rice. 'It's this feeling that the siege will come back again. Then we realised that we didn't need that much. We were laughing! Hamza said, 'This will be here when we next come. Nothing is going to change!' Waad and Hamza are still fighting for their country while building a life here. When we meet, Waad has just landed in New York where she is speaking to the UN about getting aid convoys into Syria. For two years she worked as a producer for Channel 4, but now makes a living from film-making her latest project is about the Refugee Olympic Team. Hamza, meanwhile, has completed a master's in public health and has been accepted for a doctorate at King's College London. The couple form part of the core team of Action For Sama, the campaign they co-founded which works to address many of the issues raised in the film. They find much to be grateful for here. 'The system of life is how we dreamt our country would be,' she says. 'Your election day was very emotional for us, even though we can't vote.' (In Syria, there is only one name on the ballot papers: Bashar Al-Assad.) Waad and Hamza continue to help their country. The couple form part of the core team of Action For Sama, the campaign they co-founded which works to address many of the issues raised in their film British schools are very different, too Sama is in year one and Taima in reception. 'They love it and we love it,' says Waad. 'In Syria, we have military school. The uniform is military, you don't have critical thinking. 'The teacher is more like an officer and you receive the information, you don't need to understand it.' Sama and Taima have befriended the two girls next door and speak with English accents, often correcting their parents' pronunciation. Although they love Syrian food, they also enjoy fish and chips, pasta and meatballs, and appreciate scones. Despite this stability, both Waad and Hamza have found the strangest things can hurl them backwards. 'You don't remember the obvious things there are complicated connections which remind you of Syria in a weird way,' says Waad. The pandemic was one: the feel of a mask on your face; the lockdown rules which kept you isolated in your home. ' 'Everything was reminding us of Syria at that time,' says Waad. 'You know how the NHS became the heart of things, and everything was about the doctors, the nurses and health workers? It was the same in Syria living under siege. The fears, the worrying about your loved ones, and the way whole communities came together.' In May 2020, during the first lockdown, Waad spent eight days filming in a hospital in Kent for a report on Covid for Channel 4. 'At the beginning, I didn't want to put myself in a dangerous place again,' she says, 'but it was something I could do. 'I started to see all the people I knew in Syria in the faces of the doctors and nurses. I still have friends from inside that hospital. For the first time, I felt that this can be my community and I can give back. I was able to do something for the UK. I felt so different after that.' The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also been a brutal reminder of history repeating itself. 'I don't know what to say,' says Waad. 'The first week was like a big shock with a little bit of hope 'The world won't let this happen again'. Then weeks passed. 'For years since For Sama came out, we did so much to keep the conversation going. We've been to Parliament, we've had community screenings, we've spoken to MPs about the Russian bombing of hospitals, the targeting of civilians. Everything we have known, we are seeing again today.' As a refugee, Waad is always torn between two times, two places. The future propels her forward while the past drags her back. Each family milestone is a bittersweet reminder of what she has left behind. 'There are so many good things to be happy about,' she says, 'but at the same time, they make you feel really sad. When Sama went to school for the first time, everything was great, but there's this sorrow, you know?' Waad dreams of going home. 'I keep it in my hopes, I see it as a video in my head,' she says. 'One day, Assad will be gone. There would still be difficulties in Syria, but I would be happy, I would be going back. We would walk around Aleppo and show my girls where my house was, where the hospital was and how we lived. I hope we will do that. 'At the same time, it's Sama and Taima's choice more than mine. Six years have gone by so quickly. In another ten years they'll be making their own decisions. If they feel this is their home, and this is where they want to stay, I won't try to stop them.' For more information on Waad's work, visit actionforsama.com. For Sama can be watched on All 4 Fashions hottest ticket right now? Africa. This week sees the opening of the V&As landmark exhibition Africa Fashion, which celebrates the continents vibrant and eclectic looks and includes showcases by LVMH prizewinner Thebe Magugu, whose designs have been worn by the likes of Miley Cyrus. One such designer whos bringing the ingenuity of this fashion scene to the British high street is Yvonne Telford, the woman behind cult label Kemi Telford. Her bold wax-print clothes, which are inspired by her Nigerian upbringing, have caught the eye of John Lewis and last month saw the launch of her second collaboration with the store. Kemi Telford was one of our fastest-selling new brands last spring and we cant wait to see the response to this new collection, says Jo Bennett, head of buying at John Lewis. Yvonne Telford, the woman behind cult label Kemi Telford, is bringing her designs, inspired by her by her Nigerian homeland to the British high street. In nigeria, where Kemi was born, Lagos fashion week, is now a leading event on the style calendar My brand wasnt planned. Ive never had a business plan I still dont, says Telford, 48, a former credit risk analyst who since starting her label (Kemi is short for her middle name Oluwakemi) in 2017 has amassed a 75K-strong Instagram following of dedicated fans. Its easy to see the appeal. Her signature bold prints and bright colours offer a sartorial mood boost, something particularly needed following a greige, athleisure-filled past couple of years. The pandemic taught us to enjoy our lives. Colour is a big part of that, no matter what youre going through, says Telford. Pieces are feminine without feeling fussy and come in easy silhouettes. Kemi in one of her own designs. Her signature bold prints and bright colours offer a sartorial mood boost, something particularly needed following a greige, athleisure-filled past couple of years If the why seems obvious, the how certainly isnt. Born in Kano, Nigeria, an interest in fashion was sparked early on in Telfords childhood by her clothes-loving community. Nigerians are very into fashion its a way to prove who you are as a person, she says. However, her parents ambition for her to become a lawyer quashed any design dreams. Instead, in 1996 Telford moved to England to study law with 250 in my pocket and my fathers blessing. The first skirts I made in an African wax print sold out within an hour During these years, she says, she all but lost her sense of style. When I came to the UK, I shrank myself. I wanted to fit in so I wore black and navy. But becoming a parent shifted her mindset and, 20 years after leaving the riotous colours of her homeland, fashion came back into her life. When I become a mother, something switched; I had to embrace myself again. So I started doing the school run in the boldest clothes. This led to her starting a blog in which she posted her colourful outfits and sold totes and T-shirts. The idea for her own brand came after she noticed her followers were especially interested in her bright skirts. I got two designs made in an African wax print and they sold out within an hour. Then I moved on to dresses. Imane Ayissi's 2019 catwalk show. This week sees the opening of the V&As landmark exhibition Africa Fashion, which celebrates the continents vibrant and eclectic looks Her brands success has been anchored by Telfords refusal to over-extend herself. It wasnt until 2019 that she moved the business out of her home in Carshalton Beeches, South London, into a nearby warehouse, and last October was the first time she used a professional photographer; up until then her husband and children (12 and 14) took the photos for her website. This humble approach has meant that from her initial personal investment of 50, she has grown the brand without any debts or external investors. THIS YEAR'S GO-TO SHOW V&As landmark exhibition Africa Fashion celebrates the work of 45 designers from over 20 countries, and features pieces by the continents most iconic creatives, including Nigerias first fashion designer Shade Thomas-Fahm, and its biggest contemporary talents such as Laduma Ngxokolo (below) and Imane Ayissi. It opens on 2 July, tickets 16; vam.ac.uk V&As landmark exhibition Africa Fashion celebrates the work of 45 designers from over 20 countries including Imane Ayissi Ngxokolo (pictured) Advertisement My gut instinct has always been my compass, she says. Its also given her a keen idea of how women want to dress arguably more than any formal training could. I dont have a fashion background. Ive learnt everything through courses, books and my mistakes. Her unbreakable rule? If she cant wear it, she wont design it. This means she creates clothes for women who arent a sample size, a point demonstrated by Telford modelling her clothes on her website and social channels. Pieces are stocked in sizes S-XL, with XXL coming soon. Her intuitive and inclusive designs appeal to a broad demographic. While the brands core age bracket is 32 to 45 years, customers range from teens to 50s: I remember seeing a 20-year-old wearing a pair of my palazzo pants with a crop top. Its a fanbase as committed as it is varied; devoted customers even have a WhatsApp group where purchases and styling tips are discussed. Its this loyalty that has meant Kemi Telfords growth is due to word of mouth; the brand only began paying for advertising in late 2020. Without the community I have no business, says Telford, who is as dedicated to her fans as they are to her. While shes on first-name terms with her longtime customers, every time a new one buys a piece from her website, before shipping it, she phones them to check theyve picked the right size. When a design flaw meant a dress faded in the wash, she refunded everyone and called them to explain how to ensure the colour stuck: I had to in order to sleep well at night. Being able to sleep well is also why Telford operates her business responsibly, from plastic-free packaging to making patchwork dresses out of leftover fabric. Ive got young children so I need to think about the planet. She pays above minimum wages to manufacturers and gives financial support to those she can even eschewing profit to do so. Kemi Telford is about doing the right thing, its not about profit. Helping people gives me joy. And us, too. From her smile-inducing clothes to her big-hearted brand, Yvonne Telford is having a great time and shes making sure everyone else is as well. Princess Diana's favourite DJ hs shared some of his favourite memories of the late Princess, revealing her cheeky sense of humour and love of the song Uptown Girl. Boom Radio presenter Graham Dene presented the breakfast show on Capital Radio in the Eighties, and he started getting to know Diana afetr finding out she was a regular listener. To mark what would have been Dianas 61st birthday on July 1st, Graham has shared some of his encounters with the princess - from the time she secretly sat in on his final show, to her telling him a very rude joke about Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, live on air. Graham, now 73, began his radio career in the 70s, broadcasting to the hard workers in biscuit factories on the closed-circuit radio station UBN, before being lured to Liverpool to join the new Radio City. Now a presenter for Boom Radio, he still looks back fondly on the time he spent with Diana, and reveals how she bought him a mug with a picture of herself on it as a joke. To mark Princess Diana's 61st birthday Graham Dene, 73, shares their meetings. Boom Radio Presenter was dubbed 'Princess Diana's favourite DJ' in the 1980s. At Capital radio station in 1986, pictured: Philippa Hargreaves who was a show assistant; Princess Diana; Graham Dene; Mick Brown producer I joked on air about having sweaty hands when meeting Diana - and she was listening 'I met Princess Diana for the first time when she came into the Capital Radio studios in London early 80s - at the time, she was a patron of our charity Help A London child. 'The staff had lined up downstairs in the office to meet her, and she was walking along, shaking hands and having a brief chat. It was very nice, very formal. 'Princes William and Harry were very young at that time, and I had previously been told that because of the boys being early, she used to get up early, and tune into my breakfast show - she loved Capital and loved pop music. 'That morning before the line-up, I had joked on air to the listeners about meeting her that evening and how nerve racking it would be, and I said: I just hope Ive not got a sweaty hand. 'That evening, when she came to me, she shook my hand and said, "Oh, hello Graham," and began to walk away. But then she turned back to me and said: "Oh, by the way Graham, the hand was perfectly dry." Graham, now 73, (pictured) began his radio career in the 70s, broadcasting to the hard workers in biscuit factories on the closed-circuit radio station UBN, before being lured to Liverpool to join the new Radio City 'So she had been listening to the show that morning! 'What Princess Diana didnt know though was that there was a curtain behind me, and just before she had got to me in the lineup, I had wiped my hand on it to make sure it wasnt sweaty! 'After that meeting, I was asked by the Princes Trust concert organisers of the Prince's Trust concerts to compare three of them, one at the Royal Albert Hall, one at Wembley Arena, and another one in Birmingham at the NEC.' Princess Diana asked me to dedicate Uptown Girl to her on my show 'At another thank you party, this time held at the old London Air Studios owned by record producer Sir George Martin, Diana came running over to me saying: "Graham, Graham, can you play a song for me in the morning?" I said "of course I could, what would you like?" But she couldnt make up her mind. 'In the end, she decided on Billy Joels Uptown Girl, which I thought was extremely appropriate. 'The next morning, as far as I was aware, nobody else knew about this - it was our little secret. Diana once bought Graham a mug with a picture of herself on it. She bought it from Kensington Market after she performed a three-minute dance to Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, alongside ballet star Wayne Sleep in December 1985 'I had planned to play the song at around 8.15am. We went to the main 8am news, and at the end of the news bulletin read by Douglas Cameron, he revealed that I would be playing a song for Princess Diana on my show. 'I sat there flabbergasted - he had beaten me to it! Somebody had leaked it, but goodness knows who it was. So, I went straight into Uptown Girl after the news, and afterwards I said: "I hope he appreciates the royalties!" 'To this day, I still have no idea how that happened.' Princess Diana sent me a mug with a photo of her - it was just her sense of humour! 'One day, a package arrived for me in the studio, with a mug inside. It was a white mug, with a caricature of Diana on it - she was wearing a low-cut blue leotard, and had a top hat and cane in her hands, while doing a high kick. 'It was after Princess Diana performed a three-minute dance to Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, alongside ballet star Wayne Sleep in December 1985. 'She bought the mug in Kensington Market, apparently, and sent them to various people and I was one of them. It showed her personality and her wonderful sense of humour, and the fact that she loved dancing.' Diana pictured here with Graham, sat in on his final breakfast show in 1986. Graham says that it was a nerve wracking half hour Diana called me in the studio on my birthday - I thought it was a wind up 'It was my birthday and I was in the studio, when suddenly a call came through on the internal photo. I wasnt on the air, so I picked it up and said "hello". This voice said "oh hello Graham, its the Princess of Wales here" It sounded like a PA we had at the time called Nicky, so I said "Oh pull the other one! Come on, very good!" thinking it was a wind up. 'Then Millie Dunn, who was a very good friend of Dianas who worked at Capital Radio, raced into the studio, saying: "Its her!". And I thought "oh my god". I went back on the phone at that moment. The record I was playing on air was coming to an end and I had to go to an advert break. So I had to say to Princess Diana, "Im so sorry, but could you please hang on." While we did two minutes of adverts - while she was on hold! 'Afterwards, I spoke to her and very sheepishly apologised, explaining that I thought it was someone taking the mickey. She was very good about it - she just laughed and said: "Oh, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday to you. Graham now presents a show on Boom Radio every Mon-Fri at 7.30am. Boom is a UK-wide national radio station principally aimed at Baby Boomers aged 60 to 75-years-old Diana sat in for my final breakfast show - and stayed for a cup of tea 'It was arranged by Dianas friend Millie that Diana would come into the studio for my very final Breakfast Show in 1986. 'I remember reading the news headlines at 8.30am, and the door opened and Diana came in and sat down for the final 30 minutes of the show. She was very relaxed, wearing a sweater and jeans. 'I asked her whether she would like to come on air and say hello, but she declined, she thought it was better not to. She opened her handbag to pull out the original Top Gun soundtrack, and she wanted me to play the theme tune. 'We managed to get a scratchy version of it from the library to play as we couldnt play cassettes. I guess she was a Top Gun fan, but she certainly loved the soundtrack. 'It was a nerve-racking half an hour; not only was it my last breakfast show ever, which is a difficult moment, but Princess Diana was sitting across from me, staring at me with those lovely eyes! It was wonderful and difficult at the same time. 'I also asked her if she would like me to dedicate a song to her husband. So I played a song and said, "that was for Charles in Kensington. Just let you know your wife wants you to know she will be back for lunch". Graham (pictured) met Princess Diana for the first time when she came into the Capital Radio studios in London early 80s - at the time, she was a patron of Capital's charity Help A London child 'After the show had finished, we went downstairs along with her security guard, and I made her a cup of tea in a plastic cup, just like the rest of us. 'When I showed her out, you can imagine the stares from people coming into work - they had no idea she would be there and they couldnt believe it. There was a lot of shock and surprise, and these people were used to seeing big stars coming into the Capital studio. 'It was very exciting, and Im sure theyve dined out on it ever since!' Princess Diana told me a VERY rude joke - she had a very cheeky sense of humour 'Id met Diana quite a few times before when this happened. It was after the Princes Trust concert at Wembley in 1988, there was a reception for everybody involved in the Hilton hotel in Kensington. Every huge pop star at the time was there - Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Joe Cocker, Elton John, Rick Astley, the Bee Gees. 'I arrived, and the event organiser Peter Smith came up to me and pulled me through the hotel, saying, "where have you been, shes been waiting for you, shes asking for you". I said "who", and he replied with, "the princess!" He ushered me into a conference room. 'He opened the door and there she was - waiting for me! Wow. And she turned to me and said: "Graham, I want to tell you a joke." And then she told me this very saucy joke about Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. It was a very rude joke and its better if I dont say it - it would make anyone blush! Lets just say Princess Diana had a very, very cheeky sense of humour.' Graham (pictured) recalls a saucy joke that the Princess told him about Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. He says that she had a very cheeky sense of humour How Diana greeted my sick mum said everything about her kind nature 'A few years after Id met Diana, The Prince and Princess of Wales were hosting a thank you party at Kensington Palace, for everybody who had been part of the Princes Trust. 'I was able to take a guest along, and I asked my mother, Vera. She wasnt very well at the time and found it difficult to walk, but I took her along as I thought it would be a very special evening for her. 'Diana knew this. She saw me and my mother, who was sitting down at the time, and Diana came over to say hello to my mum. 'My mum tried to stand up to greet Diana, but Diana said: "No, you sit in the chair," and Diana knelt down to my mother. I just thought that kind and thoughtful gesture said everything about Diana. She was so welcoming. It was just so lovely.' A woman who thought she needed glasses was shocked when an optician suspected a brain tumour and doctors sent her for emergency surgery 12 hours later - saying if it had been a day later she would have died. Ellie Musgrove, from Manchester, started experiencing severe headaches and neck pain after her 21st birthday in January 2022, but she knew it was more than just a hangover after only celebrating with two alcoholic drinks. She then realised she couldn't see properly when she was plucking her eyebrows - her vision was impaired with black spots and double vision. She called her GP and was prescribed antibiotics over the phone for an ear infection, but her symptoms didn't improve, which prompted her to book an appointment with the opticians. Thinking she needed glasses, Ellie visited Specsavers with her father, Mike, 54, a commercial landlord, on 20 March 2022, before being rushed to Salford Royal Hospital, Greater Manchester, after the optician noticed swelling of her optic nerve. Just 12 hours later, she underwent emergency brain surgery to drain excess fluid around her brain, before undergoing an MRI the following day which revealed she had a brain tumour which had caused Addison's disease - an uncommon disorder that occurs when your body doesn't produce enough of certain hormones. Ellie will now need to take steroids for life to manage the uncommon condition, but is thankful she went to Specsavers when she did after being told by doctors that another day without action could have proved fatal. Ellie Musgrove, from Manchester, started experiencing severe headaches and neck pain after her 21st birthday in January 2022, but she knew it was more than just a hangover after only celebrating with two alcoholic drinks Ellie (pictured in hospital) then realised she couldn't see properly when she was plucking her eyebrows - her vision was impaired with black spots and double vision She called her GP and was prescribed antibiotics over the phone for an ear infection, but her symptoms didn't improve, which prompted her to book an appointment with the opticians. Pictured, Ellie with optometrist, Aqeel Mahmood Ellie, a support carer, said: 'I knew my headaches weren't down to being hungover because we celebrated my birthday with a quiet family meal out - nothing crazy. 'I never get headaches, but these were terrible. I thought I'd just slept funny which was making my neck hurt.' She added: 'My life has been turned upside down, but it could have been a lot worse - I keep reminding myself of that. 'I'm glad I went to Specsavers when I did - I'm grateful to the optician and the doctors for saving my life.' Thinking she needed glasses, Ellie visited Specsavers with her father, Mike, 54, a commercial landlord, on 20 March 2022, before being rushed to Salford Royal Hospital, Greater Manchester, after the optician noticed swelling of her optic nerve Just 12 hours later, she underwent emergency brain surgery to drain excess fluid around her brain, before undergoing an MRI the following day which revealed she had a brain tumour which had caused Addison's disease - an uncommon disorder that occurs when your body doesn't produce enough of certain hormones. Ellie pictured with father Mike Ellie will now need to take steroids for life to manage the uncommon condition, but is thankful she went to Specsavers when she did after being told by doctors that another day without action could have proved fatal. Ellie pictured with mother Diane Ellie's symptoms started just after her 21st birthday on 5 January 2022, when she was experiencing severe headaches along with neck pain. 'I also had blurred and double vision, black spots and started to hear pulsating whooshing heartbeat sounds,' she said. 'My headaches and neck pains seemed to be worse in the mornings and evenings but were still in the background throughout the day. 'My GP suspected I had an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics and Ibuprofen, but my symptoms didn't improve. I decided to make an appointment to see my optician at Specsavers.' Ellie's symptoms started just after her 21st birthday on 5 January 2022, when she was experiencing severe headaches along with neck pain. Pictured, on her 21st with her father Mike 'I also had blurred and double vision, black spots and started to hear pulsating whooshing heartbeat sounds,' she said. Pictured, on her 21st with her mother Diane Heaton Park Specsavers optometrist, Aqeel Mahmood said: 'At the time, Ellie made an appointment when she couldn't get to the bottom of her severe head and neck aches and impaired vision. 'I noted swelling of the optic nerves in both eyes and this, in conjunction with Ellie's symptoms, indicated that something was seriously wrong. 'Urgent medical intervention was required, so I immediately referred Ellie to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.' After numerous scans and tests that day, Ellie was transferred by ambulance to the neurology department at Salford Royal Hospital. After numerous scans and tests, Ellie (left) was transferred by ambulance to the neurology department at Salford Royal Hospital Ellie (pictured at her 21st birthday meal with family) was diagnosed with hydrocephalus - a build-up of fluid deep within the brain - caused by a brain tumour and required emergency surgery to drain the fluid 'I went from having my eyes tested at 11am to having emergency brain surgery by 11.30pm on the same day,' Ellie (pictured at hospital) said WHAT IS ADDISON'S DISEASE? Addison's disease is a condition in which the body does not make enough of the hormone cortisol. When the body's cortisol levels drop too low, this can cause a range of symptoms. These include weakness, dizziness, fatigue and abdominal pain. A very low cortisol level can be life-threatening. This is because cortisol is vital as it helps regulate blood pressure and the immune system and it helps the body respond to stress. Addison's disease is treated with hormone replacement tablets. It is thought about 8,000 people in the UK have the illness and most cases first develop in people aged between 30 and 50. About 70 per cent of cases are thought to be caused by an autoimmune disease but it can also be triggered by TB. Source: patient.co.uk Advertisement She was diagnosed with hydrocephalus - a build-up of fluid deep within the brain - caused by a brain tumour and required emergency surgery to drain the fluid. 'I went from having my eyes tested at 11am to having emergency brain surgery by 11.30pm on the same day,' Ellie said. 'An MRI scan the following day confirmed I had a benign brain tumour between the pineal and pituitary glands, which was blocking the fluid flow around my brain. 'I was also diagnosed with Addison's disease. The tumour is affecting my pituitary gland, which is a devastating blow as I will have to take hydrocortisone steroids for the rest of my life. 'I am slowly but surely recovering and will now have regular MRI scans to keep check on the tumour. 'The neurosurgeons think it's a slow growing tumour, that only 1% of people develop, so hopefully I won't need surgery to remove it anytime soon. 'I may well need further surgery if the fluid builds up again, but at least I know what the symptoms are now. 'My life has been turned upside down, but I, along with my family, will be forever grateful to Aqeel and the Specsavers team. If it weren't for them, I would not be here today, they saved my life. 'I would also like to thank the medical teams at Manchester Royal and Salford Royal Hospitals - they looked after me so well and were so caring.' Aqeel added: 'Ellie's story shows the importance of looking after your eye health and if you have any major worries then do get checked out by an optician. 'Had Ellie ignored her symptoms and put off seeing an optician, it could have been a very different outcome.' Ellie (pictured), a support carer, said: 'I knew my headaches weren't down to being hungover because we celebrated my birthday with a quiet family meal out - nothing crazy' A sleep expert has been slammed online after revealing the number one mistake people make when they turn in for the night - and suggesting an 'easy fix' to eliminate the problem. Posture expert James Leinhardt went viral on TikTok when he publicly condemned those who choose to sleep on their stomachs. The expert, who is 'obsessed with spine health', said the position adds unnecessary pressure on the neck and spine, and putting your top leg over mid-slumber exacerbates the situation. Scroll down for video Posture expert James Leinhardt went viral on TikTok when he publicly condemned those who choose to sleep on their stomachs Poll Do you sleep on your stomach? Yes, love it! No, I sleep on my side. Sometimes, I just do what is comfortable on the day! Do you sleep on your stomach? Yes, love it! 181 votes No, I sleep on my side. 414 votes Sometimes, I just do what is comfortable on the day! 98 votes Now share your opinion In the video, which has been seen over 2.9 million times Mr Leinhardt suggests 'tweaking' your sleeping position to make sure your major joints are 'stacked over each other'. This eliminates any twisting in the spine, he explained, and is crucial for spine health. But not everyone was convinced by the 'easy fix' with many people calling him out for offering a completely new sleep position instead of tweaking a comfortable one. 'Such an easy fix?!? Its a totally different position and not comfy in the slightest,' one person complained on the video. While another offered: 'I would rather sleep in position one and risk the back problems.' 'I have been sleeping on my stomach for 17 years and I don't have any back problems,' fired another. The expert says sleeping on your stomach with one leg twisted is bad for your back He says this is the best sleeping position as it aligns all the joints While others argued the 'first position' feels more natural which 'means it is right' and said people should just listen to their own body. But some defended the posture expert. 'You should listen to him. I slept in position one for a long time and now I have chronic back pain which makes me sad,' he said. Others said the video made them feel 'overwhelmed'. 'We gotta stress all day long then the one peace and relaxation time now I have to stress if I'm doing that right,' one man complained. Mr Leinhardt's website explains the different 'bad' sleeping positions in depth and explains how each one hurts the body in different ways. Women given antidepressants to help them cope with premenstrual mood problems may need to be on the pills for only two weeks a month, a study suggests. This intermittent dose regime was found to be just as effective in controlling symptoms as taking tablets continuously, and may help patients avoid dependency and withdrawal associated with the drugs, the researchers at the Maudsley Hospital in South London added. The team came to their conclusions after conducting an analysis of eight trials which included 460 women with either severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which both cause mental health problems and are linked to fluctuating hormone levels. All had been prescribed common antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to relieve symptoms. Women given antidepressants to help them cope with premenstrual mood problems may need to be on the pills for only two weeks a month, a study suggests. (File photo) Some took the treatment every day, while others followed what is known as a luteal phase dosing regime. This involves starting the pills on the 14th day of the monthly cycle the luteal phase, when ovulation occurs and taking them for two weeks, stopping on the first day of their next period. The analysis found no significant difference in response rates and symptoms between the two groups, leading them to conclude that the intermittent dose approach was equally effective. It is estimated that about 30 per cent of women suffer moderate to severe PMS, characterised by distressing physical, behavioural and psychological changes. Symptoms include mood swings, depression, fatigue, irritability and aggression. Bloating, breast tenderness, clumsiness, headaches and weight gain are also common. This intermittent dose regime was found to be just as effective in controlling symptoms as taking tablets continuously, and may help patients avoid dependency and withdrawal associated with the drugs, the researchers at the Maudsley Hospital in South London added. (File photo) Premenstrual dysphoric disorder hits between five to eight per cent of patients. While reducing stress, healthy eating and limiting alcohol can reduce symptoms, those with the worst problems are often prescribed hormonal treatments or SSRI antidepressants to help. The researchers concluded that the intermittent dosing regime was an important option: 'Since the SSRI is not taken continuously, there will be limited risk of withdrawal symptoms.' GP Dr Philippa Kaye, an expert in women's health, said: 'I welcome any research on the impact of the menstrual cycle on mental health it means researchers are finally taking this seriously.' Ministers must take a stand on whether Chinese companies should be allowed to snap up British tech firms, an influential think-tank has urged. The Policy Exchange, founded by former Tory MPs Nick Boles, Francis Maude and Archie Norman, said Boris Johnson must urgently set out the role that China-backed firms can play in industries vital to national security. The think-tank's report, written by industrial expert Sir Geoffrey Owen, comes as Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is weighing the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab (NWF) by Chinese-owned Nexperia. Decision time: The Policy Exchange said Boris Johnson must urgently set out the role that China-backed firms can play in industries vital to national security NWF makes high-tech computer chips, used in products for companies including Dyson and Bosch. It is one of the few British firms in the industry. But NWF has attracted attention after lockdowns in China caused a global shortage of computer chips. Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of Parliament's foreign affairs committee, has said it is 'absolutely baffling' that the sale of NWF has not yet been blocked on national security grounds. In today's report, Owen concluded that there was little point investing heavily to make the chip industry self-sufficient. But he said there were security concerns over allowing the UK's intellectual property to be scooped up by a potentially 'hostile power'. Owen said: 'Semiconductors will play an increasingly important role, not just as an essential component for other industries but also as a driver of progress in emerging technologies; they also make an essential contribution to national security.' Chips have many uses in the military, he said, and will become integral to businesses. There were also several convincing reasons to block the NWF takeover, Owen added. He said Chinese ownership of Britain's two main chip-making plants in Newport and Manchester could make the country 'a less trusted partner in the eyes of key countries'. And 'the defence-related technologies on which NWF has been working will pass into the hands of a hostile power'. Nexperia's backer Wingtech could also shut down NWF's UK manufacturing and shift it to Shanghai, he added. Owen said: 'The Government should build on the industry's strengths, encourage new entrants and help them to scale up.' The leader of the breakaway Shiv Sena faction, Eknath Shinde, flew to Vadodara in Gujarat from Guwahati on Friday night for a meeting with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss possible Government formation in Maharashtra, sources have said. A very senior BJP leader and Union Minister was also in Vadodara on the Friday night, sources said. Shinde reportedly boarded a chartered flight at Guwahati on Friday night to travel to Vadodara, sources said. After holding talks with Fadnavis, Shinde flew back to Guwahati where nearly 40 rebel Sena MLAs are putting up. According to a source-based report put out by a TV channel, Fadnavis had secretly left Indore for Vadodara in a chartered plane on Friday evening. He returned Indore and had left for Mumbai. The development makes it clear the Sena rebel was working in tandem with the BJP to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led alliance Government. Meanwhile, rebel Sena MLA Chimanrao Patil justified his support to Shinde, saying, We have been fighting the Congress and NCP for the last 30 years. The main competitors in our constituencies are the Congress and the NCP and will be our opponents in the next election as well. That is why we had requested the CM that there should be a natural alliance but he never responded to our feelings. Hence, we requested our leader Shinde to take a firm stand on this. A natural alliance is the wish of all Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra. A scientist who was the target of a 'mum and dad' social media scam where he almost lost close to $5,000 cottoned on to the con thanks to the criminal's lack of punctuation. Australian immunologist, and avid Twitter user, Alan Baxter has now hit out at banks for facilitating cyber criminals and not getting the scammer's account banned. 'Hi dad this is my temp number I'm using an old device until my phone is repaired,' the message read. Immunologist Alan Baxter shared a conversation he had on WhatsApp with a scammer claiming to be his son (pictured) Posing as Mr Baxter's 'son', the scammer said he needed money to fix his phone problem (pictured) Dubbed the 'mum and dad' scam, Mr Baxter was the target of the WhatsApp con where fraudsters pose as an individual's child in desperate need of cash. Mr Baxter (pictured) recognised the message as a scam and contacted ANZ bank after the scammer requested a money transfer into an ANZ account Mr Baxter said the bad grammar in the message told him instantly it was not written by his son, and promptly contacted ANZ's customer help line to report the attempted fraud. 'My son is an English teacher so the lack of grammar and full-stops alerted me,' Mr Baxter told Daily Mail Australia. 'I first contacted ANZ's customer help line but I was told it (the scam) wasn't related to the banks activities and there was nothing that they can do. 'I thought it was an opportunity for the bank to close or freeze the account and even investigate the funds it has received.' Mr Baxter alleges ANZ bank refused to take the scammers account details despite the account belonging to the bank (pictured, ANZ branch in Seven Hills, Sydney) HOW TO SPOT SCAM MESSAGES 1) Scammers can make messages look real. Even if youve previously received legitimate SMS messages from the same number, dont assume all following messages are real. Scammers can spoof real phone numbers or email addresses, to make it appear that they come from your actual bank or another legitimate contact. 2) It's different in style from the first SMS. The previous SMS is legitimate and it provides information only. It tells you to log into your account but provides no links that could lead to potentially malicious websites. 3) It has a malicious link. The new SMS contains a link to a phishing website. These types of websites attempt to trick you into giving out personal information such as your bank account details, passwords and credit card numbers. Even if you think the text might be real, its safer not to click on any links, and to log into your account by typing your banks URL (Uniform Resource Locator) directly into the address bar. The address bar appears at the top of your web browser, and the numbers and letters that make up the URL are the directions to the website or webpage. 4) It's not secure. Legitimate sites containing sensitive information will use https not http, but dont rely on this alone some scam sites use https too. 5) It has a sense of urgency. Scams often try to create a sense of urgency. Dont rush take the time to think about what the message is telling you to do and consider whether its real. Advertisement Mr Baxter said the customer service employee refused to take the scammer's account details and hung up the phone after he requested to speak to a manager. 'So a general warning: If anyone is trying to get you to send money to the following ANZ account, it is probably fraud: Name: George M M BSB: 016 080 Account number: 316157952,' Mr Baxter wrote on the Twitter post. 'It all raises the issue of what responsibility a bank facilitating fraud has in a situation like this. 'They clearly profit from the fraud, provide the resources to enable it, and refuse to act even when offered evidence.' In a reply to Mr Baxter's tweet, an ANZ staffer said a screenshot of the scam had been sent to the bank's hoax and cyber security department. ANZ bank has since placed 'restraints' on the account and are investigation the scam. 'We were made aware of the issue and our teams promptly took steps to address it, including placing restraints on the account,' a spokesperson for ANZ told Daily Mail Australia. 'As this matter is still under investigation, were unable to discuss further.' A number of Twitter users said they had received similar scam texts from unknown numbers on WhatsApp. 'I had exactly the same initial message recently via WhatsApp, except mine was "Hi, Mum",' one user commented. 'Given my only child was with me in the same room as me at the time, I just marked it as spam.' 'I have had two texts on WhatsApp,' another user wrote. 'I nearly fell for the first as daughter had moved interstate. Wanted my visa number to pay a bill. Tried to call the number no reply. Blocked and reported to WhatsApp.' It comes after an Adelaide grandfather was conned into sending $42,000 to a scammer who pretended to be his son. Nigel Gammon frequently used WhatsApp to talk to his son Jock, who had recently moved overseas. The 77-year-old man believed the text he received on May 27 was from his son and promptly sent images of the front and back of his credit card. Scamwatch reported 325 cases of WhatsApp 'mum and dad' scams since the beginning of the year with 96 cases reporting a financial loss of $710,672 (pictured, data table provided by Scamwatch) 'Anyone that gets a message from their son would feel the same way if you can help you do it,' Nigel told 9News. 'I'm very upset about the whole incident, I think my son particularly feels guilty. 'It was one o'clock in the morning over there and I just didn't want to ring him up, which I should have.' According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Scamwatch, Australians have reported total losses of $710,672 in 'mum and dad' WhatsApp scams in 2022. 'Scamwatch received 325 reports related to 'mum and dad' scams and 96 (29.5%) of these reports noted a financial loss,' Scamwatch told Daily Mail Australia. Last year, Aussies lost a massive $323.7 million in scams - a whopping 84 per cent more than 2020 (stock image) Scamwatch warned Australians of the WhatsApp scam in a post to its twitter account on May 25. 'If you get an unexplained message from someone claiming they have a new number or new bank account, call them directly on their usual number to confirm,' Scamwatch wrote. Last year, Aussies lost a massive $323.7million in scams - a whopping 84 per cent more than 2020 - with individuals over 65-years-old the most vulnerable to the scams. Australian's are encouraged to report scams to the ACCC and social media providers and are urged to contact their bank if account details were provided to a scammer. Byron Bay's housing affordability crisis is now so bad the popular town is planning to build public housing so middle-class professionals with degrees can afford to live there. Younger Generation X and Millennials are increasingly moving to regional areas such as the Gold Coast and Newcastle, with Sydney and Melbourne house prices now beyond the reach of average-income earners buying on their own. But in Byron Bay, Kiama and Victoria's Surf Coast, the opposite is happening with the number of new residents moving from a capital city falling over the year. These coastal havens located a two-hour drive from a major metropolis are now simply too expensive. Investors cashing in on Airbnb rentals in the Byron Bay region are also being targeted with a new 90-day limit on short-term holiday letting to try and free-up housing for local residents. A Byron Bay house typically costs $1,230 a week to rent making it dearer than beachside Coogee in Sydney, SQM Research data showed. Byron Mayor Michael Lyon said expensive property prices and rents also meant the popular town would not have enough staff this summer at restaurants and cafes. 'It's a major, major issue for a lot of our community because housing both to buy and to rent are increasingly out of reach for a large proportion of people,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'This impacts on businesses and their ability to hire staff, and there's not really a business in Byron Shire at the moment that's not struggling to find staff. 'We are going to be in real trouble if we have a busy tourist season.' The party is ending at Byron Bay (pictured) and popular coastal spots less than two hours' drive from a big city as house prices surge to unattainable levels Byron Bay's housing crisis Byron Shire Council is now planning new community eco-village housing so nurses, baristas and even council town planners can afford to buy or rent in Byron Bay. Byron Mayor Michael Lyon said expensive property prices and rents meant the town would not have enough staff this summer at restaurants and cafes Like Singapore, Byron Bay could see public housing for the middle class under a 'contribution scheme' proposal where 20 per cent of rezoned land would have to go to a council or community housing provider. 'There has been in the past a reluctance to approve new development but I think, increasingly, our local community is understanding that we are going to build housing,' Mr Lyon said. 'It's not just a supply issue, it's ensuring that it's affordable supply. 'This isn't social housing, this is people like key workers that have the ability to finance the construction cost or to pay the rent. The Byron Shire Council area on the NSW far north coast in April became the first regional area to have a median house price above $2million (pictured - an upmarket Byron Bay house) 'A key worker in a tourist town isn't just a nurse or a doctor or an ambo, it's almost everyone: it's your barista, it's your planning staff in the council, we've got a lot of creatives down here.' The Byron council has also recently been given approval to impose a 90-day annual cap on short-term holiday letting, targeting those leasing out their properties on Airbnb. 'Anyone who owns an investment holiday let, who I have no sympathy for I might add given the increase in values that they've enjoyed,' Mr Lyon said. In April, the Byron Shire Council area became the first regional area to have a median house price above $2million - putting it in the same league as Sydney's north shore following a 21.1 per cent annual surge, CoreLogic data showed. In Byron Bay itself, the middle house price is $2.8million. The housing crisis is now so bad Byron Bay, best known as the home of movie star Chris Hemsworth (pictured), homes could soon be built so the likes of baristas and even council workers can afford to live in the area Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the number of people moving to Byron from a capital city fell by five per cent in the year to March, new data from the Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute showed. Australia's most expensive regional house markets 1. BYRON BAY, NSW: $2,004,354 2. KIAMA, NSW: $1,708,243 3. SURF COAST, VIC: $1,542,916 4. NOOSA, QLD: $1,495,696 5. WINGECARRIBEE, NSW: $1,347,235 6. BALLINA, NSW: $1,229,729 7. WOLLONGONG, NSW: $1,105,445 8. GOLD COAST, QLD: $1,094,519 9. TWEED, NSW: $1,089,268 10. SUNSHINE COAST, QLD: $1,068,903 Source: CoreLogic data for April 2022 based on local government areas Advertisement 'If you're not already one of the moderately wealthy to majorly wealthy people, then yes, that's a struggle,' Mr Lyon said. 'The people who can afford to live here - they're not coming here to be a barista, they're not filling jobs locally, they're just working from home or not working at all, or even worse, just leaving the house vacant and holiday letting it. 'It's all out of balance: to get the balance right, we need to make sure we've got the workforce to service the tourists, otherwise we're going to damage the brand, when people are coming here, they are not going to be welcome. 'They're not going to be serviced properly and you're in a downward spiral.' While Australia reopened its border in December last year, Mr Lyon said Byron Bay was still struggling from having fewer overseas backpackers with working visas who traditionally filled the local hospitality jobs. 'We don't have the backpackers coming through either who probably were prepared to live in worse conditions than your average Australian,' he said. Curse of the expensive coastal market Byron Bay wasn't even the worst-hit regional area when it came to decreasing numbers of permanent arrivals from the big cities. Kiama on the NSW south coast saw a 13 per cent plunge in new arrivals from a capital city. The area, a two-hour drive from Sydney, has regional Australia's second highest median house price of $1.7million, after an annual surge of 34.3 per cent. Movement from capital cities to regional areas 1. BYRON, NSW: Down 5 per cent 2. KIAMA, NSW: Down 13 per cent 3. SURF COAST, VIC: Down 15 per cent 4. NOOSA, QLD: Up 5 per cent 5. WINGECARIBEE, NSW: Up 9 per cent 6. BALLINA, NSW: Flat 7. WOLLONGONG, NSW: Down 6 per cent 8. GOLD COAST, QLD: Up 7 per cent 9. TWEED, NSW: Up 15 per cent 10. SUNSHINE COAST, QLD: Up 8 per cent Source: Movement from capital cities to regional council areas in the year to March 2022, Commonwealth Bank and Regional Australia Institute Advertisement Victoria's Surf Coast, which includes popular destinations such as Torquay, saw a 15 per cent plunge in new residents from a capital city. The median house price on the Surf Coast is $1.5million - making it the third most expensive regional area in Australia thanks to its location being close to Geelong and Melbourne. Values surged by 22.5 per cent in a year - more than double Melbourne's 10.1 per cent increase during the same period. But not all expensive regional areas suffered a fall in new residents leaving the big smoke. Noosa saw a five per cent increase in new residents from a capital city. This ritzy area on the Sunshine Coast is Australia's fourth most expensive regional market with a median house price of $1.5million. The Wingecarribee area, covering Bowral on the Southern Highlands south of Sydney, saw a nine per cent increase in new residents from the big city. The median house price here is $1.3million. Ballina's new residents from a capital city remained flat. This council area, covering Lennox Head, has a mid-point house price of $1.2million. Wollongong, south of Sydney, had a six per cent fall in new residents from a big city in an area with a mid-point house price of $1.1million. But the average age of these newcomers was still young at 31. Kiama (house pictured) on the NSW South Coast saw a 13 per cent plunge in new arrivals from a capital city. This area, a two-hour drive from Sydney, has regional Australia's second highest median house price of $1.7million, after an annual surge of 34.3 per cent Coffs Harbour had an eight per cent fall in new residents from a capital city, where the mid-point house price in the year to April surged by 31.7 per cent to $874,663. The exodus from the big city to a regional areas was still strong among the other top ten most expensive regional council areas. The Gold Coast had a seven per cent increase in new residents from the big city and had an 11 per cent national share of those relocating to a regional area. The average age of these newcomers was 33 in an area just south of Brisbane where $1.094million is the median house price, following a 33.1 per cent annual surge. The neighbouring Tweed area on the NSW far north coast, bordering Queensland, had a 15 per cent increase in new arrivals leaving behind the congestion. The median house price here is $1.089million. Queensland's Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, had an eight per cent increase in new arrivals fleeing the overcrowding and a five per cent national share of Australians moving to a regional area. The average age of these new residents was 36, with Generation Xers making up 20 per cent of these relocating compared with 17 per cent for baby boomers. But South Australian had the biggest increase in new arrivals fleeing the big smoke - with their numbers doubling in a year. Ceduna, a coastal council area 800km north-west of Adelaide with just 3,400 people, saw the number of people moving there from a capital city double in the year to March, or rising by 114 per cent. Victoria's Surf Coast (Torquay house, pictured) saw a 15 per cent plunge in new residents from capital city, in a council area taking in picturesque Torquay. The median house price here is $1.5million - the third most expensive regional area in Australia which is near Geelong and only an hour's drive from Melbourne Another South Australian town, Mount Gambier, had an 85 per cent increase while Port Augusta north of Adelaide had a 74 per cent rise - with 29 the average age of new arrivals at both these places. The young were also moving to provincial centres within a two-hour drive of a capital city. Newcastle saw a seven per cent increase in ex-capital city residents, with 30 the average age of these new arrivals. The mid-point house price here climbed by 21.2 per cent in a year to $941,643. But Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, had a five per cent fall in new residents from a big city. Nonetheless, 33 was the average age of new residents in an area where $817,659 is the median house price. At least it's much more affordable than Byron Bay and isn't too far from the beach. Airlines under scrutiny for widespread flight disruptions are renewing their criticism of the federal agency that manages the nation's airspace, saying that understaffing at the Federal Aviation Administration is 'crippling' traffic along the East Coast. Airlines for America, which represents the largest U.S. carriers, said Friday it wants to know FAA's staffing plans for the July Fourth holiday weekend, 'so we can plan accordingly.' The comments from the industry group could serve as a pre-emptive defense in case airlines again suffer thousands of canceled and delayed flights over the holiday weekend, when travel is expected to set new pandemic-era highs. 'The industry is actively and nimbly doing everything possible to create a positive customer experience since it is in an airline's inherent interest to keep customers happy, so they return for future business,' Nicholas Calio, president of the trade group, said in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Calio said airlines have dropped 15 percent of the flights they originally planned for June through August to make the remaining flights more reliable, they are hiring and training more pilots and customer-service agents, and giving passengers more flexibility to change travel plans. Calio said air traffic is often disrupted 'for many hours' because bad weather causes the FAA to issue delays. Over the past week, thousands of flights have been delayed, leaving passengers frustrated. On Sunday alone, more than 600 flights have been canceled. With an eye on the upcoming July Fourth weekend, airlines are stepping up their criticism of federal officials over recent widespread flight delays and cancellations. The industry trade group Airlines for America said Friday that understaffing at the FAA, which stands for the Federal Aviation Administration, is crippling traffic along the East Coast Lines at U.S. airports have displaced hundreds if not thousands of travelers over the weekend prior to July 4th celebrations. Pictured: American Airline passengers queuing up at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport on Sunday Travelers across North America have had to take several flights, stay in lines and airports far longer than expected due to airlines and the FAA being understaffed. Pictured: Passengers flying American Airlines experiencing delays in Newark Travel mayhem stretched to the 10th day with thousands of flights delayed and more than 400 delays and cancelations in the US and Canada on Sunday. Pictured: Passengers queuing up at a Delta check-in counter Just after United announced Friday that they're cutting 12 percent of their flights out of Newark Airport as of July 1, travelers supposedly flying United in D.C. were left stranded on Saturday after yet another delay 'However, we have also observed that FAA (air traffic control) staffing challenges have led to traffic restrictions under blue sky conditions,' he added. The FAA shot back, with a reference to taxpayer money that airlines received after the pandemic devastated air travel. 'People expect when they buy an airline ticket that theyll get where they need to go safely, efficiently, reliably and affordably,' the FAA said in a statement. 'After receiving $54 billion in pandemic relief to help save the airlines from mass layoffs and bankruptcy, the American people deserve to have their expectations met.' The FAA said it has added controllers in high-traffic areas and added alternate routes to keep planes moving. The airline trade group chief's comments came a week after Buttigieg called airline leaders to a virtual meeting and threatened to punish carriers that fail to meet consumer-protection standards set by his department, which includes the FAA. Buttigieg said he called the meeting after being alarmed by the high number of canceled flights around Memorial Day - more than 2,700 in a five-day stretch, according to tracking service FlightAware. Thunderstorms can quickly snarl air traffic during the summer, but airlines have also acknowledged staffing shortages - they are hiring at a rapid pace to replace tens of thousands of workers whom the airlines paid to quit when travel collapsed in 2020. Pilot union leaders say their groups are being stretched to the limit, and more pilots report being fatigued. The FAA has admitted that it too is understaffed, particularly at a key air traffic control center in Florida. Calio said that facility, near Jacksonville, Florida, has been understaffed for 27 of the last 30 days, 'which is crippling to the entire East Coast traffic flows.' Delayed passengers traveling on American Airlines - one of the top three U.S. airlines - have been vocal about their delays on Twitter over the weekend Delta Airlines provided its passengers with countless boxes of Domino Pizza on Friday after they experienced 'multiple flight delays' Travelers on Twitter have expressed their frustration at major airlines in North America over the weekend after more than 500 flights were cancelled per day since Friday More than 600 U.S. flights had been canceled and more than 4,200 delayed by early afternoon Friday, according to FlightAware. That was better than Thursday, however, when thunderstorms on the East Coast contributed to more than 800 cancellations and 6,600 delays. As of Sunday morning, more than 479 flights within, into or out of the U.S. have been cancelled, according to Flight Aware. More than 900 flights within the country have also experienced delays. Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the airport in the U.S. with the most travel issues, registering 30 delays and six cancellations between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday. Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada has been the most chaotic airport in North America over the weekend currently experiencing departure delays on an estimated average of 29 minutes (and increasing), FlightAware reports. On Friday, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted that officers screened 2,454,781 million people at airport security checkpoints nationwide on Friday, June 24 the highest daily number since February 11 2020 (pre-Covid) when 2,507,588 people were screened. Officers at TSA checkpoints have been as busy as ever since the COVID pandemic began, with more than two million people going through airport securities on June 25 -- the highest since February 2020 This comes as U.S. consumers lodged more than triple the number of complaints against U.S. airlines in April, compared with pre-pandemic levels, as on-time arrivals fell, according to a report by the Department of Transportation. In April, major carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 76 percent, down from 77.2 percent in March and below the 79.8 percent rate in April 2019, the report said. Airlines operated 566,893 flights in April, about 87 percent of the flights flown during the same month in 2019. The grim news foreshadows a potentially busy July 4 holiday, according to AAA, as over 47 million Americans are expected to travel over the holiday weekend, with 3.5 million of those travelers expected to travel by air. DailyMail.com has contacted the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA for immediate comment. The girlfriend of a concrete boss who was allegedly killed by his employee has shared personal texts with a court to prove she was in a de facto relationship and has a right to his $750,000 estate. Marisol Mabansang, 25, claims she should get a portion of the estate left behind by Khalil Ibrahim after his death in October 2021. Mr Ibrahim, 59, was allegedly stabbed seven times and hit with a spanner eight times by Jordan Van Doorn at his home in Cannon Hill, Brisbane. Van Doorn is charged with murder but claims he was acting in self defence after he was 'unexpectedly' attacked by Mr Ibrahim. Marisol Mabansang, 25, claims she has a right to a portion of the estate left behind by Khalil Ibrahim after he was allegedly murdered by his employee in October 2021 Ms Mabansang filed a claim to the district court saying she was stopped from accessing her dead partner's estate by his daughter Tahlia Ms Mabansang filed a claim to the district court saying she was stopped from accessing her dead partner's estate by his daughter Tahlia. She claimed shewas not able to claim a cent after Tahlia disputed her de facto status with Mr Ibrahim. Ms Mabansag argued in court documents that texts from Mr Ibrahim shared his plans to spend the rest of his life with her, the Courier Mail reported. 'I want you to be my lady for the rest of my life,' one message read. 'I want to marry you because I love you so much. I want to have a baby with you.' Ms Mabansag claimed in court documents the pair met at a party in the Philippines in 2016. The 25-year-old claimed the pair then lived on the Gold Coast before Mr Ibrahim proposed to her with a diamond ring. She shared photos of the pair showing Ms Mabansag posing with a diamond ring. However, she said Mr Ibrahim said he couldn't legally marry her because he was still married to another woman who lived in Canada. Ms Mabansang filed a claim to the district court saying she was stopped from accessing her dead partner's estate by his daughter Tahlia Ms Mabansag claimed her partner 'made most of the money' and 'paid for most things'. 'I took care of the household by cooking, cleaning, doing the groceries and laundry,' she said. 'I would massage him every night, manicure his fingers and toes, take him to the shower and wake him up to prepare him for work. Ms Mabansag claimed Tahlia, who lived with the couple, knew she was Mr Ibrahim's de facto partner, and she even cooked and cleaned for her. She produced a text message claimed to be from Tahlia, consoling her after Mr Ibrahim's death. 'I know it would be so hard you were the one that would wake up with him until he left for work. I'm always here [for you],' it read. Ms Mabansag claimed Tahlia and her family took all of Mr Ibrahim's possessions 'without permission' after the 59-year-old died. While huge petrol price increases are fuelling a very high demand for electric vehicles in Australia, there are not enough EV cars available. But an enterprising mechanic is helping to meet the demand by converting petrol-guzzlers into EVs - but there is a hefty upfront cost. 'There's no car that can't be converted,' Graeme Manietta from DIY Electric Vehicles said. And he should know. Mr Manietta built his first electric car in his workshop in Logan, Queensland, 15 years ago. Electric cars are becoming more popular in Australia. Pictured is a young woman attaching an electric charger to her car Word soon spread about his work and over time it grew into a steady business. The process involves removing the exhaust and radiator systems, and adding batteries to power the vehicle. The batteries should last from 10 to 18 years depending on how often the car is used. The starting price for a conversion is $16,000 and goes up from there depending on the vehicle. But the savings start as soon as the job is done, with the converted car giving the driver a range of about 100km. 'In 10 years time, I think it'll be so cheap to put in a 1,000km range of battery because the technology is improving at an exponential rate,' Mr Manietta told A Current Affair. He said powering an EV to cover a longer range means more batteries and higher costs, and that older cars are often cheaper to convert than newer models. Mr Manietta said that in 10 years time, people would look at someone driving a diesel powered car 'like we look at a smoker nowadays, with a bit of disdain'. Graeme Manietta (pictured) from DIY Electric Vehicles has created a successful business in converting petrol-guzzlers into electric cars 'Regardless of what the naysayers and the coal huggers all carry on about, we need clean air, we need a clean environment.' Brisbane man Brendan Poole saved a Nissan Tiida from the scrap heap by having it converted to an EV. The rising price of fuel no longer bothers him. 'It was a petrol car blowing smoke and now it's not, so it's still got a second life,' he said. Across Australia, fully electric vehicles have a minuscule 0.6 per cent market share. Pictured is a woman charging an EV Mr Manietta refers to the 'EV grin' - the smile electric vehicle owners get when they drive past a petrol station and see the prices listed. The trained mechanic now also recycles vehicle batteries into powerwalls that can be attached to home solar units. 'And we're not rocket scientists, this is just common sense,' he said. NSW Treasurer Matt Kean - known for climate change campaigning - announced last Tuesday that the state government would spend an extra $38 million on its electric car strategy, taking total investment to more than half a billion dollars. Graeme Manietta (pictured right) refers to the 'EV grin' - the smile electric vehicle owners get when they drive past a petrol station and see the prices listed The money will be spent on installing more charging points in streets, apartment buildings, and designated stations. Across Australia, fully electric vehicles have a minuscule 0.6 per cent market share. But the NSW Government wants to increase that figure to more than 50 per cent by 2030-31. A Burger King employee who has received more than $157,000 in donations through GoFundMe in just four days in recognition of his 27 years of service at the fast food chain has thanked people for their generosity and said that the money will help pay for his grandchildren to go to college. Kevin Ford, 54, from Nevada, started working at the company as a single father to gain custody of his first two children, his daughter Seryna explained. Word spread of his dedication to his job at the Las Vegas Airport branch of the burger chain when a viral video showed him being gifted a movie ticket, a bag of candy, a coffee tumbler, lanyard and some pens as a thankyou gift. Kevin Ford, 54, has shared details on how he intends to use the money donated to him by well-wishers impressed at his 27 years of service at Burger King The GoFundMe has surpassed $157,000 in just five days, including a $5,000 donation from comedian David Spade Those watching the video felt that Ford deserved far more. 'I was grateful for anything. There's people I have worked with for 20 or 30 years and they didn't get anything. I am happy with anything,' Ford told NewsNationNow. 'I am grateful and happy. I am just thankful that I got that,' he said referring to the items he received. 'There are people working hard and they didn't get anything. Speaking of the now $157,000 donations received from 4,700 people in recent days, Ford was overcome with emotion. 'The generosity of these people is just overwhelming. I've been crying for three days now. I can't believe it. I really can't,' he said. He said that he was unable to explain how he had never missed a shift in his 27 years of work. 'I don't know myself. I don't know how i did that! Maybe I'm a robot? I just never thought about taking a day off. I just try to work as hard as I can, whatever I do,' Ford said. Ford was overcome with emotion as he thanked people for their generosity. He said that he would be using the money to visit his grandkids and to help pay for some of their college Ford's daughter explained how as his family grew over the years he stayed at his job and 'continued to work here because of the amazing health insurance.' 'My dad continues to work here, because though he does look young, he is coming up on retirement age and leaving would cost him his retirement. 'In no way are we asking for money or is he expecting any money but if anyone feels like blessing him he would love to visit his grandchildren.' The outpouring of support astonished the family, with the fundraising now surpassing $157,000 since Tuesday. 'I'm here tying to get through dinner without crying! You are such remarkable people,' Seryna wrote in an update on Friday. 'I seriously can't believe this. Y'all are changing his life! Thank y'all! A million times over, THANK YOU!!!!' One of the many donors includes celebrity comedian David Spade, who donated $5,000 and had a private Instagram exchange with the BK worker. Sweet: Just a few days after the fast food worker, named Kevin Ford, went viral for a video thanking the company for a goodie bag for his loyalty, the 57-year-old comedian made a generous contribution to his GoFundMe 'Keep up the good work. 27 years,' Spade wrote to Ford. In response, according to a screenshot of their exchange obtained by TMZ, Ford replied: 'Holy s**t dude [three shocked face emojis].' The Burger King employee also expressed he couldn't 'believe' Spade's kindness and was looking forward to using some of his paid time off. 'THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! For even watching the video! I love you my brother!!! Much love and God Bless... I think might be able to take a day off...' he told Spade. Spade joked back that Ford should just 'wait till year 30' to take any time off. 'D**n, are you one of my managers??? he replied. 'Thank you again, Sir... Have a great day.' Ford went viral earlier this week for posting a video praising Burger King for gifting him a single movie ticket, bag of Reese's Pieces, a Starbucks cup, some Lifesavers, a lanyard, two pens, and a few keychains for his hard work at the company. David Spade surprised a hardworking Burger King employee, who has not missed work in nearly three decades Top donor: In addition to Spade's donation, more than 4,700 people came together to raise $157,000 for the viral Burger King employee In the footage, he graciously said that 'loyalty pays off.' Many Twitter users, however, were shocked that the company didn't do more for him. 'This is all y'all could do for this man?' one viewer tweeted, while another called Ford's video 'depressing' and 'embarrassing' for the brand. Others suggested he deserved an entire franchise or an 'all expense paid trip.' Cambridge University students have hit out at plans to give them five hours to complete a three-hour exam, complaining that it is not long enough. Since the Covid pandemic, undergraduates on English courses have sat exams remotely, where they had a full day to complete a paper while being allowed access to books and the internet. Now dons want to reduce the deadline for returning scripts to five hours prompting angry students to protest that they have been betrayed. However, they are still being given two hours more than they would have had before Covid, and can still take advantage of the 'open-book, open-web' policy. Students with disabilities can also ask for extra time. Faculty chiefs say they want to shorten the deadline for the sake of student welfare, following reports that some undergraduates were spending the full 24 hours working on their answers. Cambridge University students have hit out at plans to give them five hours to complete a three-hour exam, complaining that it is not long enough. (File photo) But the proposals have faced a backlash, especially because dons had promised freshers who started their courses last year that they would sit exams in the same format through all three years of their degree. 'I am very worried and feel betrayed by this proposal,' said one second-year student. 'Last year the faculty promised 24-hour exams for the duration of our degree. The fact that this is being changed in our final year, when exams matter the most, is far more damaging to alleged 'student welfare' than continuing 24-hour exams. It is far more important to examine based on students' ability to produce quality research than it is for them to memorise lines of text.' But Professor Alan Smithers, director of the centre for education and employment research at Buckingham University, said: 'I don't know what these students are complaining about. These arrangements are pretty lax. 'Inevitably during Covid there were some adjustments to exams but the only way to ensure fairness is for candidates to take timed papers, under invigilated conditions in an exam hall. Otherwise there is no way of guaranteeing that it is the student's fingers on the keyboard they can call in help from any direction. There is nothing to stop them doing the equivalent of 'phone a friend'.' Cambridge University confirmed the faculty has decided on the five-hour option for 2023's exams for third years. 'This was the preferred option in a survey,' a spokesman said. 'The pandemic has opened up a number of options for more innovative ways of examining students.' For other papers next year and in 2024, the English faculty is proposing a return to the three-hour invigilated exams that were used before the pandemic. The faculty also said it may 'explore the possibility' of watering down the traditional exam by allowing students to refer to notes in the exam hall and even take in their own laptops. Advertisement Arizona state senators have said the Phoenix Police Department stopped an insurrection with their actions during a protest outside the state Capitol complex on Friday night. Riot police deployed tear gas as protesters banged on doors and windows during the demonstration. Despite the apparent seriousness of the protest, no arrests were made. According to a statement from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, there were around 8,000 people present at the protest in the hours after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, stripping abortion rights from millions in the process. Arizona is one of eight states where abortion clinics stopped performing procedures after the decision was released Friday. The police accused the protesters of defacing state memorials on the capitol grounds, known as Wesley Bolin Plaza. It came as millions of people across the country took to the streets to protest the decision with most of the rallies remaining peaceful. Police deploy tear gas against women at the Arizona Capitol as pro-choice protesters rally against the overturning of Roe V Wade Arizona is one of eight states where abortion clinics stopped performing procedures after the decision was released Friday In a press release, the Arizona Senate Republicans said 'violent pro-abortion protesters attempts of an insurrection' were thwarted 'thanks to the swift action from local and state law enforcement. The Arizona GOP said local law enforcement called for backup and dispersed the crowd before they could breach the capitol building. The statement refers to the whole situation as 'terrifying' and said that senators and staff had to evacuate to a secure location. The lawmakers were working to complete their 2022 session when the protest occurred. Despite the crowd being dispersed, senators were still unable to complete their work as some of the tear gas was sucked into the senate chambers' making the air quality unhealthy. Senate President Karen Fann said in a statement: 'We are incredibly thankful for our local law enforcement who quickly intervened during that could have been a destructive and dangerous situation for our members, staff and public inside the senate.' Fann continued: 'Violence is never the answer, and we will not camouflage what was a blatant attempt at an insurrection as a 'rally' or 'peaceful protest.' We are calling on lawmakers to condemn these acts. There is a way to make your voice heard and violence is never the answer.' Officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the building Riot police surround the Arizona Capitol after protesters reached the front of the Arizona Sentate building KPHO-TV reported the officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the building Abortion rights protesters banged on the walls of the capitol building in Arizona while holding signs The APDS statement described the protest as being peaceful but 'evolved into anarchical and criminal actions by masses of splinter groups.' Authorities accused the crowd of attempting to breach the building in a manner similar to the events of January 6, 2021. As a result of these actions, police were reduced to deploying tear gas and field force teams around 8:30 pm. The scene was clear by 9:30 pm. The statement reads: 'Troopers exercised patience and application of tactics in Wesley Bolin Plaza as some people unwisely brought children to the protest turned unlawful assembly. 'After multiple warnings, and notifications of trespass and unlawful assembly, state troopers deployed gas and strategically moved to clear the plaza. 'After the plaza was cleared, additional state buildings in the area sustained criminal damage.' Protesters told AZ Central that they were not warned before the tear gas was used. Among the memorials that were damaged were the capitol's Korean War Memorial, the Arizona Law Enforcement Canine Memorial and the Arizona Peace Officers Memorial. Republican State Senator Kelly Townsend posted photos of the defaced memorials following the protest. She wrote: 'I wish I could describe the deep anger, but I will just say that it is one of those things you set aside and move forward because we are winning.' During the standoff, Townsend tweeted: 'We are currently there being held hostage inside the Senate building due to members of the public trying to breach our security.' Townsend continued: 'We smell teargas and the children of one of the members are in the office sobbing with fear. I expect a J24 committee to be created immediately.' Townsend's colleague Senator Warren Peterson tweeted during the protest saying that he felt safe as he was with three other senators who were armed. Video taken from inside the Senate lobby by Republican Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita showed the scene. Another she took moments later showed state police in riot gear forming a line inside the building, facing protesters on the other side of the glass. She said in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday morning that the protesters were clearly trying to enter the locked building. 'They were aggressively banging on the windows in a way that at any moment it could break,' Ugenti-Rita said. 'This wasnt a knock on a window. I mean, they were trying to break the windows.' A protester shouted in front of the United States Supreme Court on Saturday, after the conservative majority voted to overturn the landmark decision that guaranteed abortion rights across the country The protests continued for a second straight day outside the Supreme Court on Saturday Friday's ruling struck down over 50 years of a woman's constitutional right to an abortion - and leaves abortion rights up to the states Hundreds of protesters could been seen in her videos milling about the plaza between the House and Senate buildings, while about a hundred were closer, near the glass wall at the front of the Senate building. 'There was no other conclusion than they were interested in being violent,' she added. 'I have no other takeaway than that. Ive seen many protests over my years, in many different sizes and forms. Ive never seen that ever.' On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Senator Lupe Contreras told AZ Central that he was in the building with his wife and kids when the protest occurred. Contreras said that he was 'scared to all hell' for them. He added: 'What I had to endure today wasn't cool.' Democratic state Rep. Athena Salman of Tempe, however, said those gassed were peaceful. 'A bunch of House and Senate Democrats voted to give these cops a huge pay raise,' said said on Twitter in a post showing police firing tear gas. 'Some even called it historic. Remember that every time the cops gas peaceful protesters.' Salman said in an interview Saturday that police in Arizona have a long history of using unneeded force against people exercising the First Amendment rights to protest and then blaming them for causing the trouble. She pointed to Black Lives Matter and immigrant justice protests, and said she's not surprised to see it at an abortion rights protest. 'Anything related to human rights they're ultimately going to gas the crowd and then come up with cover stories justifying this excessive use of force,' Salman said. State Senate Democrats issued a statement Saturday saying the vast majority of protesters were peaceful while noting that a small number tried to enter the building. 'We unequivocally condemn violence in all forms, and anxiously await the investigation results to explain the response of law enforcement,' the statement said. They also criticized 'right-wing media and lawmakers' who called it an 'insurrection attempt,' and said they were 'weaponizing this moment to deflect from the actions of January 6th.' Arizona's Republican Governor Doug Ducey insists a bill he previously passed, banning abortions after 15 weeks, still stands. But Ducey's assertion can only be settled in the state's courts - and some hardline Republicans are already suggesting the original ban on all terminations should remain in place. The incident sent Senate lawmakers into the basement of the building for about 20 minutes, said Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada. Stinging tear gas wafted through the Capitol afterward, forcing the Senate to move its proceedings to a hearing room instead of the Senate chamber. The protest comes as Arizona's Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward and her husband, Michael Ward, are under investigation by the feds of allegations that she sent fake certificates to the national archives in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, according to CNN. The certificates incorrectly said that ex-President Donald Trump won the Grand Canyon State. Earlier this week, Arizona Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers told the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot that he would still vote for Trump despite the fact Trump asked him to overturn the state's election results in 2020. A single speed speed camera has raked in almost $11 million from unsuspecting drivers in just three months. The camera - set up across four lanes on the Western Ring Road in Broadmeadows, north of the Melbourne CBD - was responsible for 30,000 fines between October and December 2021. About 12,000 motorists were pinged in the third lane alone - collecting $4 million over the three months. During that same time, speed limits were reduced from 100km/h to 80hm/h along the stretch of road due to roadwork between the M80 Western Ring Road. New speed cameras are responsible for millions of dollars worth of fines in Melbourne. Pictured: Police pulling drivers over in Victoria Transport boss has called for an enquiry into speed cameras and signs in some areas. pcitured: A speed camera sign in Melbourne Melbourne's Highest-Grossing Speed Cameras: 1. Western Ring Road, Broadmeadows: $10,934,850 across 300,000 fines 2. Rosanna Road and Darebin Street, Heidelberg: $2,879,699 across 9,892 fines 3. Fitzroy Street and Lakeside Drive, St Kilda: $ 1,895,061 across 6,681 fines. 4. King Street and La Trobe Street, West Melbourne: $ 1,556,893 across 5,556 fines. 5. North Road and Clayton Road, Oakleigh East: $ 1,058,871 across 3,656 fines. Data recorded between October and December, 2021 Advertisement Victorian Transport Association president Peter Anderson has been swamped with with complaints from drivers who were fined where speeds were reduced due to roadworks, but where there was no visible construction. 'If we are going to put up temporary cameras we need to understand where they are and what they are doing,' he told the Herald Sun. 'And we need to listen to the public if the cameras are treating us unfairly.' Paul Freestone, owner of freight company Freestone's Transport, called for an independent review into the cameras and temporary speed limits - claiming 'lazy' road workers erect temporary speed limits and don't take them down. 'We want someone to have an independent look at how these cameras are being set up - who is setting them up? It is a private enterprise? Are all these cameras set up properly?' he said. New figures also show a camera at the intersection of Rosanna Road and Darebin Street in Heidelberg, in Melbourne's north-east, collected $2,879,699 across 10,000 fines. At the intersection of Fitzroy Street and Lakeside Drive in St Kilda, 6,681 drivers were issues with speeding fines, forcing Victorians to cough up $1,895,061. In the CBD, a camera positioned on the intersection of King Street and La Trobe Street in West Melbourne was responsible for 5,556 fines - worth $1,556,893. In total, 376,316 Victorians were fined over the past three months - costing them more than $100 million. One camera is set up across four lanes on the Western Ring Rd in Broadmeadows (pictured), north of the city's CBD, and was responsible for 30,000 fines Data showed the number of drivers pinged by mobile and fixed cameras was up more than 16 per cent compared with the same period last year, and 31 per cent compared with the previous July to September quarter. However, Covid restrictions enforced during those periods in 2021 meant there were fewer motorists using the roads. The Department of Justice and Community Safety said speed limits were enforced to keep drivers and road workers safe, and urged motorists to pay attention to road signs. He added it was 'disappointing' to see so many Victorians disregarding road rules. Elvira Lazar, from the the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, defended the use of mobile speed cameras and said they were a proven method to deter speeding. Six rowers attempting to circumnavigate Britain in 'the world's toughest race' have been rescued off the coast of Northern Ireland. The rowing vessel, which started its journey from London on June 12, called for assistance at 4pm on Saturday, stating it was in the Irish Sea and unable to row due to worsening weather conditions. The rowing vessel was approximately 18 nautical miles north-east of Larne when it got into difficulty. Weather on the scene was gale force 8 and rough seas. The Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat, the Coastguard Rescue helicopter 199 from Prestwick and a tanker in the local area were sent. Just after 11pm the rowers were able to board the lifeboat. All are safe and well and making their way to shore. Six rowers attempting to circumnavigate Britain in 'the world's toughest race' have been rescued off the coast of Northern Ireland It comes after another vessel attempting to row around Great Britain called for assistance on Friday, just before 6.30pm. The five rowers onboard the vessel left London 13 days ago. Their last known position was 42.5 nautical miles west off St Anns Head, Pembrokeshire. HM Coastguard and the Irish Coast Guard issued broadcasts to all vessels in the area requesting them to keep a sharp look out. A ferry reported seeing a rowing boat and was able to establish radio communications. The rowers confirmed they were safe, but fatigued and were concerned about worsening weather conditions. The rowers, along with their shore contact, made the decision to head to Wexford, Ireland, with both HM Coastguard and the Irish Coast Guard monitoring the situation. The two vessels were attempting to row around Great Britain, both starting their journeys from London on June 12 The rowing vessel was approximately 18 nautical miles north-east of Larne when it got into difficulty. Weather on the scene was gale force 8 and rough seas At around midnight on Friday, the vessel sustained damage to its rudder. Angle RNLI lifeboat was sent and able to attach a tow. Due to the offshore location and delicacy needed in the towing, the lifeboat was out for nearly 12 hours, arriving with the rowers and their vessel in Milford Haven, Wales, just before 12.30pm on Saturday. Although fatigued the rowers did not need medical assistance. There is a third rowing vessel, that also left London on the 12th June, that is currently in the Irish Sea. It does not require assistance at this time and is continuing the journey. HM Coastguard is in regular communications with the vessel and will continue to monitor the situation throughout the night. The Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat, the Coastguard Rescue helicopter 199 from Prestwick and a tanker in the local area were sent Alex Smith, Commander at HM Coastguard, said: The rowers were well prepared, they had all the appropriate safety equipment, a VHF radio and satellite phone but they still got caught out. 'Most importantly they had a shore contact, who was able to raise the alarm after communications were lost with first vessel. Whether you are rowing across the sea, sailing along the coast or going out for a paddle, always be prepared, check the weather, take the appropriate safety equipment and means of calling for help. 'Always tell someone where you are going and when you plan to come back. Remember if you see someone in difficulty at sea or along the coast call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. A day after the Supreme Court upheld the clean chit given by an SIT to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots cases, Gujarat Police on Saturday arrested former Director General of Police RB Sreekumar and took in custody social activist Teesta Setalvad for allegedly conspiring to falsely implicate innocent persons. The FIR based on a complaint filed by an Ahmedabad crime branch official, also named former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is already in jail in another case. Setalvad, who was picked up from her Mumbai residence, claimed her arrest was illegal and apprehended threat to her life. Setalvad was detained from her house in the Juhu area of Mumbai and later taken to Santacruz police station for informing the local police about her detention, sources said. She has been taken by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad....We were not informed in advance about the case. They barged into the house and assaulted her before taking her with them, alleged her lawyer Vijay Hiremath. But a local police official denied that Setalvad was assaulted. Setalvad, Bhatt and Sreekumar conspired to abuse the process of law by fabricating false evidence to make several persons to be convicted in an offence that is punishable with capital punishment, said the complaint filed by inspector DB Barad of Ahmedabad crime branch. They instituted false and malicious criminal proceedings against innocent people with intention to cause injury to several persons, and prepared false records and dishonestly used those records as genuine with the intention to cause damage and injury to many persons, as per the complaint. The complaint drew on various submissions made before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Supreme Court to investigate the 2002 Gujarat riots cases and submissions made by the accused before the Justice Nanavati-Shah Commission of Inquiry. The FIR was registered earlier in the day under sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Setalvad conjured, concocted, forged, fabricated facts and documents and/or evidence including fabrication of documents by persons who were protective witnesses of the complainant (Zakia Jafri), as per the complaint. Setalvad and her NGO were co-petitioner with Zakia Jafri in the petition filed against then chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the Supreme Court. Court dismissed the petition on Friday and upheld the clean chit given to Modi and others. The complaint also accused Setalvad of influencing and tutoring witnesses and making them depose on pre-typed affidavits. Even Zakia Jafri was tutored by Setalvad, as was clear from her statement before the Nanavati Commission on August 22, 2003, it said. IPS officers Bhatt and Sreekumar -- who was additional DGP of Armed Unit during the 2002 Godhra riot, and intelligence DGP soon after -- had made several depositions before the Nanavati Commission of Inquiry that were against the Gujarat government, the complaint said. Bhatt allegedly forged various documents mailed to the SIT and also falsely claimed he attended a late night meeting on February 27, 2002, called by the then chief minister (Modi) at his residence, it said. Sreekumar's nine affidavits before the Nanavati-Shah Commission were the source of many of the allegations in Zakia Jafri's petition, it claimed. In its judgment passed on Friday, the Supreme Court had observed that At the end of the day, it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. The falsity of their claims had been fully exposed by the SIT after a thorough investigation ... As a matter of fact, all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceed in accordance with law, the court order said. In its judgment, the apex court had also noted the objections raised by the respondents on Setalvad joining as petitioner number two in the plea after Jafri. The respondents objected on the grounds of Setalvad's antecedents and also for her ulterior design by exploiting the emotions and sentiments of appellant--Zakia Jafri, the real victim of the circumstances. However, no direct role of Setalvad was mentioned in the court verdict. Jafri's husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots. A police officer in Mumbai said Setalvad handed a written complaint to Santacruz police station (when she was taken there), and they are processing it. Setalvad's complaint alleged that Gujarat police barged into her compound, did not show her a copy of the FIR or warrant against her, and there was a big bruise on her left hand. I fear seriously for my life, her complaint added. Labours grubby backroom pact with the Liberal Democrats could end with Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street at the head of a coalition of chaos, the Tories warned last night. They claimed the two opposition parties were using a secretive electoral deal to hoodwink voters into electing a weak minority government at the next General Election. And they raised fears that it would give the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon the whip hand over an administration with no Commons majority. The warning comes amid mounting suspicions, reported by The Mail on Sunday last month, that Labour and the Lib Dems forged a secret by-election pact to win the Tory-held Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton seats both lost by the Tories last week. Labours grubby backroom pact with the Liberal Democrats could end with Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) in Downing Street at the head of a coalition of chaos, the Tories warned last night Experts say that even if Labour do not win the next election, Sir Keir could still become PM at the head of a minority or coalition administration. Both opposition parties have denied any such deal, with many MPs insisting tactical voting by the electorate not a deal between parties was the real problem for the Tories. But former Labour adviser Ayesha Hazarika wrote in the i newspaper yesterday that Labour and the Lib Dems were operating very sensible non-aggression pacts. In The Times, election guru Sir John Curtice said Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey had allied his party with Labour, while Labour have given Daveys party an apparent free run in some recent by-elections. Last night, Tory deputy chairman Luke Hall told The Mail on Sunday: Its clear that Labour and the Lib Dems have a secretive and grubby backroom pact. They should come clean rather than trying to hoodwink voters and have us end up with a damaging coalition of chaos. Former YouGov president Peter Kellner said that even if Labour had fewer seats than the Tories, Sir Keir could be PM with the other parties backing. He told The Guardian: Labour might end up with just 260 or 270 seats and still have enough for Starmer to become Prime Minister. Parents should be paid to get their children jabbed against polio to counter dangerously low vaccination rates, a public health expert has urged. Dr Chris Papadopoulos said they could be offered a small sum as a short-term measure to boost rates in deprived areas where coverage tends to be lowest. His suggestion came as the UK Health Security Agency raced to find the source of Britains first outbreak of the potentially deadly disease in nearly 40 years. Traces of a type of polio virus have been found in sewage in North East London in recent months, pointing to an outbreak in the area, the agency said last week. It is thought to have been triggered by an individual who recently received an older-style oral vaccine containing weakened strains of polio, typically given as a couple of drops on a sugar lump. This vaccine was phased out in the UK in 2004 but is still used in countries such as Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Parents should be paid to get their children jabbed against polio to counter dangerously low vaccination rates, public health expert Dr Chris Papadopoulos has urged. Pictured, a girl gets her four-in-one pre-school jab offered by the NHS People who receive such an oral vaccine can excrete traces of the weakened polio virus, often picked up in routine sewage testing. But the appearance of very closely related polio virus isolates in Londons waste water since February suggests vaccine-derived polio has spread from the vaccinated individual to other people. Polio vaccination rates are patchy. Across the UK, 92 per cent of babies have had their three-dose course by one year, but in London it is only 86 per cent. Dr Papadopoulos, a lecturer in public health at the University of Bedfordshire, said: The research on this shows us that financial incentives do work. He suggested local campaigns in which parents who get their children vaccinated receive a token payment of 1 or 2, plus entry into a small-scale lottery offering something more significant like a three-figure sum. Ghislaine Maxwell's brother has defended the convicted sex trafficker's 'clear conscience' and claims she 'never would have been found guilty in any civilised country' ahead of her sentencing. Ian Maxwell says his 60-year-old sister has been wronged by the US justice system and is set to spend decades behind bars because of 'unsubstantiated allegations'. Writing in the Telegraph, the businessman also bemoaned that the British socialite had not fled to France before being taken into custody by the US authorities following their investigation into her relationship with paedophile Jeffery Epstein. France has no extradition treaty with the US, meaning she 'could now be cooling her heels in the Med' instead of languishing in New York's Metropolitan Detention Center, he wrote. The 66-year-old said he believes that his sister decided to stay because she has a 'clear conscience'. Ian Maxwell, pictured here in an interview last November, says he still believes his sister is innocent Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of five federal sex-trafficking charges relating to her role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein (pictured with her above) He wrote: 'I believe her when she says that she has committed no crime whatsoever and, apart from the fact that I believe her because I know her so well, the fact of her staying convinces me even more.' Ghislaine is facing a 55-year prison sentence after being convicted of five federal sex-trafficking charges relating to her role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, who took his own life while in prison in 2019. Some of her victims will face her in court in New York on Tuesday, while several have also written emotional victim impact statements which will be read out at the hearing. Mr Maxwell said his sister had been the victim of 'unsubstantiated allegations' and that her family will be 'throwing all our efforts behind appealing her sentence'. He wrote: 'I feel great sympathy for any girls or women who have genuinely been abused but their abuse doesnt give them the right automatically to be believed when they make unsubstantiated allegations, especially when those allegations are immensely well rewarded financially. That is what has happened to my sister.' Some of Ghislaine Maxwells victims will be in court this week to watch when she faces a 55-year sentence for child sex trafficking He added: 'I know that Ghislaine is innocent and that she would never have been found guilty in any civilised country. We will never stop fighting for justice to secure her release.' Ghislaine is currently being held in the general population area of New Yorks notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, where an inmate recently threatened to kill her. A source told The Mail on Sunday: One woman was going around openly bragging that she was going to murder Ghislaine for $1 million. There are violent felons in there who would do it just for the notoriety of killing a high-profile prisoner, but others believe they will receive money if they kill her. They have been told there is a bounty on her head. Three prisoners reported the threats and the woman who was making the threats has been moved away into a special unit. Ghislaine is sleeping with one eye open. The Bureau of Prisons could not keep Epstein safe. They are badly understaffed. Ghislaine is in a unit with 40 other women, many from violent gangs. She is constantly looking over her shoulder, the source said. While Ghislaine could be jailed for up to 55 years, it is believed she is hoping to receive a sentence of less than 15 years because it would allow her to serve her time in a lower-security prison. Anything above 15 years means a federal maximum security prison and, because of her age, will be effectively a life sentence, the source said. Ghislaine faces up to 55 years in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking crimes in a New York court in December Whatever the sentence handed down, her legal team will immediately file an appeal. Although she is entitled to make a one-minute speech in court, sources think it unlikely that shell do so as any comment could be used against her later. In pre-sentencing court documents filed last week, prosecutors condemned her utter lack of remorse and urged the judge to impose a sentence of between 30 and 55 years. Ghislaine will apply to serve out her prison term in the UK to be closer to her family in Oxfordshire, but she will not be eligible for such a move until she has spent at least three years in a US jail. Ghislaine has maintained her innocence from the start, the source said. Whatever happens on Tuesday she will continue to maintain her innocence to the end. The 14-year-old disappeared from the property at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon Police have launched a desperate search for a 14-year-old boy who went missing from his family home. The child went missing from a property in Beenleigh, a suburb south-east of Brisbane, on Saturday afternoon. His family are concerned for his wellbeing because of his medical condition and say his disappearance is out of character. A 14-year-old boy went missing from his family's property in Beenleigh at 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon The boy was last seen at 4.30pm on Saturday and disappeared from the property on foot. He is described as Causasian, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a slim build. He is about 155cm tall and was last wearing a black jumper and red and black Chicago Bulls team shorts. Police are urging anyone with information to call police. Drug dealers are duping taxi drivers into delivering packages containing illicit substances to their clients. Dealers are advertising drugs in cleverly disguised classified ads before connecting with a potential client on an encrypted app and asking them for their address. They then offer to personally deliver the product to their doorstep or arrange for it to be delivered via a rideshare driver. Drug dealers are now duping taxi and rideshare drivers into delivering packages containing illicit substances to their clients (stock image) Dealers are advertising drugs in cleverly disguised classified ads before connecting with a potential client on an encrypted app and asking them for their address One driver revealed they had been called every day for three weeks to pick up packages from an address in Stonnington, in Melbourne, the Herald Sun reported. They said they became suspicious when the person handed them a package while speaking to a person on the phone telling them to 'check the pockets carefully'. The driver later searched the package and found bags with white powder inside. They immediately handed them in to Malvern Police Station. Police officers arrested two 21-year-old men and seized cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms from the property. Another driver said the number of packages being transported unknowingly rose drastically during the Covid pandemic when Australia was plunged into lockdown. Deakin University criminology professor James Martin said the use of marijuana rose during the pandemic while party drugs like MDMA declined. He said it was 'concerning' how easily buyers could connect with drug dealers online and have their orders delivered to their door. 'It's not surprising that we're seeing drug supply taking place through various kinds of online technologies,' he said. U-Nome Security boss Naomi Oakley blamed social media for giving teenagers easy access to drugs The drug dealer then offers to personally deliver the product to their doorstep or arrange for it to be delivered via a rideshare driver (stock image) 'There's no regulation around who you sell to, which really speaks to the need of having a conversation about regulation and legislation about drugs including Cannabis.' U-Nome Security boss Naomi Oakley blamed social media for giving teenagers easy access to drugs. The Australian Federal Police said it was 'watchful of emerging methodologies' being used by organised crime syndicates. 'The AFP works closely with its state and territory partners to combat these vulnerabilities,' it said. A tiny red-brick home has sold for almost $500,000 above the reserve price, and there is a lot more money to be spent on the property yet. After spending $4.72 million for the three-bedroom house with water views on Saturday, the new owner plans to knock it down and rebuild. The 399sqm block was on the market for the first time in almost 60 years, and back then Australia didn't even use dollars - it sold for 6,500. Three bidders kept pushing the price for the house in the suburb of Cabarita in Sydney's inner west up until it was way beyond its $4.25 million reserve. The view from a modest home in Sydney's inner west that just sold for $4.72million The front of the house in the Sydney suburb of Cabarita that sold on Saturday for almost $500,000 more than the reserve The successful bidder, Bruce Turner, said he spent about $500,000 more than he had hoped to to get the house. 'We want to redevelop it, move in and die here,' Mr Turner, managing director of blinds company Wynstan, told Sydney Morning Herald after the auction. 'It will be our forever home.' Mr Turner, along with the same two rival bidders, had also competed for the block next door in 2016. He started the bidding with an offer of $3 million, and from there it went up mostly in increments of $100,000 until it got to $3.9 million. The offers rose in smaller jumps after that, and at the $4.35 million mark, the next-door neighbour entered the bidding, but eventually it got too high for him. That neighbour pipped Mr Turner to buy his property in 2016 for $2.5 million. Pictured is an aerial view of the Sydney suburb, with the house that sold on Saturday marked Selling agent Ben Horwood said though the price fetched on Saturday was far above expectations, he was wasn't shocked. 'It's certainly more than we thought, but it doesn't surprise me with it being such a good quality parcel of real estate,' he said. He said though 'blowout results', where the selling price goes well above the reserve, were getting rarer, 'the rest of the market is still in good shape'. Parole hearings are to be opened up to the public for the first time from next month as part of reforms to the system. The Ministry of Justice will relax the requirement to hold the hearings in private, in the biggest shake-up since parole boards were introduced more than 50 years ago. The plan raises the prospect of high-profile cases being heard in public. The change follows the decision to release black cab rapist John Worboys, who was granted parole in a closed hearing in 2018. The ruling was quashed on appeal following uproar from victims. The change follows the decision to release black cab rapist John Worboys, who was granted parole in a closed hearing in 2018 Jon Venables, who killed two-year-old James Bulger in Merseyside in 1993, is also reported to be pushing for parole and could have a full hearing as early as September Jon Venables, who killed two-year-old James Bulger in Merseyside in 1993, is also reported to be pushing for parole and could have a full hearing as early as September. The plans will grant Justice Secretary Dominic Raab the final say on the release of about 660 offenders a year, The Sunday Times reported. Raab can currently only push for a decision to be reconsidered if it is irrational or procedures were not followed properly. Victims will get rights to attend Parole Board hearings in full and ask questions. They will also be entitled to receive more detailed information from the boards officials. The measures will shake up the way the board operates, tipping the balance away from criminals rights and more in favour of victims and protecting the public. Parole Board officials will be told their only priority will be making sure a prisoner poses no risk to the public. And, in a victory for openness, parole hearings will also be opened to the Press for the first time, Mr Raab pledged. The plans will grant Justice Secretary Dominic Raab the final say on the release of about 660 offenders a year It is the biggest change to the parole system since the boards were introduced 60 years ago, and brings the UK system closer to the more open Canadian one. Dozens of killers, rapists and paedophiles released from prison have gone on to get second life sentences after committing another serious crime. Last year the board allowed the release of Colin Pitchfork, who raped and murdered two 15-year-old girls in the 1980s. He was recalled to jail less than three months later after displaying concerning behaviour. Advertisement A fire which occurred at a Christian pregnancy clinic in Colorado is being treated as arson after chilling messages were spray painted onto the walls and ground outside. 'If abortions aren't safe, neither are you,' read one. 'Bans off our bodies' said another by the entrance at the Life Choices clinic in Longmont, northeast of Boulder. The fire broke out in the middle of the night at 3:17am on Saturday morning. Authorities believe the fire was set deliberately. No abortions are carried out at the center which aims to educate women on pregnancy A Colorado Christian crisis center whose aim is to provide advice for pregnant women was vandalized and set on fire on Saturday morning with messages left in graffiti The building at Life Choices in Longmont, Colorado was found to be covered with black graffiti spray painted on the walls Firefighters from the Longmont Fire Department were on scene in the middle of the night tackling the blaze Life Choices describes itself as a 'Christ-centered ministry providing education, support, healing, and limited medical services for sexual life choices.' Photographs also show the front of the property daubed with graffiti and black paint. A number of phrases could be seen having been spray painted onto the walls and concrete in the entranceway outside the building. The building sustained fire and heavy smoke damage according to Longmont Public Safety officials. Investigators are urging residents in the are to check their own surveillance videos in the hope of tracking down those responsible reports KDVR. 'If abortions aren't safe then neither are you', read a chilling message outside of the pregnancy clinic in Colorado A firefighter is seen at the scene of an overnight fire at a Christian pregnancy clinic. Authorities are searching for those responsible Firefighters were forced to don oxygen masks as they tackled the blaze which saw the building left with smoke damage Across the country in Vermont, vandals struck at the State Capitol in Montpelier. Windows were broken and a message was painted outside the main door, reports WCAX - 'If abortions aren't safe you're not either', it read. The Capitol Police say the incident occurred around 2am with seven windows smashed and damaged running to the value of $25,000. The vandalism at both locations occurred following Friday's Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court ruling that gave women the constitutional right to abortion. Vandals struck at the State Capitol in Montpelier smashing windows and spray painting graffiti Several protestors were arrested in Midtown Manhattan on Friday during protest against the the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe V Wade Police holding batons move to disperse a crowd of abortion rights activists protesting after the overturning of Roe Vs. Wade in Downtown Los Angeles Police holding rubber-bullet guns and batons move to disperse a crowd of abortion rights activists in downtown LA The US Supreme Court on Friday struck down the right to abortion in a seismic ruling that shredded five decades of constitutional protections and prompted several right-leaning states to impose immediate bans on the procedure Police hold a pro-abortion rights demonstrator to the ground as they detain them following a protest Police officers escort out two abortion-rights protesters during demonstrations outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC Such scenes have become familiar for providers and patients across the country over the decades since the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion. At times the violence has been far more severe, including bombings, arson and murders - from the 1993 killing of Dr. David Gunn outside a Florida abortion clinic to the 2015 fatal shooting of three people inside a Colorado Planned Parenthood. Now providers and some in law enforcement worry what will come next. They're preparing for an increase in violence now that the Supreme Court has ruled. Historically there has been a spike when the issue of abortion gets widespread public attention, such as after a state approves new restrictions. Now protests, harassment and other violence may well be more concentrated and intensify in states where abortion remains legal. In some places, local police are working with clinics to try to tamp down the potential for violence. In Jacksonville, Florida, the sheriff's office said last month they would station an officer outside the clinic, and police in Little Rock, Arkansas, installed a camera atop a crane near an abortion clinic that has been the site of protests, hoping to deter bad actors. But the relationship between clinics and local police isn't always positive, and clinics must weigh whether having a heavy police presence will frighten patients. A bomb exploded outside New Woman All Women Health Care clinic in Birmingham, Alabama in January 1998, killing an off-duty Birmingham police officer and a clinic nurse. Harassment and violence have became common outside abortion clinics over the decades since the landmark 1973 ruling legalizing abortion. Now providers and some in law enforcement worry what will come next A report released Friday by the foundation, which collects monthly data from more than 500 members on harassment and violence, showed a spike in some incidents last year, including invasions of clinics, vandalism, assaults, burglaries, stalking, and hate emails or internet harassment. Picketing and other types of incidents declined compared to 2020, but the number of incidents in all categories in 2021 exceeded the number in 2016, the year Donald Trump was elected president. Providers in the United States, Canada, Colombia and Mexico City reported nine bomb threats last year, up from five in 2020, and the same number as in 2016, according to data from the National Abortion Federation. But reports of suspicious packages or hoax devices jumped from 29 in 2016 to 71 last year. More than 90% of the providers reporting were in the U.S. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said there were more than 40 incidents of violence, intimidation and vandalism at pregnancy centers and churches in recent weeks. Death rates from Covid are lower than ever, according to analysis carried out for The Mail on Sunday. Experts say there is little need to fear a recent surge in cases as fewer than one in 3,000 infected people now dies from coronavirus with the rate even lower for the vaccinated. The analysis of official data by Oxford University shows the 'infection fatality rate' has dropped about 30-fold since the pandemic began due to a combination of vaccine protection and naturally acquired infection. Experts say there is little need to fear a recent surge in cases as fewer than one in 3,000 infected people now dies from coronavirus with the rate even lower for the vaccinated Professor Carl Heneghan of Oxford's Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, who carried out the analysis with statistician Jason Oke, said: 'There have been an astonishing number of Covid infections so far this year, but deaths have come down. 'Now we are looking at an infection fatality rate for Covid of around one in 3,000 which is comparable with seasonal influenza. That's why the Government is right not to be concerned and has come to the conclusion that there is no need for restrictions.' Experts are, however keeping a close watch on two new strains of the Omicron variant BA4 and BA5. On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency said these strains were set to 'become dominant' and data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested around 1.7 million people had Covid in the week ending June 18 about one in 35 of the population. The number of hospitalisations is also rising, more than doubling over the last month from about 450 a day in late May to around 1,000 a day now. In late March and early April, Prof Heneghan said around one in 14 were infected but this did not result in large numbers of deaths over the following month. Analysis of official data by Oxford University shows the 'infection fatality rate' has dropped about 30-fold since the pandemic began due to a combination of vaccine protection and naturally acquired infection. Mr Oke calculated how death rates changed over time by producing a 'spot rate' for each day. He compared official estimates of how many people were thought to have been newly infected on a given day with the number of deaths on a single day about a month later - with the gap to account for the time lag roughly four weeks on average between infection and death. He then drew a line of 'best fit' to smooth out day-to-day variation. Data from South Africa, where BA4 and BA5 have already taken hold, indicate those infected could be 50 per cent more likely to be hospitalised than for the original Omicron strain. Prof Heneghan said while 'we should keep an eye' on the figures, he did not think these hospitalisations would derail the downward fatality trend. 'There's been a tendency to go to the worst case scenario too much throughout the pandemic,' he said. 'We risk just scaring ourselves into more restrictions.' His words were echoed by Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, the former deputy chief medical officer for England, who told the BBC: 'In terms of its [Covid's] kind of lethality, the picture now is much, much, much closer to seasonal flu than it was when [Covid] first emerged.' A 67-year-old woman is dead and four others, including her 8-year-old grandson, were injured after a car struck a group of pedestrians in New York City. The grandmother was pronounced dead at the scene. One of the other victims is in critical condition, two suffered serious injuries and another had minor injuries. One person is in custody following the crash while two others fled the scene and are being hunted by officers. Prior to the crash, the car was being chased by the police after officers attempted to pull the driver over for mismatched license plates, reports the New York Post. One witness said that the car struck a bus stop before hitting the pedestrians. Assistant Chief Judith Harrison told the media: 'As our police officers exited their vehicle and walked up to that vehicle on foot, that vehicle fled at an extremely high rate of speed.' FDNY said the vehicle hit the crowd just after 7pm at 163 Macon Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. DailyMail.com has reached out to the FDNY for further information on the incident. One of the victims is an 8-year-old child. Harrison said that the boy is 'fighting for his life right now, he could really use your prayers.' During a late-night press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams blamed the state's bail reform for the incident. The mayor said in part: 'We are inviting innocent people to die in this city.' This was the scene around 7:00 pm at Macon Street and Ralph Avenue The female victim was pronounced dead at the scene At least one of the victims was a child Cops, firefighters and ambulances swooped on the scene and taped off the entrance to the road. The victims are being treated at the Maimonides Medical Center. All are expected to survive. The crash occurred in front of the BLM deli. An employee of the store told DailyMail.com that he was inside the store working when the crash occurred. He said that he as a male child of around 10 years old laid out on the street following the crash. The employee said there was a lot of blood but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. The employee also said that the security cameras outside of the deli would have got the incident and that investigators have seized the tapes. One witness, Lasinda Matthews told the New York Daily News: 'I was walking and I saw a lady on the floor not moving, not responding. I wasnt able to see her face. She was lying dead on the street.' Another witness, Noah Meares, told the newspaper: 'I looked up and saw a lady fly on the air. When I realized she got hit, I ran inside... and yelled for someone to call 911.' An NYPD spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the driver is not among the injured and is not in custody A registered nurse happened to be at the scene when the crash occurred and attended to the victims. Dushaun Crawfrod, who owns a barber shop in the neighborhood, told the Daily News: 'This is a very fast paced area traffic. It's an avenue, it's wide and people speed.' Mayor Eric Adams said: 'We are feeding it over and over again. A small number of bad people think they can do bad things and get out of jail because we have a bad criminal justice system. When are we going to connect the dots?' He added: 'The video I observed is chilling for anyone who lives in this community... I live blocks from here. I patronize these store. These are my neighbors. No one deserves to walk across the street with their grandchild and be struck.' The mayor concluded by saying: 'We will catch the people responsible. Without even knowing who they are, I guarantee you the have a long criminal record.' It has been a bloody 48 hours on New York City's streets already with two people having been killed and two other hospitalized in separate incidents. In one of those incidents, a man was charged with assault and DWI after allegedly hitting his wife with his car following an argument. On Friday evening, an 11-year-old boy was critically injured when he was hit by an ice cream truck while he was riding his bicycle. BJP Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi may move a Bill in Lok Sabha in the coming Monsoon Session seeking an end to post-retirement benefits to the MPs and MLAs. The party MP, who has become a vocal critic of the Centres Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the Army and declared that he himself would not take pension, will be writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take steps to end pension benefits to the public representatives, sources close to him said. The MP would be moving a private member Bill to withdraw pension benefits to MPs and MLAs. He would also move a Bill to make recruitment in the Government jobs "time-bound", sources said. According to an estimate, the Center is spending over Rs 70.50 crore on monthly pensions being paid to former MPs, which also include rich film stars, businessmen and industrialists having declared their wealth in their election affidavits running into crores. Varun has argued that if those recruited in the armed forces under the Agnipath initiative are not eligible for a pension, then why public representatives "after a five-year term" should get post-retirement benefits. On Sunday Varun tweeted that two youths, Sachin in Rohtak and Vikas in Fatehpur, who were preparing for years to join the Army, had committed suicide after the Government announced the Agnipath scheme. Boris Johnson has pledged a further 430 million to Ukraine as he pushes for a 'Plan B' to free grain from Russia's clutches. Speaking on the eve of the G7 meeting in Germany, the Prime Minister confirmed the UK would back more World Bank loans to Ukraine later on in the year, bringing its total support up to 1.2 billion. Mr Johnson, who is attending the summit on the back of a Commonwealth meeting in Rwanda, said: 'Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.' It comes as he criticised current United Nations plans to get grain out of the war-torn country, saying they are doomed to fail because Russian President Vladimir Putin will use famine as a bargaining chip to ease sanctions. Instead, he says a 'Plan B', which would involved de-mining the Black Sea, providing further weapons and offering insurance for commercial vessels trying to run the Russian blockade, is needed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pictured here today in Kigali, Rwanda, has called for the UN to have a 'Plan B' when trying to get grain out of war-torn Ukraine Around 23 million tonnes of grain are currently stuck behind a Russian blockade. Pictured is a military vehicle in a grain field in Ukraine's Chernihiv region Currently there is 23 million tonnes of grain trapped by the blockade, something that is set to cause an impending global food crisis and is increasing food prices across the world. The UN was Turkey, which is a member of NATO, and Russia to agree a safe corridor for exports. Mr Johnson told reporters: 'Now the problem is that Putin is going to use that as a pretext, as a way to try and get sanctions relaxed. 'And he is going to say I'll let the 23 million tonnes of grain out if you'll go easy on this, this and this. 'I don't think that's a runner. 'So we have to think about a plan B which would be to find ways of empowering the Ukrainians to control the sea lanes from the shore with various bits of kit. 'And there are two things in particular which the UK has expertise in. 'One is de-mining, remote de-mining, and the other is insurance of commercial vessels in contested waters and how to make it possible for people to take on that job.' He said Britain is in talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and the Turks to get an agreement. Boris Johnson says Britain is in talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkey over a potential safe corridor for exports Mr Johnson added that he felt the Russian's are 'running out of puff' in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Pictured is Russian president Vladimir Putin, seen here talking with Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko 'At some stage the world is going to have to move from Plan A which is the UN plan with Russian help, which I think is probably going to be a non-starter, to a Plan B,' he added. Mr Johnson insisted Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan 'definitely wants the grain out' when asked if he is too close to the Putin regime. The Prime Minister said Ukraine is at a 'critical point' in the war where it appears that the Russians are 'running out of puff'. 'And you know, just mincing, mincing up the Ukrainians, let me choose a better word, can you strike mincing out, just keep grinding forward, that's a better way of putting it, keep grinding forward, that's a better way of putting it. 'That is the risk,' he added. Mr Johnson was in Rwanda discussing the grain crisis with leaders at a Commonwealth summit and will travel on to G7 and Nato meetings in Europe. He warned allies against becoming 'exhausted with this thing', arguing it would be a 'disaster' for the world if Mr Putin wins ground. 'I'm going to make it today in the (leaders) retreat, but tomorrow in the G7. I think it's just repeating that basic point that a victory for Putin is a disaster,' Mr Johnson said. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was also warning against getting 'tired' support for Ukraine, as she warned against a peace deal that would be a 'concession' to Moscow. After holding talks with Turkey in Ankara, she told reporters in Kigali that 'we've only got a month to do this'. 'My concern is that Russia is currently prevaricating,' she said. Illegal migrants due for removal to Rwanda are to be released on electronic tags this week. An Albanian man in his 20s is one of several who were scheduled to be flown out of Britain to the East African country earlier this month. But he is set to be tagged and released within days after providing an immigration court hearing with an address where he will live. A Home Office trial will see migrants, including many who crossed the Channel in small boats, tagged and released over the next 12 months. A Home Office trial will see migrants, including many who crossed the Channel in small boats, tagged and released over the next 12 months Officials are continuing to notify migrants who are detained after sailing in flimsy craft from the Continent that they could be removed to Rwanda. The Government struck a deal with the Rwandan government earlier this year for the African state to accept asylum seekers who travel to Britain illegally. There they can claim asylum and, if successful, begin a new life. The Ministry of Defence revealed that another 231 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats on Friday, taking last weeks figure to more than 800. More than 2,500 have crossed this month, raising the total so far this year to over 12,000 - more than double what it was by the end of June last year. About 8,400 migrants crossed in 2020 and more than 28,000 made the journey in 2021. In April, the Government announced plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda as part of a five-year trial. The Home Office won a series of court judgments against refugee charities and a union representing Border Force staff in the lead up to the first flight on June 14. But it was blocked at the last minute after a late intervention by the European Court of Human Rights. A full judicial review of the policy is expected to take place in July. A Home Office spokesman said: The Government will not be deterred as we plan for the next flight to Rwanda. We will keep as many people in detention as the law allows, but where a court orders that an individual due to be on the first flight should be released, we will tag them where appropriate. Two of Anthony Albanese's most senior ministers have defended Labor slashing staff for independent and minor party MPs as 'common sense'. The prime minister sent a letter on Friday telling the 16 affected MPs and 18 crossbench senators their adviser numbers were being cut from four each to one. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he was surprised by how many staff crossbenchers had, while Education Minister Jason Clare said the decision was 'pretty fair'. 'I don't think it's reasonable or fair for one backbench MP in one electorate to get twice as many staff as a backbench MP in the electorate next door,' Mr Chalmers told ABC's Insiders on Sunday. But the move has been slammed by crossbenchers, including Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, Sydney MP Sophie Scamps, and new ACT senator David Pocock, who said it could derail the government's legislative agenda. Jacqui Lambie (pictured) said she was 'fuming' with Anthony Albanese over staffing cuts for crossbenchers such as her Labor has 26 senators and needs 39 votes to pass bills through the 76-member senate. That means it will need the backing of 13 crossbenchers to pass any legislation not supported by the Coalition. Ms Lambie said she was 'fuming' with Mr Albanese and that his decision could make her more likely to vote against government bills. 'If we cant go through the legislation (with advisers) how can we vote on it? Im not voting for something that I cant go through,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald. Ms Scamps, who represents Mackellar on Sydney's northern beaches, said the staff cuts 'will present an enormous challenge for the crossbench to effectively undertake the work we are required to do in federal parliament'. She, along with the other crossbenchers, will still have four electorate staff each, in addition to one adviser. Mr Pocock, a former rugby international, slammed the move as a 'hypocritical... political decision' that 'short-changes' his ACT electorate. 'Being accessible, consulting widely, challenging the parliament to do better and making politics about people, that's what I want to do and I need a great team to do that,' he wrote on Twitter. New ACT senator David Pocock (left) is pictured with his wife Emma. Mr Pocock said a lack of staff will diminish his ability to keep tabs on the government David Pocock expressed his dissatisfaction with the Albanese Government in a series of tweets (pictured) on Saturday '[Mr Albanese's] decision is hypocritical and a double-standard that actively disadvantages community-backed independents while preserving the status quo for the major parties.' Mr Pocock, the ACT's first independent senator, said the lack of staff would diminish his ability to keep tabs on the government. 'Consulting with my fellow crossbenchers in the Senate, we have shared concerns about voting on legislation we don't have the resources to adequately scrutinise or ensure the integrity of,' he said. But Mr Clare said the previous staffing allocations were too high. 'If you're a Labor MP or a Liberal MP or a National, you get four staff, and if you're a Green or if you're a crossbench MP you get eight, that seems to me a bit out of whack,' he told Sky News. New Mackellar MPSophie Scamps (pictured) said staff cuts 'will present an enormous challenge for the crossbench' 'What Albo is saying here is that if you're a crossbench MP you'll get an extra member of staff above and beyond what a Labor or Liberal or a Nat MP will get and we'll put extra resources into the Parliamentary Library. 'That seems to me to be pretty fair.' Three of the 12 lower house MPs - Rebekha Sharkie, Helen Haines and Bob Katter - will get two advisers due to the vast size of their electorates in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland, respectively. Cutting the crossbench MPs' allocation from 48 to 15 will slash the annual wages bill from from an estimated $6,785,856 to $2,120,580 per year. Treasurer Jim Chalmers (pictured left) has defended Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) slashing the number of advisers allowed to crossbench MPs and senators But the previous allocation of four advisers each for crossbenchers was a relatively recent addition. In 2010, then prime minister Julia Gillard allocated one adviser each to independent MPs. That was increased to three by Malcolm Turnbull and four by Scott Morrison. Labor is also cutting $1.5 million of 'extra salary payments' for government staff. Mr Clare said the cut to crossbench adviser allocations would not put people off trying to become an MP or senator. 'People come to this job, not for the pay, but for the opportunity that it provides to really make a difference,' he said. 'So everybody's taken a haircut here.' A man has been killed in a fight with his neighbour over a dispute on a quiet street in an Australian country town. Police were called to the dispute on Friday morning in Grafton, northern NSW, after reports of a fight between two men. A 50-year-old was found at the scene unresponsive with critical head injuries and emergency services were unable to revive him. A 50-year-old man died in an alleged fight on Phoenix Close in Grafton on Friday morning The fight took place in Phoenix Close in South Grafton just after 9.30am between two men police say were known to each other. Paramedics attempted to save the 50-year-old victim but he died at the scene. A 64-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Grafton Police Station, where he was charged with manslaughter and refused bail. Forensic teams are investigating the site and will prepare a report. Advertisement Roe v. Wade protesters in South Carolina clashed with police on Saturday as thousands continued their outrage against the Supreme Court's decision to end the landmark abortion ruling by holding demonstrations in Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and all across the country. Protests erupted on Friday following the court's ruling to overtun women's federal right to abortions, with 26 states expected to futher restirct or outight ban abortions. Outrage over the decision is expected to carry on over the weekend through the chaotic protests, as Capitol Police said two people were arrested on Saturday for throwing paint over the fence by the Supreme Court and protesters clashed with police in Greenville, South Carolina. The Greenville chaos erupted when hundreds overcrowded the streets and six people were arrested by police, who were filmed tackling demonstrators after they were told to disband following the scheduled 1 p.m. finish. Protests also broke out in Jackson, Mississippi, Boston, Austin, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, and St. Louis. Hundreds gathered outside the Supreme Court on Saturday for the second day of protests over the end of Roe v. Wade Chaos erupted in Greenville, South Carolina when police tackled four men to the ground to arrest them after the crowd failed to disband after one hour of protest. Demonstrators claimed police tased one of the men Many were there to blast the high court's decision to strip women's federal right abortions (pictured). Also outside the Supreme Court were waves of anti-abortion portesters celebrating the ruling In Los Angeles, members of a large protest broke out to confront police officers who ordered the group disband In Atlanta, many gathered outside the Georgia's capitol to protest the expected implemintation of a sex-week abortion ban In New York, protesters gathered at Union Square Park calling out the Supreme Court decision. It was relatively peaceful compared to yesterday's protest, which saw 25 arrested in the city The protest at One City Plaza, in Greenville, South Carolina had scheduled only 100 to protest the Supreme Court's decision for only one hour, between noon and 1 p.m, WYFF4 reported. When about 500 protesters showed up and exceeded the time limit, Greenville police officers told the crowd to disband as pro-choice demonstrators began confronting anti-abortion protesters. According to the city's law, protesters needed to stay in designated areas and not be 'interfering with, hampering, hindering, or getting in the way of those participating in the permitted event,' after their demonstration was scheduled to conclude. Police said six people were arrested after failing to comply with warnings and trying to interfere with arrests, and officials claimed pepper spray and stun guns were not used. However, video of the scene of the arrests depicted the tense situation as police were filmed tackling four men to the floor while a woman was screaming, 'Look at what he's doing. He's tasing him.' An investigation over the incident is underway, police officials told the local outlet. Police in Greenville, South Carolina are tasing and arresting pro-choice protesterspic.twitter.com/CZrXAciLuC Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) June 25, 2022 On the West Coast, hundreds gathered in down LA on Saturday at Grand Park chanting, 'My body, my choice,' while waving around signs that read 'You are only banning safe abortions,' the LA Times reported. Some of the protests led to heated moments between residents and police when blocking traffic on the 101 Freeway and trying to walk on the highway. While the smaller group clashed with police, the larger group marched onto the city's Crypto.com Arena before arriving at City Hall to hold the protest. The clash on Saturday came after a more violent conflict on Friday, where protesters threw objects at police officers, injuring two cops and leading to several arrets. The LA Police Protective League, the union representing the city's cops, condemned the protests on Saturday and slammed city officials for failing to speak out against the actions of the violent group. 'The silence is deafening from our so-called community's leaders,' the union said in a statement. 'This type of raw violence on display in Los Angeles and across the nation from dangerous mobs hell-bent on destruction has nothing to do with a woman's right to choose.' Protesters clashed with police in Los Angeles during the second day of demonstrations Police warned a group that had splintered off from the main protest to disband The protesters at the scene were yelling at officers trying to contain the rowdy group The police union condemned the protest and called on city officials to do the same The protesters were also pictured blocking traffic on the 101 Freeway in LA (pictured) In the nation's capitol, hundreds gathered outside the Supreme Court, where the conservative majority voted to end the landmark 1973 abortion decision. The protesters chanted 'Women's rights are human rights,' while arguing with anti-abortion demonstraters who where their to show their support for the ruling, NBC reported. Among the chants echoing in the captiol were, 'Abortion is racist,' and 'Abortion is opression.' In New York City, hundreds took to the streets at Union Square Park in a second day of rallying against the Supreme Court's decesion that also coincided with the city's annual Dyke March, a protest march which celebrates lesbian pride. At the capitol, many slammed the court not only for its abortion ruling, but also for its recent decision to strike down New York's open carry restriction One woman branded a sign echoing the criticism, writing that women will be 'Forced to carry' The abortion protest event was organized by the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights group, which saw a diverse crowd march the streets of Manhattan calling for safe, legal abortions. Carol Silverman, 79, told the New York Post: 'I'm terribly upset about what's going on in our country. I have always been an activist, and I feel it's not my country anymore.' 'I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I'm not very optimistic.' Saturday's protest was calmer than the one on Friday, which saw 17,000 people descended on Washington Square Park before marching through the streets to Grand Central Station, Times Square and Bryant Park. They also stopped outside News Corp headquarters - home to Fox News and The New York Post - and yelled 'Burn it down! Burn it down! Fk Tucker Carlson!' Vandals also sprayed 'F*** Fox' on the side of the building. In New York, protesters gathered at Union Square Park to call for safe and legal abortions throughout the nation One pro-choice protesters branded bilingual stickers calling for legal abortions while holding a pride flag Many signs read, 'Abortion on Demand & Without Apology,' a slogan from the organizers of the New York City event, Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights In Atlanta, protesters gathered outside the state capitol to condem the high courts ruling, which is poised to allow a 2019 state law banning abortions after six weeks to take effect. The controversial 'Heartbeat Law,' was delayed while the Supreme Court considered the future of Roe v. Wade. Protester Anna Summerlin, 43, said she joined protests outside the state's capitol to set an example for her 5-year-old daughter. 'She shouldn't have to go backwards, thinking and worrying about her rights,' Summerlin told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'She has been taught that she has control over her body, yet here we are today, and she doesn't. Our government does.' In Atlanta, protesters gathered outside the state capitol to condemn the high court's ruling One demonstration saw dozens lying down in front of the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (pictured) Many women had the words, 'Bans off' written on their stomach Advertisement GOP Representative Mary Miller has thanked Donald Trump for 'the historic victory for white life' after the Supreme Court's bombshell Roe v Wade ruling. Miller said 'on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America' she wanted to praise the former president for his role in reversing the 49-year-old law. She also said she appreciated his endorsement for the upcoming primary on Tuesday during the rally in Mendon, Illinois, on Saturday night. But she appeared to trip up over her words as she thanked him for 'the historic victory for white life' while on stage before continuing with the rest of her speech. Miller's team quickly put out a statement clarifying she misread her prepared statement and had meant to say 'right to life'. Congresswoman Miller later tweeted: 'I will always defend the RIGHT TO LIFE' in an attempt to make clear the words she was attempting to say earlier in the evening. The photograph saw her pictured with her 17 grandchildren. Meanwhile Trump took credit for the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, saying he'd 'promised to nominate judges and justices who would stand up for the original meaning of the constitution'. The former president added 'this breakthrough is the answer to the prayers of millions of millions of people which had gone on for decades.' It comes as protests continued to rip across the US on Saturday as some celebrated while others were horrified at the Supreme Court's overturning. Most protests were tense but remained non-violent despite outbreaks last night in Arizona - where cops fired tear gas at protesters - and Colorado - where a Christian pregnancy clinic was torched and vandalized. Donald Trump held a rally in Illinois on Saturday night at which GOP Rep. Mary Miller thanked the former president for 'the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday.' U.S. Representative Mary Miller gave remarks during a Save America Rally with former US President Donald Trump at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon, Illinois Congresswomen Mary Miller walks on stage at the Save America Rally where former U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed her, in Mendon, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller tweeted: 'I will always defend the RIGHT TO LIFE' in an attempt to make clear the words she was attempting to say earlier on Saturday evening. She is pictured with her 17 grandchildren Trump complained about the heat and could be seen dabbing himself with a white towel Trump was be stumping for Rep. Mary Miller in an Illinois congressional primary Miller was welcomed on stage by Trump as she thanked him for endorsing her ahead of the primary in the state next week. The 62-year-old said in front of a packed audience: 'Thank you so much President Trump. I am so honored to have your endorsement. 'President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America. I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday.' The comments were quickly pounced on by the left, with Democratic Candidate for Attorney General of Georgia and State Senator for the 6th District Jen Jordan tweeting: 'Wait, what?' Human rights lawyer Qasim Rashid said: 'This is the same GOP Rep Miller who praised Hitler on Capitol Hill before the Jan 6 insurrection. Pure. Unadulterated. White Supremacy Hasan Abi added: 'For those of you who will claim this is a slip of the tongue, Miller famously said 'Hitler was right about one thing, whoever has the youth has the future' on the morning of January 6 - which got lost in the chaos.' During a speech in Washington in 2021 she said: 'If we win a few elections, we're still going to be losing unless we win the hearts and minds of our children. This is the battle. 'Hitler was right on one thing. He said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future,'' Miller could be heard saying in a clip that was recirculated on Twitter. Miller's team appeared to backtrack on her comments on Saturday night, with an NBC reporter tweeting: 'Mary Miller campaign tells me that at tonight's Trump rally the congresswoman misread her prepared remarks at tonight's Illinois Trump rally in Mendon and meant to say 'right to life' not white life.' The congresswoman quickly came under fire from users on Twitter for her words at the rally Meanwhile Trump was quick to take credit for the landmark Roe v Wade ruling on Friday afternoon, saying: 'The court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law and above all a victory for life.' He continued: 'This breakthrough is the answer to the prayers of millions of millions of people which had gone on for decades. 'Now these prayers have been answered to the generations of Americans in the pro-life movement and constitutional conservatives. Congratulations! Great time!,' Trump began to cheers. 'I promised to nominate judges and justices who would stand up for the original meaning of the constitution and who would honestly and faithfully interpret the law as written. 'We got three great Supreme Court justices confirmed to do exactly that,' as he reminded the crowd of his three appointments to the court during his four year term - Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. 'Thanks to the courage found within the United States Supreme Court this long divisive issue issue will be decided by the states and by the American people. 'That's the way it should have been many many years ago and that's the way it is now. As for the Republican Party we are the party of life and we are the party of everyone. 'That's the way it should have been. We believe that every precious child that is born and unborn is a sacred gift from God.' The former president earlier said on Friday: 'The decision, which is the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. 'It was my great honor to do so!' Trump wrote in a statement on Gab. 'I did not cave to the Radical Left Democrats, their partners in the Fake News Media, or the RINOs who are likewise the true, but silent, enemy of the people. 'These major Victories prove that even though the Radical Left is doing everything in their power to destroy our Country, your Rights are being protected, the Country is being defended, and there is still hope and time to Save America! I will never stop fighting for the Great People of our Nation!' The former president was in Illinois to support Congresswoman Miller in her reelection bid where she will face off against GOP Rep. Rodney Davis in Tuesday's primary. The Adams County Fairgrounds was packed full of supporters who love the former president who is still extremely popular in Illinois. The rally drew thousands creating a sea of red at the venue with a number of Trump 2024 flags on display. Trump's endorsement to the 15th district congressional candidate could make al difference in the tight race. It was former President Trump's first rally since the United States Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade on Friday Donald Trump arrives to give remarks during a Save America Rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds Supporters of former US President Donald Trump pray at the Save America Rally Trump supporters are pictured waiting to enter the Save America rally There appeared to be plenty of support for Trump with a number of Trump 2024 flags Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump attend the Save America Rally in Illinois Many Trump supporters remain convinced the former president should have won a second term On Friday, Trump took credit for his role in the momentous decision having appointed three conservative judges to the court It comes as protests continued to rip across the US on Saturday night in the wake of the bombshell ruling that split the country. Thousands continued to demonstrate in Washington, DC, New York City, Atlanta and Los Angeles, with tempers flaring in multiple states. Abortion was automatically outlawed in 18 U.S. states as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned, thanks to specially-devised 'trigger laws' and historic bans that were automatically reenacted after Friday's ruling. Outrage over the decision is expected to carry on over the weekend through the chaotic protests, as Capitol Police said two people were arrested on Saturday for throwing paint over the fence by the Supreme Court and protesters violently clashed with police in LA. Meanwhile in Greenville, South Carolina, choas erupted when six people wre arrested by police, who were filmed tasing demonstraters after they were told to disband following the schedule 1 p.m. finish. Protests also broke out in Jackson, Mississippi, Boston, Austin, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pheonix, Denver, and St. Louis. Hundreds gathered outside the Supreme Court on Saturday for the second day of protests over the end of Roe v. Wade Many were there to blast the high court's decision to strip women's federal right abortions (pictured). Also outside the Supreme Court were waves of anti-abortion portesters celebrating the ruling In Los Angeles, members of a large protest broke out to confront police officers who ordered the group disband. The protesters threw water bottles, rocks, and even fireworks, injuring two cops In Atlanta, many gathered outside the Georgia's capitol to protest the expected implemintation of a sex-week abortion ban In New York, protesters gathered at Union Square Park calling out the Supreme Court decision. It was relatively peaceful compared to yesterday's protest, which saw 25 arrested in the city The protest at One City Plaza, in Greenville, South Carolina had schudeld hundred to protest the Supreme Court's decision for only one hour, between noon and 1 p.m, WYFF4 reported. When protesters exceeded the time limit, Greenville police officeres told the crowd to disband. Police said six people were arrested after failing to comply with warnings, and officials claimed pepper spray and stun guns were not used. However, video of the scene of the arrests depicted the tense situation as police were filmed tackling four men to the floor while a woman was screaming, 'Look at what he's doing. He's tasing him.' An investigation over the incident is underway, police officials told the local outlet. Chaos erupted in Greenville, South Carolina when police tackled four men to the ground to arrest them after the crowd failed to disband after one hour of protest. Demonstrators claimed police tased one of the men On the West Coast, hundreds gathered in down LA on Saturday at Grand Park chanting, 'My body, my choice,' while waving around signs that read 'You are only banning safe abortions,' the LA Times reported. Some of the protests led to heated moementst between residetns and police, who declared the demonstrations an unlawful assembly past 9 p.m. and when blocking traffic on the 110 Freeway. The skirmishes involved people throwing various objects, and even fireworks, at police, according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore, who said at least two officers were injured and several people arrrested. He told the TImes that while the LA demonstrations were mostly peaceful, ''a much smaller group of individuals took to the streets with the intention of creating chaos and destruction.' The LA Police Protective League, the union representing the city's cops, condemned the protests and slammed city officials for failing to speak out against the actions of the violent group. 'The silence is deafening from our so-called community's leaders,' the union said in a statement. 'This type of raw violence on display in Los Angeles and across the nation from dangerous mobs hell-bent on destruction has nothing to do with a woman's right to choose.' An activist tries to poke a Los Angeles Police Department officer in the back with an umbrella as the demonstrators attempt to walk onto the 110 Freeway as they protest the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade on Saturday Los Angeles Police Department officers push back activists who attempted to walk onto the 110 Freeway at Broadway Los Angeles Police Department officers clash with activists as they attempted to walk onto the 110 Freeway A pro choice demonstrator holds a poster during a protest following the decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling in Los Angeles, California on Saturday Hundreds of pro-choice demonstrators walked to protest following the decision by the US Supreme Court Motorists stood outside their vehicles as supporters of abortion-rights briefly blocked traffic on the Hollywood Freeway In the nation's capitol, hundreds gathered outside the Supreme Court, where the conservative majority voted to end the landmark 1973 abortion decision. The protesters chanted 'Women's rights are human rights,' while arguing with anti-abortion demonstraters who where their to show their support for the ruling, NBC reported. Among the chants echoing in the captiol were, 'Abortion is racist,' and 'Abortion is opression.' In New York City, hundreds took to the streets at Union Square Park in a second day of rallying against the Supreme Court's decesion that also coincided with the city's annual Dyke March, a protest march which celebrates lesbian pride. At the capitol, many slammed the court not only for its abortion ruling, but also for its recent decision to strike down New York's open carry restriction One woman branded a sign echoing the criticism, writing that women will be 'Forced to carry' The abortion protest event was organized by the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights group, which saw a diverse crowd march the streets of Manhattan calling for safe, legal abortions. Carol Silverman, 79, told the New York Post: 'I'm terribly upset about what's going on in our country. I have always been an activist, and I feel it's not my country anymore.' 'I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I'm not very optimistic.' Saturday's protest was calmer than the one on Friday, which saw 17,000 people descened on Washington Square Park before marching through the streets to Grand Central Station, Times Square and Bryant Park. They also stopped outside News Corp headquarters - home to Fox News and The New York Post - and yelled 'Burn it down! Burn it down! Fk Tucker Carlson!' Vandals also sprayed 'F*** Fox' on the side of the building. In New York, protesters gathered at Union Square Park to call for safe and legal abortions throughout the nation One pro-choice protesters branded bilingual stickers calling for legal abortions while holding a pride flag Many signs read, 'Abortion on Demand & Without Apology,' a slogan from the organizers of the New York City event, Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights In Atlanta, protesters gathered outside the state capitol to condem the high courts ruling, which is poised to allow a 2019 state law banning abortions after six weeks to take effect. The controversial 'Heartbeat Law,' was delayed while the Supreme Court considered the future of Roe v. Wade. Protester Anna Summerlin, 43, said she joined protests outside state's capitol to set an sexamble for her 5-year-old daughter. 'She shouldn't have to go backwards, thinking and worrying about her rights,' Summerlin told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'She has been taught that she has control over her body, yet here we are today, and she doesn't. Our government does.' People walk past the World of Coke museum during a protest against the Supreme Court's ruling in Atlanta, Georgia Pro-choice demonstrators participate in a 'die-in' in front the US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals during in a march and rally one day after the US Supreme Court's decision on the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling in downtown Atlanta A woman with 'Bans Off' written on her body is seen during a protest against the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization in Atlanta, Georgia Abortion-rights advocates gather outside the Tarrant County Courthouse during the Bans Off Our Bodies protest in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday The gathered crowd alternated between chants of 'My body, my choice!' and 'Reproductive rights are human rights!' Her tweet was in response to a post from Patricia Karvelas about Roe v Wade The rejected Liberal candidate was lambasted by users for the divisive post She questioned in a post if women should be 'womb-havers' or 'birthing bodies' Katherine Deves deleted her Twitter account after another controversial tweet Rejected Liberal candidate Katherine Deves deleted her Twitter account once again after posting another controversial tweet about transgender women. Ms Deves, who was defeated in the seat of Warringah by independent Zali Steggall in last month's federal election, appeared to sarcastically question whether women should be referred to as 'womb-havers', 'people-with-vaginas' or 'birthing bodies'. Her post was in response to a tweet from ABC radio host Patricia Karvelas about the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade on Friday. The landmark 1973 decision recognised Americans' constitutional right to abortion and legalised it nationwide. Katherine Deves (pictured) deleted her Twitter account after she was slammed for another controversial tweet targeting transgender women The rejected Liberal candidate sarcastically questioned if women should be referred to as 'womb-havers', 'people-with-vaginas' or 'birthing bodies' in response to a post from ABC radio host Patricia Karvelas 'My heart breaks for the women of America #RoeVWade,' Karvelas wrote on Saturday. Ms Deves later replied, writing, 'Don't you mean "womb-havers", "people-with-vaginas" or "birthing bodies"?' Her post received a huge backlash on Twitter, with Australians criticising the tweet for being transphobic and inappropriate in the wake of the court ruling in the US. 'Read the room and keep your mouth shut Katherine,' one wrote. 'Imagine if Deves and (Amanda) Stoker were in parliament. This country has dodged a bullet for sure,' another commented. A third added: 'Katherine Deves once again showcasing what a destructively vile woman she is. On today of all days she chooses to publicly post this.' 'Didnt we already put you in the bin last election?' questioned one critic. Protesters outside the Supreme Court a day after learning Roe v. Wade had been overturned. The landmark 1973 decision recognised Americans' constitutional right to abortion and legalised it nationwide Karvelas also responded to Ms Deves, blasting her for her comment. 'Imagine using this moment in the US to push your own agenda on something affecting a minority of vulnerable people,' she wrote. Ms Deves later fired back, claiming her detractors were being hypocritical about the definition of a woman. 'The Australian left don't take kindly to having their hypocrisy pointed out,' she wrote. 'Suddenly they all remember what a woman is when it's politically expedient.' Ms Deves deleted her account after making that tweet. Patricia Karvelas (pictured) said the controversial Liberal candidate was 'using this moment' in the U.S. to push an agenda 'on something affecting a minority of vulnerable people' Ms Deves fired back to the criticism of her tweet. She claimed her detractors were being hypocritical It is not the first time the rejected Liberal candidate has been blasted online for her comments. Historic tweets emerged in the lead up to last month's election where she described transgender children as 'surgically mutilated and sterilised'. She also compared lobbying to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's sport to standing up against the Holocaust and transgender rights to the Nazis and the Stolen Generation. Ms Deves tweeted in April 2021 about a trial where a Canadian father was taken to court for not supporting his teenager transitioning. 'This will go down in history as akin to the grudge trials of the Third Reich,' she wrote. 'I do not like to invoke Nazism but the parallels are remarkable and deeply sinister. 'We can only hope that when society comes to its senses, it's redeemed by trials similar to the Nazi wife and the border guards.' Ms Deves (pictured) had divided the Liberal party over her controversial comments in the lead up to last month's election Five months later, Ms Deves slammed a decision by a Western Australian court to dismiss an appeal by parents whose transgender child was put into foster care. 'Australia has a very dark history of children being taken from their families by the state (because) bureaucrats thought they knew better,' she wrote. 'Don't we owe it to lessons of the past, such as our shameful Stolen Generation scandal, to stop the destruction of families for flawed beliefs?' Ms Deves apologised for some of her posts, saying that her comments were 'not acceptable'. 'My advocacy for the rights and safety of women and girls is well known, and I stand by my desire to ensure we protect the safety of women and girls and our entire community,' she said in a statement. 'However, the language I used was not acceptable, and for that I apologise.' But she later took back the apology and doubled-down on her widely condemned statements. Advertisement A Rhode Island cop was suspended his state senate campaign and was later arrested after a video emerged apparently showing him punching his Democratic female rival, during a Roe v. Wade protest. Hundreds of protesters assembled outside the Rhode Island Statehouse in Providence Friday in wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in the U.S. Video shared on Twitter shows the shocking moment Republican cop Jeann Lugo, 35, allegedly struck Rhode Island Political Cooperative Chairwoman Jennifer Rourke in the face twice on Friday night. The pair had been due to face off in the state Senate District 29 race. Rourke, a Democrat, claims Lugo 'violently attacked' her after she spoke out at a Roe v. Wade rally in Providence. Lugo was off-duty at the time of the alleged incident. 'This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I won't give up,' she wrote. Less than 24 hours after the incident, Lugo announced that he was suspending his campaign. The department said the officer was placed on paid administrated leave Saturday morning pending a criminal investigation and administrative review. Police did not disclose the name of the arrested officer but said the individual has served with the department for three years. Lugo joined the force in 2019, according to the department's 69th training academy commencement booklet. Black Lives Matter RI Political Action Committee publicly called for Lugo to resign. Jeann Lugo joined the force in 2019, according to the department's 69th training academy commencement booklet Jennifer Rourke said following the incident: 'This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I won't give up' Rourke sought medical care and received a CT scan on Saturday afternoon. She said she was doing OK but was experiencing a lot of tenderness in her face and ringing in her ears Prior to deleting his Twitter page he tweeted:' I will not be running for any office this fall.' Lugo had told the Washington Post: 'I stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking. At this moment, there's a pending internal investigation, and as the facts of the incident come to light, I request that my family and I have privacy.' He said: 'As an officer that swore to protect and serve our communities, I, unfortunately, saw myself in a situation that no individual should see themselves in.' Lugo was arrested by the Rhode Island State Police and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct.' He had been seeking to unseat Democrat Mike McCaffrey, the Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader. In one of his final campaign statement, Lugo said last Monday: 'Instead of promoting sound solutions to make our state more competitive by reducing unnecessary and burdensome regulations, Democrats find creative ways to capitulate to special interests that ultimately end up hurting Rhode Islanders.' In separate comments, Lugo told the Providence Journal that he was 'not going to deny' what is seen in the video but that 'everything happened very fast.' In a call with The Associated Press, Rourke said the incident occurred as she was attempting to escort a counter protester who had agreed to leave. As she was leading the man off the premises, she said, another physical altercation broke out, at which point she was punched in the face multiple times by Lugo. Rourke said she has never interacted with Lugo before and did not know he would be at the protest. 'I'm disappointed he chose to use violence in this way. As a police officer, he's trained to deescalate. He did not do what he was trained to do,' she said. The Democrat confirmed that she had pressed charges against Lugo. In the police report on the incident, Rourke was left with pain in her left ear and a headache. Rourke said that she never met Lugo before or had any interaction with him. The suspect fled the scene after the attack. Rourke did not require medical attention and took Tylenol for the pain. Rourke received a CT scan on Saturday afternoon. She said she was doing OK but was experiencing a lot of tenderness in her face and ringing in her ears. Two others were arrested at the same rally for unrelated incidents. Rhode Island Mayor Jorge Elorza tweeted: 'I've seen the video and it's immensely disturbing. Those responsible will be held fully accountable.' According to his Facebook page, studied at the Community College of Rhode Island. He is married with a daughter. Prior to becoming a police officer, Lugo worked for a security company in Boston. Lugo told WPRI in an April 2022 interview that he was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Rhode Island at the age of five. He was raised by social services from the age of 13. The bio on his now-deleted website reads: 'In the summer of 2000, a domestic incident resulted in the separation of his family by the Providence Police Department/ Social Services. At age 13, Jeann was placed into the custody of DCYF. Jeann remained in foster care until he reached adulthood.' Lugo said in an interview with Cranston Online that one of the reasons that he was inspired to run for office was in response to being on duty during a Black Lives Matter protest in the summer of 2020. In that same interview, Lugo said: 'Everything that I've lived through I'm basically running on.' In May 2022, Lugo was quoted by the Providence Journal as being opposed to what he called 'taxpayer funded abortions.' Lugo expressed his opposition to Critical Race Theory in a March 2022 interview saying: 'My take on the Critical Race Theory is that it paints a picture of Caucasians, whites as a negative thing. I dont like the idea of any race or anybody to be seen as bad or good. I believe that we fought this specifically Martin Luther King. He made it very clear: everyone [should] be treated equally. He wants to be judged by the character, not by the color of the skin. And I wholeheartedly believe [in] that.' Rhode Island Political Cooperative Chairwoman Jennifer Rourke has accused her opponent in the state Senate District 29 race, Providence cop Jeann Lugo, of punching her twice during a protest outside the statehouse Friday night Lugo has not denied the allegations and instead said: 'It was very chaotic, so I can't really tell you right now. Everything happened very fast.' Rourke intends to press charges against the off-duty cop The alleged assault against Rourke came amid a night of chaos-filled protests across the nation. Thousands of spirited demonstrators took to the streets Friday in cities nationwide to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Demonstrators are pictured outside the Supreme Court building in Washington DC on Friday The alleged assault against Rourke came amid a night of chaos-filled protests across the nation. Thousands of spirited demonstrators took to the streets Friday in cities nationwide to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The landmark 1973 decision was overturned Friday after SCOTUS, in a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, upheld a Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The vote was 5-4 to overturn Roe, with conservative Chief Justice John Roberts writing separately to say he would have upheld the Mississippi law without taking the additional step of erasing the Roe precedent altogether. The ruling restored the ability of states to ban abortion. Twenty-six states are either certain or considered likely to ban abortion. Abortion became illegal in 13 U.S. states as soon as Roe was overturned, thanks to specially-devised 'trigger laws' designed to automatically outlaw terminations in the event of a ruling to overturn Roe. Five other states banned terminations after historic laws superseded by the 1973 Roe ruling automatically came back into place on Friday. The ruling, which many Democrats claim leaves American women with 'fewer rights than their grandmothers,' prompted outcry across the nation. Abortion was automatically outlawed in 18 US states as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned, thanks to specially-devised 'trigger laws' and historic bans that were automatically reenacted after Friday's ruling Republican appointed-Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett (circled) all voted to strike down Roe along with Samuel Alito Pro-choice activists were tear gassed in clashes at Arizona Capitol building and dozens were arrested in New York City and Los Angeles. The Arizona Capitol building was besieged by pro-abortion protesters Friday night, forcing riot cops to fire tear gas to disperse the angry crowd in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. Lawmakers working to complete their 2022 session said they were effectively held-hostage inside, and eventually huddled to a safe location, as SWAT team operatives worked to disperse the gathered crowds. KPHO-TV reported the officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the building. Arizona is one of eight states where abortion clinics stopped performing procedures after the decision was released Friday. Arizona's Republican Governor Doug Ducey insists a bill he previously passed, banning abortions after 15 weeks, still stands. But Ducey's assertion can only be settled in the state's courts - and some hardline Republicans are already suggesting the original ban on all terminations should remain in place. The incident sent Senate lawmakers into the basement of the building for about 20 minutes, said Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada. Stinging tear gas wafted through the Capitol afterward, forcing the Senate to move its proceedings to a hearing room instead of the Senate chamber. Authorities said there were no injuries or arrests. Tear gas coming from officers firing out of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix is visible as pro choice protesters march outside Arizona is one of eight states where abortion clinics stopped performing procedures after the decision was released Friday Arizona's Capitol building was besieged by pro-abortion protesters Friday night, forcing riot cops to fire tear gas to disperse the angry crowd in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned Lawmakers working to complete their 2022 session said they were effectively held-hostage inside, and eventually huddled to a safe location, as SWAT team operatives worked to disperse the gathered crowds Officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the building Arizona protesters start to move away as the state police begins tear gassing people Riot police surround the Arizona Capitol after protesters reached the front of the Arizona Sentate building With tear gas in the air, a large number of police surround the Arizona Capitol after protesters reached the front of the AZ Senate building after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision Friday KPHO-TV reported the officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the building Abortion rights protesters banged on the walls of the capitol building in Arizona while holding signs In New York, at least 25 people were arrested on Friday after around 17,000 descended on Washington Square Park before marching through the streets to Grand Central Station, Times Square, and Bryant Park. They also stopped outside News Corp headquarters - home to Fox News and the The New York Post - and yelled 'Burn it down! Burn it down! F*** Tucker Carlson!' Vandals also sprayed 'F*** Fox' on the side of the building. Similar arrests were made in Los Angeles, where police reported protesters throwing bottles of water and rocks at officers during demonstrations. ABC7 reported that there were protesters throwing what appeared to be fireworks at police. They also spotted a man briefly being dragged away from the demonstrations. At one point, authorities declared an unlawful assembly just after 9 p.m., meaning protesters were forced to leave or be put under arrest, with officers not allowing reporters to witness what happened, according to the LA Times. Earlier in the afternoon, a crowd had marched onto the northbound 110 Freeway and temporarily shut down traffic. Thousands marched through Manhattan in New York City on Friday, even ending up at News Corp headquarters, home of the New York Post and Fox News In New York, at least 25 people have been arrested after demonstrations across the city Friday Abortion rights activists march from Washington Square Park to Bryant Park in Lower Manhattan in protest Similar arrests were made in Los Angeles, where police reported protesters throwing bottles of water and rocks at officers during demonstrations on Friday One activist sets off a smoke flare amid abortion rights protest on the 110 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles Protests in Los Angeles made it all the way out to the city's freeway, momentarily shutting down traffic Hundreds of angry protesters assembled outside the Supreme Court building in D.C. Friday just moments after SCOTUS ruled to overturn Roe. Cops, many outfitted in riot gear, were called in to protect the barricaded federal building as protesters chanted: 'F*** Clarence Thomas!' Thomas was among the justices who voted to strike down the ruling. Several members of Congress, including Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, joined the rally to address the crowd in wake of what AOC called an 'illegitimate decision.' 'In almost half of this country, states are ready to ban abortion,' said Ilhan Omar, a Democrat representing Minnesota. 'Outright ban abortion. That means if you are sick, if you are raped, there is incest, you are forced to have that baby or die.' A group was also spotted burning the American flag in the capital while others gathered outside Supreme Court Justice Thomas' home. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared outside the Supreme Court on Friday among the crowds in the aftermath of the Supreme Court releasing the Dobbs decision that ends abortion protections A protester lights a cigarette on a burning American Flag while marching with abortion-rights activists in DC on Friday Capitol Police dressed in riot gear stand outside the Capitol on Friday evening as protests erupted Capitol Police are seen on duty on Friday evening in Washington DC, as protests spread Abortion rights activists show their anger outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC on Friday Lisa Wilkinson's high-priced lawyer is being paid $11,000-a-day following her disastrous Logies speech. The Channel 10 star landed in hot water last Sunday after she mentioned alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins during her award acceptance speech - in front of about a million viewers. Her comments forced the former Liberal staffer's rape trial, which was due to start next week, to be postponed until October. Australian Bar Association president Dr Matthew Collins QC told Sunrise days after the speech there was a 'serious possibility' Wilkinson could be charged with contempt of court. But hours after his comments on national television, Channel 10 hired the top barrister to represent Wilkinson. Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) has hired a top barrister to represent her following Logies speech Dr Collins is one of Australia's leading defamation lawyers who won Rebel Wilson millions in her case against Bauer Media in 2017. The actor was awarded $4.5million in damages after the magazine group was found to have defamed her in eight articles in May 2015 - claiming she lied about her real name, age, and childhood to make it in Hollywood. Dr Collins also represented YouTube creator Jordan Shanks in a high-profile defamation case against former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro. Mr Barilaro sued Mr Shanks in May 2021, alleging he was defamed by a series of videos claiming he committed perjury. The now-retired MP settled his Federal Court case against Mr Shanks in November when he was given an apology and the videos were edited, but was later awarded $715,000 in damages against YouTube owner Google. The barrister's partner, Leonard Vary, is chief executive of the Myer Foundation and the pair are known for hosting a series of glamorous party's at their home in South Yarra, Melbourne. Australian Bar Association president Dr Matthew Collins (pictured) was hired to represent The Project host hours after he slammed her actions on Sunrise Dr Collins said on Sunrise: 'It's certainly possible that the authorities will be looking at the speech that she made to the Logies and assessing that speech against the standard which applies in this branch of the law. 'That standard is, did anything that she do have a tendency to interfere with the administration of justice?' He believed Wilkinson, who's been in the media industry for more than 40 years, should have known better. 'You would hope that whenever the media is contemplating running a story about a serious criminal trial which is about to begin, they would be attune to the potential risks,' Dr Collins added. 'The mainstream media understand the risk inhering with talking about cases which are about to go to trial, particularly serious high-profile cases.' Lisa Wilkinson (pictured during her Logies speech) mentioned an impending court case on TV He explained that anyone facing a serious charge is entitled to the presumption of innocence - which means there should be no preconceptions one way or the other. 'So the jury just sits and focuses really keenly on the evidence as it unfolds in the witness box, and puts out of their mind anything which they might have seen in the media, or God forbid and often far worse, in social media,' Dr Collins said. Last week, Channel 10 hit back at the 'unfair' criticism of Wilkinson, and said it would not rule out taking legal action. 'This reporting is now causing significant harm and we ask these organisations to cease this harassment to allow Lisa the best opportunity to give her evidence in court and to enable the trial to go ahead in a fair and timely manner,' a spokesperson for the network said. 'We are closely monitoring all coverage of this issue and Lisa and Network 10 reserve their rights in respect of any future defamation claims.' The Channel 10 star (pictured) will not be returning to her co-hosting duties on The Project on Monday Wilkinson's speech contributed to delaying Higgins's trial against former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann by prejudicing potential jurors. Lehrmann is accused of raping Ms Higgins in Parliament House in 2019 and has pleaded not guilty. He denies these claims and stated in a police interview that he did not have sex with Ms Higgins. On Thursday the ACT Supreme Court set a new date of October 4 for the trial. Chief Justice Lucy McCallum decided on Tuesday to delay the trial 'regrettably and with gritted teeth' because 'somewhere in this debate, the distinction between an untested allegation and the fact of guilt has been lost'. The Channel 10 star will not be returning to her co-hosting duties on The Project on Monday when Hollywood A-lister Chris Hemsworth will make an appearance. Lisa Wilkinson (right) won a Logie for her television interview with alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins (also pictured) Her absence will mark the fourth time in five days she has not appeared on air following blowback from her Logies' acceptance speech on Sunday night. Network Ten claimed Wilkinson would remain off-air and return to the popular news program sometime next week. A spokesman for Ten Network said they 'fully support Lisa in her ongoing and full commitment to doing the right thing as a witness in the trial'. Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney said her client has been placed on suicide watch at he Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn. Pictured: Maxwell in October Ghislaine Maxwell has been placed on suicide watch just days before her scheduled sentencing for sex trafficking and conspiracy crimes, her lawyer said. Bobbi Sternheim, who represents the longtime Jeffery Epstein associate, submitted a letter to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathon on Saturday, stating that the Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn, had placed her client on suicide watch on Friday, Insider reported. Sternheim claimed this was done 'without having conducted a psychological evaluation and without justification,' with Maxwell allegedly wearing a 'suicided smock,' a large piece of fabric that can't be used to fashion a noose, and placed in solitary confinement. Sternheim argued Maxwell's sentencing needed to be postponed while she remains on suicide watch, even if the lawyer claimed she 'is not suicidal.' Maxwell, 60, is due back in court on June 28 with prosecutors requesting a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison. She is currently being held in the general population area of the notorious prison, where an inmate recently threatened to kill her. A source told The Mail on Sunday: 'One woman was going around openly bragging that she was going to murder Ghislaine for $1 million. Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney said her client has been placed on suicide watch at he Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn. Pictured: Maxwell with billionaire pedophile Jeffery Epstein (left) Several of the women, who were teenagers when Maxwell (pictured in a courtroom sketch) lured them into the clutches of Epstein, have written victim impact statements to be read out at the sentencing hearing set for June 28 Maxwell's lawyer said her client is in solitary confinement inside the New York prison (above) Maxwell's placement on suicide watch comes nearly three years after police announced Espetein, 66, killed himself in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where the financier was awaiting trial for sex trafficking. Sternheim condemned the treatment of her client, who she said was not event permitted to hold a pen or paper inside solitary confinement. 'If Ms. Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment,' Sternheim wrote. A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan, whose office prosecuted Maxwell, declined to comment. Maxwell was convicted on Dec. 29 on five criminal counts, including sex trafficking, for recruiting and grooming four girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Prosecutors have said Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison, citing her 'utter lack of remorse.' Maxwell wants a term shorter than 20 years. The sentence will be imposed by U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan federal court. Maxwell has been held in the Brooklyn jail since shortly after her July 2020 arrest. Her lawyers objected multiple times before trial about the confinement conditions there, including last November when Sternheim likened them to Hannibal Lecter's from the 1991 Oscar-winning film 'The Silence of the Lambs.' An undated Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Queen's log cabin at Glen Beg, Balmoral. Maxwell faces a maximum of 55 years in jail for her part in Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, but the prosecution are pushing for only 20 years Maxwell was found guilty in December of five federal sex-trafficking charges relating to her role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls Maxwell has also requested a more lenient sentence of just four years and three months in jail, arguing that she is being scapegoated as a proxy for Epstein's crimes. Her legal filings claimed that helping launch the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) demonstrated she has a 'desire to do good in the world'. Defense lawyers said in a sentencing submission last week that she should spend no more than five years in prison. The filing states: 'Ms. Maxwell has always worked hard. Her many educational, occupational, and avocational accomplishments include becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), a helicopter pilot, a submersible pilot, a banker; partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to establish a telemedicine platform to enable people in remote areas to obtain quality medical treatment; helping develop the Clinton Global Initiative; and supporting a variety non-profit and charitable organizations'. In a later section the document states that Maxwell is not an 'heiress, villain, or vapid socialite'. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison for her role in the sexual abuse of teenage girls over a 10-year period by her onetime boyfriend, financier Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said Wednesday in written arguments The Victim Impact Statement from one of Ghislaine Maxwell's victims But prosecutors said Maxwell played an 'instrumental role in the horrific sexual abuse of multiple young teenage girls' between 1994 and 2004 at some of Epstein's palatial residences. They called her crimes 'monstrous.' 'As part of a disturbing agreement with Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell identified, groomed, and abused multiple victims, while she enjoyed a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege. In her wake, Maxwell left her victims permanently scarred with emotional and psychological injuries,' prosecutors wrote. 'That damage can never be undone, but it can be accounted for in crafting a just sentence for Maxwells crimes,' they added. 'It appears that the defendant viewed the victims as objects who could be manipulated for her and Epstein's own selfish purposes without any regard for their personal wellbeing, health, or safety.' 'The Defendant's Role in the Conspiracy Maxwell's conduct was shockingly predatory. She was a calculating, sophisticated, and dangerous criminal who preyed on vulnerable young girls and groomed them for sexual abuse'. Prosecutors also urged the judge to reject Maxwell's pleas for leniency on the grounds that she has suffered in extraordinary ways in jail while awaiting trial and afterward. On the occasion of the 8th International Yoga Day, a district-level yoga camp was organised at the Manmohan ME School ground where Deepak Chori of Art of Living trained hundreds of children, students, senior citizens, soldiers, and yoga enthusiasts and made them perform Yogasanas. Attending the event as chief guest, Commandant of 2nd Battalion Ashish Dubey said, Yoga is part of our rich cultural heritage and is a legacy of our ancestors. More than 177 countries are celebrating the Yoga Day with a lot of fervour. However, giving just one day in the year to Yoga isn't enough", Dubey opined and appealed all to adopt Yoga as a way of life. Former Union Minister and State BJP in-charge Daggubati Purandeswari said that during the Covid pandemic, the world recognized the strength of yoga. A conservative Australian politician has slammed the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights. The decision to reverse the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling signalled an end to constitutional right to abortion in the US - meaning individual states will be left to decide whether abortion can be made illegal. Women with unwanted pregnancies in America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online and hoping they don't get caught using them, or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. Following the ruling on Friday, Australian deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said: 'This has been a step backwards for women in the US.' Deputy Liberal leader said overturning Roe v Wade is a 'step backwards' for the USA Pictured: Pro-life protesters at a demonstration in Washington in June. Individual states will now decide whether the procedure should be criminalised 'I'm very discomforted by anything that puts a personal and sensitive issue that a woman has to grapple with in many instances, or a family has to grapple with, in the same sentence as criminal,' she told Sky News on Sunday. Ms Ley also agreed with former US president Bill Clinton's famous proclaimation that abortion should be 'safe, legal and rare'. Up to 26 of the nation's 50 states are considered 'certain or likely' to ban the procedure. Abortion was automatically banned in 13 states following the decision. Australian Government frontbencher Jason Clare said he shared the anger, frustration and grief people are experiencing and talking about in the US and right across the world. 'Thank god we are a country here in Australia where abortion is not an issue that divides the Labor Party and Liberal Party,' he said. 'I'm thinking at the moment for the women who live in some of these states that are basically being told today that if you want to have an abortion then get on a bus and travel a couple of hundred kilometres.' On Friday, the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalised abortion nationwide (pictured, protesters in Denver, Colorado) Over the weekend, prominent Australia including former Australian of the Year Grace Tame and former Bachelor star Abbie Chatfield spoke out about the ruling. Ms Tame, who had just four periods by the time she was repeatedly raped by her 58-year-old high school teacher - 'sometimes without protection' - said 'a part of democracy died today'. 'For some, our womanhood is taken before we even have it. And that is not a choice,' she said. Ms Chatfield shared a mirror selfie in a bathroom - donning a white dress and strappy stilettos. 'This is me the day before I had my abortion, at the earliest stage you can't realistically tell that you're even pregnant,' she wrote on social media. Grace Tame has revealed that before she was raped by her high school teacher she'd had her period just four times - as she condemned the US Supreme Court's anti-abortion ruling 'Here, I'm six weeks pregnant. 'I was 23, and had a decent job, but I did not want a child, and that was reason enough. It wasn't an easy decision but it was the right decision.' Ms Chatfield said she cried herself to sleep following the ruling, describing removing access to 'necessary healthcare' as 'barbaric and terrifying'. 'Overnight, abortion rights have been stripped in 12 states. As someone who has had an abortion, it made me sick,' she wrote. Incoming Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said ensuring equal access to health services, including for reproductive purposes, in regional areas was a priority in her new role and echoed the words of Ms Ley. 'The US has taken a great, big step backwards in terms of the rights of women over their own bodies and their own destiny,' she told reporters in Frankston. Abbie Chatfield, 27, (pictured) shared this photo of herself at six weeks pregnant the day before she had an abortion at age 23 in an Instagram post on Saturday In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. He called the Supreme Court's decision as 'wrong, extreme, and out of touch'. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over'. He said his administration will do everything in its power to combat efforts to restrict women from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Advertisement Families have been sleeping on the floor at Heathrow today as the airport goes into complete meltdown and flyers claim a woman fainted in a huge queue. Britain's biggest airport has descended into mayhem this weekend as baggage handlers branded the crisis gripping the aviation sector 'the worst disruption ever seen'. Angry passengers have complained about flight delays on Twitter, with one flyer claiming that he saw a woman faint in one massive queue as staffing shortages caused by pandemic-era mass layoffs plunge the beleaguered industry into bedlam. It appeared to be no better at Manchester this morning, with pictures showing huge queues at Terminal 2 and the airport's underground car park. Staff have described 'Olympic-level strain' which has reduced even experienced experienced colleagues to 'emotional wrecks'. Baggage handlers have warned that even pilots and cleaners are now loading suitcases onto planes in a bid to get them off the tarmac. One handler, who works at one of the UK's biggest airports, told the Sunday Times: 'Passengers are waiting up to six hours for their bags. The other day I saw a cleaner driving the luggage trolley on the tarmac, unescorted, because there were not enough baggage handlers to do it. And if people think the delays are bad now, it is nothing compared to what is going to happen when children break up from school at the end of July and beginning of August.' It comes as: Thousands of British Airways staff including cabin crew and engineers have threatened to go on strike during the school holidays; Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary blamed the airport staffing shortage on British people not wanting to be baggage handlers; Mick Lynch's militant RMT paralysed Britain again yesterday by launching the third national rail strike in a week. HEATHROW: Passengers sleep on the floor at Heathrow today as the airport goes into complete meltdown HEATHROW: Families bed-down at Heathrow, Britain's biggest airport, today amid total mayhem HEATHROW: Huge mountains of luggage pile up at Heathrow's Terminal 2 today HEATHROW: Chaos at Heathrow airport today as weary travellers wait for flights HEATHROW: Baggage at Heathrow airport today as travellers form massive queues HEATHROW: Families bed-down at Heathrow's Terminal 2 today amid total chaos HEATHROW: Massive queues form at Heathrow's Terminal 2 as the airport goes into meltdown HEATHROW: Bedlam at Heathrow airport today as travellers queue at Terminal 2 MANCHESTER: Passengers form massive snaking queues at Manchester's Terminal 2 at around 6am today HEATHROW: Flyers form a queue that goes outside Heathrow's Terminal 2 last night MANCHESTER: Tired passengers wait for their flight at Manchester amid flight delays and cancellations across the UK MANCHESTER: A passenger sleeps on the floor of Manchester's Terminal 3 this morning Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary says UK workers won't plug post-Covid staff shortages blamed for airport chaos British people do not want to be baggage handlers, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said amid staff shortages and planned strikes at Heathrow Airport. The low budget airline has been 'completely unaffected' by airport chaos this summer which has seen others British airlines cancel thousands of flights due in part to staff shortages. In contrast, Mr O'Leary said Ryanair was prepared for the return of pre-Covid levels of travel because it could see the 'recovery coming' and got its staff back to work early. He also claimed unlike his competitors, his Irish company can take advantage of the European Labour market and not be faced with British workers who do not want to 'pick fruit or work in hospitality, security and baggage handling at airports'. His comments come as thousands of British Airways staff including cabin crew and engineers have threatened to plunge airports and airlines into yet more chaos during the school holidays. Advertisement Militant unions are asking over 16,000 workers if they want to join the more than 700 BA staff who have already committed to a walkout over pay at Heathrow. Yesterday, ITV's Nick Dixon, correspondent at Good Morning Britain, arrived from Amsterdam at Terminal 3 in Heathrow to see piles of baggage at arrivals. Fellow GMB colleague Kieron Clarke said: 'I am still to be reunited with my luggage, which is in another part of Heathrow along with thousands of other items. Unfortunately, staff cannot access them. Worse still, those items are now being sent from London to Amsterdam for processing because of a lack of staff in the UK.' Ashley Burke, a reporter at CBC's Parliamentary Bureau, also said on Twitter when she arrived there was a 10 minute delay on the plan but quick walk through security of about 15 minutes. She didn't check a bag but said she saw 'scattered [luggage] everywhere in the baggage claim area'. One customer coming from Australia said: '[I] arrived 12:28 from Australia into @HeathrowAirport it's taken my bag longer to get from the plane to the baggage hall that the plan took to get from France to the gate.' Another person claimed on Twitter they had an hour long wait for a shuttle bus for Terminal 5 and begged the airport 'please send more shuttles soon, people are missing connections'. A further customer said: 'Heathrow Airport is a complete disorganized mess. Over an hour (and counting) waiting for a terminal bus transfer and the only solace is the fact that British Airways flights are seemingly always delayed.' A TUI rep was seen today telling passengers that their flight to Palma has been delayed for 12 hours. Customers were then pictured sitting on floors at Manchester to wait out the delay while more passengers waited to check in and drop off their bags at other airlines including Pegasus and TUI. Yesterday passengers also had to endure long queues at Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow Airports. Many airports experts have pointed to recruitment post-Covid as the underlining issue. However, Ryanair - largely based in London Stanstead and Dublin Airports - appears to have escaped largely unscathed from the mess, according to the Telegraph. Between May 7 and June 6, the low cost airline had three cancellations out of its 13,099 flights (0.02%) compared with 142 out of 13,010 (1.09%) BA flights, while easyJet had 16,425 flights with 636 (3.87%) cancelled. Ryanair's boss has largely blamed Europe's inflexible labour market for the flight cancellations. Michael O'Leary told the Telegraph that Ryanair has been 'completely unaffected' as unlike some airlines it saw the recovery coming 'early'. He added: 'I'm not re-campaigning on Brexit, but the UK is going to have to find a way to open up the Labour market between the UK and Europe, to get people in here to do the jobs which frankly British people don't want to do. 'They don't want to pick fruit, they don't want to do agricultural labour, they don't want to do hospitality or security or baggage handling at airports.' John Grant, chief analyst at global travel data provider OAG, said unlike BA, Ryanair is not 'reliant' on UK labour. He added: 'EasyJet has access to a wider range of labour, but most of its bases are in major Western European countries which are facing similar resource issues to the UK. HEATHROW: Massive queues form at Heathrow's Terminal 2 today amid airport chaos HEATHROW: Flyers have complained of flight delays as massive queues form at Heathrow's Terminal 2 today MANCHESTER: Hundreds of passengers pack out Manchester's Terminal 2 this morning MANCHESTER: Passengers queue in the underground car park at Manchester this morning HEATHROW: Massive queues form at Heathrow's Terminal 2 this morning British people do not want to be baggage handlers, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary (pictured) has said 'Ryanair has a much broader range of bases across the whole of Europe and during the pandemic retained a larger proportion of its staff in some of those bases, particularly in Eastern Europe.' Gilbert Ott, creator of flight tips website God Save the Points, said Ryanair is also an 'uncomplicated' airline with one aircraft, the Boeing 737, and short-haul European services. He said: I think many people don't realise how many weeks it takes to get staff through the safety checks required to fly again, particularly pilots. 'Furthermore, European countries were the first to signal a big summer of restriction-free travel, which gave Ryanair ample opportunity to scale up and be aggressive.' Mr O'Leary said that his cabin crew staff - who need to be retrained for eight weeks if their working hours lapse - and pilots - who need to fly every month to not lose their licence - were in the sky 'well ahead of the expected recovery'. He added: 'We made sure, even if we had flights with no passengers, we sent up pilots and cabin crew. We sent everybody flying at least once a month. We didn't dump them all at home and say, 'We'll call you in 18 months when this is all over''. Those returning to Britain also faced possible disruption as Ryanair cabin crew staff began a three-day walkout in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain on Friday. The biggest impact was felt in Belgium, where the work stoppage led Europe's biggest budget airline to cancel 127 flights to and from Charleroi airport near Brussels between Friday and today. Britain's airport chaos descends into violence as furious easyJet passenger shoves his girlfriend out of the way before PUNCHING airport worker as he waits to board flight in Bristol Do you know any of the people in the video? If so, reach out to tips@dailymail.com Advertisement This is the shocking moment a furious traveller attacks two airport workers as tempers continue to flare amid Britain's ongoing travel chaos. The drama erupted as the man and a woman who appears to be his girlfriend were waiting to board an easyJet flight from Bristol to Alicante. Somerset and Avon Police said an intoxicated man, 39, and woman, 37, were arrested on suspicion of assault and given conditional cautions after interviews. Footage shows the woman shouting and raising her arms at staff members wearing hi-vis jackets. The man then shoves his own partner out the way and races towards the two workers as onlookers gasp in horror. He punches one and knocks the other over immediately after, leaving them both on the floor. One of the employees quickly manages to separate the passenger from his colleague and appears to call security. The man is seen throwing his own partner out of the way before racing to punch the workers. Right: The two workers soon get up and try to face off against the man, but the partner stands in their way But the row between the holidaymaker and the worker continues as they carry on shouting each other, with another man in a t-shirt appearing to hold back the staff member. The clip has been viewed some 90,000 times since being posted on Twitter. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police told Bristol Live: 'At around 9.30pm on Friday 17 June, officers based at Bristol Airport responded to a report that members of security staff had been assaulted after two people were stopped from boarding a flight, due to being intoxicated. The pair are thought to have been arrested and quizzed by cops for the outbreak of violence 'A 39-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of assault. They were both interviewed and given conditional cautions.' A spokesperson for Bristol Airport told The Sun: 'Anti-social, violent, or threatening behaviour will not be accepted by Bristol Airport or airlines. 'Whilst such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously and will fully support any police investigation.' Daniel Andrews says a 'real dilemma' faces top doctors over whether to delay a fourth Covid vaccine dose for health workers and the general public. The Victorian premier has pushed for a fourth shot to be mandated for health staff to reduce the potential spread of Omicron in the sector. But Australia's expert immunisation panel may be delaying their recommendation to give citizens a fourth dose until a new vaccine that targets Omicron sub-variants becomes available. Daniel Andrews (left) says a 'real dilemma' faces Australia's vaccine advisory over whether to delay a fourth Covid vaccine dose in the hopes a new vaccine is around the corner Omicron sub-variants, such as BA. 4 and BA. 5, are now the dominant variants in Australia. These new strains have also raised concern about the increased likelihood of reinfection. The Labor leader addressed the predicament that's now in the hands of health professionals in a press conference on Sunday. 'There's this real dilemma at the moment,' Daniel Andrews said. 'Do we maybe go to a fourth dose for our health workers which is something I've pushed for, something I've spoken to the PM about or maybe do we wait a little while because there might be an even better vaccine that's even more effective?' Professor Allen Cheng, who is the former chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, echoed the same sentiment earlier this week. 'The alternatives are that maybe there will be a better variant vaccine and if we just wait a few months longer we will have access to that in Australia,' he said to The Age. ATAGI is currently waiting on Moderna's clinical data on their Omicron-containing bivalent booster. Pictured: Australian nurse administers a Covid booster shot The vaccine advisory panel is currently waiting on Moderna's clinical data on their Omicron-containing bivalent booster. Currently the ATAGI panel had not updated its recommendation about the fourth Covid booster, stating that three doses provided sufficient ongoing protection for healthy Australians under the age of 65. A fourth Covid dose is available to anyone aged over 65, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over 50 and Australians under 64 who are immunocompromised. Australians who have had Covid and are eligible for a fourth dose are recommended to wait three months after their infection ends before having their next shot. Boris Johnson appeared to play down his vow to stay as PM into the mid-2030s today as he faces more Tory plotting. The PM trolled his critics yesterday by making clear he intends to stay in power for another decade despite the latest by-election disasters and dire polls. Mr Johnson said he was 'thinking actively' about fighting for a third term which would almost certainly take him past Margaret Thatcher's 11 years in power. But after the comments at the Commonwealth summit in Rwanda incurred fresh wrath from backbenchers, the premier seemed to strike a much softer tone as he arrived in Germany for a G7 gathering. Asked by journalists if he was being 'delusional' about his survival chances, Mr Johnson said: 'What I'm saying is this is a Government that is getting on with delivering for the people of this country and we've got a huge amount to do. 'In the immediate future we've got to get people through the current global inflationary pressures, the post-Covid, Ukraine-exacerbated inflationary pressures that people have got, the energy price spikes that we have got. 'But at the same time we have got a massive agenda of reform and improvement, a plan for a stronger economy, whereby we have to reform our energy markets, our housing markets, the way our transport networks run, our public sector we've got to cut the cost of Government. 'We've got to make sure we grow our economy by reducing the burden of taxation on business and on families and have better regulation.' The attacks kept coming today, with the resignation of party chair Oliver Dowden on Friday having sent the temperature soaring. Backbencher Andrew Bridge, a regular critic, said Mr Johnson had 'lost the plot completely' and even compared him to Vladimir Putin. 'What's the difference between Boris Johnson and Putin? They both believe they have the divine right to rule forever. I thought we lived in a democracy,' he said. Labour insiders claimed to the Sunday Times that half-a-dozen Tory MPs are considering defecting. One of the candidates to succeed Mr Johnson told The Mail on Sunday that they expected the PM to face a challenge 'within weeks or even days' following the disastrous results in Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton. More no-confidence letters are also thought to have been sent to the backbench 1922 committee, even though Mr Johnson fended off a previous challenge earlier this month and should in theory be safe for a year. Boris Johnson and wife Carrie at the G7 summit in Germany today The Johnsons are greeted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his wife today Damian Green (left), who chairs the One Nation caucus of Tory MPs, warned the Government 'needs to alter both its style and content' and called on the Cabinet to step in. Keir Starmer (right) urged Mr Johnson to 'bring it on' over threats of an early general election How could Boris be ousted by Tory MPs? Haven't we just had a Tory confidence vote? Yes. After 15 per cent of Conservative MPs wrote to backbench 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady, he triggered a vote earlier this month. The PM won, but 148 of his 359 MPs backed kicking him out in the secret ballot. Mr Johnson and his allies hailed that as a clear victory and urged the party to unite behind him. Many observers believed the rebels had triggered the ballot too early, and if they had waited for the results of these crunch by-elections the premier would have lost. Can they just call another vote? In theory, party rules mean that because Mr Johnson secured 50 per cent of the vote he cannot be challenged again for 12 months. But notably Theresa May also won a confidence battle, and was later threatened with a rule change to enable her to face another vote - forcing her to resign. The 1922 committee has made clear this time that changing the rules would be a last resort. There are concerns that allowing repeated votes would merely result in perpetual crisis. Is there any other way for the leader to be evicted? Mr Johnson has defiantly insisted he will not entertain the 'crazy' idea of resigning. And - barring the Opposition winning a vote of no confidence in the House - there is no formal mechanism to get rid of him before the next general election. However, a withdrawal of support by the Cabinet would make his position untenable. Tory chair Oliver Dowden's decision to quit and refuse to back Mr Johnson inflicts a blow - but to become terminal it would take more big figures to walk out and openly call for Mr Johnson to go. What happens if the leader is ousted? The leader is sacked if they lose a Tory confidence vote, and a leadership contest begins in which they cannot stand. Resignation would also trigger a contest. However, the outgoing chief typically stays on as Prime Minister until a replacement is chosen. Are there any other big moments coming up that could fuel the revolt? The cross-party Privileges Committee is about to kick off an inquiry into whether Mr Johnson misled the House over Partygate. It is expected to report in the Autumn, when the PM will also have to run the gauntlet of Tory conference. But perhaps the biggest looming threat to Mr Johnson is the cost-of-living crisis, with inflation forecast to soar over 11 per cent in October when energy bills rise again. Advertisement Damian Green, who chairs the One Nation caucus of Tory MPs, warned the Government 'needs to alter both its style and content' and called on the Cabinet to step in. Former minister David Davis also lashed out at the PM's claim the only argument of 'substance' for a change of direction he had heard from his critics was for the UK to return to the EU single market, arguing this is 'plainly not true of me, or many others'. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis took to the airwaves this morning to dismiss the challenges to the PM. He said Mr Johnson's desire to look 'long term' when it comes to his leadership 'has got to be a good thing'. He told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: 'What I see there is somebody, and this is what I see when I work with the Prime Minister every day somebody who has got that drive and enthusiasm for what we want to achieve for our country. 'And I think seeing that kind of zest, and let's be frank, somebody who is enjoying doing the job and wants and has got plans for the country that he wants to deliver, having that ability to look forward, I think is a good thing. 'We get often get criticised in politics when we look short term, at just the next day, the next election, the next vote. 'Actually we've got somebody as Prime Minister who wants to be looking long term at how we structurally improve our country for generations to come. That has got to be a good thing.' Mr Johnson insisted the 'endless churn' of allegations was 'driving people nuts', as he pushed on with his Rwanda trip despite suggestions further ministerial resignations could follow. He told reporters in Kigali that questions of his leadership were 'settled' after he won a vote of confidence earlier this month, and pledged he would not undergo any 'psychological transformation' in order to win over unsupportive MPs. Asked if he would lead his party into the next election, he said: 'Will I win? Yes.' In a buoyant mood, the PM added: 'At the moment I'm actively thinking about the third term and what could happen then, but I will review that when I get to it.' Labour, meanwhile, challenged the Tories to call an early election, with leader Sir Keir Starmer telling Mr Johnson: 'Bring it on.' The Prime Minister's pledge to carry on into the next decade will infuriate those MPs scheming to remove him from office after he lost both Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton to Labour and the Liberal Democrats respectively. If the next General Election is held, as expected, in 2024, Mr Johnson would be seeking a third term in 2028 or 2029, taking him theoretically to 2034. In reality, most Tory MPs are wondering whether he can remain in power until the Commons summer recess at the end of July. One of the candidates considering a run for leader if Mr Johnson is toppled told this newspaper that a contest was likely to come soon. 'We are talking weeks or even days, not months,' the rival said. 'Olive's going has turned it.' 'Olive' is Westminster shorthand for Oliver Dowden. Mr Dowden resigned as Tory party co-chairman saying he was 'distressed and disappointed by recent events' and telling the Prime Minister that 'someone must take responsibility'. He pointed voiced ongoing loyalty to the party - but not Mr Johnson personally. A sighting of Mr Cameron and Mr Dowden, his former deputy chief of stafftogether has fuelled concerns in No 10 that a Cameroon clique is plotting against the PM. The clique is thought to include former Chancellor George Osborne and allies of Mr Cameron's successor in Downing Street, Theresa May. However. he significance of the meeting has been played down by a source close to Mr Cameron, who describes it as one of regular 'routine' meetings between the pair. 'He [Cameron] had absolutely no prior knowledge of, or involvement in, Oliver Dowden's resignation,' says the source. One Cabinet Minister has told colleagues that the 'tipping point' for Mr Johnson would come if the Commons Privileges Committee concludes that the Prime Minister misled MPs when he told the Commons that no Covid rules had been breached in No 10. 'That would be of a different order, no PM can survive that,' the Minister and potential successor said. The committee is expected to report by the autumn. Boris Johnson (pictured at the G7 summit today) trolled his critics in the wake of two by-election drubbings by making clear he wants to stay in Downing Street until the mid-2030 Mr Johnson at the venue for the G7 gathering in Bavaria today Mr Dowden and Mr Cameron were spotted together last month at 5 Hertford Street, a private members' club long associated with Tory plotting The 2,850-a-year club in London's Mayfair is a favourite with politicians, Tory donors and royals, although the significance of the meeting is played down by a source close to Mr Cameron MPs and donors are starting to coalesce in earnest behind Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and Foreign Affairs Commitee Chairman Tom Tugendhat. Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Health Secretary Sajid Javid and his predecessor Jeremy Hunt are also expected to run. Asked yesterday if he would like to serve a full second term, the PM said: 'At the moment, I am thinking actively about the third and what could happen then. But I will review that when I get to it.' He then clarified this would mean remaining in his job until the mid-2030s to enable him to complete his levelling-up agenda. 'We've embarked on a massive project to change the constitution of the country, the way we run our legal system, the way we manage our borders, our economy,' said Mr Johnson. 'We also, at the same time, are embarked on a colossal project to unite and level up. And I happen to believe in that incredibly strongly. 'It won't be easily accomplished. And people will say it hasn't worked, it's not working yet, people in this constituency aren't feeling the benefits. It's going to take time. And I want to keep driving it forward.' Sir Keir could also find himself being hit with a fine by Durham police for his 'Beergate' gathering in late April 2021 which he has said would lead to his resignation. The Mail on Sunday has established through a Freedom of Information request that, contrary to earlier claims, the force does issue retrospective fines and for smaller gatherings than the one attended by the Labour leader. Boris Johnson today warned that 'fatigue' over the Ukraine war could fracture Western unity - as the UK, US, Canada and Japan kicked off the G7 summit by banning imports of Russian gold. The PM said there was obvious 'anxiety' about the fallout from trying to defeat Vladimir Putin's aggression. But speaking at the gathering in Germany this morning, Mr Johnson said he hoped everyone recognised that 'the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed... will be far, far higher'. Asked if he was worried about support fracturing, the premier said: 'I think the pressure is there and the anxiety is there, we've got to be honest about that. 'But the most incredible thing about the way the West has responded to the invasion of Ukraine by Putin has been the unity Nato has been solid, the G7 has been solid and we continue to be solid. 'But in order to protect that unity, in order to make it work, we've got to have really, really honest discussions about the implications of what's going on, the pressures that individual friends and partners are feeling, that populations are feeling whether it's on the costs of their energy or food or whatever.' Gold exports were worth 12.6billion to Russia in 2021, oligarchs are believed to have been using bullion to avoid the impact of sanctions. Downing Street says that because London is a major gold-trading hub, the UK's restrictions will have a huge impact on Mr Putin's ability to finance his war effort. The UK, US, Canada and Japan are banning imports of Russian gold as Boris Johnson (left) urges the G7 to 'starve' Vladimir Putin (right) of funding for the Ukraine war Mr Johnson warned allies against becoming 'exhausted with this thing', arguing it would be a 'disaster' for the world if Putin wins ground in Ukraine (pictured, the aftermath of strikes in Kyiv yesterday) US president Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One in Munich last night ahead of the summit The PM confirmed the move banning gold imports as he arrived at the G7 event in Bavaria. He said: 'The measures we have announced today will directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putin's war machine. 'Putin is squandering his dwindling resources on this pointless and barbaric war. He is bankrolling his ego at the expense of both the Ukrainian and Russian people. 'We need to starve the Putin regime of its funding. The UK and our allies are doing just that.' Legislation to implement the ban will be introduced in Parliament in the coming weeks. The prohibition will apply to newly mined or refined gold. It does not impact Russian-origin gold previously exported from Russia and there are no plans to extend restrictions to gold purchased legitimately before the import ban was put in place. The move, on top of existing sanctions, will mean restrictions will apply to Russian exports worth around 13.5billion from a range of industries. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: 'Given London's role at the heart of the global gold trade, this shows the UK will take tough steps to stop the Russian war machine.' A senior White House official said the world was 'imposing swift and significant economic costs'. 'It will deny Putin revenue he needs to finance his war. In this case, gold after energy is the second largest export for Russia and a source of significant revenue for Putin and Russia. 'The US Treasury will issue a determination to prohibit the import of new gold into the United States on Tuesday, which will further isolate Russia from the global economy by preventing its participation in the gold market.' Asked if financial sanctions are working on Russia's economy, the official said: 'We're already seeing the extent to which sanctions are degrading the productive capacity of the Russian economy, particularly in sectors like technology, like defense, like other key important industries... 'Those impacts only accumulate over time such that Russia's ability to produce Russia's ability to wage war are going to decline over time as a result of the collective steps that the G7 has taken.' Mr Johnson has pledged a further 430million to Ukraine as he pushes for a 'Plan B' to free grain from Russia's clutches. Speaking on the eve of the G7 meeting, the Prime Minister confirmed the UK would back more World Bank loans to Ukraine later on in the year, bringing its total support up to 1.2 billion. Mr Johnson, who is attending the summit on the back of a Commonwealth meeting in Rwanda, said: 'Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.' The PM confirmed the move as he arrived at the G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany. Pictured, the Schloss Elmau where the leaders are gathering Canadian PM Justin Trudeau arrives for the summit in Germany yesterday French President Emmanuel Macron has also arrived for the gathering of world leaders It comes as he criticised current United Nations plans to get grain out of the war-torn country, saying they are doomed to fail because Russian President Vladimir Putin will use famine as a bargaining chip to ease sanctions. Instead, he says a 'Plan B', which would involved de-mining the Black Sea, providing further weapons and offering insurance for commercial vessels trying to run the Russian blockade, is needed. Mr Johnson warned allies against becoming 'exhausted with this thing', arguing it would be a 'disaster' for the world if Putin wins ground. 'I'm going to make it today in the (leaders) retreat, but tomorrow in the G7. I think it's just repeating that basic point that a victory for Putin is a disaster,' Mr Johnson said. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was also warning against getting 'tired' support for Ukraine, as she warned against a peace deal that would be a 'concession' to Moscow. After holding talks with Turkey in Ankara, she told reporters in Kigali that 'we've only got a month to do this'. 'My concern is that Russia is currently prevaricating,' she said. Advertisement At least 22 people have been found dead inside a nightclub in South Africa amid claims they were poisoned. Police rushed to the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, a township in the southern city of East London, in the early hours of Sunday after receiving reports from the public. Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said those killed in the club are believed to be aged between 18 and 20. The Eastern Cape provincial community and safety department official Unathi Binqose ruled out a stampede as cause of death. He said he understood the patrons were students 'celebrating pens down, a party held after writing (high school) exams'. However, regional newspaper DispatchLive reported claims those who died were exposed to some kind of poison. Empty bottles of alcohol, wigs and even a pastel purple 'Happy Birthday' sash lay strewn on the dusty street outside the double-storey Enyobeni Tavern, according to Unathi Binqose, a safety government official who arrived at the scene at dawn. Local reports suggest none of the bodies had any obvious wounds or injuries, ruling out suggestions that a stampede or similar tragic incident would have occurred. Crowds gather as forensic personnel investigate Enyobeni Tavern, in Scenery Park, today Forensic personnel investigate after a number of deaths inside the Enyobeni Tavern A group of people stand outside the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, South Africa Emergency vehicles parked outside the Enyobeni Tavern after at least 17 people were killed The victims were found inside a club in Scenery Park near East London in South Africa Local media also reported: 'Bodies are lying strewn across tables, chairs and on the floor; with no obvious signs of injury'. Crowds of people, including parents whose children were missing, gathered on Sunday outside the tavern where the tragedy happened in the city of East London, while mortuary vehicles collected the bodies. Senior government officials rushed to the southern city. They included national Police Minister Bheki Cele, who broke down in tears after emerging from a morgue where the bodies were being stored. 'It's a terrible scene,' he told reporters. 'They are pretty young... It breaks (you).' The provincial government of Eastern Cape said at least eight girls and 13 boys had died. Seventeen were found dead inside the tavern. The rest died in hospital. Drinking is permitted for over-18s in township taverns, commonly known as shebeens, which are often situated cheek by jowl with family homes or, in some cases, inside the homes themselves. But safety regulations and drinking-age laws are not always enforced. 'We have a child that was there, who passed away on the scene,' said the parents of a 17-year-old girl. 'This child, we were not thinking was going to die this way. This was a humble child, respectful,' said grieving mother Ntombizonke Mgangala, standing next to her husband outside the morgue. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is attending the G7 summit in Germany, sent his condolences. He voiced concern 'about the reported circumstances under which such young people were gathered at a venue which, on the face of it, should be off-limits to persons under the age of 18'. The authorities are now considering whether to revise liquor licensing regulations. South Africa is among the countries in Africa where most alcohol is consumed. 'The number has increased to 20, three have died in hospital. But there are still two who are very critical,' the head of the provincial government safety department Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe said on local TV. This was before the confirmed death toll rose to 22. A visibly shocked head of the Eastern Cape Province Oscar Mabuyane spoke from outside the scene, a building surrounded by houses in an area called Scenery Park. 'It's absolutely unbelievable, we can't understand it, losing 20 young lives just like that,' he told reporters, condemning 'this unfortunate consumption, unlimited consumption of liquor'. People gather outside the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park today as police investigate a number of deaths Crowds gather outside the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, South Africa 'You can't just trade in the middle of society like this and think that young people are not going to experiment,' he said. Local television showed police officers trying to calm down a crowd of people gathered outside the club in the city, which lies on the Indian Ocean coast, nearly 620 miles south of Johannesburg. Mr Kinana told the Newzroom Africa rolling news channel: 'The SAPS confirms that about 17... were found dead inside a local cabin in Scenery Park, in the area of East London. 'We received this report in the early hours of Sunday. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation as we speak. 'We do not want to make any speculations at this stage. Our investigation is continuing.' A pilot has died after his ultralight aircraft struck power lines before crash landing in a paddock in a rural Queensland town. Fire and ambulance crews reported to the location at Bowenville, near Toowoomba, around 2.20pm on Sunday. The single-seat aircraft was reportedly tangled in electrical wires and upside down with rescue efforts hampered by the potential danger to emergency responders. A pilot has died after his ultralight aircraft struck power lines before landing in a paddock in Bowenville, Queensland Queensland Police confirmed the pilot, a man aged in his 60s, died at the scene. There were no other occupants onboard the recreational flight. Emergency crews had to wait for confirmation from energy provider Ergon Energy that the active lines around the plane had been switched off before they could gain access to the aircraft. Queensland Ambulance posted at the time: 'Multiple paramedic crews are on scene at a small aircraft crash 20 minutes outside Oakey at 2.18pm.' Police and aviation authorities are investigating the crash. Queensland Police said that the Forensic Crash Unit, working alongside Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), and Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA) will prepare a report for the Coroner. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has opened up about his eldest brother's suicide four years ago, saying he still struggles with survivor's guilt. Javid's brother Tariq, 51, killed himself in Horsham, West Sussex, in July 2018 shortly after checking-in to a five-star country house hotel. At the time, Javid was serving as Home Secretary and was on his way back to London after visiting mother Zubaida in Bristol when another brother raised the alarm. Tariq, the manager of a supermarket chain, had left two suicide notes to his partner Sylvia - telling her she should 'carry on and enjoy life'. He was later found face down in the shower while five-times the legal drink-drive limit. Javid, 52, described his family's struggle to come to terms with their loss while visiting the London headquarters of suicide charity Papyrus, where he told the assembly: 'Maybe I could have made a difference. And I guess I will never know the answer to that,' The Sunday Times reports. Health Secretary Sajid Javid, 52, has opened up about his eldest brother's suicide four years ago, saying he still struggles with survivor's guilt Javid's eldest brother Tariq, 51, killed himself in Horsham, West Sussex, in July 2018 shortly after checking-in to a five-star country house hotel He said: 'We were all very close growing up - all five brothers born within seven years of each other - so you think about what we could have done? There were no signs and we learned later that Tariq had had some concerns about his work. 'We learnt afterwards that he had a physical health problem that he hadn't told anyone about... and if we had just known, if he had talked to us, perhaps we could have done something. 'I think in some cultures and I would say this is true of the Pakistani culture - there is a stigma around talking about mental health issues. And we have to get the message out that it doesn't matter what culture we come from - we are all human beings and all of us at some time of our lives can have a mental health challenge and there is nothing wrong with that.' An inquest into Tariq's death was held in October 2018, which found he had previously been prescribed codeine for leg and back pain. He was signed off work a month before his death suffering from stress and anxiety; and he also had stomach complaints that were 'under investigation'. A post-mortem found he had died as a result of drowning, ethanol poisoning, heart disease and codeine toxicity. Javid is the third of five brothers and he says Tariq's death has brought them closer. Second eldest brother Khalid, 53, works in financial services, while Basit, 51, is a deputy assistant commissioner at the Met Police, and 47-year-old Atif is a property developer. Tariq Javid checked into the South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, West Sussex, in July 2018 and was found dead face down in the shower a short time later A proud father of four himself, Javid added: 'I make sure I make time for people and ask them how they are feeling.' His father, Abdul Ghani-Javid arrived in England with the boys' mother Zubaida with only 1 to his name in 1961. The couple settled in Rochdale but later moved to Bristol to pursue their retail business. His shop, Scallywags, was in the middle of a notoriously crime-ridden part of Bristol and the Home Secretary has previously joked about seeing a prostitute standing outside the shop as a child. Despite the five siblings' difficult start in life, all five brothers have gone on to lead distinguished careers in their respective fields of business, politics and public sector roles. Sajid Javid was the first non-white person to hold one of Britain's offices of state. Advertisement Putin has attacked Kyiv for the first time in weeks, launching fourteen missiles at the city and surrounding region and striking at least two residential buildings with 'a lot of injuries', according to Ukrainian sources. Kyiv had enjoyed three weeks of relative peace and quiet during the war until the early Sunday morning strikes, the first attacks since June 5. Several large bangs shook the city around 6.30am and rescue services were seen battling flames and rescuing civilians from the blasted out windows of a burning nine-story apartment building. Officials say that it's too early to say if anyone has been killed, and the head of the regional military administration, Oleksiy Kuleba, stated that air defence systems shot down one of the missiles, which landed on a village in the surrounding areas. 'We are doing everything we can to stop the fire and take people out of the destroyed buildings,' said Kyiv's major, Vitali Klitshko. 'We hope nobody has died but the final information we will have in a couple of hours.' He called the attacks an attempt to intimidate the city ahead of G7 and NATO summits taking place this week. Boris Johnson today warned at the start of the G7 summit that 'fatigue' over the Ukraine war could fracture Western unity. The PM said there was obvious 'anxiety' about the fallout from trying to defeat Vladimir Putin's aggression. But speaking at the gathering in Germany this morning, Mr Johnson said he hoped everyone recognised that 'the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed... will be far, far higher'. The majority of Russia's offensives against Ukraine have been concentrated in the Donbas region to the east, where they managed to secure the heavily-contested strategic city of Severodonetsk yesterday after the Ukrainian army finally pulled out. Despite this progress, there have been reports that Putin has sacked his top general in Ukraine, ostensibly over the glacial advance of the Russian army's primary thrust to annex the Donbas. Leaders of the G7 group of industrialised nations meeting today in Germany have agreed a fresh round of sanctions on Russian gold exports Russian forces have finally captured the strategic city of Severodonetsk in Luhansk, which is a 'significant achievement' according to the British MoD Russia is still blockading Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and stopping grain exports from reaching countries in Africa and the Middle East, sparking fears of an imminent famine and refugee crisis Putin axes another top general known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' over the slow rate of progress in the Donbas Lithuania is blocking train shipments from Belarus to Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which Belarus dictator Lukashenko has called an 'act of war' Rescue workers evacuate a person from a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike which Kyiv major Vitali Klitshko says has injured many Fourteen cruise missile strikes reverberated around the city and its surroundings at approximately 6.30am this Sunday morning, shattering the fragile peace and tranquillity the city had been enjoying since Putin's forces moved out of the north of Ukraine Firefighters worker to put out a fire as smoke rises from a residential building damaged by the Russian missile strikes that rocked the city Firefighters work at the scene of a residential building following the cruise missile strikes, some of which were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time Rescuers carry a woman wounded during a missile strike from a destroyed apartment building as the number of injured is still unknown A medic attends to a woman wounded during a missile strike that hit an apartment building as she is taken to hospital in an ambulance Damaged cars are seen after shelling as Russian-Ukraine war continues in Nemyshlyanskyi district of Kharkiv Oblast near the border with Russia as violence is not restricted to just the Donbas The dismissal of Gen Alexander Dvornikov, rumoured to be a drunk and distrusted by his officers, would mark yet another major shake up of Putin's command structure, and an expression of the dictator's frustration with the state of his war in Ukraine, which he had supposed would be successfully over within four days. Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, would be the the seventh general Putin is reported to have sacked since the start of June, as well as losing as many as fourteen killed in action. Russian high command is thought to have removed a number of high-ranking officers from key command roles in Ukraine since the start of June, according to the British Ministry of Defence. With Dvornikov the commander of Southern Group of Forces and likely acting as the overall operational commander for the Russian army in Ukraine, his removal is reported to have come along with that of Airborne Forces (VDV) General-Colonel Andrei Serdyukov. Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin as commander of the SGF. The army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory. 'For over 30 years, Surovikin's career has been dogged with allegations of corruption and brutality,' the MoD adds. Dozens of Russian missiles hit other regions of Ukraine as well on Saturday and Sunday morning. Some were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraine's air command said. The bombardment preceded a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in St Petersburg on Saturday, during which Mr Putin announced that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing large parts of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of the weapons in a matter of minutes. 'In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions,' Putin said in a broadcast on Russian television at the start of his meeting with Lukashenko in St Petersburg. At the meeting, Lukashenko expressed concern about the 'aggressive', 'confrontational', and 'repulsive' policies of Belarus's neighbours Lithuania and Poland. He asked Putin to help his country mount a 'symmetrical response' to what he said were nuclear-armed flights by the US-led NATO alliance near Belarus's borders. Putin also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, in comments broadcast on Russian television. 'Many Su-25 [aircraft] are in service with the Belarusian military. They could be upgraded in an appropriate way,' Putin said. 'This modernisation should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia and the training of personnel should start in accordance with this. We will agree on how to accomplish this.' Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during their meeting in St. Petersburg yesterday, when Putin agreed to send Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing all of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of weapons in a matter of minutes Pictured: A test launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system 'Iskander' from at the Kapustin Yar training ground The transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems would bring large parts of eastern Europe into range of the hyper sonic missiles Gen Alexander Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, has reportedly been removed by Putin from overall command of Russian forces in Ukraine Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin (pictured left, receiving a medal from Putin) as commander of the SGF, as the army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory In southern Ukraine along the Black Sea coast, nine missiles fired from Crimea hit the port city of Mykolaiv on Saturday, the Ukrainian military said. In the north, about 20 missiles were fired from Belarus into the Chernihiv region. Ukraine's military intelligence agency said the Russian bombers' use of Belarusian airspace for the first time for Saturday's attack was 'directly connected to attempts by the Kremlin to drag Belarus into the war'. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address that as a war that Moscow expected to last five days moved into its fifth month, Russia 'felt compelled to stage such a missile show'. He said the war was at a difficult stage, 'when we know that the enemy will not succeed, when we understand that we can defend our country, but we don't know how long it will take, how many more attacks, losses and efforts there will be before we can see that victory is already on our horizon'. Previously Zelensky had addressed revellers at the opening of the Glastonbury festival, asking the raucous crowd in a taped message to continue supporting his nation and countrymen as they fought Russia. He asked festival-goes to 'help Ukrainians who are forced to flee their homes' by putting 'pressure on politicians' around the world. Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late on Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control Sievierodonetsk and the villages surrounding it. He said the attempt by Ukrainian forces to turn the Azot plant into a 'stubborn centre of resistance' had been thwarted. Ukrainian servicemen moving to a position in the city of Severodonetsk under heavy bombardment by Russian forces Governor of Lugansk Sergiy Gaiday said that Ukrainian forces around Severodonetsk have been given the order to retreat as remaining in positions that have been relentlessly shelled 'doesn't make sense' Ukrainian troop ride a tank on a road of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas last week, as Ukraine says Russian shelling has caused 'catastrophic destruction' in the eastern industrial city of Lysychansk, which lies just across a river from Severodonets The Russians have captured the ruins of Severodonetsk, which has been 'reduced to rubble' by concentrated heavy artillery shelling by the Russian army Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk province, confirmed on Friday that Ukrainian troops were retreating from Sievierodonetsk after weeks of bombardment and house-to-house fighting. On Saturday, he said the city had fallen to Russian and separatist fighters, who he said are now trying to blockade Lysychansk from the south. The city lies across the river just to the west of Sievierodonetsk. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian forces control of every major settlement in the province, a significant step towards Russia's aim of capturing the entire Donbas. The Russians and separatists control about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a spokesman for the separatist forces, Andrei Marochko, as saying Russian troops and separatist fighters had entered Lysychansk and that fighting was taking place in the heart of the city. There was no immediate comment on the claim from the Ukrainian side. Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk have been the focal point of a Russian offensive aimed at capturing all of the Donbas and destroying the Ukrainian military defending it - the most capable and battle-hardened segment of the country's armed forces. Russian bombardment has reduced most of Sievierodonetsk to rubble and cut its population from 100,000 to 10,000. An Amazon security guard sued his employers for harassment after claiming a colleague 'ridiculed' his height by comparing him to 1980s child star Gary Coleman. Christian Ononye said he was being harassed because of his height after a colleague pinned a picture of the famously short American actor to a wall at work. But his case was thrown out after a tribunal found the picture of Coleman's head and shoulders could not have meant to mock Mr Ononye's stature as it was not a full body image. Mr Coleman, who was known for playing Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes, suffered from a condition known as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, an autoimmune disease which alters the kidneys. Mr Ononye was hired by MAN Commercial Protection Limited to provide security at Amazon's warehouse in Peterborough As a result he stopped growing at a height of 4'8''. The actor, known for his iconic catchphrase 'Whatcha talkin bout Willis?' died in 2010, aged 42 after sustaining a head injury during a fall. The tribunal, held in Norwich, Norfolk, heard that Mr Ononye was hired by MAN Commercial Protection Limited to provide security at Amazon's warehouse in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, from August 2019. Just months later in November, Mr Ononye claimed an agency worked at the site had 'ridiculed' him by 'pinning up a picture of a person of small stature.' He complained to site security manager Richard Unitt, believing he was the intended target of the image, and it was removed. The tribunal heard that Mr Unitt carried out an investigation of those on shift but that a lack of CCTV in the area meant the person responsible was not found. Mr Unitt then sent an email to staff regarding 'respect to all colleagues', bullying and harassment. The tribunal heard that Mr Ononye had been repeatedly criticised by Mr Unitt for poor time keeping, which the Nigerian national attributed to a faulty car battery. Mr Ononye was sacked the following year for refusing to empty his pockets when he was suspected of stealing after bosses at the site noticed a 'bulge'. By February 2020, Mr Ononye had been searched on no less than eight occasions, which he had no objected to and co-operated with. Workers at the site were regularly searched due to increased incidents of theft. A picture of American actor Gary Coleman (pictured) was pinned to a wall in the workplace On one occasion, Mr Unitt asked Mr Ononye to empty his pockets after noticing 'visible evidence of potentially concealed items in his pocket.' But when he refused to empty his pockets after being asked twice, Mr Ononye was suspended for 'failing to adhere to a reasonable management instruction.' He was dismissed the following month after a disciplinary meeting. Mr Ononye then sued his employers for race discrimination, harassment and unfair dismissal. He alleged that he had been racially abused by a colleague over a radio in addition to his height harassment claim. He accused a colleague of saying: 'Christian speak to me in English.' The tribunal heard that none of the other workers heard this being said. All his claims were rejected by the tribunal. Speaking of the height harassment claim, Judge Robin Postle said: '[Mr Ononye] took offence at this, believing he was being made the subject of ridicule because of [his] height. Apparently Mr Coleman was of short stature. 'The picture does not in any way show that Mr Coleman is of diminished stature.' In regards to his claim that he was unfairly singled out for lateness, Judge Postle added: 'It is simply not an excuse for lateness to say on the second, third, fourth and fifth occasion 'oh no it's my battery, I knew I had a faulty battery'. 'The Tribunal therefore found no evidence that [Mr Ononye] was being singled out for being late, or that he was being treated any differently or less favourably than any other employee who arrived late on a regular basis.' He added that the company was within its rights to regard a refusal to be searched as gross misconduct. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that around 2.5 crore people residing in the villages of Uttar Pradesh would get Gharauni certificates by October, 2023. Addressing a gathering, including government officials as well as beneficiaries of the Gharauni scheme at an event organised to distribute Gharauni certificates to 11 lakh villagers here on Saturday, the CM said while 34 lakh people have already benefitted from the scheme, a survey of lands by drones in 1,10,300 revenue villages of the state would be completed by August this year to expedite distribution of certificates to more beneficiaries. According to the chief minister, 100 per cent population of Jalaun district has got Gharauni certificates. Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the Rural Residential Records scheme across the country in April, 2020, Yogi said it would help strengthen the rural economy and make villagers self-reliant in the long run. Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of Gram Swaraj while PM Modis vision is to make the country self-reliant. The Gharauni scheme will help realise these larger goals, Yogi said. He said it would also help curb land encroachment. He also noted that the UP government has so far freed 64,000 hectares of land illegally occupied by the mafia and criminals since the launch of the scheme with the help of the Land Mafia Task Force. The task force was formed at tehsil, district, commissionerate and state levels. The chief minister also stressed on the importance of digitising land records in speedy disposal of pending land dispute cases and in increasing states revenue. Earlier, deprived communities such as Vantangia, Musahar and Saharia were targeted by the land mafia and criminals enjoying political patronage and their lands were captured, he said. Expressing concern over the long list of pending land dispute cases in courts, the CM said the scheme would set the records straight, leaving little room for disputes. Describing it as a landmark step in the history of Indian democracy, Yogi said that Gharauni certificates would enable villagers to get loans easily and also facilitate them in establishing as well as expanding their businesses. The Gharauni scheme seeks to facilitate transfer of ancestral lands and properties to their rightful owners. A mother is fighting for the legal right of parents to view school lesson plans, after being shocked about how her daughter spoke about white privilege and gender. Clare Page plans to remove her daughter from Haberdashers' Hatcham College in south-east London after her request to view some of the class materials was rejected - with staff saying they were 'commercially sensitive'. Mrs Page said she fears her daughter was being 'indoctrinated' and that white pupils are being told they are 'privileged simply because of their skin colour'. Over the past three years she and her husband have become increasingly concerned about the school with academy status that has been rated 'good' by Ofsted. The state secondary school used to be known as Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, but dropped the name of a 17th-century benefactor, Robert Aske, because of his links to the slave trade. Most of its 1,400 pupils are black or from an ethnic minority, while about 17 per cent are white. Currently parents are allowed to ask to see a lesson plan but the school is not legally obliged to provide it. Mrs Page has written to the Information Commissioner's Office about the issue. A parent of a pupil at Haberdashers' Hatcham College (pictured) in London, is fighting to see 'secret' lesson plans after the school told her she could not see them. Clare Page believes the school is indoctrinating pupils about white privilege Haberdashers' Hatcham College (Interim principal Rob Thomas pictured) have denied indoctrinating their pupils but conceded there were some mishaps in their lessons 'I am speaking out, because I think this is such an important issue,' Page told The Times. 'Parents have a right to know what is being taught to their children, and to expect that opinions and theories will not be presented to them as if they are fact.' A violent image, called 'Die' which pictured white and black people stabbing each other, was shown to 13-year-olds in online art classes to inspire them to make their own posters after the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. The pupils created posters that included a girl being shot in the head; a bloodied Black Power fist and slogans such as ACAB (All Cops Are B******s). After the art class and other similar lessons, Mrs Page told the school she had serious concerns they were 'politicising children' with American identity politics. Some of the pupils' artwork featured a bloodied Black Power fist (pictured: A large black power fist being held at a protest in 2020) Another complaint from Mrs Page was that there was a school assembly about 'white privilege' and 'discriminatory systems of power', where pupils were told that people perpetuated their privilege just by being white. Page also told The Times that her daughter 'had never been referred to by her race' before 2020. The school said the imagery in the art class was upsetting and that playing a rap song in which Boris Johnson is called a racist was also inappropriate. They agreed that the head teacher would oversee school assemblies but it denied that children had been indoctrinated. The school said: 'Hatcham College is confident in the PHSE (personal, social, health and economic) education that it provides its students. Many of the issues covered are sensitive and handled appropriately with the students. 'All our teaching adheres to the secretary of state's statutory guidance and recommended best practice. We are aware that some parents object to the concept of PHSE and do not believe that issues of sexuality should be taught in schools. An education pledge from 2021 shows the school's commitments to tackling race inequality 'The PHSE curriculum was discussed at a parent forum where all parents were supportive of the schools' approach apart from one. We continually review and revise our PHSE provision to ensure it is right for our school community.' Rows between parents and schools over areas of the curriculum are becoming more frequent and Baroness Morris of Yardley, a former Labour education secretary, has tabled an amendment to the Schools Bill to give parents a legal right to see all teaching materials. She said: 'I want it established that parents have a legal right to see what their child is being taught. This must be resolved. 'There is a lot of contested information about sex and gender. It is not unreasonable for parents to say to the school: "Let me see what you are going to show my child". The race issue has also been brought to my attention.' Paul Conrathe, a solicitor from Sinclairslaw, said: 'It is unacceptable for schools to hide behind commercial confidentiality in refusing to disclose curriculum resources. There is a dear public interest in parents knowing what their children are taught.' A student is being handed 60,000 of taxpayer funds to research racist puppets. The unnamed student at Queen Mary University London will lead the three-year long research project which will analyse 'race, puppetry and performance' in the 21st century. Campaigners have dubbed the project, entitled 'Grotesque acts of ventriloquism' a waste of money, while ventriloquist have been left stunned by the 'very strange' research, according to The Sun. The project claims white artists receive funding to produce 'puppet representation of people of colour' that is often 'stereotypical'. The unnamed student at Queen Mary University London will lead the three-year long research project The funding was allocated by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, which is part of the UK Research and Innovation group. Ronnie Le Drew, President of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild, said: 'I find it very strange. 'I know several puppeteers working in the West End and the job market has been better for black people in the world of puppetry. 'Most of the puppet companies in this country are all for using black puppeteers.' James Roberts, political director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Cash should be focused on urgent priorities like tax cuts or public services, not this postmodern piffle.' A spokesperson for UK Research and Innovation said: 'Research into challenging human issues is of great value to society and can ensure a better understanding of these topics, as well as how best to make a difference and enable positive change. 'All decisions on projects we invest in directly are made via a rigorous peer review process based on excellence by relevant and diverse independent experts.' Tariffs on steel imports are set to be renewed this week as Boris Johnson insisted he will act to protect the UK industry. The PM said lifting the restrictions on cheap supplies from developing countries would not be the 'right way forward'. The intervention came as Labour risked descending into chaos on the idea, which ministers believe has strong support in the so-called Red Wall. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy initially said he was against extending tariffs, before performing a dramatic volte face in another interview 30 minutes later. The government's intentions surfaced earlier this month when Lord Geidt quit as Mr Johnson's ethics chief. The peer claimed he had been put in an 'impossible and odious' position after being asked to advise on whether the government should keep the tariffs even if that was against WTO rules. Boris Johnson said lifting restrictions on cheap steel supplies from developing countries would not be the 'right way forward' Mr Johnson UK steel industry has been 'going through a difficult time' with energy prices soaring Asked at the G7 summit in Germany this morning whether he would breach the rules to keep protecting the industry, Mr Johnson said: 'I think it's very important people understand the context of this, and that is that the UK steel industry has been going through a difficult time, partly because of the energy prices that I have been talking about. 'We have a system in the UK where we don't privilege our industry in the way that some other countries do. They pay a very high price for energy, we need to fix that. 'We need British Steel to be provided with much cheaper energy and cheap electricity for its blast furnaces but until we can fix that, I think it is reasonable for UK steel to have the same protections that other European, absolutely every other European steel economy does.' Mr Johnson noted 'the proposal would be for us to take off those protections, take off those tariffs', adding: 'I don't think that's the right way forward. I want another solution. 'The difficulty is, is that possible to do while staying within our WTO, our World Trade Organisation obligations? That's the problem. But these are tough choices that you have to make.' On Sky News this morning, Mr Lammy initially said 'my instinct is this can't be right' when asked for Labour's position on the proposals. However, when the question was put 30 minutes later on the BBC he had a completely different response. He said: 'Yes. I think it's the extension that he's suggesting we would support him. Steel workers support him. The unions support him, industry support him, Labour does support him.' Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said it is 'right' the Government looks to get the correct 'balance' when it comes to trade, insisting it always works 'within international law'. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy initially said he was against extending tariffs, before performing a dramatic volte face in another interview 30 minutes later He told the BBC's Sunday Morning programme: 'Well, we always work and are focused on ensuring we work within international law.' Pressed on whether the Government would impose the tariffs even if it threatened a trade war of some sort, he said: 'I'm not saying we're going to do this, the Chancellor and the Business Secretary and the Prime Minister have got to look at all of these things. 'They've got to get the balance around what we do and how we trade internationally with people, as well as protecting and delivering on a sector of the economy here that is important for jobs. 'And I think it is right that they're looking at all of these things to be able to make the right decisions to protect jobs here, to see our economy grow, and to make sure we've got the input for steel, for example, that we need to grow our infrastructure in the future, which is so important to our future economy.' At least 37 African migrants have now been killed trying to enter Morocco's Spanish enclave after crowd pile-ups and alleged police brutality, an NGO claimed. More than 2,000 young men gathered yesterday to scale the border wall at Melilla, the EU's only land crossing on the African continent. Moroccan officials who guard the checkpoint claimed many were killed in the crush, with others seriously injured falling from the fence. Walking Borders spokeswoman Helena Maleno tweeted last night that 37 were killed - with the death toll 'not final'. Around 100 migrants made it across the frontier. Shocking video published by the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) and verified by Reuters shows police officers beating helpless wounded migrants. Batons are used to strike one young man lying on the floor surrounded by bodies. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the crossing attempt 'an attack on the territorial integrity of our country', blaming the deaths on people traffickers. Horror images show what appear to be scores of bodies piled up by the Africa-EU border fence Video shows dozens of African migrants lying on the floor and surrounding by Moroccan police at the Barrio Chino Border Checkpoint The Spanish government said around 140 Spanish police officers were injured. As well as the 37 reportedly killed, at least 50 were injured. Last night the death toll was 18, with 70 thought to be seriously wounded. Video released by the AMDH shows what appears to be dozens of migrants, many motionless and apparently lifeless, piled up at the Barrio Chino Border Checkpoint. Omar Naji, local head of the AMDH said those in the pile had been left there for hours without medical treatment, leading to more deaths. However, Melilla regional president Eduardo de Castro said the images were difficult to explain and accused Moroccan security forces of a disproportionate response. A young Sudanese migrant shows scars after making it to at the shelter in Nador, Morocco Migrants climb the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco in Melilla, Spain, on Friday Morocco deployed a 'large' amount of forces to try to repel the assault on the border, who 'cooperated actively' with Spain's security forces, the delegation said Some 2,000 migrants made their way to the border at dawn and over 500 managed to enter the border control area after cutting a fence with shears, the Spanish government's local delegation said A Moroccan official said security personnel had not used undue force. One AMDH video showed dozens of African migrants piled together, many motionless and a few making feeble movements as Moroccan officers in riot gear looked on. The same clip showed security forces pulling two bleeding and dazed-looking migrants past those lying on the ground. Another showed a Moroccan security officer striking a person who lay prone. The raid was the first attempted from Morocco into one of Spain's two North African enclaves since the countries agreed this year to bolster cooperation on border control. The double-layered border fence is the EU's only land border on the African continent That deal, which ended months of frosty relations, came after Spain backed Morocco's stance over Western Sahara, a disputed territory that Rabat says is its own, but where an independence movement is fighting for a separate state. There are fears that drought in Africa and surging food prices - even before the war made shipping Ukrainian grain to Somalia, Egypt and other developing nations impossible - could drive up the number of migrants fleeing to Europe. Friday's incident followed days of rising tension in the area around Melilla, according to Ousmane Ba, a Senegalese migrant in nearby Nador who runs a community group to help other migrants. Ba, who neither took part in Friday's incident nor witnessed it, said migrants living nearby had clashed several times with Moroccan security forces while trying to cross the fence earlier this week. A migrant is detained by police officers on Spanish soil after crossing the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco in Melilla A police officer is seen leaning over after migrants stormed the fence and entered Melilla on Friday A migrant runs on Spanish soil after crossing the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco Thousands of migrants can be seen facing a smaller group of border guards after they crossed the fence separating Melilla from Morocco Melilla and Ceuta, Spain's other tiny North African enclave, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, making them a magnet for migrants Many of them are living rough in countryside nearby and were desperate, he said. 'I have never seen migrants attacking this violently. We deplore the deaths near the fence,' he said. A Spanish police source said the migrants who stormed the fence had used sticks, knives and acid against security forces and had changed tactics to try crossing at one perceived weak spot en masse, rather than in separate attempts along the fence. Images posted on Twitter by Spain's Civil Guard union - whose veracity Reuters was unable to verify - showed a large column of mostly young male migrants streaming through streets near the border. Some appeared to be carrying sticks and throwing projectiles as puffs of smoke marked the air around them. Video showed the migrants cheering and raising their arms in celebration as they ran through the streets of Melilla after storming the fence. At least 130 migrants managed to enter Melilla, the Spanish government's local delegation said A group of 2,000 migrants stormed the border fence at 8:40 am Friday and a 'significant number' managed to get in Video showed the migrants - the vast majority of them being men - cheering and raising their arms in celebration as they ran through the streets of Melilla after storming the fence Footage posted on the Facebook page of Segnan Live, a local TV station, showed migrants grappling at a small section of border fence in a large group as sirens sounded nearby and tear gas canisters released plumes of smoke. An image of the aftermath published by AMDH showed a large concentration of people lying at what appeared to be a frontier gate, in an enclosed corner where two high metal fences met, with ambulances standing nearby. The AMDH and Spanish rights groups issued a statement calling for formal investigations into the disaster and for authorities to not bury those killed until afterwards. 'This is the most serious incident (on the border between Spain and Morocco) since 2014 when 15 people died,' said Esteban Beltran, director of Amnesty International in Spain. A stockroom worker has been jailed after he stole more than 45,000 worth of tech from retail giant John Lewis to sell online. Cops raided the home of Lai Uong, 47, and found nearly 34,000 worth of tech stolen from the Bluewater Shopping Centre branch near Dartford, Kent which he intended to sell online. It included watches, mobile phones and wearable tech made by brands such as Windows, Apple and Samsung. Uong had worked at the branch for more than 17 years before an internal investigation was launched when items started going missing between October 2017 and June 2018. Lai Uong (pictured) had worked at the branch for more than 17 years before an internal investigation was launched As part of the investigation, a test purchased was made for some Apple AirPods which were being sold on an online selling site connected to Uong. It was later confirmed that the item was John Lewis stock. Police later searched Uong's property and found Apple products with a retail value of 33,799, all stolen from the store. Officers also found than more than 24,000 of electrical goods had already been sold on the online site. Customers who purchased the items from Uong were contacted by police to request serial numbers. It was confirmed that of the 24,000 of goods sold online, 11,799 came from John Lewis. The total confirmed value of the stolen stock was 45,598. Thousands of pounds worth of tech had been stolen from the Bluewater Shopping Centre branch near Dartford, Kent Uong, from Gravesend in Kent, was jailed at Woolwich Crown Court after admitting handling stolen goods. He was jailed for two years and eight months and ordered to pay 170 costs. Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings to recover the money have been launched. Investigating officer Jacqueline Brown of the Bluewater Police Team said: 'After a long and protracted investigation I am pleased with the outcome achieved from the courts, this demonstrates our willingness to get the best possible outcome for the victims and hold offenders to account for their actions. 'His employer placed a lot of trust in him, and not only did he let his employer down but he also lost his job and will now serve time behind bars for handling the stolen items.' BBC presenter Amol Rajan has come under fire for using the partisan term 'pro-life' to describe anti-abortion activists when discussing the US Supreme Court's upending of Roe v Wade. The controversial ruling ends Americans' constitutional right to abortion after 50 years and has angered millions in the US and around the globe. While discussing the issue on the Today programme on Radio 4, Rajan twice referred to protesters as 'pro-life' instead of 'anti-abortion'. This is in spite of BBC News' in-house style guide which advises journalists to 'use anti-abortion rather than pro-life, except where it is part of the title of a group's name,' The Guardian reports. Critics argue the term is emotive and feeds into anti-abortionists' rhetoric about the beginning of life. BBC present Amol Rajan has come under fire for referring to anti-abortion activists as 'pro-choice' on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme' Anti-abortion activists demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday During a bulletin with BBC North America editor Sarah Smith, Rajan said: 'As you say Sarah, this is not the end but the end of the beginning. Because for many pro-life groups, for the pro-life coalition who have been campaigning for this for many, many years... there's a lot more they want to achieve.' In a further segment with Dr Erica Hofland of the Red River Women's Clinic, North Dakota, he said: 'The argument from the pro-life organisations is that life is life.' The choice of wording has been roundly condemned by women's rights activists. Dr Hannah Barham-Brown, deputy leader of the Women's Equality Party, said: 'Anti-choice campaigners have long tried to hide behind the facade of being "pro-life" when the reality is that they are anything but they are really trying to restrict womens freedoms. Dr Hannah Barham-Brown, deputy leader of the Women's Equality Party, said it was 'disappointing to hear a "pro-life" framing on the Today programme' Disability rights campaigner Frances Ryan described pro-life as a 'deceitful term' used to 'manipulate the debate' 'Banning abortions only bans safe abortions, women will die as a result of this ruling and thousands more will be criminalised or face continuing a pregnancy that they did not choose. 'It is of course disappointing to hear a "pro-life" framing on the Today programme unintentionally or not but it speaks to the huge power and influence of the groups and politicians at the front of these efforts to control women and push an untrue narrative that they are saving lives.' Others on Twitter were equally critical. David Shackson posted: 'How can you be in that position and not understand the connotations? Needs to quit.' Disability rights campaigner Frances Ryan added: '"Pro-life" is a deceitful term used by anti-choice activists to manipulate the debate. Anti-abortion campaigners celebrate the overturning of Roe v Wade outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on Friday 'Women die as a result of abortion bans. The very least journalists can do is use the correct term.' Kerry Abel, chair of the group Abortion Rights, said: 'We know from the strong connections between the gun lobby and anti-abortion activists that they are not "pro-life". 'Pro-life for who? Women die when they dont have access to safe abortions. We call these groups "anti-choice" not "pro-life."' A BBC spokesperson said: 'The style guide suggests anti-abortion as the preferred term, but the use of the term pro-life by presenters and contributors is not against the BBCs editorial guidelines.' A young female soldier who was described as a 'beautiful girl' was found hanged at an Army camp earlier this month, an inquest into her death has revealed. Sophie Madden's body was discovered by Kent police at Overhill Training Centre, St Martin's Plain, near Folkestone, at 9.35 am on June 10 this year. The 23-year-old Gunner, who was in the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. An inquest into her death was opened in Maidstone after police had earlier said her death was not being treated as suspicious. Sophie, 23, was a gunner in the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, located at Albermarle Barracks. She was found hanged on June 10 in a Ministry of Defence building in Folkestone, Kent Ms Madden, 23, pictured just four days before her death. Her friends have paid tribute to her. Police confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious Reading a statement into the record, assistant coroner Bina Patel said: 'The circumstances surrounding her death were that she was found hanging at Overhill Training Centre, St Martin's Plain Camp in Kent, on June 10 and died from injuries sustained at the scene.' The cause of death was given as suspension. Sophie, who was believed to be a young mum, was born in Wigan and was based at Albemarle Barracks, in Stamfordham, Northumberland. After her death was announced, friends, family and colleagues paid tribute to her on social media. One Facebook user wrote: 'That is absolutely tragic. Very saddened to hear such terrible news. 'Thoughts and condolences to her family and friends. RIP young lady, may you rest in peace.' Another added: 'Gut wrenching to hear such sad news R.I.P taken too young. Best wishes to family, friends and colleagues.' The female soldier was part of the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, located at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland In a tribute to her, 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery said: 'It is with great sadness that the Regiment must announce the death of Gunner Sophie Madden on 10 June 2022, aged 23. Gunner Madden was a highly valued member of D Battery RHA. 'Her resilience and professionalism were an example to us all, and will live on as her legacy here and across the Gunner family. Our thoughts are with her family and ask that they are given space at this difficult time.' An Army spokesman said: 'It is with sadness that we confirm the death of Gunner Sophie Madden, 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. 'Her death is being investigated and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further. 'Our thoughts are with Gunner Madden's family and friends at this difficult time and we ask that their privacy is respected.' Adjourning the inquest to September 5 at County Hall, in Maidstone, Miss Patel said: 'I offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sophie Madden for their loss.' Putin has called an obese general out of retirement to take command of forces in Ukraine after yet another round of purges of top commanders has left him 'scraping the barrel'. The 20 stone General Pavel, 67, has been summoned from his comfortable life in the Moscow suburbs and told to don his specially-made army fatigues and go to the front lines of eastern Ukraine. He will now take charge of Russian special forces operating in the region after the unit's former commander was seriously injured in an artillery strike. A veteran of the Soviet Union's ill-fated invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s and a member of Russia's special forces, General Pavel has let himself go considerably since retirement five years ago. He is understood to eat five meals a day and polish it all off with a litre of vodka. Since coming back to the service, he has had to have his uniform specially made and he needs to wear two sets of body armour to ensure his torso is protected. A senior intelligence source last night told the Daily Star Sunday: 'Putin is now scraping the barrel. General Pavel, 67 and 20 stone, has been called out of retirement by Vladimir Putin after yet another round of purges of top commanders has left him 'scraping the barrel' Putin, pictured here during his meeting with Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko yesterday, has been firing commanders at an unprecedented rate and has been reduced to bringing unfit generals out of retirement to replace them 'Most of his best and battle-hardened senior commanders have been killed or injured fighting in Ukraine so he is resorting to sending second rate officers to the front who don't last very long. 'Putin is like a mafia boss who no one can refuse to obey. If a retired general gets a message from Putin saying mother Russia needs you to fight in Ukraine there is not much you can do. There is now escape from Russia thanks to the sanctions.' Despite capturing the key city of Severodonetsk yesterday, there have been reports that Putin has now sacked his number one general in Ukraine, ostensibly over the glacial pace of advance of the Russian army's primary thrust to annex the Donbas. The dismissal of Gen Alexander Dvornikov, rumoured to be a drunk and distrusted by his officers, would mark yet another major shake up of Putin's command structure, and an expression of the dictator's frustration with the state of his war in Ukraine, which he had supposed would be successfully over within four days. Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, would be the the seventh general Putin is reported to have sacked since the start of June, as well as losing as many as fourteen killed in action. Gen Alexander Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, has reportedly been removed by Putin from overall command of Russian forces in Ukraine Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin (pictured left, receiving a medal from Putin) as commander of the SGF, as the army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory Russian high command is thought to have removed a number of high-ranking officers from key command roles in Ukraine since the start of June, according to the British Ministry of Defence. With Dvornikov the commander of Southern Group of Forces and likely acting as the overall operational commander for the Russian army in Ukraine, his removal is reported to have come along with that of Airborne Forces (VDV) General-Colonel Andrei Serdyukov. Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin as commander of the SGF. The army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory. 'For over 30 years, Surovikin's career has been dogged with allegations of corruption and brutality,' the MoD adds. According to Rob Lee, respected war academic from Kings College London among other institutions, Surovikin was jailed twice in his career. Once for allegedly illegally selling guns, and once for leading a military column during the August 1991 coup that killed three protesters in Moscow. This record was an issue when he was put in charge of military police. Several sources claim that Putin is personally micromanaging war decisions and wielding the axe on commanders he sees as under performing. The sacking of airborne chief Serdyukov would indicate he was held responsible for the poor performance - and high casualties - of Russian airborne units, particularly in early operations around Kyiv. Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov, 60, has paid the price of devastating 'mass casualties' among paratroopers, it has been reported He has reportedly been replaced by Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, 53, current chief of staff of the Central Military District, who was born in the Donetsk region The reported sacking would indicate that Serdyukov is being held responsible for the poor performance of, and high casualties, among Russian [airborne] units, particularly in early operations around Kyiv Serdyukov has apparently been blamed for failures in the operation to capture the airport as Hostomel near Kyiv on February 24 - the first day of the war - in which elite troops from the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) were decimated in repeated failed assaults. These soldiers, some of Putin's most highly trained, were systematically destroyed by Ukrainian defenders, who operated with greater numbers and far more competence than the Russians had anticipated. Overall as many as fourteen Russian generals are thought to have been killed during the invasion of Ukraine, although the number is contested. Russia does not release information on the high-ranking officers it loses. Among the Russian generals confirmed dead are Major General Anton Simonov, 55, who was killed during an attack on a Russian command post near Kharkiv and Lt General Andrey Mordvichev who was killed in Kherson on March 19. Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev (left), commander of Russia's 49th combined army, was killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson on March 25, whilst Major General Anton Simonov, 55, (right) died during the attack on a Russian army command post in Kharkiv Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, (left) deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was killed by a sniper whilst General Magomed Tushaev (right) was blown up in the early stages of the war by Ukraine after they joined the Russian invasion Major-General Oleg Mityaev, 47, commander of the army's 150th motorised rifle division, died fighting in the besieged city of Mariupol while Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, was killed on March 7 outside the eastern city of Kharkiv. Meanwhile Major-General Andrey Kolesnikov, Commander of the Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division, was also killed in fighting on March 11 and Major-General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, was killed during a special operation by a sniper on March 3. In addition, General Magomed Tushaev, a Chechen special forces leader, was killed in an ambush near Hostomel, Lt General Yakov Rezantsev, commander of Russia's 49th combined army, was killed in a strike near Kherson and Major General Vladimir Frolov died in battle. Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron staged an awkward cuddly display of bonhomie as they met for talks at the G7 today. The PM and the French president locked into an uncomfortable-looking embrace before their one-on-one meeting in Bavaria. The two leaders seemed keen to show the warmth of their relations despite tensions over the strategy for resolving the Ukraine crisis and Brexit. However, once the cameras were turned off Mr Johnson warned that trying to settle the standoff with Russia to hastily will 'only cause enduring instability'. He said giving ground to Vladimir Putin would give him 'licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity'. Although France has backed Ukraine, Mr Macron has appeared keener to come to terms with Mr Putin than other world leaders. By contrast Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed Mr Johnson for taking a tough line. Boris Johnson and French president Emmanuel Macron locked into an uncomfortable-looking embrace before their one-on-one meeting in Bavaria The two leaders seemed keen to show the warmth of their relations despite tensions over the strategy for resolving the Ukraine crisis and Brexit Mr Macron has also been one of the hard-liners within the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol and post-Brexit trade issues. Before the meeting, Mr Johnson was asked whether France and Germany are doing enough over Ukraine. In his response, Mr Johnson focused on Berlin's response without mentioning France. 'Just look at what the Germans alone have done,' he said. 'I never believed in my lifetime that I would see a German Chancellor stepping up in the way that Olaf Scholz has and sending weaponry to help the Ukrainians to to protect themselves. 'He's made huge, huge strides. We have 4 per cent of our gas comes from Russia, in Germany, it's 40 per cent. 'They're facing real, real pressures, they're having to source energy from elsewhere. But they're doing it. They're making the effort. They're making the sacrifice. 'That's because they see that the price of freedom is worth paying. 'This is something that it's worth us standing up for together. And that is the principle that a free, independent sovereign country like Ukraine should not be violently invaded and should not have its boundaries changed by force. 'And the consequences of what's happening for the world are tough, but the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed , to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher and everybody here understands that.' Once the cameras were turned off Mr Johnson warned that trying to settle the standoff with Russia to hastily will 'only cause enduring instability' Although France has backed Ukraine, Mr Macron has appeared keener to come to terms with Mr Putin than other world leaders A No10 spokesman said of the meeting with Mr Macron: 'They agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war. 'Both the Prime Minister and President Macron stressed the need to support Ukraine to strengthen their hand in both the war and any future negotiations. 'President Macron praised the Prime Minister's ongoing military support to Ukraine and the leaders agreed to step up this work. 'The Prime Minister stressed any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability and give (Vladimir) Putin licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity. 'The leaders agreed to continue and enhance the close work between the UK and France on areas including defence and security.' 'Sex pest' SNP MP Patrick Grady has resigned his party membership amid a police investigation into sexual harassment allegations. Nicola Sturgeon's party said that Mr Grady will no longer be an SNP MP for Glasgow North, and will now sit as an independent. The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it is investigating an incident which took place at a London pub in 2016. A parliamentary probe saw Mr Grady suspended from Westminster for two days after he was found to have acted inappropriately towards a male SNP staff member. Mr Grady, the SNP's former chief whip, made an unwanted sexual advance towards a 19-year-old male member of staff. The Glasgow North MP, now 42, was found to have touched and stroked the neck, hair and back of the teenager at a pub in the UK capital six years ago. He was found guilty by a Westminster watchdog of a 'significant breach' of Parliament's sexual misconduct policy, and said he was 'profoundly sorry' after the panel's investigation. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford urged Mr Grady to consider his position after criticism of the party's handling of the complaint. That came after Mr Blackford was heard in a leaked recording to tell SNP MPs to rally round Mr Grady, saying he looked forward to 'welcoming Patrick back' following his two-day suspension. Patrick Grady at PMQs in Parliament in London on January 29, 2020 Mr Grady pictured with Nicola Sturgeon on election night in December 2019 In a statement posted on Twitter, Amy Callaghan MP apologised after Ian Blackford was heard in a leaked recording to tell SNP MPs to rally round Mr Grady Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy MSP said: 'Patrick Grady should have been sacked long before this but the SNP have shown they have absolutely no backbone and would rather back the perpetrator over the victim. 'The abuser is gone but the poison remains in the SNP and the party leadership should be ashamed of the way they have handled this scandal. 'It's appalling that Nicola Sturgeon and Ian Blackford are still treating a disgraced MP with more sympathy than the victim who suffered sexual harassment. 'Bullying Blackford must now face the repercussions he deserves and be sacked so victims have confidence that they'll be taken seriously in the future.' A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed inquiries are ongoing. He added: 'On Wednesday June 22, police received an allegation of sexual assault that is said to have taken place in October 2016 at a commercial premises in Folgate Street, E1. 'The report was submitted online by a third party. Officers will now be making inquiries, including contacting the alleged victim, in order to assess what further action is required.' An SNP spokesman said: 'Patrick Grady is stepping away from his party membership while the police inquiry continues.' Ms Sturgeon's SNP is embroiled in a furious political and legal row over attempts by the party to rally round the sex pest MP. The party's leader in Westminster, Mr Blackford, has faced demands to quit after a leaked recording caught him urging party politicians to support the former chief whip. But the SNP has instead threatened its own MPs with legal action over the leak of the tape to the Daily Mail, which came after Mr Blackford promised Mr Grady's victim he would show a 'zero tolerance' attitude to abuse. Mr Grady made an unwanted sexual advance towards a 19-year-old male member of staff. The Glasgow North MP, now 42, was found to have touched and stroked the neck, hair and back of the teenager at a pub in the UK capital six years ago. He was found guilty by a Westminster watchdog of a 'significant breach' of Parliament's sexual misconduct policy Amy Callaghan, the MP for East Dunbartonshire, revealed she had been 'searingly reflective' as she issued a 'wholehearted apology' Amy Callaghan, the MP for East Dunbartonshire, revealed she had been 'searingly reflective' as she issued a 'wholehearted apology'. In the leaked recording, obtained by the Daily Mail, Ms Callaghan was heard telling a gathering of SNP MPs: 'Regardless of our position on Patrick's situation, we should be rallying together around him to support him at this time as well.' Mr Blackford could also be heard asking MPs to 'deliver as much support as possible' to Mr Grady. 'He's going to face a number of challenges over the short term and so he should have our absolute full support,' he said. 'I for one very much look forward to welcoming Patrick back into the group next week. I am sure that everybody here will agree.' Mr Blackford previously promised Mr Grady's victim he would show a 'zero tolerance' attitude to abuse. It has been revealed how the SNP threatened its own MPs with legal action over the leak of the tape to the Daily Mail. According to the Times, the current SNP chief whip Owen Thompson told MPs in a late-night email that parliamentary security had been informed of the leak from a private meeting. Opposition parties have demanded that Mr Blackford either resign or be sacked by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon as the crisis over Mr Grady engulfs the party's top ranks. Scottish Labour's Neil Bibby said: 'The only investigation the SNP should be launching is into their own failures to protect staff in this tawdry case. That SNP MPs stood and applauded one of their colleagues after he admitted abusing his position to take sexual advantage of a staff member is disgusting. 'From the start, the SNP have behaved in a way that is disgraceful - closing ranks and intimidating people who tried to bring this story to light. There are serious questions for the SNP about whether Patrick Grady is being treated so lamely compared to others because of his closeness to the SNP establishment.' And Scottish Tory MP John Lamont added: 'Ian Blackford must break his silence and explain why he has taken no action to prevent sexual harassment in the SNP Westminster Group. 'Instead of acting as we requested more than a year ago, he has treated a disgraced MP with more sympathy than the victim who suffered harassment.' Two more officials were suspended on Thursday, separately by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena and Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, in connection with alleged corruption concerning illegal sale of Government land, two days after the L-G sacked three officials in the same case. A Sub-Registrar of the Delhi Government's Revenue Department has been suspended for "fraudulent" transfer of a land parcel to a private party. Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar suspended Hauz Khas Sub-Registrar DC Sahoo on Wednesday for the transfer of prime Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land worth several crores to a private party on Josip Broz Tito Marg in Chirag Delhi. Disciplinary action has been initiated against the Sub-Registrar and some more officials involved in the land transfer may also face action, sources said. The land parcel measuring 1,250 square yard, valued around Rs 30 crore, was situated near the BRT corridor. A complaint was lodged and action was taken after the matter came to the knowledge of locals of the area. The land is owned by the village panchayat and meant for community use but it was first transferred to an individual and then to a private entity in a "fraudulent" manner, sources added. The matter was brought to the notice of Delhi Assembly's petition committee after which records were scrutinised and it was found that the land was transferred to a cultivator although no cultivation had taken place on it. "Action was taken against the Sub-Registrar as he had registered the sale deed of the land 'without proper verification' that would have revealed it was Government land," sources added. Sources said that Ramesh Kumar the then Kanoongo of the area and record room in-charge has also been put under suspension in the same case. The Delhi Government and Raj Niwas had been receiving several complaints about the said Sub-Registrar from MPs and MLAs cutting across party lines as indeed individual citizens and groups living in that area. Serious charges of corruption that included blatant demand of bribes for registering properties, subversion of documents and high handedness were brought to his notice, Delhi Government officials said. On June 21, the L-G suspended three officials two Sub-Divisional Magistrates and one Deputy Secretary in the Chief Ministers Office over charges of corruption in transfer of evacuee properties to private entities between 2015 and 2021. Senior officials who asked not to be named said the four officials suspended by the L-G were posted as SDM Alipur at different times and allegedly passed orders giving away ownership of evacuee land, vested with the Government of India, to private entities. Advertisement Norway's royal family and senior officials gathered to remember the two people killed in an apparent terrorist attack on a gay bar in Oslo this weekend. Zaniar Matapour, 42, has been charged with terror offences after opening fire at the city centre LGBT+ haunt London Pub in the early hours on Saturday morning. More than 20 people were injured, with ten seriously wounded in the gunfire. Matapour was arrested at the scene with the help of clubgoers at around 1.15am. Shortly before midday local time, leading politicians including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre attended a service at Oslo Cathedral. Also present was Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, missed the service with Covid. King Harald, 82, also did not attend the memorial, but said yesterday that he was 'horrified' by the attack. The monarch added: 'We must stand together to [defend] freedom, diversity and respect for each other.' Domprost Anne-May Grarsaas led the service this morning at Oslo Cathedral in front of LGBT flags and decorations Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended today's service without her Covid-stricken husband, who visited the site yesterday Crown Princess Mette-Marit (centre, in navy) was pictured entering the service before midday with Church of Norway leaders One mourner struggled to contain his emotions at the decorated scene of the crime yesterday, where many people gathered The cathedral was decorated in solidarity with LGBT+ Norwegians. The Crown Princess sat on the front row Crown Prince Haakon (centre) was unable to attend today's service after testing positive for Covid. He is pictured between Crown Princess Mette-Marit (left) and the prime minister (right) Matapour is an ex-plumber with severe mental health issues including paranoid schizophrenia and PTSD. He was investigated by the state security services as a potential threat just one month ago, but found not to pose any imminent danger. Speaking at the memorial service, Stre said the attack may have put an end to the official Pride parade, which was called off, but did not stop the fight 'against discrimination, prejudices and hate.' The premier, dressed in black, talked about the thousands of people that spontaneously demonstrated on Saturday in the streets of Oslo, waving rainbow flags and laying flowers at the crime scene to honor the victims. Hundreds paid their respects yesterday despite being warned of potential violence and an 'extraordinary' terror threat Prime minister Stre today celebrated the persistence of Pride gatherers in the face of tragedy hours before the Pride march 'During the day, the city was full of people who wanted to speak out, about sorrow and anger, but also about support and solidarity and the will to continue on fighting, for the right of every individual to live a free life, a safe life,' he said. 'These misdeeds remind us of this. This fight is not over. It is not safe from dangers. But we are going to win it, together,' he told the audience - which also included mourners, ministers and Church of Norway leaders - in the cathedral which was decorated with rainbow flags. The suspect's lawyer, John Christian Elden, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. Zaniar Matapour, 42, has been charged with terrorism, murder and attempted murder He told broadcaster TV2 it was not possible to draw any conclusions about the motives or reasons for the attack. 'It is far too early to do so,' Elden said. Matapour, who arrived in Norway as a 12-year-old refugee, is subject to a psychiatric evaluation in the coming days as part of the investigation, police said. The questionings on Saturday and Sunday came to a quick end, his lawyer said. 'He did not want any recording of the questioning, neither by video nor by sound, because he thought the police would manipulate it,' Elden told TV2 on Saturday. The victims in Matapour's alleged attack have not yet been identified. A pair of mourners cry at the makeshift memorial of flowers and flags in central Oslo yesterday The prime minister made a short speech from the cathedral podium as part of the proceedings The London Pub gay nightclub in central Oslo is pictured on a map of the Norwegian capital Matapour's first mental health diagnosis was made in the 1990s, with his listed conditions including paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD and 'delusions'. Stre said yesterday: 'I know that many Muslims are scared and despairing. Then it is our responsibility that no one other than the person behind the attack is responsible. 'Let there be no doubt, we are one community, we are a diverse community.' French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the 'barbarism of the Islamist terrorist' in a tribute tweet. After the deadly melee in central Oslo on Saturday, a man was filmed being wrestled to the ground by police with the help of revellers. One woman described having to play dead to avoid the shooter's gunfire. The other site hit during the attack was next door's Herr Nilsen Jazz Club, where revellers described being hit with flying shards of glass. She said : 'There was a woman who pulled me down and told me I had to play dead.' Video on social media showed emergency services outside London Pub, a gay nightclub in Oslo (pictured, file photo) at 1.15am on Saturday morning. Two were killed in the terror attack Justice minister Emilie Enger Mehl (right) also came to the midday memorial at Oslo Cathedral Leading figures in Norwegian society including royals and politicians attended today's service Despite the 'extraordinary' terror threat, defiant LGBT+ Norwegians marched yesterday The man then shot the table directly behind her. She escaped London Pub unharmed. Police lawyer Christian Hatlo said: 'Our overall assessment is that there are grounds to believe that he wanted to cause grave fear in the population. 'We need to go through his medical history, if he has any. It's not something that we're aware of now.' Oslo was due to hold its annual gay pride parade later on Saturday, but organisers cancelled the event amid fears of potential 'copycat' attacks. Planners Oslo Pride wrote on Facebook this morning: 'Oslo Pride has received clear advice and a recommendation that the parade, Pride Park, and any other event in relation to Oslo Pride be cancelled. A man walks his dog decorated with rainbow feathers near the scene of the London Pub attack Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway lights a candle at the cathedral to remember the dead Police attend the scene in Oslo in the early hours on Saturday immediately after the shooting 'We will follow the police's recommendation and take care of each other', lead organiser Inger Kristin Haugsevje added. Oslo Police District confirmed last night: 'Two people have been confirmed dead in the shooting episode. There are several seriously injured.' National newspaper in Norway, VG, reported that 'witnesses said people ran from the scene in panic'. Oslo's university hospital said it had gone on red alert following the shooting. Olav Roenneberg, a journalist from Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, said he witnessed the shooting. The chaotic scene in Oslo is pictured, with emergency services on the pavement treating the wounded Horror footage shows terrified nightclub-goers flee the scene as rapid gunfire is heard Matapour, filmed by a nearby eyewitness in footage posted to Snapchat, has been charged Multiple police officers leaned on the 42-year-old to detain him after the mass shooting 'I saw a man arrive at the site with a bag. He picked up a weapon and started shooting,' Mr Roenneberg told NRK. 'First I thought it was an air gun. Then the glass of the bar next door was shattered and I understood I had to run for cover.' Adding to tributes by world leaders including Joe Biden and Ursula von der Leyen, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted yesterday: 'London stands with Oslo. 'Our thoughts and solidarity are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this horrific attack, hours before Oslo's #Pride was due to take place. #LoveIsLove and hate will never win.' A mother-of-one who conned hundreds into donating more than 40,000 by pretending she had cancer will only have to pay back a fiver. Nicole Elkabbas spent thousands on holidays, gambling, shopping sprees, restaurants and even 3,592 on a luxury box to watch a single Tottenham Hotspur match. The 44-year-old from Broadstairs, Kent, falsely claimed on her GoFundMe, which raised 45,350, that she needed to pay for private ovarian cancer treatment in Spain. However she had been given the all clear from cancer by doctors days before the fundraiser was set up. As she has no financial assets or ability to repay her nearly 700 victims, she has been ordered to repay just 5 in the next 28 days. Nicole Elkabbas (pictured), 44, conned kind-hearted members of the public out of 45,000 using a convincing GoFundMe page and even a picture of her lying in a hospital bed. She has now been ordered to pay back just 5 A photo of Elkabbas lying on a hospital bed for a gall bladder operation, which she used for her fundraiser to trick people into making her think she had cancer Nicole Elkabbass was found guilty of fraudulently accepting 45,350 in donations for an illness she didn't have Investigators have since probed her accounts and calculated she made a total of 360,000 due to criminal exploits, Canterbury Crown Court heard. Her spending habits included gambling more than 60,000 in just 2018, she described her habit 'excessive, erratic and extreme'. The former Harrods fashion consultant plead not guilty in her trial in November 2020, claiming she genuinely believed she had cancer. Elkabbas was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison last year, Judge Mark Weekes said her ploy was 'pure wild fantasy and a deliberate deceit' used to finance her gambling habit. He said: 'You produced detailed and at times graphic accounts of the treatment you were receiving with a view to keeping those you had snared in your web of lies paying you money.' Her lies included stories about a major surgery, six cycles of chemotherapy and a wonder-drug. Elkabbas was also found guilty last year of one count of possession of criminal property in relation to the charitable donations which were subsequently transferred into her bank account Judge was 'astonished' by MP's comments The judge who jailed a woman last year who faked having cancer said he was 'astonished' by remarks made about her by an MP. Carolyn Harris MP said of Nicole Elkabbas that she was 'honest about the crimes she was committed'. The judge told Elkabbas: 'I am astonished to read from Mrs Carolyn Harris MP that she considers you were 'honest about the crimes you had committed'.' He added that he 'cannot help but wonder' if this was a 'further instance of your playing with the truth' and manipulating others. Responding to the judge's words, the Swansea East representative said: 'My comments were in connection with her addiction leading her to crime. 'Like so many who fall into the trap of addiction, they commit crimes out of desperation and whilst Nicole was wrong to commit the crime, she has been honest in her mitigation as to why she did so.' Advertisement She was only caught after her consultant oncologist discovered her fundraising page asking for donations seemingly set up by her mother Delores - days after examining her. Her GoFundMe page, titled 'Nicole Needs Our Help - Treatment', featured a frail photo taken after gall bladder surgery months before. It played on the public's heartstrings by describing her as a 'beautiful daughter' and 'loving mother to her dear 11-year-old son'. It described the trauma of undergoing three operations and six rounds of chemotherapy leading to now desperately needing money to pay for a breakthrough drug in Spain as the 'only way she could be saved'. The picture on the GoFundMe website showing Elkabbas 'apparently stricken and in her hospital bed looking very poorly indeed' was in fact from a previous operation to remove her gallbladder. The surgery at the Spencer Private Hospital in Margate, Kent was paid for by private healthcare insurance and completely unrelated to cancer, In the end the picture only sped up her capture after a now former friend and leading London gynaecologist stumbled across the GoFundMe page. Consultant General George Tsavellas, who told the trial last year he found 'no malignance whatsoever' and said both ovaries 'looked normal' after a January 2018 keyhole surgery. After quickly working out the photo was taken in Margate, not Spain, police contacted Barcelona's Teknon Clinic where she claimed to be staying. The clinic said they had never heard of her, while the doctor treating her did not exist according to Spanish media. A spokesperson for GoFundMe said: 'All donations were refunded in 2019 when the misuse allegations were raised. Misuse counts for less than one 10th of 1 per cent of all activity on GoFundMe and in the very rare case there is misuse, we refund donations.' Women are threatening not to have sex with men in protest of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as pro-choice supporters continued to rally through the weekend. Protests erupted on Friday following the court's ruling to overturn women's federal right to abortions, with 26 states expected to further restrict or outright ban abortions. And now, women are being called to withhold sex from men 'until abortion rights are federal law' as calls for a nationwide sex strike also gain momentum on social media. 'Women of America: Take the pledge. Because SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, we cannot take the risk of an unintended pregnancy, therefore, we will not have sex with any man including our husbands unless we are trying to become pregnant,' one Twitter user wrote. 'I live in New York and I am DOUBLE FURIOUS with the Supreme Court. I want to find people who are coordinating a mass sex strike. That is our power,' another woman raged. 'Women have the power here. No more sex until abortion rights are federal law.' There were also calls for 'sex strike' across the country as terms including #SexStrike and #abstinence began trending online. Another supporter wrote on Twitter: 'Womxn! Calling for a national #sexstrike No sex with men until women's rights are codified by law. #Allmen #Underhiseye.' 'Perhaps a #sexstrike (also known as #abstinence) would help the men folk to be all in on this #womensrights issue,' another Twitter wrote. Others posted a graphic that read: #SexStrike. If our choices are denied, so are yours.' By Sunday, most of the protests had remained peaceful apart from a pickup truck that drove through a group of demonstrators in Cedar Rapids, running over a woman's foot. And in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night, a group of protesters smashed windows and vandalized several buildings. Pro-choice supporters are threatening to deny men sex and calls for a nationwide sex strike begin trending on social media with the hashtag #sexstrike A protester in New York City holds a sign saying 'No sex with men until Roe v Wade is protected' Many held signs with calls for women to withhold sex from men until abortion rights are federal law as protests erupted on Friday following the court's ruling to overturn women's federal right to abortions One Twitter user reminds women they have the power and to deny sex until abortion rights are federal law Twitter users use the hashtag #sexstrike to protest until abortion rights are law Many women protested in person and online with calls for women to withhold sex from men until abortion rights are federal law Brianna Campbell, 24, was among the thousands marching in the New York City streets this weekend. 'If you're a man who won't get a vasectomy, even though it's reversible, and you're not out in the streets fighting for my rights, you do not deserve to have sex with me,' Campbell told The New York Post. 'I think it's absolutely valid for us to be withholding the Holy Grail that men seem to think is important,' Caroline Healey told The Post during a protest in Union Square on Saturday. 'Why shouldn't we withhold it if we're always worried that they're not going put a condom on, that they're going take one off after we ask them to,' she added. Others posted a graphic that read: #SexStrike. If our choices are denied, so are yours.' Women tweeted: NO SEX WITH SPERM DONORS UNTIL WE HAVE OUR RIGHTS Others called for women to never have sex with Republicans Friday's demonstrations mostly passed off without incident -- although police fired tear gas on protesters in Phoenix, Arizona and a pickup truck drove through a group of protesters in the Iowa city of Cedar Rapids, running over a woman's foot. But on Saturday, protests turned violent in downtown Portland, Oregon where a large group was seen smashing windows and vandalizing several buildings with messages targeting the Supreme Court, Fox News reported. Scrawled in black spray paint on one building was: 'Death to SCOTUS.' Another message read: 'Abort the Court.' Other messages in spray paint included, 'Abolish schools,' and 'ACAB,' which is a reference to anti-police. The group also smashed windows of a Starbucks and of a Tesla car. Scrawled in black and red spray paint on one building in Portland was: 'Death to SCOTUS.' Another message read: 'Abort the Court' (pictured) Protesters posed with the graffiti Graffiti is seen on the Library of Congress while abortion rights demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Friday Protesters in South Carolina clashed with police on Saturday as thousands continued their outrage against the Supreme Court's decision to end the landmark abortion ruling by holding demonstrations in Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and all across the country. The Greenville chaos erupted when hundreds overcrowded the streets and six people were arrested by police, who were filmed tackling demonstrators after they were told to disband following the scheduled 1 p.m. finish. Chaos erupted in Greenville, South Carolina when police tackled four men to the ground to arrest them after the crowd failed to disband after one hour of protest. Demonstrators claimed police tased one of the men Protesters clashed with police in Los Angeles during the second day of demonstrations When about 500 protesters showed up and exceeded the time limit, Greenville police officers told the crowd to disband as pro-choice demonstrators began confronting anti-abortion protesters. Police said six people were arrested after failing to comply with warnings and trying to interfere with arrests, and officials claimed pepper spray and stun guns were not used. However, video of the scene of the arrests depicted the tense situation as police were filmed tackling four men to the floor while a woman was screaming, 'Look at what he's doing. He's tasing him.' An investigation over the incident is underway, police officials said. On day three of the protests this weekend, emotional protests and prayer vigils turned to resolve as several states enacted bans and both supporters and opponents of abortion rights mapped out their next move. Women in states that severely restrict abortion or outlaw it altogether will either have to continue with their pregnancy, undergo a clandestine abortion, obtain abortion pills, or travel to another state where it remains legal. But 'most women don't have the time of day or the financial resources to travel across state lines to get an abortion,' Mikayla Marcum, a 23-year-old originally from Texas, told AFP at the Supreme Court on Saturday. 'We are going to see some nightmare scenarios, sadly,' Biden's spokeswoman Karine Jean Pierre told reporters on Air Force One, as the president headed to Europe for Group of Seven and NATO summits. In New York, protesters gathered at Union Square Park calling out the Supreme Court decision. It was relatively peaceful compared to Friday's protest, which saw 25 arrested in the city In Atlanta, many gathered outside the Georgia's capitol to protest the expected implementation of a sex-week abortion ban One demonstration saw dozens lying down in front of the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (pictured) Missouri was first to ban the procedure on Friday, making no exception for rape or incest, joined as of Saturday morning by at least seven other states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Utah. In Wisconsin, where an 1849 law banning abortion except when saving the life of the mother may go into effect, Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, vowed to offer clemency to any doctors who face prosecution, according to local media. In its ruling, the Supreme Court tossed out the argument in Roe v. Wade that women had the right to abortion based on the constitutional right to privacy with regard to their own bodies. Several Democratic-ruled states, anticipating an influx of patients, have already taken steps to facilitate abortion, and three of them -- California, Oregon and Washington -- issued a joint pledge to defend access in the wake of the court's decision. Abortion providers said they had seen a surge in donations since the ruling, as they braced for the long hard road ahead. 'In the 24 hours following the court's devastating decision, Planned Parenthood ...saw a 40-fold total increase in donations compared to a typical day -- more than half of whom are new donors,' Kelley Robinson, vice president of advocacy at the largest abortion provider in the United States, said in a statement to AFP. 'This is just the beginning, and we won't back down,' she said. Wild wedding celebrations got off to a fiery start as guests declared a groom's burning love to his bride-to-be by doing burnouts. Hoons revved up a Bass Hill street in Sydney's south-west in their flashy cars on Saturday to celebrate the nuptials, leaving behind a trail of skid marks. Plumes of smoke billowed into the sky and could be seen from several kilometres away attracting the attention of TV news camera helicopters. Footage shows a large gathering of family, wedding guests and neighbours in the street to watch the procession of Fords, Lamborghinis and a Toyota Hilux smoke up their tyres on the residential street. One neighbour described the sound from one of the cars performing burn outs as similar to 'gun shots'. Wedding guests and neighbours gathered in a Bass Hill street as a procession of cars performed burnouts to kick start wedding celebrations 'That was the one we were like 'Woah!' the woman told Nine News. 'It's a boy thing. Cars revving up and then you hear the noise, bang bang!' Guests filmed the celebrations as the wedding car waited in the driveway. The street party came to abrupt end when police arrived to investigate the mayhem. But neighbours didn't appear to be fazed by the chaos, despite one driver reportedly almost veering out of control. 'Typical wedding,' one man said. 'There was a guy that almost lost it but it was fine.' Another man added: 'It's tradition.' A large crowd of wedding guests turned up for the wild celebrations in a Bass Hill street Smoke can be seen billowing from the tyres of a vehicle on the Bass Hill street A NSW Police spokeswoman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia officers attended but no further action taken has been taken. Hoons caught performing burnouts can be fined up to $3,000. It's not the first time wedding celebrations have gotten out of hand in Western Sydney. Three guests were charged with 'significant burnout offences' after celebrating a newlywed's nuptials in Auburn in April 2021. Two years earlier in western Sydney, celebrations turned horribly wrong when a Maserati driver lost control and crashed into the back of the wedding car while performing burn outs. Disgraced former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer sparked national outrage when he caused chaos in Lidcombe in 2015 when he illegally closed an entire street as part of his lavish nuptials to then-bride-to-be Aysha. The marriage later ended while Mehajer is currently behind bars for perverting the course of justice. Mystery surrounds a late night dash to the Kremlin by Vladimir Putin amid suspicions he has prepared a new televised statement on the war in Ukraine and tensions with the West. Video shows his Aurus limousine in a late night dash to his Moscow seat of power at 23:00 on Saturday night. His Kremlin visit immediately followed talks with Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko in St Petersburg, 440 miles away, in which he agreed to supply advanced nuclear-capable arms to the Minsk dictator. A night of bombardment on Ukrainian cities including Kyiv from Russian warplanes using Belarus airspace followed the meeting. Putin's spokesman did not deny the late night dash to the Kremlin, but ruled out the purpose being a crisis meeting of top officials. He also denied that Putin was to make an immediate emergency statement. Peskov in a late night statement told TASS: 'No. Everything is not like that. Everything is normal.' Yet Peskov did not explain the purpose of Putin's sudden visit. Vladimir Putin's entourage made a late night dash to the Kremlin last night which has sparked speculation as to the reason why Video shows Putin's Aurus limousine in a late night dash to his Moscow seat of power at 23:00 on Saturday night Putin's spokesman did not deny the late night dash to the Kremlin, but ruled out the purpose being a crisis meeting of top officials The Kremlin, the seat of power in Russia, located in Red Square in central Moscow on the Moskva River The Russian president has previously pre-recorded major announcements in the Kremlin which are then later released. One suspicion is that this might have been the purpose of his visit, possibly to announce an escalation of hostilities. Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko expressed concern that the visit signalled a new Putin statement on the war His nighttime address which launched his 'special military operation' in Ukraine on February 24 is widely believed to have been pre-recorded earlier. Putin does not live in the Kremlin but at an out of town official residence, and in summer is frequently based in Sochi on the Black Sea. So the sight of his entourage arriving late on a Saturday night at the Kremlin was seen as exceptional and immediately triggered reports on social media, forcing Peskov into a reaction. Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko expressed concern that the visit signalled a new Putin statement on the war. 'Late at night on Saturday Putin suddenly drove into the Kremlin,' he said. 'Details: Peskov denied suggestions that appeared in the media that it was linked to an emergency meeting, and said that 'everything was normal'.' Rescue workers evacuate a person from a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike which Kyiv major Vitali Klitshko says has injured many Fourteen cruise missile strikes reverberated around the city and its surroundings at approximately 6.30am this Sunday morning, shattering the fragile peace and tranquillity the city had been enjoying since Putin's forces moved out of the north of Ukraine Firefighters worker to put out a fire as smoke rises from a residential building damaged by the Russian missile strikes that rocked the city Yet before the invasion Putin had pre-recorded a statement 'to announce the start of the attack'. And for weeks and months before the announcement, Putin and Peskov had denied they had any intention of invading Ukraine. Just a few hours after the dash to the Kremlin, Putin attacked Kyiv for the first time in weeks, launching fourteen missiles at the city and surrounding region from bombers flying over Belarus airspace. Kyiv had enjoyed three weeks of relative peace and quiet during the war until the early Sunday morning strikes, the first attacks since June 5. There were reports of many injuries. Several large bangs shook the city around 6.30am and rescue services were seen battling flames and rescuing civilians from the blasted out windows of a burning nine-story apartment building. Officials say that it's too early to say if anyone has been killed, and the head of the regional military administration, Oleksiy Kuleba, stated that air defence systems shot down one of the missiles, which landed on a village in the surrounding areas. At his meeting with Lukashenko, Putin vowed to supply Minsk with missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing large parts of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of the weapons in a matter of minutes. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during their meeting in St. Petersburg yesterday, when Putin agreed to send Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing all of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of weapons in a matter of minutes Pictured: A test launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system 'Iskander' from at the Kapustin Yar training ground The transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems would bring large parts of eastern Europe into range of the hyper sonic missiles 'In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions,' Putin said in a broadcast on Russian television at the start of his meeting with Lukashenko in St Petersburg. At the meeting, Lukashenko expressed concern about the 'aggressive', 'confrontational', and 'repulsive' policies of Belarus's neighbours Lithuania and Poland. He asked Putin to help his country mount a 'symmetrical response' to what he said were nuclear-armed flights by the US-led NATO alliance near Belarus's borders. Putin also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, in comments broadcast on Russian television. Advertisement Boris Johnson and G7 leaders ridiculed Vladimir Putin during extraordinary banter before summit talks today. The PM, Canada's Justin Trudeau and European commission president Ursula von der Leyen all mocked the Russian dictator as they sat down for discussions in Bavaria. In a reference to Putin's notorious macho photo ops, they suggested doing some 'bare chested horseback riding' to show they were 'tougher' than him. The undiplomatic chat risks further inflaming tensions amid the standoff over Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It happened with cameras rolling as they gathered around a table with US president Joe Biden. Mr Johnson said: 'Jackets on? Jackets off? Shall we take our clothes off?' When Mr Trudeau suggested they waited until after the official picture was taken despite the heat in the room, Mr Johnson quipped: 'We have to show that we're tougher than Putin.' Mr Trudeau added: 'We're going to get the bare-chested horseback riding display.' Mr Johnson can then be heard on footage saying: 'We've got to show them our pecs.' Ms von der Leyen interjected: 'Horseback riding is the best.' Leaders of the G7 group of industrialised nations meeting today in Germany have agreed a fresh round of sanctions on Russian gold exports Russian forces have finally captured the strategic city of Severodonetsk in Luhansk, which is a 'significant achievement' according to the British MoD Russia is still blockading Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and stopping grain exports from reaching countries in Africa and the Middle East, sparking fears of an imminent famine and refugee crisis Putin agreed to station nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles on Belarus soil that can hit NATO bases and targets in eastern Europe in a matter of minutes Putin axed another top general known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' over the slow rate of progress in the Donbas Lithuania is blocking train shipments from Belarus to Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which Belarus dictator Lukashenko has called an 'act of war' The G7 leaders meet for lunch: Clockwise from left, Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of France, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden and Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom As the G7 leaders gathered in at luxury country retreat and hideaway Schloss Elmau in Germany, Russia ramped up its attacks in the Ukraine. Russian forces attacked the capital of Kyiv for the first time in weeks, striking at least two residential buildings. Kyiv had enjoyed three weeks of relative peace and quiet during the war until the early Sunday morning strikes, the first attacks since June 5. Several large bangs shook the city around 6.30am and rescue services were seen battling flames and rescuing civilians from the blasted out windows of a burning nine-story apartment building. Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted a photo of a young girl being carried out of the rubble, strapped to a stretcher and being aided by emergency workers. Her father was killed and her mother was injured, according to local reports. 'G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. Russia's sick imperialism must be defeated,' Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko told local media that a kindergarten was hit. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told reporters in Kyiv that he believed the strike 'is maybe a symbolic attack' ahead of the start of today's G7 summit and this week's NATO summit in Madrid. Mr Biden slammed Russia's attack on Kyiv as 'barbarism.' 'It's more of their barbarism,' he said during the official welcome ceremony for G7 leaders at Schloss Elmau. Earlier, Mr Johnson warned that 'fatigue' over the Ukraine war could fracture Western unity - as the UK, US, Canada and Japan kicked off the G7 summit by banning imports of Russian gold. The PM said there was obvious 'anxiety' about the fallout from trying to defeat Vladimir Putin's aggression. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau mocked the 2009 photo of a shirtless Vladimir Putin riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian Tyva region during his vacation Mr Johnson and Emmanuel Macron held one-on-one talks earlier at the summit Mr Johnson and wife Carrie arrive at the G7 summit in Germany today Joe Biden and Boris Johnson posing for the cameras. Biden is smiling broadly and enjoying himself while Johnson looks a little less relaxed The Johnsons are greeted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his wife today Entente Cordiale? PM and Macron put on awkward show of friendship Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron staged an awkward cuddly display of bonhomie as they met for talks at the G7 today. The PM and the French president locked into an uncomfortable-looking embrace before their one-on-one meeting in Bavaria. The two leaders seemed keen to show the warmth of their relations despite tensions over the strategy for resolving the Ukraine crisis and Brexit. However, once the cameras were turned off Mr Johnson warned that trying to settle the standoff with Russia to hastily will 'only cause enduring instability'. He said giving ground to Vladimir Putin would give him 'licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity'. Although France has backed Ukraine, Mr Macron has appeared keener to come to terms with Mr Putin than other world leaders. By contrast Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed Mr Johnson for taking a tough line. Advertisement But speaking this morning, Mr Johnson said he hoped everyone recognised that 'the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed... will be far, far higher'. Asked if he was worried about support fracturing, the premier said: 'I think the pressure is there and the anxiety is there, we've got to be honest about that. 'But the most incredible thing about the way the West has responded to the invasion of Ukraine by Putin has been the unity Nato has been solid, the G7 has been solid and we continue to be solid. 'But in order to protect that unity, in order to make it work, we've got to have really, really honest discussions about the implications of what's going on, the pressures that individual friends and partners are feeling, that populations are feeling whether it's on the costs of their energy or food or whatever.' Mr Johnson and Emmanuel Macron staged an awkward cuddly display of bonhomie as they met for talks. The PM and the French president locked into an uncomfortable-looking embrace before their one-on-one meeting in Bavaria. The two leaders seemed keen to show the warmth of their relations despite tensions over the strategy for resolving the Ukraine crisis and Brexit. However, once the cameras were turned off Mr Johnson warned that trying to settle the standoff with Russia too hastily will 'only cause enduring instability'. He said giving ground to Vladimir Putin would give him 'licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity'. Although France has backed Ukraine, Mr Macron has appeared keener to come to terms with Mr Putin than other world leaders. By contrast Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed Mr Johnson for taking a tough line Mr Macron has also been one of the hard-liners within the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol and post-Brexit trade issues. Before the meeting, Mr Johnson was asked whether France and Germany are doing enough over Ukraine. In his response, Mr Johnson focused on Berlin's response without mentioning France. 'Just look at what the Germans alone have done,' he said. 'I never believed in my lifetime that I would see a German Chancellor stepping up in the way that Olaf Scholz has and sending weaponry to help the Ukrainians to to protect themselves. 'He's made huge, huge strides. We have 4 per cent of our gas comes from Russia, in Germany, it's 40 per cent. 'They're facing real, real pressures, they're having to source energy from elsewhere. But they're doing it. They're making the effort. They're making the sacrifice. 'That's because they see that the price of freedom is worth paying. Carrie Johnson was among spouses trying out some Alpine walking on a tour near the Schloss today For their family photo, the G7 leaders took off their ties; from left to right European Council President Charles Michel, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) led the G7 leaders out of their lunch and toward the site of the family photo The G7 leaders, after their working lunch, walk to the spot they will take their family photo Beast from the East? Putin calls obese general out of retirement Putin has called an obese, 20 stone General Pavel, 67, out of retirement to take command of forces in Ukraine after yet another round of purges of top commanders. He will take charge of Russian special forces operating in the region after the unit's former commander was seriously injured in an artillery strike. He is understood to eat five meals a day and polish it all off with a litre of vodka. Since coming back to the service, he has had to have his uniform specially made and he needs to wear two sets of body armour to ensure his torso is protected. A senior intelligence source said: 'Putin is now scraping the barrel. 'Most of his best and battle-hardened senior commanders have been killed or injured fighting in Ukraine so he is resorting to sending second rate officers to the front who don't last very long. 'Putin is like a mafia boss who no one can refuse to obey. If a retired general gets a message from Putin saying mother Russia needs you to fight in Ukraine there is not much you can do. There is now escape from Russia thanks to the sanctions.' Advertisement 'This is something that it's worth us standing up for together. And that is the principle that a free, independent sovereign country like Ukraine should not be violently invaded and should not have its boundaries changed by force. 'And the consequences of what's happening for the world are tough, but the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher and everybody here understands that.' Gold exports were worth 12.6billion to Russia in 2021, and Russian oligarchs are believed to have been using bullion to avoid the impact of sanctions. Downing Street says that because London is a major gold-trading hub, the UK's restrictions will have a huge impact on Mr Putin's ability to finance his war effort. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine will be the main topics of discussion at this week's G7 summit in Germany and NATO meeting in Madrid. Dozens of Russian missiles hit other regions of Ukraine as well on Saturday and Sunday morning. Some were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraine's air command said. Ukraine's military intelligence agency said the Russian bombers' use of Belarusian airspace for the first time for Saturday's attack was 'directly connected to attempts by the Kremlin to drag Belarus into the war'. The bombardment preceded a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in St Petersburg on Saturday, during which Mr Putin announced that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing large parts of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of the weapons in a matter of minutes. 'In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions,' Putin said in a broadcast on Russian television at the start of his meeting with Lukashenko in St Petersburg. At the meeting, Lukashenko expressed concern about the 'aggressive', 'confrontational', and 'repulsive' policies of Belarus's neighbours Lithuania and Poland. He asked Putin to help his country mount a 'symmetrical response' to what he said were nuclear-armed flights by the US-led NATO alliance near Belarus's borders. Putin also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, in comments broadcast on Russian television. 'Many Su-25 [aircraft] are in service with the Belarusian military. They could be upgraded in an appropriate way,' Putin said. 'This modernisation should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia and the training of personnel should start in accordance with this. We will agree on how to accomplish this.' US President Joe Biden, on Sunday, began his first day at the G7 summit by praising the German chancellor and vowing unity among the alliance against the invasion of the Ukraine. 'Thank you thank you... we have to stay together,' he told Olaf Scholz as they looked out at the stunning mountain view at Schloss Elmau, the grand setting for the summit. 'Because Putin is counting on, from the beginning, that NATO and the G7 would splinter. But we haven't and we're not going to.' Russia and Ukraine will dominate the summit, as G7 leaders assess how well sanctions are working. They will also discuss the world's worsening economic climate. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during their meeting in St. Petersburg yesterday, when Putin agreed to send Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing all of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of weapons in a matter of minutes Pictured: A test launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system 'Iskander' from at the Kapustin Yar training ground The transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems would bring large parts of eastern Europe into range of the hyper sonic missiles Scholz was waiting for Biden at a pavilion with panoramic Alpine views when Biden arrived on the decking. The two leaders took a moment to soak up the setting before sitting down to discuss the day's agenda. 'Don't jump,' Biden joked to Scholz when he saw him standing at the scenic deck overlook, the mountains visible in the distance. He removed his signature aviator sunglasses and shook Scholz hand, telling him 'good to see you.' 'I used to ski too I haven't skied in a while,' continued Biden. 'It's beautiful.' Then it was down to business. The president will spend the day in formal and informal meeting with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union. Russia and its war in the Ukraine will 'be at the top of the list' of agenda items, a senior administration official said of the day. 'We're going to continue working on the economic challenges we face,' Biden said. The fallout from the invasion tops most of the agenda. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will virtually address the G7 on Monday. The first formal session for the leaders of the world's seven largest economies will be the economy and the high food and gas prices that have resulted from both the invasion of the Ukraine and the world emerging from the covid pandemic. Like the United States, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom are battling record-high inflation. 'The disruptions generally that are emanating from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, even as the leaders, including President Biden will be focused on the challenge and the challenges and disruptions of the moment,' a senior administration official said on Sunday morning. Biden will also spend his time at the G7 - and at the NATO summit later this week - holding together the Western allies on Russian sanctions. The US, UK, Canada and Japan are implementing a new round of punishments on Russia President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to isolate him financially. The countries are banning the import of Russian gold, which, after oil, is its biggest revenue generator. President Joe Biden slammed Russia's attack on Kyiv as 'barbarism' during the official G7 welcome ceremony with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, center, and his wife Britta Ernst, right, pose with President Joe Biden during the official G7 summit welcome ceremony at Schloss Elmau in Kruen President Joe Biden started his first day at the G7 meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz They began by admiring the stunning Alpine views at the Schloss Elmau venue for the G7 venue in Germany President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed staying together on Russia's war against Ukraine 'The United States has imposed unprecedented costs on Putin to deny him the revenue he needs to fund his war against Ukraine,' Biden wrote on Twitter. 'Together, the G7 will announce that we will ban the import of Russian gold, a major export that rakes in tens of billions of dollars for Russia.' The West has already imposed a series of sanctions on Russian oil, luxury goods and other items, but questions remain as the effectiveness of those financial punishments. 'The short-term financial impact of the sanctions on Russia's economy has been substantial but appears to have dissipated since May,' the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported this month. And Russian oil, the nation's biggest source of income, is still being purchased - China and India are picking up the slack left when the U.S. and allies started to ban Russian oil. While oil sales are down, prices are up, helping generate billions for Putin's war. Russia is still raking in $1 billion a day from its oil supply, the Center for Research on Energy and Clear Air found. The Biden administration argues the sanctions are working. The picturesque Alpine town was also the scene of anti-G7 protests as hundreds of people marched through the streets carrying banners and waving placards Protesters carry banners through a street during a demonstration against the G7 Summit today in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany Protesters in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany this morning as the leaders of the G7 industrialised economies gathered for photographs and enjoyed a working lunch 'The US has rallied the world and imposing swift and significant economic costs. It will deny Putin revenue he needs to finance his war. In this case, gold after energy is the second largest export for Russia and a source of significant revenue for for Putin and Russia,' a senior administration official said. The official went on to say the effect of the sanctions 'is intended to be cumulative, not just in the moment, and we're already seeing the extent to which sanctions are degrading the productive capacity of the Russian economy, particularly in sectors like technology, like defence, like other key important industries, and those impacts only accumulate over time such that Russia's ability to wage war are going to decline over time as a result of the collective steps that the G7 has taken.' Biden's day will be spent in meetings, including lunches and dinners with G7 leaders. He'll also participate in an official welcome ceremony and take a family photo. The president arrived in Germany on a Saturday night to a red carpet welcome - complete with flags flying and a band playing. A large group of people in traditional Bavarian dress greeted him, along with Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder. Two children, also in traditional dress, gave him a bouquet of flowers. Biden also signed the Golden Book of the Bavarian state government. The bucolic scene was a thousand miles away - literally and figuratively - from events in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where the majority of Russia's offensives against Ukraine have been concentrated Russian forces managed to move in and secure the heavily-contested strategic city of Severodonetsk yesterday after the Ukrainian army finally pulled out. Despite this progress, there have been reports that Putin has sacked his top general in Ukraine, ostensibly over the glacial advance of the Russian army's primary thrust to annex the Donbas. Gen Alexander Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, has reportedly been removed by Putin from overall command of Russian forces in Ukraine Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin (pictured left, receiving a medal from Putin) as commander of the SGF, as the army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory The dismissal of Gen Alexander Dvornikov, rumoured to be a drunk and distrusted by his officers, would mark yet another major shake up of Putin's command structure, and an expression of the dictator's frustration with the state of his war in Ukraine, which he had supposed would be successfully over within four days. Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, would be the the seventh general Putin is reported to have sacked since the start of June, as well as losing as many as fourteen killed in action. Russian high command is thought to have removed a number of high-ranking officers from key command roles in Ukraine since the start of June, according to the British Ministry of Defence. With Dvornikov the commander of Southern Group of Forces and likely acting as the overall operational commander for the Russian army in Ukraine, his removal is reported to have come along with that of Airborne Forces (VDV) General-Colonel Andrei Serdyukov. Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin as commander of the SGF. The army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory. 'For over 30 years, Surovikin's career has been dogged with allegations of corruption and brutality,' the MoD adds. The Los Angeles Police Department has been hit with a wrongful death lawsuit after an officer was 'beaten to death' in a training exercise meant to 'simulate a mob attack'. Officer Houston Tipping was 'repeatedly struck in the head severely enough that he bled' during a training activity, a lawsuit filed by his mother, Shirley Huffman, alleges. Tipping, 32, was left with multiple breaks in his neck and suffered a 'catastrophic spinal injury' which caused his death, the suit claims. The five-year LAPD veteran also obtained multiple injuries that required stitches. The department said Tipping was injured while 'grappling' with another officer and referred to his death as a 'horrible accident.' No one has been arrested or charged over his death. Tipping was laid to rest last Wednesday during a funeral attended by the LAPD police chief Michel Moore, department leaders and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Huffman filed the complaint against the city on Friday, just two days after Tipping's funeral, alleging wrongful death, assault and battery and civil rights violations. Officer Houston Tipping (center) was 'repeatedly struck in the head severely enough that he bled' during a training activity, a lawsuit filed by his mother, Shirley Huffman (right), alleges in her wrongful death lawsuit against the LAPD LAPD has been hit with a wrongful death lawsuit Friday after five-year veteran Officer Houston Tipping was 'beaten to death' last month in a training exercise meant to 'simulate a mob' Officer Houston Tipping was 'repeatedly struck in the head severely enough that he bled' during the training activity. He was left with multiple breaks in his neck and suffered a 'catastrophic spinal injury' which caused his death, the suit claims. LAPD officers are pictured carrying his casket during his funeral last Wednesday Huffman claims the training exercise that led to her son's death 'had already been questioned' before he got hurt because of injuries suffered by other officers. Her attorney, Bradley Gage, told DailyMaily.com on Sunday: 'We believe Houston was intentionally attacked. He was tackled. There was not a certified arrest and control instructor. Having such an instructor is vital, to protect the safety of the participants and to avoid officers getting out of control to constitute a battery. 'The training scenario was not properly set up. There were not proper matts to protect the officers. There was supposed to be an external defibralator with individuals who knew how to operate it. The trainers did not even know where the defibralator was, much less how to operate it properly. Having a properly working defibrolator would have helped keep the heart pumping to provide vital oxygen necessary to avoid the brain damage that Houston also suffered from after his spinal injuries. Houstons heart stopped.' LAPD, which declined to detail the the nature of the exercise, told The Los Angeles Times officials are taking the 'matter seriously.' The department has launched an investigation into the incident to determine if 'there are any changes that need to be made' to prevent future tragedy. 'It is tragic and we're all saddened by his loss,' LAPD spokeswoman Capt. Kelly Muniz told the newspaper on Friday. Huffman's suit calls for unspecified financial compensation and punitive damages from the city. The grieving mother also wants the city to preserve all evidence in the case, including 'videos of the entire training exercise and actions taken against Officer Tipping.' 'You may ask, what does the family hope to gain with this lawsuit? I will tell you,' Gage told DailyMail.com.' They want answers, and they want reform. Safety needs to be improved and officers need to be protected from malicious attacks. 'They want justice and they want peace. What they really want - they wont get. They want Houston back.' LAPD declined to comment on the case, citing 'pending litigation.' LAPD officials claim Tipping fell to the ground during the training at the department's Elysian Park Academy on May 26 The department said Tipping (left) was injured while 'grappling' with an other officer and referred to his death as a 'horrible accident' Members of the Patriot Guard Riders stand at attention as the family of LAPD Officer Houston Tipping arrive at his memorial service on Wednesday LAPD officials claim Tipping fell to the ground during the training at the department's Elysian Park Academy on May 26. Officers immediately began CPR, contacted Los Angeles Fire Department crews and Tipping was transported to the USC Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries three days later. His family, colleagues and loved ones attended a funeral honoring his life on Wednesday. During the funeral LAPD Chief Michel Moore knelt before Tipping's parents and presented them with an American flag. The chief called Tipping impressive to his peers and said he had a 'willingness to go the extra mile to make the world a better place.' Huffman, referenced Moore's remarks in her lawsuit, and alleged that despite the praise it 'wasnt enough to avoid other officers paralyzing him and eventually killing him in violation of law, and his civil rights.' Tipping patrolled around the Devonshire neighborhood and 'loved serving as a police officer,' according to the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which said he will be remembered 'for how he loved and made people laugh.' He was also an organ donor, Moore revealed last month, and his 'selflessness' was used to help 'save other lives.' Tipping is survived by his parents, Richard and Shirley; his stepfather Bob; siblings Kat and Tyler; and his girlfriend, Britney. Tipping, right, patrolled the Devonshire neighborhood of the City of Angels and was a bike instructor who reportedly 'loved serving as a police officer' The rookie NYPD officer caught on video giving her superior a lap dance during an department Christmas party is being encouraged to start an OnlyFans account. Vera Mekuli, 26, has racked up 17,800 followers on Instagram where she most recently posted a photo of herself in blue bikini and tight-fitting dress. Now her fans are urging her to start monetizing her cleavage-baring photos by starting an OnlyFans account. 'She should start an only fans,' follower Insure_hub wrote next to a photo of Mekuli flashing the devil horns hand gesture. 'She'll be a millionaire in 6 months.' Another fan wrote: 'I know people are saying you should do an OF, I say you do whatever makes you feel happy.' Mekuli, who joined the force in February, 2021, first turned heads later that December when she was recorded in a black and white mini skirt and midriff top grinding against the crotch of NYPD Lieutenant Nick McGarry, a supervisor in the 44th Precinct in the Bronx, during a holiday party for the stationhouse. In May, she was suspended from the NYPD after allegedly drunkenly berating a New Jersey State Trooper who was arresting her brother-in-law for urinating on the side of the road. Rookie NYPD officer Vera Mekuli, 26, is being encouraged to start an OnlyFans page Mekuli, seen here in a bathroom selfie, ran afoul of the NYPD bosses in May when she tried to get her brother-in-law out of a drunk driving charge On Instagram, Mekuli posts a series of cleavage-baring selfies, and one shot of her in a form-fitting dresss has racked up more than 2,800 likes. 'I'm just waiting for the OF to drop...til then I'm here for this,' on Instagram fan, Laichitis wrote. The web service, which is based in the UK, has become a way for sex workers and adult film stars to reach fans directly and earn big money by cutting out middle men like pimps and producers. Adult film star Bella Thorne reportedly earned $1 million in one day after joining the platform in 2020. The rookie cop has given no indication that she intends to set up an OnlyFans account, which would pay her through subscriptions from fans. She did not respond to the DailyMail.com's request for comment. The rookie cop was caught on tape giving her superior a festive lap dance. She was told to work from home due to embarrassment Officer Vera Mekuli, 26, pictured here in her NYPD photo, joined the department in February 2021 Mekuli's dark locks and shapely figure have draw the attention of many Instagram followers Rookie officer Vera Mekuli posted this photo on her Instagram page with the caption 'Aging like fine wine...Happy birthday to me' Mekuli, seen here in a tight dress and high heals, has only posted a dozen pics on Instagram, but has gained a quick following In December, Mekuli hit the headlines when she was spotted giving her superior a lap dance in a video which was circulated online. As her co-workers gathered around, Mekuli backed up to McGarry who was plunked down on a chair in the middle of Rory Dolan's bar in Yonkers with his legs splayed out, grinning from the performance. At one point in the video, the rookie cop turns and straddles the married lieutenant and reaches back to caress his bald head. McGarry can be seen rubbing her thighs as she gyrates on his pelvis. After the video surfaced, McGarry was transferred out of the 44th Precinct to Transit District 12, and Mekuli was told to work from home. 'Messing with a subordinate is a no-no on the job,' a source told the New York Post after the video surface. Nick McGarry has been moved to Transit District 12 in the Bronx following the lap dance Mekuli also told Melissa (pictured) via video that she hoped it 'didn't cause too much damage in the marriage or in your personal life' She apologized to Melissa McGarry, the lieutenant's wife in a video obtained by TMZ. 'I want to apologize to the lieutenant's wife,' she said. 'I am sorry, truly I am. I hope it didn't cause too much damage in the marriage or in your personal life.' 'I know it's been rough,' she added. 'It wasn't meant to be like this, I really had no knowledge of your marriage.' Mekuli brushed off the lap dances as just alcohol-fueled 's**ts and giggles' at a holiday party. She worried that the notoriety would effect her police work. 'My work self and the off-duty [self] are two different people,' she said. 'I can still patrol and police the streets like I used to and the way anyone can. I feel like I shouldn't be judged or anything of that sort because of a lap dance off duty, not in uniform.' She also said that the video would not have blown up the way it did if was a man. Trouble followed Mekuli months later in May when she was suspended from the NYPD for a bare-foot tirade she made against a New Jersey State Trooper. On May 8, according to a disciplinary report obtained by the Daily News, Mekuli tried to intervene after her brother-in-law was arrested for drunk driving after he pulled over to relieve himself on the side of a highway. Mekuli showed up at the Totowa, NJ barracks where the troopers were assigned in her bare feet and smelling of alcohol and demanded to know why her relative was taken in. She 'demanded to speak to a lieutenant,' according to the New York Post and started recording the interaction on her phone after the answers proved insufficient to her. 'You guys are talking out of your ass; none of this was done correctly,' she said, according to the newspaper's report. The White House announced plans on Sunday to raise $200 billion for solar projects in Angola, an undersea telecommunications cable linking the Far East with France via Egypt, and nuclear power production in Romania as part of a huge G7 infrastructure plan designed to compete with China's massive Belt and Road initiative. The proposals were unveiled on the first day of the G7 summit in Germany, where world leaders met to discuss the global economy and Russia's war in Ukraine. In all, G7 nations will commit $600 billion to the effort over the next five years, President Joe Biden announced, calling the investment a humanitarian, economic and security concern. Biden spoke with the rest of G7 leadership standing behind him, the Bavarian Alps visible in the distance. 'Developing countries often lack the central infrastructure to help navigate global shocks, like a pandemic, so they feel the impacts were acutely, and they have a harder time recovering,' he said. 'That's not just humanitarian concern. It's an economic and a security concern for all of us.' The money will be spent in a variety of sectors, including health, climate, energy and gender equity. 'These strategic investments are areas of critical to sustainable development, and our shared global stability, health and health security, digital connectivity, gender equality and equity, climate and energy security,' Biden said. He argued the investment would boost the U.S. economy and economies around the world. 'I want to be clear this isn't charity. It's an investment that will deliver returns for everyone, including the American people and the people of all our nations. It will boost all of our economies. It's a chance for us to share our positive vision for the future,' he said. The White House said its $200 billion in grants and federal financing would help low income countries meet their economic and national security needs. 'And this will only be the beginning: the United States and its G7 partners will also seek to mobilize hundreds of billions in additional capital from other like-minded partners, multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and more,' said the White House. Biden named the idea 'Build Back Better World' - after his troubled domestic agenda - when he introduced it at last year's G7 summit. Now it is called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure. President Biden officially announced the $600 billion investment in the developing world at his first day at the G7 summit President Joe Biden, wearing his signature aviator sunglasses, listens with the rest of the G7 leaders as their host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaks G7 leaders are unveiling billions of dollars in funding for infrastructure projects in the developing world as they seek to challenge China's growing influence Biden's plans include billions of dollars for solar projects in the African nation of Angola There is also money to start work on a vaccine manufacturing plant in Senegal, that would be designed to be able to switch production rapidly between different vaccines The White House said it would 'mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars and deliver quality, sustainable infrastructure that makes a difference in people's lives around the world, strengthens and diversifies our supply chains, creates new opportunities for American workers and businesses, and advances our national security.' A senior administration official said the plans would help countries grow, contrasting the impact with projects funded by China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 'I think many countries that have received funding or investment, so called investment, from the BRI have now after years of receiving that investment realized that they are further in debt, that their GDP hasn't grown significantly, that the so called investments from BRI have not reached their populations,' said the official. Critics accuse Beijing of a manipulative global strategy by funding major infrastructure projects in developing nations with unsustainable loans. The debt is then used to gain leverage over those governments. Biden's plans include $2 billion for solar mini-grids, solar cabins with telecommunications capabilities in Angola; a $3.3 million grant to help begin work on a vaccine plant in Senegal; and a $600 million contract for an American telecoms company to build a submarine cable to connect Singapore with France through Egypt and the Horn of Africa. President Biden huddled with Emmanuel Macron (r) of France, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (background) and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen after the leaders posed for their 'family photo' on the first day of the G7 summit There is also money to study building a new type of nuclear reactor in Romania Biden's day in the Bavarian Alps began with a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Sholz, and a promise that Vladimir Putin would not divide the G7 or NATO. 'Thank you thank you... we have to stay together,' he told Olaf Scholz as they looked out at the stunning mountain view at Schloss Elmau, the grand setting for the summit. 'Because Putin is counting on from the beginning that NATO and the G7 would splinter. But we haven't and we're not going to.' Russia and Ukraine will dominate the summit, as G7 leaders assess how well sanctions are working. They will also discuss the world's worsening economic climate. The timing of the summit could not be more timely with Ukrainian forces losing ground in the east of the country, and rockets falling on the capital Kyiv for the first time in three weeks. Scholz was waiting for Biden at a pavilion with panoramic Alpine views when Biden arrived on the decking. The two leaders took a moment to soak up the setting before sitting down to discuss the day's agenda. 'Don't jump,' Biden joked to Scholz when he saw him standing at the scenic deck overlook, the mountains visible in the distance. He removed his signature aviator sunglasses and shook Scholz hand, telling him 'good to see you.' President Joe Biden started his first day at the G7 meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz They began by admiring the stunning Alpine views at the Schloss Elmau venue for the G7 venue in Germany President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed staying together on Russia's war against Ukraine German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, center, and his wife Britta Ernst, right, pose with U.S. President Joe Biden during the official G7 summit welcome ceremony at Castle Elmau in Kruen 'I used to ski too I haven't skied in a while,' continued Biden. 'It's beautiful.' Then it was down to business. In a statement after the meeting, the White House said the two also discussed climate issues and economic resilience. 'Finally, the leaders also discussed the challenges posed by China and our shared commitment to provide transparent and high-standard solutions to address global gaps in key infrastructure,' it said. But Ukraine overshadowed much of the day, with Russian forces launching their first strikes on the capital Kyiv in weeks. 'It's more of their barbarism,' said Biden during the official welcome ceremony for G7 leaders. Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted a photo of a young girl being carried out of the rubble, strapped to a stretcher and being aided by emergency workers. Her father was killed and her mother was injuried, according to local reports. 'This 7 y.o. Ukrainian kid was sleeping peacefully in Kyiv until a Russian cruise missile blasted her home. Many more around Ukraine are under strikes. G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. Russia's sick imperialism must be defeated,' Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko told local media that a kindergarten was hit. Before Sunday's attack, Kyiv had not faced any Russian airstrikes since June 5. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told reporters in Kyiv that he believed the strike 'is maybe a symbolic attack' ahead of this week's NATO summit in Madrid. G7 leaders mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin when they sat down for their official lunch on Sunday Canadian PM Justin Trudeau mocked the 2009 photo of a shirtless Vladimir Putin riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian Tyva region during his vacation But the leaders in Germany openly mocked Putin as they sat down for lunch, joking about his infamous barechested horseback riding photo. Their laughter came as Biden was working to hold the western alliance in lockstep as the war in Ukraine entered its fifth month and Russia dropped bombs on Kyiv for the first time in weeks. 'Jackets on? Jackets off? Shall we take our clothes off?' British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked as he sat down at the table with his fellow leaders of the world's biggest economies. 'Let's wait for the picture,' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Officials were trying to take an official photo of the luncheon with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. 'We have to show that we're tougher than Putin,' Johnson said. Trudeau then added: 'We're going to get the bare chested horseback riding display.' He was referring to a 2009 photo of a shirtless Putin riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian Tyva region during vacation. BBC staff have been told there are more than 150 genders and urged to develop their 'trans brand' by declaring their pronouns on email signoffs, whistleblowers have revealed. Emails were sent to radio producers and programme editors urging them to attend training seminars by Global Butterflies, a transgender lobby group behind the disputed 'Genderbread person' graphic, that the BBC organised last summer and autumn. The BBC quit the controversial diversity scheme run by LGBT charity Stonewall last November - but whistleblowers believe that 'Stonewall injected the ideology into the BBC and it's still circulating'. According to material leaked to the Telegraph, staff were shown a string of gender-neutral pronouns they should use including 'xe, xem, xyrs'. They were told that they should include their pronouns in email signature boxes to be 'part of your trans brand' as an 'inclusive and welcoming brilliant show of ally support', and that: 'People can self-identify themselves in over 150 ways, and increasing!' Global Butterflies trainers told BBC staff that 'he/she' pronouns 'can create 'discomfort, stress and anxiety' for gender non-conforming people and 'it has been shown that in young trans people, using correct pronouns and names reduces depression and suicide risks'. Anyone who uses an 'incorrect pronoun for someone' should be 'taken aside and reminded of the correct pronouns', while the term 'transsexual' and staring should be avoided, the diversity training added. Staff were also shown a diagram of pronoun badges that they could wear around offices, and shown how to use gender pronouns on air. General view of the Broadcasting House, BBC headquarters, in central London Global Butterflies was founded in 2015 by Rachel Reese, pictured What is the 'Genderbread person' graphic? An investigation by Nolan Investigates, a podcast run by the 5 Live presenter, revealed how staff were shown a controversial 'genderbread person' graphic in equality training for Stonewall. His investigation found that the image was presented to employees as part of an internal BBC course set up in conjunction with the lobby group. The 'genderbread person' graphic depicts sex as a spectrum and defines gender identity as 'how you think about yourself'. It claims anatomical sex is 'male-ness' or 'female-ness', which has been rubbished by some academics. Advertisement The training sessions were reportedly organised by Fergus Dudley, the head of compliance and complaints for BBC Radio commissioning and a child protection and safeguarding adviser. A whistleblower told the Telegraph: 'The BBC simply doesn't understand what's going on with gender identity ideology. 'They've been pandering to a social contagion amongst young people rather than being the adult in the room. 'Inform and educate' from the BBC Charter has left the BBC when it covers trans issues.' The BBC told MailOnline that Global Butterflies no longer provides training for the corporation. A spokesperson said: 'Third party voluntary training material does not instruct BBC staff, but is available to increase awareness and understanding. 'There is no link to, or influence on, any editorial decision making and to suggest otherwise is wrong. 'As we have said many times before, the BBC's Editorial Guidelines are sacrosanct, our staff know this and they understand their responsibilities.' MailOnline has contacted Global Butterflies for comment. It comes after the BBC was accused of going against its own impartiality guidelines by offering training courses in which staff are told to use 'their magical ally powers' to 'access influencers and influence politicians' over trans and non-binary issues. An insider claimed journalists have been given a training session about how 'allies' could use their 'influence to affect trans rights for people'. During the talk by Global Butterflies, staff were also said to have been encouraged to 'access influencers, change the mind of the media and influence politicians'. This is despite the importance of impartiality being 'hammered into them' from the start of their BBC training, the BBC insider claimed. The allegations were broadcast on the BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, fronted by radio host Stephen Nolan - who produced award-nominated podcast Nolan Investigates: Stonewall last year. The podcast, which sparked both acclaim and accusations of transphobia, examined the campaign group's influence on UK institutions, including the BBC. A month later the BBC pulled out of the Stonewall Diversity Scheme - though the corporation insisted its review of its membership came before the podcast. A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline at the time: 'This is a voluntary course and includes generic training materials provided by a third party, but the BBC's Editorial Guidelines are sacrosanct, our staff know this and they understand their responsibilities.' It comes after the BBC insider revealed the contents of the training course on Nolan's show. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, and with a voice-over to protect the person's identity, the insider said: 'During that session we were given a lot of different points of how allies could sort of use their influence to affect trans rights for people, and one of the slides was headlined: "with your magical powers of being an ally". The 'Genderbread person' graphic, which was presented to employees as part of an internal BBC course set up in conjunction with the lobby group, depicts sex as a spectrum Activists supporting LGBT charity Stonewall during Pride London on July 27, 2015 'And it wasn't until we got further down that slide that I realised that it talked about using your influence on politicians to affect change which was sort of the main point that they were trying to get across. 'And I suppose this was how you affect change and influence on politicians. The host of the segment then responded: 'It is said that trainees should access influencers, change the minds of the media, and influence politicians 'And by this point in the BBC, you've been taught about the importance of impartiality. So what did you make of this?' The insider replied: 'The second you join the BBC, impartiality is hammered into you and how you can't influence people and that you always have to be neutral. 'And that is hammered into us from the very beginning. But as soon as I saw that I was thinking, how is that impartial? 'Are they now telling us to break the impartiality? I started debating whether the training I had in impartiality was incorrect, or whether my understanding of what was correct, to the actual point where I had to ask a colleague if the impartiality meant that I could do this?' BBC podcast Nolan Investigates: Stonewall examined the campaign group's influence on UK institutions and was nominated in four categories at the annual Audio and Radio Industry Awards (Arias) It is the second time that Nolan has run critical claims against LGBTQ+ training schemes used by the BBC. An investigation by Nolan Investigates, a podcast run by the 5 Live presenter, revealed how staff were shown a controversial 'genderbread person' graphic in equality training for Stonewall. His investigation found that the image was presented to employees as part of an internal BBC course set up in conjunction with the lobby group. The 'genderbread person' graphic depicts sex as a spectrum and defines gender identity as 'how you think about yourself'. It was apparently shown to BBC staff with no alternative explanations despite these ideas being contested. The podcast also examined how public-funded bodies including the BBC, Ofcom and the Scottish and Welsh governments had been influenced by Stonewall due to their involvement in the group's diversity schemes. The programme revealed that Nicola Sturgeon's government agreed to delete the word 'mother' from its maternity leave policy after pressure from Stonewall. Stonewall requests ministers to remove 'gendered' words from official policies as part of its advice on becoming more LGBT friendly. Nolan Investigates also found that broadcast regulator Ofcom submitted evidence about its diversity practices to the Workplace Equality Index in a bid to get the best possible ranking. Among this evidence was rulings it had made against broadcasters in response to allegedly transphobic comments - prompting some commentators to suggest its rulings were being influenced by the charity's agenda. This was strongly denied by Ofcom, which insisted its involvement with the index had 'no bearing whatsoever' on its decisions as a regulator. The programme also found that Stonewall 'dictated policy' to the Welsh government - convincing officials to adopt its interpretation of the Equality Act to include 'gender identity' as a protected characteristic. The podcast, which came with an accompanying news piece that also accused the charity of exerting undue influence on bodies through its Diversity Champions Programme, was met with mixed reactions. It was nominated in four categories at the annual Audio and Radio Industry Awards (Arias). The programme was also widely praised and may have played a role in the government's decision to distance itself from the charity last year over its allegedly 'extremist stance' on trans issues and hostility to gender-critical opinions. But a group of radio producers slammed the decision to nominate the programme due to its 'harmful nature', while a production company threatened to boycott awards organiser the Radio Academy if it 'continues to promote transphobic work'. It was also criticised by Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, LGBT+ Labour and Trans Media Watch. A Stonewall spokesperson said at the time of the investigation: 'Our work with employers focuses on helping to build an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace for their employees, and in no way affects their impartiality. 'Supporting LGBTQ+ people in the workplace should not be seen as a political or controversial act.' A notorious criminal was injured and two others were also nabbed following an encounter under the Chandiposh police station in Rourkela on Saturday. The police seized an AK-47 rifle, a 9 mm pistol and 20 bullets from the possession of the criminals. Reports said the criminal who sustained injury in the encounter was admitted to the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) here. The identity of the nabbed gangsters was yet to be ascertained. Sources said that trio hail from neighbouring Jharkhand and further investigation was ongoing. "The injured criminal has sustained bullet injury and two others have been arrested. We have recovered sophisticated weapons including AK47 and live ammunition," said Rourkela SP Mukesk Bhamo. The SP further said that the police had some inputs regarding the criminals and patrolling was intensified in the region, where the encounter took place. Only after a detailed interrogation of the criminals, we can further divulge information, the SP added. Green Day star Billie Joe Armstrong proclaimed 'f**k America' and claimed he was 'renouncing his citizenship' in wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn federal abortion protections. Armstrong, 50, made the declaration during a Friday night concert in London, telling the audience: 'There's too much f***ing stupid in the world.' He also told the crowd he was going to move to the UK, a statement that was met with roaring applause. Armstrong's remarks came as protests erupted across the U.S. after the conservative-majority high court voted to overturn the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade, which held that abortion fell under the constitutional right to privacy. The American Idiot hitmaker has repeatedly used his musical platform to protest politicians and alleged injustices. At a show earlier this month, he performed in front of a backdrop that read 'f**k Ted Cruz' in an effort to take aim at the GOP senator from Texas. He previously called out former President Donald Trump for 'holding half the country hostage' and devoted an entire album to criticizing former President George W. Bush and the Iraq War. Armstrong, who has backed President Joe Biden, also reportedly filed paperwork last year to run as a Republican in the 2024 presidential election. Green Day star Billie Joe Armstrong (pictured Friday in London) proclaimed 'f**k America' and claimed he was 'renouncing his citizenship' in wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn federal abortion protections 'F**k America. I'm f***ing renouncing my citizenship. I'm f**king coming here,' Armstrong told the London Stadium crowd Friday night. 'There's just too much f***ing stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f***ing excuse for a country.' He added: 'Oh, I'm not kidding, you're going to get a lot of me in the coming days.' The musician's political outcry continued Saturday night at his show in Huddersfield, England. Concertgoers claim he told the crowd 'f**k the Supreme Court of America' before playing American Idiot, which the band has previously said was written out of anger about not being represented by national leadership. He also alleged called the justices 'pr**ks' during his performance of Hitchin a Ride. **WARNING: VIDEO FOOTAGE CONTAINS PROFANITY** Armstrong made the declaration during a Friday night concert in London (pictured), telling the audience: 'There's too much f***ing stupid in the world' 'F**k America. I'm f***ing renouncing my citizenship. I'm f**king coming here,' Armstrong told the London Stadium crowd Friday night (pictured). 'There's just too much f***ing stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f***ing excuse for a country' The American Idiot hitmaker has repeatedly used his musical platform to protest politicians and alleged injustices. He is pictured performing in front of a 'f**k Ted Cruz' backdrop during a show in Alesund, Norway on June 9 Armstrong's anti-American proclamation was met with an outpour of support on social media. 'I will help u pack just tell me when,' one TikTok user wrote. 'If @billiejoe was serious when he said, F**k America. F**k the American Supreme Courts. Im moving to England, hed never have to buy another beer ever,' a Twitter user echoed. 'The North of England awaits you sir.' 'Billie Joe Armstrong doesnt wanna be an American idiot,' added another. One concertgoer noted: 'Green Day opened with America Idiot which is expected but the lyrics seem oddly fitting again.' 'Billie Joe Armstrong was in London when Trump was elected, a man he openly hates. Now hes in London and Roe falls?' another stated. 'Back to the States, Armstrong. It's clear the Supreme Court & gov. are afraid of u. Cmon, come home.' 'Dont tease us like the rest of the liberal idiots. Do it!' one person wrote. The rockstar was also met with skepticism by some residents who alleged things weren't much better in the UK. 'If here is the U.K. I wouldnt bother, out of the frying pan and into the fire!' one wrote. 'Wait til someone tells him about Boris,' another joked, referring to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Another added: 'ILY Billy but you don't want to be here.' Armstrong's anti-American proclamation was met with an outpour of support on social media Armstrong's remarks came as chaos-filled protests erupted across the U.S. Thousands of spirited demonstrators took to the streets Friday and Saturday in cities nationwide to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The landmark 1973 decision was overturned Friday after SCOTUS, in a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, upheld a Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The vote was 5-4 to overturn Roe, with conservative Chief Justice John Roberts writing separately to say he would have upheld the Mississippi law without taking the additional step of erasing the Roe precedent altogether. The ruling restored the ability of states to ban abortion. Twenty-six states are either certain or considered likely to ban abortion. Abortion became illegal in 13 U.S. states as soon as Roe was overturned, thanks to specially-devised 'trigger laws' designed to automatically outlaw terminations in the event of a ruling to overturn Roe. Five other states banned terminations after historic laws superseded by the 1973 Roe ruling automatically came back into place on Friday. The ruling, which many Democrats claim leaves American women with 'fewer rights than their grandmothers,' prompted outcry across the nation. Abortion was automatically outlawed in 18 US states as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned, thanks to specially-devised 'trigger laws' and historic bans that were automatically reenacted after Friday's ruling Protesters march through downtown Chicago on Saturday in response to the US Supreme Court overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling People march through Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia during a protest against the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization on Saturday Abortion rights activists protest in Portland, Oregon on Friday after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade Pro-choice activists were tear gassed in clashes at Arizona Capitol building and dozens were arrested in New York City and Los Angeles. The Arizona Capitol building was besieged by pro-abortion protesters Friday night, forcing riot cops to fire tear gas to disperse the angry crowd in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. Hundreds of angry protesters assembled outside the Supreme Court building in D.C. Friday just moments after SCOTUS ruled to overturn Roe. A concerned father also scaled the city's Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and sat atop one of it's 70-foot arches after having 'a very, very, very strong emotional reaction' to the ruling. The bridge was shutdown for nearly 28 hours before the protester descended from the arch Saturday afternoon and was arrested. Meantime, women are threatening not to have sex with men and have taken to social media to call on all American females to participate in 'sex strikes.' As of Sunday, most of the Roe protests had remained peaceful apart from a pickup truck that drove through a group of demonstrators in Cedar Rapids, running over a woman's foot. And in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night, a group of protesters smashed windows and vandalized several buildings. Tear gas coming from officers firing out of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix on Friday is visible as pro choice protesters march outside A protester lights a cigarette on a burning American Flag while marching with abortion-rights activists in DC on Friday Capitol Police dressed in riot gear stand outside the Capitol on Friday evening as protests erupted Washington Square Park, in lower Manhattan, was packed with protesters on Friday evening. At least 25 people were arrested after demonstrations across NYC on Friday Similar arrests were made in Los Angeles, where police reported protesters throwing bottles of water and rocks at officers during demonstrations on Friday A pro-abortion protester who shut down the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge in Washington D.C. after scaling one of its huge 70-foot arches without a safety harness on Friday morning. The bridge was shutdown for nearly 28 hours The parents of three kids mowed down and killed by a drunk driver have received not one but two standing ovations at the Vatican after a powerful address about forgiveness. Western Sydney couple Danny and Leila Abdallah were invited by the Pope to share their harrowing story with thousands of parishioners at the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome on Saturday. Their three children Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, Antony, 13, and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed by Samuel William Davidson who was drunk and high on drugs while behind the wheel in Oatlands on February 1, 2020. Flanked by their children Liana, 12, Alex, seven, Michael, six, and 14-week-old Selina, the Abdallahs spoke to a global audience on the eve of would have been Antony's 16th birthday. Ms Abdallah recalled the heartbreaking moment she learned her children had been killed as her husband explained why they've chosen to forgiven the driver through the I4Give campaign the family has set up. Their speech was so powerful it brought the Catholic world to their feet, including a contingent of Australians in the crowd at the Vatican proudly holding the national flag. Danny and Leila Abdallah pictured at the Vatican with baby daughter Selina and son Michael may get a chance to meet the Pope after their harrowing story about forgiveness brought a standing ovation Bishops around the world were so moved by their story that the Abdallahs may also get a face to face meeting with the Pope himself, depending on his health. 'There's been more than two years and I must choose to forgive myself and the driver every day, to not retreat into hatred,' Mr Abdallah told the Vatican and millions watching online. 'I choose to forgive myself for telling my kids to go for walk. I choose to forgive the offender in obedience to my Father in heaven. 'If my children were here today, they would say 'Dad, forgive him.' 'When you forgive the other person, you start to heal.' His wife Leila added: 'I would not have imagined we would be in the Vatican on the eve of my son's birthday to speak about forgiveness to the world.' Leila Abdallah (pictured) and her husband addressed the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome on the eve of what would have been son Antony's 16th birthday Ms Abdallah received an overwhelming round of applause after revealing she didn't hate the driver and had forgiven him. 'As Christians, we're meant to forgive,' she said. 'I believe the Holy Spirit has moved my lips to forgive in that moment.' 'You can't control what happens in life, but you can choose how to respond. We choose forgiveness over hatred, we choose love over revenge and we choose to turn the day of tragedy into a day of forgiveness. 'Forgiveness is the core message of our Christianity. All our prayer is about forgiveness. And when we pray the Lord's Prayer we say, 'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.' And these are words to be taken seriously.' The Abdallahs were also recognised by the Pope with a photo of family on his official Instagram page. 'The family is the place of encounter, of sharing, of going forth from ourselves in order to welcome others and stand beside them. The family is the first place where we learn to love,' the post read. Danny and Leila Abdallah, accompanied by their four children, spoke at the Vatican on Saturday (pictured, the Abdallah family) Their daughters, Sienna, 8, (second from left) and Angelina, 12, (right) their son Antony, 13, (second from right) and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, (left) were on their way to buy ice-cream when a drunk driver ran them over and killed them in February 2020 The four children along with three other siblings and cousins were walking on the footpath on their way to buy ice cream along Bettington Road when the driver mounted the curb and struck the children from behind. 'How can one car hit seven children, they couldn't have scripted this in a horror movie,' Mr Abdallah recalled. 'It was a perfect summer's day when seven precious, adorable children walked to get some ice cream for my niece's birthday.' 'What should have been an enjoyable outing for the young kids turned into one of the worst road tragedies Australia has ever seen.' 'From far away I saw the police cover Antony, Selina, Angelina and Veronique with white sheets. They were gone.' His wife recalled how she went with an injured Liana to the hospital, thinking her other children would be okay until her husband arrived with the worst news possible. 'I was crying, screaming and begging it for not to be true,' she recalled. Mr Abdallah said despite 'unbearable pain and sleepless nights' he chose to forgive Davidson so his family could find peace. 'We would either be stuck in the valley of pain and grief or I could lead them to the high ground,' he said. Samuel William Davidson, 31, was sentenced to last year to a maximum of 28-year prison sentence with a minimum 21 year sentence which does not expire until 2041 On February 1, 2020, Mr and Mrs Abdallah's three children Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, Antony, 13, and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed by an intoxicated driver (pictured, the car after the crash) 'I choose to forgive myself for telling my kids to go for a walk. If my children were here today they would say ''Dad forgive him''.' Mrs Abdallah, just two days after losing her children, remarkably said she forgave the driver, later adding her response to the tragedy saved her marriage and her family. Her son Alex said he couldn't understand why. 'When I heard my brother and sisters died, my mum and dad told me they forgave the driver, but I wasn't that happy because I was like, ''too quick'',' he told Catholic News Service. The family said forgiving the man responsible for their heartache was the only way they could move forward The family were invited to speak on what would have been Antony's 16th birthday The seven-year-old said that now within his heart, he too has forgiven Davidson. Mrs Abdallah also took the chance to wish her son Antony a 'happy, heavenly 16th birthday'. Davidson was sentenced last year to a maximum of 28-year prison sentence with a minimum 21 year sentence which does not expire until 2041. Witnesses saw him speeding through a red light, swerving anti-clockwise around a round-about, and driving at a maximum speed of 133km/h in a 50km/h zone before the crash. Despite losing three children, when Ms Abdallah, 37, is asked how many kids she has, she always says seven - 'three in heaven and four here'. More than half of American voters believe the Supreme Court will limit access to birth control and same-sex marriage after it overturned Roe v. Wade, a new poll found on Sunday. Fifty-seven percent of respondents to a new CBS News poll said it was 'likely' that the case legalizing same-sex marriage will now be overturned and fifty-five percent said the body could limit contraception. The high court's conservative majority voted 5-4 that the right to an abortion is not enshrined in the Constitution on Friday, reversing five decades of judicial precedent. Whether the medical procedure is legal will now be decided on a state-by-state basis. As of Sunday, nine states have now banned abortion and at least a dozen are expected to see limits in the near future. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas' Republican governor, insisted that birth control methods were 'not an issue' in his state's ban during an appearance NBC's Meet the Press. During the interview he and host Chuck Todd clashed over Arkansas' new law, which only permits abortion if the mother's life is in danger. It does not allow exceptions for rape or incest. 'So if a 13-year-old though in Arkansas is raped by a relative, that 13-year-old cannot get an abortion in Arkansas. Are you comfortable with that?' Todd asked. Hutchinson said he would have 'preferred a different outcome.' 'But that's not the debate today in Arkansas. It might be in the future,' he continued. 'But for now, the law triggered with only one exception.' Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson's state is one of nine that has enacted immediate bans on abortion so far in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in its ruling on Mississippi's abortion law WATCH: Arkansas banned abortions except to save the mothers life. @ChuckTodd: If a 13yo in Arkansas is raped by a relative, that 13yo cannot get an abortion in Arkansas, are you comfortable with that? @AsaHutchinson: For now the law triggered with only one exception. pic.twitter.com/ootw7yq0zU Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 26, 2022 'While you can debate whether there ought to be additional exceptions, every state's going to make a different determination on that, under our Constitution. And this is going to continue to be discussed.' Hutchinson repeated: 'But at this particular point, the only exception in Arkansas is to save the life of the mother.' Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said point-blank that Hutchinson's ban 'will kill' women in an interview on the same program. 'It will kill them, especially in the state of Arkansas, where there is very little to no support for life after birth, in terms of health care, in terms of childcare, and in terms of combating poverty,' the progressive firebrand said. 'This decision and this policy will kill people no matter what theirwhat the their spin and what their talking points are.' Nationwide protests - and celebrations - were sparked this weekend after Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion that abortion was not protected by the Constitution. A concurring opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas set off shockwaves through the country when he suggested the Supreme Court could re-examine the landmark rulings that legalized same-sex marriage, same-sex intimacy and contraception. In a concurring opinion to Justice Samuel Alito's previously leaked decision, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the court could re-examine the cases that legalized same-sex marriage and intimacy among others More than half of Americans believe the decision is a step backward for America after it overhauled five decades of precedent A combined 64% of respondents also said they want abortion legal or mostly legal in their state 'In Arkansas, the right to contraception is important. It's recognized. It's not going to be touched,' Hutchinson said on NBC. 'And that's, thats the outcome here. And again, every state can debate that. But I don't see thats a threat. And it's very important now to assure women that the access to contraception is going to be able to continue.' And while the seismic decision was celebrated by religious conservatives and pro-life groups, the new CBS News poll indicates that it dealt a heavy blow to Americans' general outlook on the country. More than eight in 10 people said things in America today are going badly in the survey taken June 24 and 25, while just 19 percent said the opposite. A combined 64 percent of respondents believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases in their state. And a 52-percent majority said the high court's decision was 'a step backward for America.' Nearly a third, 31 percent, called it a 'step forward' for the nation. Democrats at all levels of government have reacted with outrage. Shortly after the decision was handed down, President Joe Biden said it was a 'sad day for the court and for the country.' WATCH: @RepAOC (D-N.Y.) responds to Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) and Arkansas abortion ban. This decision and this policy will kill people no matter what their spin and what their talking points are. pic.twitter.com/ewGWtOcg7h Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 26, 2022 The Friday decision sparked fierce protests and unrest across the country Congressional Democrats have vowed and tried to bring legislation codifying abortion to the floor, though their window to act is rapidly shrinking before lawmakers' Fourth of July recess. Any effort to pass a law is also virtually certain to fail in the Senate, where at least 10 Republicans are needed to move it forward. Meanwhile Hutchinson's fellow Republican governor, South Dakota's Kristi Noem, also went on air on Sunday where she announced her intent to crack down on oral medications intended to induce abortions. Attorney General Merrick Garland explicitly forbad states from banning Mifepristone, an abortion pill approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in a stunning public statement criticizing the Supreme Court's ruling on Friday. 'I brought a bill that would ban telemedicine abortions, which means a doctor of the internet or over the phone could prescribe an abortion for an individual,' Noem said on CBS News' Face the Nation. She claimed without evidence that the medication was 'very dangerous' despite it meeting the rigorous standards for FDA approval. 'In South Dakota we've already had a bill passed that set on telemedicine abortions, that we don't believe it should be available, because it is a dangerous situation for those individuals without being medically supervised by a physician.' Her state, like Arkansas, only allows abortions in a medical emergency where the mother's life is threatened. A lawyer claims that Brian Laundrie's mother, Roberta Laundrie, wrote him a secret letter after he killed his fiance Gabby Petito where she 'offered to assist him'. Attorney Patrick Riley, who is representing Petito's parents in a civil suit against the family, appeared on NewsNation, where he hinted that even the lawyer for Laundrie's parents, Steven Bertolino, was surprised by the bombshell letter. 'Within that letter is an offer from Roberta Laundrie to assist her son,' Riley said. 'It's a pretty interesting, pretty odd letter.' Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt, have filed a lawsuit against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie in a Florida court accusing them of harboring Brian and conspiring to help him flee to avoid taking responsibility for his crime. Riley suggested that the letter could offer proof. On the outside of the envelope, which was found in Petito's van which the couple used on a cross-country road trip, Roberta Laundrie had written 'burn after you read this,' Riley told News Nation. Riley claims that the newly surfaced letter could help prove the Petito family's case against the Laundries. 'There's no date on the letter but it appears to have been written between the time that Gabby was murdered and Brian committed suicide,' Riley said. 'There are scenarios presented by Roberta, for example, 'if you go to jail, I'll bake a cake and put a knife in it or saw in it.' A lawyer claims that Brian Laundrie's mother, Roberta Laundrie, wrote him a secret letter after he killed his fiancee Gabby Petito where she 'offered to assist him' Patrick Riley, left, said that Roberta Laundrie wrote a letter offering to help her son Brian after he killed Gabby Petito The Laundries were a no-show recently at the hearing in the civil case brought against them by Gabby Petito's family Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt, have filed a lawsuit against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie in a Florida court accusing them of harboring Brian and conspiring to help him flee to avoid taking responsibility for his crime He said that the evidence was gathered as part of the federal investigation into Gabby's murder. 'My understanding is that the letter at one point had been in the van, but then it was taken from the Laundrie home during the time when the search warrant was executed,' the lawyer said. Petito was reported missing in September after she and Laundrie embarked on a cross-country road trip. She was found strangled to death on September 19, 2021 near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. She had been dead for three weeks. Brian Laundrie went on the run after her body was found and was later discovered dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in October. The lawyer for Laundrie's parents recently released pages from his diary where he confessed to killing Petito, and claimed that it was 'merciful' and 'what she wanted'. The letter Roberta Laundrie allegedly wrote to her son was not part of his confession letter and, he said, Bertolino seemed taken aback by its contents. 'The surprise on his face was very interesting when he read the letter,' Riley said. Riley declined to fully describe the correspondence, saying that he did not want to misquote it. He said that though he has read the letter, he does not have a copy of it, but has requested it for the purposes of the lawsuit. 'There was also something referenced in that letter about Gabby and I'd rather not go into it any further at this point. The letter will speak for itself.' It was not an offer by the mom to help Brian commit suicide, the lawyer clarified. 'It was an offer that had to do with Gabby,' he said. Riley also told NewsNation that the notebook was not the only confession that Brian left, he said. There were two more confessions, one on a 'digital device' according to the news service and a third 'in written form.' The lawyer had not seen those admissions, but was told about them by FBI investigators. Christopher and Roberta Laundrie were seen near their home in North Port, Florida, on Thursday Attorney Steve Bertolino, who represents Brian Laundrie's parents, said 'I did everything the right way. We have no regrets. The parents did everything the right way, and they have no regrets' On Friday, Bertolino released a sensational confession letter that Laundrie had written before he killed himself. His notebook was found in a dry bag beside his body on October 20 last year after he fled to the alligator-infested Carlton Reserve near his home in North Port, Florida. The 23-year-old wrote that he strangled his 22-year-old fiance as the result of an 'unexpected tragedy' in Grand Teton National Park after Petito had fallen into a creek and injured herself. At the start of the confession, he wrote a personal message to Petito, that read: 'I wish I could be at your side, I wish I could be talking to you right now.' In self-pitying sentences written in smudged blue pen, Laundrie claimed he battled to comfort Petito who was deteriorating, crying in pain and shivering from constant cold. Gabby's remains were eventually discovered on September 19, 2021, in lonely spot in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. She and boyfriend Brian, 23, had lived with his parents in North Port, near Florida's west coast. The young couple set off on an adventure from New York State where her mother lives - in early July, heading West Laundrie's remains were found north of the entrance to Myakkahatchee Creek, in the Big Slough Preserve, off an unpaved trail near a bridge where Brian's parents said he liked to visit. It is four miles north of their home in North Port, Florida Petito's family claims the Laundries are guilty of 'inflicting intentional emotional distress' and that a statement issued by their lawyer hopeful of a successful end to the search for then-missing Petito was 'outrageous' because they allegedly already knew she was dead. Nichole Schmidt and her husband, Jim, are pictured in September 2021 But eventually he killed her, writing: 'I don't know the extent of Gabby's injuries, only that she was in extreme pain. 'I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistake that I made. I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain.' There is no indication of how Laundrie apparently cared for Gabby before he ended her life. In a desperate bid to explain his version of events, he wrote: 'I am sorry to my family, this is a shock to them as well as a terrible greif (sic). 'Please do not make this harder for them, this occurred as an unexpected tragedy.' Police and FBI officials retrieved items belonging to Brian Laundrie, including a notebook, near where his body was found in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park Laundrie's notebook contained a letter written to the late Petito before he killed himself following a large manhunt for him, The notes revealed a confession from Laundrie, who claimed he killed Petito out of mercy after an accident during their cross-country trip Laudrie wrote that Petito's condition was worsening in the Utah wilderness and was begging 'for an end to her pain' After killing his fiance, Laundrie said he rushed home and had thought about getting his friends to kill him to end his own pain The couple were at the national park after visiting Utah on their trip west in Gabby's 2012 white Ford Transit. They were cataloguing the trip on social media. Laundrie wrote in his letter: 'Rushing back to our car, trying to cross the steam of spread creek before it got too dark to see, to (sic) cold. I hear a splash and a scream. I could barely see, I couldn't finder her for a moment, shouted her name. 'I found her breathing barely, gasping, any (indistinct as the ink is waterlogged) she was freezing cold, we had just come from the blazing hot national parks in Utah. 'The temperature had dropped to freezing and she was soaking wet. I carried her as far as I could down the stream towards the car, stumbling, exhausted in shock, when my (indistinct) and I knew I couldn't safely carry her. 'I started a fire and spooned her as close to the heat, she was so thin, had already been freezing too long. I couldn't at the time realize that I should've started a fire first but I wanted her out of the cold back to the car. From where I started the fire I had no idea where the car might be. Only knew it was across the creek. 'When I pulled Gabby out of the water she couldn't tell me what hurt. She had a small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger. Her feet hurt, her wrist hurt, but she was freezing, shaking violently, while carrying her she continually made sounds of pain.' Laundrie then explained that he killed Petito, writing: 'Laying next to her she said little, lapsing between violent shakes, gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain. She would fall asleep and I would shake her awake fearing she shouldn't close her eyes if she had a concussion. 'She would wake in pain, start her whole painful cycle again, furious that I was the one waking her. She wouldn't let me try to cross the creek, thought like me that the fire would go out in her sleep.' He then claimed he killed Petito because it was 'merciful', and added: 'I knew I couldn't go on without her. 'I rushed home to spend any time I had left with my family. 'I wanted to drive north and let James or TJ kill me, but I wouldn't want them to spend time in jail over my mistake, even though I'm sure they would have liked to.' Of his own fate in the 25,000-acre swampland on Florida's west coast, he wrote: 'I'm ending my life not because of fear of punishment, but rather because I can't stand to live another day without her. 'I've lost our whole entire future together, every moment we could have cherished. I'm sorry for everyone's loss. Please don't make life hard for my family, they lost a son and a daughter. The most wonderful (?) girl in the world I'm sorry. 'I have killed myself by this creek in the hope that animals may tear me apart that it might make some of her family happy.' As an apparent after thought, and in larger writing, he finished with the words: 'Please pick up all of my things. Gabby hated people who litter.' Advertisement The terror suspect charged with killing two people and injuring 21 more at an Oslo gay bar has halted the investigation because he won't answer police questions. Ex-plumber Zaniar Matapour, 42, is refusing to speak to police when recording devices are in use, as is normal in Norway. The Iran-born ex-refugee insists the audio will be manipulated against him. Matapour, who is charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorism, has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD and 'delusions'. But police interviews on Saturday and Sunday came to a quick end, his lawyer added. 'He did not want any recording of the questioning, neither by video nor by sound, because he thought the police would manipulate it,' Elden told TV2. Zaniar Matapour, 42, has been charged with terrorism, murder and attempted murder Multiple police officers leaned on the 42-year-old to detain him after the mass shooting Matapour, filmed by a nearby eyewitness in footage posted to Snapchat, has been charged Matapour was born in Iranian Kurdistan before coming to Bergen as a 12-year-old. His first mental health diagnosis was made in the 1990s, with his listed conditions including paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD and 'delusions'. The suspect's lawyer, John Christian Elden, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. Elden told broadcaster TV2 it was not possible to draw any conclusions about the motives or reasons for the attack. 'It is far too early to do so,' he said. Matapour is subject to a psychiatric evaluation in the coming days as part of the investigation, police said. Police lawyer Christian Hatlo said: 'Our overall assessment is that there are grounds to believe that he wanted to cause grave fear in the population. 'We need to go through his medical history, if he has any. It's not something that we're aware of now.' Norway's royal family and senior officials gathered to remember the two people killed in an apparent terrorist attack on a gay bar in Oslo this weekend. Zaniar Matapour, 42, has been charged with terror offences after allegedly opening fire at the city centre LGBT+ haunt London Pub in the early hours on Saturday morning. More than 20 people were injured, with ten seriously wounded in the gunfire. Matapour was arrested at the scene with the help of clubgoers at around 1.15am. Shortly before midday local time, leading politicians including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre attended a service at Oslo Cathedral. Also present was Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, missed the service with Covid. King Harald, 82, also did not attend the memorial, but said yesterday that he was 'horrified' by the attack. The monarch added: 'We must stand together to [defend] freedom, diversity and respect for each other.' Domprost Anne-May Grarsaas led the service this morning at Oslo Cathedral in front of LGBT flags and decorations Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended today's service without her Covid-stricken husband, who visited the site yesterday Crown Princess Mette-Marit (centre, in navy) was pictured entering the service before midday with Church of Norway leaders One mourner struggled to contain his emotions at the decorated scene of the crime yesterday, where many people gathered The cathedral was decorated in solidarity with LGBT+ Norwegians. The Crown Princess sat on the front row Crown Prince Haakon (centre) was unable to attend today's service after testing positive for Covid. He is pictured between Crown Princess Mette-Marit (left) and the prime minister (right) Matapour is an ex-plumber with severe mental health issues including paranoid schizophrenia and PTSD. He was investigated by the state security services as a potential threat just one month ago, but found not to pose any imminent danger. Speaking at the memorial service, Stre said the attack may have put an end to the official Pride parade, which was called off, but did not stop the fight 'against discrimination, prejudices and hate.' The premier, dressed in black, talked about the thousands of people that spontaneously demonstrated on Saturday in the streets of Oslo, waving rainbow flags and laying flowers at the crime scene to honor the victims. Hundreds paid their respects yesterday despite being warned of potential violence and an 'extraordinary' terror threat Prime minister Stre today celebrated the persistence of Pride gatherers in the face of tragedy hours before the Pride march 'During the day, the city was full of people who wanted to speak out, about sorrow and anger, but also about support and solidarity and the will to continue on fighting, for the right of every individual to live a free life, a safe life,' he said. 'These misdeeds remind us of this. This fight is not over. It is not safe from dangers. But we are going to win it, together,' he told the audience - which also included mourners, ministers and Church of Norway leaders - in the cathedral which was decorated with rainbow flags. The victims in Matapour's alleged attack have not yet been identified. A pair of mourners cry at the makeshift memorial of flowers and flags in central Oslo yesterday The prime minister made a short speech from the cathedral podium as part of the proceedings The London Pub gay nightclub in central Oslo is pictured on a map of the Norwegian capital Stre said yesterday: 'I know that many Muslims are scared and despairing. Then it is our responsibility that no one other than the person behind the attack is responsible. 'Let there be no doubt, we are one community, we are a diverse community.' French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the 'barbarism of the Islamist terrorist' in a tribute tweet. After the deadly melee in central Oslo on Saturday, a man was filmed being wrestled to the ground by police with the help of revellers. One woman described having to play dead to avoid the shooter's gunfire. The other site hit during the attack was next door's Herr Nilsen Jazz Club, where revellers described being hit with flying shards of glass. She said : 'There was a woman who pulled me down and told me I had to play dead.' Video on social media showed emergency services outside London Pub, a gay nightclub in Oslo (pictured, file photo) at 1.15am on Saturday morning. Two were killed in the terror attack Justice minister Emilie Enger Mehl (right) also came to the midday memorial at Oslo Cathedral Leading figures in Norwegian society including royals and politicians attended today's service Despite the 'extraordinary' terror threat, defiant LGBT+ Norwegians marched yesterday The man then shot the table directly behind her. She escaped London Pub unharmed. Oslo was due to hold its annual gay pride parade later on Saturday, but organisers cancelled the event amid fears of potential 'copycat' attacks. Planners Oslo Pride wrote on Facebook this morning: 'Oslo Pride has received clear advice and a recommendation that the parade, Pride Park, and any other event in relation to Oslo Pride be cancelled. A man walks his dog decorated with rainbow feathers near the scene of the London Pub attack Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway lights a candle at the cathedral to remember the dead Police attend the scene in Oslo in the early hours on Saturday immediately after the shooting 'We will follow the police's recommendation and take care of each other', lead organiser Inger Kristin Haugsevje added. Oslo Police District confirmed last night: 'Two people have been confirmed dead in the shooting episode. There are several seriously injured.' National newspaper in Norway, VG, reported that 'witnesses said people ran from the scene in panic'. Oslo's university hospital said it had gone on red alert following the shooting. Olav Roenneberg, a journalist from Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, said he witnessed the shooting. The chaotic scene in Oslo is pictured, with emergency services on the pavement treating the wounded Horror footage shows terrified nightclub-goers flee the scene as rapid gunfire is heard 'I saw a man arrive at the site with a bag. He picked up a weapon and started shooting,' Mr Roenneberg told NRK. 'First I thought it was an air gun. Then the glass of the bar next door was shattered and I understood I had to run for cover.' Adding to tributes by world leaders including Joe Biden and Ursula von der Leyen, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted yesterday: 'London stands with Oslo. 'Our thoughts and solidarity are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this horrific attack, hours before Oslo's #Pride was due to take place. #LoveIsLove and hate will never win.' Australia has been invited to a global security summit aimed at uniting nations against countries challenging the international rule of law, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and fears of escalating aggression in Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend the NATO summit in Spain next week, before flying out to France in a bid to repair the relationship with French president Emmanuel Macron. He will join leaders of Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, sought for their advice on building an Indo-Pacific focus for NATO, in addition to countering Russia. Before jetting off he told reporters Russia's alliance with China has implications for the Indo-Pacific and democracies around the globe. Mr Albanese hopes to repair Australia's relationship to French President Emmanuel Macron after the torpedoed $90billion submarine deal (pictured stepping onto the plane with partner Jodie Haydon) Before jetting off Mr Albanese told reporters Russia's alliance with China has implications for the Indo-Pacific and democracies around the globe. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, pose for photos with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Feb. 4, 2022 'The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upset the norms that we regarded, that the rule of law would be maintained that sovereign nation's borders would be respected, and that we wouldn't see the sort of brutal invasion that we've seen from Russia in Ukraine,' he said. 'Russia and China, their arrangements and closeness that has occurred in recent times means that it's also very important for our region,. 'The people of Ukraine are doing the democratic world, an enormous service. But it's important that democratic nation stand with Ukraine. That's the context of this NATO Summit.' In Madrid, Mr Albanese will meet with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, and on the sidelines with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Mr Albanese will also meet with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and give an address to the OECD council. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) and his partner Jodie Haydon (left) arrive at Sydney Airport to board a plane to Europe for a NATO Leaders' Summit 'Australia has been unequivocal in its support for Ukraine and its condemnation of President Putin,' Mr Albanese said. 'We will continue to stand up for freedom and democracy.' Mr Albanese said he would be 'honoured' to accept an invitation to Paris. 'France is an important partner and friend to Australia, particularly in our shared vision for peace and stability in the Pacific,' he said. The relationship with France soured after former prime minister Scott Morrison scrapped a $90 billion submarine deal. Mr Albanese has been invited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to visit the war-torn country, but hasn't confirmed if he will visit after the NATO summit. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said it was important to get the relationship with France back on track, with it being a 'Pacific country in terms of their Pacific territories'. France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron (pictured) arrive G7 summit welcome ceremony at Castle Elmau in Kruen, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on Sunday, June 26, 2022 Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has urged the prime minister to give a potential Ukraine visit serious consideration. 'We've formed a special bond with Ukraine. President Zelenskiy is one of the century's great heroes, and he's provided inspiration not only to his people but to the rest of the world as well,' Mr Dutton said. 'I hope that we can visit in due course and if the prime minister is able to visit, if that's the security advice he's received, that it's safe for him and for his delegation to visit, then I think it's entirely appropriate that he would.' Australia recently agreed to pay French company Naval Group about $830 million in a settlement over the scrapped submarine deal. Australian PM Anthony Albanese and girlfriend Jodie Haydon arrive at the tarmac to board a flight to Europe (pictured) Mr Dutton welcomed the prime minister's trip to France, calling it 'a good move'. 'The previous government made a decision that was in our national security interests, on all of the advice that we had,' he said. 'The submarine that the French provided wasn't going to provide the security and the defences that we needed. 'So I don't make any apology for the decision we made to go with the nuclear subs under the AUKUS deal because it will be the underpinning of security in our country for the next four or five decades.' Advertisement A tiny girl was pulled out of the wreckage of her Kyiv home with a bloodied nose after a Russian airstrike hit while she was fast asleep. Ukrainian deputy prime minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted the heartbreaking image this morning after Putin's latest pummelling of the country's capital. Mr Kuleba wrote: 'This 7 [year-old] Ukrainian kid was sleeping peacefully in Kyiv until a Russian cruise missile blasted her home. 'Many more around Ukraine are under strikes. G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. He added: 'Russias sick imperialism must be defeated.' Her current condition is unknown. The tiny girl was pictured being pulled out of the wreckage of her family home after a Russian airstrike pummelled Kyiv again Within a few hours Mr Kuleba's tweet had more than 12,000 likes, suggesting the girl's suffering - though heinous - had touched a nerve around the world. Putin has attacked Kyiv for the first time in weeks, launching fourteen missiles at the city and surrounding region and striking at least two residential buildings with 'a lot of injuries', according to Ukrainian sources. Kyiv had enjoyed three weeks of relative peace and quiet during the war until the early Sunday morning strikes, the first attacks since June 5. Several large bangs shook the city around 6.30am and rescue services were seen battling flames and rescuing civilians from the blasted out windows of a burning nine-story apartment building. Officials say that it's too early to say if anyone has been killed, and the head of the regional military administration, Oleksiy Kuleba, stated that air defence systems shot down one of the missiles, which landed on a village in the surrounding areas. 'We are doing everything we can to stop the fire and take people out of the destroyed buildings,' said Kyiv's major, Vitali Klitschko. 'We hope nobody has died but the final information we will have in a couple of hours.' Smoke rises about city centre buildings after Russia's latest airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital (image captured today) Soldiers patrol the streets of Kyiv after the Russians' first attacks since June 5, apparently timed to 'intimidate' G7 leaders He called the attacks an attempt to intimidate the city ahead of G7 and NATO summits taking place this week. Boris Johnson today warned at the start of the G7 summit that 'fatigue' over the Ukraine war could fracture Western unity. The PM said there was obvious 'anxiety' about the fallout from trying to defeat Vladimir Putin's aggression. But speaking at the gathering in Germany this morning, Mr Johnson said he hoped everyone recognised that 'the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed... will be far, far higher'. The majority of Russia's offensives against Ukraine have been concentrated in the Donbas region to the east, where they managed to secure the heavily-contested strategic city of Severodonetsk yesterday after the Ukrainian army finally pulled out. Despite this progress, there have been reports that Putin has sacked his top general in Ukraine, ostensibly over the glacial advance of the Russian army's primary thrust to annex the Donbas. Leaders of the G7 group of industrialised nations meeting today in Germany have agreed a fresh round of sanctions on Russian gold exports Russian forces have finally captured the strategic city of Severodonetsk in Luhansk, which is a 'significant achievement' according to the British MoD Russia is still blockading Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and stopping grain exports from reaching countries in Africa and the Middle East, sparking fears of an imminent famine and refugee crisis Putin axes another top general known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' over the slow rate of progress in the Donbas Lithuania is blocking train shipments from Belarus to Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which Belarus dictator Lukashenko has called an 'act of war' Rescue workers evacuate a person from a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike which Kyiv major Vitali Klitschko says has injured many Fourteen cruise missile strikes reverberated around the city and its surroundings at approximately 6.30am this Sunday morning, shattering the fragile peace and tranquillity the city had been enjoying since Putin's forces moved out of the north of Ukraine Firefighters worker to put out a fire as smoke rises from a residential building damaged by the Russian missile strikes that rocked the city Firefighters work at the scene of a residential building following the cruise missile strikes, some of which were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time Rescuers carry a woman wounded during a missile strike from a destroyed apartment building as the number of injured is still unknown A medic attends to a woman wounded during a missile strike that hit an apartment building as she is taken to hospital in an ambulance Damaged cars are seen after shelling as Russian-Ukraine war continues in Nemyshlyanskyi district of Kharkiv Oblast near the border with Russia as violence is not restricted to just the Donbas The dismissal of Gen Alexander Dvornikov, rumoured to be a drunk and distrusted by his officers, would mark yet another major shake up of Putin's command structure, and an expression of the dictator's frustration with the state of his war in Ukraine, which he had supposed would be successfully over within four days. Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, would be the the seventh general Putin is reported to have sacked since the start of June, as well as losing as many as fourteen killed in action. Russian high command is thought to have removed a number of high-ranking officers from key command roles in Ukraine since the start of June, according to the British Ministry of Defence. With Dvornikov the commander of Southern Group of Forces and likely acting as the overall operational commander for the Russian army in Ukraine, his removal is reported to have come along with that of Airborne Forces (VDV) General-Colonel Andrei Serdyukov. Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin as commander of the SGF. The army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory. 'For over 30 years, Surovikin's career has been dogged with allegations of corruption and brutality,' the MoD adds. Dozens of Russian missiles hit other regions of Ukraine as well on Saturday and Sunday morning. Some were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraine's air command said. The bombardment preceded a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in St Petersburg on Saturday, during which Mr Putin announced that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing large parts of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of the weapons in a matter of minutes. 'In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions,' Putin said in a broadcast on Russian television at the start of his meeting with Lukashenko in St Petersburg. At the meeting, Lukashenko expressed concern about the 'aggressive', 'confrontational', and 'repulsive' policies of Belarus's neighbours Lithuania and Poland. He asked Putin to help his country mount a 'symmetrical response' to what he said were nuclear-armed flights by the US-led NATO alliance near Belarus's borders. Putin also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, in comments broadcast on Russian television. 'Many Su-25 [aircraft] are in service with the Belarusian military. They could be upgraded in an appropriate way,' Putin said. 'This modernisation should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia and the training of personnel should start in accordance with this. We will agree on how to accomplish this.' Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during their meeting in St. Petersburg yesterday, when Putin agreed to send Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus The Iskander missiles are short range nuclear-capable hyper-sonic cruise missiles with a range of up to 310 miles, bringing all of eastern Europe up to Berlin within striking distance of weapons in a matter of minutes Pictured: A test launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system 'Iskander' from at the Kapustin Yar training ground The transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems would bring large parts of eastern Europe into range of the hyper sonic missiles Gen Alexander Dvornikov, known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo' for his 2015 aerial destruction of Syria's largest city which reduced it to a bombed out husk, has reportedly been removed by Putin from overall command of Russian forces in Ukraine Dvornikov will reportedly be replaced by Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin (pictured left, receiving a medal from Putin) as commander of the SGF, as the army group encompasses the primary forces of the Russian army seeking to capture and occupy Ukrainian territory In southern Ukraine along the Black Sea coast, nine missiles fired from Crimea hit the port city of Mykolaiv on Saturday, the Ukrainian military said. In the north, about 20 missiles were fired from Belarus into the Chernihiv region. Ukraine's military intelligence agency said the Russian bombers' use of Belarusian airspace for the first time for Saturday's attack was 'directly connected to attempts by the Kremlin to drag Belarus into the war'. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address that as a war that Moscow expected to last five days moved into its fifth month, Russia 'felt compelled to stage such a missile show'. He said the war was at a difficult stage, 'when we know that the enemy will not succeed, when we understand that we can defend our country, but we don't know how long it will take, how many more attacks, losses and efforts there will be before we can see that victory is already on our horizon'. Previously Zelensky had addressed revellers at the opening of the Glastonbury festival, asking the raucous crowd in a taped message to continue supporting his nation and countrymen as they fought Russia. He asked festival-goes to 'help Ukrainians who are forced to flee their homes' by putting 'pressure on politicians' around the world. Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late on Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control Sievierodonetsk and the villages surrounding it. He said the attempt by Ukrainian forces to turn the Azot plant into a 'stubborn centre of resistance' had been thwarted. Ukrainian servicemen moving to a position in the city of Severodonetsk under heavy bombardment by Russian forces Governor of Lugansk Sergiy Gaiday said that Ukrainian forces around Severodonetsk have been given the order to retreat as remaining in positions that have been relentlessly shelled 'doesn't make sense' Ukrainian troop ride a tank on a road of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas last week, as Ukraine says Russian shelling has caused 'catastrophic destruction' in the eastern industrial city of Lysychansk, which lies just across a river from Severodonets The Russians have captured the ruins of Severodonetsk, which has been 'reduced to rubble' by concentrated heavy artillery shelling by the Russian army Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk province, confirmed on Friday that Ukrainian troops were retreating from Sievierodonetsk after weeks of bombardment and house-to-house fighting. On Saturday, he said the city had fallen to Russian and separatist fighters, who he said are now trying to blockade Lysychansk from the south. The city lies across the river just to the west of Sievierodonetsk. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian forces control of every major settlement in the province, a significant step towards Russia's aim of capturing the entire Donbas. The Russians and separatists control about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a spokesman for the separatist forces, Andrei Marochko, as saying Russian troops and separatist fighters had entered Lysychansk and that fighting was taking place in the heart of the city. There was no immediate comment on the claim from the Ukrainian side. Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk have been the focal point of a Russian offensive aimed at capturing all of the Donbas and destroying the Ukrainian military defending it - the most capable and battle-hardened segment of the country's armed forces. Russian bombardment has reduced most of Sievierodonetsk to rubble and cut its population from 100,000 to 10,000. Child abusers could face life in jail, up from the current maximum of 14 years, thanks to new tougher sentences being put into force from this week. The change comes from Tony's Law, named after Tony Hudgell, now seven, who lost both legs after being tortured by his parents. Jody Simpson and Tony Smith got just ten years in prison, which was the maximum punishment for child cruelty offences at the time. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill amendment has been pushed through by Justice Secretary and Deputy PM Dominic Raab following a campaign by Tony's adoptive parents Paula and Mark Hudgell. Mr Raab said: 'I pay tribute to Tony and his adoptive parents, Paula and Mark. This is a victory for them.' The law change will bring an end to soft sentences for child abusers such as Baby P's killer Jason Owen, who was let off with a six-year stretch in 2009. Anyone who now causes or allows the death of a child or vulnerable adult in their care will face up to life imprisonment, rather than 14 years. The maximum penalty for child cruelty causing or allowing serious physical harm will rise from 10 years to 14 years. New laws mean that child abusers could face life imprisonment rather than a maximum of 14 years. The rule has been dubbed 'Tony's Law' who lost both his legs due to his abusive birth parents. (Tony pictured with his adoptive parents Paula and Mark Hudgell) Tony's birth parents Jody Simpson (left) and Tony Smith (right) were both jailed for child cruelty and received the then maximum sentence of 10 years, which will now be raised to 14 years under the new rules Tony was admitted to the Evelina London Children's in Southwark, south east London, in 2015 after he suffered horrific abuse from his birth parents Jody Simpson and Tony Smith The Government has also set out social care reforms to help recruit more foster carers, increase support for social workers and improve the professional standards of those working in the sector. Mrs Hudgell, from West Malling, Kent, ran a tireless campaign to ensure that 'monsters stay behind bars for longer'. She dedicated the victory to 'Tony and all the babies and children that suffered or lost their lives at the hands of their abusers'.'I can't thank enough the public, our friends and family, our MP, Tom Tugendhat, and Dominic Raab for their support in making this a reality.' There are several high-profile cases which have shocked the public, both in the nature of the cruel crimes committed and by what many feel are very lenient sentences. Tony Hudgell Tony was barely a month old when he nearly died in hospital and had to have a double leg amputation due to severe abuse by his parents Tony was just 41-days-old when he was rushed to hospital with multiple organ failure, numerous fractures and sepsis following horrific abuse at the hands of his parents, Jody Simpson and Tony Smith in 2014. After a six week battle to save him, doctors made the decision to stop all but palliative care. But they were unable to because Tony was a ward of court and the courts had closed for Christmas. Incredibly, Tony fought back and was able to recover from his life-threatening injuries. He was soon adopted by Paula and Mark Hudgell who have since successfully campaigned for longer sentences for anyone who seriously harms a child. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes Six-year-old Arthur was beaten and tortured before his murder at the hands of his stepmother Emma Tustin was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years and Arthur's father, Thomas Hughes, was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter Arthur Labinjo-Hughes waking up hours before he collapsed from fatal injuries on CCTV Six-year-old Arthur was beaten and tortured before his murder at the hands of stepmother Emma Tustin at her home in Solihull. Tustin was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years and Arthur's father, Thomas Hughes, was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter. Arthur was seen by social workers during the first national lockdown just two months before his death in Solihull, West Midlands, in June last year. But they concluded there were 'no safeguarding concerns' and closed the file. Tustin and Hughes starved the youngster, force-fed him salt-laden dishes and made him stand alone for more than 14 hours a day, in a degrading, punishing and hellish regime over the last painful months of his life. He was left with an unsurvivable brain injury while in the sole care of his father's 'evil' partner Tustin. Arthur, whose body was also covered in 130 bruises, died in hospital the next day. Star Hobson Star Hobson died from 'utterly catastrophic' injuries at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire in September 2020. Her mother initially received an eight-year jail sentence Star's mother Smith (left) was cleared of murder, but found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child. Brockhill (right) was convicted by a jury unanimously of murder Social services missed five opportunities to stop Star's killers in the months before her death on September 22, 2020, a court heard The injuries which caused the toddler's death involved extensive damage to her abdominal cavity Star Hobson was only 16-months-old when she was killed at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Mother Frankie Smith, 20, was sentenced to eight years which was then extended to 12 years on appeal, while her ex, Savannah Brockhill, 28, was convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years. In January 2020 Smith's friend Holly Jones made contact with social services over concerns about domestic violence and how much time she is left looking after Star. Police and social workers visit Star but no concerns are raised. In February Star went to live with her great-grandparents, David Fawcett and Anita Smith at their home in Baildon, Bradford, after Smith split up with Brockhill. The pair got together again and Star was removed from Anita Smith's house by her mother and taken to live with Smith and Brockhill. In May Anita Smith contacts social services after she is told about Brockhill 'slam-choking' Star. A month later David Fawcett posts a picture of Star with bruises on Facebook alongside a happier shot and with the caption 'From this to this in five weeks, what's going on Frankie?' That month police take Star for a hospital examination. Smith says her daughter had hit her face on a coffee table. Social services are contacted several times by friends and family and in September they closed the case after concluding the referral to be 'malicious'. A week later Star is seriously injured at the flat in Wesley Place, Keighley, and dies later in hospital. Baby P Peter, who was initially named in the press as Baby P, died after suffering more than 50 injuries including a snapped spine and eight broken ribs Baby P's mother Tracey Connelly was jailed in 2009 and was released in 2013 on a lifelong licence but was recalled in 2015 Baby P, was tortured to death in 2007 by Connelly's lover Steven Barker (left) and his brother Jason Owen (right) at their home in Tottenham, north London Peter, who was publicly known as Baby P, died in north London on August 3 2007 at the hands of his mother, her lover Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen. Tracey Connelly, was jailed in 2009 and had been imprisoned indefinitely with a minimum term of five years for causing or allowing her son's death and had been released in 2013 on a lifelong licence. Baby P suffered more than 50 injuries, which included a snapped spine and eight broken ribs, despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over the final eight months of his life. Steven Barker was jailed in 2009 for a minimum of 32 years for torturing the 17-month-old to death and Owen received a six year jail sentence for allowing the toddler to die. Peter and three other children were sharing the four-bedroom house with their mother, her boyfriend and his brother when he died. Three of the children, including Peter, were on Haringey's Child Protection Register because of fears they were being neglected by the mother. Connolly, who covered up the abuse of her son, was jailed in 2009 for a minimum of five years after admitting causing or allowing the death of her son Peter. She was then freed on licence in 2013 but later recalled to prison in 2015 after it was found she had sent indecent images of herself to people obsessed with her notoriety. She is currently still in prison, but could be out in weeks after the Parole Board rejected a government challenge against their ruling to release her. The family of the British journalist murdered in the Amazon called for justice as his cremation took place today. Guardian writer Dom Phillips, 57, was cremated at Parque da Colina cemetery in Niteroi, Brazil this afternoon, four weeks after he and indigenous expert guide Bruno Pereira, 41, vanished. Phillips's widow Alessandra Sampaio was pictured embracing Dom's sister SIan at the cemetery today. Ms Sampaio, who was also given her late husband's wedding ring, said: 'Now we can bring them home and say goodbye with love.' Dom Phillips's widow Alessandra Sampaio (centre) pleaded for justice after the funeral today Sampaio (second from left) embraces Sian Phillips (second from right) at the ceremony Bruno was buried on Friday. Their bodies were finally returned to the Phillips and Pereira families last week. Four suspects have been detained by police. Pereira was introducing Phillips to people he could interview for an upcoming book about the Amazon when their boat failed to show up to a meeting place near the Peruvian border. Suspect Gabriel Dantas, who handed himself into police in Sao Paulo on Friday, said he drove the boat that chased the two men. Dantas then shot the pair dead with a 16-gauge rifle inside the boat - and was following orders, he said. She said after being given the body: 'Now we can bring them home and say goodbye with love' Brazilian campaigners are pictured asking: 'Who ordered the killing of Dom and Bruno?' Alessandra embraces another of Phillips's family members at the cemetery in Brazil today Indigenous campaigners have also demanded justice as violence against them spikes The news came after the Brazilian ambassador in London had to apologise for its embassy pre-emptively telling the family of the journalist that the pair - including Pereira - were found dead. Fisherman Amarildo da Costa, known as 'Pelado,' and his brother Oseney da Costa, both 41, or 'Dos Santos,' have also been arrested. Amarildo was seen by witnesses in a boat following Phillips and Pereira at high speed before their disappearance. The Javari region is an area notorious for illegal mining and drug trafficking, and the pair had reportedly faced threats before their disappearance The families of veteran correspondent Dom Phillips (pictured), 57, and Pereira, 41, endured an anguished wait for news before the worst was finally confirmed a few days ago Bruno Araujo Pereira, an expert on the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, also went missing with his health ID card and clothes found alongside Mr Phillips' backpack Local police found traces of blood on his boat which are being analysed, and personal effects of the two missing men near the home of 'Pelado,' who was arrested on June 7 and has denied any involvement. They also seized firearm cartridges and an oar. Shock at their fate has echoed across Brazil and around the world, highlighting the overhaul of indigenous agency Funai under President Jair Bolsonaro, along with a rising tide of violence and criminal incursions on native lands. Amariledo 'Pelado' da Costa was taken into custody by authorities in Amazonas, Brazil. His family claim he has been waterboarded by police in an effort to extract a confession A hoard of contraband alcohol recovered from a shipwreck 100 years after it sank on its way to tsarist Russia is going on sale for nearly 8,000 a bottle. Hundreds of bottles were salvaged by a specialist Swedish team in the Sea of Aland, near the Baltic Sea, in 2019. The crew found 600 bottles of De Haartman & Co cognac and 300 bottles of Benedictine liqueur within the remains of the Kyros, which was sunk by a German submarine in May 1917. It is believed the shipment left Bordeaux in December 1916, but was delayed until the spring due to ice in the Gulf of Bothnia. Cognac house Birkedal Hartmann has carefully cleaned and refilled 300 bottles found within the shipwreck of Swedish steamer Kyros, which was sunk by a German submarine in 1917 The cognac and Benedictine bottles as they were found in the remains of the ship in 2019 By the time the ship was on its way to Russia again, Tsar Nicholas II had been forced to abdicate as the Russia Revolution took over the country. Since the haul was found again, Cognac house Birkedal Hartmann has carefully cleaned 300 of the bottles, removed the corks and filled them with Grande Champagne Cognac from 1910-15, reports Decanter. Company archives were used to reproduce the original corks, capsules and labels. Each one-litre bottle is presented in a gift box, which also contains the original cork a and a photograph of the SS Kyros. The bottles were sunk to a depth of 77m in the Sea of Aland, between Sweden and Finland At the time of discovering the wreck, Peter Lindberg, who led expedition group Ocean X, said: 'The conditions in the Baltic are very suitable for storing these kind of beverages because it's dark and very cold.' The Kyros left Sweden in May 1917 and was sunk to a depth of 77 metres in the Sea of Aland, between Sweden and Finland, with an explosive charge. The ship's crew survived and were transferred to another vessel before returning to Sweden, according to Ocean X. Mr Lindberg said his group located the wreck more than 20 years ago, but lost the position, only to re-discover it many years later. Ocean X leader Peter Lindberg with colleague Floris Marseille, pictured in November 2019 It took years to clear the wreck of abandoned fishing nets so divers could inspect it but even then conditions proved to be too difficult to search manually. He said: 'After we had been there several times with divers and a smaller ROV (remotely operated vehicle), we realised that the situation was becoming too dangerous.' Ocean X asked Icelandic salvage company iXplorer to help raise the bottles by using a specially equipped salvage vessel, Deepsea Worker. The bottom of the bottles were still clearly imprinted with the De Haartmann Cognac name Four full bottles of De Haartmann Cognac were later auctioned to collectors for US$45,000 (37,000) each. In January 2020, one of the surviving bottles of Benedictine was opened at the Palais Benedictine in Fecamp, northern France, where it was hailed as 'pleasant' to taste with notes of cocoa, coffee and mocha. Gun violence bill passage draws harsh criticism, mild praise in U.S. Xinhua) 09:10, June 26, 2022 Photo taken on Feb. 18, 2022 shows the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, Feb. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) In America, the wealthy, powerful, and influential NRA spends millions of dollars annually supporting Republican candidates who oppose any form of gun control. DENVER, United States, June 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Congress voted this week to enact the first gun control measures in America since assault weapons were banned for a decade in 1995, though many still doubt the real effect of the law on stemming gun violence. The conclusive 67-34 vote Thursday in the U.S. Senate, and the 237-198 vote Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives followed an arduous two-week process convincing a dozen Republicans in both chambers to join a chorus of Democrats responding to overwhelming national outrage over recent mass shootings. "We now have a small dent in the NRA's (National Rifle Association's) control of Republican politicians," said Sandy Phillips, a national gun control advocate whose 24-year-old daughter Jessi was gunned down in a mass shooting 10 years ago in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. "This bill doesn't go nearly as far as it should to protect children and innocent people in America from gun violence, but it's better than nothing," she told Xinhua Friday. The bill was a direct response to multiple mass shootings last month, including one at an elementary school in Texas that killed 19 children and two teachers, and another hate crime shooting in Buffalo, New York, that killed 10 African Americans at a supermarket. The bill's passage surprised experts on both sides of the gun control debate, and was delayed last week by Republicans who objected to a "Red Flag" provision that protected women from angry, violent boyfriends, called the "boyfriend exclusion." A girl is seen during a protest outside the offices of Visa in Washington, D.C., capital of the United States, Feb. 20, 2014. Relatives of gun violence victims and anti-gun advocates delivered petition to Visa, calling on Visa to end their affiliate credit card program with the National Rifle Association (NRA). (Xinhua/Bao Dandan) In America, the wealthy, powerful, and influential NRA spends millions of dollars annually supporting Republican candidates who oppose any form of gun control. Conversely, the Democratic Party has advocated and pushed for mild measures to curb the staggering 41,367 annual gun deaths in America, compared to 9,543 in Europe with twice America's population, according to statistics. Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law in the next few days. Last month, National Public Radio encapsulated Biden's plea to Congress to reinstate the ban on assault weapons, raising the age for buying semi auto rifles to 21, pass national Red flag laws, and strengthen background check laws. The NRA rejected such pleas and most of its Republican constituents stayed the course, but were outvoted by a handful of GOP members bucking the NRA to enact these simple concepts. The bill was attacked immediately by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who played on NRA rhetoric that any gun control measures were caving in to liberal desires to take away guns for all Americans. "When will middle America wake up and realize that the far right is controlling it like a puppet and pushing a radical right wing agenda that marginalized and murders Americans?" Phillips said. "This is a baby step, and baby steps still kill babies," Phillips said. "This law might help, but it does not go nearly far enough." (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) Delhi Police has arrested three men in their early twenties while some minor boys were counselled after they created ruckus in the communally sensitive Jahangirpuri area in the national Capital. Police said that some of them were allegedly drunk at the time of the incident on Friday night. Three men arrested have been identified as Narender (24), Mohit (21) and Shankar (22), all residents of K-block in Jahangirpuri area. According to Usha Rangnani, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), northwest district, on July 24 at about 9.00 PM, a police control room (PCR) call was received at the police station that some boys are roaming in K block at Jahangirpuri and damaging the vehicles. Police immediately reached at the spot and on local enquiry it was revealed that some boys (most of them were minor boys), allegedly drunk, were roaming in K Block. They were shouting and hurling abuses at each other, and while passing through the lane, they pulled down two to three old two wheelers, said the DCP. However, no one was injured and no damage was caused to any property. There was no stone pelting and there was no communal angle involved, said the DCP. Preventive action against 3 of them was taken by arresting them under section 107/151 Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) while others being minor were counselled appropriately, she added. On April 16, clashes had broken out between two communities during the procession in Jahangirpuri in the capital, leaving eight police personnel and a local injured. Nearly 50 percent of American voters believe former President Donald Trump should be recommended for criminal charges by the House committee investigating January 6, a new poll suggested on Sunday. The latest survey from CBS News suggests that a plurality of Americans think Trump was directly involved in a criminal plot to undermine US democracy, though Congress' bombshell Capitol riot hearings may not be having the outsized effect they intended to. It comes as Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the January 6 panel's seven Democrats, warned the Justice Department that failing to at least investigate the ex-president would be seen as a 'political' decision that would show he is above the law. 'The fact is, if you follow the evidence where it leads, if you believe that you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, then you have a duty to prosecute,' Schiff said on NBC News' Meet the Press. 'And the decision not to investigate or not to prosecute becomes a political decision that, well, this person is immune from the rule of law.' Over the last few weeks, the committee has sought to characterize last year's Capitol attack as Trump and his allies' 'last stand' in a wider plot to steal the 2020 presidential election. Hours of live and videotaped witness testimony have painted a picture of White House advisers and other elected officials intent on a peaceful transfer of power fighting against a faction of pro-Trump lawmakers, lawyers and the ex-president himself who spread doubt about the election despite knowing Trump lost and attempts to take down anyone who stood in their way. Nearly half of all US voters polled by CBS News think Donald Trump's actions on and around January 6 warrant criminal charges Despite a plurality of respondents admitting to only listening to 'some' of the January 6 hearings, 50% said what they've heard makes it seem like Trump tried to stay in office 'through illegal means' 'The president didn't care. What he wanted them to do was just say it was corrupt,' Schiff said. The committee's last two expected hearings, meant to be this week, were delayed until July after it was revealed they have a trove of evidence to review from British filmmaker Alex Holder, who interviewed Trump and his family for a documentary series on the final months of the Republican's presidency. Despite that, however, Americans appear to be following the roadmap being laid out by the committee toward Trump's culpability. Fifty percent of respondents to CBS News' poll, taken between June 22 and 24, said he tried to 'stay in office through illegal means.' That's compared to 30 percent who said Trump planned to do it 'through legal means' and just 20 percent who do not believe the ex-president intended to stay in office. When asked whether the January 6 committee should make recommendations on Trump's fate, 46 percent said 'Trump should be charged with crimes' and 31 percent believe the committee should advise against it. Less than a quarter - 23 percent - said the panel should not make any recommendation at all. Meanwhile committee member Rep. Adam Schiff is continuing to pressure the Justice Department to focus its efforts on investigating the ex-president But when it comes to watching the proceedings, less than one-fifth of voters said they were paying significant attention. Just 18 percent of Americans said they were spending 'a lot' of time watching the hearings. A 30-percent plurality said they were paying 'some' attention to them, and 53 percent of respondents admitted to paying 'not much' attention or 'none at all.' But throughout the hearings the committee has made clear that its audience is Attorney General Merrick Garland as much as it is the American public. Garland has made clear that he is following along with the panel's presentation, and over the last week his department has ramped up its public efforts to go after those who helped Trump attempt to overturn President Joe Biden's victory. The DOJ has subpoenaed at least nine people across multiple states who were accused of helping Trump's alleged 'fake electors' scheme to alter Electoral College votes in his favor. Trump's efforts to undermine American democracy are at the heart of the committee's June hearings The panel has claimed that the riot itself was not an unintended consequence but rather the 'last stand' of Trump and his allies Federal agents also recently raided the home of former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, a lower-level bureaucrat that Trump attempted to elevate so Clark would then weaponize the department for the ex-president's plot. 'It certainly seems that there's a greater sense of urgency than I've seen before. At the same time, I have yet to see any indication that the former president himself is under investigation,' Schiff said on Sunday. The California Democrat admitted it would be a 'very difficult decision' to actually prosecute Trump, but added: 'It's not a difficult decision to investigate when there's evidence before you.' 'And I think the worst-case scenario is not that Donald Trump runs and wins, but that he runs and loses and they overturn the election,' he said. 'Because there's no deterrent, because there's no effort to push back and to hold people accountable.' 'Q,' the leader of the QAnon movement, who promoted the theory that the world is controlled by Satan-worshiping cannibalistic child molesters has reemerged, posting online for the first time in two years. 'Shall we play a game once more,' the shadowy figure behind the global movement posted Friday night on the online chat form 8kun, which was formally 8chan. Followers recognized the post from the original Q's unique signature on the forum. Although his identity has never been revealed, linguistic researchers believe Q is computer entrepreneur Ron Watkins, the founder of the internet chat space. After a nearly two year hiatus, Q of QAnon infamy is posting again. pic.twitter.com/wR3PQXrCsV Will Sommer (@willsommer) June 25, 2022 Ron Watkins, pictured here, is widely believed to be the man behind the Q postings on the 8kun online forum His cryptic messages on 8kun created a global movement pushed the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump was recruited by the military to bring down the imagined Satanistic cabal. QAnon followers were part of the group of insurgents who stormed the Capitol Building on January 6 to stop the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election results. Disinformation researchers believe that Q's reemergence coincides with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent controversial decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which was met with nationwide protests. Disinformation researchers believe that Q has emerged to capitalize on the division in the country over the recent Supreme Court rulings Jacob Anthony Chansley, who also goes by the name Jake Angeli, a QAnon believer known as the 'QAnon Shaman,' speaks to a crowd of Trump supporters in November 2020 'Leveraging social and cultural instability has kind of been a hallmark of QAnon for a very long time,' Montclair State University associate professor Bond Benton told the New York Times. 'This very much throws gasoline on the fire and leverages the fear that people have about the future.' The new post appears to echo a scene from the 1980s movie 'War Games' in which computer hacker played by Matthew Broderick breaches a Department of Defense computer and nearly sets off a nuclear war believing he's only playing computer game. A popular QAnon theory claims that he faked his death Followers wondered where their leader had been after all these years. 'Throw us a bone Q, we've all been waiting for what seemed like an eternity. What's going on?' an anonymous member of the forum asked Friday. Typical of the inscrutable leader, the answer was minimal. 'It had to be done this way,' Q responded. And later, in another indecipherable post, he wrote, 'Are you ready to serve your country again? Remember your oath.' The 8kun messages were copied and posted on Twitter by Daily Beast writer Will Sommer, who wrote about the subculture. QAnon started out as a fringe group on the obscure 4chan internet forum in 2017 but grew into a global movement that propagated wild conspiracies, including one that said there was an international child sex ring run by Democrats operating out of a Washington, D.C., pizza shop called Comet Pizza. Watkins, who is is running a flagging campaign in Arizona for a seat in the House of Representatives, has denied that he is Q, but has supported QAnon conspiracy theories. 'There is probably more good stuff than bad,' Watkins told The Times earlier this year, after being outed. He ticked off a few benefits, like 'fighting for the safety of the country, and for the safety of the children of the country.' Despite Q's silence, followers have still pushed their wild beliefs on the internet. Some of those messages have gained followers in the mainstream Republican Party with Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert expressing support for the movement. Pictures posted to social media by Steven Monacelli, the publisher of Protean magazine, show QAnon followers congregated on the infamous grassy knoll. At one point, the group stands in the shape of a giant Q' In March, Q followers promoted the theory that a speech by President Joe Biden on the Russian threat to cybersecurity was a call for corporations to solidify a 'new world order' with a 'shadow government' 'No, Joe Biden, there is no new world order coming on my watch,' GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado wrote on Twitter in response. Other QAnon followers believed that John F. Kennedy Jr, who died in a plane crash in 1999, had faked his death and would come back to lead the country after Donald Trump. The group gathered in Dallas at Dealey Plaza, where President John Kennedy was shot, on November 2, 2021 waiting for the son to materialize. He did not appear. Coleman revealed his thinking behind his belief that his wife, Abby, had reptile DNA that she passed down to their children Matthew Coleman confessed to killing his son Kaleo, 2, and daughter Roxy, 10 months, by shooting them in the heart with a spear gun in Mexico in August 2021 In a two-page letter, Coleman wrote to friend about what has been going through his mind in the 10 months since he was locked up for the murder of his two children in August 2021 A poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute last year found that 15 percent of all Americans believe the basic tenets of QAnon. The FBI labeled the movement a terror threat. Aside from loopy political theories, QAnon followers have shown to be capable of extremely violent acts. Matthew Taylor Coleman, a father of two, killed his two-year-old son and his 10-year-old daughter with a spear gun in Mexico in August 2021 in a cloud of QAnon-fueled delusion. He believed that his wife had reptile DNA that she had passed on to their children. Coleman believed that Q was communicating with him directly and that he 'eventuallysaw the big picture that he had to kill his children to prevent them from becoming an alien species that would release carnage over the Earth.' Only after his conviction for the children's murder did he realize his error. 'I was deceiving myself. I know now that the [reptile] DNA thing was a delusion in my own mind. I made myself believe something that wasn't there,' he wrote in a letter from prison. Advertisement Actor Frank Williams, who was best known for playing Timothy Farthing in Dad's Army, has died at the age of 90. The star's death was announced in a statement on his dedicated Facebook page, which read: 'So sorry to say that our beloved friend, colleague and actor, Frank Williams, passed away this morning. 'He was almost 91, and we are grateful for all the years of joy, laughter and happiness he brought to so many. Thank you Frank! x' Frank, who died just six days short of his 91st birthday on 2 July, appeared in similar roles to Reverend Timothy Farthing in the BBC television sitcom, as members of the clergy in You Rang, M'Lord? Hi-de-Hi!, What's Up Nurse, The Worker and Vanity Fair. Actor Frank Williams, who was best known for playing Timothy Farthing in Dad's Army, has died at the age of 90. The star's death was announced in a statement on his dedicated Facebook page today He appeared in similar roles to Reverend Timothy Farthing in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army (pictured second left), as members of the clergy in You Rang, M'Lord? Hi-de-Hi!, What's Up Nurse, The Worker and Vanity Fair Born in Hampstead Heath, north London in 1931, an only child to parents William and Alice Williams, he went to school at Ardingly College in West Sussex as well as Hendon School - before beginning his career in acting at the Watford Palace Theatre. This was his foot in the door to become part of one of Britain's most legendary sitcoms, Dad's Army, as the repertory theatre was run by the creator of the show, Jimmy Perry. Dad's Army, being set in World War Two, Farthing (right) looked to care for the 'spiritual needs of his parishioners' despite setbacks like sharing his church hall with main character George Mainwaring The veteran actor in Dad's Army, which first aired in 1968 and ended in 1977 after its ninth season, said 'there was a feeling that season nine would be our last' after arriving in the rehearsal room He once described his time in Dad's Army as the 'happiest period of his professional life'. First appearing in season three of the show, he went on to act in more than half of the series and also featured in Dad's Army's two feature films. He was the second-last surviving cast member of the main stars from the show - the only one still alive is Ian 'Private Pike' Lavender, 76, who is the youngest of the cast. Usually referred to as The Vicar or His Reverence, Frank's character Timothy Farthing was a well-meaning vicar of St Aldhelm's Church, in Walmington-on-Sea, a fictional seaside resort in the south of England. In an interview ahead of his 90th birthday, which he celebrated at an event in Leicester Square Theatre last July, Frank said: 'Initially, I thought it was for just one episode but the character became a regular' (pictured in 2016) Dad's Army, being set in World War Two, Farthing looked to care for the 'spiritual needs of his parishioners' despite setbacks like sharing his church hall with main character George Mainwaring. Bank manager Mainwaring appointed himself as the leader of the local Home Guard military unit, made up of the town's local men to come together and join the British Army. As he was neither part of the Home Guard or the ARP Wardens, who patrolled the streets during blackout periods to ensure no light was visible from homes, he was portrayed as a 'spiritual' and 'learned' man who took care of locals. But despite being a religious figure rather than a military man, he often found himself amongst the Walmington-on-Sea platoon - and his archery hobby comes in handy when his skill rescues him and his men in one episode. The veteran actor in Dad's Army, which first aired in 1968 and ended in 1977 after its ninth season, said 'there was a feeling that season nine would be our last' after arriving in the rehearsal room. In an interview ahead of his 90th birthday, which he celebrated at an event in Leicester Square Theatre last July, Frank said: 'Initially, I thought it was for just one episode but the character became a regular. 'I ended up appearing in 39 of the 80 TV episodes, the original film, stage show and 14 radio episodes. It's hard to believe that I'm celebrating that milestone.' The veteran actor in Dad's Army, which first aired in 1968 and ended in 1977 after its ninth season, said 'there was a feeling that season nine would be our last' after arriving in the rehearsal room. Frank Williams is pictured left in ITV series It's Tarbuck Frank revealed that he had macular degeneration, which affects your sight, describing it as 'irritating' but manageable. He was partially sighted and used a stick towards the end of his life. 'Sadly I can't read any more so I listen to audiobooks. When it comes to watching TV, I have to sit close to the set but I still ll enjoy seeing the episodes whenever theyre shown. 'All the characters are funny and appeal to people of all ages, including children. Once, a friend told me that his three-year-old granddaughter liked Dad's Army more than Postman Pat.' On the Facebook page announcing Frank's death, friends, family and fans paid tribute to the Dad's Army actor. One wrote: 'God Bless Frank who together with that great cast and writers brought so many people happiness over many years on Dads Army. 'Deepest sincere condolences to Franks Family and friends at this time.' Another said: 'Sad sad news indeed. A genuinely lovely man. Rest now Vicar.' One added: 'I'm so sorry to hear that. Frank will be sorely missed. RIP Vicar. My thoughts are with your family and friends. Another fine person to join the Dads army in the sky.' Frank was also in an advert for Guinness, where he gains the power to walk through walls after drinking the Irish beverage. More than 100 people have been arrested in Turkey in defiance of the ban on an LGBTQ Pride march, its organisers have said. In the latest clash between the gay community in Istanbul and police, LGBT+ supporters and a news photographer were detained by officers dressed in riot gear today. Marchers were heading towards Beyoglu district, the heart of the city's shopping and tourism sectors, when riot police and metal fences prevented them from entering Taksim Square, where protestors traditional gather. Some protesters fled from officers, while others were said to have beaten, and forcibly detained before being loaded them on to buses. Local residents were also heard and seen banging pots and pans from their windows and balconies in a show of support for the marchers as a police helicopter circled overhead. Despite the continued crackdown and increased hostility shown by Turkish authorities, the LGBT+ community have marched every year in Istanbul since their Pride March was banned which they claim is unlawful in 2015. A Turkish policeman is seen today detaining a female demonstrator during a Pride march in Istanbul Police officers seen preventing journalists to film and take pictures of activists detained while trying to march in a pride parade, which was banned by local authorities, in central Istanbul Turkish police pictured today blocking the march of members and supporters of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community Police officers try to prevent journalists filming and take today pictures of activists detained while trying to march in a pride parade, which was banned by local authorities, in central Istanbul, Turkey Organisers and the Istanbul Bar Association say that peaceful demonstrations like this one cannot be banned. During the protest today, one group chanted: 'Discrimination is a crime, the rainbow is not'. Kaos GL, a prominent LGBTQ group, said that shortly before the march's 5pm start police detained 52 people. The Pride Week Committee later said more than 100 had been arrested. Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee said on Twitter: 'We do not give up, we are not afraid. We will continue our activities in safe places and online.' Turkish police are seen talking with a woman who has her hands out stretched during the Pride march LGBT+ people and supporters are seen carrying a Pride flag while march in Istanbul The march came after local authorities in the Beyoglu district banned all Pride Week events between June 20-26, saying they could lead to public unrest due to society's sensitivities. There was no immediate word on the number of arrests from the police or the governor's office. Images on social media showed people being searched and loaded on to buses, including at least one news photographer as journalists' union DISK Basin-Is said today that 'many' people were beaten by police. Turkish photojournalist Bulent Kilic, employed by the Agence France-Press (AFP), was pictured being detained during the march by officers in front of a bus. This was the second time police have taken action against Mr Kilic who was detained during 2021 Pride marches in Istanbul along with 25 other people. Turkish police block the march of members and supporters of the LGBT community while some people are seen to fall on the ground A Police officer (left) throws a rainbow flag in a dustbin as activists try to march in a pride parade. Turkish photojournalist Bulent Kilic (right) is detained during the LGBTQ Pride March in Istanbul A Turkish policeman leads a female demonstrator away in handcuffs during the Pride march A participant faces riot policemen wearing a rainbow flag during a Pride march in Istanbul Turkey, one of the few Muslim-majority countries to allow Pride marches, had held the events since 2003, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party came to power. Homosexual acts are not illegal in Turkey but the Islamic country has not made same-sex marriage legal and its conservative government has been increasingly hostile to groups it does not see as representing its religious values. Large numbers of arrests and the use of tear gas and plastic pellets by police have accompanied some Pride events. Counter-demonstrations by nationalists and Islamists, who claim the LGBTQ community is a danger to 'Turkish values,' have also threatened marchers. People are seen to run as riot police are seen in the background during the march Turkish police blocks the Pride march as they clash with protesters in Istanbul Participants kiss holding a placard during a Pride march in Istanbul Last year Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu labeled some university students 'LGBT deviants', while Erdogan praised his party's youth wing for not being 'LGBT youth'. There have been prosecutions of students from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara over Pride marches but they were acquitted. While a trial against Istanbul's Bogazici University students over an image that combined Islamic imagery and rainbow flags displayed during an art exhibition on campus is ongoing. G7 leaders enjoyed a lighthearted moment at the end of day one of their Alpine summit, posing for a photograph at the bench made famous by Barack Obama and Angela Merkel in 2015. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put his arms around German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, before President Joe Biden linked arms with French President Emmanuel Macron. Their backdrop on Sunday was the evening sun glinting off the Bavarian Alps, where Obama and Merkel posed seven years earlier. But even in a show of unity, Biden could not escape his domestic woes as he faced questions about whether the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade intruded on the day's global discussions. 'Not related to Ukraine or any of the issues we discussed,' he said as he strolled away from the bench. It came at the end of a busy day of discussions. And as the leaders let off steam. As they arranged themselves in front of the timber bench, Johnson was caught on the video feed: 'Ride for life, G7.' He also tried to organize the leaders, urging them one way and then the other. 'What's the shot?' he asked before worrying that they were standing on the wrong side of the bench. President Joe Biden linked arms with Emmanuel Macron of France at the end of the first day of the G7 summit in the Bavarian Alps. The leaders put on a display of unity after sessions focused on countering Vladimir Putin in Europe and China around the world G7 leaders fooled around for a team photo, lined up at the bench where Barack Obama and Angela Merkel sat for an iconic photo in 2015 at Schloss Elmau, in Germany Merkel with Obama at the Elmau Castle in 2015 after a working session of the G7 summit Biden smiled as the others horsed around. And then was seen in deep discussion with Macron. Earlier the leaders held a string of meetings, focused on helping Ukraine, revitalising the global economy and countering the rise of China. The White House announced plans on Sunday to raise $200 billion for solar projects in Angola, an undersea telecommunications cable linking the Far East with France via Egypt, and nuclear power production in Romania as part of a huge G7 infrastructure plan designed to compete with China's massive Belt and Road initiative. The proposals were unveiled on the first day of the G7 summit in Germany, where world leaders met to discuss the global economy and Russia's war in Ukraine. In all, G7 nations will commit $600 billion to the effort over the next five years, President Joe Biden announced, calling the investment a humanitarian, economic and security concern. Biden spoke with the rest of G7 leadership standing behind him, the Bavarian Alps visible in the distance. 'Developing countries often lack the central infrastructure to help navigate global shocks, like a pandemic, so they feel the impacts were acutely, and they have a harder time recovering,' he said. 'That's not just humanitarian concern. It's an economic and a security concern for all of us.' Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom took the lead as the prime ministers and presidents tried to work out where they should be standing on Sunday evening as the sun set As he left, Biden was asked whether the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe had featured in the meetings. 'Not related to Ukraine or any of the issues we discussed,' he said The money will be spent in a variety of sectors, including health, climate, energy and gender equity. 'These strategic investments are areas of critical to sustainable development, and our shared global stability, health and health security, digital connectivity, gender equality and equity, climate and energy security,' Biden said. He argued the investment would boost the U.S. economy and economies around the world. 'I want to be clear this isn't charity. It's an investment that will deliver returns for everyone, including the American people and the people of all our nations. It will boost all of our economies. It's a chance for us to share our positive vision for the future,' he said. The White House said its $200 billion in grants and federal financing would help low income countries meet their economic and national security needs. 'And this will only be the beginning: the United States and its G7 partners will also seek to mobilize hundreds of billions in additional capital from other like-minded partners, multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and more,' said the White House. Biden named the idea 'Build Back Better World' - after his troubled domestic agenda - when he introduced it at last year's G7 summit. Now it is called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure. President Biden officially announced the $600 billion investment in the developing world at his first day at the G7 summit President Joe Biden, wearing his signature aviator sunglasses, listens with the rest of the G7 leaders as their host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaks G7 leaders are unveiling billions of dollars in funding for infrastructure projects in the developing world as they seek to challenge China's growing influence Biden's plans include billions of dollars for solar projects in the African nation of Angola There is also money to start work on a vaccine manufacturing plant in Senegal, that would be designed to be able to switch production rapidly between different vaccines The White House said it would 'mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars and deliver quality, sustainable infrastructure that makes a difference in people's lives around the world, strengthens and diversifies our supply chains, creates new opportunities for American workers and businesses, and advances our national security.' A senior administration official said the plans would help countries grow, contrasting the impact with projects funded by China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 'I think many countries that have received funding or investment, so called investment, from the BRI have now after years of receiving that investment realized that they are further in debt, that their GDP hasn't grown significantly, that the so called investments from BRI have not reached their populations,' said the official. Critics accuse Beijing of a manipulative global strategy by funding major infrastructure projects in developing nations with unsustainable loans. The debt is then used to gain leverage over those governments. Biden's plans include $2 billion for solar mini-grids, solar cabins with telecommunications capabilities in Angola; a $3.3 million grant to help begin work on a vaccine plant in Senegal; and a $600 million contract for an American telecoms company to build a submarine cable to connect Singapore with France through Egypt and the Horn of Africa. President Biden huddled with Emmanuel Macron (r) of France, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (background) and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen after the leaders posed for their 'family photo' on the first day of the G7 summit There is also money to study building a new type of nuclear reactor in Romania Biden's day in the Bavarian Alps began with a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Sholz, and a promise that Vladimir Putin would not divide the G7 or NATO. 'Thank you thank you... we have to stay together,' he told Olaf Scholz as they looked out at the stunning mountain view at Schloss Elmau, the grand setting for the summit. 'Because Putin is counting on from the beginning that NATO and the G7 would splinter. But we haven't and we're not going to.' Russia and Ukraine will dominate the summit, as G7 leaders assess how well sanctions are working. They will also discuss the world's worsening economic climate. The timing of the summit could not be more timely with Ukrainian forces losing ground in the east of the country, and rockets falling on the capital Kyiv for the first time in three weeks. Scholz was waiting for Biden at a pavilion with panoramic Alpine views when Biden arrived on the decking. The two leaders took a moment to soak up the setting before sitting down to discuss the day's agenda. 'Don't jump,' Biden joked to Scholz when he saw him standing at the scenic deck overlook, the mountains visible in the distance. He removed his signature aviator sunglasses and shook Scholz hand, telling him 'good to see you.' President Joe Biden started his first day at the G7 meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz They began by admiring the stunning Alpine views at the Schloss Elmau venue for the G7 venue in Germany President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed staying together on Russia's war against Ukraine German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, center, and his wife Britta Ernst, right, pose with U.S. President Joe Biden during the official G7 summit welcome ceremony at Castle Elmau in Kruen 'I used to ski too I haven't skied in a while,' continued Biden. 'It's beautiful.' Then it was down to business. In a statement after the meeting, the White House said the two also discussed climate issues and economic resilience. 'Finally, the leaders also discussed the challenges posed by China and our shared commitment to provide transparent and high-standard solutions to address global gaps in key infrastructure,' it said. But Ukraine overshadowed much of the day, with Russian forces launching their first strikes on the capital Kyiv in weeks. 'It's more of their barbarism,' said Biden during the official welcome ceremony for G7 leaders. Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted a photo of a young girl being carried out of the rubble, strapped to a stretcher and being aided by emergency workers. Her father was killed and her mother was injuried, according to local reports. 'This 7 y.o. Ukrainian kid was sleeping peacefully in Kyiv until a Russian cruise missile blasted her home. Many more around Ukraine are under strikes. G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. Russia's sick imperialism must be defeated,' Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko told local media that a kindergarten was hit. Before Sunday's attack, Kyiv had not faced any Russian airstrikes since June 5. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told reporters in Kyiv that he believed the strike 'is maybe a symbolic attack' ahead of this week's NATO summit in Madrid. G7 leaders mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin when they sat down for their official lunch on Sunday Canadian PM Justin Trudeau mocked the 2009 photo of a shirtless Vladimir Putin riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian Tyva region during his vacation But the leaders in Germany openly mocked Putin as they sat down for lunch, joking about his infamous barechested horseback riding photo. Their laughter came as Biden was working to hold the western alliance in lockstep as the war in Ukraine entered its fifth month and Russia dropped bombs on Kyiv for the first time in weeks. 'Jackets on? Jackets off? Shall we take our clothes off?' British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked as he sat down at the table with his fellow leaders of the world's biggest economies. 'Let's wait for the picture,' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Officials were trying to take an official photo of the luncheon with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. 'We have to show that we're tougher than Putin,' Johnson said. Trudeau then added: 'We're going to get the bare chested horseback riding display.' He was referring to a 2009 photo of a shirtless Putin riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian Tyva region during vacation. Democrat Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Sunday dodged a question on a pro-abortion group in her state that was mentioned by name in a government warning about heightened violence following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Whitmer, who's widely speculated to be a 2024 presidential hopeful, instead turned attention to recent decisions by the high court's conservative majority which she said made her 'very concerned' about Americans' safety and prosperity. She also reminded viewers on CBS News' Face the Nation that she herself was the subject of public attacks by former President Donald Trump. The 5-4 ruling overhauling five decades' worth of precedent sparked fierce demonstrations across the country. It prompted the Department of Homeland Security to issue a bulletin on Friday warning of a heightened threat of violence targeting both abortion clinics and pro-life pregnancy centers. 'A separate incident in Michigan involved vandalism claimed by "Jane's Revenge" on a building that houses a US Representative's campaign office and a pro-life advocacy group,' the memo obtained by CBS states. It also points out that Jane's Revenge promised a 'night of rage' after the court's ruling, 'stating, "we need the state to feel our full wrath" and "we need them to be afraid of us",' according to ABC. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer deflected when asked to respond to a recent Homeland Security bulletin warning of increased attacks from both sides of the abortion debate - including an activist group that has been accused of vandalizing pro-life centers across the country While an excerpt from the bulletin naming Jane's Revenge flashed across the screen, host Margaret Brennan asked Whitmer: 'How concerned are you about violence? What are you seeing on the ground?' But Whitmer's answer made no mention of the group. 'I am concerned about a lot of things happening in the United States right now,' she said. 'And frankly, the last couple of decisions that came out of this United States Supreme Court are- make America a lot more dangerous, more guns, fewer rights, less health care, it is scary.' She suggested that institutions like the Supreme Court 'are now being corrupted' by politics. Brennan pressed Whitmer for her reaction to Jane's Revenge again. 'But, this warning about threats to federal state government officials, including judges, are you concerned about active threats in Michigan?' the host asked. Whitmer responded: 'Of course, I am. Margaret, I have been the recipient of so much ugliness and hate often stoked by the former president.' 'This is a really scary moment. And with the proliferation of the ugly rhetoric, the scary proliferation of guns in America and fewer and fewer restrictions,' she said. The group, Jane's Revenge, is accused of vandalizing the property that houses Republican Rep. Tim Walberg's campaign office The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sparked protests across the country on Friday and through the weekend Though she did not once address Jane's Revenge, the rising Democratic star said 'this is a really scary moment' for the country and vowed to 'fight for' abortion rights in her state despite finding herself up against a majority-Republican legislature that wants to ban the medical procedure. So far nine states have banned abortion as of Sunday following the Supreme Court's Friday decision, and at least a dozen are expected to soon follow suit. Even before the decision was handed down, Jane's Revenge made its mission clear with targeted attacks on anti-choice centers in states like Michigan, Colorado and North Carolina, among others. Last week, the group's name was spray painted on a property that houses the Michigan campaign office of Republican Rep. Tim Walberg. Jane's Revenge warned 'anti-choice' organizations that the 'leash is off' and that it will make it 'as hard as possible for your campaign of oppressions to continue' in a June 15 communique North Carolina-based Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, was also targeted in a series of vandalism attacks carried out by the pro-abortion extremists on June 7 The building's other resident is anti-abortion group Jackson Right to Life. The group also reportedly took responsibility for vandalizing the Lennon Pregnancy Center in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Images of the building show smashed windows and the message: 'If abortion isnt safe, neither are you.' Over the weekend, pro-life groups have been bracing for similar attacks after the Supreme Court's decision upended life for potentially millions of women across the United States. Michigan's Catholic officials were reportedly warned by federal authorities about a heightened threat of violence after the ruling. 'Federal authorities have indicated to organizations across the state that there could be disruptions or other activity that is either violent in nature or efforts to vandalize property to maintain awareness that there's the possibility for disruptions or violence or vandalism,' David Maluchnik, vice president of communications for the Michigan Catholic Conference, told local outlet Bridge Michigan. Chipper CNN weekend anchor Christi Paul brushed away tears on Sunday as she announced was quitting the cable news network because she was 'tired of being tired' and plans to move back to her home state of Ohio to live a simpler life. 'I am part of the Great Resignation,' she said during the weekend broadcast. She recounted the grueling last two years, beginning with her husband being hospitalized with Covid-19. 'It was really bad for about three and half weeks and there were moments when I thought I was going to be a single mom. Especially when I had to take him to the ER,' she said. Paul, originally from Bellevue, Ohio, said her decision came after she wasn't able to see her parents for a year coupled with the demanding schedule of a weekend anchor that meant getting into work at 1am on Saturdays and Sundays. 'At some point my husband and I looked at each other and said 'What are we doing? We need to get back home,''' she said. "I am part of the Great Resignation." Here is @NewDay Weekend co-anchor @Christi_Paul's announcement about giving up the early morning grind and moving home to Ohio pic.twitter.com/gVF2vbOyY5 Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 26, 2022 Christie Paul, CNN's weekend anchor, teared up said she's burnt out and is quitting CNN to move to her native Ohio with her family Christi Paul, 53, right, interviews Garth Brooks about the evolution of the country music star's music Christi Paul, left, enjoins a lap around the track with NASCAR driver Danica Patrick Christi Paul, who covered the 2016 Presidential Election, speaks with President Joe Biden She said that she made the decision in January to return to the Buckeye state where she will take an on-air job. Paul said she would announce her new job next week. 'I'm going home to Ohio. I will be on the air,' she said. She said that the grind of living in Atlanta and anchoring the weekend desk had put a strain on her family to the point where she had to make a choice between the two. 'I love these people, I love this place,' she said of CNN and her coworkers. 'And I am so tired. I'm so exhausted. I just could just not be who I need to be for my family. I'm tired of being tired.' A former beauty pageant contestant, who won third runner up to Miss Ohio in 1993, she worked in Phoenix, Arizona and Boise, Idaho before joining CNN. Christi Paul, 53, seen here on the far left with her three daughters and husband, said that she's joining the ranks of the Great Resignation and leaving CNN Christi Paul, far left at the graduation ceremony of one of her three daughters, worried she wasn't being present for her family Paul, who is originally from Belleville, Ohio, is pictured with her husband and three daughters She was previously married to another broadcast reporter in West Virginia, but the marriage soured when she said he became abusive. Paul wrote a book about the abused called, 'Love isn't supposed to hurt' in 2012. Her deep Christian faith helped her survive the relationship, she said. She also recorded two songs 'Wake Up In It' and 'Free' in Nashville that carry the themes that she wrote about in the book. Now, she's remarried with three daughters. Paul's departure comes at a time when the cable news network is going through a massive shift in its culture after Jeff Zucker was ousted for not disclosing an extra-marital affair with a subordinate and ethics questions surrounding the channel's coverage of the Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment scandal. The new network head, Chris Licht, has said that he would dial back the partisan rancor that has come to define CNN and tone down the broadcasts in general. Paul said that she tendered her resignation in January, before Zucker left. On Instagram she emphasized her burnout. 'I think we're all exhausted from feeling judged,' she wrote. 'I also think we have the power to change that. - love, CP' she posted. She said that she realized that she was replaceable on the weekend news desk at CNN, but she wasn't replaceable as a mother, wife and daughter to her family. 'At the end of the day, someone is going to sit in this seat and I'm going to leave and the show will go on as it should,' she said and then her voice cracked. 'But nobody else is going to be my kids mom. And nobody else is going to be my husband's wife or my parents' children and I need to be fully, fully present there. And it's been hard.' She thank her coworkers and the network for her nine years on the air. 'This has been the ride of my life,' she said. Her last words were her signature sign off that she has been saying for her near decade at the cable station. 'Go make good memories,' she said. 'I mean it.' Britain has to 'strengthen' its preparations for the possibility of a new pandemic labelled 'Disease X', according to experts, after a string of infectious diseases hit the UK in the past six months. After traces of polio was found in sewage samples in parts of London for the first time in 40 years this week, an expert in diseases has said that after a series of health 'events' in the past six months, there is likely something 'on the horizon'. The UK detected a strain of H5 bird flu in a human in January this year, in the South West of England, and in February, three cases of Lassa fever - one of which died from the disease. Rodent-borne disease Lassa fever was brought into Britain for the first time since 2009 in February after a family returned to their home in the east of England from West Africa. And in March, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever was brought into the country after a woman returned to the UK from central Asia. Britain could soon be hit by an 'impossible to predict' Disease X according to experts, who warn that after a string of infectious diseases to hit the UK in the past six months, a Black Death-scale outbreak could be just around the corner The UK Health Security Agency said the fever, a viral disease usually transmitted by ticks and livestock animals in countries where the disease is endemic, has only been identified in the UK three times since 2012. The most recent addition to the string of infectious diseases to come to Britain is Monkeypox in May, and since then nearly 800 cases of the virus have been recorded. Gay and bisexual men who are at a 'high risk' of catching monkeypox are set to be offered a Imvanex vaccine - which is 85 per cent effective - to protect against the infection, health chiefs announced today. Almost all infections so far have been spotted in men who have sex with men. Professor Paul Hunter of medicine at the University of East Anglia told the Telegraph: 'People going from this country to other countries and back is probably the biggest driver of disease importations.' 'We do need to pay attention, to strengthen pandemic preparedness and maintain our surveillance systems, because in the grand scheme of things Covid wasn't as bad as it potentially could have been. 'When it comes to disease, we're not an island and it would be a mistake to consider ourselves as such.'' In light of these recent outbreaks, Professor Mark Woolhouse of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, also told the newspaper: 'There's a name for what we're seeing at the moment in the UK and elsewhere, it's called chatter. 'It's a term anti-terrorist [units] use to describe the small events that might signify something more major on the horizon infectious diseases work much the same way.' Last year, WHO warned that the next pandemic could be 'on the scale' of the Black Death' which killed approximately 75 million people between 1346 and 1353. The polio outbreak caused health chiefs to declare a 'national incident' and urged parents to ensure their children were up-to-date with their vaccinations. All British children are supposed to have had the first of three polio jabs as a baby, but uptake in London lags behind the rest of the country. The pandemic also caused a lull in immunisation uptake. Polio spreads through coughs and sneezes or contact with objects contaminated with faeces, causing permanent paralysis in around one in 100 cases. Children are at a higher risk. The UK Health Security Agency believes a traveller, likely from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Nigeria, who was given the live oral polio vaccine, travelled to the UK and 'shed' traces of the virus in their faeces. The virus was detected several times between February and May and has continued to mutate, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Professor Woolhouse added: 'The early 21st century has been a perfect storm for emerging infectious diseases, and everything is pointing towards the likelihood of more and more outbreaks. 'All the drivers of outbreaks are in fact getting worse, not better, over time.' The NHS are launching a campaign to contain polio by contacting the parents of unvaccinated children after health chiefs declared a national incident last night following the return of the disease for the first time in 40 years. File photo And scientists are said to believe that the next pandemic is to be caused by 'zoonotic' diseases which happens when infections come from animals on to humans. The factors behind the spread of new and existing viruses are likely due to growing economies of previously undeveloped nations, population growth, rise in the trade in wildlife and the human movement into jungles and forests. Brexit has also caused the massive increase of non-EU immigration from Asian and African countries. In January, Britain's 'patient zero' caught the H5N1 virus after 'very close and regular' contact with a large number of infected birds which they kept in and around their home, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It is the first ever human case of H5N1 which kills up to half of the people it infects recorded in the UK and fewer than 1,000 people have ever been diagnosed with the strain globally since it emerged in the late 1990s. Lassa fever, which was spotted in three people and killed one of which in February, is thought to cause no symptoms in 80 per cent of patients and kill just one per cent of those it infects. Monkeypox has been the most recent and real threat to the UK and dozens of other countries around the world since it was first spotted in May. The US, Spain and Portugal have also been affected, and the World Health Organization said there is a 'real' threat monkeypox could become endemic in Europe unless the current cluster is stamped out urgently. Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney said her client has been placed on suicide watch at he Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn. Pictured: Maxwell in October Ghislaine Maxwell reported that Brooklyn jail staff threatened her safety, prompting employees to place her on suicide watch, prosecutors said on Sunday, arguing there was no need to delay her sentencing on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, 60, is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday for her December conviction for helping her then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the globe-trotting financier and convicted sex offender, abuse girls between 1994 and 2004. Prosecutors say she deserves between 30 and 55 years in prison. In court filings on Saturday, Maxwell's lawyers said she was placed on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) and asked for a delay to her sentencing. On Sunday, prosecutors argued no delay was needed because Maxwell had her legal documents and could get the same amount of sleep. They said Maxwell was transferred after reporting threats to her safety by MDC staff to the federal Bureau of Prisons' inspector general. Maxwell refused to elaborate about why she feared for her safety, prosecutors said. She told psychology staff she was not suicidal. Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney said her client has been placed on suicide watch at he Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn. Pictured: Maxwell with billionaire pedophile Jeffery Epstein (left) An undated Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Queen's log cabin at Glen Beg, Balmoral. Maxwell faces a maximum of 55 years in jail for her part in Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, but the prosecution are pushing for only 20 years Maxwell's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Bureau of Prisons said it does not comment on any particular inmate's confinement conditions. Prosecutors said the jail's warden will oversee an investigation. 'Given the defendant's inconsistent accounts to the (inspector general) and to psychology staff, the Chief Psychologist assesses the defendant to be at additional risk of self-harm, as it appears she may be attempting to be transferred to a single cell where she can engage in self-harm,' prosecutors said in a court filing. On Saturday, Bobbi Sternheim, who represents Maxwell, submitted a letter to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathon on Saturday, stating that she had been placed on suicide watch. Sternheim claimed this was done 'without having conducted a psychological evaluation and without justification,' with Maxwell allegedly wearing a 'suicided smock,' a large piece of fabric that can't be used to fashion a noose, and placed in solitary confinement. Sternheim argued Maxwell's sentencing needed to be postponed while she remains on suicide watch, even if the lawyer claimed she 'is not suicidal.' Maxwell, 60, is due back in court on Tuesay with prosecutors requesting a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison. She is currently being held in the general population area of the notorious prison, where an inmate recently threatened to kill her. A source told The Mail on Sunday: 'One woman was going around openly bragging that she was going to murder Ghislaine for $1 million. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison for her role in the sexual abuse of teenage girls over a 10-year period by her onetime boyfriend, financier Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said Wednesday in written arguments Maxwell was found guilty in December of five federal sex-trafficking charges relating to her role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls Maxwell's placement on suicide watch comes nearly three years after police announced Espetein, 66, killed himself in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where the financier was awaiting trial for sex trafficking. Sternheim condemned the treatment of her client, who she said was not event permitted to hold a pen or paper inside solitary confinement. 'If Ms. Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment,' Sternheim wrote. Maxwell was convicted on December 29 on five criminal counts, including sex trafficking, for recruiting and grooming four girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Prosecutors have said Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison, citing her 'utter lack of remorse.' Maxwell wants a term shorter than 20 years. The sentence will be imposed by U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan federal court. Maxwell has been held in the Brooklyn jail since shortly after her July 2020 arrest. Her lawyers objected multiple times before trial about the confinement conditions there, including last November when Sternheim likened them to Hannibal Lecter's from the 1991 Oscar-winning film 'The Silence of the Lambs.' Maxwell has also requested a more lenient sentence of just four years and three months in jail, arguing that she is being scapegoated as a proxy for Epstein's crimes. Her legal filings claimed that helping launch the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) demonstrated she has a 'desire to do good in the world'. Defense lawyers said in a sentencing submission last week that she should spend no more than five years in prison. The filing states: 'Ms. Maxwell has always worked hard. Her many educational, occupational, and avocational accomplishments include becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), a helicopter pilot, a submersible pilot, a banker; partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to establish a telemedicine platform to enable people in remote areas to obtain quality medical treatment; helping develop the Clinton Global Initiative; and supporting a variety non-profit and charitable organizations'. In a later section the document states that Maxwell is not an 'heiress, villain, or vapid socialite'. The Victim Impact Statement from one of Ghislaine Maxwell's victims But prosecutors said Maxwell played an 'instrumental role in the horrific sexual abuse of multiple young teenage girls' between 1994 and 2004 at some of Epstein's palatial residences. They called her crimes 'monstrous.' 'As part of a disturbing agreement with Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell identified, groomed, and abused multiple victims, while she enjoyed a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege. In her wake, Maxwell left her victims permanently scarred with emotional and psychological injuries,' prosecutors wrote. 'That damage can never be undone, but it can be accounted for in crafting a just sentence for Maxwells crimes,' they added. 'It appears that the defendant viewed the victims as objects who could be manipulated for her and Epstein's own selfish purposes without any regard for their personal wellbeing, health, or safety.' 'The Defendant's Role in the Conspiracy Maxwell's conduct was shockingly predatory. She was a calculating, sophisticated, and dangerous criminal who preyed on vulnerable young girls and groomed them for sexual abuse'. Prosecutors also urged the judge to reject Maxwell's pleas for leniency on the grounds that she has suffered in extraordinary ways in jail while awaiting trial and afterward. Furious Chicago residents are demanding action after a five-month-old baby became the latest homicide victim during a crime-filled weekend in the Windy City. The baby, Cecilia Thomas, was traveling in a car with her father when she was shot in the head in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood Friday night. Police say Thomas was killed after an unidentified woman who opened fire on the family's car in a drive-by shooting. The baby was taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died from her injuries. A 41-year-old man, traveling in a separate car, was also struck in the incident and suffered a gunshot wound to the eye. He was said to be in stable condition. The shooter fled the scene and police have no suspects in custody at this time. Community activist Ja'Mal Green, who is running for mayor, is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of Thomas' killer. Meanwhile, outraged residents are calling on lawmakers to take action after at least 20 people were shot in the crime-ridden city over the weekend. CBS News named Chicago, which has a murder rate 18.26 per 100,000 citizens, the 28th deadliest city in America earlier this year. Five-month-old Cecilia Thomas was traveling in a car with her father when she was shot in the head in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood Friday night Thomas was killed after an unidentified woman who opened fire on the family's car in a drive-by shooting Thomas was taken to nearby Comer Children's Hospital, where she later died from her injuries. The medical examiner's office said she died from a gunshot wound to the head Thomas' father was driving home around 6.45pm Friday when shots rang out in the 7700 block of South Shore Drive. The concerned dad pulled over near the intersection of 71st Street and Candon Avenue after Thomas began crying, a witness told ABC 7. He summoned for help and Thomas was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where she later passed away. The medical examiner's office said she died from a gunshot wound to the head. At least a dozen of the infant's family members gathered outside the hospital while doctors attempted to save her life. 'I hope y'all catch whoever did this,' a woman screamed at the scene. 'Took that d**n baby's life.' Crisis responder Andrew Holmes, who spoke to the baby's mother, said she was heartbroken and 'distraught.' 'That's a five-month-old baby,' he said. 'Nine months she carried that baby, nourished that baby. And it take a damn fool to discharge that weapon and take baby's life.' He then addressed the shooter: 'I hope you don't have no children yourself. Because if you do, you shouldn't sleep at night, you should just turn yourself here knowing you got to look at your child every night. And you done take this lady's child.' 'The baby rested right now, but ain't gonna be no peace with that family the rest of their life.' Jackie, a nurse working at the hospital when EMS brought Thomas in, described the scene as shocking. 'I've never in my 61 years of life seen anything like this,' she told the TV station. 'You never know what it's like to have a broken heart until you go through it.' The nurse also lost two of her own children to gunfire and said a third was left paralyzed after being shot at a party. A 41-year-old man, traveling in a separate car, was also struck in the incident and suffered a gunshot wound to the eye. He was said to be in stable condition. Police are pictured at the scene of the shooting The shooter fled the scene and police have no suspects in custody at this time. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest Angry residents are demanding Chicago leadership take tougher action to tackle the city's soaring violent crime. 'We're not going to stand for this in this city,' Holmes told FOX 32 after Thomas' death. 'We need this city to do what we got to do to put eyes on this young lady, on this driver until both of them have been arrested because this is disgusting, this is a disgrace, this is as low as you can get.' Mayoral hopeful Green launched a campaign to find the shooter. 'A 5-month-old girl was just shot in the head in Chicago. My heart breaks for this young girl & her family,' he said in a statement. 'I am offering a $5,000 reward NOW to someone who comes forward to give answers that can lead to an arrest & conviction! $2,500 when they are arrested, $2,500 when convicted.' 'It's time to get to the root of this violence so we can create a better city for our Children.' Residents have taken to social media, condemning the situation and criticizing the Democrats in power for failing to abide by their campaign promises. 'A 5-month-old baby gets fatally shot in the head in Chicago while sitting in a car. So much for gun control vs tough on criminals,' one resident tweeted. 'Chicago Democrats please step up and defend this.' Angry residents are demanding Chicago leadership take action to tackle the city's soaring violent crime 'When do the protests over the murder of this child begin in Chicago?' another questioned. 'Chicago's gun laws are among the most restrictive in the United States.....and yet....the media, the Mayor, and Dems are silent on these shootings,' slammed another user. Deputy Fox News Editor Will Ricciardella chimed in, saying: 'This is absolutely maddening in itself. What's worse is the reluctance to address this type of inhumanity and senseless death that continues to occur on a weekly basis on society's most vulnerable and innocent.' 'So how much longer are the Democrats going to allow this to happen??? The city of Chicago will close is this what they want??' asked another. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who had vowed to tackle the city's crime rates, has yet to publicly comment on Thomas' death. Violent crimes are still up across the board in Chicago Meantime, violent crimes are still up across the board in Chicago, especially since before the start of the pandemic - less than a year after Lightfoot was sworn into office in May 2019. According to the latest statistics from the Chicago Police Department, Murders are up a whopping 23 percent since 2019 - before the pandemic inspired an influx of crime to plague the city's streets - with 282 killings recorded since the start of the year, compared to the 230 seen in 2019. Murders are also up since June 2020, following the peak of the pandemic lockdown, which saw a still concerning 291 murders. Violent assaults are also up, with 2,553 cases of aggravated battery having been reported already this year. During June 2021, the city had recorded 2,516 cases. Sexual assaults and rapes are down this year, with the city recording nine fewer incidents this year than this time in 2021. Small crimes such as theft have also surged since last year, by a whopping 65 percent, from 4,712 incidents to 7,770. Gun violence, meanwhile - arguably the city's most pressing and prevailing issue - trickled down slightly, from 1,381 shootings last year to 1,148 so far in 2022. However, when compared to shootings seen in 2019, before the city's unprecedented crime wave, the rate of gun violence has increased astronomically, by a concerning 44 percent. The Barkagaon police of the district have arrested three hardcore JPC (Jharkhand Prastuti Committee) extremists last night from the jungles of Keradari block. They were accused of firing on NTPC plant at Barkagaon and demanding the levy from the contractors and some of the villagers also. Hazaibag Superintendent of Police Manoj Rattan Chothey said that the Barkagaon police SDPO office got information that some suspected persons were seen in the jungle. They may be the members of TPC or JPC. After getting the information the SDPO of Barkagaon Amit Kumar Singh along with inspector Shyam Chandra Singh and Kreadari Office in Charge Nayal Godwin Karketta rushed to the jungle. As the group saw the police, they tried to flee from there, but the team arrested three persons. The JPC members who have been arrested by police are Vijay Mehto, Naresh Kumar and Baleshwar Rana. The SP further said that they have pasted the posters demanding levy so many times. They also fired on the plant at midnight of 23-24 March. Police have claimed that the organisation of JPC is over in the area. They had only three members remaining, who were arrested by the police. The five members of the same organisation were arrested by the Barkagaon police and sent to jail. A huge blaze has been seen ravaging an Edinburgh landmark causing smoke to descend upon the Scottish city. Firefighters rushed to the scene of the raging inferno at around 3pm to deal with the wildfire which is spreading through gorse bushes on Calton Hill. The plant - which can be highly flammable - engulfed the city centre, which is a five minute walk away, in a layer of thick black smoke. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent four fire engines to the scene and there were no reports of any injuries. A huge blaze has been seen ravaging an Edinburgh landmark causing smoke to descend upon the Scottish city Firefighters rushed to the scene of the raging inferno at around 3pm to deal with the wildfire which is spreading through gorse bushes on Calton Hill The area is home to the historic Royal High School building and the Nelson Monument, which commemorates his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: 'Four appliances are in attendance and we are currently tackling a large gorse fire.' The area is home to the historic Royal High School building and the Nelson Monument, a column, which commemorates his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Edinburgh Central MSP Angus Robertson tweeted: 'Very worrying and dramatic scenes from central Edinburgh with fire on Calton Hill by the historic Royal High School building. 'Wishing all the best to the emergency services at the scene.' This picture shows the wildfire at an Edinburgh city centre landmark Calton Hill The fire sits in the distance as the buildings appear largely untouched by the blaze One person on Twitter wrote: 'The air absolutely thick with smoke from the Calton Hill fire. Hope they manage to contain it and nobody gets hurt.' It did appear to die down this evening as social media users shared pictures and videos of the red hot flames turning grey. One social media user appeared to point to the dry weather as a reason for the gorse fire. They said: 'Everything is tinder dry. Theres been very low rainfall in Edinburgh for the last four months.' The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said that gorse can be 'highly flammable' if it's not removed properly. Actress Jodie Sweetin was shoved to the ground by police officers during an abortion rights protest march in Los Angeles over the weekend. Sweetin, best known for playing Stephanie Tanner on 'Full House,' also describes herself on her social media profiles as an activist. She was with a large group of protesters marching on a freeway this weekend, one of the many demonstrations that took place in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Video posted to instagram shows Sweetin, dressed all in black toting a megaphone, close LAPD officers who had formed a line across the freeway. The officers suddenly push Sweetin back toward the crowd, causing her to stumble over the curb and into the freeway where a group of protesters caught her. Actress Jodie Sweetin was shoved to the ground by police officers during an abortion rights protest march in Los Angeles over the weekend Video posted to instagram shows Sweetin, dressed all in black toting a megaphone, close LAPD officers who had formed a line across the freeway, when suddenly she's shoved back The original poster of the Instagram video, photographer Michael Ade, claimed in his post that Sweetin was thrown to the ground while trying to lead a group of peaceful protestors away from the freeway. 'It pained me to see @JodieSweetin thrown to the ground by members of the LAPD as she was trying to lead a group of peaceful protestors away from the freewaySMH @LAPDHQ what are y'all doing? 'Jodi is the definition of a real one and fortunately she's okay! But for others who choose to protest today move with caution and keep your head on swivel. It's going to be a very long summer.' Sweetin is shoved back causing her to stumble over the curb and into the freeway where a group of protesters caught her The original poster of the video claims in his post that Sweetin was thrown to the ground while trying to lead a group of peaceful protestors away from the freeway Sweetin, best known for playing Stephanie Tanner on 'Full House' in the 1990s, also describes herself on her social media profiles as an activist Sweetin told TMZ that she's OK following the incident and said she was proud of the hundreds who showed up for the protests. 'I'm extremely proud of the hundreds of people who showed up yesterday to exercise their First Amendment rights and take immediate action to peacefully protest the giant injustices that have been delivered from our Supreme Court,' Sweetin told TMZ. 'Our activism will continue until our voices are heard and action is taken. This will not deter us, we will continue fighting for our rights. We are not free until ALL of us are free.' It is hard to imagine that the Queen would feel the need to discuss Denmarks thriving pornography industry. But before she met Margrethe II during the Queen of Denmarks state visit to the UK in 1974, she was advised not to mention the nations reputation as the pornography capital of Europe. Royal biographer and Mail writer Robert Hardman told the Chalke Valley History Festival yesterday how the information was included in a briefing note for Her Majesty. Royal diplomacy: The Queen and Prince Philip welcome Margrethe II in 1974. The Queen was provided with a list of 'topics to avoid' before her meeting with Danish Queen Margrethe, right Whenever shes meeting any world leader theres always two files she studies very closely, Hardman explained. One is called personality notes and the other topics to be avoided. They dont hold back, either. One entry in personality notes about an unnamed Caribbean prime minister in 1977 described him as unbalanced, at times to the point of apparent derangement and a ladies man with a particular liking for blondes. The pornography issue appeared in the topics to be avoided file ahead of the meeting with the Queen of Denmark. It said: Danes are sensitive about Denmarks reputation as the pornography capital of Europe. Hardman, whose book Queen Of Our Times: The Life Of Elizabeth II came out this year, told an audience at the festival, held annually near Salisbury in Wiltshire and sponsored by the Daily Mail: I think two queens are fairly unlikely to stray into that territory. On the personal effort that goes into her dealings with world leaders, he also revealed the importance of wardrobe diplomacy in his talk, which was supported by The Rothermere Foundation. On her first state visit to Germany in 1965, which was an historic post-war moment, she absolutely nailed it at a state banquet having commissioned a dress matching the rococo decor of the palace where it was held. Hardman added: She didnt need to say a word, they were absolutely bowled over by that what a compliment. She has become such an institution that she now even has her own entry in the German dictionary. He said: Duden does for German what the Oxford Dictionary does for English. Its got die Konigin your bog-standard, regular queen. But now it has die Queen. At least four people including a child were killed and as many as 70 seriously injured on Sunday when the grandstand at a bullring in Colombia collapsed, officials said. A full three-storey section of wooden stands filled with spectators collapsed in the central city of El Espinal throwing dozens of people to the ground, according to images broadcast on social media. Another video taken by someone at the scene showed people trying to escape from the stands while a bull continues to roam in the arena. 'There are four people dead at the moment - two women, a man and a child,' the governor of Tolima department, Jose Ricardo Orozco, told local radio after the incident. 'There are about 30 people seriously injured... that's a preliminary report,' Orozco said, noting that emergency personnel were still evacuating the wounded to area hospitals for treatment. At least four people including a child were killed and as many as 70 seriously injured on Sunday when the grandstand at a bullring in Colombia collapsed, officials said A full three-storey section of wooden stands filled with spectators collapsed in the central city of El Espinal throwing dozens of people to the ground, according to images broadcast on social media 'There are four people dead at the moment - two women, a man and a child,' the governor of Tolima department, Jose Ricardo Orozco, told local radio after the incident Local civil defense official Luis Fernando Velez said they did not know how many people were still buried in the debris, but noted that the section of stands was full when it collapsed. The event, where members of the public face off with small bulls, was part of celebrations surrounding the San Pedro festival, the most popular in the region. 'We will request an investigation of the facts about what happened,' Colombia's outgoing President Ivan Duque said on Twitter, expressing his solidarity with the families of those killed and hurt. Orozco said the departmental government would move to ban the so-called 'corralejas' in which local residents try their luck in the ring, saying they were dangerous and promoted animal abuse. On Saturday, several people were injured in accidents at the corralejas in El Espinal, which is home to about 78,000 people, and is located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the capital Bogota. 'There are about 30 people seriously injured... that's a preliminary report,' Orozco said, noting that emergency personnel were still evacuating the wounded to area hospitals for treatment The event, where members of the public face off with small bulls, was part of celebrations surrounding the San Pedro festival, the most popular in the region Another person died earlier this month after being gored by a bull during a corraleja in the town of Repelon. President-Elect Gustavo Petro, who will take office on August 7, joined Orozco in calling for the amateur bullfights to be banned. When he served as mayor of Bogota, the leftist Petro put a stop to bullfights in the city's signature bullring, La Santamaria. While animal abuse is a crime in Colombia, bullfights and cock fights are protected because of the cultural history behind them. A man is fighting for his life and four others have been injured after a huge explosion destroyed a house in Birmingham. West Midlands Police said they were called just after 8.30pm on Sunday to the incident on Dulwich Road in Kingstanding. One house has been destroyed and several others have been significantly damaged as well as nearby cars, the force said. West Midlands Ambulance Service said people at the scene rescued a man from the destroyed house but he had 'very significant injuries' and was taken to hospital. Four other men suffered minor injuries and were assessed by ambulance crews at the scene, WMAS added. A spokesperson said: 'A man was helped from the property by people at the scene but had suffered very serious injuries. 'After assessment and treatment at the scene, he was taken on blue lights to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham with the MERIT team travelling with the ambulance. 'His condition on arrival at hospital was described as life threatening. 'Four further men have been assessed by ambulance crews for minor conditions but have been discharged at the scene. 'Members of the Hazardous Area Response Team continue to work with specialist firefighters at the scene.' Emergency services were called at 8.38pm this evening to the scene of a house on Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham which exploded West Midlands Police force said in a statement: 'Evacuations are taking place. Those evacuated will be told where to meet. People in the area must immediately follow the instructions of first responders' Another angle of the explosion in Kingstanding shows the home completely destroyed as well as huge damage caused to the neighbouring houses Emergency services said evacuations were taking place and people have been urged to avoid the area, with Dulwich Road and surrounding roads closed. Emergency services said the cause of the fire is not yet known. West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said West Midlands Police, WMAS, Cadent Gas and the National Grid were all working to manage the incident. Six fire crews, three ambulances, five paramedic officers and a National Inter-Agency Liaison officer were among the resources sent to the scene. The force said in a statement: 'Evacuations are taking place. Those evacuated will be told where to meet. People in the area must immediately follow the instructions of first responders. 'Dulwich Road and surround roads are closed and will be for a very long time. Please help us by avoiding the area. The cause of the explosion is not yet known. 'Please think of those involved and their loved ones and do not post images online. 'We will keep you updated regularly as soon as we have hard facts.' An aerial shot of the exploded house shows it has been completely destroyed, with emergency services taking care of the incident West Midlands Ambulance Service said people at the scene rescued a man from the destroyed house but he had 'very significant injuries' and was taken to hospital Large crowds have gathered around the cordon after news of the blast on Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, spread 'Dulwich Road and surround roads are closed and will be for a very long time. Please help us by avoiding the area. The cause of the explosion is not yet known,' West Midlands Police said Locals reported that nearby residents ran into the wrecked houses in an attempt to evacuate those inside Locals reported that nearby residents ran into the wrecked houses in an attempt to evacuate those inside. One man, who declined to give his name, told the PA news agency: 'Everyone was watching, the house was on fire, nobody was going in, so we could see a way in - so we went in the house, me and about a dozen others. 'There was a guy in the back (of the house), we could hear the guy screaming, but he was trapped up against the fridge in the kitchen. 'The dust from the loft insulation was burning around us. We managed to get to him, and pull him out - I still have his blood on my jeans. 'We got him out, he ended up coming out on a mattress. But he was saying there was a woman in the house.' 'His clothes had been blown off, you couldn't even see him, he was covered in blood,' added the rescuer. He added: 'We just went straight through the (front) door, and I thought I went through the house's door - but it was actually the next door house's door, because the house door had been destroyed. 'We come out to the back, and then we could hear the man geezer screaming, and we dug him out. 'He was in the kitchen, lying flat on the floor, with his back against a fridge or washing machine. 'He was going 'don't pull me - my legs' and I said 'mate, we're going to have to take you out now'.' The group of rescuers broke damaged water pipes, amid the rubble, to try to douse their own clothes, to protect from the flames. Standing at the police cordon, watching the emergency services working under powerful spotlights amid the devastation, the resident added: 'There's nothing left of that house at all. 'We went through the house - and that house is gone.' West Midlands Ambulance Service also said they sent three ambulances, five paramedic officers, MERIT trauma doctor, critical care paramedic, West Midlands care team, Hazardous Area Response Team and a national interagency liaison officer to the scene. The West Midlands Fire Service have sent six fire crews to the incident and have warned people to 'avoid the area at this time'. West Midlands Police say there have been casualties following the blast. #Kingstanding pic.twitter.com/svc0YpGeoT Dylan Hayward (@DylanHayward) June 26, 2022 Advertisement Jill Dando's killer may have mistaken her for another BBC journalist who was the real target of an assassination plot, astonishing documents submitted to a Paris court suggest. A French fashion mogul accused of multiple counts of sexual assault hired a Russian hitman to murder presenter Lisa Brinkworth after she went undercover to expose his agency, according to extraordinary claims in the papers. The assassin may have mistaken Miss Dando for the real target given striking similarities in their appearance and occupation, as well as the fact that they lived in the same part of London, lawyers argue. The lawyers also note that Miss Dando's fiance, Alan Farthing, was Miss Brinkworth's doctor. Miss Dando was gunned down on the doorstep of her home in Fulham, west London, in 1999 and though stalker Barry George was convicted in 2001, he was later acquitted and the investigation remains open. Gerald Marie, 72, the former boss of the Elite modelling agency, is being investigated over alleged sexual assaults and rapes involving at least 11 women. Among them is Miss Brinkworth, 55, who claims he sexually assaulted her in 1998 while she was working undercover alongside journalist Donal MacIntyre to expose sex crimes in the fashion industry in a BBC documentary. Jill Dando is pictured with her fiance Alan Farthing in 1999, months before she was shot dead on the doorstep of her home in Fulham. A French court has heard sensational claims that a Russian hitman hired to assassinate journalist Lisa Brinkworth may have mistaken her for Ms Dando. Lawyers pointed out that Ms Dando's fiance Mr Farthing was also Ms Brinkworth's doctor Miss Brinkworth (pictured recently, left; and in the 1990s, right) claimed she was sexually assaulted in 1998 while working undercover alongside Donal MacIntyre to expose sex crimes in the fashion industry. France's statute of limitations, however, means sexual abuse claims must be reported within 20 years. Lawyers for Miss Brinkworth have filed papers to the Paris prosecutor arguing that the statute does not apply in her case due to years fearing for her safety Who is Lisa Brinkworth? Ex BBC reporter seeking fashion's #MeToo movement Lisa Brinkworth is a former BBC journalist who posed as a model in a documentary for the Donal McIntyre Investigates series in 1998 and alleges she was assaulted by one of the world's biggest agents Gerald Marie. Miss Brinkworth alleges she was assaulted after a dinner with friends and Marie, when he pinned her down to a chair at a club. Her colleague Donal McIntyre and others witnessed the assault but she did not report it at the time because it would have threatened her investigation, she said. She said she was 'directed not to' at the time and she did not 'question that wisdom'. Elite Models sued the BBC after it released the documentary in 1999 and reached a settlement in which the broadcaster agreed not to air it again. Ms Brinkworth said she feels 'responsibility' to the 12 other women who have accused Marie of sexual assault and said the settlement 'sort of halted progress'. All the claims have now exhausted their statute of limitation under French law but Ms Brinworth's lawyer Anne-Claire Lejeune is arguing the fact she was prevented from seeking justice at the time means the statute should be paused. Marie has denied all the allegations against him. Writing in the Daily Mail this year, Miss Brinkworth said fashion was due a '#MeToo moment' and had 'failed to take claims of sexual abuse seriously'. Advertisement France's statute of limitations, however, means sexual abuse claims must be reported within 20 years. Lawyers for Miss Brinkworth have filed papers to the Paris prosecutor arguing that the statute does not apply in her case due to years fearing for her safety. The ex-BBC journalist was kept in safe houses for years following the expose and claims she was discouraged from taking legal action against Marie by the corporation. In the documents, the lawyers reference a conversation witnessed by former Elite executive Omar Harfouch in which Marie ordered a member of the Russian mafia to 'deal with a problem'. 'Shortly thereafter a BBC journalist, Jill Dando, was shot dead in April 1999,' the documents from French law firm Bourdon Associes state. 'Indeed, these two journalists were in their thirties, were blonde with the same facial features, of the same height and of similar stature. They lived close to each other and had people in common, including the husband of Jill Dando.' The documents also stated that a French journalist had been told by a source that Marie had boasted in 1999 of having paid gangsters to intimidate a BBC employee. In addition to the documents filed at the Judicial Court of Paris, a partner at a prestigious British law firm wrote to the BBC's legal director, Nick Wilcox, drawing the same connection in September 2021. The messages state that Mr Harfouch was party to a conversation in 1999 in which a member of the Russian mafia was asked to kill Miss Brinkworth and agreed. The evidence has been passed to Scotland Yard, which said detectives would always explore any new information that may help the investigation. Marie successfully settled with the BBC in 2001 after suing them for 1.7million in damages over the documentary, part of the MacIntyre Undercover series. As part of the settlement, the corporation agreed not to broadcast the film again. It is not known when the Paris prosecutor will make a decision over whether Marie can be tried. Gerald Marie, pictured with ex-wife Linda Evangelista, is being investigated over alleged sexual assaults and rapes Documents submitted to a Paris court suggest that Marie hired a Russian hitman to murder Ms Brinkworth Britain's biggest police probe since the Yorkshire Ripper: Timeline of the Jill Dando case April 26, 1999: Jill Dando, the 37-year-old television presenter, is shot dead with a single bullet to the head on the steps of her home in Fulham, south-west London. May 25, 2000: Police arrest Barry George, also known as Barry Bulsara, following surveillance of his home. May 29, 2000: Police charge George with murdering Dando. July 2, 2001: A jury finds George guilty of murder. He is later sentenced to life imprisonment. July 29, 2002: George loses an appeal against his conviction at the Court of Appeal in London. Three judges rejected his claim that his conviction was "unsafe". December 16, 2002: The House of Lords refuses permission for George to mount a further challenge to his conviction. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) continues to look at the case. March 25, 2006: It emerges that lawyers for George have submitted new evidence to the CCRC which they believe undermines the safety of his conviction. They say they have new medical evidence which suggests George's mental problems would have made him incapable of carrying out the crime, and that new witnesses who were not heard at the original trial may provide an explanation for why a particle of gunshot residue was found on his coat. August 1, 2008: He receives a unanimous acquittal by a jury after being granted a retrial. January 2010: His claim for compensation for lost earnings and wrongful imprisonment is rejected. 2012: Serbian 'warlord' Arkan is named as a suspect in the case, although he had died in 2000. June 2022: Court documents claim that BBC journalist Lisa Brinkworth was the target of a hit ordered by modelling agency boss Gerald Marie but was confused for Miss Dando. He denies the claims. Advertisement Miss Brinkworth alleges she was assaulted after a dinner with friends and Marie, when he pinned her down to a chair at a club. Her colleague Donal McIntyre and others witnessed the assault but she did not report it at the time because it would have threatened her investigation, she said. She said she was 'directed not to' at the time and she did not 'question that wisdom'. Miss Brinkworth told the BBC last year: 'In retrospect, I wish I had. It's only recently when I decided to look at this again, and I started to investigate and I started to revisit this, and women were prepared to speak out.' Elite Models sued the BBC after it released the documentary in 1999 and reached a settlement in which the broadcaster agreed not to air it again. Miss Brinkworth said she feels 'responsibility' to the other girls who were allegedly assaulted and the settlement 'sort of halted progress'. Writing in the Daily Mail, Miss Brinkworth said fashion needed 'it's #MeToo movement'. Earlier this year, a whistleblower came forward with claims about Marie's alleged abusive behaviour. The former staffer claimed he targeted younger women because he though that 'virgins were not photogenic'. Marie, also tabs on the models he and others had slept with, the whistleblower said, grading them on a points-based system, according to their ages and whether or not they were virgins. Accusers also say the Frenchman would ply his victims with a daily stipend of cocaine to keep them thin while engaging in the abuse - with one alleged victim saying she was 'prescribed' a vial of the drug a day to keep her weight down. One accuser, 53-year-old American model Carre Sutton, says she was repeatedly raped after being recruited by the model boss in 1985, when she was 16. He denies all allegations made against him. Jill Dando was shot in the head outside her west London home in 1999, prompting Britain's biggest police investigation since the Yorkshire Ripper. In 1987, she worked for Television South West, then BBC Spotlight before being transferred to London the following year where she went on to achieve national fame. The shooting, another of Britain's most infamous unsolved crimes, shocked the capital and the population as a whole. Miss Dando, 37, was found by neighbours slumped against her front door in a pool of blood after suffering a single gunshot wound to the head. Miss Dando was gunned down on the doorstep of her home in Fulham, west London, in 1999 Her murder prompted a huge investigation led by Metropolitan Police and resulted in Barry George being sent to prison for murder in July 2001. However, he was granted a retrial on appeal and was unanimously acquitted by a jury in August 2008. It has long been suspected that Ms Dando was shot by a professional assassin. A blue Range Rover that was parked illegally on the street where she lived, Gowan Avenue, was caught on CCTV driving away at speed from the area. All eyes will be on Emma Raducanu as she makes her Wimbledon comeback today but her grandmother will be too nervous to watch. Niculina Raducanu, 89, says she cannot bear the stress of seeing the US Open Champion in her tough first round match against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck. The British No 1 will make her Centre Court debut as she returns to SW19 where she burst on to the scene with a record-breaking run in 2021. Also returning is that great Wimbledon institution the queue. Hundreds of fans were camped out in tents by yesterday afternoon, the first time such scenes had been witnessed sine 2019. Raducanu makes her debut on centre court against Belgian 10th seed Alison van Uytvanck on day one of Wimbledon Emma looked relaxed and happy as she arrived at Wimbledon for some court practice - despite a recent injury she is reportedly 'raring to go' The young star is just 19 years old but has already won the US open - and has had to manage high expectations ever since Wimbledon starts on June 27 and will continue until July 10 - and there is no waiting around for the young Brit who will start her campaign on the first day Because of Covid, the tournament was axed in 2020 and the queue did not return last year. Fans will also find that new gender neutral toilets have been opened after being added as part of a logistics hub built during the pandemic. But not everyone was pleased with the development, with one long-time female fan saying: 'Wimbledon is about tradition, it doesn't have to follow every fad.' Single-sex toilets will still be available throughout the grounds. The British No 1 will make her Centre Court debut as she returns to SW19 where she burst on to the scene with a record-breaking run in 2021 Emma Raducanu's mother, Renee, is at Wimbledon to support her daughter during her matches - and looked cool and collected this weekend Although Raducanu could enjoy the quiet grounds before the tournament begins, hundreds were already queuing for on the door tickets on Sunday afternoon in a bid to see stars such as the 19-year-old Raducanu's grandmother will be unable to make it to watch her daughter at Wimbledon, but said she would be there for her no matter the results Miss Raducanu's grandmother is unable to make the journey to Wimbledon from her apartment near the centre of Bucharest, Romania, because of fears over Covid. But the retired teacher, who has never seen Emma, 19, play professionally in person, says she will not even be tuning in. 'I won't be able to get to England but I can't watch her on TV either, my heart can't take it,' she told the Daily Mail. 'It breaks my heart to see her pushing herself so much. 'I feel for her when I see how much effort she has to put in and I get stressed. I don't want to send her any negative energy, I want to put out only positive thoughts.' Instead Mrs Raducanu watches the matches of potential opponents. 'But I will be there for her in spirit,' she added. 'I encourage her all the time. I talked to her recently over video call. I told her, 'God will help you do what you have to do'. I send her my best wishes.' The loving grandmother added: 'If she won't win now, I will also be there for her reassuring her that things will be better next time. 'I am proud of what she has accomplished but she still needs to gather more strength.' She is confident Emma's Wimbledon will not end as it did a year ago when she retired with breathing difficulties in the fourth round. 'Now she has a big medical team who check everything,' Mrs Raducanu said. She has discussed Emma's fitness with her son Ian the star's father after the teenager pulled out of the Nottingham Open with a side strain. 'He said it's nothing serious. She is ready for Wimbledon,' she said. Emma has not seen her grandmother for almost three years because of lockdown and her schedule. 'But we talk a lot.... and she sends me presents,' added Mrs Raducanu. The teenager, from Bromley, south-east London, said she is ready for Centre Court. 'Everyone out there wants me to do well and are behind me and they are going to be cheering,' she added. Sir Andy Murray will follow Emma on to the show court today. Rudy Giuliani was 'attacked' by a worker and called a 'f***** scumbag' while campaigning for his son at a Staten Island supermarket on Sunday afternoon. The 39-year-old store employee was on shift at the time of the alleged assault which saw the former New York City Mayor slapped on the back. The assailant, who has not been named was taken into custody while at the store and was charged with second-degree assault involving a person over age 65. Surveillance footage from the store shows the worker barely tapping Donald Trump's former lawyer on the back, but Giuliani appeared shaken by the ordeal describing it as 'like being shot' and that he was hit so hard he almost fell to the ground. Giuliani recounted the incident on WABC Radio later on Sunday evening in which he said he could have been killed. 'I come out of the men's room and a group of people are around me, hugging me and kissing. All the sudden, I feel a shot on my back. Like somebody shot me!,' he began. 'I feel this tremendous pain in my back, and Im thinking, what the I didnt even know what it was. All of a sudden, I hear this guy say, Youre a f***ing scumbag, then he moves away so nobody can grab him. 'I went forward but luckily I didn't fall down. Lucky I'm a 78-year-old who's in pretty good shape, cause if I wasn't, I'd have hit the ground and probably cracked my skull and then I look around and the guy says words I can't repeat. 'You f***in' whatever!' 'He moves away yelling and screaming, 'You're gonna kill women!'' You guys think youre saving babies, but youre gonna kill women, the worker, who faces assault charges continued to rage. Rudy Giuliani was attacked by a supermarket worker on Staten Island on Sunday as he was campaigning for his son, Andrew, left, when he was slapped (file photo) Giulinai said that he understood the comment to be about abortion rights and the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v Wade. 'The Supreme Court made a decision,' Giuliani said. 'You dont go around attacking people because of it. I mean, go get it changed.' 'He looked either drunk or high. He works for ShopRite and I thought to myself that I might ordinarily have ignored it. But I had to have this guy arrested because this has going on too damn much. 'I mean suppose I was a weaker 78-year-old and cracked my skull and died?' he asked. 'This has to stop. This is getting ridiculous,' he told the New York Times. 'Ive been in politics 50 years, Ive never been attacked like this.' Giuliani said he had red marks on his back but there was no blood and he had managed to stay on his feet. 'My back hurts, but otherwise Im able to walk and stuff like that.He almost knocked me down. Thank God for a 78-year-old, I am in pretty good shape.' Giuliani has flipped over the years when it comes to his stance on abortions, first having opposed them, then supporting them before backtracking once again. On his WABC radio show he said he had gone through 'a torturous, intellectual, and emotional and moral situation with abortion' before ultimately deciding that he opposed the practice. Giuliani, 78, was at the supermarket as he stumped for his son, Andrew, who is running to be New York State Governor (file photo) Shortly after the incident, Andrew Giuliani tweeted 'MAKE NEW YORK SAFE AGAIN!' although did not refer specifically to the incident Giuliani, 78, was at the supermarket as he stumped for his son, Andrew, who is running to be New York State Governor. 'Hes doing fine,' son Andrew told the New York Post. 'But its a sad day when New Yorkers greatest crime fighter, Americas Mayor, is attacked. I blame the left-wing for encouraging violence. This is crazy.' Andrew said that his father was in good spirits and joked: 'I ran into the only person who is not voting for Andrew Giuliani.' Witnesses and law enforcement say he his father appeared shaken following the assault. 'I was stunned. I was shoulder-to-shoulder with Rudy inside ShopRite. We're talking, and all of a sudden an employee came out of nowhere and open-handedly slapped him in the back and said, 'Hey, what's up scumbag?'' Rugova-Johnson told the New York Post. '[The attacker] was on duty at the time,' she said. 'The cops arrested him.' Shopper Drita Rugova was standing next to Giuliani when he was slapped Another eyewitness shared a similar account with DailyMail.com. 'I was doing my normal usual grocery shopping here in ShopRite when I happened to see the former Mayor Giuliani in there. I went up to him to say "hello" and I wanted to take a photo with him. I was getting ready to take this photo when a gentleman that works here hit him open handedly in the back, closer to his neck and said to him "Hey you f***ing scumbag!"' explained shopper, Drita Rugova. 'Number one he's a senior citizen and no matter what his political views are, nobody should be hit. He went to use the mens room and then this gentleman obviously isnt happy with Giuliani and decided to assault him, so the gentleman was arrested,' Rugova continued. 'It happened so quickly. I mean I was shoulder to shoulder with Giuliani and I couldve been hit. Never mind me, I just felt bad for Giuliani. He hit him so hard that I felt it.' 'I am a regular shopper here and Ive seen that employee in here. Ive never had words with him or anything. I'm actually stunned that gentleman did that especially knowing all the staff are nice and the owner's are nice to everybody,' Rugova said. The attack happened at the ShopRite store in Staten Island on Veterans Road Giuliani was said to be posing for photos at the time of the attack by a store worker Giuliani was a lawyer for former President Donald Trump and pushed baseless claims about election fraud and wanted to dispute the results of the 2020 presidential election Giuliani who was a lawyer for former President Donald Trump when he was in office, was posing for photos at the time of the attack. 'Rudy was assaulted,' Giuliani's partner Dr. Maria Ryan said. 'He's a 78-year-old man with a bad back and bad knees.' Shortly after the incident, Andrew Giuliani tweeted 'MAKE NEW YORK SAFE AGAIN!' although he did not refer specifically to the incident. A worker at the ShopRite store who answered the phone told DailyMail.com that they were 'not allowed to say anything' however the store later released a statement regarding the incident. 'We are aware that an incident instigated by a store associate involving former Mayor Rudy Giuliani took place at our store on Staten Island earlier today. Store security observed the incident, reacted swiftly and the police were notified. 'We have zero tolerance for aggression toward anyone,' a spokesperson said. On Twitter, Giuliani was roundly mocked over the incident. 'Wow! I would never condone slapping a public official unless they'd done and said all the terrible things Rudy has done,' joked one. 'He got hit so hard his hair started crying again,' mocked another. 'Hopefully the Staten Island ShopRite employee had access to hand sanitizer,' added another Twitter user A climate protester has sparked commuter chaos after locking herself to her steering wheel with a bike lock while blocking the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, leaving workers trapped bumper-to-bumper in their vehicles. Dozens of Blockade Australia demonstrators stormed the city at 8am on Monday, after vowing to create a week of misery for commuters by disrupting traffic with police frantically tried to stop the protest with barricade fences. A woman from the group's Lismore contingent proudly posted footage online of herself chained to her steering wheel by the neck while her white hatchback blocked traffic from entering the Harbour Tunnel. The tunnel is one of the major thoroughfares taking commuters across the city's harbour, and is used by up to 2,000 cars every hour. 'I'm Mali, I'm 22. I'm [here] in protest of the climate destruction that is happening in this continent right now,' she says. 'There are some really angry people who are screaming and threatening me - banging on windows and doors.' The protester, Mail, 22, (pictured) blocked the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and locked herself to her steering wheel with a bike lock before proudly posting the footage online The woman's white hatchback was parked sideways over two lanes of traffic - causing chaos for the thousands of people who use the tunnel every hour An outraged commuter can be seen during the video approaching her car and yelling at her through a window. 'Guess what f** wit? You're going to jail!' he screams. 'They are going to love you in there!' Police eventually arrived at the scene and demanded she get out of the car, before she was arrested. It comes as : Around 60 protesters raged through the city, hurling debris and even wheelie bins at police officers in a bid to slow them down NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet described the demonstrators as 'bloody idiots' in a scathing statement TV vision appeared to show an SUV nudging people standing in the middle of the road out of the way. It wasn't immediately clear if they were protesters All traffic had been diverted via the Harbour Bridge and traffic was backed up for several kilometres. The tunnel was reopened after the car was removed, the Transport Management Centre said at 9.12am. NSW Police said 11 people, including the woman taken into custody at the tunnel's entrance, had been arrested in the wake of the 'unauthorised protests'. The ten protesters who were arrested in the CBD were taken to Surry Hills and Day Street Police Stations, where charges are expected. In a statement, the radical group said their week-long protest activities had 'begun' with 'its Sydney mobilization to resist climate destruction'. Police officers surrounded the white hatchback as blocked traffic backed up for several kilometres The woman was eventually arrested by several officers and the tunnel reopened around 9am A police officer was seen in a stand-off with a protester as the activist attempted to move a barricade A man picked up a barricade fence and ran away as protests choked traffic in the CBD on Monday 'Sydney is where Australia's operation began, and for more than two centuries, it has been where Australia's destruction of this continent has been most intense,' a spokesperson for the group said. 'The institutions of Australia are concentrations of coercive power that enable this exploitation. Our collective survival rests on organised opposition and the use of strategic direct action to stand against this project of destruction. 'Blockade Australia will continue to cause disruption and resist climate destruction in the days to come.' Meanwhile, furious Australians have flocked online to slam the group for interrupting society with 'dangerous' antics.' 'These Blockade idiots need to think better,' one person tweeted. 'Even though many support Climate Change, still most of Australia is against these fools. Ban their public welfare if the want to put lives in danger blocking traffic and transport.' 'Im sorry but #BlockadeAustralia is 10yrs too late & giving climate change activism a bad name,' another said. Another man pointed out the protests meant people were spending longer in their cars with the heaters using petrol on due to the road blockage, which ironically was bad for the environment. 'Its all well and good to protest but to harass the broader community is just selfish,' a fourth wrote. Dozens descended on Sydney's centre, carrying signs and chanting as they demanded action for climate change Protesters hold a sign outside the Sydney Harbour Tunnel as a car blocks off traffic As commuters began heading into the city for work, throngs of protesters descended on Elizabeth Street before marching around Hyde Park towards NSW Parliament. The crowd, of around 60 people, was forced to disperse when it was blocked by police at the intersection of George and Bridge streets, blocking access to the Harbour Bridge. Blockade Australia said it would hold a press conference at 2.30pm at Redfern Park. The group had made plans to 'run or disperse' through the city in a message sent out via an app on Sunday night, with leaders distributing legal advice to members ahead of the protest. The organisers also gave instructions for how activists can wreak havoc on traffic in the CBD. 'This wont be like a regular rally with speeches and a lot of time standing around we will be meeting at 8am sharp and then moving quickly from there,' the memo read. A police officer picks up milk crates left on the street as demonstrators were seen throwing bins and objects into the path of police to slow them down Climate activist group Blockade Australia are set to launch a week of mass demonstrations from Monday 'Depending on police tactics you may be required to run or disperse depending on your abilities. Be prepared to walk on roads and stop cars from passing.' Protesters were urged to keep their phone notifications turned off and ensure devices were password protected. The advice also told demonstrators to only say 'no comment' if arrested and warned against wearing 'contact lenses, makeup or oily sunscreen' to reduce injury if pepper sprayed. The event had been publicised over the group's online channels for weeks, with participants offered workshops for 'legal', 'street welfare', and 'medic' training. Protesters were given legal advice in a message distributed via a messaging app on Sunday night Police seized concrete barrels and locks from the protest group's Colo campground on June 19 In marketing material for the June 27- July 2 rally, the group said they intend to converge' on Sydney to 'blockade the streets of Australia's most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored'. The protest comes just days after police raided their Blue Mountains compound on June 19 amid an investigation into 'unauthorised protest activity'. 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, 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. Protesters face a maximum penalty of two years' jail and $22,000 fines for disrupting traffic or preventing access on roads. The legislation also created new offences targeting people blocking access to major facilities such as ports and railways. A former Bloomberg journalist who divorced her husband of almost a decade after falling in love with 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli, before being unceremoniously dumped by him two years later, has revealed she missed a marriage counseling session to visit Shkreli in prison. Christie Smythe, 39, became a source of fascination after she revealed in December 2020 that she had left her job and her husband for the reviled businessman, who in 2015 bought an Aids drug and hiked the price from $13.50 per pill to $750. He was arrested in December 2015 on securities fraud, connected to his work at a hedge fund, and in March 2018 was sentenced to seven years in prison for the financial crimes. On Sunday Smythe spoke to The Sunday Times about the last turbulent seven years, and said she was so devoted to seeing Shkreli, also 39, that she missed a marriage counseling session. Christie Smythe, 39, left her job and her husband for Martin Shkreli in July 2018. In December 2020 he dumped her via a statement in a magazine Smythe had previously said she was eagerly waiting for him with open arms after he was released from prison almost two years early, on May 18. She now says she has a new boyfriend - although she still defends Shkreli, and says they plan to meet up Shkreli is seen immediately after his release from prison last month, with a man named Edmund Sullivan, who claimed to have picked him up and posted photos of the two together in the car She continues to defend Shkreli, despite him dumping her after the 2020 article in Elle, via a statement issued to the magazine. On Sunday, after The Sunday Times article was published, she tweeted: 'If you say all people deserve second chances and a shot at redemption EXCEPT Martin Shkreli (or except whomever the internet has decided to hate at a given moment), you really don't mean that.' Smythe freely admitted that, by 2017, she was devoted to Shkreli - something which concerned her then-husband. She said she had finally convinced her spouse of almost a decade, Devin Arcolo, a financier, to attend the counseling in November 2017. But the session clashed with the first visit to see Shkreli in jail, in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. She arrived 52 minutes late for the hour-long session. 'I didn't count the minutes he did,' Smythe said. 'We still went to marriage counseling later and it was a disaster, of course. Nothing was counseled.' The couple's marriage irrevocably broke down. Smythe is pictured with her former husband, Devin Arcoleo. He was concerned about her closeness to Shkreli, and the couple began counseling in November 2017: by July 2018, the marriage was over And in July 2018, she resigned from Bloomberg - the news agency that had assigned her to report on Shkreli, in 2015. 'I was feeling extremely frustrated by having to keep everything bottled up,' she told the paper. 'I was just, like, 'Everyone is so worried about what? That I will fall in love with him?' 'After that thought sunk in, I was like, 'You know what, maybe I do love him screw everyone.' ' Smythe had first begun corresponding with Shkreli in 2015, in the early days of the controversy of the Aids drug, Daraprim. His 5,000 percent increase in the cost of the life-saving treatment was reviled by everyone from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump. Shkreli is seen in December 2015, after he was arrested for securities fraud. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in March 2018 He smiled at members of Congress in February 2016, while they questioned him about a drug that treats toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that threatens people with weakened immune systems How ex-hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli fell from grace Martin Shkreli became known as the 'most hated man in America' after he bought up the rights to lifesaving AIDs drug Daraprim in 2014 and raised the price from $13.50 per pill to a staggering $750 per pill. In 2018, he was sentenced to seven years in prison on an unrelated matter for lying to investors about the performance of two hedge funds he ran, withdrawing more money from those funds than he was entitled to get, and defrauding investors in a drug company, Retrophin, by hiding his ownership of some of its stock. Shkreli was ordered to forfeit $7.3 million as part of his unrelated prison sentence and is due to be released from prison in September 2023. At the time of his 2015 arrest for lying to investors, Shkreli was already notorious for hiking the price of Daraprim by 4,000 percent. Daraprim is used to treat toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be fatal to people with the AIDS virus or other immune-system disorders including malaria and cancer. He was also known for attacking critics on social media under the guise of 'Pharma Bro' and of putting a $5,000 bounty on a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair. Advertisement In January 2016 the pair met in person for the first time, as his Manhattan office while he was on bail. 'I don't think I was attracted to him initially,' she said. 'Well, maybe. It was more of a curiosity. I was not thinking about him as a romantic subject.' In February 2016 he was subpoenaed to testify before Congress about the price hike, but repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment - doing little to endear himself to his critics. She began researching a book on the Brooklyn-born financier and entrepreneur, and covered his story extensively for Bloomberg, including his trial. 'Even though he's kind of shy, he's like a lightning rod,' she said. He was sentenced in March 2018 to seven years in prison. After leaving Bloomberg, she confessed her feelings to him, and the pair had their first kiss - in prison. Prison rules barred them from having sex, but on their visits she said they would have hours-long conversations about 'books, science, pharmaceuticals, crypto, family, hopes and dreams'. Smythe said that he took her writing career seriously, adding: 'That, of course, is very flattering.' She added: 'We were never at a loss for anything to say. We were always making each other laugh.' They discussed marriage, prenups, and children, and Smythe froze her eggs, on his encouragement. But when the pandemic hit, and she could no longer visit him, things started to go wrong. In December 2020 she spoke to Elle magazine about the relationship, which angered him. He gave the magazine a statement: 'Mr Shkreli wishes Ms Smythe the best of luck in her future.'. She said it was 'hurtful', but not truly surprising that he reacted badly, and told The New York Times that she would wait for him. He was released from prison on May 18, and the romance has fizzled. They do plan to meet up at some point, she said. The Brooklyn-born financier and entrepreneur became one of the most reviled men in America after he increased the price of the Aids drug by 5,000 percent She now lives in Harlem and has a new boyfriend, and is publishing her memoir, Smirk, online in a Substack. She said that, if she had 'thrown Shkreli under the bus' and portrayed herself as a victim, and 'played along with the arch-villain narrative', she would have been offered a more traditional book deal. 'If I just gave up everything I actually thought and went along with what [the publishers] thought would sell, I'd have published a book. But I can't do that,' she said. She said the editor she now works with told her she was 'an unlikeable heroine'. 'When I realized that was where I fit, it became so much easier to write and to deal with the negative reactions,' she said. The Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency recorded a 43.75 per cent voter turnout till 6 P.M. in the bypolls on Thursday. This is significantly less than the figures recorded in the 2020 polls, when the voter turnout in Rajinder Nagar was 58.27 per cent. The bypoll to the Rajinder Nagar seat is largely being seen as a battle between a confident AAP and a spirited BJP. According to the Election Commission (EC), the final voter turnout at the close of polling on Thursday stood at 43.75 per cent. Also, 24 Covid-positive voters turned up to cast their votes. From 7 A.M. to 6 P.M., a total 100 senior citizens including 658 women voters were provided pick and drop facilities to cast their votes. Delhi Chief Election Officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh said efforts have been made to encourage more voters to come to the polling booths. Availability of water and the poor condition of roads were issues reigning on the minds of voters who turned up to vote. The bypoll were necessitated after former AAP MLA from the area, Raghav Chadha, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. While AAP fielded its MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak from the constituency, he is up against former BJP councillor Rajesh Bhatia. The Congress has also put forth former councillor Prem Lata. There are over 1.64 lakh voters in the constituency. Of these, 92,221 are male, 72,473 are female and 4 are categorised as third gender. There are 1,899 voters between the ages of 18-19 who are eligible to vote for the first time in the constituency. The candidates since morning were seen at the polling booths. Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha also came to vote at around 11 A.M. at Vidya Bhawan GSSS, New Rajinder Nagar polling booth. The BJP candidate, Rajesh Bhatia along with his wife and parents also voted around 8 A.M. at Salwan Girls School voting centre. BJP MP Gautam Gambhir and his wife also cast their vote. Prem Lata, the Congress candidate from the seat cast her vote at 1 P.M. along with her whole family at number 173 voting centre. The poll body has registered 13 cases against the AAP, nine against the BJP and one against the Congress for violation of the MCC. According to officers, 47,180 defacements have been removed by the MCD. We have also penalised vehicles that were displaying posters and banners in an unauthorised manner. A total of 188 people have been fined 123 against AAP, 49 against BJP and 16 against others. As a preventive action, 119 people were arrested. Action was taken against 8,708 people under Delhi Police Act, while 36 people were arrested and 1,850 litres of liquor worth Rs 5.65 lakh was seized under the Excise Act. A total 36 FIRs lodged and 36 arrests made so far, the CEO said. The enforcement agencies have seized 280 licenced arms under the Arms Act and lodged five FIRs. It has also seized five illegal arms and arrested five people. Under the narcotics department, drugs worth over Rs 10 crore has been seized by authorities, he said, adding that Income Tax Department has seized cash worth Rs 1 crore in Delhi, but outside the Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency. Under the GST Department, various items worth Rs 43 lakh have been seized, and 40 Non-Bailable Warrants were received and executed, he added. Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has a 100million transfer war chest to spend this summer, reports claim, a figure which may deal a blow to his rebuilding plans. Ten Hag will start work at the club on Monday with his players set to report back for pre-season training, but United have so far been unable to add to his squad. Reports have indicated that a deal is close for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, while a contract offer has been tabled for Christian Eriksen, an in-demand free agent. Erik ten Hag reportedly has just 100million to spend on his Manchester United rebuild In his pub summit with furious supporters, CEO Richard Arnold insisted that money was 'not a consideration', although, according to The Sun, that is not the case. The publication have claimed that the budget available to Ten Hag may be as little as 100m before any sales, although a number of players are set to be offloaded. It is said that the tightening of their purse springs is a 'major factor' behind United's move for Eriksen, who left Brentford at the end of last season after impressing. Frenkie de Jong is a United target, but the Red Devils have so far been unable to seal the deal United CEO Richard Arnold told supporters that money was not a 'consideration' this summer The Red Devils, The Sun add, are aware that clubs are attempting to hold them for ransom, knowing full well they have a host of positions which need strengthening. Arnold, however, is 'tired' of United overpaying for their targets. They have also been hit by missing out on the Champions League, after their sixth-placed finish last season. Their failure will cost them up to 100m in lost revenue. United have been frustrated in their pursuit of Ajax duo Antony and Jurrien Timber. United (pictured owners Joel Glazer, left, and Avram Glazer, right) missed out on up to 100m Christian Eriksen has a contract offer from Old Trafford, but his future remains uncertain The Eredivisie giants want 69m for the former, it is believed, while they have demanded around 50m for their defender, a sum United were not willing to pay. The Sun have even claimed the Red Devils expected his asking price to be half that. Arnold also told the protesting group that United have 'burned through cash' in the past, and the club appear determined to avoid similar errors during Ten Hag's reign. Advertisement Three snuffling pigs trot up to their fence to welcome me at Glebe House. I should be gazing out over the rolling East Devon hills, admiring the tulips on the estate or gasping at the perfectly-clipped croquet lawn, but the pigs win my attention. I spend more time than Id like to admit cooing over them in their woodland pen, but something tells me they arent kept as pets. Lucy Lovell checks into Glebe House, which sits in a picturesque corner of East Devon. She says that checking in is 'more like being welcomed into the home of a long-lost family member than checking into a hotel' Lucy visits the new food-led venture for a taste of East Devon's food and drink renaissance The guest house is known for making everything from scratch for its 30-seater restaurant. Today, a four-course Sunday lunch awaits and pork is on the menu. Inside theres a more formal welcome. At least, as formal as it gets at Glebe House, nestled in the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In a relaxed entrance room at the heart of the house, muddy wellingtons sit on antique boot racks, wildflowers gather in mismatched vases and busy chefs bid a cheery hello. An iPad tucked under the stairs is the only clue that this is the reception. Aside from that, its more like being welcomed into the home of a long-lost family member than checking into a hotel. The guest house is known for making everything from scratch for its 30-seater restaurant, and the smallholding includes three pigs in the neighbouring woods Front-of-house staff who have the knack of being both on the ball and totally relaxed swoop over to greet and seat me. Tables are dotted throughout the property, and Im sitting where the action is: on a chunky kitchen table overlooking the pass, together with my dining partner and another rather excited-looking couple. Glebe House has a reputation that precedes it, after all. The late-Georgian manor has been run as a B&B since the 80s, led by current owner Hugo Guests parents. When talk began of selling the estate, Hugo and his partner, Olive, decided that something must be done. Hugo grew up here, and in March 2020 an infamously difficult year for hospitality the London-based couple decided to jack in their jobs and move to the country with their three-month-old baby to save the family home. Inspired by the Italian agriturismo model, and armed with bright paint and plenty of wallpaper, the couple completed a stunning refit of the property. The result is a fresh take on a British B&B, and since its launch in 2021 Glebe House has made waves in this sleepy corner of Devon. Glebe House is run by Hugo and Olive Guest, who were inspired by the Italian agriturismo model Lucy describes the guest house as a 'fresh take on a British B&B'. Pictured on the left is The Tulip Room, with French antique double bed and Ottoline de Vries tulip wallpaper. The right shows more interior mastery, with a peek inside one of the five bedrooms Antique silverware clatters as its set around us, and we crack open our first crisp cider. Theres just one on the menu, sadly, and its from Dorset. No offence Dorset, but a few more Devonshire scrumpy options would go down brilliantly here. Meanwhile, head chef Sam Lomas Great British Menu finalist and graduate of the River Cottage Chefs School is happily pottering around in front of a big red Aga. Hes accompanied by an equally jovial Hugo. Their carefree air gives nothing away of the exquisite dishes were about to enjoy. Bam: a perfect example of porridge sourdough. Boom: homemade charcuterie. Were hit with entrees that make us realise: these chefs are serious. Head chef Sam Lomas is a former Great British Menu finalist and graduate of the River Cottage Chefs School. The restaurant's seating is found throughout the ground floor. On the left is the main dining room with views over the Devonshire hills, while the right image shows the light-filled morning room When I ask the waitress where the pork came from for the salami, she winces. I guess Im not the only one adjusting to country life. Next up, a wild garlic tagliatelle tastes like woodland walks, while grilled asparagus is served with an imaginative roasted pumpkin seed and boiled egg dip. Porchetta is the main event, served with cannellini beans and salsa verde. The butter-soft meat is slow-cooked overnight before being blasted in a hot oven to send the crackling into overdrive. A fellow guest tells Lucy that 'Devon is a foodie destination now' and that he's 'amazed by the explosion in good food he's seen in the past five years' Its paired with a glass of Delmoro by La Comarcal a big, bolshy Valencian red that squares up to the salsa. When were not engrossed by the food, the folks next to us give us a little insight into East Devons food renaissance. Devon is a foodie destination now, the local resident for over 25 years leans across the table to tell me and Im inclined to agree. Hes amazed by the explosion in good food hes seen in the past five years, he says. He raises his eyebrows, looking around at the decor that made this hotel an overnight Instagram hit (16,000 followers and counting), adding: But this one is a bit more hip hop. 'Armed with bright paint and plenty of wallpaper, [owners Hugo and Olive] completed a stunning refit of the property,' Lucy writes. Pictured here is the hotel's sitting room, which Lucy describes as a 'maximalist's dream' After lunch were shown to our rooms, and I get a chance to snoop around those Insta-famous interiors. The sitting room is a maximalists dream, painted in dusty peach and furnished with a sumptuous mustard sofa and sapphire-blue armchairs with William Morris-style print cushions. My room, with views over the valley, is a bucolic den of embroidery, floral headboards and patterned throws. The bathroom is just as lovely: a flowery refuge of light pinks, shiny brass finishes and a roll-top bath that promises some seriously relaxing soaks. And while Hugo and Olive probably wouldnt like me moving into my quarters permanently (understandable), perhaps theyd be ok with me setting up home in the gorgeous downstairs loo, which has adorable strawberry-patterned wallpaper, bunches of wildflowers and a marble-top sink with a ruffled gold fabric trim. Peek inside the downstairs loo for 'adorable strawberry-patterned wallpaper, bunches of wildflowers and a marble-top sink with a ruffled gold fabric trim', Lucy advises The room where Lucy stays (pictured above) is a 'bucolic den of embroidery, floral headboards and patterned throws' Thanks to Olive an established artist in her own right feisty, fun art underpins the Glebe House experience. Throughout the house there are works of art by genuinely exciting artists. Some are for sale, some the owners cant bear to part with. After exploring the house and testing out the croquet set, its time to eat... again. Thankfully, dinner is a simple affair: a selection of cold cuts and cheese served with a hunk of that joyous homemade bread, pickled raisins and fruit. The evening is spent reading poetry from the library, soaking in the tub, and wondering whether I should pack it all in and move to the country. 'The evening is spent reading poetry from the library, soaking in the tub, and wondering whether I should pack it all in and move to the country,' Lucy concludes, adding: 'By the end, Ive fallen so hard for the house and for the idealised slice of country life that it presents that my partner has to practically drag me out of the dining room' Front-of-house staff have the knack of being both on the ball and totally relaxed, reveals Lucy But before I can put my house on the market, its time to leave. Theres just enough time for one more food odyssey: breakfast. Stewed fruit and yoghurt with fresh apple juice and coffee are followed by a thick wedge of bacon, crispy fried eggs and homemade brown sauce. By the end, Ive fallen so hard for the house and for the idealised slice of country life that it presents that my partner has to practically drag me out of the dining room. On my way to the car, I bid a sad farewell to the pigs and wonder whether Ill see them again and in what form. Poor pigs. Maybe Im not cut out for the good life, after all. For now, a night at Glebe House is more than enough. If Princess Beatrice thought she could disappear into the throng at Glastonbury, she may have been in for a surprise. Tory MP Caroline Nokes was also there and revealed a plan to crash Beatrice's pad. Nokes told me: 'Tom Watson [the former Labour MP] was saying to me he's going to get me into whoever's Winnebago she's hanging out in.' The over-excited MP added: 'I'm the least cool Tory politician really, it's the first festival I've been to I've even done my festival nails.' If Princess Beatrice thought she could disappear into the throng at Glastonbury, she may have been in for a surprise Tory MP Caroline Nokes was also there and revealed a plan to crash Beatrice's pad John Bishop told me his 'best moment' at Glastonbury would be fellow scouser Paul McCartney's headline act. The TV funnyman also offered handy advice for campers at Worthy Farm, recommending they 'bring a good sleeping bag'. But John won't have joined them in any field. When I asked him if he was a camper he sniggered: 'Those days are well gone!' No doubt he had a more comfy bed after recently selling his Cheshire mansion for 6.8 million. John Bishop told me his 'best moment' at Glastonbury would be fellow scouser Paul McCartney's headline act Royal biographer Andrew Lownie is giving up his fight to get Lord Mountbatten's letters released after a five-year legal tangle with the Government left him 370,000 out of pocket. 'I'm cleaned out,' he tells me. Controversially, Lownie says he feels 'isolated' by the lack of support from other historians during his battle, many of whom, he suspects, 'don't want to upset the Royals'. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: 'The small amount of information which has not been released includes personal data relating to living individuals.' Married At First Sight star Chris Jensen celebrated his engagement to his stunning girlfriend Tayla Made on Friday. The FIFO worker, 33, took to Instagram to show off their festivities after the couple hosted a party at boutique holiday stay, Bounce Noosa, in Queensland. Chris looking effortlessly stylish for his big day, sporting a white button-up shirt, white trousers and brown leather loafers. Married At First Sight star Chris Jensen, 33, (left) celebrated his engagement to his stunning girlfriend Tayla Made (right) on Friday Tayla, who works as a cosmetic tattooist, meanwhile showed off her figure in a white crop top, matching trousers and a pair of platform sandals. The Instagram model wore her long blonde locks out and opted for a neutral makeup look. 'One of the best days of our lives!! We celebrated our love with friends and family at our engagement party yesterday,' Chris captioned a gallery of photos on Instagram. The FIFO worker, 33, took to Instagram to show off their festivities after the couple hosted a party at boutique holiday stay, Bounce Noosa, in Queensland Chris wore a white button-up shirt which he teamed up with white trousers and brown leather loafers. Tayla meanwhile showed off her figure in a white crop top and trouser set 'The sun was shining for us, and it was even more perfect than we imagined. Thank you so much to those who travelled near and far to be there. We feel incredibly lucky, grateful and blessed.' Noosa-based Splash Events helped the couple make their party memorable with the pair writing, 'We were mind-blown with how beautiful everything was'. Chris announced his engagement to Tayla in December last year following a whirlwind romance. At the time, Tayla shared a photo to Instagram depicting the moment Chris presented her with a ring. 'One of the best days of our lives!! We celebrated our love with friends and family at our engagement party yesterday,' Chris captioned a gallery of photos on Instagram 'The sun was shining for us, and it was even more perfect than we imagined. Thank you so much to those who travelled near and far to be there,' he continued Chris announced his engagement to Tayla in December last year following a whirlwind romance 'With all my heart, it is you Tayla!! From the moment you walked into my life I saw how kind, caring and sweet you are,' he began. 'All of these beautiful attributes drew me in but the reason you own my heart is because you now own my daughters. The three of us love you Tayla and now you are family.' He added: 'Let this beautiful diamond from @novita.diamonds be the foundation of my promise and commitment to you, forever.' Tayla is a doting stepmother to Chris' daughters Arla (left) and Isha (centre) from a previous relationship Meanwhile, Tayla also shared the news on her Instagram page, and said she was left 'speechless' by Chris' romantic proposal. Chris only revealed he was dating the cosmetic tattooist in August, telling Daily Mail Australia at the time that they met at a photo shoot for MAFS. 'I found the woman I was looking for on MAFS. Well, she found me,' he laughed. Chris only revealed he was dating the cosmetic tattooist in August, telling Daily Mail Australia at the time that they met at a photo shoot for MAFS 'Tayla has a big heart and is incredibly sweet to me and both my daughters,' he gushed at the time 'Tayla has a big heart and is incredibly sweet to me and both my daughters.' Writing on Instagram, he added: 'I have found the person that challenges me to be the best version of myself I can be. Tayla has captured my heart through compassion, kindness and love.' Chris was a latecomer to last year's series of MAFS, where he was paired with bride Jaimie Gardner on the hit Channel Nine reality show. Chris had a disastrous union with Bondi-based brand manager Jaimie Gardner (pictured) on last year's season of Married At First Sight The two failed to form a connection though, and opted to leave the series shortly after meeting. 'I came in here to give my heart and to put everything in and I did,' he said after deciding to quit the experiment. 'I hope that I will actually find the one that I'm supposed to be with and they just want to be with me, too.' Tori Spelling cut a fashionable figure in a gorgeous yellow dress at the premiere of Minions: The Rise of Gru in Hollywood on Saturday. The 49-year-old actress donned the yellow gown with a blue floral pattern running all over her gown. The gown had low sleeves that showed off her tanned shoulders and straps encircled her neck. Big night: Tori Spelling cut a fashionable figure in a gorgeous yellow dress at the premiere of Minions: The Rise of Gru in Hollywood on Saturday Her dyed blonde hair fell in waves down the sides of her face reaching down to the middle of her chest. She was joined at the premiere for the animated film by four of her children: 14-year-old Stella, 10-year-old Hattie, 9-year-old Finn and 5-year-old Beau. Missing from the action was her 15-year-old son Liam. Tori shares all five children with her husband Dean McDermott, who was also absent from Saturday's premiere. The couple are reportedly in a 'trial separation,' according to Us Weekly. Prior to the report, the duo were under intense scrutiny for months regarding the unstable state of their marriage. Despite her alleged marriage troubles, Tori was brimming with happiness as she spent quality time at the premiere with her brood. Bringing the kids: She was joined at the premiere for the animated film by four of her children: 14-year-old Stella, 10-year-old Hattie, 9-year-old Finn and 5-year-old Beau The Beverly Hills, 90210 star led the star-studded event which featured a number of other actors including Despicable Me star Steve Carell. Steve donned a charcoal blazer over a midnight black button-down shirt and black slacks. The 59-year-old star of The Office wore thick-framed glasses and a salt and pepper beard groomed neatly against his jaw. Classic: The Beverly Hills, 90210 star led the star-studded event which featured a number of other actors including Despicable Me star Steve Carell Teal: Actress Taraji P. Henson donned a glittery, skintight teal dress with a feathery blue boa wrapped around her slender shoulders Actress Taraji P. Henson donned a glittery, skintight teal dress with a feathery blue boa wrapped around her slender shoulders. She stood on tall matching high heels and her black hair fell in waves down her back. Actor Danny Trejo looked casual in a dark blue denim jacket with patches on her shoulders. The 78-year-old star wore gray slacks, a black t-shirt and a black fedora with a gray and white ribbon tied around it. Khadijah Haqq McCray showed off her ample chest in a low-cut white tank top underneath a turquoise blazer and matching shorts that stopped just shy of her mid-thigh. Casual chic: Actor Danny Trejo looked casual in a dark blue denim jacket with patches on her shoulders Turquoise: Khadijah Haqq McCray showed off her ample chest in a low-cut white tank top underneath a turquoise blazer Long locks: Her hair fell in two thick dark brown waves with the locks parted in the middle and framing her face With the family: O.T. Genasis, who shares a child with Malika, stood with his better half while she held their two-year-old in her arms McCray posed with her sister Malika Haqq who donned a long sleeve black shirt and matching shorts with a streak of white running down the sides of each garment. Her hair fell in two thick dark brown waves with the locks parted in the middle framing her face. O.T. Genasis, who shares a child with Malika, stood with his better half while she held their two-year-old in her arms. Rocky IV actor Dolph Lundgren stood on the red carpet with a yellow t-shirt, white jeans and black sneakers. Casual: Rocky IV actor Dolph Lundgren stood on the red carpet with a yellow t-shirt, white jeans and black sneakers Mustard: Michelle Yeoh kept the yellow theme going. She wore a button-down mustard yellow shirt and a brown pleated skirt that ended at her shins Group shot: Finally, Trejo, Carell, Yeoh, Henson and Lundgren took a group shot together before heading into the screening Michelle Yeoh kept the yellow theme going. She wore a button-down mustard yellow shirt and a brown pleated skirt that ended at her shins. She accessorized with a yellow clutch and a pair of high heels. Her brown hair was combed over her right shoulder and fell down the front of her body. Finally, Trejo, Carell, Yeoh, Henson and Lundgren took a group shot together before heading into the screening. Minions: The Rise of Gru is the latest film in the Despicable Me universe. It follows a young Gru when he tries to join a group of super villains called the Vicious 6. Abbie Chatfield described the U.S. Supreme Court's anti-abortion ruling as 'barbaric and terrifying' in an Instagram post on Saturday. The former Bachelor star, 27, shared a photo of herself at six weeks pregnant the day before she had an abortion at age 23, and said there are 'no guarantees the right to abortion in Australia will be protected forever'. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S., means individual states can decide whether abortion can be made illegal. Abbie Chatfield, 27, (pictured) shared this photo of herself at six weeks pregnant the day before she had an abortion at age 23 in an Instagram post on Saturday In the photo, Abbie captured a mirror selfie in a bathroom and donned a white frock and nude strappy heels. 'This is me the day before I had my abortion, at the earliest stage you can realistically tell that you're even pregnant. Here, I'm six weeks pregnant,' she wrote online. 'Thankfully, I had access to safe abortion literally the day after finding out that I was pregnant. I remember not sleeping the night before the procedure, worried that I had missed the cut-off date, and I would have to carry a child to term. Abbie said there are 'no guarantees the right to abortion in Australia will be protected forever'. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S., means individual states can decide whether abortion can be made illegal 'Thankfully, I had access to safe abortion literally the day after finding out that I was pregnant. I remember not sleeping the night before the procedure, worried that I had missed the cut-off date, and I would have to carry a child to term,' she wrote 'I was 23, and had a decent job, but I did not want a child, and that was reason enough. It wasn't an easy decision but it was the right decision.' The podcast host revealed she 'cried to sleep' hearing the news of the ruling being overturned, describing access to 'necessary healthcare' as 'barbaric and terrifying'. 'Overnight, abortion rights have been stripped in 12 states. As someone who has had an abortion, it made me sick,' she wrote. The former Bachelor star revealed she 'cried to sleep' hearing the news of the ruling being overturned, describing access to 'necessary healthcare' as 'barbaric and terrifying' Abbie revealed that she will discuss this more in depth on her podcast next week, but urged her followers to keep educating themselves. 'There are no guarantees the right to abortion in Australia will be protected forever,' she concluded. The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling. Abbie revealed that she will discuss this more in depth on her podcast next week, but urged her followers to keep educating themselves. 'There are no guarantees the right to abortion in Australia will be protected forever,' she concluded Power has now been handed back to individual states to decide whether or not to permit the procedure. Women with unwanted pregnancies in America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. He called the Supreme Court's decision as 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Pictured on June 24 He called the Supreme Court's decision as 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over'. He said his administration will do everything in its power to combat efforts to restrict women from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Bella Hadid looked country chic while attending the Create & Cultivate hosted LA Conference at the City Market Social House in Los Angeles on Saturday. The supermodel, 25, charmed in a long pink prairie dress with a plaid pattern, which she paired with white socks and chunky grey sneakers. Also at the event was Winnie Harlow, 27, who showed off her long model legs in a chic white shirt dress with a substantial belt cinching in her waist. Prairie fashion: Bella Hadid, 25, looked country chic while attending the Create & Cultivate hosted LA Conference at the City Market Social House in Los Angeles on Saturday Hadid accessorized her relaxed look with a number of gold rings and a slim gold watch on her wrist. The runway sensation wore her long raven tresses down in a straight style, with her bangs lightly curled towards her face. As for glam, she sported a natural dewy look, with a light hint of blush, mascara and a lipgloss. Stunner: Also at the event was Winnie Harlow, 27, who showed off her model legs in a chic white shirt dress with a substantial belt cinching in her waist Meanwhile Winnie finished off her stylish look with a pair of open-toe white heel sandals that wrapped around her legs. The beauty wore her brunette tresses, with front blonde highlights, straight and cascading down her shoulders. The Jamaican-Canadian fashionista rocked bronze eyeshadow for the occasion, as well as voluminous eyelashes and nude lipstick. Country aesthetic: The supermodel, 25, charmed in a long pink prairie dress with a plaid pattern, as she posed with friend and business partner Jen Batchelor, 34 Summer-ready: The ladies were also seen mingling with entrepreneur Jaclyn Johnson, 33, who looked summer ready in a bright yellow dress Inside the event, Bella posed with Jen Batchelor, 34, the founder of Kin Euphorics - a non-alcoholic beverage brand - of which Bella is the co-owner. Batchelor started Kin Euphorics in 2018, and Hadid came on board in 2019. Batchelor wowed in a short-sleeve vivid blue floral dress, which she paired with nude high-heel boots. The ladies were also seen mingling with entrepreneur Jaclyn Johnson, 33, who looked summer ready in a bright yellow dress. Her brand: At the event Harlow discussed her sunscreen brand CAY SKIN and how it's set to be 'the most inclusive suncare brand on the market' Hadid and Batchelor were one of the keynote speakers of the day - along with Harlow and Johnson - and were happy to explain how they are 'putting a new spin on the age-old social ritual of drinking.' The ex-girlfriend of The Weeknd appeared to have a good time as she shared her business knowledge with the audience, with a bright smile lighting up her face while onstage. Meanwhile Harlow discussed her sunscreen brand CAY SKIN and how it's set to be 'the most inclusive suncare brand on the market.' The beauty - who suffers from skin condition Vitiligo - created the brand after she 'suffered a severe sun burn and sun damage from an all day outdoor photoshoot, that permanently changed her vitiligo.' Stylish gal: Winnie finished off her stylish look with a pair of open-toe white heels sandals that wrapped around her legs Her runway: She made the sidewalk her runway as she strutted down the street while leaving the event A star-studded guest list was on hand for the festivities, including Olivia Culpo, who showed off her statuesque legs in a black miniskirt. She was also one of the onstage speakers at the event, chatting with Kate Spies, the CEO of Create And Cultivate. Meanwhile Twilight Saga actress Ashley Greene, who is expecting her first baby by her husband Paul Khoury, cradled her baby bump at the fete. She draped her blossoming belly in a flowing, summery maternity dress that featured an elegant floral print. Gorgeous: A star-studded guest list was on hand for the festivities, including Olivia Culpo, who showed off her statuesque legs in a black miniskirt Chitchat: She was also one of the onstage speakers at the event, chatting with Kate Spies, the CEO of Create And Cultivate Baby on board: Meanwhile Twilight Saga actress Ashley Greene, who is expecting her first baby by her husband Paul Khoury, cradled her baby bump at the fete The TV Week Logie Awards attracted widespread criticism for failing to properly acknowledge the cancellation of Neighbours last Sunday night. But it seems Australia's longest-running soap will receive the send-off it deserves at the next AACTA Awards ceremony. The AACTA Awards, sponsored by Foxtel, is set to invite the cast of Neighbours on-stage and 'make a point' of saying goodbye, Foxtel's Executive Director of Drama Brian Walsh told MediaWeek. Foxtel has announced Neighbours 'will receive the send-off it deserves' at the AACTA Awards - after the TV Week Logie Awards was slammed for failing to honour axed soap properly. Pictured: Former Neighbours stars Daniel MacPherson (left) and Natalie Bassingthwaighte (right) at the Logies on Sunday 'It was a major disappointment for me particularly because we had the cast of Neighbours in the room. What would it have taken to let them come up on stage and have their moment?' said Walsh, who worked as a publicist for Neighbours in the 1980s. Walsh described the Logies send-ff as 'dismissive', adding: 'If we're going to celebrate success on a night like the Logies then for goodness sake, please let a show that's entertained audiences for 37 years have its moment and take a bow.' Walsh vowed to right the wrongs of the Logies at the impending 12th annual AACTA Awards. The AACTA Awards, sponsored by Foxtel, is set to invite the cast of Neighbours on-stage and 'make a point' of saying goodbye, Foxtel's Executive Director of Drama Brian Walsh (pictured) told MediaWeek Walsh described the Logies send-ff as 'dismissive', adding: 'If we're going to celebrate success on a night like the Logies then for goodness sake, please let a show that's entertained audiences for 37 years have its moment and take a bow.' Pictured: The cast of Neighbours at the Logies last Sunday 'I can tell you that AACTAs this year will make a point of giving Neighbours the farewell it so richly deserves. That was a huge mistake on Sunday night.' It comes after Neighbours, which just filmed its last episode after being cancelled following a historic 37-year run, was barely mentioned at TV's night of nights, with the cast and crew having to sit through a short highlight reel and brief speech by two former stars. During the Logies' tribute, a highlight reel aired of Neighbours' most memorable moments, including fan favourites Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. During the Logies' tribute, a highlight reel aired of Neighbours' most memorable moments, including fan favourites Kylie Minogue (pictured) and Jason Donovan Neighbours alumni MacPherson, 42, and Bassingthwaighte, 46, then appeared on stage to present the award for Most Popular New Talent. Both actors had started their careers on the 10 Peach soap opera. 'I have so many amazing memories of my time on the show,' Bassingthwaighte said. Ryan Moloney (pictured), one of Neighbours' longest-serving cast members, subsequently slammed the organisers of the Logie Awards for failing to give the Aussie soap a proper send-off She namechecked Neighbours lifers Jackie Woodburne, Alan Fletcher, Stefan Dennis and Ian Smith as her 'mentors' in the industry. Ryan Moloney, one of Neighbours' longest-serving cast members, subsequently slammed the organisers of the Logie Awards for failing to give the Aussie soap a proper send-off. Moloney, who plays Jarrod 'Toadfish' Rebecchi, said on Wednesday he was 'incredibly disappointed' by the lacklustre tribute put together for the ceremony. The popular show, which just filmed its last episode after being cancelled following a historic 37-year run, was barely mentioned at TV's night of nights, with the cast and crew having to sit through a short highlight reel and brief speech by two former stars. Pictured is the 2022 cast He told 2Day FM's Hughesy, Ed and Erin the Neighbours cast members who were invited to the Logies all had bad seats with cameras obstructing their view of the stage. The Ramsay Street veteran, 42, also said it was unfair that two former Neighbours stars, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Daniel MacPherson, were invited on stage to share their memories of the soap, instead of an actor currently on the series. Moloney said the entire 2022 cast should have been invited on stage to say one final goodbye to their peers after the show was cancelled in March. Moloney (pictured with co-star Stefan Dennis at the Logies) told 2Day FM the Neighbours stars who were invited to the Logies had bad seats with cameras obstructing their view of the stage He also revealed cast members from rival soap Home and Away had approached the Neighbours crew to say how shocked they were by the lack of a proper tribute. 'We turned up, and we did our mandatory three-hour talking to people on the red carpet... When we got in the room we ended up being split up and stuck on two different tables, it was horrible!' Moloney said. 'Our table was actually even stuck behind the cameras; we couldn't even see the stage. It was incredibly disappointing the package they put together.' The Ramsay Street veteran also said it was unfair that two former Neighbours stars, Natalie Bassingthwaighte (right) and Daniel MacPherson (left), were invited on stage to share their memories of the soap, instead of an actor currently on the series Moloney went on to say the cast deserved a chance to come on stage to say their last goodbyes after the highlight reel of Neighbours' most memorable moments. 'Daniel and Nat are just absolutely gorgeous people and absolutely nothing against them, but we've got people who have been on TV for nearly 30 years each, and I think probably the least they could do is get us to say something,' he said. 'I mean we're in the bloody [Logies] Hall of Fame. That's not how you treat people and a show that's in the Hall of Fame. I mean, good luck to the Logies, really.' Neighbours was axed after the UK's Channel 5 decided in March not to renew its contract with production company Fremantle to finance and broadcast the series Leading industry blogger David Knox of TV Tonight has also criticised the Logies' Neighbours tribute, insisting the soap opera's cast should've been invited on stage to take a bow during the on-air tribute. 'Only a week ago the show wrapped 37 years of production, unsurpassed in Australian drama history,' Mr Knox wrote after the ceremony. 'That cast should have been on the stage and taken a bow. The entire room would have given them a standing ovation. The Home and Away team would have been their biggest fans on the night,' he said. Neighbours was axed after the UK's Channel 5 decided in March not to renew its contract with production company Fremantle to finance and broadcast the series. The last episode of Neighbours will air in Australia and the UK on August 1. Friends and family of Erin Jayne Plummer are still searching for answers after her sudden death. The TV presenter, 42, took her own life last month after a battle with mental illness leaving her heartbroken husband and three daughters behind. However those close to her want her death investigated. 'Erin was truly the most beautiful soul I had ever met,' one friend told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday. Friends and family of television presenter Erin Jayne Plummer (pictured) are still searching for answers after her sudden death aged 42 last month 'No words can describe how special she was and the love she had for her three girls. 'She absolutely adored her girls. There is not one person who thinks she would have left her beautiful girls this way.' Another said though Erin struggled with her mental health, she wasn't suicidal. The TV presenter reportedly took her own life last month, after a battle with mental illness, however those close to her want her death investigated 'All of us wish we could have done more to help carry the weight of her pain. But she was happy and well the last time we saw her. Even her last Instagram post showed she was excited to be back at work.' The Studio 10 host died unexpectedly last month, sparking wild online conspiracy theories she fell victim to the Covid vaccine before police confirmed her death was self-harm related. 'Erin was truly the most beautiful soul I had ever met,' one friend told The Daily Telegraph 'I want to share her pain,' one friend said in a tribute post. 'She hated nothing more than being a burden. I wish she knew it was a weight we were happy to help carry.' Erin was a doting mother and 'loved her girls boundlessly', but struggled during the Covid pandemic and had not been her 'bouncy, energetic self' in recent weeks. 'I wish we had found her a way through,' a friend said. 'All of us wish we could have done more to help carry the weight of her pain. But she was happy and well the last time we saw her. Even her last Instagram post showed she was excited to be back at work,' one friend told the publication Erin was thrust into the spotlight at a young age when she was scouted at Sydney's Manly Beach and cast in a tourism campaign that aired on NBC in America. But it was her role as a professional spruiker for which Erin was best known. During her career hosting advertorials, she appeared on Studio 10, TVSN, Mornings with Kerri-Anne and The Morning Show, and earned the nickname 'The Danoz Girl'. If you or anyone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Lori Harvey was spotted enjoying a solo outing in Los Angeles on Saturday morning. The 25-year-old media figure showed off part of her flawless physique while taking advantage of the sweltering summertime weather. The model's outing occurred a day after she attended a promotional event for her new skincare brand, SKN by LH. Out and about: Lori Harvey was spotted enjoying a solo outing in Los Angeles on Saturday morning. The 25-year-old media figure showed off part of her flawless physique while taking advantage of the sweltering summertime weather Harvey donned a tiny cropped tank top that showcased her toned tummy and sculpted arms. The influencer styled her top with matching sneakers and a pair of camouflage cargo pants. The entrepreneur accessorized with several pieces of jewelry and kept a small purse slung over her left shoulder. She threw on a pair of shades as she braved the sunshine. Harvey's gorgeous hair was tied back into a ponytail that fell onto the nape of her neck. Sporty: Harvey donned a tiny cropped tank top that showcased her toned tummy and sculpted arms. The influencer styled her top with matching sneakers and a pair of camouflage cargo pants Harvey's pal, Ray Christopher, shared a photo of himself and the star to Instagram just moments before their arrival at a promotional event for her skincare brand, SKN by LH. For the afternoon shindig, the social media personality tucked a knitted pink top into a bright orange corduroy skirt. The influencer slipped her feet into a pair of white high-heeled shoes. She rocked several pieces of sparkly jewelry and decided to tie her lovely locks back for the day. Promo mode: Harvey's pal, Ray Christopher, shared a photo of himself and the star to Instagram just moments before their arrival at a promotional event for her skincare brand, SKN by LH Harvey initially launched SKN by LH in 2021, with its first offerings being made available to the public that October. The entrepreneur began working on the brand's products in 2018, and she has since appeared in several of her line's promotional images. Harvey spoke about her company during an interview with Popsugar, where she noted that she was inspired to create skincare offerings during her battle with rosacea. 'I remember using a million different products at a time just to get my skin back healthy. I can remember thinking, there has got to be an easier way for me to do this,' she stated. Going strong: Harvey initially launched SKN by LH in 2021, with its first product line being made available to the public that October Being open: The influencer spoke about her company during an interview with Popsugar, where she noted that she was inspired to create skincare offerings during her battle with rosacea Harvey then noted that she had adopted a hands-on approach to testing out her brand's products before presenting them to fans and shoppers. 'I personally tried every single round of products on my own skin, just to make sure that everything was the best possible quality that I could put out,' she stated. Harvey noted that she started to prioritize her natural appearance over the past few years by taking care of her skin. 'I've been really embracing my natural beauty more, and just really been invested in taking care of my skin and making sure that it's healthy,' she said. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Ajay Dutt received extortion calls and death threats on his phone days after its Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha got similar calls, the party said on Saturday and demanded swift action by the Delhi Police. Addressing a joint press conference with the two MLAs, AAP national spokesperson Sanjay Singh said law and order has "completely collapsed" in Delhi and sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah's intervention for the protection of the common citizens. Singh also played an audio recording of the extortion call received by Jha on June 20 in which the caller is heard demanding Rs 10 lakh from the MLA. Calls to both Dutt and Jha were made by the same person, the Rajya Sabha MP claimed. "After our MLA Sanjeev Jha received a threat call on June 20, we lodged an FIR on June 21 and the case was handed over to the Delhi Police's Special Cell. Despite this, Jha has received as many as 24 extortion calls so far. Now, MLA Ajay Dutt has received extortion calls and death threats. Look at the audacity of the mafia," Singh said. "This is the situation in Delhi. Law and order has completely collapsed in the national capital," he charged. The caller, who identified himself as Vicky Cobra, an associate of gangster Neeraj Bawana, also threatened to kill Jha and all his family members in case he refuses to pay the protection money. Bawana is currently cooling his heels in Delhi's Tihar jail. "While speaking to Sanjeev Jha, the caller identified himself as Vicky Cobra. He identified himself as Vicky Brar during his call to demand protection money from Ajay Dutt. Both of the threat calls have been made by the same person," Singh said. Slamming the Centre over the issue, he asked what will happen to the common citizens when the MLAs are not safe in Delhi. He demanded that the Delhi Police take swift action to trace and nab the culprit. Singh said separate FIRs have been lodged in connection with the threat calls received by Dutt and Jha but the police are yet to make any breakthrough. "After lodging a complaint regarding the threat calls received by Jha, we had met the Delhi Police commissioner. We will meet him once again to demand speedy action in Ajay Dutt's case as well," he added. The AAP leader sought Shah's intervention for the restoration of law and order in Delhi and the protection of the common citizens. At the press conference Dutt said he received the call on June 22. "Calling me on WhatsApp, (the caller) demanded that I pay Rs 5 lakh as protection money else he would shoot me dead. He later also sent me a video showing how bullets will be loaded in the pistol to kill me," the Ambedkar Nagar MLA said. "I am not scared. All I want is that law and order is restored in the city and protection be provided to the common citizens from criminals," he said. Summer Walker went Live on Instagram this Saturday and announced that she is pregnant with her second baby. The 26-year-old, who shares a one-year-old daughter with her ex London On Da Track, is now expecting a child with her current beau LVRD Pharoh. 'People asking me if I'm pregnant, I am!' she dished. 'And, you know, I'm very, very, very, very happy about it, very excited about it.' Growing family: Summer Walker, pictured this April, went Live on Instagram this Saturday and announced that she is pregnant with her second baby Summer added that 'it's gonna be different from how it was before, and it's just, you know, really peaceful, really happy, lots of help, lots of love.' Since breaking up with London On Da Track, she has carried on a simmering feud with him, accusing him of being absent during Summer's first pregnancy and then 'popping in' and 'popping out' of the baby's life. In her new Instagram Live, she said she only announced her current pregnancy to the public in order to avoid its being leaked before she could have her say. 'And the only reason I'm even saying anything is because, you know, last time, I felt very disrespected that people didn't let me tell that myself,' she said. The thrill of it all: 'People asking me if I'm pregnant, I am!' she dished, adding: 'And, you know, I'm very, very, very, very happy about it, very excited about it' So happy: Summer added that 'it's gonna be different from how it was before, and it's just, you know, really peaceful, really happy, lots of help, lots of love' Looking back: 'And the only reason I'm even saying anything is because, you know, last time, I felt very disrespected that people didn't let me tell that myself,' she said 'People were taking pictures of me in stores - I know it kinda comes with the job, but clearly like, if you see somebody's pregnant and they haven't announced it yet.' Summer continued: 'People took pictures of me and sent it to The Shade Room before I could even announce my pregnancy. I thought that was very disrespectful. That made me very, very, very, very, very, very upset.' Without mentioning names, she claimed that 'some people literally tried to announce my pregnancy before me' the first time around. Baby mine: The 26-year-old, who shares a one-year-old daughter (pictured) with her ex London On Da Track, is now expecting a child with her current beau LVRD Pharoh Private: She reportedly welcomed their little girl in March of last year, and although she has yet to disclose her name she has revealed that her daughter is nicknamed 'Bubbles' 'I'm doing that this go-around. You all got me effed up. I'll just say that s*** myself. Forget y'all,' she said, before adding she was 'really, really happy' to be pregnant. Summer had a tumultuous on-off relationship with London, whom she called a 'male chauvinist' during one of their breakups. She reportedly welcomed their little girl in March of last year, and although she has yet to disclose her name she has revealed that her daughter is nicknamed 'Bubbles.' They eventually split for the final time in the middle of last year, and shortly thereafter she began dating LVRD Pharoh, whose real name is Larry. Dashing heartthrob: Summer had a tumultuous on-off relationship with London, who is pictured this Thursday at the Nahmias menswear show during Paris Fashion Week After she split from London, she appeared to take aim at him for his attitude to fatherhood, writing on her Insta Stories: 'black men gotta start doing better when it comes to being a father. my grandfather lame, my father lame, & dis n**** lame. lol and I guess the cycle will just continue.' She added: 'I guess n****s is still dealing with the shackles of mental slavery or some s***, back when white men ripped you from your families and beat you to death if you tried to protect them. It goes deep. S***s really sad.' In an apparently response to her alleged claims, London wrote: 'I'm not going to let heightened emotions, continued false narratives and accusations trick me into disrespecting the mothers of ANY of my children.' Summer and Larry: She and London eventually split for the final time in the middle of last year, and shortly thereafter she began dating LVRD Pharoh, whom she is pictured with this March By November of last year they were so firmly committed to one another that they both got face tattoos of each other's names. Near the end of 2021 Summer let loose on London's parenting in a scathing Insta Stories post, where she called Larry her daughter's 'real father.' She railed at London: 'We be the ones sleep deprived taking care of her while you out doing whatever. Just go live your life. You don't even have to keep fake kicking it with her 'cause I'm not cool with all that popping in popping out BS.' Paul McCartney's historic Glastonbury set has been lauded by fans after the music legend became the oldest solo star to headline the festival. Viewers took to Twitter to praise the show after tuning in to watch it on BBC One, as Paul wowed with his vast medley of hits, just a week after celebrating his 80th birthday. Paul's lengthy set, which had been delayed by three years due to the Covid pandemic, wasn't short of surprises as he was joined by guests Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen during the show. Stellar: Paul McCartney's historic Glastonbury set has been lauded by fans after the music legend became the oldest solo star to headline the festival Taking to the stage for his first performance at the festival in 18 years, Paul performed hits ranging from his Beatles heyday to his time with the band Wings. The pop icon earned a thunderous reception from the crowd of thousands watching the show, with many millions also watching the show air on BBC One. To no surprise Paul's set earned an overwhelmingly positive reception from viewers, with many taking to Twitter to share their reaction. One wrote: 'Anyone criticising Paul McCartney tonight can f**k right off, he's 80 and is most culturally important bloke this country has produced in a hundred years, he's beyond critcism, so b****x off.' Jaw-dropping: Viewers took to Twitter to praise the show after tuning in to watch it on BBC One, as Paul wowed with his vast medley of hits Another added: 'Why are people complaining that Paul McCartney is playing songs they don't recognise. He has a back catalogue going back more than 60 years, he can't please everyone. Also he's 80 years old and smashing it, so f**k off!' 'I don't think people understand how important it is that Paul McCartney is headlining the Glastonbury Festival in 2022, at the age of 80,' a third added. 'That's some real iconic stuff. He really is in his league. Unbelievable,' one delighted fan added. 'Paul McCartney has earned the right to play whatever songs he wants, even if his voice might not be what it once was. 'Most 80-year-olds couldn't even stand up this long let alone remember all the words and play the guitar and bass as well as anyone.,' one viewer praised. 'I want to be like Paul McCartney when I'm 80. What a legend,' another tweeted. 'Paul McCartney is simply extraordinary - 80 years old, looks 60, captivating a crowd of 100,000+ : Amazing life, amazing man and an amazing artist. Quite astounding. So so impressive,' a viewer also posted. We loved it! To no surprise Paul's set earned an overwhelmingly positive reception from viewers, with many taking to Twitter to share their reaction Elsewhere during his set Paul showed his allegiance to his pal Johnny Depp while performing his 2012 track, My Valentine, as he projected a clip of the actor from the song's music video onto the screen behind him. He recently used the footage in his recent US Get Back tour, while the Pirates Of The Caribbean star was in the midst of his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, which he later won. Also featuring Natalie Portman, the black-and-white video sees the Hollywood star playing guitar and translating the track into sign language. Paul did not address Depp's $100million court case against Amber directly during the concert but as soon as the images of the actor appeared on stage, the crowd cheered. The Love Me Do hitmaker also got the crowd to cheer for his home city of Liverpool, as well as his late bandmate John Lennon, to whom he dedicated Here Today to. The show proves a poignant moment in Paul's lengthy career, as it also came 55 years to the day since The Beatles reached the largest audience in their history, when they performed on the world's first global TV broadcast. Hailey Bieber got a thrill when she drove past the huge billboard advertising her new skincare line Rhode on Hollywood's world-famous Sunset Blvd earlier this week. Plastered on the side of a tall building, the massive promo poster features a closeup of Hailey's face with Rhode's Barrier Restore Cream dotted on her cheeks, forehead and chin. 'hello LA wave if you drive by @rhode on sunset,' Bieber, 25, wrote to her 45.5 million Instagram fans and followers in a post shared Thursday. Wow! Hailey Bieber got a thrill when she drove past the huge billboard advertising her new skincare line Rhode on world-famous Sunset Blvd in Hollywood earlier this week The billboard photo only shows the in-demand model from the neck up. Her long tresses are pulled back off of her face with a white head band, giving admirers a full view of her products in action. A video shot from inside a car as it drove past the huge advert made it onto her Instagram Stories by Friday. Wanting to show off some of Rhode's standout products, Bieber took to her Instagram to share how she incorporates them into her current beauty routine. There she is! Plastered on the side of a tall building, the massive promo poster features a closeup of Hailey's face with Rhode's Barrier Restore Cream dotted on her cheeks, forehead and chin Beauty routine: Wanting to show off some of Rhode's standout products, Bieber took to her Instagram to share how she incorporates them into her current beauty routine Her go-to products: 'Usually when my skin gets like this I only reach for products that will help calm and heal the skin while keeping bacteria away,' she continued in a follow-up Story post. Staying in promo mode, Bieber proceeded to list off Rhode's Barrier Restore Cream and the sold-out Peptide Glazing Fluid as her go-to products when her skin is flaring up 'For the past week my skin has been a little angry and irritated for I think a few factors: stress, travel, lack of sleep, PMS (premenstrual syndrome), and testing out a new product,' she wrote alongside a closeup photo of herself highlighting small blemishes on her face. 'Usually when my skin gets like this I only reach for products that will help calm and heal the skin while keeping bacteria away,' she continued in a follow-up Story post. Staying in promo mode, Bieber proceeded to list off Rhode's Barrier Restore Cream and the sold-out Peptide Glazing Fluid as her go-to products when her skin is flaring up. She also cite the brand Tower 28's facial spray and Avene's Cicalfate Restorative Cream as must-haves. Bieber also included a five-step Rhode treatment that users of the brand can follow if they're dealing with skin issues similar to her. A drive-by: A video shot from inside a car as it drove past the huge advert made it onto Bieber's Instagram Stories by Friday Launch: Bieber launched Rhode, which also happens to be the model's middle name, on June 15. On its website , which includes other photos of Bieber modeling for the company, the products are described as 'a line of curated skincare essentials made with thoughtful intention. Our formulas nourish your skin barrier to instantly give you dewy, delicious skin while improving its look and feel over time' Bieber launched Rhode, which also happens to be the model's middle name, on June 15. On its website, which includes other photos of Bieber modeling for the company, the products are described as 'a line of curated skincare essentials made with thoughtful intention. Our formulas nourish your skin barrier to instantly give you dewy, delicious skin while improving its look and feel over time.' Rhode is also advertised as 'a new philosophy on skincare', while the products are described as 'vegan, cruelty free, gluten-free and dermatologist developed.' Less than two weeks after the launch of Rhode, Bieber and the company were slapped with a trademark infringement lawsuit from a fashion company using the same name that was formed back in 2013. According to Good Morning America, the plaintiffs claim Bieber offered to purchase the RHODE trademark for clothing four years ago. Rhode is also advertised as 'a new philosophy on skincare', while the products are described as ' vegan, cruelty free, gluten-free and dermatologist developed' 'Today, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Hailey Bieber and her new skin-care line that launched last week and that is using the brand rhode,' the co-owners of the nine-year-old, minority-owned Rhode clothing company wrote in a statement. The co-owners stated that they 'didn't want to file this lawsuit,' but they had to in order to protect against brand confusion. Co-founders Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers, who filed the lawsuit on June 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, made a point of praising Bieber for creating her own skin-care line. 'We don't want to sue Hailey; we want to celebrate her. As fellow women entrepreneurs, we wish her every success,' they said in a statement. Bieber has not yet responded to the lawsuit or commented publicly on it, but a source associated with the model claims Hailey and the clothing company both have trademarks for different kinds of business, meaning the clothing company might not have a basis to sue her. Ben Stiller, John Turturro, Mystelle Brabbee, Ella Olivia Stiller and Katherine Borowitz all attended the Nantucket Film Festival in Massachusetts on Saturday. The performers all made a point of posing for a group photo while spending time with each other at the annual event. The actors, both of whom are involved in the production of the Apple TV+ series Severance, later appeared at a panel, during which the former addressed the audience that had gathered to see them speak. Showing up: Ben Stiller, John Turturro, Mystelle Brabbee, Ella Olivia Stiller and Katherine Borowitz all attended the fourth day of the Nantucket Film Festival, which took place on Saturday Stiller, 56, opted for a blue suit worn on top of a polo shirt during his time in front of the cameras. Turturro, 65, donned a navy blue jacket and matching pants, both of which were contrasted with a white button-up shirt. The Zoolander star later changed into a light brown button-up jacket and a t-shirt for the panel. The Big Lebowski cast member also switched into a blue button-up shirt and black pants while spending time with his collaborator. Working together: The actors, both of whom are involved in the production of the Apple TV+ series Severance, later appeared at a panel, during which the former addressed the audience that had gathered to see them speak Turturro stars as Irving Bailiff in the program, which is centered on a technology corporation that employs a morally dubious medical procedure on its employees. Stiller serves as one of the show's executive producers, and he directed six of its first season's episodes. Cast members include Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette and Christopher Walken, among others. The program's first run of episodes premiered this past February, and it was met with widespread critical acclaim. Doing well: The program's first run of episodes premiered this past February, and it was met with widespread critical acclaim Severance was renewed for a second season, with an announcement being made this past April. Stiller issued a statement about the renewal and expressed via Variety that he was grateful for the support of the series' fans. 'It's really exciting to see the response from people who are loving the show and the level of fan engagement,' he said. Another one: Severance was renewed for a second season, with an announcement being made this past April He also expressed that he had been working on the program for an extended period of time and remarked that he was excited to keep working on the project. 'I first read Dan's pilot over five years ago. It has always been a multi season story and I'm really happy we get to continue it,' he stated. Apple TV+'s head of programming, Matt Cherniss, also gave a statement to the media outlet where he described Stiller as 'brilliant.' High praise: Apple TV+'s head of programming, Matt Cherniss, also gave a statement to the media outlet where he described Stiller as 'brilliant' The media executive also noted that the company was ready to give fans more of what they wanted with the show's next run of episodes. 'We're excited to go deeper into this wholly unique world and unpack more layers of Lumon in season two,' he said. The premiere date for Severance's second season has not been revealed as of yet. Paul McCartney showed his support for Ukraine during his historic headline show at Glastonbury on Saturday, as the country remains gripped by a war with Russia. The Beatles legend, 80, returned to the stage for an encore performance brandishing the country's flag, earning a huge cheer as he waved it over his head. It comes after it was reported Paul had removed the song Back In The USSR from his planned Glastonbury set and all future shows in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Honouring: Paul McCartney, 80, showed his support for Ukraine as he waved the country's flag during his historic headline show at Glastonbury on Saturday After a stunning performance of his song Hey Jude, Paul bide farewell to the crowd and left the stage, but following calls for an encore returned to the stage with a flag in his hand. As he waved the flag over his head, the hitmaker, who has made a similar gesture during shows on his tour, earned a huge cheer from the crowd. It was reported last week that Paul had chosen to axe The Beatles song Back In The USSR from all future shows in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sensational: The Beatles legend returned to the stage for an encore performance brandishing the country's flag, earning a huge cheer as he waved it over his head Support: It comes after it was reported Paul had removed the song Back In The USSR from his planned Glastonbury set and all future shows in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine Devastating: Large parts of Ukraine have been devastated by the Russian invasion, with millions forced to flee their homes (Kharkiv is pictured on June 25) The satirical Cold War-themed track pokes fun at Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys' odes to America, and is told from the perspective of a Russian spy returning from America. A source told The Mirror: 'It would be perverse to be singing a jaunty rock n roll song about Russia. 'Paul couldnt in all conscience sing those lyrics when so many are being brutally massacred at the hands of Russia. 'The song is such a massive crowd favourite but with the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, it was a simple decision by Paul to make.' Stellar: Paul's Glastonbury set was lauded by fans after the music legend became the oldest solo star to headline the festival Paul's historic Glastonbury set was lauded by fans as the music legend wowed with his vast medley of hits, just a week after celebrating his 80th birthday. Taking to the stage for his first performance at the festival in 18 years, Paul performed hits ranging from his Beatles heyday to his time with the band Wings. The pop icon earned a thunderous reception from the crowd of thousands watching the show, with many millions also watching the show air on BBC One. To no surprise Paul's set earned an overwhelmingly positive reception from viewers, with many taking to Twitter to share their reaction. One wrote: 'Anyone criticising Paul McCartney tonight can f**k right off, he's 80 and is most culturally important bloke this country has produced in a hundred years, he's beyond critcism, so b****x off.' Jaw-dropping: Viewers took to Twitter to praise the show after tuning in to watch it on BBC One, as Paul wowed with his vast medley of hits Another added: 'Why are people complaining that Paul McCartney is playing songs they don't recognise. He has a back catalogue going back more than 60 years, he can't please everyone. Also he's 80 years old and smashing it, so f**k off!' 'I don't think people understand how important it is that Paul McCartney is headlining the Glastonbury Festival in 2022, at the age of 80,' a third added. 'That's some real iconic stuff. He really is in his league. Unbelievable,' one delighted fan added. 'Paul McCartney has earned the right to play whatever songs he wants, even if his voice might not be what it once was. 'Most 80-year-olds couldn't even stand up this long let alone remember all the words and play the guitar and bass as well as anyone,' one viewer praised. 'I want to be like Paul McCartney when I'm 80. What a legend,' another tweeted. 'Paul McCartney is simply extraordinary - 80 years old, looks 60, captivating a crowd of 100,000+ : Amazing life, amazing man and an amazing artist. Quite astounding. So so impressive,' a viewer also posted. We loved it! To no surprise Paul's set earned an overwhelmingly positive reception from viewers, with many taking to Twitter to share their reaction Elsewhere during his set, Paul showed his allegiance to his pal Johnny Depp while performing his 2012 track, My Valentine, as he projected a clip of the actor from the song's music video onto the screen behind him. He recently used the footage in his recent US Get Back tour, while the Pirates Of The Caribbean star was in the midst of his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, which he later won. Also featuring Natalie Portman, the black-and-white video sees the Hollywood star playing guitar and translating the track into sign language. Paul did not address Depp's $100million court case against Amber directly during the concert but as soon as the images of the actor appeared on stage, the crowd cheered. The Love Me Do hitmaker also got the crowd to cheer for his home city of Liverpool, as well as his late bandmate John Lennon, to whom he dedicated Here Today to. The show proves a poignant moment in Paul's lengthy career, as it also came 55 years to the day since The Beatles reached the largest audience in their history, when they performed on the world's first global TV broadcast. Lily Anne Harrison proudly showed off her burgeoning baby bump on Instagram, after announcing she's expecting her first child with fiance Peter Facinelli. The Christmas Camp actress, 33, posted a close-up snap of her belly as she relaxed on a sofa in a floral dress, writing, 'Not a burrito belly.' Meanwhile the Twilight star, 48, came back with a cheeky retort, commenting: 'Youre pregnant? Why didnt you tell me?' along with a shocked eyes emoji. Expecting: Lily Anne Harrison, 33, proudly showed off her burgeoning baby bump on Instagram, after announcing she's expecting her first child with fiance Peter Facinelli, 48 His amused partner simply replied with three crying-out-laughing emojis and three red hearts. Harrison glowed in the snap, showing off her natural beauty with no makeup, and wearing her blonde tresses pulled into an updo. Earlier in the day the star revealed that she is pregnant during a panel titled Behind-The-Scenes of Creating a Hallmark Movie, in West Palm Beach. Cheeky: Meanwhile the Twilight star, 48, came back with a cheeky retort, commenting: 'Youre pregnant? Why didnt you tell me?' along with a shocked eyes emoji Soon-to-be parents: Earlier in the day the actress spilled the beans on her pregnancy news at a panel in West Palm Beach, gushing that she is 'very pregnant'; Pictured in 2015 She announced the exciting news by gushing she is 'very pregnant' according to Us Weekly, just three weeks after stepping out with a visible baby bump this month Los Angeles. While the couple's nuptials have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrison also gushed about knowing 'immediately' that she would marry the actor after their first date. 'I sat down with him, and I knew immediately that he was my husband,' she gushed, before admitting to calling her parents to let them know. Meant to be: Harrison also gushed about knowing she would marry the actor after their first date: 'I sat down with him, and I knew immediately that he was my husband'; Pictured 2020 In 2020, the duo got engaged during a holiday getaway to Mazatlan, Mexico. 'Both are beyond elated,' a rep for the New York City native told the outlet, 'and are very much looking forward to all that the New Year will bring.' The Nurse Jackie actor already shares three daughters - Luca, 24, Lola, 19, and Fiona, 15 - with his ex-wife Jennie Garth, 50, whom he was married to from 2001 until their 2012 split. Dad: The actor already shares three daughters - Luca, 24, Lola, 19, and Fiona, 15 - with his ex-wife Jennie Garth, whom he was married to from 2001 until their 2012 split; Pictured 2010 The actor opened up about how his marriage influenced his approach to communication in his relationship with Harrison, in an April 12 episode of the Allison Interviews podcast. 'I think when Lily and I got together, it was so wonderful and I said to her, "I really want to hold onto this. I want to be really careful with each other, and lets really work hard every day to not get into bad habits,"' he stated. 'It has been six years and Im really proud of the relationship that we have because we rarely ever raise our voice to each other ever,' he gushed. Facinelli was also previously engaged to Blindspot actress Jaimie Alexander, 38, after they co-starred together in the 2012 film Loosies. They announced their engagement in March 2015 but split in February 2016. Elle Ferguson has cut a lucrative new deal just days after she was brutally sledged by Scott Cam for quitting The Block after just two days on the building site. As reported by Emerald City, the influencer, 36, is officially working with Kim Kardashian to promote the American reality star's shapewear brand Skims. Elle is the only Australia celebrity to partner with the brand, and has modelled pieces from the latest Skims range in a photoshoot on Instagram. Elle Ferguson, 36, (left) has cut a lucrative new deal promoting Kim Kardashian's (right) brand Skims - just days after she was brutally sledged by Scott Cam for quitting The Block after just two days on the building site 'Kim to me is a constant inspiration. She proves you can do it all,' Elle told Emerald City on Sunday. 'I remember not so long ago there was a presumption that if you were modelling the underwear that's all you could do, but now you can wear the underwear and also run the business,' she said. It comes days after Scott Cam defended his claim that Elle and Joel were 'unAustralian' for quitting The Block. Elle is the only Australia celebrity to partner with the brand, and has modelled pieces from the latest Skims range in a photoshoot on Instagram 'Kim to me is a constant inspiration. She proves you can do it all,' Elle told Emerald City on Sunday Elle and Joel downed tools in April - just 48 hours into production - after his mother suffered a nasty fall at home in Adelaide. 'Obviously I wish Joel and Elle success in the future. It's just that they created a fair bit of chaos for us here in the first 48 hours,' Scott said on Friday during a media event in country Victoria. 'The show... we put a lot of time and money into the start of our show and then we had to rejig the whole thing... the whole promos had to be re-shot,' he explained. It comes days after Scott Cam (pictured) defended his claim that Elle and Joel were 'unAustralian' for quitting The Block 'It was just a lot of angst on our part when they just parted the way they did.' Scott said 'the great news' is that they 'got another couple to come and they're terrific'. At Sunday night's Logie Awards, Scott slammed the couple's decision to leave the show because of a family emergency as 'unAustralian' and 'p**s poor'. 'Obviously I wish Joel and Elle success in the future. It's just that they created a fair bit of chaos for us here in the first 48 hours,' Scott said on Friday during a media event in country Victoria. Pictured is Joel and Elle at the Elvis Sydney premier, June 5 Scott had told TV Tonight on the Logies red carpet: 'We had a 48-hour challenge to choose the house that you get and they scarpered after 48 hours. 'It's something that's never happened before. 'Forty-five thousand people applied to be on The Block and win life-changing money. These guys got on and they just couldn't handle the pace after 48 hours. 'The show... we put a lot of time and money into the start of our show and then we had to rejig the whole thing... the whole promos had to be re-shot,' he said. 'It was just a lot of angst on our part when they just parted the way they did' 'Which to me is a bit unAustralian! Have a go! It's p**s poor.' The couple made the difficult decision to leave the Channel Nine renovation show in April after Joel's mum Trish fractured her neck during a fall at her home in Adelaide. The former AFL star's mother reportedly broke her coccyx and fractured her wrist. Scott said at the Logie Awards on Sunday that the couple's decision to leave the show because of a family emergency was 'unAustralian' and 'p**s poor' After their exit, Elle shared a photo to Instagram of the pair's suitcases at Melbourne Airport, and captioned it: 'Wherever you are in the world, whatever you are doing, family always comes first.' A Nine spokesperson confirmed their departure to Daily Mail Australia, saying: 'Over the weekend, we were surprised to have one of our new contestant teams depart The Block a few days into filming for the upcoming season. 'We wish them all the best for the future and we're excited to cast two new Aussies for the opportunity of a lifetime on The Block. The Block Tree Change will air as scheduled later this year.' After their exit, Elle shared this photo to Instagram of their suitcases at Melbourne Airport, and wrote: 'Wherever you are in the world, whatever you are doing, family always comes first' Todd Carney emerged from his Benowa Waters home on the Gold Coast on Saturday after his split from his MAFS star fiancee Susie Bradley and her recent health scare. The former NRL star, 36, who shares one-year-old son Lion Daryl with cosmetic nurse Susie, who he began dating in 2019, looked downcast as he got into an Uber. Bradley, 29, was rushed to hospital after collapsing at her Gold Coast home last Saturday and is taking temporary leave from her beauty clinic business. Todd Carney, 36, looked downcast as he got into an Uber at his Gold Coast home on Saturday (pictured) after his Married At First Sight star ex-fiancee Susie Bradley was rushed to hospital Carney dressed casually in a white T-shirt that offered glimpses of his tattoos, black jeans and sneakers. The sighting comes just days after Bradley broke her silence on Instagram, announcing that she has taken temporary leave from her beauty clinic business. 'To my beautiful clients, second to my family and friends, my clients and your happiness are what makes me shine,' the mother of two wrote on Thursday. Bradley (pictured with Carney in happier times), 29, was rushed to hospital after collapsing at her Gold Coast home last Saturday and is taking temporary leave from her beauty clinic business Carney dressed casually in a white T-shirt that offered glimpses of his tattoos, black jeans and sneakers as he left his Benowa Waters home The former NRL star shares one-year-old son Lion Daryl with cosmetic nurse Bradley, who he began dating in 2019 'So that you can have the very best from me which you all deserve, I have had to make the decision not to return to work until July 4,' she added, before confirming missed appointments would be 'rescheduled'. Bradley chose not to share details of her recent health scare, nor the reason why she is unable to work for the rest of the month. 'Please know how deeply I understand my not being available can impact your appointments / things you may have had planned etc. and if it would be possible for me to return to work sooner I absolutely would,' she continued. Carney broke his silence on Bradley's health in an interview on Wednesday After days of silence, Bradley returned to Instagram on Thursday to announce she had taken temporary leave from her beauty clinic business 'I appreciate both your support and understanding.' Bradley's post was accompanied by a photo of herself wearing fluffy yellow slippers. A day prior, Carney gave fans an update on her health, telling The Courier-Mail that she was out of hospital and 'fine'. 'She's in a fit and well place. She'll probably go back to work in the next couple of days,' he told the publication. Bradley chose not to share details of her recent health scare, nor the reason why she is unable to work for the rest of the month Carney gave fans an update on her health, telling The Courier-Mail on Wednesday that she was out of hospital and 'fine' He declined to comment on the incident, but categorically disputed a version given by emergency service sources. 'Our relationship status is irrelevant to the whole conversation,' Carney said. Bradley was reportedly in a serious condition when emergency services arrived to her Benowa Waters home on the Gold Coast last Saturday. The incident came just hours after Bradley confirmed she had ended her engagement to the retired rugby league star. The MAFS alum was reportedly in a serious condition when emergency services arrived to her Benowa Waters home last Saturday Earlier on Saturday, she had shared photos on Instagram of herself posing in a tight grey mini-dress with a glass of wine in hand. Looking anything but heartbroken, Bradley wrote in her caption: 'Officially a member of the Hot Single Girl's Club! What's good to do?' The newly single reality star added the hashtag #IfYouCan'tLaughYou'llCry. Bradley confirmed her break-up with Carney after dropping several hints on Instagram about her relationship status. She posted a sombre photo last Wednesday of herself sitting next to a swimming pool, alongside a broken-heart emoji. The incident came just hours after Bradley (pictured hours before she was hospitalised) confirmed she had ended her engagement to Carney A day earlier she uploaded a cryptic post about her mental health, and also deleted all traces of Carney from her Instagram. The ex-Cronulla Sharks player has also deleted his Instagram account. The former couple started dating in 2019, with Carney stepping into the role of stepfather to Bradley's eight-year-old daughter, Baby. They welcomed their first child together, a boy named Lion Daryl, in April last year. Bradley confirmed her break-up with Carney after dropping several hints on Instagram about her relationship status, including this picture of the ocean, which she captioned: 'Numb' Bradley 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. Carney 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 Nadia Bartel is on a mission to rebuild her public image, nine months after her white powder snorting scandal. The former WAG debuted her label Henne at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney in May and celebrated the opening of its flagship Melbourne boutique on Wednesday. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, the 37-year-old that while she 'can't change' people's opinions of her, she would love for people to see 'how hard' she works. Nadia Bartel (pictured), 37, revealed in an interview on Sunday that while she 'can't change' people's opinions of her, she would love for people to see 'how hard' she works 'Anyone can have their own perception of me, though I can tell you that most of the ones in the media are false,' she said. 'Over time I would love for people to see how hard I work, but I'm not going to tell them what to think.' Nadia continued: 'You can't change other people's opinions. Your friends and family know who you are.' 'Anyone can have their own perception of me, though I can tell you that most of the ones in the media are false,' the fashion designer told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'Over time I would love for people to see how hard I work, but I'm not going to tell them what to think' Nadia debuted her label Henne at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney in May (pictured) and celebrated the opening of its flagship Melbourne boutique on Wednesday At her fashion week debut in May, Nadia looked chic in a black power suit and told the Herald Sun that it's a 'very proud moment' for the brand. 'When we launched Henne three years ago I always had hoped that one day we could show at AAFW,' Nadia told the publication. 'It is incredibly exciting and a very proud moment for us to be partnering with the festival to showcase a collection that is made for her, a collection that can be intermixed and worn anywhere, anytime.' Nadia's brand continues to go from strength to strength after she launched it just three years ago. 'When we launched Henne three years ago I always had hoped that one day we could show at AAFW,' Nadia told the Herald Sun in May 'It is incredibly exciting and a very proud moment for us to be partnering with the festival to showcase a collection that is made for her, a collection that can be intermixed and worn anywhere, anytime,' she continued Henne has been a runaway success with the word being Swedish for 'her'. The website lists its core values as a commitment to women's voices, circularity, mindful consumption, working conditions, and environmental impact. 'Each piece has been designed to be loved and worn for longer than just one season,' the website reads. Nadia has continued to put her infamous white powder snorting scandal behind her. AFL WAG and Nadia's best pal Rebecca Judd was on hand to support her at Fashion Week (pictured). Bec looked chic in one of the label's body-hugging ribbed dresses Last year, she was filmed snorting a line off a cheap K-mart plate during one of Melbourne's six Covid lockdowns. Damning footage from the gathering was posted online by mistake, by her friend and business partner Ellie Pearson. Nadia issued an apology on Instagram just 24 hours after the video leaked. The mother of two has continued to put her infamous white powder snorting scandal behind her. Last year, she was filmed snorting a line off a cheap K-mart plate during one of Melbourne's six Covid lockdowns 'Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions,' she wrote. 'I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in [the] future. The ex-wife of Geelong great Jimmy Bartel and three other women were each fined $5,452 for breaking lockdown rules. Nicole Kidman has reportedly purchased a fifth apartment in the same Sydney block where she owns four other properties. According to Domain on Sunday, 'settlement records show Kidman's corporate interests have paid $1.35million' for a one-bedroom apartment in Milsons Point's Latitude Building. Kidman, 55, who owns property in different company names, purchased a two-bedroom apartment in the building last year for $2.78million, another in 2011 for $2.68million and consolidated two penthouses for a combined $13million. Nicole Kidman, 55, (pictured) Nicole Kidman has reportedly purchased a fifth apartment in the same Sydney block where she owns four other properties The latest purchase is reportedly located on level four and includes a car space. Based off photos from the other apartments, the building offers incredible Harbour Bridge views thanks to a wide balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows. Apartments take on a contemporary feel with a modern kitchen and a neutral colour palette. According to Domain on Sunday, 'settlement records show Kidman's corporate interests have paid $1.35million' for a one-bedroom apartment in Milsons Point's Latitude Building. Pictured is the stunning view from another apartment in the building Nicole's corporate interests previously purchased Kidman, who owns property in different company names, purchased a two-bedroom apartment in the building last year for $2.78million, another in 2011 for $2.68million and consolidated two penthouses for a combined $13million It's understood the two-bedroom apartment purchased last year is being leased, while the 2011 purchase is used as a gym. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Nicole's representative for comment. The report comes after Nicole shared a rare wedding picture with husband Keith Urban, 54, with her 8.4million Instagram followers on Saturday. The latest purchase is reportedly located on level four and includes a car space. Pictured is one of the other apartments Apartments take on a contemporary feel with a modern kitchen and a neutral colour palette Exactly 16 years after tying the knot with the country superstar, Nicole marked their anniversary by posting a beautiful photo of her groom lighting a unity candle during a traditional Catholic ceremony in Sydney. 'Sweet XVI Remember this like it was yesterday. Forever,' the actress captioned the beautiful image, which captured her in a one-shoulder Balenciaga dress. Nicole looked radiant in the snap with a chic bridal veil and her strawberry blonde hair styled in ringlets. Keith cut a dapper figure in a black suit with a white rose pinned to his lapel, a matching tie and a crisp white dress shirt. The power couple are proud parents to daughters Sunday Rose, 13, and Faith Margaret, 11. The report comes after Nicole shared this rare wedding picture with husband Keith Urban, 54, in her hometown of Sydney back in 2006 with her 8.4million Instagram followers on Saturday The tussle between the Arvind Kejriwal Government and Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Vinai Kuma Saxena is expected to intensify in the days to come as the former has accused Raj Niwas of not clearing a file that would allow Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to go to Singapore to attend the World Cities Summit scheduled for August 2-3. There was no immediate reaction from the L-Gs office on the matter. Several files are stuck with the Lt-Governor for many days because of a lack of administrative experience. Among these is the file for the CM to go to Singapore to attend the World Cities Summit. That file has been pending for three weeks, a source said. Kejriwal had said on June 2 that the High Commissioner of Singapore Simon Wong had invited him and he had accepted the invitation. Sources said that the file was sent to Saxena on June 7. Sources claimed that even files on small issues are "stuck" with the L-Gs office and it may affect governance and cause long delays in public interest work in Delhi. According to protocol, any Minister including the Chief Minister or his Deputy, has to take approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs for official visits abroad. The file seeking such an approval is routed to the MHA through the L-G. The World Cities Summit is an exclusive platform for Government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge new partnerships. It is jointly organised by Singapore's Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Earlier this week, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that Saxena had permitted a probe into allegations of irregularities in the construction of Government hospitals without following the due procedure of taking permission from the Delhi Government. He said that Saxenas predecessor, Anil Baijal, had concluded that it was a frivolous complaint and it was politically motivated. Now the new L-G has reopened the investigation by transferring it to the ACB, Sisodia said. Terming the case fake, he wrote to the L-G, requesting him to withdraw the permission given for the probe. He alleged that BJP leaders were trying to stall the construction of more Government hospitals in Delhi by filing frivolous complaints. Earlier this month, some AAP MLAs including Atishi had accused the L-G of "intruding" in the Delhi Government's work and "conspiring" to derail democracy as he visited two Delhi Jal Board facilities and a sewage treatment plant on June 4. After meeting Saxena, the MLAs, including former Delhi Minister Somnath Bharti alleged that the L-G told them that not just the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Police, but the whole of Delhi is under his control. Bharti said that the L-G made this statement when the AAP MLAs raised several issues before him including some pertaining to law and order. Advertisement Lil' Kim put on an extraordinarily busty display Saturday night during the first day of the Pride Island event, held on Governors Island in New York Harbor. The 47-year-old rap star hit the stage in a clinging tiger print bodysuit that was sheer enough to reveal that she was bra-less. In keeping with the Pride theme of the festivities, she rocked a long, flowing hairdo that featured rainbow highlights. Busty bombshell: Lil' Kim hit the stage Saturday night during the first day of the Pride Island event, held on Governors Island in New York Harbor She pulled a latticed black leather corset over the ensemble and added a belt, emphasizing the classic hourglass effect. Adding a splash of glitz to the look with jewelry, she sharpened her unmistakable features with heavy makeup and strutted her stuff on a pair of black boots. Lil' Kim, whose Christian name is Kimberly Jones and who herself is a born and bred New Yorker, was part of a star-studded lineup at the festival. Use it or lose it: The 47-year-old rap star hit the stage in a clinging tiger print bodysuit that was sheer enough to reveal that she was bra-less Other acts at the two-day extravaganza include Netta, Raye, Shenseea, headliner Kim Petras and the art collective Papi Juice. Lil' Kim herself has always enjoyed a devoted gay fanbase, and when she covered Out in 1999 she offered her own theories as to why. 'Gay people love it when a person goes over the top, when a person shows that they don't care,' she said to the magazine. Bringing the look together: She pulled a latticed black leather corset over the ensemble and added a belt, emphasizing the classic hourglass effect Strutting her stuff: Adding a splash of glitz to the look with jewelry, she sharpened her unmistakable features with heavy makeup and strutted her stuff on a pair of black boots 'And they like people with confidence because they have to have a lot of confidence to be the way that they are. I mean, I'm like whatever - if you don't like it, I don't care. F*** you. I'm going to wear this anyway.' The native Brooklynite clarified that 'I also try to have a good spirit about it. I can't go on stage with my t**** hanging out and not act like I love what I do because then it would come off raunchy, not classy.' Said she: 'Gay people see me as Grace Jones, Tina Turner, Prince, or Madonna - all those people that have gone over the top and just don't give a damn about what anybody says. And they love people who are stars because, you know, gay people always feel like they're stars.' Michael Gandolfini was spotted while taking a stroll through New York City's streets on Saturday. The 23-year-old performer kept his headphones on while heading back to his residence and walking through his hometown's avenues. The son of Sopranos star James Gandolfini is also involved with several projects that are set to head to the big screen in the future. Out and about: Michael Gandolfini was spotted while taking a stroll through New York City's streets on Saturday Gandolfini kept it casual in a plaid button-up shirt and a pair of slim-fitting gray pants during his outing. The performer's breakout role was in The Many Saints of Newark, which was released last year. The actor played a younger version of Tony Soprano, a role that was previously filled by his late father. The movie, which also starred performers such as Alessandro Nivola and Vera Farmiga, received primarily positive reviews upon its release. Enjoying himself: The 23-year-old performer kept his headphones on while heading back to his hotel and walking through his hometown's streets Gandolfini has since been attached to the production of several films which are set to be released in the near future. The performer will appear in the upcoming comedy-horror feature Disappointment Blvd. The movie will follow an entrepreneur over several decades of his life as he navigates success and tribulations. The cast of the project will be led by Joaquin Phoenix and will include figures such as Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone and Amy Ryan, among others. Staying busy: Gandolfini has since been attached to the production of several films which are set to be released in the near future; he is seen earlier this month Gandolfini will also appear in the forthcoming feature Cat Person, which is based on Kristen Roupenian's short story of the same name. The feature will be centered on the brief relationship between a college student and a man that she meets while working at a movie theater. The cast of the movie will include performers such as Emilia Jones, Nicholas Braun and Liza Koshy. The forthcoming film's release date has not been revealed to the public as of yet. On screen: Gandolfini will also appear in the forthcoming feature Cat Person, which is based on Kristen Roupenian's short story of the same name; he is seen in March Gandolfini is prepping for the release of the upcoming science fiction feature, Landscape with Invisible Hand. The movie, which is based on the 2017 novel of the same name, is centered on a pair of teenagers who attempt to make money by broadcasting their dating lives to their alien overlords. The Tiffany Haddish-starring feature completed production this past March, and its release date has not been announced. She's the original MasterChef Australia winner and regarded as one of the country's most accomplished home cooks. And on Sunday, Julie Goodwin revealed what it was really like returning to the kitchen for the Channel 10 cooking show. 'I was kind of at peace with the idea that they'd got me back as a bit of a novelty. A bit of nostalgia, look who's coming back, it's the very first winner,' the 51-year-old told The Sydney Morning Herald. Julie Goodwin, 51, (pictured) has spoken about her competitive side and what it was really like filming MasterChef Australia: Fans V Faves this year 'I think the competition has moved along, there was no expectation that I was going to stick around for long. And I kind of had that feeling for myself as well.' Julie said she was initially happy to just enjoy the MasterChef experience for a second time, but it wasn't too long until she became competitive. 'I've got a fairly competitive spirit, so I wasn't gonna just lie down. And what I found in my first season was if you have your ears open and your mind open and you're willing to take advice and learn and grow, that you can keep up,' she explained. 'I was kind of at peace with the idea that they'd got me back as a bit of a novelty. A bit of nostalgia,' Julie told The Sydney Morning Herald this week It comes after Julie revealed that she'd consulted her psychologist before agreeing to join MasterChef Australia : Fans V Faves this year. Goodwin has been open about her battle with anxiety and depression following her drink-driving arrest four years ago. Speaking to Woman's Day last week, Julie admitted she feared returning to the cooking competition would be detrimental to her mental health. '[My mental health] was a massive discussion when I was asked to do [MasterChef],' the cookbook author explained. 'I didn't just say yes. I talked to my family, I talked to my psychologist, and it was a decision that was made in a very considered way because at the end of the day, I didn't want to be back at the bottom of a dark place,' she continued. The mother of three, who spent five weeks at a mental health facility in 2020, worked out a coping strategy in case things became too mentally taxing. 'I've got a fairly competitive spirit, so I wasn't gonna just lie down. And what I found in my first season was if you have your ears open and your mind open and you're willing to take advice and learn and grow, that you can keep up,' she explained 'They've worked around the filming schedule to allow me to still have my psychology appointments and to get out early in the morning to do my exercise. They touch base with me constantly to make sure I'm okay,' she said. Julie sent shockwaves through the culinary world four years ago when she was charged with drink driving twice over the legal limit. She was caught after trying to evade a police breath test. Julie sent shockwaves through the culinary world four years ago when she was charged with drink driving twice over the legal limit. (Pictured arriving at Gosford Local Court in May 2018) After fronting up at court with her husband and acknowledging it was 'an error in judgment' and 'accepting full responsibility', Julie was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for six months. She later revealed she had been suffering from depression and spent five weeks in a mental health facility. Julie spoke about about her battle with depression in an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly in 2020. She said she found comfort in her baby granddaughter, Delilah. 'In the midst of that really awful time I had decided that I was done,' Julie said. 'I had nothing left to do, my work here was done. That's where I found myself. That landed me in hospital a bunch of times. She later revealed she had been suffering from depression and spent five weeks in a mental health facility. Amid her mental health battle, she found comfort in her granddaughter, Delilah 'So, I'm trying to figure out if my life here is not done, then what the hell is it? Delilah is obviously a massive part of that. She's a tiny little human who I want to be around for.' Julie, who is known for her hearty home recipes, famously beat runner-up Poh Ling Yeow on season one of MasterChef Australia in 2009. For confidential support, contact Lifeline on 131 114 Christine Quinn is taking her real-estate expertise to the Sunshine State! The Selling Sunset star was spotted stepping out along a scenic waterfront in Miami, Florida looking ultra chic in a strapless LBD and sky-high heels. Quinn announced on Instagram that she has been hired to sell the Bentley Residences, a massive building that stands 749 foot high and more than 60 stories that features more than 200 luxury apartments. Heating things up! Christine Quinn is taking her real-estate expertise to the Sunshine State! The Selling Sunset star was spotted stepping out along a scenic waterfront in Miami, Florida looking ultra chic in a strapless LBD and sky-high heels Quinn, 33, struck a few poses while strolling along a dock on that Miami waterfront. Her minidress was all about showcasing her statuesque 5ft9in figure with its leggy design. The realtor also donned a pair of gold open-toe heels that matched perfectly with her gold handbag. And on this day she had her dyed blonde tresses styled straight and sleek, just past her shoulders with a part in the middle. Fashionista: Quinn, 33, struck a few poses while strolling along a dock on that Miami waterfront. Her minidress was all about showcasing her statuesque 5ft9in figure with its leggy design Quinn sizzled in a curve-clinging pink minidress in a series of snaps that she posted on her Instagram page on Friday. 'She selling Miami now,' she wrote in the caption, in a reference to her being hired to sell the luxury Bentley Residences in Miami. The realtor matched her sizzling pink number with a stylish purse, and had her blonde locks styled in the same straight and sleek style. At one point, she kneeled down for a few photos, which included her flinging her head to the side in a playful manner. Boss moves: Quinn announced on Instagram that she has been hired to sell the Bentley Residences, a massive building that stands 749 foot high and more than 60 stories that features more than 200 luxury apartments Moving and shaking: Quinn declared she's' selling in Miami now' in the caption Put together: Quinn sizzled in a curve-clinging pink minidress in a series of snaps that she posted on her Instagram page on Friday Back for more: Selling Sunset recently was renewed for two more seasons Later in the evening on Saturday, Quinn revealed her deal to sell properties at the Bentley Residences. 'So honored to be selling The Bentley Residences in Miami with RealOpen,' she wrote across the bottom of a video she posted on her Instagram Stories. In the clip, which appears to be taken during meetings with the client, she can be seen wearing that very same black minidress. One of the unique perks of the building is a patented car elevator that's at the core of the building. Homes will have an in-unit multi-car garage, a private balcony, pool, sauna and outdoor shower, along with gorgeous ocean and bayside views The amenities will include a gym, spa, whisky bar and restaurant, according to the Bentley Residences website. She a player: Later in the evening on Saturday, Quinn revealed her deal to sell properties at the Bentley Residences Something to say: The Selling Sunset star revealed 'the boss b**ches Selling Miami East Coast play: Quinn also shared that she will be 'selling Florida sunsets now' Promo mode: The reality star attended an event related to the Bentley Residences on Saturday Julia Fox put her washboard abs on display while attending the MADE x PayPal Class of 2022 Group Show at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City on Saturday. Kanye West's ex-girlfriend, 32, donned a fashionable burgundy crocodile leather crop top that attached to her floor-length matching coat with a belt. The Uncut Gems actress continued in the same theme, finalizing her look with matching leather pants and black heels. Fit: Julia Fox put her washboard abs on display while attending the MADE x PayPal Class of 2022 Group Show at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City on Saturday The MADE x PayPal show is a 'two-day event celebrating the next generation of fashion, music, culture, and community in New York City.' The brunette beauty shielded her eyes with a pair of large black sunglasses, which matched her long black nails. The mom-of-one wore her long tresses parted in the middle, and cascading down her shoulders and back. Fashionista: Kanye West's ex-girlfriend, 32, donned a fashionable burgundy crocodile leather crop top, that attached to her floor-length matching coat with a belt The self-proclaimed #1 Hustler sported a matte red lipstick for the occasion, and added a touch of bling to the look with a pair of silver earrings. Fox was recently delighted to announce that she landed on the cover of the July edition of Vogue Czechoslovakia, saying she 'still can't believe' it, and adding that the editors did not inform her until she wrapped the shoot. 'My heart skipped a beat! I genuinely had no idea. I thought it was just a spread and honestly I was just so happy to be in Vogue at all I didn't care!' she wrote on Instagram. Sultry look: The Uncut Gems actress flashed a bit of underboob in the skimpy top Anyway here we are now and I'm still gagged and so grateful to everyone involved. And especially thank you to my fans (& haters) cuz without u guys this wouldn't be possible. I love you all!' Though she previously hinted at plans to write a tell-all book about her short-lived romance with Kim Kardashian's ex-husband, 45, Fox recently revealed that she 'doesn't think' he will be featured in it. Speaking with People on June 17, the rising star said her upcoming memoir-style 'masterpiece' book is 'halfway done' and should hit shelves 'in about a year,' but when asked whether the musician would be included she said: 'I don't think so.' Grateful: In demand: The actress recently revealed 'still can't believe' she landed on the cover of the July edition of Vogue Czechoslovakia as the editors did not inform her until she wrapped the shoot. 'My heart skipped a beat! I genuinely had no idea. I thought it was just a spread and honestly I was just so happy to be in Vogue at all I didn't care!' she wrote on Instagram Fox also admitted she has not spoken to the Donda rapper since their split: 'I just got so busy, and, like, I don't know. Life happens.' Kanye and Julia started dating in January 2022, after meeting on New Year's Eve, and then moved at warp speed into a full-blown relationship, with the actress even penning an essay about their romance. Their love came to a screeching halt in February 2022, after six weeks of dating, with Julia confirming the breakup on Instagram, as she said she had love for Kanye but wasnt 'in love' with him. Kanye did not comment on the breakup, but has since moved on with 24-year-old Instagram model Chaney Jones. Bachelorette star Brooke Blurton has put her feud with Abbie Chatfield to rest in an Instagram post on Sunday. Brooke, 27, praised Abbie, also 27, for being 'honest and vulnerable' by sharing her own experiences with abortion amid the U.S. Supreme Court's anti-abortion ruling. In her candid Instagram post, Brooke revealed that she had an abortion a 'very little time ago' and called on women to 'come together'. Brooke Blurton (pictured), 27, revealed on Sunday that she had an abortion a 'very little time ago' and urged women to 'come together' amid the U.S. Supreme Court's anti-abortion ruling Brooke shared Abbie's Instagram post on Saturday to her Instagram Stories, praising her for being an 'icon' and a 'change maker'. Abbie shared with her fans a photo of herself at six weeks pregnant the day before she had an abortion at age 23, and said there are 'no guarantees the right to abortion in Australia will be protected forever'. 'As an icon and change maker, I've always admired Abbie for the topics she speaks on. Her honesty, particularly around abortion was one that I thought she showed so much strength in and thought, wow what a f**king human,' Brooke began. In her Instagram post, Brooke also put her feud with Abbie Chatfield (pictured), 27, to rest by praising her for her 'honesty and vulnerability' in sharing her own experience with abortion 'As an icon and change maker, I've always admired Abbie for the topics she speaks on. Her honesty, particularly around abortion was one that I thought she showed so much strength in and thought, wow what a f**king human,' Brooke told her followers Brooke referenced how their former friendship played out in the media, but said that 'disputes aside', she's 'always admired the vulnerability Abbie has'. She concluded by urging women to 'come together' and that 'education and learning is key'. 'Women can come together. We need to. After going through my own experience of an abortion only [a] very little time ago. 'I am so lucky (if that's the word to use) to have choice. WHY do men have choice over our bodies, why do they get right over them?' In an Instagram post on Saturday, Abbie shared this photo of herself at six weeks pregnant the day before she had an abortion at age 23 Abbie said there are 'no guarantees the right to abortion in Australia will be protected forever'. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S., means individual states can decide whether abortion can be made illegal Brooke concluded her post by urging women to 'come together' and that 'education and learning is key' The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling. Power has now been handed back to individual states to decide whether or not to permit the procedure. Women with unwanted pregnancies in America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. He called the Supreme Court's decision as 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Pictured on June 24 He called the Supreme Court's decision as 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over'. He said his administration will do everything in its power to combat efforts to restrict women from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over' Brooke and Abbie's feud began in November when Abbie debuted her relationship with one of Brooke's Bachelorette contestants, Konrad Bien-Stephen, before her season finale. Without naming names, Brooke had criticised a 'close friend' who had pulled the focus from The Bachelorette finale with her actions. Late last year, Abbie issued a public apology on Instagram, explaining that she'd only made things official with Konrad because she believed she had Brooke's blessing. 'Brooke and I had a conversation in which I apologised and expressed regret multiple times for our public affection as this was prior to Konrad's exit from the show. Konrad had a similar conversation with Brooke,' she said. Brooke and Abbie's feud began in November when Abbie debuted her relationship with one of Brooke's Bachelorette contestants, Konrad Bien-Stephen (right), before her season finale Without naming names, Brooke had criticised a 'close friend' who had pulled the focus from The Bachelorette finale with her actions 'We absolutely should have waited to be in private as we are public figures and these are things we need to consider, but we didn't. We also didn't consider the possible ramifications of our actions. 'Immediately following this, we intentionally kept things quiet, and did not leave the house together in an effort to not be photographed out of respect for the show and to minimise press surrounding the spoiler of Konrad's exit.' Abbie told Who magazine in late January that the former BFFs were talking things over. 'There was some drama with Brooke when Konrad and I got together, but we are in a better place now,' Abbie explained. 'I think so anyway.' Laura Whitmore has revealed she was turned off by Iain Stirling's icky home at the beginning of their relationship. The Love Island host, 37, appeared on Melvin Meets His Match Podcast and said 'Iain lived in an absolute s***hole' when they were first dating. Laura is now married to the ITV2 shows comedian voice over Iain, 34, with whom she shares 12-month old daughter Stevie Re. Opening up: Laura Whitmore has revealed she was turned off by Iain Stirling's icky home at the beginning of their relationship She revealed when they were starting out she: 'never stayed at Iain's because Iain lived in an absolute s***hole 'I went there once and he was mortified, I went there because he was so sick of and he was flying on a job, so I had to drive him. He was so ill and he had to get on a plane. 'I was like I will go and get your bag. He was like no, don't She explained how bad his apartment was at the time: 'He lived in what can only be described as like a bedsit and basically you know like bunk beds, his bed was like a bent bunk bed.' Over it: The Love Island host, 37, appeared on Melvin Meets His Match Podcast and said 'Iain lived in an absolute s***hole' when they were first dating Before meeting Iain, Laura revealed she had her fair share of bad dates: 'I went on a date where the guy made me watch a show he was in on television 'And I once went out with a guy and he had a picture of himself in his bedroom, just of him, his face... I just thought that was weird' She tied the knot with Iain in an intimate wedding ceremony at Dublin's City Hall in November 2020. Loved-up: Laura is now married to the ITV2 shows comedian voice over Iain, 34, with whom she shares 12-month old daughter Stevie Re Laura is currently busy hosting the eighth series of Love Island, but she has taken time out of her work schedule to enjoy a weekend at Glastonbury ahead of Sunday's episode of Love Island Aftersun, which she fronts. And Laura has finally got the chance to enjoy a belated hen party with her friends three years after it was put on hold amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The presenter took to Instagram on Thursday to document the fun-filled hen-do, which saw her head to Glastonbury in style, arriving on a helicopter. Party time: Laura has finally got the chance to enjoy a belated hen party with her friends three years after it was put on hold amid the Covid-19 pandemic She looked incredible in a navy zip-up denim dress and 329 beige cowboy boots from Penelope Chilvers as she took a break from her Love Island hosting duties to party at the music festival. Laura sported a vibrant rainbow hat with 'bride' printed across it in sparkling jewels while she accessorised her ensemble with an array of gold heart-shaped necklaces. She wore her golden tresses in glamorous waves and accessorised her hairstyle with beaded pin braids spelling out 'love' and vibe'. Thousands of fans are set to descend on Glastonbury for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. Headline acts across the weekend include Billie Eilish, Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar, while Diana Ross is fronting the Legends headlining slot on Sunday. There are over 3,000 performers appearing at Glastonbury festival 2022, over seven main stages and 80 performance areas at Worthy Farm. Summertime is in full swing in Los Angeles. But Camila Cabello was bundled warmly up as she demonstrated her quirky fashion sense during a Santa Monica outing this weekend. The 25-year-old pop act, who rose to fame as part of the girl group Fifth Harmony, wore a massive set of multicolored feathery cuffs. Summertime is in full swing in Los Angeles: But Camila Cabello was bundled warmly up as she demonstrated her quirky fashion sense during a Santa Monica outing this weekend She cut a cozy figure in a color-stream sweater and a complementary orange pair of sweats for her latest outing in sunny Southern California. Camila, who was born in Havana and once released a single named after it, swept her hair up into an elaborate updo featuring braids and buns. Adding a splash of glitz to the ensemble with a set of drop earrings, she rounded off the look with open-toed slippers. At the moment she is in the midst of a swirl of rumors that she is involved with Austin Kevitch, founder of the dating app Lox Club. Off she goes: The 25-year-old pop act, who rose to fame as part of the girl group Fifth Harmony, wore a massive set of multicolored feathery cuffs The conjecture took off after Page Six obtained pictures of Austin and Camila enjoying a nighttime stroll together in Los Angeles. Camila and her latest ex Shawn Mendes announced their split last November but assured fans in an Instagram statement that they were still 'best friends.' An insider alleged to E! News that Shawn 'initiated' the breakup talk, leaving Camila initially 'very upset over the split' until she 'agreed' they ought to separate. Meanwhile a People source said the romance 'fizzled' after the coronavirus lockdowns when their busy work schedules resumed. Heartthrob: At the moment she is in the midst of a swirl of rumors that she is involved with Austin Kevitch, founder of the dating app Lox Club 'They had this intense relationship last year and spent months together during the lockdown in Miami. They both seemed very happy and looked like they enjoyed having a break from working,' dished the insider. However the dynamic is said to have become 'different' with the return of 'normal life,' according to the source who spoke to the magazine. 'They have careers that are taking them in different directions. They went from spending every day together to now not really spending any time together.' Robyn Lawley has shared intimate details of her abortion as she warns women are losing their rights in the wake of the US Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade. Posting to Instagram on Sunday, the Australian model, 33, posed nude with 'my body my choice' written across her stomach. In her caption, the mother-of-one described how she was forced to terminate a pregnancy that posed a risk to her life. Robyn Lawley(pictured) has shared intimate details of her abortion as she warns women are losing their rights in the wake of the US Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade 'After letting it sink in for a night I'm still so shocked and sickened by yesterday's decision - just know this is the start of your rights being stricken!' she wrote. 'After the birth of my daughter I was extremely sick - I had 2 strokes due to Lupus and APS. I continued living with lupus for years - I always planned being a mother with many children however I knew my body would not be able to carry another. 'I was also told by doctors that I could have another stroke and I was having seizures. I became pregnant and had to make the decision of abortion - it was a horrible hard decision to make, however I knew my body was unable to carry another.' Posting to Instagram on Sunday, the Australian model, 33, posed nude with 'my body my choice' written across her stomach. In her caption, the mother-of-one described how she was forced to terminate a pregnancy that posed a risk to her life She continued: 'That decision is the mother's to make, and although mine was a medical decision, if you are not ready to become a mother that should also be counted. Becoming a mother is a very big step in a person's life and we should be wanting that step, not forced into it. 'Although now I have my lupus/APS in remission, I suddenly realised that in Texas for example, those times I became pregnant with active lupus/APS I would have no other decision expect bear the child. 'And probably dying half way through the pregnancy - essentially killing both mother and fetus or becoming more incapacitated. I of course would fly home to Australia, I have the means - what would a 19-year-old woman do that's unemployed and homeless? Go to jail or risk her life!' In 2017, Robyn revealed she and and her lawyer partner Everest Schmidt won't have any more children. The glamorous catwalk queen said she wouldn't put her health at risk following a difficult pregnancy with daughter Ripley, now seven, (left) in 2015 Robyn concluded: 'This cannot happen! Please do not risk the lives of women so abhorrently! It's #mybodymychoice. We are the majority! We need to stand up for ourselves!' In 2017, Robyn revealed she and and her lawyer partner Everest Schmidt won't have any more children. The glamorous catwalk queen said she wouldn't put her health at risk following a difficult pregnancy with daughter Ripley, now seven, in 2015. 'I was also told by doctors that I could have another stroke and I was having seizures. I became pregnant and had to make the decision of abortion - it was a horrible hard decision to make, however I knew my body was unable to carry another,' she said The US Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling. Power has now been handed back to individual states to decide whether or not to permit the procedure. Women with unwanted pregnancies in America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. Former Married At First Sight star Susie Bradley has spoken out after she was rushed to hospital following a health scare. The cosmetic nurse, 29, shared a post to Instagram on Saturday, thanking her fans for their support after collapsing at her home on the Gold Coast last week. 'There's a lot I feel I appreciate now more than I have before. I've had some beautiful messages the last few days,' she wrote. Todd Carney's MAFS star ex-fiancee Susie Bradley thanked fans for their messages after she was rushed to hospital following health scare 'Each of which have caught me right at a time when I have really needed it. They have saved me in some terrible moments so thank you, really thank you,' she added. It comes after Susie returned to Instagram on Thursday to announce she'd taken temporary leave from her beauty clinic business. 'To my beautiful clients, second to my family and friends, my clients and your happiness are what makes me shine,' the mother of two began. The cosmetic nurse, 29, shared a post to Instagram, thanking her followers for their messages after collapsing at her home on the Gold Coast last Saturday 'So that you can have the very best from me which you all deserve, I have had to make the decision not to return to work until July 4,' she added, before confirming missed appointments would be 'rescheduled'. She chose not to share details of her recent health scare, nor the reason why she is unable to work for the rest of the month. 'Please know how deeply I understand my not being available can impact your appointments / things you may have had planned etc. and if it would be possible for me to return to work sooner I absolutely would,' she continued. 'I appreciate both your support and understanding.' Susie returned to Instagram on Thursday to announce she'd taken temporary leave from her beauty clinic business It came days after the Susie's ex-fiance, former NRL player Todd Carney, gave fans an update on her health. Carney, 36, told The Courier-Mail on Wednesday she was out of hospital and 'fine'. 'She's in a fit and well place. She'll probably go back to work in the next couple of days,' he told the publication. After days of silence, the 29-year-old returned to Instagram on Thursday to announce she had taken temporary leave from her beauty clinic business He declined to comment on the incident, but categorically disputed a version given by emergency service sources. 'Our relationship status is irrelevant to the whole conversation,' Carney said. Susie was reportedly in a serious condition when emergency services arrived to her Benowa Waters home on the Gold Coast last Saturday. The incident came just hours after Susie, a mother of two, confirmed she had ended her engagement to the retired rugby league star. The MP Nagar police have booked over half a dozen miscreants who attacked a former ABVP officer bearer and pushed him with a boiling utensil at District court on Saturday. The victim Bhagwan Singh Rajput was showered with punches and kicks and during the assault he was pushed towards a boiling hot pan having liquor in which he sustained severe injuries. Rajput was rushed to Hamidia hospital where his condition is reportedly stable. According to police Rajput was booked for molestation and used to appear in court regarding the case. On Saturday he came for appearing in court and was having snack at the back side of court premises during which 6-7 miscreants attacked him and pushed towards boiling hot oil pan. Victim has alleged that the attack was sponsored by Project Officer BU Narendra Tripathi because when he was an ABVP activist he made complaints against Tripathi. He was forced to withdraw complaints against Tripathi and was also threatened of life. Police said that attackers appeared and started to assault leaving the victim no time to escape or understand the situation. After the preliminary investigation, the police registered a case under section 326 of the IPC against unidentified miscreants and started further investigation. The MP Nagar police have claimed that the miscreants have been identified and would be arrested in the further investigation. Nadia Bartel was running some fashionable errands on Friday. The 37-year-old stepped out in Melbourne where she headed to a Mecca makeup store for a spot of shopping. The former WAG looked chic in a jacket and trousers combo from her own label, Henne. Nadia Bartel (pictured) was running some fashionable errands on Friday Nadia was wearing $239 black blazer, and a black coordinating set featuring a $159 knit top and pants valued at $149. She added a pair of towering black heeled boots to the look and carried a purse slung over her arm. The brunette wore her caramel locks down around her face in beachy waves, while skipping the accessories but for a pair of dainty earrings. The 37-year-old stepped out in Melbourne where she headed to a Mecca makeup store for a spot of shopping The former WAG looked chic in a jacket and trousers combo from her own label, Henne Nadia had on a warm makeup look with bronzed cheeks and a nude lipstick in a matte finish. It's been a big year for Nadia as her fashion line goes from strength to strength. She debuted her label Henne at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney in May and celebrated the opening of its flagship Melbourne boutique on Wednesday. Nadia was wearing $239 black blazer, and a black coordinating set featuring a $159 knit top and pants valued at $149 She added a pair of towering black heeled boots to the look and carried a purse slung over her arm Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, Nadia said that while she 'can't change' people's opinions of her, she would love for people to see 'how hard' she works. 'Anyone can have their own perception of me, though I can tell you that most of the ones in the media are false,' she said. 'Over time I would love for people to see how hard I work, but I'm not going to tell them what to think.' The brunette wore her caramel locks down around her face in beachy waves, while skipping the accessories but for a pair of dainty earrings Nadia had on a warm makeup look with bronzed cheeks and a nude lipstick in a matte finish Nadia continued: 'You can't change other people's opinions. Your friends and family know who you are.' At her fashion week debut in May, Nadia looked chic in a black power suit and told the Herald Sun that it's a 'very proud moment' for the brand. 'When we launched Henne three years ago I always had hoped that one day we could show at AAFW,' Nadia told the publication. The designer tested out some products while browsing in the popular store It's been a big year for Nadia as her fashion line goes from strength to strength 'It is incredibly exciting and a very proud moment for us to be partnering with the festival to showcase a collection that is made for her, a collection that can be intermixed and worn anywhere, anytime.' Henne has been a runaway success, with the word being Swedish for 'her'. The website lists its core values as a commitment to women's voices, circularity, mindful consumption, working conditions, and environmental impact. 'Each piece has been designed to be loved and worn for longer than just one season,' the website reads. Denise Van Outen looked in high spirits on Saturday as she performed her brand new disco single From New York To LA at G-A-Y & Heaven nightclub in London. The television presenter, 48, put on a busty display in a figure-hugging silver tassel dress in backstage snaps. She boosted her height in a pair of silver heels and added matching jewellery to the dazzling look before taking to the stage. Beaming: Denise Van Outen looked in high spirits on Saturday as she performed her brand new disco single From New York To LA at G-A-Y & Heaven nightclub in London Denise opted for a dewy blush makeup look with a pink lip while styling her blonde locks in loose curls. The star, who has appeared in stage productions such as Chicago and Legally Blonde, oozed confidence while relishing in the spotlight and showing off her vocal talents. After the performance she caught up with her shirtless dancers and was joined by Ru Pauls Trinity The Tuck and club owner Jeremy Joseph. Wow! The television presenter, 48, put on a busty display in a figure-hugging silver tassel dress as she took to the stage Stunning: She boosted her height in a pair of silver heels and added matching jewellery to the dazzling look (pictured with her dancers) Supportive: After the performance she was joined backstage by Ru Pauls Trinity The Tuck and club owner Jeremy Joseph Denise's version of Patsy Gallant's From New York To L.A is out now, with the accompanying music video also being released in celebration of Pride month. The new single's music video features drag queens and a host of backup dancers, as they appeared alongside Denise in a lit-up bar. Scenes saw Denise singing while standing in front of a dimly lit bar while she struck moves with performers beside her, while others danced on top of the bar. Performer: The star, who has appeared in stage productions such as Chicago and Legally Blonde, oozed confidence while relishing in the spotlight and showing off her vocal talents Amazing: Denise's version of Patsy Gallant's From New York To L.A is out now, with the accompanying music video also being released in celebration of Pride month Other moments saw her sitting around a table and enjoying drinks with a huge crowd as they got in the partying atmosphere, while disco lights shone around them Previously speaking about the venture, Denise explained that she wanted to create an 'inclusive' video as she has been a 'big supporter' of the LGBTQI+ community for 'decades'. She said: 'I've always been a big supporter of Pride month and am proud to be an LGBTQ+ ally for decades now. I wanted to shoot a video that was inclusive and something that everyone could enjoy and sing along to.' Video: The accompanying music video also being released in celebration of Pride month, featuring drag queens The star, who in 1998 released a cover of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's hit Especially For You with Johnny Vaughan and Steps, has worked with producer Steve Anderson on her new record and described it as a 'feel good' dance track. She added: 'It was great to collaborate with Steve Anderson on this feel-good dance record. I hope everyone enjoys Pride 2022 and has an amazing time this Summer.' The track, which was first recorded by Patsy Gallant back in 1977 as a reworked version of French song Mon Pays, will also feature an intro from RuPaul's Drag Race judge Michelle Visage. Mick Jagger's ex Luciana Gimenez looked radiant as she took the former couple's son Lucas to watch The Rolling Stones perform at the American Express presents BST Hyde Park festival on Saturday. The former model, 52, appeared in good spirits as she shared a heartwarming snap of herself and Lucas, 23, as they enjoyed the concert. Luciana took to Instagram and shared a series of snaps from the gig along with a clip of Mick, 78, showing off his dance moves on stage. Family: Mick Jagger's ex Luciana Gimenez looked radiant as she took the former couple's son Lucas to watch The Rolling Stones perform in Hyde Park on Saturday Alongside the post, she wrote a message in Portuguese that read: 'Happy Father's Day post (in England), a few days late.! So proud of you to be Lucas' father!!! The show was the best! We love'. In the snap with Lucas, Luciana donned a black blazer and matching skinny jeans as she wrapped her arms around her son. The TV personality also sported a pair of black ankle boots and completed her outfit with a beige scarf. Also in attendance at the concert was Ronnie Wood's wife Sally who was joined by screenwriter and journalist Jemima Khan. Show: Luciana took to Instagram and shared a series of snaps from the concert along with a clip of Mick showing off his dance moves on stage Proud: Luciana shared a snap of Lucas wearing a Rolling Stones hoodie as he filmed the crowd Luciana used to perform as 'queen of drums' for The Rolling Stones more than a decade ago. She famously had an affair with Mick behind his then partner Jerry Hall's back - resulting in the birth of their son Lucas in 1999. Luciana discovered that she was pregnant with Mick's child in 1998 after an eight-month affair, which resulted in Jerry and Mick's 22-year relationship breakdown. In 1999 Luciana was described as 'the straw that broke the camel's back' by Jerry during her split from Mick. VIP: Alongside the post, Luciana wrote: 'Happy Father's Day post (in England), a few days late.! So proud of you to be Lucas' father!!! The show was the best! We love' Gig: Mick looked in his element as he entertained the band's legions of fans at the show Pals: Also in attendance at the concert was Ronnie Wood's wife Sally who was joined by screenwriter and journalist Jemima Khan Luciana previously said of model Jerry: 'I don't know how she feels about me, but I understand that I probably hurt her.' Despite the fact that Mick insisted upon a paternity test when Lucas was born, she has always remained on good terms with the man she calls 'an excellent father' to their child. Mick paid all of Lucas's school fees and seems to have been generous and kind with his time, too regularly spending holidays with him. For her part, Luciana is even friends with Jagger's current love, Melanie Hamrick, the 33-year-old American ballerina whom he started dating in 2014. Love child: Luciana famously had an affair with Mick Jagger behind his then partner Jerry Hall's back - resulting in the birth of their son Lucas in 1999 She once wrote a letter to Jerry asking for forgiveness, but did not receive a reply. She told MailOnline: 'She didn't write back. I didn't really expect her to, but I wanted her to know that I was sorry. 'People forget that you can fall in love with someone, whether they are rich and famous or not,' she muses. 'Rich people love. Famous people love. It is all the same. It doesn't matter. We are all going to die in exactly the same way, anyway.' Ronnie Wood took to the stage with The Rolling Stones at the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park on Saturday night. And in a sweet moment, the 75-year-old rocker's twin girls Gracie Jane and Alice Rose, six, and wife Sally Humphreys, 44, waved to him from the audience. Ronnie, 75, looked every inch the rockstar in a blue jacket, purple shirt and shiny black jeans as he took to the guitar. Rock on! Ronnie Wood took to the stage with The Rolling Stones at the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park on Saturday night He was joined by his bandmates, Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, both 78, and Steve Jordan on stage as they delighted thousands of fans. His two daughters beamed widely as they excitedly watched their father perform on stage. It comes after the band was forced to cancel a string of their European tour dates last week after Mick tested positive for Covid. Adorable: And in a sweet moment, the 75-year-old rocker's twin girls Gracie Jane and Alice Rose, six, and wife Sally Humphreys, 44, waved to him from the audience Earlier this week he shared an update with fans, insisting he was 'feeling much better', and thanked his fans for their well wishes. Taking to Instagram, Mick said: 'Thank you all so much for your well wishes and messages the last few days. 'Im feeling much better and cant wait to get back on stage next week! The Amsterdam date has been rescheduled for July 7 and well have news of the new Bern date ASAP. He signed off: 'See you soon! Mick'. Together again: He was joined by his bandmates, Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, both 78, and Steve Jordan on stage as they delighted thousands of fans It came after The Sympathy For The Devil rockers were last week forced to postpone their Amsterdam concert at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Monday hours before it was set to start after the legendary frontman came down with coronavirus. Then, the band announced they would no longer play Wankdorf Stadium in Switzerland as planned. Announcing the cancellation of the Amsterdam show, the band said: 'The Rolling Stones have been forced to call off tonight's concert in Amsterdam at the Johan Cruijff Arena, following Mick Jagger testing positive after experiencing symptoms of Covid upon arrival at the stadium. Proud: His two daughters beamed widely as they excitedly watched their father perform on stage 'The Rolling Stones are deeply sorry for tonight's postponement, but the safety of the audience, fellow musicians and the touring crew has to take priority. 'The show will be rescheduled for a later date. Tickets for tonight's show will be honoured for the rescheduled date. Standby for details.' Mick apologised to the band's Dutch fans, saying on Twitter: 'I'm so sorry that we've had to postpone the Amsterdam show with such short notice tonight. 'I have unfortunately just tested positive for Covid. We aim to reschedule the date ASAP and get back as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Mick.' The Stones are playing the first of two nights at American Express presents BST Hyde Park on Saturday, June 25, with another date on July 3. Postponed: It comes after the band was forced to cancel a string of their European tour dates last week after Mick tested positive for Covid Karl Stefanovic is a proud Maroons supporter. And on Sunday, the Today show host's daughter Harper, two, showed her support for Queensland during the State of Origin game. Karl's wife Jasmine shared a photo of Harper wearing a personalised Maroons onesie as she sat on a chair. Karl Stefanovic's daughter Harper, two, showed her support for Queensland during the State of Origin game on Sunday 'Queenslandersssssss,' she captioned the image. It comes after Karl was sledged by NSW Blues fans earlier this month as he cheered on his state at the first State of Origin game in Sydney. The presenter proudly held a Maroons scarf in the air as the crowd supporting the opposing team stood up and booed him. Karl's wife Jasmine shared a photo of Harper wearing a personalised Maroons onesie as she sat on a chair 'Best crowd sledging ever,' he captioned a video of the moment on Instagram. Karl met Jasmine, 38, at a boat party in Sydney just months after he separated from his first wife, Cassandra Thorburn, in 2016. The couple married at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, in December 2018. It comes after Karl was sledged by NSW Blues fans earlier this month as he cheered on his state at the first State of Origin game in Sydney Karl and Jasmine welcomed their daughter Harper on May 1, 2020. She was born at North Shore Private Hospital in Sydney. In May, the couple celebrated Harper's second birthday with a Cocomelon-inspired birthday party at a local park. Karl also shares daughter Willow and sons Jackson and River with his ex-wife. Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg were seen filming for their new movie Our Man From Jersey on London's Albert Bridge on Sunday. The actress, 55, and actor, 51, were spotted alongside their stunt doubles, practising some daring stunts. They have been filming in London for the new Netflix distributed action thriller, which was announced last year. Shooting: Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg were seen filming for their new movie Our Man From Jersey on London's Albert Bridge on Sunday. A helicopter was seen flying overhead and at one point Mark and Halle's stunt doubles jumped from the bridge. Halle sported a pixie cut hairdo with white streaks, while she wore a simple outfit, made up of green cargo pants, a grey T-shirt and a dark zip-up hoodie. Mark, meanwhile, cut a casual figure in a pair of blue denim jeans, a navy T-shirt and a grey zip-up hoodie. Movie stars: The actress, 55, and actor, 51, were spotted alongside their stunt doubles, practising some daring stunts Busy filming: They have been filming in London for the new Netflix distributed action thriller, which was announced last year High-octane: A helicopter was seen flying overhead Daredevils: At one point Mark and Halle's stunt doubles jumped from the bridge Halle carried a briefcase and smiled as she watched the stunts from the bridge, and stopped to chat with a member of the crew. The continued filming of the movie comes after it was reported that police were sent to the sent of the film after what was thought to be a shell casing was found. The workers on the grounds around the area reportedly found a crushed balloon gas canister there, which looked like a bullet casing. Stunning: Halle sported a pixie cut hairdo with white streaks Casual: While she wore a simple outfit, made up of green cargo pants, a grey T-shirt and a dark zip-up hoodie Handsome: Mark, meanwhile, cut a casual figure in a pair of blue denim jeans, a navy T-shirt and a grey zip-up hoodie According the The Mirror, a source explained the incident as 'quite alarming', noting that emergency reinforcements were brought onto the set. The source told the publication: 'It was quite alarming and there was no hesitation in phoning the police, who arrived quite promptly.' Scotland Yard also commented to the publication, saying: 'Police were called to reports of an item, described as a bullet casing. Prop: Halle carried a briefcase and smiled as she watched the stunts from the bridge Relaxed: She stopped to chat with a member of the crew Scare: The continued filming of the movie comes after it was reported that police were sent to the sent of the film after what was thought to be a shell casing was found. Suspicious: The workers on the grounds around the area reportedly found a crushed balloon gas canister there, which looked like a bullet casing 'It was found to be a crushed balloon gas canister and was disposed of by officers,' they explained. The canister was allegedly found in South East London at in Camberwell Green magistrates court. Representatives for Halle and Mark have been contacted by MailOnline for comment. Alarming: According the The Mirror , a source explained the incident as 'quite alarming', noting that emergency reinforcements were brought onto the set 999: The source told the publication: 'It was quite alarming and there was no hesitation in phoning the police, who arrived quite promptly' Police: Scotland Yard also commented to the publication, saying: 'Police were called to reports of an item, described as a bullet casing' Explanation: 'It was found to be a crushed balloon gas canister and was disposed of by officers,' they explained Location: The canister was allegedly found in South East London at in Camberwell Green magistrates court Halle and Mark have been spotted filming in London numerous times over the past couple of weeks - with more details on the film yet to be released. IMDB describes the plot of the film as: 'Mike, a down-to-earth construction worker from Jersey, is quickly thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school ex-girlfriend Roxanne recruits him on a high-stakes US intelligence mission.' The stars were snapped recently as they shot a dramatic scene on Albert Bridge, which saw extras dressed as armed police on bikes while a helicopter hovered inches away from the bridge. While other images from last month showed Halle as she drove a vintage car with a red soft top, with Mark jumping in the passengers seat. The movie is set to air via Netflix, with Halle building ties with the streaming platform after recently working with them for the premiere of her 2021 directorial debut Bruised there. Hard art work: Halle and Mark have been spotted filming in London numerous times over the past couple of weeks - with more details on the film yet to be released Plot: IMDB describes the plot of the film as: 'Mike, a down-to-earth construction worker from Jersey, is quickly thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school ex-girlfriend Roxanne recruits him on a high-stakes US intelligence mission' Drama: The stars were snapped recently as they shot a dramatic scene on Albert Bridge, which saw extras dressed as armed police on bikes while a helicopter hovered inches away from the bridge Exciting: While other images from last month showed Halle as she drove a vintage car with a red soft top, with Mark jumping in the passengers seat Samantha Armytage has weighed in with her opinion in the wake of the US Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade. Sharing a meme to Instagram Stories on Sunday, the former Sunrise star did not mince words. The image in question pictured the sitting Supreme Court Justices who voted on the decision. Samantha Armytage (pictured) has weighed in with her opinion in the wake of the US Supreme Court 's decision on Roe v. Wade The words 'F**k you' were written across the Justices who voted to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling. Newest Justice Amy Coney Barrett was especially singled out, with 'And really f**k you' written above her. Sam wrote in her caption: 'Reposting. Literally EVERY woman I know on social media, and off it. WTF is going on in the States?' She added: 'Guns (tick). Women's rights (cross). Pathetic'. Sharing a meme to Instagram Stories on Sunday, the former Sunrise star did not mince words. The words 'F**k you' were written across the Justices who voted to overturn Sam wrote in her caption: 'Reposting. Literally EVERY woman I know on social media, and off it. WTF is going on in the States?' She added: 'Guns (tick). Women's rights (cross). Pathetic' The US Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling. Power has now been handed back to individual states to decide whether or not to permit the procedure. Women with unwanted pregnancies in America will now face the choice of travelling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. He called the Supreme Court's decision as 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Pictured on June 24 In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over'. He said his administration will do everything in its power to combat efforts to restrict women from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Amanda Holden displayed her incredibly toned physique in a white bikini as she shared sun-soaked snaps from Sicily on Saturday. The presenter, 51, stunned in the bandeau style top, teamed with matching bottoms which tied up at the sides. She held onto a wide-brimmed sunhat as she posed in the Italian island's scenic streets, sporting some oversized shades. Fun in the sun: Amanda Holden flaunted her incredibly toned physique in a white bikini as she shared sun-soaked snaps from Sicily on Saturday Working hard: Sharing the photo with her 1.8 million Instagram followers, the star wrote: 'Hats off to #Sicilly #Theitalianjob I love it here' Amanda kept her blonde tresses up in a top-knot bun, and added some glam to her laid back look with golden jewellery. Sharing the photo with her 1.8 million Instagram followers, the star wrote: 'Hats off to #Sicilly #Theitalianjob I love it here.' The ensemble complemented the stunner's golden tan as she enjoyed the sunny trip with pal Alan Carr, 46, for BBC series The Italian Job. Pals: On Friday Amanda posted a video the duo dancing up a storm at a pool as the sun set behind them Having a blast: Amanda and Alan appeared to enjoy each other's company as they had fun in Sicily over the weekend Goofing around: She captioned the playful clip: 'Wow @chattyman can really dance what a #coinciDANCE' The show will see the pair come together to renovate an Italian property tucked away in the rural countryside. On Friday Amanda posted a video the duo dancing up a storm at a pool, captioning the playful clip: 'Wow @chattyman can really dance what a #coinciDANCE.' She also snapped a sweet picture of the duo together, caught mid-laugh, by the front doors of a property, sharing she's 'back with The Don'. On the horizon: However it would seem the pair's getaway was only a weekend endeavour as on Sunday Amanda revealed she's 'back tmra for @thisisheart' 'Bond girl': However it would seem the pair's getaway was only a weekend endeavour as on Sunday Amanda revealed she's 'back tmra for @thisisheart' However it would seem the pair's getaway was only a weekend endeavour as on Sunday Amanda revealed she's 'back tmra for @thisisheart'. Sharing a stunning photo of herself in an orange-and-white lycra top and bikini bottoms while posing on a boat, she penned : 'Is that #Monday I see on the horizon?' The stunner leaned back as she took in her sunny surroundings, wearing some dark sunglasses with her blonde locks up in an easy bun. Heart FM pal Ashley Roberts commented: 'Not jealous at all.' New show: The ensemble complemented the stunner's golden tan as she enjoys the sunny trip with pal Alan Carr, 46, for BBC series The Italian Job Friends: She also snapped a sweet picture of the duo together, caught mid-laugh, by the front doors of a property, sharing she's 'back with The Don' Meanwhile fashion designer Melissa Odabash gushed: 'You are one serious Bond girl.' Elsewhere earlier this month Amanda appeared to be feeling the morning burn as she jumped out of bed to lift some weights. In a video posted to TikTok, the 51-year-old showed off her figure in a patterned shorts pyjama co-ord. The ensemble featured a green and white floral detail across the midnight blue cami top and shorts. Morning routine: Amanda Holden, 51, showed off her svelte figure in a patterned pyjama set on Friday, posting a TikTok video as she got out of bed to lift some weights Amanda appeared from the bed with perfectly tousled soft curls, sporting a gold bracelet and a chain gold necklace. In the video, which now appears to be deleted, the Britain's Got Talent judge showed a morning routine, making her way over to the window to open her curtains. Heading over to her mirrored wardrobes, Amanda then lifted a dumbbell in each hand as she enjoyed a quick morning workout. Feel the burn: Heading over to her mirrored wardrobes, Amanda lifted a dumbbell in each hand as she enjoyed a quick morning workout Next up was a quick change for the beauty, who made her way to the bathroom and returned sporting a white polka dot dress. According to The Sun, she captioned the video: 'Wish every morning was this blissful.' The video comes after fashion-forward Amanda snapped back at critics of her typically racy ensembles. She told The Daily Star: 'While I've still got the figure, I do love a bodycon dress or a good, well-made pair of jeans with a T-shirt, a blazer and a nice heel' (pictured earlier this month) Talking to The Daily Star, she explained: 'They've got too much time to think - that's my opinion on that.' She continued: 'While I've still got the figure, I do love a bodycon dress or a good, well-made pair of jeans with a T-shirt, a blazer and a nice heel.' 'I enjoy wearing clothes that show off my figure. I dress for myself and wear what makes me feel good.' She's expecting her first child, a baby girl, with boyfriend Jake Ankers later this year. And Charlotte Crosby gave her Instagram followers a good look at her blossoming baby bump as she posed completely naked for a saucy snap on Sunday. The Geordie Shore star, 32, posed for a mirror selfie, turned to the side so as best to show off her growing bump on her Stories. Stripped off! Charlotte Crosby gave her Instagram followers a good look at her blossoming baby bump as she posed completely naked for a saucy snap on Sunday Captioning the cheeky photo she wrote: 'The calm before the storm of tonight's big launch. 'So here's some naked bumpness before I'm off dropping parcels around the northeast'. The sexy shot comes just days after Charlotte soaked up the sun on a romantic staycation with boyfriend Jake, 31. The mother-to-be looked radiant in a abstract printed bikini as she flaunted her blossoming bump for the camera. Naughty: Captioning the cheeky photo she wrote: 'The calm before the storm of tonight's big launch. So here's some naked bumpness before I'm off dropping parcels around the northeast' She posed up a storm in the skimpy two piece as she topped up her tan in the sunny British weather. Charlotte captioned the stunning snaps: 'We have snuck away to the most heavenly idyllic spot for some quality time together and a little R+R'. She continued: 'Ive never stayed anywhere quite like this in England! the weathers been 24 degrees and weve been in the sea, sunbathing and lighting up the barbie! Any guesses as to where we are?! Gunna [sic] show you guys some more of this place tomorrow honestly its an absolute hidden treasure'. 'We've snuck away': The outing comes just days after Charlotte soaked up the sun on a romantic staycation with boyfriend Jake Ankers, 31 Gorgeous: The mother-to-be looked radiant in a abstract printed bikini as she flaunted her blossoming bump for the camera Later, she took to her Instagram Stories as she dined alfresco while she and Jake continued to enjoy the weather. The trip comes after Charlotte revealed her baby's gender by enlisting the help of a skywriter to draw a heart in the sky. 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 at the lavish party. Boom! The trip comes after Charlotte revealed her baby's gender by enlisting the help of a skywriter to draw a heart in the sky Charlotte also invited many of her former Geordie Shore co-stars along to the bash, including newly married Holly Hagan and Sophie Kasaei. Newlywed Holly stepped out with husband Jacob Blythe for the first time since they tied the knot in Ibiza last week. Jay Gardner, James Tindale and Ricci Guarnaccio were all also there to celebrate Charlotte's baby news. The party was captured for Charlotte's upcoming BBC Three and iPlayer series, Charlotte in Sunderland. Party: The party was captured for Charlotte's upcoming BBC Three and iPlayer series, Charlotte in Sunderland Busy Philipps took to her Instagram story Saturday to encourage fans to keep fighting for abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned the day before. The 43-year-old actress shared a video of herself working out with an emotional caption. 'I couldn't do it yesterday but it's my birthday so even though I woke up crying, I'm making myself move,' she wrote. 'Because I won't stop. We can't stop.' Still moving: Busy Philipps took to her Instagram story Saturday to encourage fans to keep fighting for abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned the day before (pictured May 2022) Busy's Instagram post is one of many she fired off in the past 24 hours about her opposition to the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision. She shared a post that gave people information on a protest in Washington Square Park in New York City on Friday. I have no words,' she wrote in the caption. 'This is total devastation. See you tonight New York and I hope you show the fuck up wherever you live. #abortionisahumanright #abortion #f*ckthesupremecourt.' Emotional: The 43-year-old actress shared an emotional video of herself working out while reflecting on Roe v. Wade getting overturned 'I couldn't do it yesterday but it's my birthday so even though I woke up crying, I'm making myself move,' she wrote. 'Because I won't stop. We can't stop' Protest: She shared a post that gave people information on a protest in Washington Square Park in New York City on Friday Philipps has publicly supported a woman's right to choose for years. Back in 2019, she even revealed she had an abortion. 'I have a thing that I would like to say,' she said on her talk show Busy Tonight. 'I hope that whatever it is that you believe personally that maybe you'll be open to hearing what I'm saying.' She continued, 'I know that people feel very strongly about abortion, but let me just say this. Women and their doctors are in the best position to make informed decisions about what is best for them. Nobody else. Nobody. 'Here is the reality. No bill that criminalizes abortion will stop anyone from making this incredibly personal choice, but these laws will put more women at risk. Every woman deserves compassion and care, not judgment and interference when it comes to their own bodies.' Personal story: Philipps has publicly supported a woman's right to choose for years. Back in 2019, she even revealed she had an abortion End of an era: The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade She then talked more about her personal experience, saying she had an abortion when she was 15 years old. 'I'm telling you this because I'm genuinely really scared for women and girls all over the country,' she said. 'Is that a hard left turn? Yeah, it is. Is it kind of jarring? Yes, it is also kind of jarring. But, guess what? That's what being a fing woman is. Having a regular Tuesday and then suddenly being reminded that people are trying to police your body. And then you just have to go back to work.' At the time, Busy's segment was in response to Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp created a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling and hand back power to individual states to decide whether or not to permit the procedure. Protestors: Protestors took to the streets over the weekend to show their displeasure with the Court's decision Less options: The decision means that women with unwanted pregnancies in large swathes of America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion The justices held that the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that allowed abortions performed before a fetus would be viable outside the womb - between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy - was wrongly decided because the U.S. Constitution makes no specific mention of abortion rights. The ruling means that individual states now have the power to decide on whether to ban abortion. The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research group, has said that 26 states are 'certain or likely' to ban abortion now. The decision means that women with unwanted pregnancies in large swathes of America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country' and called the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade - and making terminations illegal for millions of American women - 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over' and said his administration will do everything in its power to combat efforts to restrict women from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and senior party leader Azam Khan alleged large-scale rigging and use of unfair means in the Azamgarh and Rampur bypolls. Khan demanded that the elections be conducted under the watchful eye of a global body such as the International Court of Justice for a free and fair democratic process. Former CM Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP won with deceit. The Samajwadi Party contested the elections in Rampur and Azamgarh with full strength and the electorate in both the constituencies were favourably inclined towards the party. However, nothing worked as the voters were intimidated and prevented from casting their votes. A large number of SP workers and polling agents were illegally detained at police stations, Yadav alleged. Yadav said that at a polling booth in Rampur with 900 Muslim votes, only six votes were cast while at another booth with 500 Muslim votes, only one vote was cast. This is a mockery of elections and democracy. By no stretch of imagination this can be termed as an election where the democracy has been mutilated and voters shown contempt, the SP chief alleged. Questioning the celebration of victory in Rampur and Azamgarh by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the SP chief said: The electorate of Rampur and Azamgarh are at their wits end over the celebration of victory by the BJP and its rank and file. People of UP will give a befitting lesson to the arrogance of the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The SP chief alleged that the BJPs double-engine government has ruined millions of poor people who are staring at a bleak future. He also alleged that the development process in the state has come to a grinding halt since the BJP came to power in 2017. Meanwhile, Azam Khan claimed that the SP had not lost but won by a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. Addressing a meeting of party workers at the district office after the results were announced on Sunday, Khan alleged rigging in the election and said the state machinery was misused and voters were prevented from exercising their franchise. Let there be free and fair elections; if we lose, I will quit electoral politics forever. We are happy in our defeat and I know that the BJP is not happy with its victory as it has not been achieved by fair means. The SP was also in power and conducted the elections but never indulged in such vendetta against our political rivals, the SP leader said. Let the record of the previous Lok Sabha and assembly elections be examined. As per the voting patterns and the support base of the Samajwadi Party and votes used to be polled by it will show that we have won the elections by at least 2.5 lakh votes. We lost as the supporters of the SP were prevented from casting their votes. The voters were assaulted, intimidated and unlawfully detained in police stations on the day of polling, Khan said. Targeting the media, he said the fourth estate failed to discharge its duty. He also trained his guns at the police and said the cops responsible for maintaining law and order have been targeting the people of Rampur with specific religious identity for the last many years. I am very disappointed by the conduct of the police as we are made to feel like foreigners in our own home land. After partition of India in 1947, a miniscule population went to Pakistan while a huge number of people stayed back, Khan said. The way polls were conducted in Rampur and Azamgarh was not an election but a mockery of democracy. Only one community was targeted and detained in police stations. Local people in Rampur and Azamgarh were targeted by the police on the basis of their religious identity and were framed in false cases, Khan alleged. Kimberley Garner attended the Cartier Style Et Luxe at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed 2022 on Sunday in Chichester. The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, looked chic in a white top and matching jeans, which she teamed up with a navy blazer featuring gold buttons. She was joined by Jodie Kidd, 43, who cut a summery figure in a white floral maxi dress beneath a white blazer while clutching a black handbag. Wow! Kimberley Garner (left) cut a white top and navy blazer while Jodie Kidd (right) donned a white floral maxi dress at the Cartier Style Et Luxe on Sunday in Chichester The model was accompanied by her fiance Joseph Bates, who cut a dapper figure in a grey suit and coordinating slip-on shoes. Kimberley was pictured enjoying the summer sunshine with a handsome male companion on Wednesday. The reality star turned swimwear designer looked incredible wearing a bottom-skimming blue floral dress which had a bustier detail. Walking her pet pooch around Notting Hill, Kimberley looked stunning with her blonde locks worn down and wearing comfortable cream flat loafers. Out of this world: The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, looked chic in a white top and matching jeans, which she teamed up with a navy blazer featuring gold buttons Stunning: She was joined by Jodie Kidd, 43, who cut a summery figure in a white floral maxi dress beneath a white blazer while clutching a black handbag Stylish: The model was accompanied by her fiance Joseph Bates, who cut a dapper figure in a grey suit Suave: He continued his look with coordinating slip-on shoes while posing with Annette Mason (centre) Putting on a show: Emily In Paris actress Ashley Park sent temperature soaring while flashing her leg through a thigh-split black dress with giant white puff shoulders Her handsome companion looked rather enamoured with her and looked great wearing blue chinos and a brown top with Golden Goose trainers. The couple spent the day together and still looked cheerful as the evening drew in. Despite now enjoying huge fame as a swimwear designer, Kimberley has previously revealed how she used to pretend to be an intern when she first started the business as nobody took her seriously. Gang: Paloma Garcia Lee and Jordan Rand joined Ashley (L to R) for a group shot Suave: David Gandy (left) put on a dapper display in a double-breasted brown suit while Tinie Tempah (right) commanded attention in a coral ensemble What a pair! David posed for another photo with Alistair Guy (left) Pals: Tinie made a friend in Kevin McCloud (left) at the lavish bash Buddies: Brian Stein (left) appeared to be in high spirits as he beamed from ear-to-ear Stars: Paul Mescal posed for a snap alongside professional boxer Ramla Ali Dapper: The Normal People actor sported a cream polo shirt by Percival and a pair of black trousers Smart: The Irish actor completed his look with a pair of aviator sunglasses However, the property heiress insisted she's more than just the face of her line Kimberley London and is involved with every aspect of creating her sell-out swimwear range. She told MailOnline: 'I think people sometimes think that Im only the face, but I am responsible for every bit of the business. 'I was 18 when I started my first company - I came up with an idea, stayed up for days learning how to register the company and teaching myself. It became very successful overnight.' High spirits: Editor of Esquire Alex Bilmes and Harper's Bazaar UK Editor-in-Chief Lydia Slater also attended Confident: Catie Munnings (left) wore an unmissable orange silk suit with feathered hems and Paloma Garcia Lee (right) sported an oversized navy outfit Having a blast! Lady Sabrina Percy and Rosie Tapner (L-R) appeared to be in high spirits Poser: Olivia Arben showcased her enviable physique in a tight black maxi dress as Micheal Ward cut an oversized grey suit Fun: Dominique Yamanaka and Founder of JD Malat Gallery Jean-David Malat attended She explained: 'However, as I was only 18, no one ever imagined it was mine. I was a young blonde girl with a soft voice. 'No one would take me seriously or realise it was my company. So, I pretended to be the Intern! 'I handled all the meetings, phone calls, and emails for the company. When it became a success, I put all the revenues into starting Kimberley London.' Beaming: Frederic Brun and Nigel Mansell (L-R) flashed their smles Couple: Josh Hartnett and Tamsin Egerton put on a cosy display The works! Hope Ikpoku Jnr and Weruche Opia put their best fashion feet forward family: Anson Boon (right) and his dad James (left) appeared to be in high spirits Kim Kardashian posted a sexy flashback picture over the weekend. The 41-year-old shared a flashback picture of herself lying in a pool of water, displaying her trim abs and toned legs in a silver bikini with a bandeau top. The influencer wore a pair of iridescent sunglasses and her long dark hair flowed around her and she wrote 'Lazy Sunday' to explain the snap, but she did not disclose when or where it was taken. Flashback: Kim Kardashian, 41, posted a sexy flashback picture on social media Sunday In her Instagram stories, posted just minutes after the attention grabbing snap, the blonde bombshell was modeling a seamless bra and panties from her Skims line from what appeared to be the interior of her huge bathroom. She also shared video of her morning workout and other bits of clothing that could be used for under or outer wear. The entrepreneur made headlines when she announced last week she had taken advice from her sister Khloe, 37, and made adjustments to the crotch area of Skims bodysuits, after the Good American founder commented the area was too thin in an April episode of The Kardashians. Lazy Sunday: The Kardashians star wore a silver bikini with a bandeau top to display her trim abs and toned legs, writing 'Lazy Sunday.' She did not disclose when or where the picture was taken Posting on social media, Kim called out to her little sister, saying, Khloe, you would be so proud. I'm in a full SKIMS shapewear meeting and ,guys, we're making the vagina part in the bodysuit thicker, wider.' 'And we're changing a few things for all the comments and questions that you guys have been asking for a really long time,' adding, 'Literally, in like a huge shapewear meeting right now.' In an interview June 21 on the Today with Hoda and Jenna, the reality star offered a little insight into her seven year marriage to ex-husband Kanye West, 45. Back to work: Almost immediately after posting her flashback post, the Skims founder got down to work sharing new seamless pieces from her successful line of under and outer wear 'I think that there's a lot that I share and there's also a lot don't and I don't think I ever will, you know people just go through things in relationships.' Admitting that many social media posts don't always show the full picture, the influencer with 321 million followers explained, 'Sometimes people post all the good things and that's OK, like, that's their picture and that's their story and that's their art that they want to put out, but I don't think everything is to be aired out. I don't.' The mom of four said while she decides what to disclose on social media, she keeps her kids away from it as much as possible. She shared that all the kids, Saint, six, Chicago, four, Psalm, three, have pads to use, while daughter, nine, has a pad as well as a phone, which she uses to communicate with her parents, 'She has games on it, and fun creative things, but not really any social media apps or anything. I don't even know when that conversation's going to happen, I'm not ready for that one yet. We're still too young for that.' Bam Margera has fled a rehab clinic in Florida for the second time this month, TMZ reported. The Jackass star, 42, was last spotted in Deerfield Beach around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, local law enforcement officials told the publication. He was wearing a black shirt, black sweatpants and matching sneakers when he departed LifeSkills residential facility without permission. Bam Margera has fled from a rehab clinic in Florida for the second time this month, TMZ reported; pictured November 2010 This is the second time that the Pennsylvania native has disappeared from the rehab clinic in recent weeks. On June 13, Bam reportedly told the facility manager that he didn't like the clinic's services, and he was going to check himself into a different clinic. He then left in a black sedan without the permission of the staff or the court. His first escape ended when he was found in a Delray Beach hotel. He was taken back to the clinic by officers. Not his first time: This is the second time that the Pennsylvania native has disappeared from the rehab clinic in recent week; pictured October 2013 TMZ was told Bam had not been using his medication for several days and sparked fears amongst his team that he had relapsed. Bam reportedly left the clinic in part due to his break up from second wife Nikki Boyd. The site reported that Bam hadn't heard from Nikki or their four-year-old son Phoenix Wolf for over a week before he chose to flee. '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, June 18. Last family sighting: Jackass alum Bam 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 (pictured June 4) 'Due to the separation, Bam was staying at a sober living home when he made his unauthorized exit from rehab.' 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 Filming for season nine of ITV drama Endeavour has kicked off in Oxford, as the cast were snapped on set on Sunday. Leading man Shaun Evans was pictured as filming continued for the new season, which is confirmed to be the last as the show comes to an end. Donning a navy suit and patterned tie, the 42-year-old actor held onto a camera, before stepping into a vintage car. Leading man: Shaun Evans was snapped on set in Oxford on Sunday as filming for season nine of ITV's Endeavour Shaun plays leading role of police constable Inspector Morse in the show, which is a prequel to the Inspector Morse series, and focuses around his investigations. With the show being set in 1970s, the cast carried vintage props as they stood beside the old school navy car. Other cast-members were spotted on the set, as four characters donned black and white tuxedo's and top hats. Suited: Other cast-members were spotted on the set, as four men in the cast donned black and white tuxedo's and top hats Having a ball: Quickly turning into chaos, one grabbed a bike as he ran down the street holding on They sported grandeur white eye masks, walking alongside each other with wooden canes and white gloves. Quickly turning into chaos, one grabbed a bike as he ran down the street holding on. It comes as fans of the show are set to say their goodbyes, with season nine bringing it to an end. Masked: They sported grandeur white eye masks, as they walked alongside each other with wooden canes and white gloves In the show: The filming takes place in Oxford and is set in the 1970s Vintage: Donning a navy suit and patterned tie for the filming, Shaun stepped into a vintage car Previously speaking to Hello! Magazine, the shows executive producer Damien Timmer explained: 'Endeavour has been a real labour of love for all of us, and we salute Russell Lewis for his extraordinary achievement in chronicling Endeavour Morse's coming of age across 72 hours of TV'. Revealing that it was the end of an era for the show back in May, ITV said in a statement that it was a 'mutual decision' between the producers and screenwriters. They explained: 'After 10 phenomenally successful years, producers Mammoth Screen, and screenwriter Russell Lewis, Shaun Evans and Roger Allam have mutually decided to bring the internationally renowned Endeavour to a close, and the series currently filming in Oxford will be the last.' Boris Johnson has urged Western allies to stand firm over Ukraine as he sought to put his domestic political difficulties to one side. The Prime Minister met counterparts at the G7 summit in Germany on the latest leg of a series of international summits which have kept him out of the UK as questions mount over his leadership. Mr Johnson was at a Commonwealth meeting in Rwanda as the Conservatives learned they had lost the by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield, and he is not expected to return to the UK until after a Nato summit in Madrid concludes on Thursday, meaning his ability to reassure wavering MPs or snuff out Westminster plots against him will be diminished. But he will hope appearing on an international stage, focusing on the biggest war in Europe since the defeat of the Nazis, will persuade doubters that it is not the right time to consider a change in leadership in the UK. Amid speculation about the appetite of Western leaders to continue to support Ukraine during a prolonged conflict, Mr Johnson said Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to hack Russias neighbour apart with impunity. Ahead of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Johnson was asked whether France and Germany are doing enough over Ukraine. The PM praised the Germans without mentioning France. Just look at what the Germans alone have done, he said. I never believed in my lifetime that I would see a German chancellor stepping up in the way that Olaf Scholz has and sending weaponry to help the Ukrainians to protect themselves. Hes made huge, huge strides. We have 4% of our gas from Russia, in Germany its 40%. Theyre facing real, real pressures, theyre having to source energy from elsewhere. But theyre doing it. Theyre making the effort. Theyre making the sacrifice. He said the Germans realise the price of freedom is worth paying, despite the domestic consequences. Mr Johnson added: The consequences of whats happening for the world are tough, but the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher and everybody here understands that. In talks with Mr Macron, the Prime Minister stressed any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability and give Putin licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity. Earlier this month, Mr Macron insisted it would be for Ukraine to decide the terms of any peace negotiation with Mr Putin, having previously suggested Russia must not be humiliated. Downing Street played down any talk of a rift between the two leaders and they appeared to be enjoying themselves as the G7 chiefs unwound over a working dinner and jazz concert on Sunday night. Mr Johnson and Mr Macron were spotted with arms around each other drinking Bavarian whisky after formal talks ended. In talks with Canadas Justin Trudeau, Mr Johnson said: Ukraine is on a knife-edge and we need to tip the balance of the war in their favour. That means providing Ukraine with the defensive capabilities, training and intelligence they need to repel the Russian advance. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky will address the summit by video-link on Monday. In his nightly video address on Saturday, Mr Zelensky said repeated Russian missile strikes show the need for more advanced defensive equipment. He said: I will take part in the G7 summit on Monday. The Nato summit will take place next week. Forty-five missiles in half a day and just on the eve of such meetings. All clear. Another confirmation of our position. This confirms that sanctions packages against Russia are not enough, that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defence systems the modern systems that our partners have should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed. While the G7 leaders met in the luxury Schloss Elmau hotel, their partners including Carrie Johnson were escorted on a hike around the picturesque Ferchensee lake. In a tragic incident, the twenty-seven year-old son of IAS officer Sanjay Popli, currently under arrest in a graft case, died of bullet wounds here on Saturday. While the police claimed that he committed suicide, the family members alleged foul play. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had earlier this week arrested IAS officer Sanjay Popli in a graft case for allegedly demanding a bribe in exchange for clearing tenders for laying a sewerage pipeline in Nawanshahr. Chandigarh's Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal said after verifying things it has come to the fore that the 27-year-old ''has shot himself''. Further investigations are on, the SSP said, adding a licensed pistol was used in the incident. In connection with the investigation of the case, a Vigilance team had come to Popli's house and was present at the time of the incident, a neighbor and family friend told reporters. On June 21, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested Popli for allegedly demanding a one percent commission as a bribe for clearance of tenders for laying a sewerage pipeline at Nawanshahr. An inconsolable Sanjay Popli's wife told reporters, ''The Vigilance officials were pressuring us and they were even torturing my domestic help to give false statements in support of the case they have registered. My 27-year-old son is gone. He was a brilliant lawyer. They have snatched him''. ''To build a false case, they snatched my son--Kartik Popli is gone,'' said Sanjay Popli's wife showing blood spots of his son on her hands. ''I want justice. I will move court,'' said the wailing woman, repeatedly crying ''my son has been killed''. ''(Punjab Chief Minister) Bhagwant Mann should answer,'' she said. She said her husband Sanjay was due to appear before the court and a Vigilance team had visited their house. ''The Vigilance people took Kartik upstairs and when I went up they were mentally torturing my son,'' she said while adding ''even our mobile phones were snatched''. ''My son has died...,'' she alleged. A 51-year-old woman, a neighbor and family friend of the Popli family, alleged that ''Sanjay Popli was being pressured by the Vigilance that he should agree to the allegations leveled by them''. ''Kartik Popli too was detained for hours,'' said the woman. Vigilance Bureau recovers 12kg gold, 3 kg silver from IAS officer Popli's house Four days after the arrest of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sanjay Popli in corruption case, the Vigilance Bureau on Saturday recovered over 12Kg Gold, 3Kg Silver, four Apple iPhones, one Samsung Fold Phone and two Samsung Smartwatches from storeroom of his house at Sector 11, Chandigarh. The 12 Kg Gold includes 9 Gold Bricks (each 1kg), 49 Gold biscuits and 12 Gold coins, while 3Kg silver includes 3 Silver bricks (each 1kg) and 18 silver coins (each 10 grams). Popli was arrested on June 20, for allegedly demanding a 1% commission as a bribe of Rs 7 lakhs for clearance of tenders for laying of sewerage pipeline at Nawanshahr. His accomplice identified as Sandeep Wats was also arrested from Jalandhar. AN official Spokesperson of Vigilance Bureau said that based on the statement of Popli, the team of Vigilance Bureau conducted a raid at his residence and recovered the gold, silver and mobile phones concealed in the storeroom of his house. Hyderabad: Massive security arrangements will be in place ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Hyderabad to attend the BJPs National Executive Committee meeting at HICC Novotel on July 2 and to address a public meeting at Parade Grounds on July 3. At least 5,000 police personnel will be deployed as part of the security for the Prime Minister's two-day visit to Hyderabad. The state police would handle security outside the meeting venue by enforcing three-tier security procedures, while the SPG commandos and central security personnel would be on guard inside the HICC and Novotel grounds. Sources claimed that in order to communicate with the SPGs and other central forces and coordinate with the security agencies, only a limited number of IPS officials are permitted inside the conference room. Senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and SPG have spoken with the Telangana police personnel to learn more about the security measures in place. The police authorities discussed creating the Prime Minister's minute-by-minute programme schedule and presented security preparations. The officers of the meteorological department have also been instructed by the security officials to obtain a weather report. Officials have also decided to execute a trial run from Begumpet Airport to Madhapur HICC to ensure smooth arrival of flights. The police officials have instructed the various police officers in Hyderabad, Rachakonda, Cyberabad, and the surrounding district areas to keep additional reinforcements on standby for security of several chief ministers from various states. Hyderabad: The infighting in the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) turned murkier on Sunday when party's MLA B. Harshavardhan Reddy was arrested by police when he was on his way to the residence of former minister Jupally Krishna Rao. Harshavardhan Reddy represents the Kollapur Assembly constituency in Mahbubnagar district. Harshavardhan Reddy was proceeding to the residence of Krishna Rao in response to an 'open challenge' thrown by the latter for a public debate on corruption and development in the Kollapur constituency during their tenures. Tension prevailed in Kollapur as the supporters of Harshavardhan Reddy and Krishna Rao gathered in large numbers at their residences and threatened to attack each other if anyone tries to obstruct the public debate. Both the TRS leaders have been at loggerheads since 2019 due to which the party has been vertically split into two groups in Kollapur with each group trying to dominate the other. The infighting began after Harshavardhan Reddy, who was elected on a Congress ticket in 2018 Assembly polls defeating TRS candidate Jupally Krishna Rao, defected to the TRS later. The TRS leadership welcomed Harshavardhan Reddy into the party fold despite stiff opposition from Jupally and his supporters. Since the induction of Harshavardhan Reddy, both the leaders and their supporters are openly fighting on the streets causing embarrassment to the party leadership. The repeated attempts by the party leadership to patch up the differences between the two proved futile in the last three years. TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao had visited the residence of Krishna Rao in Kollapur last week and asked him to take part in the partys and the governments programmes actively along with Harshavardhan Reddy. But Rama Rao's efforts failed to bear fruit as Krishna Rao levelled serious corruption charges against the MLA soon after Rama Raos visit and dared the MLA to come for an open debate at the Ambedkar Chowk on Sunday. In response, the MLA declared that he would visit Krishna Raos residence for debate as political activity at the Ambedkar Chowk would cause inconvenience to people. The police, however, refused to grant permission to hold any public debates in the town citing law and order issues. The incumbent MLA, however, went ahead with scores of his supporters to visit Krishna Rao's residence, forcing the police to intervene and take him into custody. The arrest triggered protests from the MLA's supporters who staged a dharna at the bus station demanding the release of their leader. Krishna Rao, however. termed the incident a 'political drama', enacted by Harshavardhan Reddy and accused the latter of getting himself arrested to skip the public debate. Later, Harshavardhan Reddy stated that he had all the evidence against Krishna Rao to prove how he looted banks by defaulting on loans, resorted to corruption and failed to develop the Kollapur constituency during his stint as the minister and MLA earlier. He said he tried to expose all his misdeeds before the people but Krishna Rao prevented him from coming to his residence by approaching the police. Mekapati Vikram Reddy is greeting his supporters outside the counting centre in Atmakur after his victory on Sunday. (DC) Nellore: YSR Congress candidate Mekapati Vikram Reddy secured big win in Atmakur by-poll, with a thumping majority of 82,742 votes. Vikram trounced his 13 rivals including BJPs G.Bharat Kumar with with big margin at the end of 20th round of counting on Sunday. The counting commenced at 8 am in an engineering college at Atmakur under the supervision of Joint Collector and Returning Officer MN Harendhira Prasad and District Election Officer and Collector KVN Chakradhar Babu. Vikram Reddy secured a lead of 5,337 votes in the first round and he improved his voting margin to 58,230 votes after 14 rounds of counting. Vikram, a novice in politics who entered the fray to carry on the legacy of his brother Mekapati Goutham Reddy, started leading from the first round of counting and there was no looking back. The main opposition partythe Telugu Desam Party (TDP) did not contest as per its policy against fielding candidate when kin of a deceased member is in the fray. This also helped Vikram Reddy to bag 80,000 plus votes majority. The thumping majority is a shot in the arm for the ruling party to counter the opposition propaganda over the anti-incumbency factor working against the government. Jubilant YSR Congress cadres and leaders started reaching Atmakur to celebrate the victory and greet Vikram Reddy. The minister immediately called up the management of Rishi Vidyalayam, a noted private school in the town, and requested them to admit the boy with hostel accommodation and offered to bear all his expenditure. DC Image Hyderabad: Excise minister V. Srinivas Goud on Sunday offered to fund the education of a school dropout Vijay Kumar who discontinued his education after Class 7 due to poverty. The minister immediately admitted the boy to a private school and provided him with clothes, books and shoes. The minister promised to bear all his study expenses until he settles down in his life. The incident happened on Sunday when he visited the Maisamma temple to offer prayers in his Mahabubnagar constituency. The boy, who was selling cool drinks near the temple, rushed to the minister and caught his hand and started weeping to request the minister to help him to continue his education. The minister was moved by the boys request. He took him into his vehicle and gathered all his details. The boy told the minister that his parents discontinued his studies due to poverty and expressed his strong desire to continue his studies. The minister immediately called up the management of Rishi Vidyalayam, a noted private school in the town, and requested them to admit the boy with hostel accommodation and offered to bear all his expenditure. The leadership of the Delhi BJP faced charges of "mismanagement" and "neglect of local workers" after party candidate Rajesh Bhatia lost the Rajinder Nagar bypoll by AAP nominee Durgesh Pathak on Sunday. The BJP state unit leaders have failed to direct connect the people in Rajinder Nagar and they have no match to counter charisma of Arvind Kejriwal. The defeat of the BJP in Rajinder Nagar bypoll is the second major setback to the party under Gupta's presidentship. Last year, the party had failed to win even a single seat in the bypolls at five municipal wards in the city. A top BJP leader in Delhi said that local leadership have failed to project works done by Modi government and expose the Kejriwals failure. Delhi BJP needs dynamic leadership to counter Kejriwal in Delhi, BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity. A section of Delhi BJP leaders and workers trained guns at the state leadership accusing it of "failing" to connect with local workers and focusing on meetings and star campaigners instead of having a direct reach out to the voters. The Rajinder Nagar Assembly seat once considered a BJP bastion was last won by the party in 2013. However, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta refuted the charges and said the party worked hard to win the bypoll. "We worked hard and managed to narrow the margin of defeat in Rajinder Nagar. Unfortunately, we could not convert our efforts into victory. The reasons for the defeat will be looked into and corrective steps will be taken," Gupta said. The BJP had lost the Rajinder Nagar seat to the AAP in the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls by margins of over 20,000 votes. BJP candidate Bhatia thanked the party workers and voters in Rajinder Nagar for supporting him. "Defeat and victory are part of life. We fought a tough battle with dedication for which I am thankful to party leaders and workers. Contesting an election against the ruling party candidate is never easy and we did well." In the bypoll, the BJP had deployed a team of 40 star campaigners including several Union ministers who canvassed extensively in the constituency. "The party went hyper with campaigning which focused on meetings and rallies by star campaigners at the cost of direct reach out through local workers," said a senior Delhi BJP leader. Over 800 senior BJP workers from outside Rajinder Nagar were deputed at 170 polling booths for campaigning. "In all this mismanagement of campaigning, the local workers got lost and neglected," said another party leader. There was a plan to arrange for the commute of thousands of Punjabi voters presently living in NCR towns to polling booths in Rajinder Nagar but it could not be executed because the local workers were not given the responsibility, he claimed. A few senior party workers claimed that the state leaders lacked a "direct connect" with ground-level workers because they "never cared to meet them or listened to their issues. "How can anyone say anything to state president or general secretaries when appointments were needed to meet them that never materialised," complained a local worker from Rajinder Nagar. There were also murmurs in the Delhi BJP over the alleged dependence of state leaders including the president on a handful of their close leaders and workers. "A state functionary close to Delhi BJP was not seen campaigning actively for Bhatia, though he himself belonged to Rajinder Nagar. Many others made it a point to attend only meetings and roadshows of bigger leaders and Union ministers and never got down to active campaigning," alleged several party leaders. Sharing an image of T-Hubs new facility, Rama Rao tweeted, Delighted to announce that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao garu will be inaugurating the new facility of T-Hub on June 28, giving a huge fillip to the Hyderabad innovation ecosystem (sic). Twitter Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will inaugurate T-Hub's new facility in the city on Tuesday, IT minister K.T.Rama Rao said in a tweet on Sunday. Sharing an image of T-Hubs new facility, Rama Rao tweeted, Delighted to announce that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao garu will be inaugurating the new facility of T-Hub on June 28, giving a huge fillip to the Hyderabad innovation ecosystem (sic). The minister further shared former US President Abraham Lincolns famous quote "The best way to predict your future is to create it". He said T-Hub's new facility was built at a cost of Rs 276 crore in an area covering 3.5 lakh square feet and is expected to be Indias largest prototyping facility. T-Hub rents out office and meeting space, and offers services such as connections with mentors and investors, to startup companies in the technology sector. The first phase of T-Hub has already been operational since 2015 and it has provided over 1,100 national and international startups access to technology, talent, mentors, customers, corporates, investors and government agencies. T-Hub also provides thought leadership for Telangana and other state and central government organisations to build innovation ecosystems. It has garnered about Rs 1,800-crore investment and provided employment to over 2,500 people in Hyderabad. T-Hub Phase-I is spread across 70,000 sq ft and has been home to over 300 startups to date. It is a partnership between the government of Telangana, the International Institute of Information Technology, the Indian School of Business and the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research and the private sector. Earlier this month the chairman of Sri Lankas Ceylon Electricity Board informed the countrys parliamentary committee on public enterprises (COPE) that a contract had been awarded to an Indian business group, the Adani Group, for a renewable energy project without competitive bidding and that this was done under political pressure. The Sri Lankan Opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), accused President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of pampering [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modis notorious friends and the President tweeted back categorically denying all such allegations. While the electricity board chairman subsequently recanted and said he had misspoken, having become too emotional, all the available evidence suggests that the project was indeed awarded to the Adanis at the behest of the Indian government. This is not the first time that the Adani Group has been caught in a controversy. In Sri Lanka itself it had earlier been charged with securing Colombos West Container Port terminal without competitive bidding. Whatever the facts, such corporate controversies overseas do not easily die away, and the Adani Group is not the first Indian business group to get into the political crosshairs in a neighbouring country. Some years ago the venerable Tata Group was involved in a brouhaha of a different kind in Bangladesh. Caught between pro and anti-India politics in the country, the Tatas had to put on hold plans to invest as much as $3 billion in steel, fertiliser, power and other infrastructure projects. To be fair, there were no accusations of cronyism dogging the Tata Group in Bangladesh, unlike the Adani imbroglio in Sri Lanka. If there is anything common to both situations, it is the challenge of an Indian company getting caught in the crossfire of domestic politics in a foreign land. It is not often that Indian companies get caught in such political crossfires overseas. Most overseas operations of Indian companies, even of the big ones, are not big enough to attract political attention in the host countries, especially in developed Western markets. Corporate controversies in distant developing countries do not make waves in the Indian media. Consequently, if an Indian firm gets into political problems in an African or a Latin American country, or even in Eastern Europe, the news does not always travel back home. Indias immediate neighbourhood presents an altogether different context. Indias size within its neighbourhood creates a geopolitical context that bedevils Indian firms. Consider, for example, the dramatic exit of the GMR Group from the Maldives, after it was awarded a $500 million contract to operate the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport on Hulhule Island, near Male. The award was given by the government of Mohamed Nasheed and promptly annulled by a rival political group that deposed Mr Nasheed in a coup. There have been less dramatic and less visible problems for Indian firms in other neighbouring countries. In Nepal, the Dabur Group has been repeatedly accused of selling adulterated soft drinks. The local authorities seized thousands of cartons of Daburs Real juice. The Nepali media reported that the governments Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had raided Dabur Nepals unit in Bara district and sealed juice cartons for allegedly altering the date of manufacture. In this instance too, Daburs senior executives blamed the local political elements for targeting them as part of an anti-India tirade. Further afield, in South Africa, an Indian-origin business group, the Gupta family, has had its members arrested due to accusations of business malpractice and cronyism, but there too there is a political and diplomatic edge to the case. More recently, Indian businesses have faced a consumer boycott in the Gulf region due to the recent controversy over the alleged anti-Islam remarks of an Indian political activist. These incidents draw attention to the political risk of overseas business in general, and of doing business in Indias neighbourhood in particular. There is no doubt that in each of the South Asian cases, an element of anti-India, and perhaps pro-China, sentiment played its part. The two Asian giants cast a long shadow in the region. The anti-India sentiment gets bigger play when political elements are able to point to evidence of cronyism. All this points to the need for the Indian business community to have a better understanding of the link between business, geopolitics and host country political risk. Globalised Indian business must factor in the political and diplomatic risk of doing business in countries where India is or likely to be the target of domestic politics. At one point Mukesh Ambani had a global advisory council with a retired American diplomat, a head of a British think tank and a former Japanese minister as its members. Business persons like JSWs Sajjan Jindal have episodically invested in securing a better understanding of the politics of countries in which he has had business interests. Several multinational firms invest in seeking or retaining professional political and economic expertise on countries in which they invest and, more widely, on global and regional geopolitical and geo-economic issues that might impact their businesses. Similarly, Indian businesses foraying overseas must also remain alive to domestic politics in the host country, relations between home and host countries and wider regional geopolitical issues that are likely to impact business. The lazy option for many Indian companies has been to depend on serving or retired Indian diplomats for advice and help in getting out of tricky situations. Most professional diplomats steer clear of such involvement to avoid getting into sticky situations. Several diplomats and officials have often complained that Indian companies approach them too late in the day when in trouble and that stepping in to help may then raise the eyebrows of superiors. Of course, not all diplomats are so finicky about their professional conduct and willingly double up as advisers to influential business leaders in the name of economic diplomacy. Till a couple of decades ago, few diplomats would run the risk of getting too close to Indian business overseas for fear of attracting negative attention at home. More recently, as the lines between politics, business, government and diplomacy get increasingly blurred, more diplomats and officials are willing to go the extra mile for Indian companies, till a scam hits the headlines. The auction for the 5G network is all set to commence next month. But, the controversy around the allocation of 5G airwaves to private enterprises is refusing to die down. With the government allowing direct spectrum allotments to independent companies for setting up captive private 5G networks, global technology giants and Indian IT biggies are very keen to acquire the same. This has directly pitted them against telecom operators like Reliance Jio, Airtel, & Vodafone. Indian telcos fear that such allotment will eat into the lucrative 5G enterprise business with technology firms grabbing large market share. Industry experts believe that while private enterprises should be given 5G airwaves, the government should create a level-playing field concerning pricing to make it a win-win case for both telcos and technology firms. Globally, 5G licenses are given to enterprises also. There are a lot of private networks. You dont need to go to the telecom operators for getting your own private network. The government has started auctioning spectrum to telcos and now, they are trying to follow the global thing (in 5G spectrum allocation). If 5G is given to technology firms, they will build their private network and they have their captive centres in India, V Balakrishnan, Chairman of Exfinity Ventures & Former CFO of Infosys told DH. He said private enterprises should be allowed to get 5G airwaves but telcos concern for a level-playing field on the pricing of the network should also be addressed. If you look at telcos, their profitable business is enterprises. So, these players cant afford to lose the profitable business after spending so much money on the spectrum, Balakrishnan added. Read | India to have 500 million 5G subscribers by 2027: Report Most analysts predict that the business case for 5G will be heavily dependent on enterprise business. Some estimates suggest around 40% of overall 5G revenues of domestic telecom firms will come up enterprise business alone. 5G has more enterprise use cases. It will see more applications in autonomous driving, smart manufacturing, telehealth, digital learning, and many more. If technology companies have their own 5G spectrum, they can showcase PoCs (proof of concepts) to clients without depending on telcos. Owning own network will help in penetration of Industry 4.0 a lot better, Pareekh Jain, an IT outsourcing advisor & Founder of Pareekh Consulting. Indian market may not hold the key However, industry insiders also opined that the Indian market might not be the real motivation behind owning 5G network for Indian IT services companies like Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys among others. Though the Indian market holds a lot of significance for companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and others; Indian IT firms are keener to acquire 5G airwaves for showcasing their expertise to global clients for participating in large transformational deals in the telecom sector. Technology firms want their own spectrum so that they can develop various use cases. First, these companies will showcase their capabilities, and then, they can participate in 5G-related digital transformation contracts globally. This is critical because India doesnt have 5G deployment yet. For Indian IT companies, the domestic market may not be of immediate interest as compared to telcos or other technology firms, said Jain of Pareekh Consulting. Other analysts said that 5G would throw open a wide range of opportunities for all IT services companies globally. In India, smart manufacturing will gain pace on the back of the governments push for Make in India. There are a lot of opportunities in IoT and Industrial IoT space that will be created with 5G rollout in India. We have already seen global tech firms like IBM, Qualcomm seeing some traction and these firms are well-placed to cash in emerging opportunities in this space. Among Indian firms TCS, Tata Communications, Tech Mahindra, and Infosys among others can also benefit, said Mrinal Rai, Principal Analyst at global consulting firm, ISG. No conflict of interest While the tussle between telcos and tech companies over spectrum allotment continues, most experts opine that the relationship between these two sets of companies is symbiotic in nature. Because many of these technology firms work as service providers for Indian telecom companies. For instance, companies like TCS, Tech Mahindra, and IBM work with Airtel in various areas. Similarly, Google and Facebook are investee firms in Reliance Jio Platforms. There is no conflict of interest. The IT company provides a service and the telecom operator is a customer, said Balakrishnan. These companies compete in some areas and collaborate in some others. So, there is no question of any conflict of interest in the current case, said a source. From this perspective, 5G has the potential of changing the industrial landscape in India with accelerated digital adoption. Therefore, the government should come up with a fine balance on various aspects including the pricing for deep collaboration between telecom firms and technology companies. Because any unhealthy competition delaying the rollout of 5G may prove costly for India given the current uncertain economic environment. Trinamool Congress had on June 7 warned the BJP that the bypolls in four Assembly constituencies in Tripura would be a foreshadowing of the ruling party's debacle in the Assembly elections slated early next year. This seems to have turned on TMC itself with the saffron party bagging three of the four seats on Monday with the former drawing a blank. All four of its candidates faced the threat of losing their election deposits. The change of guard and a divided opposition seems to have favoured the BJP. The results, according to party workers, proved that the BJP can win elections despite the crisis over leadership and the exit of at least three strong leaders (Sudip Roy Barman, Ashish Kumar Saha and Ashish Das). Also read: Tripura Congress chief among 19 injured in clash with BJP "People voted in favour of development. In the next six-seven months, I will try my best to address the problems confronting people," CM Manik Saha told reporters soon after he was elected from the Town Bardowali seat. This was Saha's maiden direct election battle and the victory was a must for him to remain in the CM post. Saha, a Rajya Sabha member was made the CM in May, replacing Biplab Kumar Deb, who became the CM after the 2018 victory. Saha defeated Congress' Ashis Kumar Saha, who quit BJP along with Barman in February. Ashish was a two-time BJP MLA from Town Bardowali. Results also negated speculations of a change of CM ahead of Assembly polls and the reported disgruntlement within the party for choosing Saha as the CM ahead of bypolls. It was an easy win for Saha and two other BJP candidates in Juvarajnagar and Surma. BJP wrested the Juvarajnagar seat from CPI (M), the second biggest party in the Assembly with 15 seats. Congress, which failed to win a single seat in 2018, won in the prestigious Agartala seat, where Sudip Roy Barman, a former minister in Biplab Kumar Deb's cabinet won by over 3,000 votes. "Normally the bypolls are won by the party which is in power. But by electing me, people of Tripura have expressed their anger and frustration against the ruling BJP. The same anger will be reflected strongly in the Assembly elections next year," Barman told reporters. Also read: SP, AAP jolted in bypolls; BJP wins 2 Lok Sabha and 3 Assembly seats, Cong bags 2 in states TMC leaders struggled for words to defend the results. Senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha member, Sushmita Dev told DH, "TMC fought hard but we lost. We respect the mandate of the people. We faced so much violence that we could not build our organisation ahead of the bypolls. We opened our offices in Goa, Meghalaya and Assam but were prevented in Tripura because of which we could not consolidate our position. We will fight back and prepare for 2023." After the consecutive victory in Bengal, TMC set its eyes on Tripura to wrest power from BJP in 2023. In the 60-member Assembly, BJP now has 33 MLAs while CPI (M) 15 and Congress only one. IPFT, BJP's regional ally has 11. World powers on Sunday agreed to ban gold exports from Russia at a G7 meeting in the Bavarian Alps that will be dominated by war in Ukraine and its impact on food and energy supplies across the globe. Britain, the US, Canada and Japan will ban Russian gold imports as part of efforts to tighten the sanctions squeeze on Moscow. Experts said the ban will impact India, the world's second-largest consumer of gold. "It would lead to an increase in premium (over and above the usual price) for India also. Alternatively, the Russian bars may be made available for supply through smugglers to India," said an expert who didn't wish to be named. "Russia's annual gold production is 350 to 380 tonnes. The newly-mined gold in essence will not be available for the rest of the world through trading hubs like the UK and Switzerland. This will eventually lead Russia to look at supplying to markets that accept it. As it creates a supply shortfall, it will keep the premium higher in markets like Turkey and China," he said. India is the mother of democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at Munich in Germany on Sunday, tacitly responding to international criticism against his government for alleged human rights abuses, religious intolerance and democratic backsliding in the country. "We Indians are proud of our democracy no matter where we live, said the prime minister, ahead of taking part at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Germany as a special invitee. The summit is being attended by leaders of the G7 nations, including the United States President Joe Biden, whose administration has been making not-so-subtle criticism about democratic backsliding in India. Every Indian says this with pride that India is the mother of democracy, said the prime minister, with diplomats of India and the US exploring the possibility of a bilateral meeting between him and the American President on the sideline of the summit. Modi highlighted the achievements of the Bharatiya Janata Partys government led by him during the past eight years. He also targeted the opposition Congress by recalling that the then government of Indira Gandhi had declared Emergency on June 25 in 1975. Also read: From Munich to Mann Ki Baat: Modi attacks Emergency Modi arrived in Munich early on Sunday and, in the evening, addressed a congregation of Indian citizens and people of Indian origin living in Germany and other countries in Europe at Audi Dome, an indoor arena in the city. The diversity of culture, food, clothes, music and traditions makes our democracy vibrant. India has shown that democracy can deliver and has delivered, Modi said, His comment came just days after a White House spokesperson said in Washington DC that Biden, being a straight shooter, would have no problem talking to other leaders about humanitarian rights, about freedoms, about the importance of democracy. The spokesperson was responding to a question whether the US Government had any comment on demolitions of the houses of people in India for protesting derogatory comments made by two leaders of BJP in India against the Prophet Muhammad. A journalist had asked if Biden would press Modi harder to protect minority Muslims in India. New Delhi earlier this month sought to turn the table on Biden Administration and expressed concern over racially and ethnically motivated attacks, hate crimes and gun violence in the US in response to remarks made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on religious intolerance in India. Blinken had stated in Washington DC that India, the worlds largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, had seen rising attacks on people and places of worship. He had made the remark after releasing the US State Departments 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom in Washington DC. The Biden Administration had been tacitly conveying to New Delhi concerns in the US over the perception that India was backsliding on human rights, freedom of speech and religion and democratic principles. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had subtly nudged the prime minister to protect the democratic principles of India, when they had hosted him in Washington DC on September 24 last year. Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has approached the Supreme Court, challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly to him and 15 other MLAs, supporting him. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Sunday issued a warning to its senior leader and former MLA K N A Khader after he participated in a programme organised by the RSS in Kozhikode district of Kerala recently and his speech there. A philosopher and noted orator, Khader was honoured at the cultural meeting, "Snehabodhi" at the Kesari bhawan in Kozhikode few days ago. In his speech at the RSS-sponsored programme, Khader had expressed his desire to enter the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple. "I was lucky to visit many temples in North India but could not enter the Sree Krishna temple in Guruvayur", he had said during his speech at the RSS function. Consequent to this, the party leadership had sought an explanation from Khader. A statement issued by the League on Sunday said the party's high power committee that met during the day deliberated over the explanation given by Khader and decided to warn him for overlooking the tradition of the party. The party has issued a warning to Khader to be more prudent and ensure that speeches and public statements made by him are as per party policies and practices, statement said. Former MLA of Vengara, Khader had lost in the 2021 Assembly elections from Guruvayur. The Narendra Modi government at the Centre has been pursuing Hindutva politics for the last eight years, says AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi. The Hyderabad MP believes that from mob lynching to the legislation to ban triple talaq and from attempts to change religious character of mosques to use of bulldozers to raze the houses of Muslims in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh all show that the BJP and RSS have been working to implement their agenda. "BJP has been doing politics of hate for the last eight years. They are encouraging violence to meet their ideological ends. They have legitimised violence in eight years," said Owaisi The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader feels that Hindutva as opposed to Hinduism is exclusive. He sees Hindutva as a danger to India's Constitution and composite culture as it does not believe in equality and talks about one nation and one religion. Read | After 'destroying' economy, Modi govt 'playing' with national security: Asaduddin Owaisi on Agnipath He is of the view that the idea of Hindu Rashtra is based on Hindu supremacy. It means subjugation of anyone who isn't Hindu. "Hindutva is a threat to the Constitution and Constitutional morality," he observed. Owaisi alleged that ever since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, there have been efforts to demolish secularism and turn the country into a Hindu Rashtra. Owaisi feels that if secularism dies the whole idea of India will get weakened. "Only thing which unites and keeps India strong is the pluralism and diversity of this great nation. The ethos of this country are secularism, diversity and pluralism and that is the thing which strengthens our country and that has to be strengthened come what may." The prominent Muslim leader is determined to fight to safeguard India's ethos. "Our fight is for a strong inclusive India where rights of all Indians are secured and constitutional values paramount. It is a fight for justice - for liberty, equality and fraternity. We can't be silent spectators as India is weakened and destroyed by this Hindutva ideological project," he added. Owaisi referred to the mob lynchings since the BJP came to power in 2014. "They killed Mohammed Akhlaq, Pehlu Khan, Rakbar, Hafiz Junaid and others," he said. Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched by a mob on suspicion of cow slaughter at a village near Dadri in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar in 2015. Others were lynched in separate incidents in 2017 and 2018. The MP pointed out that the government headed by Modi never condemned violence and on the contrary encouraged such elements. Owaisi had earlier stated that the lynching of Muslims is the result of Nathuram Godse's ideology of Hindutva. "Cowardice, violence and murder have an unbreakable relationship with Godse's Hindutva thinking," he tweeted. The Lok Sabha member remarked that the criminals behind lynchings would not know the difference between a cow and a buffalo but the names of Akhlaq, Pehlu, Rakbar and Jnaid were enough to kill. "This hatred is the product of Hindutva. These criminals are backed by the Hindutva government." The MP also referred to the government going soft on Yati Narsinghanand, genocidal Sansad gang, Nupur Sharma, Naveen Jindal and others. "Weak action has only been taken when there was outrage for weeks or international condemnation or when courts pulled up the police. In contrast, Muslim students, journalists, activists have been put in prison for the crime of merely being Muslim," he said. The Muslim leader pointed out that Hindutva organisations have a culture where hate speech and extremism is rewarded with promotions. He cited the example of Yogi Adityanath who was first rewarded with a Lok Sabha seat and later with the post of chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. "Modi's hate speeches were similarly rewarded," he said and recalled that Narendra Modi got prominence after 2002 Gujarat riots when he was the chief minister of that state. "In fact the people who attempted to shoot me, admitted that they did so, so that they could become prominent Hindutva politicians," said the MP referring to the attack on him by two men. He had escaped unhurt when two men opened fire at his car when he was returning to Delhi after campaigning in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in February. He also predicted that suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma will become BJP's poster girl. "I will not be surprised if she is declared as the saffron party's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi Assembly polls in a few months," he said. Leading the efforts to salvage the Maha Vikas Aghadi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday held a meeting with top leaders even as Shiv Sena was mulling launching action against the rebels in Eknath Shinde's camp. Track Live Updates on the Maharashtra Crisis Congress Legislature Party leader and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Anil Desai and state Transport Minister Anil Parab visited Pawar's SIlver Oak bungalow. The NCP supremo and MVA chief architect is of the view that the rebels should be forced return to Mumbai and seek a floor test. State BJP Spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo and party workers were detained by Chandwa police in Latehar today when they were going to Latehar to meet the DC Abu Imran there in connection with the death of two girls suspected to have died of the food poisoning. At Chandwa on NH 75 the local police intervened and detained them. Pratul said he and his team then squatted there but later on they were taken down to the nearby inspection bungalow at Chandwa where they were detained for more than four hours. Pratul said his detention was illegal and unlawful as he and his team were going to seek aid for the family that has lost two girls in the age group of 5 years to one and a half years after eating ring snacks and mixture only to get sick horribly leading to their hospitalisation at the RIMS Ranchi where the two died on June 5 and 7 during their treatment. Pratul said he failed to understand as to how his and his partymen going to Latehar to meet the DC was any objectionable and they were detained. Officer in charge of the Chandwa police station Madan Sharma said there was an order from above to detain Shahdeo and others and he just did what was told. Police officer Sharma declined to make any further explanation. They were let off late in the evening, said police sources. Sources said there was the programme of Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Latehar today. It was a divisional programme of the distribution of the KCC there among the Birsa Kissans. An officer in this district refusing to be identified said the Latehar administration knew Pratul and his team would draw more attention or might cause chaos and so Chandwa police were put on the job to detain Pratul and others some 24 kilometers away from Latehar . This officer said the detention of Pratul and others made him and his team's motto for help to the bereaved family a household issue in Latehar. Pratul when he was speaking to this correspondent said police officials were telling him to switch off his phone but this spokesperson who knows how to say maximum with minimum of words had told the Pioneer all the relevant information about his and others detention. Caption: State BJP Spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo along with party workers being taken to the Inspection Bungalow at Chandwa in Latehar on Thursday . Adding a new dimension to the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, Shiv Senas trouble-shooter Sanjay Raut said that the now rebel leader Eknath Shinde lost the post of Chief Minister only and only because of the BJP. According to Raut, Shinde was always an important leader of the Shiv Sena. It may be mentioned, that during the BJP-Shiv Sena government headed by Devendra Fadnavis, Shinde was the Minister for Public Works (Public Undertaking) and briefly the Minister for Public Health and Family Welfare and when the Maha Vikas Aghadi came to power under Uddhav Thackeray, he was made the Urban Development Minister. Also Read | Resign and contest elections: Sanjay Raut tells rebels It is being said that Uddhav Thackeray has a world to Eknath Shinde that he would be made the Chief Ministernow here this rebellionEknath Shinde would have been made the Chief Minister if the BJP would not have backtracked on the two-and-a-half-year rotational Chief Ministerif this pact would have been upheld (by BJP), Shinde would have been the Chief Minister, Raut said in the weekly column RokhThok that appears in Saamana, every Sunday. Raut, who is the Executive Editor of Saamana, wrote: When the Maha Vikas Aghadi was formed, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress President Sonia Gandhi insisted that Uddhav Thackeray be the Chief Minister. Raut, a Rajya Sabha member and partys chief spokesperson, said that it is clear that Shinde lost the post of Chief Minister because of BJP, whom he is now calling a maha-shakti. However, he added: Traditionally, the Chief Minister holds the Urban Development portfolio, but Thackeray had given it to Shinde." The dent to Shiv Sena is deep, and with just 15 MLAs and four ministers now, the priority for Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray is to save the 56-year-old party founded by his late father Balasaheb Thackeray. Rebel group leader Eknath Shinde, the Thane strongman, has put the Maha Vikas Aghadi in trouble. When the MVA was formed, the Shiv Sena had 10 Cabinet berths which included one independent and for Ministers of State - two from the party and two independent/others. Of them, Sanjay Rathod, the Forest Minister had to resign in February 2021, in the wake of the mysterious death of social media star Pooja Chavan. In the 2019 Vidhan Sabha elections the Shiv Sena won 56 - but the strength in Assembly was reduced to 55 - as one MLA Ramesh Latke died last month. Also read: Rebel Sena leaders may stake claim to form government in next 2 days, says report The Shiv Sena has 14 members in Council, but the split in the Upper House is not yet known. As of now, Thackeray holds the portfolios of General Administration, Law and Judiciary, Information and Public Relations and Information Technology. The three ministers in his side are his son Aaditya, an MLA from Worli, who holds the portfolios of Environment, Tourism and Protocol; Subhash Desai, the Minister for Industries, Mining and Marathi Language; and Anil Parab, the Minister for Transport and Parliamentary Affairs. Among the four, only Aaditya is an MLA, as Thackeray, Desai and Parab are MLCs. Besides, Desais tenure as MLC is ending next month. The Cabinet ministers who walked away are Eknath Shinde, who holds the portfolios of Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertakings), Gulabrao Patil (Water Supply and Sanitation), Uday Samant (Higher and Technical Education), Dada Bhuse (Agriculture), Sandipan Bhumre (Employment Guarantee, Horticulture). Another Cabinet minister is Shankarrao Gadakh, the Minister for Soil and Water Conservation, of Krantikari Shetkari Paksha, who later joined the Shiv Sena. The two MoS who left are Abdul Sattar (Revenue, Rural Development, Ports Development, Khar Land Development, Special Assistance) and Shambhuraj Desai (Home-Rural, Finance, Planning, State Excise, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Marketing). Two two independent MoS from Shiv Sena quota are Rajendra Patil Yadravkar (Public Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Food and Drugs Administration, Textiles, Cultural Affairs) and Bacchu Kadu of Prahar Janshakti Party who holds several portfolios - Water Resources, Command Area Development, School Education, Woman and Child Development, Other Backward Classes, Bahujan Welfare, Socially and Educationally Backward Classes, Vimukta Jati, Nomadic Tribes, Special Backward Classes Welfare, Labour and Minority Welfare Development. Indias nearly 15 crore farmers and 42 crore people in the unorganised sector together contribute nearly 72% of the countrys GDP. The share of agriculture was at 19.9% in 2020-21 while the unorganised sector contributed 52% of the GDP in FY-2018. The long spell of the pandemic has hit these two sectors; it has created hunger and unemployment on a massive scale. Financial experts believe the informal sector has shrunk by 20% after 2018 due to the pandemic. People engaged in these two powerful sectors deserve quality schools, health facilities and a favourable environment to increase their income level. Asha from Namdev district of Maharashtra baby-sits, cleans floors and washes dishes in housing societies in Hyderabad to earn Rs 18,000 per month. She cant afford to send her children to a good school, get proper healthcare and housing facilities in Hyderabad. Asha was getting Rs 125 after a days work in the agriculture field in her native village; her wage was not regular. Thousands of youth from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Telangana, West Bengal, Northeast India, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha move to Hyderabad and other big cities for employment due to low income in their villages. Bipul, a security guard from Assam, does 12-hour duty in a housing society in Hyderabad to receive Rs 12,000 per month. We have enough food in Assam but too little income to meet the daily expenses of the family. We need money to send our children to good schools and get good health facilities, said Bipul. As per surveys made by the Census 2011, Economic Survey and NSSO, the number of migrants working in different cities is between 20 and 50 crore. Those migrants can take up multiple nature-based economic activities in their respective states. Availability of water, good soil, raw material for handicraft-making, proper guidance, crop diversity, transparent market, healthcare and quality education at an affordable cost will increase peoples income. Well-equipped hospitals with good doctors can save peoples income. Indians spent eight times more on private hospitals and twice as much on transporting patients compared to costs in government hospitals, according to the recently released data of the National Health Accounts (NHA). Private hospitals are out of reach for the vast majority of Indians, though they contribute immensely to the growth of the healthcare sector. India stands out as a poor and very unequal country, with an affluent elite, where the top 10% holds 57% of the total national income, including 22% held by the top 1%, while the bottom 50% holds just 13% in 2021, according to the World Inequality Report 2022. Income inequality has created two types of health facilities good and substandard. The wealthy top 1% Indians with wealth four times the combined wealth of the bottom 70% avail the best hospital facility. The higher middle class manage what is good for them within their budget while the rest 70% of the population are left to a ragtag healthcare system. The Indian healthcare sector has been growing phenomenally at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of around 22% since 2016 and is estimated to reach $372 billion in 2022. According to the latest Hurun India Rich List, of Indias estimated 237 billionaires, 40 made their fortunes from pharmaceutical companies. In order to maintain growth, private hospitals should innovate, invent and adopt the economy of scale to treat the majority of people at an affordable cost. The entry of a large number of mediocre students in medical colleges through faulty percentile systems and hefty donations has converted the healthcare system into a greedy and corrupt service industry producing business managers in place of doctors. The National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines state that the fees for 50% of seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities should be on par with that of government medical colleges; strict implementation of guidelines will make medical education far more inclusive. India is a treasure trove of low-cost alternative medicines like Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Acupressure, Homeopathy and Unani etc. There should be dedicated research on alternative systems of medicines so that a reliable system would evolve. An inclusive quality education up to standard XII sufficiently equips a person to earn, innovate, communicate and start an entrepreneurship on his/her own. The majority of farmers and people in the informal sector spend a substantial part of their income on childrens education; it is an economic burden on them. The Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 should be amended to include the word quality before free and compulsory education for children between the ages 6 and 14. The National Sample Survey 2017-2018 shows there are challenges of affordability, quality, distribution of education infrastructure. Good governance always saves peoples hard-earned money. Honest police personnel, transparent judiciary, reliable and affordable public transportation system, pure food and clean water etc indirectly save peoples hard-earned surplus which can make them prosperous. Ancient civilizations hold online dialogue calling for intl cooperation to promote world peace and development 09:47, June 26, 2022 By Peng Yukai, Xiang Shizhen ( People's Daily Online With the theme of Upholding Justice and Achieving Common Development, the Online Dialogue of Friendship Associations of Four Countries with Ancient Civilizations was held on June 24, 2022. The Dialogue was hosted by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFF). A screenshot of the Online Dialogue of Friendship Associations of Four Countries with Ancient Civilizations held on June 24, 2022. (Photo/Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) Scholars and experts from China, Greece, Egypt, and India discussed the traditional values of the four ancient civilizations and how to apply their respective ancestors wisdom to resolve present-day global challenges. Lin Songtian, President of CPAFF, delivered an opening speech. The world currently stands at a crossroad and facing major changes unseen in a century, Lin noted, adding that facing the common crisis of mankind, we should to unite as one and voice our call of civilization and justice to safeguard world peace and enable people around the world to enjoy a peaceful and happy life. China has always advocated equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. We should understand the values of different civilizations with a broad mind and respect people of different countries in exploring their own development paths. We should eliminate estrangement through exchanges, avoid clashes through interactions, and replace superiority based on pride and prejudice with co-existence among civilizations. Only in this way can we achieve the common prosperity of all civilizations through exchanges and mutual learning, said Lin. Lin Songtian, President of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFF), delivers an opening speech at the Online Dialogue of Friendship Associations of Four Countries with Ancient Civilizations on June 24, 2022. (Photo/ Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) All the participants came to an agreement that civilization is the crystallization of the progress of human society, the common intellectual treasure of people all over the world, as well as the spiritual bond that can lead human society to a bright future. Scholars and experts expanded the discussion regarding how ancient civilizations affect the world today and how people might utilize them to safeguard peace and development. Chrisi Vitsilaki, Rector of the University of the Aegean in Greece, noted in her speech that amalgamation is the crucial point in the development of ancient Greek civilization. Therefore, knowing, respecting, and absorbing the varieties between different civilizations enhances the understanding and friendship between Greece and other countries, said Vitsliaki. George Fernandes, President of the India (Maharashtra State)-China Friendship Association, made an analogy between Chinese and Indian civilizations: Both countries advocate the value that the world is a family, and a peaceful relationship should be built between countries. Photo shows attendees at the Online Dialogue of Friendship Associations of Four Countries with Ancient Civilizations held on June 24, 2022. (Photo/Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) Aly El-Hefny, Vice President of the Egypt-China Friendship Association, noted that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as the sanctions from the US and other Western countries, had brought catastrophic effects to the world economy, which has also led to another food and energy crisis. As a result, the world should work together to fight against violence, confrontation, and imperialism, said El-Hefny. Pella Karpathiotaki, an expert on international studies in Greece, also emphasized that the so-called democracy in some Western countries is not the democracy that Greek civilization advocated. Instead, the democracy that they are talking about has been ideologized and weaponized as a tool for intervening in the internal issues of other countries, said Karpathiotaki. Karpathiotaki also made the point that labeling and treating other countries with double-standards through the excuses of democracy and human rights is a brutal behavior. It aims to undermine the current international order as well as the development of some emerging countries. The participants came to an agreement that living in the world as a family is the aspiration for most civilized countries. Respecting, learning, communicating, and cooperating is the methodology that most civilized countries need to get along. Building a community with a shared future for mankind is the eventual goal for all human beings. The Dialogue ended with a joint declaration calling for international cooperation to promote world peace and development. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Saturday announced support for Droupadi Murmu, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BSP has decided to extend support to Droupadi Murmu in the forthcoming presidential elections, keeping in mind the Adivasi community which is an important part of the partys movement. The decision was taken not with a view to supporting the BJP or the NDA or going against the opposition led by the UPA, but in view of the party and its commitment to making a capable and dedicated Adivasi woman the president of the country, the BSP chief and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said. The BSP has 10 Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha MPs. However, two Rajya Sabha MPs will retire on July 4, that is 14 days before the polling for the presidential election. The party also has one MLA in the UP Legislative Assembly. Mayawati also hit out at the opposition for not consulting her while selecting former minister Yashwant Sinha as their candidate. A joint front of the Trinamool Congress, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, AIMIM, National Conference and DMK met earlier this month to pick a consensus candidate and settled for Sinha after Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah said no. Mamata Banerjee invited only selected parties to the meeting on June 15 to select an opposition candidate for the presidential election. When Sharad Pawar called a meeting on June 21, the BSP was not invited even then. It shows their casteist motives, Mayawati said. Murmu is widely expected to become the first tribal woman to become the President of India. The former Jharkhand governor will be backed by the Biju Janata Dal of Odisha, which is Murmu's native state, apart from the BJP. The 64-year-old will be the first person from Odisha and the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post, if she wins. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Janata Dal (Secular) of Karnataka led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda are also likely to support the NDAs presidential candidate. Murmu filed her nomination on Friday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of Union ministers, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari apart from BJP president JP Nadda. The Central Advisory Board for Disability on Friday appreciated the Chhattisgarh government's effort to save the life of a differently-abled boy Rahul, who was stuck in a borewell for more than 105 hours. The appreciation was done at a meeting organized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi. Chhattisgarh Minister for Social Welfare Anila Bhedia took part in the meeting and spoke about setting up District Rehabilitation Centres for differently abled on the lines of District Hospitals. "A District Rehabilitation Center is a very sensitive and necessary institution for the all-around development of differently abled," she said. She further added that if the Central government cooperates, the state government will provide free land and resources for this. The Minister drew the attention of the Board to the issue waiving off loans given to differently-abled affected by Covid-19. Bhedia informed that more than 100 public buildings have been made barrier-free in the state capital to make public places accessible for the differently-abled. Naya Raipur has been developed barrier-free for the differently abled. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday met the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Personnel and Public Grievances, Jitendra Singh, in New Delhi and discussed a wide range of issues, including the shortage of officers in the State. During the meeting, in-depth discussions were held regarding Haryanas present and future requirement of IAS officers. The Center has assured Haryana to fulfill the States requirement of adequate number of higher officers of the Indian Administrative Service and the relevant personnel requirements. The Chief Minister apprised the Union Minister of State about the requirements of adequate number of present and future IAS officers for the efficient working of various departments. Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, S Radha Chauhan and Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana Personnel and Training Department, Deepti Umashankar were present in the meeting. A CORK city councillor has suggested that one of the citys vacant coffee pods might be repurposed as a city centre garda station. Sinn Fein Councillor Mick Nugent made the suggestion at the June quarterly meeting of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee (JPC) in recent days. Cllr Nugent pointed out that An Garda Siochana had recently opened a new station on OConnell Street, and suggested there could be benefits to opening a pop-up station in Cork city. I often thought that one of the disused coffee pods could have been somewhere the guards could have had a presence during the day, Cllr Nugent told the JPC meeting. Speaking to The Echo, Cllr Nugent said he raised the issue of incidents in Cork city centre, and fear around safety in the area with authorities. The Sinn Fein councillor said he had made his suggestion about repurposing a vacant coffee pod as a garda station to Chief Superintendent Tom Myers, who is in charge of policing in the Cork City Division. I proposed the idea of the gardai utilising unused coffee pods as a base within the city centre, that could be both an information resource for members of the public alongside increasing garda visibility in the city centre, he said. It is vital that people feel safe on our streets and this could be really positive for the city centre. "The chief superintendent recognised the merit in the idea and has said he will investigate further, Cllr Nugent stated. Cllr Nugents proposal to use one of the vacant pods as a garda office was endorsed by Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer, who said many people believed a more visible presence of An Garda Siochana was needed in the city centre. In Dublin, Operation Citizen and Operation Spire, which specifically target anti-social behaviour and drug dealing on OConnell Street, are being run out of a new garda station located at 13A Upper OConnell Street. CORK Pride organisers are desperately appealing for the safe return of artworks created by their artist-in-residence as the festival approaches. The artworks had been proudly displayed on Sullivan's Quay before being snatched last Friday. They were created by award-winning artist and Cork Pride's Artist-in-residence Stephen Doyle. Mr Doyle said the incident reiterated the vulnerability experienced by many in the LGBTQ+ community. "To say Im upset is an understatement yet Im not shocked," he said in a statement published on social media. "Ive spent countless hours in tandem with Cork Pride in getting this project off the ground and getting it to that point. This body of work was inspired by the LGBTQ+ community in Cork, specifically members of the Gay Project and LINC." He spoke about the inspiration behind his pieces. "The paintings feature individuals from both groups engaging with one another in built safe spaces," he added. "Recent events in Ireland have reminded us how far we still have to go as a society and how important these spaces are to the queer community. We require these spaces to share our experiences, bond, heal and find our families." He described what the work meant to those in the LGBTQ+ community. "By developing this body of work in a public space such as this, it mirrors the level of vulnerability we feel existing as ourselves walking the streets. Over the last number of months, Ive been on-site painting them. While most people who spoke to me were inquisitive and kind about the artwork, it has to be noted that a number of people spat homophobic and anti-lgbtq+ rhetoric towards me as I worked. Id rather not speculate at this time as to why someone would take the work but given the amount of effort it would take to remove them, it meant someone really wanted them far from the public realm. Ive been in contact with the Gardai and they will be looking into the matter. Im looking for any information, even If you could tell me when you last saw it on-site would be greatly appreciated. All Im looking for is the return of the work, I hold no malice toward whoever has taken them." The crime was reported to Gardai who are investigating the incident. Gardai released a brief statement in relation to the matter. "Gardai are investigating an incident of theft that occurred at a junction on Meade Street in Cork City," a Garda spokesperson said. The incident was reported to Gardai on 24th June 2022. Investigations are ongoing at this time." Anyone with any information on the stolen paintings is asked to contact Gardai Corks Pride celebrations will take place from Saturday July 23 to Sunday, July 31. The theme of the 2022 Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival is PROUD TO BE.... For events happening throughout the city visit See https://corkpride.com/ Meta has told employees not to discuss the Supreme Courts recent ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade , according to The New York Times . Pointing to a May 12th memo it shared after a draft of Fridays decision was leaked by Politico , the company has deleted messages on its internal communication tools that mention the topic. In the document, the social media giant reportedly said it would not allow open discussion about abortion within the workplace due to a heightened risk of creating a hostile work environment. One employee took to LinkedIn to voice their frustration with the situation. On our internal Workplace platform, moderators swiftly remove posts or comments mentioning abortion, said software engineer Ambroos Vaes . Limited discussion can only happen in groups of up to 20 employees who follow a set playbook, but not out in the open. Meta did not immediately respond to Engadgets request for comment. On Friday, Meta also told employees it would reimburse the travel expenses of employees in need of access to out-of-state healthcare and reproductive services to the extent permitted by law. Thats a policy many tech companies, including Google, had in place before Fridays decision and that they reiterated after the Supreme Court announced its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Fridays action wasnt the first time Meta moved to prevent its employees from dicussing a contentious topic at the workplace. The company updated its Respectful Communication Policy following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. At the time, the company told employees they could no longer discuss political and social issues in company-wide Workplace channels. Emphasising the importance of school education for children, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has directed officials to ensure that no child is left from attending schools. Stating that education gives the right direction to society and lays the foundation of a developed and empowered country, the chief minister, while addressing a meeting, said, Make the School Chalo Abhiyan effective. Children from each and every family must go to school on a regular basis, he said. The chief minister also urged the parents to make sure they send their children to school in uniform only. The Yogi-led UP government targets to connect two crore children aged 6-14 years with the School Chalo campaign in the academic year 2022-23. Currently, 1.88 crore children are enrolled and studying in 1.3 lakh schools in 75 districts of the state. Under the School Chalo Abhiyan, the teachers are conducting household surveys across the state to increase enrollment. Along with that, enrollment of child labourers is being done under the campaign. It may be mentioned here that as per a comparative study of the Basic Education department, in the year 2016-17, about 1.52 crore students were enrolled in the primary and secondary schools. After Yogi Adityanath took charge in Uttar Pradesh, the number of students going to school has increased to 1.88 crore. F ounded by Georges Ducommun in 1889 and in the hands of the Jenny family since 1997, Doxa has seen a spectacular rise in its value on the watch markets over the past three years. This is largely due to a new brand strategy, supported by the Jenny family and implemented by Jan Edocs, the new man at its head. In three years and in the midst of a pandemic, the desirability of the diving specialists models has increased tenfold, thanks to a selective and well-thought-out strategy. With the benefit of considerable experience in watchmaking (Omega, Swatch, Versace and Milus) and an intimate knowledge of the two most dynamic markets for the industry China and the United States Jan Edocs is proving that a rapid turnaround is entirely capable of attracting the interest of new local generations, who are increasingly knowledgeable in all things watches. And this is true at all price levels: while Doxa is active in a market ranging from CHF 1,000 to 5,000, other brands from Swatch to Zenith and Parmigiani Fleurier are also in the process of proving this. The brand is proving that a rapid turnaround is entirely capable of attracting the interest of new local generations, increasingly knowledgeable in all things watches. Discreet but warm, authentic but focused on innovation: Doxa is one of those Swiss brands with a venerable heritage that they are now transforming for the better. Today, the brand rubs shoulders with the biggest names in the most sought-after retailers, while still generating the majority of its turnover directly and online, as a pioneer of e-commerce with a very favourable impact not only on margins but also on the knowledge of its end customers. Jan Edocs has been CEO of Doxa since 2019. Our ambition is to be warm, authentic, simple, accessible, functional, playful and above all not arrogant, he says. Its absolute icon is the SUB, which dominates its offer and is available in multiple series that are easily identifiable by their water-resistance on the one hand, and their often bright dial colours on the other. Unveiled at the Basel Fair in 1967, and adopted the following year by celebrity seafarer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the SUB 300 and SUB 300T were the first professional diving watches made affordable to a wider public, with their orange colour and a patented rotating bezel. Fifty years later, Doxa still sticks to this line and this philosophy, by cultivating a democratic approach reflected in its price range. We caught up with Jan Edocs to talk about the transformation of the brand since his arrival in 2019. Europa Star: What was your background before joining Doxa? Jan Edocs: I am originally from Biel, so it was quite natural that I started at the Swatch Group, first in the heritage department at Omega. The then curator Marco Richon started by having me clean all the pieces in the museum, though I was dreaming of travelling to the other side of the world! I then moved to the Swatch brand, first in the duty free department, then the Swiss market. After these two experiences, I joined an independent brand for the first time, Milus, which in the 1990s still belonged to the founding Junod family. A few years after that, I also discovered the world of fashion watches at Versace, travelling between Ticino and Milan, before returning to Milus, as CEO this time. Under what conditions did you return? In 2001, the brand was bought by the Hong Kong-based Peace Mark Group, one of the largest watch distributors in China. Milus was their flagship: with it, they wanted to demonstrate that a Swiss brand could quickly establish itself on the Chinese market, which was still in its infancy at the time, and thus gain the trust of new clients for their distribution in China. I divided my time between managing Milus and talking to other Swiss brands. The group was very strong in China, with a large number of sales outlets, and they also owned the Sincere retailer in Singapore. However, this adventure ended in bankruptcy and then in a giant liquidation of the group, which was absorbed by Chow Tai Fook in 2008. I kept Milus going for two years, in the best interests of the staff, and paid all the suppliers, until 2010. Then the right moment came to leave when a Hong Kong financier took over the brand. What did you do then? I crossed the Atlantic to settle in New York, a long-time dream. I set up a consulting office in the heart of Manhattan where only Swiss German was spoken! Our goal was to facilitate the establishment of Swiss companies in the United States. I also carried out assignments for the Gaydoul Group, which back then also owned the German watch brand Hanhart and wanted to review its investment portfolio. But after a few years in New York I wanted to come back to Switzerland. Now I truly appreciate the sound of silence much more! Fifty years later, Doxa sticks to its absolute icon, the SUB, and its philosophy, by cultivating a democratic approach reflected in its price range. For the first time, Doxa is reissuing the Army model produced for the Swiss Armys elite diving unit, one of its most sought-after vintage pieces, in a limited edition of 100, in collaboration with Watches of Switzerland, its exclusive US retailer. How did you meet the Jenny family, the long-time owners of Doxa? As we are both from the same Biel region, Romeo F. Jenny and I knew each other since our very first steps in the watch industry. We had even taken an introductory watchmaking course together, while I was at Omega and he had just joined the family business. Back in Switzerland, I continued to work as a consultant. We met again at Baselworld in 2018 and I started by giving them some friendly private advice. Gradually, this led to a broader collaboration. A year later, I got introduced as the new CEO of Doxa and Romeo F. Jenny took over as the groups chairman of the board. Were you already familiar with the brand? And what did you tell them at the beginning of your collaboration? I knew their history and for me Doxa was truly an amazing brand besides the existing online business, there was huge potential in the offline market too. I informed them that Doxa ran an even greater risk if they couldnt rejuvenate their fan base, which was getting older that they could become a museum brand, highly valued but not much bought. We then made the decision together to rethink everything in order to wake up the markets and attract new communities of fans. And it started with a bang, at Baselworld 2019: 13 gold pieces weighing 330 grams. We needed a strong statement to get people talking about Doxa at the fair. Everyone came to our stand to see these extraordinary pieces and we took this opportunity to also introduce visitors to our SUB 200 collection, at 950 francs... We made the decision together to rethink everything in order to wake up the markets and attract new communities of fans. And it started with a bang, at Baselworld 2019: 13 gold pieces weighing 330 grams. After the successful launch of the SUB 200 Whitepearl last year, Doxa is introducing this colour to all the SUB families, starting with the famous SUB 300 Carbon, which combines the elegance of a technical material, forged carbon, for its case, with a bright, distinctive dial, coated with white Super-LumiNova luminescent material over its entire surface. This ensures excellent legibility by day and night. Today we know you above all for the SUB, which has enjoyed a rebirth and multiple variations. It is, par excellence, what I call the desk diver. That is to say, watches that most users do not necessarily take underwater, but that they appreciate on a daily basis. These models appeal to a much wider community than before. From 2019, I also started putting my network to good use with distributors and retailers, especially in the US and Germany. But our strategy was not to go everywhere at once... 2019 was only yesterday and you seem to have grown very rapidly over this short period of time. Which markets did you start with? The English-speaking markets, which were already the most important for the brand: the US, UK and Australia. For the first 12 months we grew exclusively in these markets, and exclusively online. Doxa was a pioneer in e-commerce, the brand had been active in online sales since 2001, and digital is very important to us: even today, we generate more than half our turnover through our own e-commerce platform. We do not sell to any third-party platforms. Our credos are control and exclusivity, so that no Doxa watch is available at a discount. These principles also apply to our physical network: we dont want to create competition between retailers, which could fuel the grey market and discounts. In the United States, we have given exclusive distribution rights to Watches of Switzerland, with whom we have just released a limited edition model. Digital is very important to us: even today, we generate more than half our turnover through our own e-commerce platform. What is the profile of your retailers? To date, we have opened about 60 points of sale, the majority of which are in Europe, and more than 80% of them also represent the top end of the spectrum of fine watchmaking. Our price range goes from 1,000 to 5,000 CHF: today, when a customer enters a prestige boutique, he will not necessarily leave with the watch he went in for, especially given the current market conditions... That is where we come in. And we will never go beyond this range: where others start, we stop. Each Doxa Army Watches of Switzerland model comes in packaging designed specifically for this edition and sporting the original camouflage pattern used by the Swiss Army at the time the watch was first issued. The box also includes two straps: one made from black FKM rubber and one NATO strap with a camouflage pattern. What is your annual production? Last year we produced 10,000 pieces. We dont know yet where we will stop, but well know when we want to slow down. We wont go too far in terms of volume. But at the moment there is still plenty of room to grow provided we enter new markets in the right conditions and in accordance with our principle of controlled growth. At the end of May, we announced the arrival of Doxa in the Middle East, simultaneously with exclusive local retailers in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. They had been asking to represent us for a long time. But we always told them: please wait another year, 2022 will be when we opent in the Middle East, so that all the local markets open at the same time. This has an amplifying effect. But some were rather surprised that we were making them wait! You know, there is value in saying no, especially when it comes to not growing too fast. When Asian retailers that were very interested in representing Doxa came to see us this spring in Geneva, we also asked them to wait until next year. We want to be ready to honour every market, not just deliver goods. This is what creates the conditions of desirability, exclusivity and quality in which watchmaking flourishes today. And we are lucky enough, thanks to the size of our e-commerce platform, to know a majority of our customers directly... Our credos are control and exclusivity, so that no Doxa watch is available at a discount. In the United States, we have given exclusive distribution rights to Watches of Switzerland, with whom we have just released a limited edition model. Creating desirability is all very well, but what if one day you cant deliver? We havent reached that point, and the goal is to be able to deliver to everyone. Limited series have to be justified, as is the case with our Army Watches of Switzerland model. Our brand is simple to understand: we have seven collections, with seven colours now that the Whitepearl has been rolled out to all SUB lines. And we are working on differentiation, its not just about making replicas of the past. Hence the use of carbon, for example. Our creative framework is clear: we will remain underwater, in our segment, and you are not going to see us start making pilots watches... You cant try to please everyone. We have been playing with colours, like our iconic orange, since the 1960s. Our ambition is to be warm, authentic, simple, accessible, functional, playful and above all not arrogant. The Doxa Army was one of the very first watches to use a coating process for cases that was relatively new to the watchmaking industry: the stainless-steel case was blackened by oxidation, giving it a matt black finish that prevented any glare, a key criterion for military equipment. This visual effect, quite original at the time, is maintained in todays reissue through the choice of matt black ceramic for the case. Can you tell us more about the recently launched Army Watches of Switzerland limited edition? In 1968, the Swiss Army decided to train a squad of elite divers. Some 900 candidates applied and 16 were selected, including Major Robert Hilty, now 72 years old, who joined us for the launch of the model this year in New York! At the time, Doxa was the official watch of this elite unit and all divers received a 300T Orange model. It is only since last year that we have had the right to talk about this very secret unit, which existed from 1968 to 1975, in the middle of the Cold War. Only 146 pieces were delivered over the years and we now know where 121 of them are. Major Robert Hilty was only involved in one field operation in the units history, when the Baader-Meinhof Group hid weapons in Switzerland. The new limited edition follows the target in a target design: it was only available at Watches of Switzerland in the USA and on our website. Within hours, it was sold out. There is value in saying no, especially when it comes to not growing too fast. This is what creates the conditions of desirability, exclusivity and quality in which watchmaking flourishes today. But some retailers were rather surprised that we were making them wait! A theme that is becoming increasingly important in brand communications is that of environmental protection, particularly for diving watches. You remain relatively discreet on this point. Beware of publicity! Our steel is recycled, we only produce mechanical watches and our values are sustainable par excellence, as a family business. But we do not proclaim this from the rooftops. We are in it for the long haul, not for the hype. It is better to be cautious than to give in to all the temptations of the moment, because some customers will eventually understand that environmental issues are sometimes used to make them buy products that make no sense... at a premium. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DETROIT (AP) High gas prices have Wallace Reid looking for a new career. Reid, who drives for Uber and Lyft in New York, fills up his Lexus at least three times a week. He pays around $95 each time, about double what he was paying last year. To make up for that, hes driving more often, but hes also applying for other jobs that wouldnt require his car. Its more hours, more stress, he said. New York City is not an easy city to work and its affecting our lives. Reid isnt alone. Millions of Americans who rely on their cars for work are changing their habits, signing up for carpools or even ditching their cars for bicycles as gas prices recently hit $5 per gallon for the first time ever. This week, it's averaging $4.95 per gallon nationwide, up from $3.06 per gallon a year ago, according to AAA. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden asked Congress to suspend federal gas taxes for three months, which would shave 18.4 cents per gallon off the price of gas. He also called on states to suspend their own gas taxes. Bidens push faces uphill odds in Congress. In the meantime, gas is straining budgets. Jace Shoemaker-Galloway agonized over whether to charge more for Paws and Whiskers Sitters, her pet-sitting business in Macomb, Illinois. She visits as many as 10 houses each day and fills up her 2018 Mazda CX-3 almost every week. One recent fill-up cost her nearly $50. This month, she finally acted. She contacted her clients and told them she was removing the 10% discount she has always given to repeat customers. Shoemaker-Galloway, who is also a childrens book author, said her customers were understanding. But she worries that gas prices will cut into her business in other ways. The cost isnt just impacting my bottom line, she said. Because the price of everything is so expensive, people are cutting back on non-essentials, which means pet-sitting and book sales. In a normal summer, Orvilia Nieto might do some traveling in the RV she lives in in Lytle, Texas. But that might not happen this year. She is struggling to fill the tank of her 2008 Ford Expedition SUV so she can get to her job at a T.J. Maxx distribution center in San Antonio, about 20 miles away. Nieto and her co-workers trade tips on where gas is cheapest. She sometimes carpools or fills her tank only halfway, which still costs her more than $50. But she feels lucky. A handful of colleagues on her shift, which ends at 2:30 a.m., ride their bikes home in the dark. Its been a rough road, she said. If we lived in the city it would be easier, could take the bus, but at the end of the shift at 2:30 in the morning, what bus line is available? Jill Chapman, a senior performance consultant with Insperity, a Texas-based human resources and recruitment company, said gas prices and commute lengths are increasingly a sticking point with job candidates. Chapman said companies may want to consider temporary bonuses, incentives for public transit or gas cards to help their employees. A business owner needs to acknowledge that there is stress associated with rising gas prices, Chapman said. David Lewis, the CEO of Operations Inc., a Norwalk, Connecticut-based human resources consulting company, remembers handing out gas cards to his employees in 2009 when gas prices topped $4 per gallon. But this time he wont be doing that because employees have another option: working from home. This is an unwelcome development for those companies that are trying to get people back to the office, Lewis said. It is one more reasonable reason why those employees are pushing back. Lewis has around 100 employees in Norwalk. Before COVID, 85% of them were in the office at least two days a week. Now, maybe 25% of them are. Lewis and many of his clients would like to see employees in the office more but say gas prices are a huge barrier. If you are the company that requires everyone to come in all the time, youre a pariah, he said. Psychology professor Brian Cesario used to live within walking distance of the college where he teaches. But last year, he moved 55 miles away to Hopewell Junction, New York, so he could afford a larger home for his growing family. Cesario taught remotely even before the pandemic and assumed he would continue doing so. But last fall, his college began requiring him to drive to campus twice a week, a commute that now costs him $240 in gas each month. Cesario said he doesnt make enough to compensate for that, so hes looking for a fully remote job outside of academia. For those who must commute, there can be options. On Tuesday, Uber announced it was bringing back discounted shared rides in nine U.S. cities this summer, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Organizations that link carpoolers like one run by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments in the Detroit area say they are seeing significantly more participants. Some are even finding solutions in their own garage. Pame Viens and her husband both histotechnologists who prepare tissue at medical facilities switched vehicles because his commute is longer. Now, hes driving her 2016 Volkswagen Passat and shes driving his 2022 Dodge Ram. Im only 51." I hit my forehead on the side mirror, she said with a laugh. But Im getting used to it. But others say they simply have to hustle harder. Brian Scheall, an Uber driver in Tampa, Florida, pays $75 every time he fills up his Volkswagen Atlas. You can make money but you have to work, work, work, said Scheall. He recently took a side job driving some customers from Florida to Virginia for some extra cash. Uber says it understands drivers are feeling the pinch from high gas prices, and it added a 45-cent to 55-cent surcharge on all trips in March to help soften the blow. But both Reid and Scheall say gig companies should be doing much more. It makes no difference at all. Its like a grain of sand, Reid said of the surcharge. JJ Trevino A home under construction on the citys Southeast Side caught fire early Sunday morning causing $40,000 in damages but no injuries, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. When firefighters arrived at a home on the 300 block of Maryland Street around 1 a.m., they found fire coming out of the left side of the structure. Ryan Hartman, the former San Marcos Police Department cop involved in an off-duty car crash in June 2020 that resulted in a womans death, will not get his job back despite appealing his termination earlier this year, an arbiter ruled this week. Hartman was indefinitely suspended the equivalent of termination in January 2022 by San Marcos police Chief Stan Standridge. City officials said the reason was Hartmans failure to complete administrative paperwork, employee evaluations and other supervisory tasks since as far back as 2019. Hartman appealed his termination and sought reinstatement and back pay under Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code, which grants all Texas firefighters and police officers the right to appeal terminations. During a two-day hearing in late April, an attorney for Hartman squared off against an attorney for the city of San Marcos before arbiter Bill Detwiler in a trial-like process that examined the reasons for Hartmans termination and called witnesses, Standridge, Hartman and other members of the police department. Related: Fired San Marcos cop, seeking reinstatement, cites mental health struggles after he caused fatal wreck During the hearing, Hartmans attorney said he had been made a pariah following the June 2020 car wreck that left a woman dead, and the bad press he and the department received over it was the true reason for his firing. The citys attorney countered that he had failed in his role as a supervisor and not upheld department standards and policies in completing basic administrative tasks, like employee reviews or investigation reports. Detwiler handed down his ruling Thursday afternoon, siding with the city and upholding Hartmans termination. Detwiler wrote that Hartmans case is unfortunate because his tragic accident has scarred his life and placed him in the care of mental health providers while undergoing public animus. But, nonetheless, Hartmans indefinite suspension is sustained, he ruled. The city of San Marcos said they were notified of the arbiters ruling Thursday afternoon. The result of this decision is that Mr. Hartmans employment is permanently terminated, city spokeswoman Nadine Bonewitz said in an email to the Express-News. Hartman could appeal Hartman has been the subject of two controversial incidents during his 14-year tenure at the San Marcos Police Department. On June 10, 2020, Hartman was off-duty and driving his personal Ford pickup. He has been accused of running a pair of stop signs at the intersection of Maple Street and Texas 130 in Lockhart. According to police reports, he slammed into the passenger side of a Honda Accord driven by 64-year-old Pam Watts. Watts partner of eight months, 56-year-old Jennifer Miller, was in the passenger seat. She was gravely injured and died before a medevac helicopter could arrive. Watts survived but suffered long-term injuries. A half-full beer can was found in Hartmans truck, but a blood test several hours after the accident found no evidence of alcohol in his system. Hartman was uninjured in the wreck. He was placed on paid administrative leave and reinstated to the police force after a grand jury declined in November 2020 to charge him with any crime in connection with the wreck. Hill Country Headlines: Get top stories from the region sent to your inbox Shortly after returning to duty in January 2021, Hartman was the supervisor on the scene of a high-speed car chase when he used his stun gun on a suspect who had his hands in the air and was complying with police commands. Standridge testified at the April hearing that this was against department policy. The man who was stunned, Albian Levya, filed a civil lawsuit against Hartman and the city of San Marcos last week alleging that his constitutional rights were violated. Hartman has a narrow opportunity to appeal the arbiters decision in a district court under very limited circumstances. He has 10 days to file an appeal if he chooses to do so. Annie Blanks writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. annie.blanks@express-news.net. President Joe Biden claimed that the Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade made America an aberration when it comes to abortion access. "With this decision, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court shows how extreme it is, how far removed they are from the majority of this country," Biden said a couple hours after the ruling was released on June 24. "They have made the United States an outlier among developed nations in the world." ABORTION RULING: How Texas became the testing ground for Post-Roe America While the high courts decision leaves in place state laws that permit abortion, it removes the national right to an abortion something that is widely guaranteed by laws or court rulings in other developed nations. With few exceptions, legal abortion is available in "peer nations," including in countries comparable to the U.S. in terms of development or in their use of a common law system, said Martha Davis, a law professor at Northeastern University who filed an amicus brief in 2021 with the court arguing that Roe should not be overturned. In U.S., abortion acccess varies The high court ruled 6-3 to uphold a restrictive Mississippi law and 5-4 to reverse Roe, with the majority opinion saying "the Constitution makes no express reference to a right to obtain an abortion." The decision ended nearly 50 years of federally protected access to abortion and returned power to individual states to set their own laws. That means access to abortion varies widely in the U.S.: Sixteen states, including California and New York, plus the District of Columbia, have passed laws allowing access to abortions. Eighteen states, including Michigan and Wisconsin, are about to see abortion become illegal soon, if not immediately. These states either have pre-Roe laws restricting abortion that snap back into effect if Roe is overturned, or they have "trigger" laws that were written to take effect in the absence of Roe. In the remaining 16 states, the legality of abortion is currently unclear, for various reasons. This includes such states as Minnesota and Pennsylvania. This lack of uniformity sets the U.S. apart from other countries. Most developed countries have a national standard for access to abortion or consistency across subnational entities rather than wide variations in laws amongst states, Davis said. In the U.S., "were going to have some places that are at no abortion at all," which is "clearly an outlier" among other nations, she said. Abortion in G7 nations Developed nations consisting of the worlds leading economies are sometimes referred to as the G7, or the Group of Seven, which includes the U.S. and six other industrialized nations. Unlike the U.S., those six have national laws or court decisions that allow access to abortion, with various restrictions. Canada: Allows abortion on request and there is no federal gestational restriction, but subnational governments have a variety of restrictions. Great Britain: Allows abortion until 24 weeks of pregnancy with the authorization of two doctors or later than that if continuation of the pregnancy past 24 weeks involves risk of grave physical and mental injury or if there are severe fetal abnormalities. France: Restricts elective abortions after 12 to 14 weeks, but has exceptions for specific economic or mental health reasons that extend the cutoffs. Germany: Restricts elective abortions after 12 to 14 weeks. Italy: Restricts elective abortions after 12 to 14 weeks. Japan: Allows abortions up to 22 weeks for socioeconomic reasons and in cases of rape, though spousal permission is required. Other developed nations also have national laws that allow abortion access. Nations that allow elective abortion until 20 weeks of pregnancy include China, the Netherlands and New Zealand. In 2020, Argentine lawmakers voted to legalize abortions up to 14 weeks. In February, Colombia legalized abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. In Australia, laws vary by state or territory, but the three largest states permit abortions up to 22 to 24 weeks. Laws "vary widely from place to place," said Davis of Northeastern University, and in some countries, you might need to obtain an additional doctor's note after certain stages of pregnancy. But in many such situations "those sorts of regulations are not significant hurdles to people." "They're not used as kind of weapons in the way that sometimes they are in the United States, as a way of preventing people from from getting an abortion," she said. The three dissenting justices argued that the global trend "has been toward increased provision of legal and safe abortion care." A number of countries, including New Zealand, the Netherlands and Iceland, permit abortions up to a roughly similar time as Roe did (up to 24 weeks), and most Western European countries "often have liberal exceptions" to time-limit restrictions, including to prevent harm to a womans physical or mental health, they wrote. Comparing abortion laws globally, a 2022 Council on Foreign Relations report said the past 50 years have seen "an unmistakable trend toward the liberalization of abortion laws, particularly in the industrialized world." By its review, 38 countries have changed their abortion laws since 2008, and all but one of those changes "expanded the legal grounds on which women can access abortion services." The Center for Reproductive Rights said that over the past several decades, nearly 50 countries had liberalized their abortion laws. Our ruling Biden said the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade "made the United States an outlier among developed nations in the world" on abortion rights. The ruling eliminates the national right to an abortion, which puts the U.S. at odds with other developed nations, including the other six G-7 nations, most of which have laws or court rulings that provide for abortion access on a national basis, though with restrictions. The U.S. ruling does leave in place state laws that permit abortion. We rate Bidens statement: Mostly True. Our Sources Croatia Airlines has said it has made no final decision on the future make-up of its fleet, over half a year after contact was made with global aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing and Embraer over a potential order. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the Croatian carrier noted, Renewing Croatia Airlines fleet is of strategic importance for the company, although no final decision about the matter has been made yet. The lease of an additional aircraft is, at present, under negotiation. The airline is believed to be considering a long-term lease of an Airbus A320-family jet. Croatia Airlines has said it has made no final decision on the future make-up of its fleet, over half a year after contact was made with global aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing and Embraer over a potential order. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the Croatian carrier noted, Renewing Croatia Airlines fleet is of strategic importance for the company, although no final decision about the matter has been made yet. The lease of an additional aircraft is, at present, under negotiation. The airline is believed to be considering a long-term lease of an Airbus A320-family jet. Croatia Airlines twelve-member fleet currently averages 16.7 years with both the A319s and the A320 being on average over twenty years old, while the Dash 8 turboprops are close to thirteen years old. The addition of newer generation aircraft is envisaged in the companys post-Covid strategy, which must be approved by its main shareholder the Croatian government. A final decision is expected to take place this year. Croatia Airlines has conducted aircraft market research. Potential options with multiple aircraft manufacturers have been considered and possible fleet renewal scenarios developed. It previously said certain market conditions must be met for the fleet renewal to commence, without specifying details. The airline had previously said the A220 would be a perfect fit for its future fleet, while Embraer noted, The E2 family is comprised of three family members, from ninety to 146 seats, which will offer Croatia Airlines great flexibility to operate the ideal capacity on their future network. Most recently, Boeing floated the idea of providing its MAX jets to the Croatian carrier saying, We strongly believe that the 737 MAX family is the perfect choice for Croatia Airlines short and medium haul network. The 737 MAX offers unmatched performance for smaller markets with the possibility of increasing aircraft capacity within the same family of aircraft in order to meet increased demand, which we expect to occur on the Croatian market in the coming years. The Arabian Peninsula could become a major export market for British farmers as trade talks between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council get underway. The UK government launched its free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the GCC - a group consisting of six wealthy nations - on Wednesday (22 June). Made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, the region is home to more than 57 million people and imports around 90% of the food it consumes. As the world's largest oil and gas producing region, the GCC enjoys the highest standard of living in the Middle East. According to the NFU, the expansion of tourism in the region creates a major opportunity for British food, particularly in the food service and hospitality sector. For example, Dubai alone attracts more than 16 million tourists a year, occupying some 70,000 hotel rooms. Responding to the trade talks, NFU President Minette Batters said farmers would welcome increased market access and enhanced terms of trade with the GCC. The region is already well served with British agri-food exports, capitalising on strong recognition of British product in the market with our exports known for their safety, quality and high standards," she said. In particular, we continue to see considerable growth in dairy and red meat exports to the region, and with an expanding population with increased disposable income and the expansion of tourism, there is opportunity to grow UK agri-food exports into the region further." Tariffs on UK agri-food products to the region are already set relatively low, at 5% for frozen meat, dairy and processed products or 0% for fresh meat and some fruit and veg, but negotiators could seek to remove tariffs where they exist. Products from the UK are already highly sought after for their quality and heritage, with lamb exports growing by 652% to the region between 2018 and 2019. There is a strong tradition of consuming sheep meat in the region with demand continuing to grow. Currently, the main supplier is Australia followed by New Zealand. The GCC countries are also huge importers of dairy, with the UAE being an important market importing 2,400 tonnes of cheese in 2018. Although volumes are currently relatively modest, the NFU said there is a significant potential to grow exports, especially if the GCC were to remove the 5% tariff currently applied to dairy products entering from the UK. While tariffs on agri-food products entering the GCC market are relatively low, the union said it wants to see them eliminated altogether. NFU chief international trade adviser Gail Soutar said the deal looks 'overwhelmingly positive' for UK exporters, with meat and dairy particularly set to benefit. Its the worlds largest oil and gas-producing region, with a high standard of living and many consumers with quite large disposable incomes, she said. "They are prepared to pay premium prices for quality products and in most of the sectors British is seen as being high quality. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Home and Cooperatives minister Amit Shah and Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on his second day of New Delhi visit on Friday. In his meeting with Shah, the CM requested that the permissive grant for the Himalayan states and the North Eastern states under the CSISAC (component I) of National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) should be increased from 20 per cent to 40 per cent. He said that the Integrated Cooperative Development Project is operated in the state under CSISAC component. Dhami said that the state government has put up an ambitious plan to the NCDC for making different cooperative bodies economically viable and strong entities. After the approval from the NCDC this project was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. CM Dhami told Shah that the task of economically strengthening the cooperative bodies is a challenging task for Uttarakhand considering its tough geographical conditions so the central government should provide additional financial help to the state. In his meeting with Union Jal Shakti minister Shekhawat, the Uttarakhand CM requested that the proposed Jamrani dam project should be given approval under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Project. He also requested the Minister that the 300 MW Bavala Nandprayag hydro power project should be approved. Dhami also requested for incorporation of some provisions in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Kisau project. CM told Shekhawat that under the Jamrani project a 130.60 meter high concrete gravity dam is proposed to be constructed on Gaula River near Haldwani city of Nainital district. The dam would help in augmenting irrigation facility in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and would provide drinking water to Haldwani and nearby areas. Dhami said that the 300 MW Bawla -Nandprayag hydropower project has been approved by the different directorates of Central Water Commission and central electricity authority. The project is under no litigation and it should be put into implementation stage. Giving details of the Kisau project, the CM said that for implementation of the project a memorandum is needed to be signed between six beneficiary states. He said that for speedy implementation of the Kisau project some points should be incorporated in its MoU. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IONS) announced that GSK presented positive results from an interim analysis of the Phase 2b B-Clear clinical study of bepirovirsen (formerly IONIS-HBVRx), an investigational antisense medicine for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus. The data from the study demonstrated end-of-treatment virologic response in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Chronic hepatitis B infection is caused by HBV and is a major global health concern, affecting nearly 300 million people worldwide. Data from the Phase 2b B-Clear study demonstrated the potential of bepirovirsen to provide rapid reductions in hepatitis B surface antigen in both patients not on nucleoside analogue treatment and those on stable NA therapy. The findings, together with results of previous clinical studies, supported GSK's plan to initiate a Phase 3 clinical study evaluating bepirovirsen. The Phase 3 clinical is anticipated to start in the first half of 2023. In the study, 28% of patients on standard of care, which is stable nucleoside/nucleotide analogue (NA), and 29% of patients not on NA treatment, experienced a virologic response (VR) on 300 mg of bepirovirsen weekly, following 24 weeks of treatment. Virologic response is defined as serum/plasma levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg) below the lower limit of quantification. Up to 68% of patients on NA therapy and up to 65% of patients not on NA achieved HBsAg <100 IU/mL at the end of treatment. End-of-treatment virologic responses were observed in patients with high or low baseline HBsAg levels, who were hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) negative or positive, and who were receiving NA treatment or not, indicating that bepirovirsen has the potential to treat broad segments of the CHB population. Durability of the responses is being assessed. Ionis noted that GSK will explore potential combination treatments to further reduce the global burden of chronic hepatitis B. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX GSK-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de Dhanbad :Congress to hold demonstration against Agniveer scheme on Sunday and has appointmeted assembly segment wise leaders who would lead the site here in different areas. District congress chief BP Singh said that former mjnisterMannan Mallik to read demonstration at Dhanbad while state working president Jalsbwar Mahto at Baghmara and so on. DemonstrTionz would be held at all six assembly segments from 10 am to 1 pm to oppose the move of union government to dilute the recruitment policy in army. Informatics Medal awarded to the late Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah The 20 th anniversary celebration is sponsored by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Winners of the award's 20 th edition hail from the State of Kuwait , the Kingdom of Bahrain , the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah : The awards have recognized the innovation and achievements of hundreds of participants from Kuwait , the GCC and the Middle East KUWAIT CITY, June 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as well as winners of the 20th Edition of the His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award will be honored in a belated ceremony on Monday, June 27th, at Bayan Palace. The 2020 Informatics Medal was bestowed upon the late Amir of Kuwait in honor of his memory and in recognition of his philanthropic leadership and dedication to information technology and sciences among other significant fields. The awards ceremony had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which halted gatherings and large events. The nine winners of 2020 hail from the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman. The awarding ceremony will be sponsored by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and attended by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The Informatics Award was established in 2001, the first of its kind in region, and it has honored hundreds of participants, innovators and volunteers from the GCC and the Middle East in various fields such as information technology, human and community development and sciences. Speaking on the event, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Award, Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah said that in only 20 years, there have been hundreds of participants and winners. The COVID-19 pandemic has struck all walks of life but did not deter the work of the Informatics Award and its commitment to the world of digital and information technology. "The award is able to withstand global challenges, adapt to changes and developments and preserve community and culture. Therefore, the 20th Edition was entitled "Best Technical Projects", apart from the Informatics Medal. The Award further provided a training course through the Informatics Academy to children aged 11-17 years on the basics of digital manufacturing," she stated. The winners of the 20th Edition of Informatics Award are: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Communications and Information Technology Commission for its project Platform for Delivery Applications via Electronic Platforms - The Communications and Information Technology Commission for its project Platform for Delivery Applications via Electronic Platforms The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Saudi Red Crescent Authority for its project Asfeni - The Saudi Red Crescent Authority for its project The State of Kuwait - Zain in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) for its project Shlonik - Zain in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) for its project The State of Kuwait - The Public Institution for Social Security for its project Insurances Thukher - The Public Institution for Social Security for its project Insurances The State of Kuwait - Jif Company for the design and management of websites for its project Jif . - Jif Company for the design and management of websites for its project . The State of Kuwait - Fanajeen General Trading Company for its project Fanajeen - Fanajeen General Trading Company for its project The Kingdom of Bahrain - the General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior for its project Traffic Services - the General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior for its project The Kingdom of Bahrain - the Ministry of Education for its project Electronic Educational Portal . - the Ministry of Education for its project . The Sultanate of Oman - the Ministry of Health for its project Trassod Plus Meanwhile, the event will also host an exhibition to showcase the Informatic Awards' most prominent achievements since its establishment in 2001, including the 332 winners from 12 Arab countries with information on their projects. It will also showcase the 14 winners of the Informatics Medal, winners of the "Shift Kuwait" competition throughout the years, as well as the 486 volunteers from the State of Kuwait and other global and Arab countries. Furthermore, the exhibition will showcase other cultural activities hosted by the award during its successful career, such as the World Informatics Forum, dialogue boards, informatics bureaus, blogging competitions, and the award pavilions held at the Kuwait International Book Fair for several years. For media inquiries, please contact: Salma Tayeh : salma@philosophy.com.kw; mobile: 002 0100 1111 674 Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847521/Informatics_Award.jpg First zero-emission truck unveiled by Clean Logistics Partnership milestone between Clean Logistics and REFIRE, jointly driving decarbonization of EU road freight sector Clean Logistics to scale up production facilities to meet growing demand, supported by REFIRE at-scale manufacturing Fuel cell beats diesel in world's first head-to-head truck drag race! HAMBURG, Germany, June 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean Logistics SE (ISIN DE000A1YDAZ7) recently presented fyuriant, its first hydrogen-powered zero-emission truck to the public at the Stade airfield in Lower Saxony. The production model is powered by dual 120kW PRISMA fuel cell systems designed and manufactured by Shanghai REFIRE Technology Ltd. (REFIRE) providing class-leading performance for all driving conditions. Fyuriant represents a milestone for the two companies who have today ushered in a new era of environmentally friendly road freight transportation. The launch of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered truck follows Clean Logistics' summer 2021 introduction of Europe's first ever similarly retrofitted bus, known as pyuron, also powered by REFIRE's PRISMA fuel cell system. Clean Logistics and REFIRE have together shown that replacing the traditional diesel powertrains in existing vehicles with fuel cell systems and electric motors is a viable fast-track to decarbonising commercial transport from mass transit to heavy duty trucking. While OEM truck manufacturers typically require several years to design and produce a new model, fyuriant represents an immediate, clean alternative to diesel - something that Germany and the European Union hope to accelerate. Clean Logistics' new truck incorporates much technological innovation. Onboard fuel tanks can carry up to 43 kg of compressed hydrogen giving it a range of over 400km and a refuelling time of less than 15 minutes. Electricity generated by the PRISMA fuel cell systems is delivered to wheel hub electric motors which provide a maximum torque of 17,000 Nm. The impressive power and acceleration were on display in a world first when the new truck competed in a series of 6 drag races against a diesel truck with an identical chassis. Fyuriant easily reached the finish line on the Stade airfield runway first in every race, including when fully loaded with a typical freight box attached. While REFIRE already has production capacity to supply PRISMA systems at scale, Clean Logistics is now gearing up for increasing demand with a new production workshop of over 10,000 square metres at its Winsen (Luhe) facility. The company expects to deliver up to 450 vehicles per year from 2023 Q4 onwards. At the event, Dirk Graszt, CEO of Clean Logistics said: "We are very excited to present our fyuriant today. Our buses and trucks have met with a high response in the industry. This is because we are now already able to make zero-emission vehicles available to the market. REFIRE is a major partner of Clean Logistics, and as a key component of our products, their highly innovative and efficient PRISMA fuel cell system has enabled us to succeed." Audrey Ma, Vice President International Business, REFIRE commented: "It's a privilege to see fyuriant make its debut today and illustrate to the world just how competitive it is in driving performance. We are sincerely grateful to have been selected as Clean Logistics' product of choice and partner of choice, and we are looking forward to continuing to enable their success in European zero emissions commercial vehicle markets. Our PRISMA system has been battle tested and is one of the most trusted and durable fuel cell systems on the planet. We're happy to be able to share our knowledge and experience in support of Germany's efforts to reach 30% zero emissions in trucking by 2030. We will continue to listen and understand the unique requirements of our EU customers." The project has received funding from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport as part of the implementation of the German Government's Mobility and Fuel Strategy (MFS). With a total of around EUR 3.3 million, the funding measure has been coordinated by NOW GmbH. About REFIRE Founded in 2015, REFIRE is an international clean mobility and power technology company specialising in R&D, design, prototyping, testing, application engineering, and manufacturing of fuel cell systems for buses, trucks, specialised vehicles, power machines, stationary power devices, and grid power products.The company has deployed systems powering over 3,300 commercial FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) in 20+ cities around the globe. Cumulative mileage to 2022 Q2 exceeds 115 million kilometres and represents a kerbside saving of around 65,000 tonnes of atmospheric carbon emissions. References: the full livestream of the event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV7-RPF74pQ Second humanitarian relief flight provides resources to those impacted by Ukraine crisis FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and Direct Relief continue to support those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. On Sunday, June 26, FedEx Express safely delivered 52 tons of critical medical aid to Poland from the United States via a FedEx humanitarian relief flight. This follows FedEx and Direct Relief's first charter flight of aid for Ukrainian refugees in March and is the latest in a continuous series of shipments from Direct Relief. Aid aboard the FedEx Express Boeing 777 cargo aircraft included substantial quantities of emergency medicines and supplies, including health kits, trauma and wound care items, chronic disease and chemical exposure medications, and antibiotics. All items were provided at the request of, and approved by, Ukraine's Ministry of Health and local Ukrainian organizations. Direct Relief team members were on site for the offload and the aid will be distributed to health facilities within Ukraine. "As the war enters its fourth month, Direct Relief's support and solidarity remain steadfastly with the people of Ukraine," said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief President and CEO. "In addition to the heartbreaking loss of life and human toll, the war has had a devastating impact on health services in the country, and Direct Relief is committed to bolstering care with a continuous supply of medical aid. FedEx has created a powerful force multiplier for good with this most recent charter, and it's an incredible example of what's needed to address this crisis." Since February 24, Direct Relief has provided more than 750 tons of medical aid in response to the crisis, from field medic packs which contain items to address trauma, including tourniquets and wound dressings to diabetes and cancer medications. "It is gratifying to be able use our global network to support these critical missions, and with this charter flight we hope to make a small contribution to what is still a major humanitarian situation," said Karen Reddington, regional president of Europe, FedEx Express. FedEx has donated more than $2.3 million in humanitarian aid to support those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, including $1 million that has been allocated for in-kind shipping with the company's longstanding nonprofit partners. Utilizing its global network and unparalleled logistics expertise, FedEx has been able to help organizations including Direct Relief, Heart to Heart International, International Medical Corps, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and World Central Kitchen, respond during this crisis. Learn more at fedexcares.com. About FedEx Corp. FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services. With annual revenue of $94 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively, and innovating digitally under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its 550,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards, and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about. About Direct Relief A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the U.S. and world to communities in need-without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, visit https://www.DirectRelief.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220626005077/en/ Contacts: mediarelations@fedex.com (901) 434-8100 After the Congress candidate for the Rajinder Nagar Assembly bypoll in Delhi garnered just 2.79 per cent votes and lost her deposit, a party leader on Sunday said the party had made best possible efforts but there remained some shortcomings in its campaign. Calling the defeat of party candidate Prem Lata as disappointing, former Congress MLA Anil Bhardwaj said, "We tried our best in this by-election but due to multiple reasons we couldn't secure many votes. We will look into our shortcomings and rectify them in future." Bhardwaj said the Congress could not reach all voters of the constituency with its manifesto. There have also been some shortcomings in terms of the party's outreach to the electorate, he said. There was a lack of sincerity in the party's campaign efforts, therefore the results have been "disappointing", he said.AAP candidate Durgesh Pathak won the bypoll, defeating his BJP rival Rajesh Bhatia by a margin of over 11,000 votes. While Bhatia managed to get 28,851 votes, Prem Lata of the Congress could get only 2,014 votes in the bypoll that had taken place on June 23. 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. The Congress in Chhattisgarh has decided to protest against the Agnipath scheme in all 90 assembly segments in the state on June 27. A Congress spokesperson said the protesters will demand a rollback of the military recruitment scheme. Under the scheme, recruits will be hired for only four years. In view of a rise in Covid-19 cases in Chhattisgarh, Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain on Thursday ordered the Health Department to be alert and intensify giving booster doses of the vaccine. Jain has also urged people to continue to follow the coronavirus preventive protocol, an official statement said. Chhattisgarh on Thursday recorded 114 fresh cases of coronavirus that raised the tally of infections to 11,53,470, while the death toll increased by one to reach 14,036 besides 632 active Corona cases in the state, a medical bulletin said. LONDON and PARIS, June 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mauritius-listed African investment company CIEL Limited (CIEL.N0000) delivered its best year-to-date results since the COVID-19 pandemic, surpassing its previous performance just as it celebrates its 110th anniversary. In the nine months to 31 March 2022, CIELs revenue grew 51% to USD 475 million, with an EBITDA margin increasing to 16.8% from 12.2% in the prior-year period. CIEL, listed on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius and the SEM Sustainability Index, has investments in over 25 companies across six clusters (TEXTILE, FINANCE, HEALTHCARE, HOTELS & RESORTS, PROPERTIES, and AGRO-BUSINESS). Our diversified portfolio has proven its strength through the most uncertain times, and now, CIEL is ready to undertake future challenges successfully, remarks Jean-Pierre Dalais, Group Chief Executive, who has led the company since 2017. CIEL is headquartered in Mauritius and operates across 10 markets in Africa and Asia, earning 60% of its revenue in USD and EUR, generating strong cash reserves in foreign currencies. CIEL has leveraged its market position by crafting and executing robust business plans and nurturing and developing companies in its chosen sectors. Founded in 1912 as a sugar business, the conglomerate has evolved and expanded through specific and diversified investments to emerge as a rising star in multiple industries, including HEALTHCARE, TEXTILE, FINANCE, HOTELS & RESORTS, PROPERTIES and AGRO. This ensures a well-balanced portfolio, positioning the company to tackle future growth. With 19 different production units, CIELs TEXTILE business has emerged as a powerhouse, providing a strong alternative to China for the global fashion industry. Through this cluster, CIEL ships 42 million garments every year to global brands such as Lacoste, Asos, (LON:ASC), and Puma (ETR:PUM), among others. The TEXTILE cluster is the largest in CIELs portfolio in terms of the number of employees, with some 20,000 talents in four nations, across two continents. CIELs FINANCE cluster has stakes in two banks and partners with international organisations such as Kenyas I&M Bank and Africa's AXIAN. The cluster further offers financial services and employs 1,600 finance professionals. CIELs HEALTHCARE cluster, C-Care, is the leader in private hospitals on the island as well as laboratories through an extensive network under the C-Lab brand. C-Care employs more than 2,000 medical and support professionals and includes the most recognised network of doctors in Mauritius. C-Care has a considerable presence in Uganda and is now expanding into East Africa. The companys HOTELS & RESORTS cluster is the strategic partner in Mauritius for the Four Seasons and Shangri-La chains and owns several long-standing local hotels under the SUN Resorts brand. The PROPERTIES arm of the business was created in June 2020 and leverages the land and buildings owned by CIEL. It also has a sustainable property development offering with a strong focus on biodiversity and agri-hub opportunities. CIEL maintains its original sugar-producing roots through its investment in the Alteo Group (AGRO-BUSINESS), which employs more than 5,800 people. It is the largest sugar producer in Mauritius and has a strategic presence in East Africa, creating a competitive advantage throughout the sugarcane value chain with the production of raw sugars, special granulated sugars, bagasse, molasses, and energy. As a country, Mauritius has delivered outstanding economic performance. Its GDP rebounded in 2021, growing by about 4% for the year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast growth of 6% for 2022. CIEL has been acting as one of the cornerstones of the countrys growth and development for more than a century. CIEL was listed in 2014 on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius, an internationally recognised exchange, a member of the World Federation of Exchanges, and winner of the 2017 title of Most Innovative African Stock Exchange. With a population of 1.2 million people, the country has a growing economy that has consistently delivered solid results. This has led to significant foreign direct investment and a rapidly growing financial, IT, and digital services sector to complement the traditional maritime and tourism strengths. Its main export partners are the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. "We are proud to be an international company committed to the development of Mauritius as an economy, and we plan to continue on this journey of investing, growing, and innovating in all our sectors and in our chosen emerging markets", added Jean-Pierre Dalais. A drunken man man committed suicide after hacking his son to death over an argument at Fokatpada village under the Dharambandha police station of Nuapada district on Thursday night. According to reports, Sabit Rout (35), had migrated outside the State for work. A few days ago, he had returned home. Source said that the Sabit, who was in inebriated condition, had an altercation with his father Nakul over parking his motorcycle at home. However Nakul, who was also drunk, attacked Sabit with an axe. The youth succumbed to injuries on the spot following which the accused lost his mental balance in grief. Later, the traumatised father hanged himself with a plastic rope in his house. On receiving information, the Dharambandha police reached the spot on Friday and seized the bodies. The bodies would be handed over to the family after postmortem at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), said Dharambandha PS IIC Sanjukta Barla. The rapidly growing space industry may have a greater climate effect than the aviation industry and undo repair to the protective ozone layer if left unregulated, according to a new study led by UCL and published in the journal Earths Future as an open-access paper. The space industry is one of the worlds fastest growing sectors. Global revenue generated from this industry is forecast to grow from 350 million USD in 2019 to more than 1 trillion USD by 2040 (Morgan Stanley, 2020). This demand stems from significantly reduced launch costs driven by commercialization, increased reliance on satellite technologies for global positioning systems, surveillance and broadband internet, and postulated space resource extraction and militarization. To meet growing demand, new spaceports and launch vehicle companies are being established in historically aeronautically active nations such as the US and Russia, and in nations with emerging space sectors such as China and India. In 2021, commercial space flights by Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX demonstrated that space tourism is plausible, though the scale of this nascent industry is uncertain. Such rapid growth demands detailed understanding of the potential impact on the protective stratospheric ozone (O 3 ) layer and climate. Ryan et al. The researchers, from UCL, the University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), used the global GEOS-Chem model coupled to a radiative transfer model to determine the impact of rocket launches and re-entry in 2019, and the impact of projected space tourism scenarios based on the recent billionaire space race, on stratospheric ozone (O 3 ) and climate. Locations and fuel types of rocket launches in 2019. Marker size in the map indicates the number of launches at each location. Pie charts indicate the proportion of the four main fuel types at each launch location. Numbers above each pie chart are total propellant mass used in each country. Ryan et al. Due to recent surge in re-entering debris and reusable components, nitrogen oxides from re-entry heating and chlorine from solid fuels contribute equally to all stratospheric O 3 depletion by contemporary rockets. Decline in global stratospheric O 3 is small (0.01%), but reaches 0.15% in the upper stratosphere (5 hPa, 40 km) in spring at 6090N after a decade of sustained 5.6% a1 growth in 2019 launches and re-entries. This increases to 0.24% with a decade of emissions from space tourism rockets, undermining O 3 recovery achieved with the Montreal Protocol. Rocket emissions of black carbon (BC) produce substantial global mean radiative forcing of 8 mW m2 after just 3 years of routine space tourism launches. This is a much greater contribution to global radiative forcing (6%) than emissions (0.02%) of all other BC sources, as radiative forcing per unit mass emitted is 500 times more than surface and aviation sources. The O 3 damage and climate effect we estimate should motivate regulation of an industry poised for rapid growth. Ryan et al. To calculate the findings, the researchers collected information on the chemicals from all 103 rocket launches in 2019 from across the world, as well as data on reusable rocket and space junk re-entry. They also used the recent demonstrations by space tourism entrepreneurs Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX and proposed yearly offerings of at least daily launches by Virgin Galactic to construct a scenario of a future formidable space tourism industry. These data were then incorporated into a 3D atmospheric chemistry model to explore the impact on climate and the ozone layer. The team show that warming due to soot is 3.9 mW m-2 from a decade of contemporary rockets, dominated by emissions from kerosene-fueled rockets. However, this more than doubles (7.9 mW m-2) after just three years of additional emissions from space tourism launches, due to the use of kerosene by SpaceX and hybrid synthetic rubber fuels by Virgin Galactic. Effect of rocket launch and re-entry emissions on global climate forcing. Bars show the GEOS-Chem-RRTMG top-of-the-atmosphere instantaneous radiative forcing of BC (orange), combined O 3 and CH 4 (blue) and polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs, red) after a decade of growth in 2019 emissions (left) and after 3 years of constant space tourism emissions and growth in 2019 emissions (right). The black solid line is the net effect of all forcers. Ryan et al. The researchers say this is of particular concern, as when the soot particles are directly injected into the upper atmosphere, they have a much greater effect on climate than other soot sourceswith the particles 500 times more efficient at retaining heat. The team found that, under a scenario of daily or weekly space tourism rocket launches, the impact on the stratospheric ozone layer threatens to undermine the recovery experienced after the successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Adopted in 1987, the Montreal Protocol global ban on substances that deplete the ozone layer is considered one of the most successful international environmental policy interventions. The only part of the atmosphere showing strong ozone recovery post-Montreal Protocol is the upper stratosphere, and that is exactly where the impact of rocket emissions will hit hardest. We werent expecting to see ozone changes of this magnitude, threatening the progress of ozone recovery. There is still a lot we need to find out about the influence of rocket launch and re-entry emissions on the atmospherein particular, the future size of the industry and the types and by-products of new fuels like liquid methane and bio-derived fuels. This study allows us to enter the new era of space tourism with our eyes wide open to the potential impacts. The conversation about regulating the environmental impact of the space launch industry needs to start now so we can minimise harm to the stratospheric ozone layer and climate. corresponding author Dr Robert Ryan Resources GREENWICH Greenwich Hospital has become the first hospital in the Yale New Haven Health System network to offer COVID-19 vaccination shots to very young children and held its first clinic on Thursday. For parent Carolin Serton, it was about time. Serton was one of more than 50 parents who brought an infant, toddler or pre-schooler to the hospital for a first dose of the Moderna vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration recently gave its approval for children 6 months to 5 years to be inoculated against COVID-19. Its a life-saving tool and its taken way too long to get this made available for this age group, Serton, whose other children got the vaccine, said. I wanted to make sure my (3-and-a-half-year-old) daughter had protection against the worst outcome. While we cant return to normal because COVID will always be around, I know I am doing everything I possibly can for my child. Officials said they want more parents aware that the shots are now available locally. Thursday, Greenwich Hospital gave out 78 doses of the vaccine in the first of several planned clinics at its pediatric clinic on West Putnam Avenue. Yale New Haven Health Systems will also partner with select pediatricians around the state to distribute the vaccine to them as well. We are getting the word out there and sharing information from the CDC as well the American Academy of Pediatrics supporting this vaccine for the youngest members of our population, Karen Santucci, Greenwich Hospitals senior vice president and chief medical officer, said on Friday. (The academy) just released a policy statement that the vaccine is safe and is recommended. Anthony Porto, a pediatric gastroenterologist with Greenwich Hospital, brought his 4-year-old daughter Gracie for her shot she was the only one of his children not already vaccinated against COVID-19, he said. We were extremely excited to have the vaccine available for this age group for many reasons, Porto said. When our kids go back to school, we want to make sure theyre protected against serious disease and also we have grandparents that we love to see and we wanted to be safe with that. Porto was able to hold Gracie during the shot which she took with her eyes closed and not a tear to be seen as it was administered by registered nurse Andrea Daur. Porto said it helped his stress levels to go to the clinic where he works and where he knows the staff. Right now, weve had a few years of this vaccine and we know the vaccine has done a great job in reducing hospitalizations and serious cases, Porto said. COVID infections are still present. The vaccines are working to prevent serious illness, so people who are hesitant should know that the science is there. While the parents were given their childrens official vaccination cards, the youngsters got something as well: special Crush COVID-19 stickers to wear and a special vaccine passport to carry around that allowed them to sign their names above a statement saying I did my part to #CrushCOVID by getting vaccinated. Greenwich Police Department / Contributed photo GREENWICH Police asked for help locating a woman who they say was attempting to steal purses from a Mason Street store on Saturday afternoon and was struck by an SUV coming to pick her up. Police said on social media that the woman, pictured on the posts, was interrupted by several bystanders and ran out of the store. They say a dark-colored SUV struck her and a bystander. Week 25 in review: Poco F4 and X4 GT are official Welcome to the end of week number 25. Let's take a look back. Samsung has apparently accumulated some 50 million unsold smartphones. The A-series is reportedly mostly to blame, failing to meet its sales targets for one reason or another. 50 million is around 18% of Samsung's planned shipment target this year, which isn't good at all. Samsung made around 20 million units per month early this year, but that dropped to around 10 million in May. This could be a reaction to having too many units stuck in inventory and seeing low demand. The lower demand has also made Samsung cut its component orders from suppliers by 30% to 70% from April to May. The Poco F4 and X4 GT arrived with a Snapdragon 870 and a Dimensity 8100, respectively. Here's a resume for the X4 GT - it has a 6.6-inch IPS LCD of 144Hz refresh rate, 8GB of RAM, a 5,080mAh battery with 67W charging, and a triple camera - 64MP wide, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro. The Poco F4 has a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, a 4,500mAh battery with 67W charging, and the same triple camera setup. The Poco X4 GT will become available on June 27 (Monday) through select retailers and the official Poco online store. Between June 27 and July 7 there will be an early bird discount of 80 on the regular prices of 380 for an 8/128GB unit and 430 for an 8/256GB phone. More retailers will offer the X4 GT soon. The Poco F4 will be available soon in two configurations. The 6/128GB option will cost 400, while the 8/256GB one will be 450. In India the Poco F4 will be available through Flipkart (first sale on June 27) in three memory configurations: 6/128GB for 28,000, 8/128GB for 30,000 and 12/256GB for 34,000. The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 made it out of China. Its price is 59.99 though a special early bird offer gets the price down to 49.99. Xiaomi Band 7 comes in a variety of color options with black, blue, ivory, orange, olive and pink solid colored silicone straps as well as several camouflage and neon options. The NFC version of the Smart Band 7 will remain exclusive to China for now though rumors suggest it will eventually make its way to global markets later in collaboration with Mastercard. Those were the key stories of the week but you can find the full list of hot topics below. See you next week! Xiaomi Smart Band 7 debuts globally It brings a larger screen, continuous SpO2 readings and AoD functionality. Poco X4 GT arrives with Dimensity 8100, Poco F4 brings an SD870 The X4 GT is the first Poco with a 144Hz display. The F4 is the first to have optical stabilization on its main camera. Apple re-evaluating BOE OLED displays for iPhone 14 series BOE may end up supplying OLED panels for the iPhone 14 and 14 Max after all. ZTE Axon 40 Ultra launches globally Two weeks after the global announcement, the $800 phone is finally available for purchase. Poco F4 in for review It brings a more capable main camera and faster charging, but is that enough? Nothing confirms that the phone (1) will not be available in the US The company wants to launch a smartphone in the US in the future, but it will need to secure a partnership with a major carrier first. Pixel 7's Tensor 2 chipset might offer only modest performance improvements A bricked Pixel 7 Pro prototype was examined, which revealed the presence of a Cortex-A55 cores. This means no ARMv9 designs for the next Google chipset. Samsung Galaxy S23 could finally bring a higher-res selfie camera The last time Samsung bumped up the resolution on its Galaxy S smartphone was in 2019. Protesters gather outside federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles Xinhua) 10:11, June 26, 2022 Protesters gather outside the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) A protester holds a placard outside the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) People protest along the Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Xinhua) Protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) Though the Cheligada High School has gone through a makeover plan under the 5T transformational programme of the State Government, the school is yet to get its basic amenities. Inaugurated virtually on November 29 last year after the renovation programme, still minimum amenities like drinking water, toilets etc have not been provided. The cracks in the roofs and walls of the school speak for themselves. During rains, the situation remains horrible. Old toilets are in a deplorable condition whereas drinking water situation has not improved . About Rs 78 lakh has been spent for the renovation of the school. Headmaster K Venkataramana said that he had apprised about the matter to the authorities. Meanwhile, villagers including president of school management committee Saudamini Jena, activist Ajit Sahu among others, have demanded an inquiry into the way money was spent for the school renovation We who live on Guam dont often realize the depth of mahalang among CHamoru diaspora those who moved, and their children who were born oceans away from the taotao tano and the cradle of CHamoru culture. Mahalang is a thread woven into their DNA and it resonates in the timbre of their voices when they speak of their home, their culture, their identity. You can hear it in the conversations among the members of an online CHamoru language group from around the world who visited Guam to take part in a pilot immersion program. There were 16 who came from off island, among them a mother and son, a father and son, a husband and wife, and friends who made the long journey home. The majority of them are classmates who have been attending Michael Lujan Bevacquas free, weekly, online CHamoru language classes. One of them, June Pangelinan, said she would coordinate a trip with the class if he would do an in-person immersion camp on island. He said hunggan and the two-week pilot project was born. Bevacqua, whose day job is curator of the Guam Museum, coordinated with Chief Hurao Academy founder Anna Marie Arceo to come up with the curriculum of language classes and cultural activities. The camp ended Saturday with the students presentations at Speaking our Heritage at the Guam Museum, which holds monthly Heritage-Ideas-Traditions-Arts Talks presentations. Deepening identity On Friday, two days before the camp ended, Pangelinan was still taking in the experience. During an interview, the depth of what the language immersion camp meant to the 59-year-old El Cerrito resident sometimes overwhelmed her to the point of tears. She grew up in Danville, California, and lived on Guam for three years in her youth but never took up the language in earnest. Its a gift I didnt think Id ever have. I mean, I wanted to learn it but wanting to learn it and doing the work are two different things. So, like, what does that mean when you get to deepen your identity of who you are? I didnt know what I wanted to do for forever and now, at my age, I was very clear about my goals, she said. A longtime meditation practitioner, she started a two-year program to learn how to teach meditation. That trajectory was altered, however, when she discovered the CHamoru community in Bevacquas online language classes. These are my brethren, these are people I love now. You really can have deep friendships on Zoom, Pangelinan said. The Whites Alex White, a 35-year-old resident of Santa Rosa, California, came with his 81-year-old father, Antonio White, who lives in Colorado. Although his father grew up speaking the language before he left island as a teen, he only spoke it occasionally when he came across other CHamorus at parties. The elder White also took Bevacquas online classes to improve his reading and writing skills. His son, however, knew only three CHamoru phrases before he started taking the online classes. My listening comprehension has improved a lot with the (online) program but I still really struggle to express what Im thinking naturally. ... I talk to my dad once a day in CHamoru and then I have four hours of practice once a week, but even then its on a computer screen and Im saying things out loud but theres no feedback. The immersion camp provided a deeper learning experience that has given him more confidence with the language, he said. You learn just as much outside of the lessons where you hear someone say something a certain way ... and youre like, oh, you can say it that way. You hear so much more and you hear so many more words in just natural conversations where someone responds in a certain way. So its come farther in two weeks than the six months Ive been studying it by myself. Journey continues White and Pangelinan, like most of the others in the program who were interviewed, feel they are still beginners with the language and the camp enabled them to level up. And, like the others, they said theyll be continuing their cultural education, both through in person and online conversations with family and friends. The group also is planning to expand Bevacquas program with their own online group that will be devoted to just speaking CHamoru with each other. Its been two weeks since summer school started for public school and although 5,300 students have registered, about 700 students have yet to attend classes. Guam Department of Education officials earlier this month noted an increase in the number of teachers and students set for this years Summer School Program. However, only the original 4,500 students that registered by May have been accounted for. I think attendance is still an issue. I already have a couple of students with four absences. I usually keep up to date about contacting parents or guardians about the absences, said Jessica De Vera, George Washington High School teacher. Not mandatory However, Deputy Superintendent Joe Sanchez doesnt see the absentee rate as a huge issue as summer school isnt mandatory and these were most likely the students who registered after the due date. Were going to be either expecting them this week or even the following week, so really, its just giving students a chance to remember that summer school is supposed to start and then have them come in, he said, adding the department is not requiring schools to make individual phone calls to all absent students as summer classes are not mandatory. Additionally, Sanchez said that although they are prepared for any of the additional registrants to show up, more focus will be put on the students who are currently attending the program. De Vera agrees with Sanchez as she understands how students may have other priorities and personal reasons for deciding not to attend. Accommodations Sometimes its difficult when students are also trying to balance other things such as trying to work for the summer, driving tests, having family emergencies or being sick, she said. Hence, I make accommodations as best as I can for students to get the help they need to pass. Although the rest of the first week of school did go smoothly, the first couple of days did have a few hiccups but it was expected. I had to adjust a semesters worth of content to be both meaningful and engaging, but not overwhelming, or an information overload for students, De Vera said. I noticed my students were struggling on the first lesson so it was a lot of adjustments until I found the best lesson format for them. COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, tourism is on the rise and more companies are looking for people to fill job openings. In response, the Guam Department of Labor also is increasing efforts to connect private companies with potential candidates seeking work. In the last several months we started to see businesses slowly reopening, restrictions being lifted or eased, and people started going back to work gradually, said Janela Carrera, spokesperson for the Guam Department of Labor. To prepare the islands residents to return to the workforce or start a new job or career, Guam DOL is providing a free job readiness workshop to help applicants with effective interview techniques and help with resumes. The class will be from 9 a.m.-noon Tuesday in the third-floor training room of the American Job Center at the GCIC Building in Hagatna. Seats are limited to 35 participants. For more information and to reserve a seat, residents can call the American Job Center at 671-475-7000/1. In collaboration with the Office of the Governor, Guam DOL is organizing the Islandwide Job Fair with more than 500 job opportunities available from 60 private employers across industries such as construction, retail, service, finance, hotel and lodging, telecommunications and more according to a release from governors office. As more businesses hire, we want to support people returning to work, who are in turn supporting their growing families, their recovering communities, our economy and prosperity, said Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero in a news release. The event is scheduled for 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday at the RIHGA Royal Laguna Resort. Registration is free and open to all job seekers. To register or for more information, visit hireguam.com or call the American Job Center. Hotels Guam Plaza Resort and Spa will host a job fair 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday in the hotels Blue Coral room on the ground floor. Onward Beach Resort Guam also is looking for candidates for open positions as clerks, room and pool attendants, waitstaff, cooks and other positions. Retail fairs Pay-Less Supermarkets is hosting a job fair from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. July 9 at its corporate headquarters in Hagatna. To apply online or learn more about open positions visit paylessmarkets.com/careers-information. SNAP rules Residents seeking jobs should consider eligibility requirements for public assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. The SNAP rules state that an able-bodied adult without dependents can only get SNAP benefits for three months in three years unless they meet certain special work requirements or are excused, according to information from the Department of Public Health and Social Services. An able-bodied adult without dependents is defined as a person aged 18 through 49, who does not live with a child under 18 and is fit for work. The general work requirement rules include registering for work, doing a work activity if assigned by Public Health, taking a suitable job if offered, not quitting a job without a good reason, and not reducing work hours below 30 a week without a good reason. Work can be paid or unpaid, or can be a combination of both. If recipients do not meet these work requirements, SNAP benefits may be lost after three months. The Guam Department of Educations 16 student interns are getting the most out of their summer program, and theyre planning to take what theyve learned to the next school year and beyond. Established in 2018, the Guam Department of Education Internship Program for Incoming Seniors has provided opportunities for students for basic work experiences in regular office settings to support professional development outside of the traditional classroom. Its very enlightening to see how things go on the inside of GDOE since its such a big division and such a big part of the islands community since they oversee all educational aspects on the island, said Chae Ragadio, a George Washington High School student who plans on majoring in biology after high school. Ragadio said she was curious to see how things worked inside of the education department and felt the experience will give her a better grasp and understanding of a corporate setting. It would help me since it is a program that will give me the skills I need to go on to real work and hopefully provide me with connections to attain a job somewhere here or give me the skills to build a resume and communicate in interviews with other interested employers, she said. Aspiring teacher Jason Borja from John F. Kennedy High eagerly had his mom sign him up for the internship program. I started seeing teachers falling in love with what it means to teach and be interactive with students, said Borja. Just a few days into their internship programs, the students went through introductory courses and presentations, being given tours at some public schools. I took them to interview the principal and students at Upi (elementary) about the first week of summer school, said Michelle Franquez, Guam DOE public information officer. While some students have the perception that internships are nothing more than pencil pushing or shredding papers, mentor Mika Labadnoy, who was also one of the first interns in the program, said that the education departments program offers much more and evolves each year. Things are still developing but now four cycles in, we have so many new activities and programs that have been implemented in this internship program that has made things so much better, said Labadnoy. Were not just catering to different ethnic groups, now were trying to really reach out to more students that usually arent represented. Some of the current students come from various social groups such as those who advocate for LGBTQ rights and those who are concerned with environmental issues. We have diverse students with different types of personalities and interests coming to work with us so that it also diversifies the program, she said. Welcoming vibes Usually, even in previous cycles, students are the most awkward and shy around each other on the first day. This cycle was anticipated to be more reserved because of the limited social interaction students went through for the past two years. However, that wasnt the case according to Labadnoy. Their vibe is very welcoming, these interns are very social people, she said. They were excited to talk to different people from different schools and would open up to each other and its just a really beautiful to see. Guam DOEs interns will present their experiences at the end of their tenure. The interns believe that more students should take the opportunity to intern at the education department because it will benefit them in more ways than they could imagine. You would have to be very suited in an office setting which just would help considering that I have no work experience, nor do I know if I have the qualities or skills to be in one and to handle the capacity that my job might require, said Southern Highs Shaeden Taitague who plans to be an attorney someday. Taitague looks forward to being a part of the Public Relations Division because he believes it will help develop his social skills whether on the field or in an office setting. It teaches me how to be very social with others, how I can gather information and see how I do it as an individual, and how somebody else can do it with me. This internship has given me another way to socialize with other people that Ive never seen, he said. Those who take part in the program will not only be able to use the experience to enhance professional resumes and add to their college applications but will be called upon to participate in other GDOE activities throughout the year. Apart from helping their personal futures, the interns plan to use the knowledge and experience they gain from the program to help their fellow classmates in the upcoming school year and hope to also inspire them to take a chance to intern at the department. I feel like more students should take advantage of this opportunity and I hope in the future it will still be here, said Taitague.Its a very important lesson that you can learn as a student and can also learn from a teachers perspective and also officials like ins and outs of how all the things that happened behind the scenes and you can really respect what they do. With the 2022 primary election nearing and the filing deadline for candidates looming, some residents said they have yet to make decisions on who they believe should guide the community. To be honest, I dont have any feeling yet because its too early. But hopefully our current politicians do better for the future of our island, said Dededo resident Yuki Malapad. She said she feels, theres a good list of candidates this election season. With the high price in a few bills right now, it hurts a lot of us here. So hopefully the politicians can do things about this. As of Monday morning, only two gubernatorial teams had officially filed their candidate packets with the Guam Election Commission. Former Gov. Felix Camacho and his running mate Sen. Tony Ada filed their official documents Thursday, according to a news release from their campaign. Congressman Mike San Nicolas, who recently had a report issued by the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Ethics Committee referred to the U.S. Department of Justice, filed his candidacy papers with the Guam Election Commission Tuesday, according to Pacific Daily News files. He is running with broadcast journalist Sabrina Salas-Matanane. Incumbents Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio are expected to officially file their candidacy documents today, according to campaign co-chairman Francis Santos. Ethics While some residents werent surprised that questions regarding ethics have been raised, others felt the questions will be weighed heavily as they decide on who can best lead the island and its people. Dededo resident Julie Anne Paulo emphasized the importance of ethics in roles with major community responsibility. The way they run the government or whatever role in general, people have to know who theyre voting for, said Paulo. They have to choose wisely because whoever they choose has control of the island. Rights With the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion, some residents hope future island leaders will listen to the island community and continue to fight for the rights the island still has. I just want them to listen to the people of Guam instead of deciding for us, said Justine Leonen from Yigo. I hope that they dont make (abortion) illegal here. I know theres no doctor here that can do abortion, but Im pro choice. Some believe that regardless of who wins seats in public office, any candidates main priority and drive should always be the best interest of the island. I just hope we recover, in general. I just hope if theres a new governor or (if) they reelect, I just hope theyre able to support everyone in Guam, said Paulo. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The Guam Election Commission office on the second floor of the Oka Building Oct. 20, 2021, in Tamuning. The Sahadevkhunta police have apprehended five miscreants, who were allegedly involved in at least five loots. They were targeting the people who were returning after withdrawing cash from banks. The arrested accused were identified as Sk Jafar, Abdul Hamid Khan,Zahid Khan, Sk Arbaz Khan and Manas Nayak. Manas, a resident of Renupada under Basta police station limits, used to sit in different banks posing as a customer and kept watch on the persons withdrawing money from the counter. Further he was sharing the information, including their photos in Whatsapp to others who were executing the crimes, said BaleswarSP SS Mishra. The police have seized two swords, a chopper, a toy pistol and cash of Rs 57,000, police said. Meanwhile, the Soro police following a raid on a lodge arrested nine persons, including a teacher, Government servant and elected representative on charges of gambling. The cops seized cash of over Rs 1 lakh, three bikes and mobile phones from their possession. The police on a tipoff carried out a raid on the lodge at Uttareswar Chhak of Soro . Later, all the accused were forwarded to court. Haiti - Social : Message from Lesly Conde on the occasion of Father's Day (2022) As part of the celebration of Father's Day, celebrated this Sunday, June 28, Lesly Conde Ex-Consul General of Haiti in Chicago (August 2004 - May 2018), gives us as every year his message of reflections that we invite you to read and share. "Dear compatriots and friends everywhere, I join you, members of all our communities, for the annual celebration of Haitian Father's Day. On this day in June, we reflect on the importance of the role of the father in any home, and on the lasting positive effect that a conscientiously accomplished fatherly task can have on a family, a community, a society. We pay a well-deserved tribute to all the compatriots who fulfill this role with consistency and stoicism because the circumstances are not always simple, and it is almost always the father of the family who makes the final decisions. Our society rightly glorifies the courage, optimism and resilience of Haitian mothers who, too often, are forced to play a double role. But nothing replaces the presence of a father in every home. The child will grow up, will have a more or less normal adolescence, and will become an adult who will take his place in society. However, an individual who grows up without the influence of a father during the various stages of his personality development is likely to experience problems of self-confidence which are the result of this void. This brings us to the important issue of responsibility for paternity. It is often the economic situation that pushes some Haitian fathers to shirk their responsibilities. But the crime remains intact, and the victims carry psychological problems throughout their lives. After having explored the painful and not very rosy aspect of the reality of certain Haitian fathers, it is appropriate to congratulate all those who, despite the economic difficulties they face, put the security and stability of their homes before anything else. Their families are strong, and the children who grow up there will become useful citizens who will be the strength of their communities. I must mention in a special way all the Haitian fathers who do not hesitate to perform tasks traditionally reserved for mothers when the circumstances demand it. They are extraordinary beings. The paternal presence is therefore a very important ingredient for the development of any individual. By combining tenderness with firmness, the father represents this stabilizing element which watches over the harmonious growth of the family. In the eyes of any growing child, Dad is a hero who knows everything, who is up to any situation, and who is always right. It's a role that's both very important and very delicate because even in the least suspected circumstances, the child observes his model, wants to be exactly like him. The Haitian father deserves very special consideration because very often he plays his role admirably despite the difficulties of all kinds that he has to face day after day. His role often imposes unusual sacrifices on him. This true hero is often misunderstood because despite the enormous frustrations that constitute his daily life, he manages to combine tenderness and firmness in order to ensure the stability and respect of the home. He is the important guide of a generation that must be stronger, and go further...much further. I wish an excellent Haitian Father's Day to all those who have fulfilled this important role. At the same time, I encourage young fathers today to be aware of the role they are called to play in shaping a generation." Reflection messages by Lesly Conde in 2022 : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36788-haiti-social-message-by-lesly-conde-on-the-occasion-of-mother-s-day-2022.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36691-haiti-219th-flag-day-message-of-reflection-from-lesly-conde.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36443-haiti-eastermessage-of-reflection-from-lesly-conde.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36423-haiti-holy-weekmessage-of-reflection-by-lesly-conde.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36365-haiti-219th-of-the-death-of-toussaint-louverturemessage-of-reflection-from-lesly-conde.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36129-haiti-social-international-women-s-day-message-of-reflection-from-lesly-conde.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35862-haiti-social-black-history-month-message-of-reflection-by-lesly-conde.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35702-icihaiti-earthquake-2010-message-of-reflection-from-lesly-conde.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35620-haiti-218th-anniversary-of-independence-traditional-message-from-lesly-conde.html All Messages from Lesly Conde in 2021 : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35584-haiti-social-wishes-from-lesly-conde-on-the-occasion-of-the-new-year.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Trou du Nord : Robbery of St. Jean-Baptiste Parish Unidentified individuals robbed, on the night of June 24 to 25, 2022, the Parish of Saint Jean-Baptiste de Trou du Nord. Reverend Father Eldin Philibert, parish priest indicates that the offerings collected during the Eucharistic celebration of the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist of Trou du Nord have been taken away. Smuggling : Large seizure of Barbancourt rum Members of the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (CESFRONT) seized 3,548 units of Barbancourt rum from Haiti in a hotel in Dajabon Mexico : 300 scholarships, graduation ceremony On Saturday, June 25, 2022, the Embassy of Haiti in Mexico and the Secretariat of Foreign Relations (SRE) of Mexico proceeded [finally] to the awarding of diplomas to the scholarship holders of the Special Program of 300 scholarships for Haiti launched in 2012 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7269-haiti-education-mexico-grants-300-scholarships.html . It was a great moment of joy and satisfaction both for the Mission and for the students. Continued success to these young compatriots who, through their academic performance, have made Haiti proud on Mexican territory! New Penal Code postponed The Government decided this week in the Council of Ministers to postpone the date of application of the new penal code which is the subject of debate, initially scheduled to come into force on Friday June 24, 2022. Construction of schools : openings of the bids June 20 and 21, 2022, as part of the call for tenders launched by the FNE through its Procurement Unit, for the construction of 11 national schools and 4 high schools in the departments of Nippes, South and Grand-Anse took place the opening of the bids. For 2 days, the files of the 37 firms that submitted a proposal were analyzed with rigor and transparency. Agriculture : final acceptance of 4 Multi-Service Centers The Coordination of the South Response Project proceeded during the month of June 2022 to the final acceptance of 4 Multi Services Centers (CMS) of Mineur, Cavaillon, Formond and Miserne, for the benefit of four Farmers' Associations. These Centers will allow the efficient development of activities in the rice sector, such as the production of seeds, the installation of agricultural machinery for soil preparation, the management of the storage of equipment and spare parts and the installation of a mill for rice husking and drying. HL/ HaitiLibre The Gopalpur Ports Ltd (GPL) on Saturday launched a mobile health check-up camp under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative at Haripur village under Kalipali panchayat to provide quality healthcare to people living in the port periphery. GPL vice-president Ajay Kumar Mishra, assistant vice-president (HR/IR) Chittaranjan Bahinipati, six doctors with specialisation in gynaecology, medicine and paediatric, Sarpanch B Laxmi Patra and Samiti Member Bikash Kumar Behera of Kalipali panchayat were present. Over 300 people from different villages in the panchayat participated in the camp and discussed with the doctors about various health issues free of cost. Villagers, elected representatives and intellectuals hailed the efforts of the port authorities. Recently, the port authorities had inaugurated a health check-up lab for benefit of the people in the area. Haryana Chief Minister Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced that if any social organization wants to open a library in the village, the government will support such organisation. According to a Government official spokesperson, now such an initiative has started showing positive results. After studying in the Atulya Library of village Juan, Sonipat, the youth in nearby areas have passed various competitive exams and succeeded in getting government jobs. Two students who studied from Atulya Library have joined Delhi Police, two students in Haryana Police and one student in Electricity Department as Assistant Line Man and one student has succeeded in clearing the Clerical exam. Spokesperson said that the State Government has been strenuously working towards improving the level of education in Haryana and ensuring that every child in the state has the right to education. Today, many schemes are operational by the state government to promote education. The establishment of such modern libraries in villages is benefiting the youth, who earlier had to move to cities to prepare for competitive examinations. Right now, they are getting such an environment of education in the village itself, due to which they are excelling in every field, he added. He further said that the Atulya Library has over 2000 books and students studying there are working hard to crack competitive exams. Hearing on a public interest litigation regarding mismanagement in Char Dham Yatra and the consistent deaths of horses and mules on the Yatra route, the Uttarakhand high court has directed the State government to submit a detailed report within three weeks. Issuing this direction, the division bench of acting chief justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and justice RC Khulbe has set July 28 as the next date for hearing the PIL. During the hearing on Wednesday, the government counsel informed the court that veterinary doctors and other facilities had been enhanced. The injured equines are being tended to and water is being provided to the animals on the Yatra route. It was also stated that the standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding this is pending at the administration level and that a decision is yet to be taken on the same. There is also a proposal for sending 16,000 pilgrims per day to Badrinath, 13,000 per day to Kedarnath, 8,000 to Gangotri and 5,000 to Yamunotri. The government is making a shelter for 500 equines at the Gaurikund Ghodapadav while two solar powered geysers of 1,000 litre capacity each have been installed at Linchauli en route Kedarnath. However, the court was not satisfied with the governments reply and directed it to submit a detailed affidavit. The HC asked what arrangements had been made for injured animals and what happened to the unfit animals. The HC also asked as to when the SOP will be implemented. How many people and equines can be allowed to visit the shrine in a day, the court further asked. It will be recalled that animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi had filed the PIL stating that 600 equines had died so far during the Yatra this year which had increased the risk of disease in the area. The petitioner has sought safety for both animals and humans along with medical facilities. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) A Rhode Island police officer accused of punching a woman at an abortion protest while he was off-duty has now been charged in connection with Friday's demonstration at the State House. In a Saturday evening news release, state police said Providence patrolman Jeann Lugo, 35, was charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. Jennifer Rourke, the chair of the progressive Rhode Island Political Cooperative seeking the Democratic nomination for a state Senate seat, said she had been punched in the face at least twice by Lugo, who at the time was running for the GOP nomination for the same seat. Providence police said earlier Saturday that Lugo had been suspended from his job with pay pending an investigation, and Lugo subsequently ended his campaign. Friday's protest outside the Rhode Island State House in Providence was in response to the decision released the same day by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. Video of the event posted online shows a physical altercation at the protest right before a woman appearing to be Rourke is seen being hit. The video does not show what happened between Lugo and Rourke beforehand. In a call with The Associated Press on Saturday, Rourke said that as she was attempting to escort a counterprotester who had agreed to leave off the premises, another physical altercation broke out during which she was punched in the face multiple times. She confirmed she pressed charges against Lugo. State police say Lugo turned himself in Saturday, was arraigned before a justice of the peace and then released. Hes due in court again on July 8. Lugo didnt respond to requests for comment on Saturday and Sunday, but told the Boston Globe before charges were announced that he stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking. Lugo had also told the Providence Journal he was not going to deny the punching allegation, but added that everything happened very fast. Rourke told the AP she had never interacted with Lugo before and did not know he would be at the protest. Im disappointed he chose to use violence in this way. As a police officer, hes trained to deescalate. He did not do what he was trained to do, she said. Rourke sought medical care and received a CT scan on Saturday afternoon. She said she was doing OK but was experiencing a lot of tenderness in her face and ringing in her ears. Two other people were also charged following the Friday event that briefly turned violent. One of the two people, Nicholas Morrell, of Warwick, said in a Sunday message that he is 30, not 31 as police said, and he had video evidence of the entire thing (and) I was arrested for standing there. The other person who was arrested did not respond to a social media message Sunday seeking comment. Google Earth The areas third case of the monkeypox infection has been confirmed. The Houston Health Department said Saturday that the rare sickness which does not spread easily without close skin-to-skin contact is not connected to any of the citys previous two cases. Police have arrested someone who fired a gun near Pride Houston. Houston Police said late Saturday that the suspect discharged a firearm into the ground around 7:50 p.m. at Tranquility Park, the park adjacent to Houston City Hall. Thousands spent the day celebrating at Hermann Square, which is across the street from the site of the alleged gunfire. Police said there were no injuries and that the suspect was immediately detained. The department and the Harris County District Attorneys Office said they are investigating the persons motives and looking for witnesses. The festival ended at 6:30 p.m on Saturday; the parade began around 7 p.m. and ran until around 9:30 p.m. robert.downen@chron.com A man was shot to death Saturday night in southeast Houston. The man, believed to be in his 50s, was walking about 9:15 p.m. in the 7100 block of Woodridge Drive when two men jumped out of a white sedan and fired shots at him, according to Houston Police Lt. Ignacio Izaguirre. The man was shot multiple times and collapsed in the front yard of a nearby home, Izaguirre said. He died at the scene. The shooters got back into the sedan and fled, Izaguirre said. The incident is under investigation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Saturday was Katie Marseilles first and last Pride Houston event. Two years ago, she moved her family to Texas after a stint in Germany for work, and was excited to live in a city that would welcome and support her transgender child, Logan. But Houston would not be their problem. As Republican lawmakers across the country continued to target LGBTQ rights, the Marseilles familys sense of security quickly vanished. Its been rough, said Logan Marseilles, 15. Really rough. Katie Marseilles said she knew it was time to leave in February, after Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agents to investigate the parents of children who receive hormone therapy, a decision two parents say caused their child to attempt suicide. We are fleeing, Marseilles said on Saturday. Theres too much fear. Her family was among the thousands who packed downtown Houston for the annual pride event held near City Hall. Many said they did so to celebrate while also pushing back against a growing wave of threats to LGBTQ rights in America. I just wanted to make my voice heard, said Rocio Roses, 24. Were celebrating me, my voice, my rights and power ... But Im scared for myself. And I am scared for other women. The event, which drew crowds that at one point wrapped around multiple blocks, came one day after the Supreme Courts abortion decision, which included comments from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas that the Court should consider revisiting landmark rulings on same-sex marriage and other rights long denied to gay Americans. ONLINE: Right-wing extremists amp up anti-LGBTQ rhetoric online Thomas comments followed years of growing hostility toward LGBTQ people, namely transgender Americans who have been targeted by hate groups, religious extremists and GOP-led statehouses. Earlier this month, a truck full of members of the white nationalist hate group Patriot Prayer was stopped en route to a Pride celebration in Idaho. Seven of the men were from Texas. And, on Friday, a man in Washington state was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill LGBTQ people at a Pride event. The growing threats both physical and legislative weighed heavy on the minds of many at Houstons event on Saturday. The Supreme Courts Friday decision on abortion only added to the sense of impending doom that many described as they waited in the scorching heat to enter the event, or clamored under tents ahead of the annual parade in the evening. Theyre still there, and still looking to attack us, said Samantha Falk, a 27-year-old truck driver who spent some of the day arguing with the street preachers separated from the event by light barricades. MY PRIDE: Houstonians talk about what Pride means: love, acceptance, celebration Theyre showing a fetus to shock people out here with kids around, she said as she stood a few feet from the group of men. How is it worse for me to be out here kissing someone than him showing gore to kids? Some of the preachers were affiliated with Independent Fundamental Baptist churches, an uber-conservative Christian denomination in which explicitly violent, anti-gay rhetoric has found footing for years. The Washington man arrested ahead of his alleged plan to attack LGBTQ people earlier this month attended one such church; and in Texas, some members of a splinter IFB group have openly called for the execution of trans or queer people. Falk said the Supreme Courts ruling on abortion made her ever-more concerned that LGBTQ rights would next be targeted. The Texas Republican Party vowed to pursue rollbacks of such rights as recently as this month. But shes hopeful that more voters will become mobilized as abortion which Americans generally support by wide margins is ended in many states. They think theyve won, she said. But they are in for a rude awakening because theyve pissed off 80 percent of the women in this country. MORE: Some Texas DAs say they wont prosecute abortion cases post-Roe. But it likely wont matter. Katie Marseilles hopes that is true. As transphobia has grown, she says shes been dismayed by the number of people who have misconceptions about hormone therapy, or who think American trans kids are simply waking up one day, declaring their gender and getting surgery and treatment soon after. Studies have linked gender-affirming treatments to reduced rates of attempted suicide, in addition to drops in depression, anxiety and drug use, according to the American Medical Association. Moreover, she said, its been heart-wrenching to be described by some as an abusive parent for getting her child the care they had discussed for years, including with professional input. Its such a shame, she said of the pain that comes with that judgment. There are people who actually call us child abusers for supporting our child and seeing them for who they are. robert.downen@chron.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A lawyer for a Houston bail bond agent argued Friday that a recent policy requiring a 10 percent minimum for certain felony charges violated antitrust laws and questioned whether the entity that established the fee had the power to impose it. Attorneys for both All About Bail Bonds owner Sunya Claiborne and the Harris County Bail Bond Board met via Zoom with Judge Latosha Lewis Payne, who will decide on a request for a temporary restraining order to hold off on the mandate. Whenever the Legislature wants to delegate rate-setting authority to a governmental entity, it clearly does so, attorney Kevin Pennel said. He argued no evidence exists to suggest the Legislature intended to give the board the authority to fix prices or set rates under the scope of the word negotiation found in state law. Christian Menefee, one of three attorneys representing the board, said antitrust law does not apply because the board was acting in a regulatory capacity. When the government is restricting competition, as long as theyre doing so pursuant to a state policy, antitrust law cannot apply, Menefee said. Pennel said the 10 percent minimum has affected the ability for bondsmen to take unsecured payment plans, reducing the number of bonds being written by Claiborne and others. Claibornes business, he said, has suffered a 33 percent drop in revenue since the new policy went into effect in April. Payne said Friday that she would take time to review the case before issuing a ruling. Ahead of the hearing, Harris County Attorneys Office lawyers defended the 10 percent policy and argued in court documents that setting a premium is part of the negotiation phase of the bonding business an agreement between a defendant and the bail agent. The office reiterated that the boards authority to enact a premium policy stems from the Bail Bond Act, which allows the creation and oversight of bail bond boards in Texas counties. The county attorneys office advised the Bail Bond Board ahead of its April vote that it has broad authority to regulate the business in addition to approving and revoking licenses. Mandating a premium floor was aimed at thwarting a years-long practice by some bail agents, who act as intermediaries between the defendant and the court, to accept lower than 10 percent fees from jailed defendants accused of violent offenses to secure their release. A Houston Chronicle investigation found that bail bondsmen were more often accepting lower than 10 percent fees related to violent crimes. Payment plans are sometimes used, the review found. The county also said Claibornes lawsuit received financial backing from a group of local bondsmen, including the individual who serves as the statutorily required representative of bondsmen on the Bail Bond Board. The representative, without being named in court documents, is Mario Garza among those subpoenaed earlier this month by the county attorneys office. He and a second Bail Bond Board member opposed the 10 percent policy. joel.umanzor@chron.com A Black man who recently graduated from a police academy said he was racially profiled after leaving a Dallas-area 7-Eleven convenience store last month. According to Michael McQueen, Joshua Police Department officers accused him of illegally parking in an accessible spot. McQueen said he is a disabled military veteran. The officers demanded to see his identification and told him he looked suspicious because he was wearing his police academy uniform with his duty belt equipped with his gun. McQueen captured the May 22 incident on his body camera and uploaded the video to his Facebook account on May 30. The 5-minute video has since gone viral after it was posted on Wednesday on Reddit. In the video, McQueen accuses police Captain Scott Peters and Sgt. Shaun Fullagar of racially profiling him. McQueen was not detained, but he was not allowed to leave the parking lot. At one point, McQueen and one of the officers get into each others faces. Both McQueen and the police department did not return a request for comment. McQueen said on Facebook he was not officially connected to any law enforcement agency when he visited the 7-Eleven in his academy uniform and decided to post the video to put them on blast because of how captain Peters responded when I said to him that we are supposed to be on the same side. The video begins with one of the officers repeatedly demanding to see McQueens identification. When McQueen asked the two officers whether they had probable cause, Peters explained that he did not have a handicapped placard. TRENDING: A Texas river is dry, as drought brings tubing to a halt McQueen encourages them to look at the disabled military veteran license plate on his vehicle. One of the officers demanded to see his identification, saying that he had never seen anyone wear a police academy uniform after they graduate. McQueen explained that he often wears his uniform while hes training. He repeatedly encouraged officers to run his license plate and to call the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which serves as the regulatory agency for all police officers in Texas. At one point, McQueen attempts to leave. Another officer who arrives on the scene tries to stop him. McQueen asks if he is being detained. The officer doesnt let him leave until his supervisors return. 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. According to the officer, recent changes in Texas law no longer allow people with disabled veteran license plates to park in accessible parking spaces. McQueen said he has had his disabled veteran license plate for five years. Peters was able to later confirm that McQueen was in the academy. Youre feeling small now, arent you? McQueen says in the video. You shouldnt run up on people. You have no probable cause. If you wanted to follow me and run my plates, you could have done that. THE LATEST: Houston federal judge asked to recuse himself after alleged racist and sexist comments He added: You waste my time. And you, youre supposed to be a captain and you dont know that disabled plates have a right to park in this parking spot and you violated peoples rights running up on them without probable cause. At one point, the pair got in each others faces. Peters accuses McQueen of having expired certifications. My certification doesnt say expired, McQueen said. You want it to be expired because you see brown skin. He added: I have peace officer certification, just like you, McQueen said. So go learn the law before you start teaching young people how to do the job. Youre a bad example you dont even know the rules of parking. timothy.fanning@express-news.net Amy Hagstrom Miller thought it would all be over in four to six weeks. That was the estimate she gave last August for how long abortion clinics like hers might have to shut down as Texas leaders prepared to roll out the countrys first effective six-week abortion ban. Thats if we cant block it ahead of time, said Miller, the president and CEO of Whole Womans Health. Its hard to maintain hope in these kinds of situations in Texas, but we keep winning, she said. Weve won before. Within a year, that optimism has turned to dread, as providers and abortion-rights supporters watched the U.S. Supreme Court not only uphold the Texas six-week ban but go much further, overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday and rolling back five decades of federal abortion protections. RESISTANCE: Some Texas DAs say they wont prosecute abortion cases post-Roe. But it likely wont matter. Like other providers, Whole Womans quickly announced it would stop providing abortions at its four Texas clinics. Roe overturned, Miller tweeted as the ruling dropped. End times yall. While Fridays decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization involved a Mississippi law, Texas has offered the testing grounds for months now of a post-Roe nation, and it showed that the courts conservative majority was willing to take radical steps in allowing states to regulate abortion. SB8 set the stage for it, Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said of the Texas law, Senate Bill 8. It was a huge signal on the part of the court where they were going to rule with Dobbs. Republican-led states had tried for years to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, or when doctors first detect cardiac activity in a fetus. But each of those efforts failed when challenged in court. Fridays ruling allows more than two dozen states with GOP leaders to begin criminalizing all or nearly all abortions. FIRST TEXAS ABORTION ARREST: Texas woman faces murder charge after 'self-induced abortion' Texas broke through the blockade last fall by enforcing its six-week ban exclusively through private litigation. The Supreme Courts conservative majority said it was helpless to intervene because the law wasnt enforced by public officials. The Texas law was novel because it not only enlisted private citizens to sue each other, but also clearly stacked the cards against abortion clinics. Litigants could file their lawsuits in any state court, giving them power to search out sympathetic judges. And even if abortion providers won, they were barred from recouping their legal expenses. I think the fetal heartbeat law made the Dobbs decision a lot more likely, said Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at Houstons South Texas School of Law. It basically illustrated what the post-Dobbs world would look like before Dobbs. Road trips, pills by mail The picture that emerged was one of vast new struggles for women who are seeking the procedure. Between September and December of last year, more than 5,500 Texans traveled to abortion clinics in surrounding states, according to an analysis from the University of Texas at Austin. That was a tenfold increase in monthly visits from before SB8 took effect Sept. 1 and the study included data from only six neighboring states. Meanwhile, Aid Access, a global nonprofit that ships abortion pills to women in the United States, saw three times as many Texas requests under the new restrictions. The law has not reduced the need for abortion care in Texas, Kari White, lead investigator at the universitys Texas Policy Evaluation Project, said at the time. Rather, it has reduced in-state access. Nearly every facet of reproductive health care in Texas has been entangled within SB8 and a companion bill, SB4, which restricts access to abortion-inducing pills until after seven weeks of pregnancy. That medication mifepristone and misoprostol, often taken in tandem also can be used to manage a miscarriage, and some pharmacies hesitate or refuse to dispense it for patients who have already lost a pregnancy, said Dr. Kimberly Pilkinton, president-elect of the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She said some patients also have trouble obtaining methotrexate, the most common medication used to treat ectopic pregnancies, in which a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus and cannot survive. SB8 allows doctors to remove an ectopic pregnancy, but the language in SB4 is less clear. The exemptions can be hard to interpret, Pilkinton said. Theres so much fear regarding some of these laws that some people are just not willing to engage in anything that might be construed as anything related to abortion care, she said. Everyone is freaking out The confusion has extended to major medical institutions, which must weigh civil liability and criminal penalties when considering how to treat pregnancy complications. Though the new restrictions allow doctors to intervene to save a womans life or to prevent substantial impairment of a major bodily function, some hospitals have delayed care for women with potentially life-threatening conditions that warrant early termination. When Dr. Judy Levison, a 72-year-old Houston OB-GYN, first learned about SB8, she thought we were entering some kind of dystopia. She felt it flew in the face of the civil rights progress in the 1960s and 1970s, but she still didnt understand how profoundly it could affect her field. Then colleagues began telling her that they couldnt induce a pre-viable pregnancy, or perform an abortion procedure, to preserve the health of the mother. Suddenly they realized they couldnt proceed in the way they had been trained to do what was the medically correct thing, she said. For them, they had an early dawning. I think for others, it has taken a while to realize the impact. Dr. Lee Bar-Eli, a Houston family medicine doctor, was surprised early on by what she felt was a lack of national outrage over the Texas law. She knew it would most hurt women of color and those with low incomes, who have faced discrimination and who may lack the time and money to travel to a state where the procedure was still available. Women who do have the resources to travel now face dwindling out-of-state options as more Southern states, including Oklahoma, move to outlaw abortion in the wake of the Roe decision. New Mexico likely will be the closest option, and Colorado OB-GYNs have already seen an uptick in Texas patients. It was a bit frustrating to have this nine-month period where weve been living this reality, Bar-Eli said. And now that Roe v. Wade is falling, everyone is freaking out. julian.gill@chron.com jeremy.blackman@chron.com Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday thanked the entral Government for approving two Infrastructure Development Projects under Micro & Small Enterprises - Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP) for Himachal Pradesh in National Level Steering Committee (NLSC) meeting. The total cost of these two projects is Rs. 22.29 crore, out of which, the Central Government Grant will be Rs.15.92 crore and State contribution will be Rs. 6.37 crore. The approved projects include Up-gradation of Industrial Estate at Jeetpur Behri, Tehsil Ghanri in District Una and Upgradation of Industrial Estate at Khadeen near Parwanoo in district Solan. Thakur said that Himachal Pradesh is emerging as one of the fastest-growing industrial States in India and looks forward to contributing the aim of building Indias economy to 5 trillion. He said that the State has received final approval for three out of the four Infrastructure Development Projects submitted under the scheme. These projects consisted of infrastructure development of existing industrial areas providing basic amenities such as upgradation of road, street lighting and drainage. These projects will enhance the efficiency of manufacturing units in the State. The Rodin library with a photograph featuring 'Monument to Balzac' at the Clark Art. Clark Art Features 'Rodin in the United States' 'Monument to Balzac' is on display off the museum's lobby. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. One of the largest exhibits of the works of Auguste Rodin seen in the United States in the past 40 years is now on view at the Clark Art Institute. The exhibit consists of 50 sculptures and 25 drawings from American museums and private collections that collectively demonstrate the story of the collectors, agents, art historians, and critics who worked to make Rodin known in America. Although there have been many exhibits on Rodin, less attention has been directed to toward the French modernist's legacy in the United States. The Clark exhibit considers Rodin's influence and reputation on America from 1893 to the present day. Part of the exhibit can be found on the first floor when entering the Clark, to the right of the main lobby, where Rodin's "Monument to Balzac" is on display. Visitors can sit in the "Rodin library" filled with books on sculptor and where sketchpads with pencils are available for use. The rest of the exhibit is on display within the museum and separated into three parts: "The Collectors," "The Era of Museums" and "The Revival." Each of these sections shows the progression of Rodin's work and career. Throughout the exhibit, visitors can see the progression of his work through some of his original plaster models and then the completed pieces. On display are also some sculptures that Rodin did not finish, giving the viewer a chance to see the artist's process. Rodin was considered unconventional at the time for many reasons including how some of his art looked unfinished to contemporaries and bear traces of his process. "The Collectors" section of the exhibition showed the first group of Rodin's art that was presented in the United States beginning with pieces put on display at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Born in 1840 into a working-class family in Paris, he studied art and math in his youth -- but was rejected by Ecole des Beaux-Arts --- dabbled with idea of taking religious orders, and worked as a craftsman on ornamental designs and on public commissions. He finally opened a studio where he worked with live models in the early 1880s. He was interested in expressing human emotion and often reused parts from previous pieces. Initially, he was not very popular in the United States because of the provocative depictions some of his sculptures showed. These pieces were moved to a private space and were only accessible by request. He was known for breaking convention by celebrating classical beauty by representing the people around him. Some of his best known works are the "The Thinker" and "The Kiss." With the influence of many collectors, artists, and curators, including Rodin's model Katherine Seney Simpson; American actor, dancer, and choreographer Loie Fuller; philanthropist Alma De Bretteville Spreckels, and more, Rodin's work slowly began to gain popularity as it entered the private and public collections. The "Era of Museums" section of the exhibition follows the reputation of his work following his death in 1917. Rodin left the contents of his studio to the French state with the condition that a museum would be founded for his work in Hotel Biron in Paris. The museum had instructions from the artist that casts be made in bronze of his sculptures that would finance the museum's operations and increase the knowledge of his work. American museums and collectors started to expand their Rodin collections gathered from gifts or purchases but many institutions favored displaying the finished narrative subjects. The unfinished works that are praised today were sent to storage until World War II. The final section of the exhibit, "The Revival," examines his work from 1954 until the present day when scholars and critics started to recognize the daring and modernity of his work after the director of the Museum of Modern Art Alfred Barr requested a bronze cast of Rodin's "Monument to Balzac" be made. Barr considered the piece "one of the greatest sculptures in the history of Western art" leading to Rodin's work becoming fully established in the united states. This exhibit demonstrates the progression of his pieces becoming fully established in the United States. Uneasiness in the weather conditions prevailed as hot and humid weather was witnessed throughout the day on Sunday; after a break after four days in the state clouds have started pouring from Sunday. Met told that late in the night rain would be witnessed at isolated places in Bhopal and Indore. There will be thunder and lightning in Jabalpur-Gwalior. Met said that cyclonic activities continue in the Arabian Sea. Due to this moisture is coming from the Arabian Sea. For this reason, clouds are spreading across the state. Drizzle at some places in divisions like Jabalpur and Rewa and rains are likely in the next two to three days. In the state during the next 24 hours, light rain and thundershowers may occur at isolated places over Jabalpur, Shahdol, Rewa, Sagar, Ujjain, Gwalior, Chambal, Indore, Bhopal and Narmadapuram. Light rain is also expected in Jabalpur, Shahdol, Indore and Narmadapuram. Due to the break of monsoon in Madhya Pradesh, the heat has increased across the state. The maximum temperature has even reached 40 in many areas. The average rainfall has also decreased due to lack of rain for the last four days. Many areas of the state received rain during the last 24 hours. Light rain occurred at isolated places in Dhar, Barwani, Alirajpur, Betul, Jhabua, Dewas, Singrauli, Dindori, Rewa, Shahdol, Sidhi, Satna, Mandla, Anuppur, Panna, Balaghat, Umaria, Chhindwara, Seoni, Jabalpur, Chhatarpur and Amarkantak. If you were trying to figure out how to get your employees back to the office after two years of working remotely, it might make sense to come up with some sort of plan that combined the two. Maybe they would come back to work a few days a week, and work from home the rest of the time. Call it a "hybrid" model of work. That certainly seems like a reasonable solution, again, if your goal is to get people back to the office. And, there are a lot of perfectly valid reasons you might want people back in the office. Still, it seems like a lot of companies are missing something important as they try to figure out what comes next. Here's how Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, explained it during an interview at Stanford University a few months ago: I think hybrid work is great. We're going to leverage the scale of the company--we have many locations around the world--so people can move to other places and work. We are starting with a three-two hybrid option. But, we encourage employees to apply to be fully remote as well. And, you know, we've supported 85 percent of those applications. Google has said it is starting with a model where most employees come into the office three days a week and work remotely for two days. That same model has become pretty common for a lot of large companies right now. Again, that seems reasonable, if your goal is to get everyone back to the office--even if only part-time. One obvious problem, however, is that the model starts with the assumption that most people should be in the office most of the time. Three days in the office feels like a compromise, but if you're trying to get everyone to return to the office, at least it's moving back in that direction, right? The thing is, I'm not sure that underlying assumption is correct. I'm not sure that the goal should be to get everyone back to the office, the goal should be to help everyone be as productive as possible, in whatever working environment is best for them and their role. To that, the next part of Pichai's quote is important. He said that Google is allowing employees to apply to be fully remote and that the company has supported 85 percent of those requests. To be clear, I still think Google is starting with the wrong assumption. I think it would be better if companies didn't assume that in-office work should be the default. I think it would be better if they started without assumptions about how people work best and actually did the hard work to figure it out on a more personalized basis. But, this is a start. And, since I think most companies are closer to Google in the assumptions they make, this is an important lesson. It isn't enough to simply come up with some kind of hybrid compromise. You have to recognize that hybrid is a really terrible solution for a lot of your team members. In some cases, it's probably worse than just coming back to the office every day. Sure, some people will love the idea of coming to the office a few days for meetings, and working from home the rest of the time. For those people, this model is great. The problem is that hybrid work isn't great for everyone. There are some roles that require being in the office full-time. There are some people who work better in that environment and would rather be there even if their job doesn't absolutely require it. On the other hand, there are people whose role doesn't require them to be there at all. They don't have lots of meetings or brainstorming sessions. The work they do doesn't require close collaboration, or they're able to manage it through tools like Slack or Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In that case, follow Google's example and allow them to work in whatever environment is best. Sure, it's harder than just making everyone fit into your hybrid work plan, but the benefits far outweigh any amount of time and effort you put in. R Madhavan who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming movie Rocketry: The Nambi Effect found himself in hot soup after he said in an interview that Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was able to successfully launch a rocket into space for Mars Mission with the help of Hindu calendar also known as Panchangam. AFP After getting massively trolled for the ISRO-Panchangam remark, here's what R Madhavan has to say. R Madhavan has now issued a clarification. He says, " I deserve this." I deserve this for calling the Almanac the Panchang in tamil. Very ignorant of me.Though this cannot take away for the fact that what was achieved with just 2 engines by us in the Mars Mission.A record by itself. @NambiNOfficial Vikas engine is a rockstar. https://t.co/CsLloHPOwN Ranganathan Madhavan (@ActorMadhavan) June 26, 2022 Taking to Twitter, R Madhavan wrote, "I deserve this for calling the Almanac the Panchang in tamil. Very ignorant of me. Though this cannot take away for the fact that what was achieved with just 2 engines by us in the Mars Mission.A record by itself. @NambiNOfficial Vikas engine is a rockstar." I deserve this for calling the Almanac the Panchang in tamil. Very ignorant of me.Though this cannot take away for the fact that what was achieved with just 2 engines by us in the Mars Mission.A record by itself. @NambiNOfficial Vikas engine is a rockstar. https://t.co/CsLloHPOwN Ranganathan Madhavan (@ActorMadhavan) June 26, 2022 R Madhavan's controversial statement In his interview in Telugu, as per TM Krishna's translation, he said, "Indian rockets did not have the three engines (solid, liquid and cryogenic) that helps western rockets propel themselves into Mars' orbit. Since India lacked this... used information in the Panchangam." "It has the celestial map with all information on various planets, gravitation pulls, sun's flares deflection etc., all calculated perfectly 1000s of years ago and hence the micro-second the launch was calculated using this info. The rocket was launched, it went around the earth, moon and Jupiter's moon and ricochet like a play thing and put into Mar's orbit". R Madhavan has written, produced and acted in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, a biopic on Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the ISRO, who was falsely accused of espionage. The charges were dismissed in 1996 by CBI and he was declared non-guilty in 1998, but it was after 24 years that he received compensation of Rs 50 lakhs recently in September for being kept in prison for 50 days. The film will be released on July 1 in theatres worldwide. Also Read: R Madhavan Buys A Barren Piece Of Land In Tamil Nadu, Turns It Into Lush Green Coconut Farm (For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.) Himachal Pradesh Government on Sunday announced to set to a Special Task Force (STF) to curb the drug menace in the State, besides launching the Nasha Nahin, Zindagi Chunne campaign an initiative of the Department of State Taxes and Excise and HP Nasha Niwaran Board. The State Government is committed to eradicate drug menace from the State, for which an Integrated Drug De-addiction Policy has been adopted. The State Government has constituted a Nasha Niwaran Board. As many as 73 posts of Police personnel would be created and filled up in the Department of State Taxes and Excise for effective implementation of Excise NDPS and other regulatory legislations. This would not only safeguard Government revenue but also re-assert Governments commitment to combat drug menace in a holistic manner, he said while also initiating the process of Excise Police Force on the occasion. Stating that it was the need of the hour to make the campaign against drug abuse a peoples movement, Thakur said that only then, this demon of drug abuse could be defeated and the younger generation could be saved from this social vice. Advancement in technology has made curbing the menace quite challenging, he said while advising the Police Department to remain a step ahead to nab those engaged in drug peddling. The Chief Minister said that the better coordination between the Police of neighbouring States was vital only then the chain of drug peddling could be broken. He said that it was on his initiative that steps were taken to chalk out a joint strategy to check drug menace in the region. A meeting was held at Panchkula in Haryana in which Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir participated. All the Chief Ministers and representatives of other northern States agreed to share the information regarding drug trafficking. Another meeting was hosted by Punjab in which Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Delhi also participated, he said. Thakur said that the State Government also started a special de-addiction helpline under the Chief Minister helpline-1100. This helpline aims at providing counselling and guidance to the patients, he said. He said that the State Government has made drug peddling a non-bailable offence to check drug peddling. The State Government is determined to curb the problem of drug menace in the State as it continues to be a serious social problem across the State and country. With a view to check drug menace, the State Government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to make Himachal Pradesh a drug-free State, he said. A major part of the anti-drug strategy of the State Government focuses on certain drugs originally derived from plant sources such as cannabis and opium. The State Government has taken stringent steps against cultivation and for eradication of these drug generating plants. Property worth Rs 20 crore was attached by the State Government earned by the drug peddlers and those involved in this illegal trade, he added. Thakur also advised the parents to keep an eye on the behavioural changes in their children. He also advised the parents to spend quality time with their children. He also urged the teachers of schools and other educational institutions to keep strict vigil on the activities going on in their institutions as the drug peddlers specifically target these institutions. Special drives to curb drug menace amongst the youth must be regularly organized near schools and colleges from time to time under the Community Policing Scheme, he stressed. After the blockbuster success of The Kashmir Files, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has already announced another movie - The Delhi Files, which will reportedly be based on the incidents that took place in 1984 (the year anti-Sikh riots took place). However, before that, he along with his wife Pallavi Joshi has embarked on the Humanity Tour in order to spread the message of peace and educate the world about Indian culture. Twitter Vivek Agnihotri recently shared a video of several members from the UK parliament praising him for his courage and contribution to highlighting the genocide and his advocacy for humanity. #WATCH This is what Members of @UKParliament (MPs) have to say about Hindu Genocide in Kashmir. The impact of a small film with TRUTH. #HumanityTour pic.twitter.com/UvVmnzDk3C Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 24, 2022 Earlier, the members of the Scottish Parliament had vowed to bring in a motion on the Kashmiri Hindu genocide and to commend The Kashmir Files for showcasing an unfortunate reality. Proudly announcing the same, Vivek Agnihotri had written, "Member of Parliament, @Jackson Carlaw has committed to bring a motion in Scottish Parliament on Kashmiri Hindu GENOCIDE and to commend #TheKashmirFiles for showing the pain of Hindus. The power of an honest 'PEOPLE's FILM'. #HumanityTour". GREAT NEWS: Member of Parliament, @Jackson_Carlaw has committed to bring a motion in Scottish Parliament on Kashmiri Hindu GENOCIDE and to commend #TheKashmirFiles for showing the pain of Hindus. The power of an honest PEOPLEs FILM. #HumanityTour pic.twitter.com/KcmHKfbM6k Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 6, 2022 Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi's Humanity Tour Vivek and Pallavi have been traveling from May 28 to June 26 to various prominent places across the United Kingdom, Germany and Netherlands including Nehru Centre London, Fitzwilliam College Cambridge University, and Oxford University for the Humanity Tour. Talking about the aim of the Humanity Tour, Agnihotri said, "We thought that it is very important for the world to know that if any solution to terrorism and hate is possible, it is possible only through fundamental indict, principles, and values. So Pallavi and I are on this very hectic Europe tour to spread the Indian message of humanity, and why India is going to play a major role in world peace." During the event, Agnihotri had accused the Oxford Union of "Hinduphobia" and threatened to file a lawsuit against them for cancelling his event. This is what happened at the Cambridge Event. Thanks to Prof. Sumantra Ray who stood his ground that event took place and very successfully. Despite being gagged. Comrades are trying to stop #HumanityTour but only thing I know is to defeat them at their own game. pic.twitter.com/hIdkLWZMNL Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 1, 2022 In a video message, The Kashmir Files director shared an incident that took place, in which he mentioned that the Hindu voice is being curbed. "Yet another Hindu voice is curbed at HINDUPHOBIC Oxford Union. They have cancelled me. In reality, they cancelled Hindu Genocide and Hindu students who are a minority at Oxford Univ. The president-elect is a Pakistani. Please share and support me in this most difficult fight," The Kashmir Files director tweeted along with the video. IMPORTANT: Yet another Hindu voice is curbed at HINDUPHOBIC @OxfordUnion. They have cancelled me. In reality, they cancelled Hindu Genocide & Hindu students who are a minority at Oxford Univ. The president elect is a Paksitani. Pl share & support me in this most difficult fight. pic.twitter.com/4mGqwjNmoB Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 31, 2022 The filmmaker said that he visited Cambridge University, where he was informed at the last minute that he will not be allowed to video record the event. He also mentioned that Hindus are a minority group at Oxford University, and termed the incident oppression of the minority. (For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.) Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced that the country would immediately suspend its 20-year-old treaty of friendship, good neighbourliness, and co-operation" with Spain over the Western Sahara dispute. AFP The treaty brought both the countries together on various issues like migration flows, and anti-human trafficking measures along with the economic, educational, and defence sectors. President Tebboune also announced a ban on imports from Spain against the recent foreign policy of Spain on the disputed Western Sahara region. About the Western Sahara region Western Sahara, is a desert region located in Northwest Africa. It stretches across 2.5 lakh sq km and is bordered by Morocco in the North, Algeria in a small northeastern patch, and Mauritania in the East and South. AFP Having a long coast with the Atlantic Ocean, it is rich in minerals and fishing industries flourish in the region. The region has less than 6 lakh population and is home to the nomadic indigenous Sahrawi tribe. The tribe community has been fighting with the Morocco establishment claiming their right to self-determination. What is the Western Sahara dispute? In 1884, the conflict arose when Spain colonised Western Sahara. To constitute the Spanish Sahara province, Spain united the two main regions of Western Sahara, namely, Rio De Oro and Saguia el Hamra. In 1975, Spain withdrew from the region and Mauritania, Morocco and the Polisario Front came forward to claim the region. After an immediate withdrawal of Spain from the region, the Polisario Front announced the establishment of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Western Sahara but the West did not recognise it but is recognised by 70 countries and is also African Unions member. In 1975, the International Court of Justice said that Morocco and Mauritania could not claim their sovereignty over the region and it should be decolonised. Reuters Not satisfied with the decision, the Moroccan Sultan started the Green March toward Western Sahara resulting in thousands of Moroccans there. Meanwhile, the Polisario Front continues to fight Mauritania and Morocco and a ceasefire was signed between Mauritania and the Front in 1979. Further, a UN-proposed peace deal settled the dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front. After the 1991 Agreement, over 80% of Western Sahara is controlled by Morocco and the SADR operates from the eastern parts and refugee camps in Algeria. The government of Morocco proposed limited autonomy to the Front but they refused saying that Morocco would continue to control key sectors like defence and foreign affairs. Why does Spain shift its policy over the region? The official position of Spain over the West Sahara region is to settle the issue through a UN-sponsored referendum. In the last few years, the relations between Spain and Morocco were impacted when the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali was allowed to be treated for COVID-19 (in Spain) by the Spain government. Building pressure on Spain, Morocco reduced control over the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, which resulted in 10,000 migrants to the border to enter the country in 2021. AFP The recent policy of Spain supports the 2007 plan of Morocco for Western Sahara, in which cooperation on migration, energy, industry, sea travel, culture, and economy are included. A statement by Moroccos royal palace states, Spain considers the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 as the basis, the most serious, realistic and credible, for resolving the dispute. In 2020, the United States became the first country to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. What does Algeria say? In 2021, Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco over the issue. Algerian President Tebboune considered Spains stance as unjustifiable and would contribute directly to the degradation of the situation. AFP In 1976, SADR was recognised by Algeria and since then is supporting the Polisario Front. After Moroccan violence, about 1.7 lakh Sahrawi took refuge in Algerias Tindouf province camps. Furthermore, Algeria is the prominent supplier of gas to Spain and this policy shift might affect the situation. The country also suspended foreign trade of goods and services with Spain. Inputs from The Hindu and The India Express. For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News. Researchers digging up a cave channel on the Rock of Gibraltar discovered a new chamber that has been sealed off from the rest of the world for over 40,000 years and might provide insight on the culture and customs of the Neanderthals who inhabited the area for thousands of years. Who is a Neanderthal? The name neanderthalensis comes from the Neander Valley in Germany, where the first significant specimen was found in 1856. The German term for valley is 'Tal,' although this was spelled 'Thal' in the 1800s. Homo neanderthalensis thus translates as "Human from the Neander Valley." Erich Ferdinand/Flickr A few people pronounce the name of this species as Neandertals (no 'h') to represent the present German spelling instead of the existing spelling, Neanderthal, which was used to describe the species. Neanderthals are an extinct category of fossil humans who appeared in Western Eurasia during the mid-Middle Pleistocene as well as communicated with the first modern humans entering in Europe approximately 45,000 years ago prior to actually disappearing from the fossil evidence around 40,000 years ago. They survived the Ice Age. Neanderthals frequently sought refuge from ice, snow, and other inclement weather in Eurasia's abundant limestone caves. Most of their fossils have been discovered in caves, giving rise to the popular notion of them as "cavemen." Unsplash/Representational image The Neanderthals were a fairly successful species, having adapted well to the volatile environment of a region characterised by advancing and retreating ice sheets. Their short, stocky shape evolved as an adaptation for cooler temperatures as it consolidated heat. The Smithsonian Institution claims that the wide nose helped humidify and warm cold air, but this claim is debatable. According to existing evidence from both fossil records and DNA, the Neanderthal and modern human lineages split at least 500,000 years back. Although homosapien and neanderthal have some similarities, they have many structural variations. Neanderthal vs Homosapien These humans had a different build than that of the taller and bulkier modern humans, with Neanderthal men standing approximately 169 cms tall and Neanderthal women standing roughly 160 cms tall, and sporting broad and deep rib cages. Their prominent brow ridges, sizable faces with suitably big noses, and lack of chin further distinguish them. Aside from that, Neanderthals share a slew of derived characteristics with modern humans, including enlarged brains (their brain cover were even significantly bigger than humans) and a less protruding face than most other earlier archaic humans. These characteristics distinguish Neanderthal skulls from modern humans. In terms of hair and skin colour, Neanderthals most likely had a wide range certainly more than modern humans. Getty images Scientists compared the genetic profile of humans to that of their closest ancient relative and concluded that "there is a little Neanderthal in almost all of us." Most people who live outside of Africa can trace around 4% of their DNA back to a Neanderthal ancestor, as a result of crossbreeding between the 2 groups following the region's great migration. According to reports, anthropologists have lately discovered the strongest evidence that early humans mated with Neanderthals in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent region. Neanderthal gene and Covid deaths According to an Oxford academic, an only one Neanderthal gene reported in one out of every six Britons is responsible for at least to a million Covid casualties. Dr James Davies, from the universitys Radcliffe Department of Medicine, told the Telegraph, the amount of fatalities worldwide from this genetic version, that is found in one in every six Britons, "is in the hundreds of thousands to a million." According to 2 recent studies, 2 long portions of DNA passed down from Neanderthals seem to develop resistance or susceptibility to severe covid-19, based on which is present. Unsplash/Representational image Hugo Zeberg and Svante Paabo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig led the research, which pioneered the research on Neanderthal DNA. Their first study describes a Neanderthal sequence of DNA referred to as a "haplotype" that is linked to an increased risk of serious illness. Having 1 copy of the haplotype, that is found on the third of the 46 chromosomes found in humans, increases the likelihood of being admitted to intensive care. Neanderthal genes and immune system regulation One of its genes produces a protein that engages with the cell receptors used by sars-cov-2 (the virus that causes covid-19) to enter and hijack cells. The haplotype is also believed to be responsible in the fabrication of signalling proteins known as cytokines, which aid in immune system regulation. When the Sars-CoV-2 virus fuses to the ACE2 receptor on a human cell, the gene changes its behaviour, according to the researchers. It indicates that cells in the lungs respond to infection more slowly. One way that covid-19 kills is through an overly aggressive immune reaction. Unsplash/Representational image The haplotype slows the propagation of RNA viruses, including sars-cov-2, by causing infected cells to self-destruct instantly. It is known to offer some prevention against West Nile virus, hepatitis C, and, most intriguing, sars-cov-1, which resulted in the 2002 sars epidemic. According to The Week, about 15% of Europeans and nearly 60% of South Asians have the Neanderthal type of the gene. It's not the first time Neanderthal genes have been associated with more severe Covid symptoms. Research published in October 2020 noted that genes inherited from our Neanderthal forefathers may raise human's risk of contracting a more severe form of Covid-19. For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News. Dalbir Kaur, the sister of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian man from Punjab who was on death row in Pakistan has passed away. Dalbir died on Saturday night at the age of 60 due to a heart attack. Her last rites will be conducted on Sunday at Bhikhiwind in Punjab. BCCL Fought for her brother's life for 22 years For more than twenty years, Dalbir had been fighting to save her younger brother who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court for being an Indian spy and for his alleged involvement in a series of bomb blasts in the country in 1990. The family, however, rejected all charges and said that Sarbjit was a farmer from Bhikhiwind in Punjab near the India-Pakistan border, who mistakenly crossed over the border after having a couple of drinks. BCCL Sarabjit, a case of mistaken identity? They also argued that Sarabjit had inadvertently crossed the border three months after the bombings in Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 people. Pakistan insisted that he was Manjit Singh and was sentenced to death by a Pakistan court in 1991. They also produced a video, in which Sarabjit was seen confessing his involvement in the bomb blasts, which the family alleges, he was forced to admit under torture. The death sentence was later upheld by the Pakistan Supreme Court. AFP The death sentence was repeatedly delayed and Sarabjit was kept in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore for 22 years. Dalbir, Sarbjit's elder sister was leading the efforts in India and internationally to free her brother. Sarabjit Singh's death Things took a tragic turn on April 26, 2013, when Sarabjit was beaten up by his inmates in the Lahore jail. He was then rushed to Lahore's Jinnah Hospital where he died after being comatose for five days due to severe injuries in the head. BCCL Dalbir Kaur had always insisted that her brother, Singh was innocent and had strayed into Pakistan by mistake when he was arrested. She also went to Pakistan to see her brother. Then Ministry of External Affairs had asked the Pakistani government to conduct a probe into Singh's death, while his sister, Dalbir Kaur had also called for an inquiry into the case and said: "If the attack was planned by the government itself, then there is no need for an inquiry. But if Sarabjit was attacked without the knowledge of the authorities, then an inquiry is definitely needed." For more on news, sports and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. The State government has suspended IAS officer Ram Vilas Yadav who is being investigated by the Vigilance department for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his income. The officer who was posted as an additional secretary slated for retirement on June 30 is accused of amassing assets reportedly 500 times his known source of income. The order issued by the government on Wednesday states that by not cooperating in the Vigilance investigation, Yadav had violated provisions of the All India Service (Conduct) Rules 1968. The order states that the governor has granted his approval for suspending Yadav with immediate effect and initiating disciplinary action against him.He has been attached to the office of the office of the secretary, Personnel and Vigilance Department for the duration of his suspension. It will be recalled that earlier, the Vigilance officials had been unable to trace Yadav who had also approached the Uttarakhand high court seeking protection from arrest in the case. The court had directed him to first appear before Vigilance officials. He reached the Vigilance office in Dehradun on Wednesday where he was questioned by the officials. The HC is slated to hear his application again on Thursday. The sister of a woman murdered by a co-worker in a Limerick hotel in 2002 says that a life sentence should be longer than 20 years for premeditated murder and believes that parole should not be an entitlement. Aoife Dillons sister 24-year-old sister Grainne, from Glounthaune in Cork, was shot dead as she worked as a trainee manager in Jurys Inn, on Steamboat Quay in Limerick in January 2002. She was shot three times at point-blank range with a shotgun by now 46-year-old Paulo Nascimento from Portugal after he robbed 3,000 from the hotel. He had been working as a night porter in the hotel for less than a week and had been on a night shift with Ms Dillon when he killed her. He is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to the murder in 2003. He is now taking a High Court challenge against what he claims is a refusal by the Minister for Justice to consider his entitlement to parole. Aoife Dillon said: The challenge this week seems to be about Mr Nascimentos right to parole, citing that lack of parole amounts to a breach of his constitutional rights, and a breach of the Ministers duties under the European Convention on Human Rights'. Clearly, its for the courts to decide, but Mr Nascimento did receive a life sentence. She added: I appreciate that in Ireland a life sentence doesnt usually mean for life, but I think it should definitely be longer than 20 years for a premeditated murder, and I dont see why parole is an entitlement. Mr Nascimento had stolen the gun and ammunition in the days before the killing from the home of his former girlfriend in Castletroy and had hidden them in the hotel. After 4am on January 5, he confronted Grainne as she was putting money in the cash register in the downstairs restaurant of the hotel. He shot her twice before stealing the money and shot her once more before leaving her to die. An inquest into her death heard she had suffered two shotgun blasts to the right pelvic area and a third shotgun blast to the right breast. In the immediate aftermath of the murder, he stashed the money, and Grainnes keys and phone, into a bag which he hid in a laneway. Aoife Dillon said she accepts that Mr Nascimento has the right to apply for parole but stressed that the Dillon family also has the right to remind the parole board of the impact of Grainnes murder on them. And she said that Mr Nascimento is fully aware of the hurt and trauma he has caused, because letters they have written to the Parole Board would have been shared with him. Grainne Dillon was shot three times at point-blank range with a shotgun by now 46-year-old Paulo Nascimento from Portugal after he robbed 3,000 from the hotel. Picture: Courtpix In his challenge, Mr Nascimento claims that, in early 2021, a parole board recommended that he should be granted temporary release, sometime at the start of this year. The board which reviewed his case stated that the risk the applicant would re-offend was as low as it can get, that keeping him in custody was no longer productive, and that his case did not need any further review. However, the non-statutory parole board system, which had been in operation between 2001 and last year, is no longer in place. Under the former regime, the board reviewed applications from prisoners serving lengthy sentences after being advised by the Minister for Justice who should be considered for temporary release. Now, a statutory parole board is in place, which makes its decisions on the release of prisoners independently from the minister. The new board said that it would review his case. Ms Dillon said: Victims of crime, and their families, are not privy to the details reviewed by the parole board, though of course it is difficult to reconcile the statement that his risk of reoffending was considered as low as it can get, given that his murder of Grainne was not provoked: he set out to commit a robbery, stole a gun, hid it in the hotel for a number of days and then killed Grainne after the robbery, in order to give himself more time to flee the scene. Anyone who has lost someone will know that of course you miss that person at the big events, marriages, christenings, etc, but sometimes, the sadness just hits you when you are doing the most mundane of things, like driving to work or walking the dog. Im not sure that the sadness and emptiness ever goes away, you just get better at putting one foot in front of the other at making it through the day. In 2007, a High Court judgment upheld a decision made in 2006 by the then Minister for Justice not to permit Mr Nascimentos transfer to a Portuguese prison. He sought the transfer shortly after being sentenced to life in prison for the murder, to be close to his relatives. A challenge taken by Mr Nascimento in the Supreme Court failed. Ms Dillon said: We were aware that changes had been made to how the parole board would operate but, to be honest, we didnt look into the details. We did expect Mr Nascimento to continue to push to be repatriated to Portugal, as he has previously cited his lack of access to his family in Portugal as unfair. As you would expect, that argument is very tough for my family listen to. MPs are set to vote on controversial new legislation to give ministers powers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, after Boris Johnson played down concerns over legal challenges. Boris Johnsons administration has argued that the measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are necessary to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability. Unionist opposition to the imposition of checks which they perceive as driving a wedge down the Irish Sea has seen the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuse to return to the powersharing executive, leaving the region without a functioning government. The UK has insisted that its unilateral approach is the only option left to resolve the issues baked in to the protocol if the EU maintains its refusal fundamentally to rewrite the terms of the deal. But the move has sparked a fierce backlash from the bloc, with fresh legal action launched against Britain last week. European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic indicated further measures could follow if the UK pressed ahead with the Bill. The UK has insisted its unilateral approach is the only option left to resolve the issues baked in to the Northern Ireland Protocol (Jonathan Brady/PA) The dispute could ultimately lead to a trade war, with tariffs or even the suspension of the entire Brexit deal between the UK and EU. Mr Johnson played down concerns over legal challenges during a trip to Rwanda earlier this week. Weve got a legal case against us for failing to have proper customs procedures, all sorts of things, he said. He suggested that the response to plans was more muted than expected. As the Bill returns to Parliament for its second reading on Monday, MPs will debate its main principles and decide whether it can proceed for further consideration. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will tell the Commons the legislation is a basis for a durable and sustainable solution that protects the Good Friday Agreement, avoids a hard border, safeguards the EU single market and ensures the integrity of the UK. However, she is likely to be met with a backlash from those who oppose the move. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will tell the Commons the legislation is a basis for a durable and sustainable solution (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Keir Starmer has said Labour would axe the proposed laws if it was in power, and confirmed his party will vote against the legislation at Westminster. Mr Sefcovic previously declined to rule out a trade war, saying: We have to keep all options on the table. But he emphasised the EUs preference to find a negotiated solution to the problems caused by the protocol, lamenting the radio silence from London since February. On Sunday, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis suggested it was absurd for Europe to issue warnings about a trade war with the UK when they had not fully implemented sanctions on Putin for invading Ukraine. What were talking about is fixing here some of the issues in terms of the implementation of the protocol that is so detrimentally affecting Northern Ireland, he told Times Radio. The EUs ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida, said the Government is likely on a road to nowhere. Speaking to Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday about the Bill, he said: We are not dismissing (what the UK has proposed), but we read it very carefully and, to be very frank, we think it is both illegal and unrealistic. Alongside the second reading, the Government is launching a series of structured engagements with the business community to discuss and gather views on the Bills implementation. The Foreign Office is hosting the first roundtable event on Monday, bringing together more than a dozen major UK businesses and representative groups including the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, Asda, John Lewis and the Dairy Council NI. Ms Truss said: Our overriding priority is protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the bedrock of peace and stability in Northern Ireland as it stands the protocol is undermining this delicate balance. This legislation will fix the problems the protocol has created, ensuring that goods can flow freely within the UK, while avoiding a hard border and safeguarding the EU single market. A negotiated solution has been and remains our preference, but the EU continues to rule out changing the protocol itself even though it is patently causing serious problems in Northern Ireland which therefore means we are obliged to act. After a delicious Sunday meal at one of our participating #tasteofkeybiscayne restaurants, enjoy some of the best and most creative desserts on the island on this June 26. D'Lite Bistro & Bakery Who says eating healthy means sacrificing taste and flavor? Not at DLite! Come enjoy our terrazita,you will not regret making your Sunday a bit more special with our famous cappuccinos, golden milk and matcha latte. What a delicious threesome combination! We are a unique and healthy restaurant that serves salads, wraps, sandwiches, bowls, protein smoothies and cold press juices made fresh every morning including gluten-free, vegetarian and keto options. We open at 8 a.m. daily and close at 8 p.m. everyday except Sat and Sun when we close at 6 p.m. DLite is located in the Arcade Mall, 180 Crandon Blvd. To place an order, call (305) 882-9284 or visit us online by clicking here. Sake Room Complete your Sake meal with any of our delicious desserts, we guarantee the plate will be empty! This Sunday, how about Nutella Sushi? Yes! A Sake exclusive Special only good for orders called in to (305) 456-0488 We are open for Indoor & Outdoor Dining, Takeout or delivery daily from Noon to 10 p.m. Call (305) 456-0488 to place a takeout or delivery order directly Following all CDC safety protocols 328 Crandon Blvd Ste 108, Galleria Shopping Center Grub hub UberEats also available. Please if you can call us first Randazzo by Yesenia Open for Indoor & Outdoor dining, Takeout or delivery. Reservations recommended After a delicious Sunday Italian meal, leave room for dessert Cannolis anyone? Today - Sunday - open at 2 p.m. for lunch! Please call (305) 456-0480 to place an order or make a reservation Open Monday, Wednesday to Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., open until 11 p.m. Friday. NEW! Now open for lunch at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays! Closed Tuesdays 328 Crandon Blvd Ste 112, Galleria Shopping Center Delivery service with Postmates or UberEats Tacopolis In the mood for Chocolate? Or try any of our authentic Mexican desserts will complete your delicious Tacopolis meal It is hot! Stop by and enjoy a Mango Smoothie Our creative treatments to traditional desserts are like none on the island Tacopolis, where every day is Taco-Day!! Only eat tacos on days that end in a Y Tacopolis strives to serve Authentic Mexican food in a casual and relaxed family atmosphere Open 7-days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Open for Outdoor dining, Takeout or delivery but our own service of find us on UberEats Located in the Square Shopping Center at 260 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne. To place a phone order, call (786) 703-5523. To order online, click here Boaters Grill & Lighthouse Cafe / Bill Baggs The restaurants inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park the popular Boaters Grill, located at No Name Harbor and accessible by boat, and the beachside Lighthouse Cafe. Our lemon meringue pie takes a back seat to no one! Boaters Grill is open Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lighthouse Cafe is open 7-days a week, from 9 a.m. to Sunset The restaurants are located inside Bill Baggs State Park, at 1200 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne. You can reach them at (305) 361-0080 32 Degrees by MG You deserve gourmet meal options that are fast and convenient. Sunday is a great day to meal plan for the week. How about Snapper with mango and pineapple salsa this week? Fresh, fully cooked meals from 32 Degrees are a great mealtime option. We provide frozen, ready-prepared meals that are great for the busiest of lifestyles! We shop, prep, cook, and deliver to your doorstep, so you can experience the benefits of gourmet eating without the fuss or hassle. Our fully cooked meals are created with passion by our chefs using only the freshest ingredients. We never use additives or preservatives. Our meals are ready to eat in the microwave in 5 minutes. Place your order today by visiting 32-degrees.com Use code 32ISLANDER at checkout and receive 15% off* your first order. *Offer good on orders of $40 or more. Costa Med Bistro Enjoy Costa Med this evening either with it or at home this evening.. If our desserts look homemade, is because they are! This Sunday, indulge in something Costa sweet Order online for take out, click here! Costa Med, a TripAdvisor Traverlers Choice nominated restaurant, is located in the Square Shopping Center. 260 Crandon Blvd. Reservations suggested. Call (305) 361-7575 to make a reservation Hours. Lunch Mon to Sat: Noon a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner Mon to Sat: 6 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. / Sun 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Golden Hog Your local independent grocer can deliver freshly prepared meals or all the groceries you need. Email us your order here. Indulge yourself with our exclusive Dulce de Leche tart! Call (305) 361-1300 for Sunday Chef's Choice special menu. The Golden-Hog has a complete line of specialty groceries for delivery. Golden Hog puts safety first, shop with confidence. To place an order online, click here Brasas KB This Sunday, share our 100% natural Peruvian Chicken Rotisserie with family and friends Weekend vibes! Pollo a la brasa con papas fritas, camote frito y salsas de aji caseras Our delicious half pound hamburger, with one side and a soda, only $10.99 - loaded it up with a fried egg, bacon, cheese and pickles to make it a "completa" for only $4 more! Can't beat the quality! Unmatched value! We are open for Indoor & Outdoor Dining, Takeout or free delivery. Call (786) 615-2399 to place a takeout order. Open Noon to 8 p.m. for Dine-In, Takeout or delivery. 328 Crandon Blvd, Galleria Shopping Center La Scala Closed on Sundays The popular Italian Bistro now offers their delicious meals to enjoy at home and thanks your support during the last year To place a Monday takeout order call (786) 773-3633 or visit us online by clicking here. Open 5 to 9 p.m. 180 Crandon Blvd Arcade Shopping Center. Kazumi Closed Sunday. Our modern Japanese fusion restaurant offers creative treatments & creativity in our dishes To see our menu, click here Call us tomorrow at (305) 361-2675. Check back tomorrow for more specials as we add more restaurants to #tasteofkeybiscayne-To-Go And please remember to order from the restaurant directly before using one of the apps this way we support the local restaurants by saving them the commission they are charged, which at times is as much as 30% GUEST OPINION: Business efficiency is a key concept to most, if not all, companies. Due to this need, entrepreneurs have developed ways to ensure this efficiency. One of the solutions is managed service provision. This innovation relies on the adage that you can barely be a jack of all trades in business. There are those aspects youre good at and those youre poor in. By seeking a Managed Service Provider (MSP), youre letting the provider handle an aspect theyre good at, such as Utah IT services, allowing you to do what you do best. However, transitioning to accommodate MSPs requires articulation to ensure success. How will you ensure this articulation? This article gives tips to adopt in your MSP transition to ensure a smooth process. Read on! 1. Acquire the necessary resources A good plan will only remain a good plan on paper unless you accompany it with the right resources to actualize it. The same concept applies to an MSP transition planyou need resources to make it happen. One of the resources you need is finances. You need finances to pay the managed service provider. This team might require tools to help them fulfil their roles. However, its good to note that most MSPs have tools and wont require you to acquire your own. Most will require you only to have systems that integrate with their tools or to obtain something they need you dont have. At this juncture, postponing may be an issue since time is most likely of the essence. You want to transition quickly and ensure the continuous flow of operations. These tools will cost you money. To avoid delays in the transition due to a lack of funds, set aside funds beforehand to cater to the transition process. However, suppose your business is struggling financially. In that case, you can click for a capital loan or find another alternative for financial assistance. The aim is to have the finances at hand to prevent delays, which can further add to your expenses. 2. Lay out policies Policies play a critical role in an organization. They govern how your team carries out work and how they handle themselves. Since an MSP transition is like running a different business, its essential to lay down policies to govern how your team will work with and around the MSP. Policies need to be clear and on point. Consider coming up with a dos and don'ts list regarding the new service. It should also contain a functional communication channel for the interaction between the MSP and your in-house team. You want to reduce points of conflict as much as possible. As part of this, itd help to clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of each party, including the MSP. This is helpful, especially if you still have an in-house IT team. Its good to acknowledge that even with everything planned out, theres a possibility things won't go according to plan. As a business, you need to prepare for this possibility. Therefore, develop a contingency plan, indicating how youll handle operations if your transition fails. The contingency plan intends to ensure your work goes on as usual as it did before the transition attempt. 3. Prepare your employees Employees play a significant role in a company. They ensure the success of any project you implement since theyre in direct contact with the project than the top team. This depicts the importance of onboarding your team once you seek an MSP. First, inform them of the transition before it happens. Doing so gives your team enough time to prepare for the change. Your employees and staff will process the information and give feedback on the MSP transition. This feedback can share insights into how to better the process and plan to meet your employees' needs that might be lacking through the MSP. Second, preparing your workers also means training them in the new systems. The MSP can schedule training sessions where they teach your team how to work with any new tools. The number of these sessions should continue until your workers fully grasp the systems workings. Proper understanding eliminates possible errors during execution that could negatively cost your business. 4. Transition in phases Most business owners want to handle all transitions as soon as possible to eliminate associated stress and workloads. However, doing so isnt always advisable in some situations, like in an MSP transition. Quickly implementing such projects can lead to inefficiencies in the future. Suppose you roll out the MSP plan at once. A few weeks or months after the implementation, the new system fails to work or isnt as efficient as you thought it would. You have to stop the process and make the necessary changes. It may be easy to make amends when small amounts of data are involved. However, with large data, what happens when adjustments make you lose large company data? Where will your business be left at? Therefore, its crucial to do it in phases. Start by transitioning the minor company operations. During this implementation, look out for inefficiencies and adjust them accordingly. By the time youve completely implemented managed IT services, this system will be perfect, ensuring efficiency and profitability. Conclusion Ensuring a smooth MSP transition is challenging. By doing it appropriately, your transition will be a success. This article has discussed tips for approaching the MSP transition competently. Therefore, consider implementing the tips above, and your transition will also be a success. A new research report has debunked five false assumptions that people have about social engineering which are integral to why so many fall victim to these forms of cyberattack. Cybersecurity researchers at security firm Proofpoint have today released their 2022 Social Engineering report, which analyses key trends and techniques of socially engineered cyber threats observed over the past year. The report debunks 5 false assumptions people have about social engineering which are integral to why so many fall victim to these forms of cyberattack, these include: The assumption that legitimate services such as those provided by authoritative technology companies like Google and Microsoft are safe to use The assumption that threat actors are unaware of email conversations held with colleagues and that those existing conversation threads are safe The assumption that threat actors will not spend time building rapport prior to executing attacks, such as by holding regular conversations The assumption that threat actors wont make use of timely, topical, socially relevant content to pique interest or exploit emotions The assumption that threats only involve their computer and other technologies such as the telephone The report references several examples of sophisticated social engineering attacks, including: A Russian-aligned threat actor masquerading as the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as part of attacks aligned with the Russian states objectives North-Korean aligned threat actor phishing for login details through social engineering campaigns related to nuclear weapon safety and President Joe Biden. Despite defenders best efforts, cybercriminals continue to defraud, extort, and ransom companies for billions of dollars annually. The struggle with threat actors evolves constantly, as they change tactics to earn clicks from end users, said Proofpoint vice president of threat research and detection Sherrod DeGrippo. Security-focused decision makers have prioritised bolstering defenses around physical and cloud-based infrastructure which has led to human beings becoming the most relied upon entry point for compromise. As a result, a wide array of content and techniques continue to be developed to exploit human behaviours and interests. The Proofpoint full report is online here. It may sound like a crazy far-fetched dystopian claim, but its todays reality. Following the United States Supreme Court decision overturning access to abortion as a constitutional right, EFF head of cybersecurity Eva Galperin is warning women to delete period tracking apps, potentially identifying women who have terminated pregnancies. It would be understandable if you thought such a claim came from the pages of 1984 or the Handmaids Tale, but its todays reality. With several states having already outlawed abortion or planning to do so, security experts are concerned period tracking apps can, and will, be used to identify women who are pregnant and determine if they terminated the pregnancy early. Among such experts is the Electronic Frontier Foundation head of cybersecurity Eva Galperin who advises women to delete these apps now before it is too late. Galperin is an expert in her field, working for the largest digital privacy non-profit advocate in the world. If you are in the United States and you are using a period tracking app, today is good day to delete it before you create a trove of data that will be used to prosecute you if you ever choose to have an abortion.https://t.co/7L7LaQizgx Eva (@evacide) May 3, 2022 The perceived risk is that the companies running these applications will sell your data to parties who are interested in hunting women suspected of having abortions, or they will hand it over to prosecutors who request or subpoena it. There's already a historic precedent: one of the largest period tracking Apps, Flo, with more than 100 million users, was previously busted for sharing user data against its own terms of service that promised privacy. Flo states it is currently developing an anonymous mode following the Supreme Court warning, though user trust will be eroded after Flo previously shared private health information with third-party firms including Facebook and Google. In fact, millions of smartphone users confess their most intimate secrets to apps, and every single day these apps are passing it on to Facebook and others. The Flo experience shows you cant even necessarily trust the companys own disclosure statements. Other such leaky apps include smartphone apps for depression and smoking cessation. A 2019 study by JAMA found out of 36 top-rated apps in those fields, 29 transmitted data to Facebook or Google, yet only 12 accurately disclosed this. Consequently, the security experts have a basis for their concerns. The app developers themselves have, through bad behaviour, created the precedent that proves the concerns are within the realms of plausibility. The United States HIPAA compliance laws that regulate the lawful use and disclosure of protected health information do not include or protect the reproductive and menstrual data gathered by health apps, according to the US department of health and human services. The North Carolina School of Law, among other bodies, has called for greater protection of femtech apps, stating this is a serious topic and in no way an ovary-action. It is almost beyond comprehension that in 2022 Americans would not be able to track their period without consequences. Yet here we are. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus. Jharkhand may face Maharastra like scenario. The state is passing through a grim phase, feels BJP MP from Unnao Sakshi Maharaj. Talking to media persons late Thursday night ahead of boarding a train for New Delhi at Dhanbad station, Maharaj said, the system has collapsed here thus there is law and order besides other problems. The present state government has failed in controlling law and order due to its appeasement policy, said Maharaj. "In Jharkhand CM and officers are corrupt thus cannot give good administration," said Maharaj. He hailed the nomination of Draupadi Murmu as presidential candidate, mentioning that her selection by BJP is tribute and regard to hardworking tribal females. On the Agniveer controversy, the Unnao MP said that it's a good scheme. He advised people to have faith in the PM as he is working for all sections of society not for particular one . Johnson City, TN (37604) Today A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Xiconomics: How China, along with other BRICS nations, turns aspirations for common development into reality Xinhua) 10:18, June 26, 2022 BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Traversed by the lower Amazon River flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, the state of Para has one of the busiest port in Brazil and a wealth of mineral and agricultural resources. However, for decades, local people have been struggling to harness the natural abundance to their well-being. Lack of funds on large projects such as roads and transmission lines delayed the state's integration with markets in the country's rich south. And local residents have limited access to smaller infrastructure that more directly helps them to earn money. Aline Feitosa, a mother of four who runs a small bar in Brasil Novo in Para state, is upset about muddy roads in the city. "People didn't come to my bar because of the mud in the rainy season and the dust in the drought season." Among the country's 26 states, Para is the fifth poorest in terms of GDP per capita due in part to a chronic shortage of infrastructure. But things are changing for the better. PEOPLE-CENTERED COOPERATION In 2018 and 2021, the New Development Bank (NDB) granted loans of over 200 million U.S. dollars to build roads, bridges as well as sanitation and communication facilities in Para. In the city of Brasil Novo, local authorities managed to pave some 17 km of roads with the NDB funds and construction is expected to finish by August. The renovated roads and a well-designed drainage system will not only renew the community but also improve health condition of the residents as dust in summer used to flow into every single household and cause many to suffer from serious respiratory diseases. Promoting the welfare of the people has always been a major area of the BRICS cooperation over the past 16 years. Since its inception in 2015, the NDB has become an essential part of the BRICS mechanism tasked with promoting joint development with a people-centered philosophy. The bank has approved more than 80 projects regarding transportation, energy and other types of infrastructure with a total portfolio of some 30 billion dollars to improve people's well-being. "We should respond to people's concerns, pursue the larger interests of all countries, and steer global development to a new era to deliver benefit to all," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum delivered on Wednesday. His appeal for a people-centered approach resonates with the group's aspirations for shared growth and with his economic philosophy, known as "Xiconomics," which has guided China's own development and promoted its global cooperation programs. Running a convenience store by an already paved road in Brasil Novo city, 38-year-old Giziany Fernandes Pereira has been enjoying public benefits brought by the project. "It's much more comfortable now as you don't get your feet dirty as soon as you leave the house. Sales increased at my store because of easier accessibility. It is a wonderful program," she said. The NDB loans have played a significant role in poverty reduction in the state, said Ruy Cabral, secretary of urban development and public construction of Para. "The NDB has been a spectacular partner for the facilities that it has provided us to date, and we hope to extend this partnership further." HIGH-QUALITY PARTNERSHIP "Standing at the crossroads of history, we should both look back at the journey we have traveled and keep in mind why we established BRICS in the first place, and look forward to a shared future of a more comprehensive, close, practical and inclusive high-quality partnership so as to jointly embark on a new journey of BRICS cooperation," Xi said in his speech at this year's BRICS summit on Thursday. Twenty-one years ago, when British economist Jim O'Neill coined the term "BRIC" -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China, it read like investment advice, pointing to promising prospects for emerging economies. With South Africa added in 2010 to become the "BRICS," the group, representing a quarter of the global GDP, 18 percent of global trade and 25 percent of the world's foreign investment, has become a vital platform for strengthening cooperation among the five countries and a vital force for improving global governance. Trade cooperation among the BRICS countries has seen remarkable progress over the years. In 2021, the total volume of trade in goods of BRICS countries reached nearly 8.55 trillion dollars, up by 33.4 percent year on year, official data shows. Meanwhile, China's trade with other BRICS countries totaled 490.42 billion dollars, a yearly jump of 39.2 percent which outpaces the overall growth of China's foreign trade over the same period. In April, a string of online sales campaigns themed "Buy BRICS" was held in the southeast Chinese coastal city of Xiamen. In a two-week shopping spree, Chinese consumers bought 270 million yuan (40 million dollars) worth of products from the other four BRICS countries, according to statistics provided by e-commerce platforms. In 2017, when China hosted the 9th BRICS Summit and other events in Xiamen, Xi suggested that BRICS partners bear in mind their long-term goals rather than narrowly look at growth rates, advance structural reforms and explore new growth drivers and paths to achieve "better quality, more resilient and sustainable growth." His suggestion has proven to be significant to the expansion of BRICS cooperation into more areas. Cooperation in the digital economy has brought tangible benefits to the populations of the BRICS countries, with further digital transformation across various industries expected in the future. Committed to developing an industrial internet and digital manufacturing, the five countries seek to build an industrial cooperation network to promote the circulation of capital, goods, talent and technology by facilitating an open and inclusive trade and investment environment. The BRICS members have ample human resources and great economic potential and occupy a pivotal position in the global industrial chain, said Rosalia Varfalovskaya, a leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Amid a complicated international environment, the BRICS cooperation mechanism will play an important role in dealing with external challenges and propelling global economic growth, she said. BRICS PLUS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT As part of this year's BRICS agenda, the group inaugurated a vaccine research and development center online in March. The five countries vowed to make vaccines accessible and affordable for developing countries as global public goods. The immunization gap is one of the concerns shared by BRICS countries. To solve such global challenges, the group agreed to promote the expansion of global governance into more developing nations, a move West-dominated organizations are reluctant to take. Besides vaccines, China and other BRICS countries have been providing other "public goods," such as development experience and technology, particularly to the Global South, to bolster sustainable development. For example, China is helping many African countries, such as Mozambique, to develop modern agriculture with the help of the China-developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and unmanned equipment. In 2017, China steered its involvement of other nations into what has become known as "BRICS Plus" by building a more comprehensive partnership with other developing countries and organizations to turn BRICS into a more influential platform for South-South cooperation. Gu Qingyang, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, said BRICS cooperation has made remarkable progress in green development, science and technology, the digital economy and infrastructure construction. Expanding BRICS cooperation will be more conducive to rallying developing countries to tackle global challenges, Gu said. Last year, Xi launched the Global Development Initiative (GDI), calling on all countries to forge a united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership. For the Chinese leader, development holds the key to solving various difficult problems facing the world. In his speech delivered at the 14th BRICS Summit on Thursday, Xi underlined the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the building of a global community of development. He pledged to work with BRICS partners to add more substance to the GDI and contribute to more robust, greener and healthier global growth. Inclusiveness highlighted in China-proposed initiatives is what the world needs, Gu said, adding that China and other BRICS countries share a broadly similar world view with other developing countries that believe in inclusive development, multilateralism and mutual benefit. Elaborating on global cooperation for common development, South African Ambassador to China Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele said, "in order to sustain peace, there must be development." "What struck me was the message from President Xi Jinping that we should rise to the challenge as leaders, and be able to work together to deal with all these emerging challenges," Cwele said. Xi's remarks remind us of "love for our people that they should grow, develop and live a prosperous life," Cwele added. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) The presidential candidate nominated by the BJP-led NDA, Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to file her nomination papers on Friday. Support has been pouring from different parties including those who are not the part of NDA, but even after the passing of more than 48 hours, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) , the party which claims to be a tribal party is yet to make any formal announcement supporting Murmu. The party is set to hold a meeting of its MLAs and MPs on the issue on Friday. However, party senior leaders have given enough indication that JMM despite being part of UPA alliance will support Murmu for the presidential post as it concerns the tribal set to hold the top constitutional post. JMM, a regional party in tribal-dominated Jharkhand, will find it difficult to vote against Murmu. On Wednesday, JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey welcomed Murmu for the presidential post. Pandey said, She is a deserving candidate. A tribal has been given this opportunity which we welcome. There should be a unanimous selection for the highest post, added Pandey. Also, a senior JMM leader requesting anonymity said, Supporting Droupadi Murmu for top post will not be strange as the relations between Soren and Raj Bhawan when Droupadi Murmu was Governor was very much cordial. We seldom heard anything when Murmu was Governor but now with Ramesh Bais there you can see the skirmishes. Also, the respect Soren gave to Murmu - almost half bending namaskars to a tribal lady is a key to how they will vote." Party insiders said that for the JMM, which wears the image of being a for-tribal party, it will be difficult to overlook the fact that a tribal is set to hold the top office. However, ruling party Congress has openly said that party will vote for Yashwant Sinha. State parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam said, In coalition politics there are some rules which alliance partners have to follow. Despite Murmu being a tribal face. The Congress high command had already decided to back Yashwant Sinha so there will be no U-turn. However, state tribal activists have welcomed Santhal politician Droupadi Murmus nomination as NDA candidate for President. We are happy that a tribal and Santhal woman is, going by the numbers, almost certain to become President. We nurture high hopes that vexed tribal issues like the Sarna dharma code for the population census would now get a hearing, said Ratan Tirkey, a lawyer-activist who was part of the state governments Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) during the BJP administration of Raghubar Das (2014-19). Adivasi Jan Parishad chief Prem S Munda said the Opposition parties should learn to include the tribal communities in the primary roles. Sunday was a day of double whammy for the Samajwadi Party as its candidates lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party in their bastion Rampur and Azamgarh in the Lok Sabha byelections. BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua in Azamgarh defeated SPs Dharmendra Yadav by 8,679 votes while Ghanshayam Singh Lodhi beat Asim Raza by 42,192 votes. Both seats have been the P strongholds. The Azamgarh seat was vacated following the election of Akhilesh to the state assembly while the Rampur seat was vacated by Azam Khan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJPs victory in Azampur and Rampur on Twitter terming it historic. The bypoll wins in Azamgarh and Rampur are historic. It indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the double-engine Governments at the Centre and in UP. Grateful to the people for their support. I appreciate the efforts of our Party karyakartas, the PM tweeted. The Azamgarh seat saw a triangular contest among BJPs Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, SPs Dharmendra Yadav and BSPs Shah Alam, also known as Guddu Jamali. In Azamgarh, Shah Alam polled over 2 lakh votes, denting the prospects of Dhamendra Yadav. Another factor for this tight contest could be due to the absence of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from the campaign. However, Dharmendra Yadav claimed that Akhilesh was keeping an eye on the poll campaign. Earlier, Yadav had an argument with security personnel over allegedly being denied access to the strong room where the EVMs were kept. Yadav alleged that an attempt was being made to change the EVMs and that was why he was not allowed in. The SP leader was later allowed inside the strong room. SP, Azamgarh, Anurag Arya said there was some confusion but he (Dharmendra Yadav) was later allowed entry to the strong room. The two constituencies went to the polls on June 23. Azamgarh and Rampur recorded 49.43% and 41.39% turnout. Over 35 lakh people were eligible to vote in the bypolls to decide the fate of 19 candidates. The BSP did not contest the Rampur bypoll and that helped the BJP as the Dalit votes shifted to the saffron party. NOTA got 4,447 votes. SPs Rampur district president Virendra Goyal alleged that the BJP misused its power to win the seat. The BJP candidate has been declared the winner. But, the administration has done something wrong in counting. Earlier, the voter turnout on the polling day remained low because the administration did not allow the SP voters to come out to exercise their franchise, Goyal alleged. Azam had won from Rampur in the Lok Sabha election in 2019 when the SP had an alliance with the BSP and RLD. In 2014, BJPs Nepal Singh had won the Rampur seat albeit with a thin margin of 23,435 votes. Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi, who is an OBC, is a former SP MLC who had started his political career with the BJP but later switched sides. He had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Rampur as a BSP candidate in 2009 but finished third. He was elected as a member of the UP Legislative Council from the Rampur-Bareilly local bodies constituency in 2016 as an SP candidate. His term ended in March earlier this year. The International Criminal Court, which celebrates its 20th anniversary on July 1, is the world's only permanent tribunal to investigate and try alleged cases of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression where member states are unable or unwillling to do so. Here are five things to know about the court based in the Dutch city of The Hague, which is investigating alleged war crimes in Ukraine. - US, Russia, Israel opted out - A total of 123 countries have ratified the court's founding Rome Statute, meaning they recognise its jurisdiction, but there are some conspicuous absences, notably the United States, Russia and Israel. Both the United States and Russia have signed the Rome treaty but never ratified it. Moscow in 2016 withdrew its signature over an ICC report calling its annexation of the Crimean peninsula an occupation. Israel opposed the court from the outset, fearing that its leaders and/or military could be targeted in politically motivated cases. Other notable non-members include China, India and Myanmar. The ICC can pursue nationals of non-member states for crimes committed on the soil of a member country or, as in the case of Ukraine, a non-member that recognises its jurisdiction. The UN Security Council can also call on the court to investigate potentially serious international crimes, as for instance in Libya and Sudan. - Five convictions in two decades - Between 2012 and 2021, the ICC successfully convicted five men of war crimes and crimes against humanity, all Africans. Three of the five were former militia leaders from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, with Bosco Ntaganda, a rebel leader nicknamed "Terminator" receiving the longest jail sentence the court has issued of 30 years for mass murder, rape and abduction. The court also sent Dominic Ongwen, a commander of Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army militia to jail as well as Malian jihadist Ahmad al Faqi al Mahdi, who was convicted of destroying a mosque and mausoleums in the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu. Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo was the first former head of state to be tried by the ICC in 2016 but he was acquitted of crimes against humanity. Some convictions were overturned on appeal, notably that of former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was convicted of crimes committed by rebels under his command in Central African Republic but later cleared of responsibility. - Failures and fugitives - The court suffered a major setback in 2014 when its highest profile case -- over Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's involvement in the inter-ethnic violence that broke out after disputed 2007 elections -- collapsed. Kenyatta reluctantly appeared before the court, the first sitting head of state to do so, but the prosecutor was forced to drop the case amid allegations of witness intimidation and bribery. Former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is also still being wanted by the ICC for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the western Sudanese province of Darfur. But three years after he was deposed Sudan has yet to hand him over. The son of former Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, has been wanted by the court on war crimes charges for over a decade. - Dispute with Trump - The ICC infuriated US president Donald Trump's administration in March 2020 by authorising an investigation into alleged war crimes by US forces serving in Afghanistan. Washington imposed sanctions on the ICC's prosecutor in protest but his successor Joe Biden later lifted them. The investigation, which also included violence by the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) group, was later suspended at the Afghan government's request but relaunched after the Taliban takeover. Since it resumed however, it has focused on violence by the Taliban and IS to the exclusion of alleged US atrocities. - Pivot to Ukraine - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has vaulted the former Soviet state to the top of the agenda of a court often accused of unfairly focusing on Africa. Four days after the war started ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced an investigation into possible war crimes. Ukraine is not an ICC member either but it has accepted the court's jurisdiction. A 42-strong team of ICC investigators visited Ukraine in May to gather evidence and Khan visited the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where dozens of civilians were found murdered after the withdrawal of Russian troops. This June, the much awaited heist series "Money Heist Korea: Joint Economic Area" ignites fire as the biggest robbery in Korean history begins. As the North and South Korea team up, a gang of geniuses and robbers gang up to infiltrate the Unified Korea Mint and steal a whopping four trillion won. Here's what happened in the first three episodes of the series! Read on to know more! 'Money Heist Korea' Episode 1: The Biggest Heist in Korea Begins In the first episode of "Money Heist Korea," the North and South Korea halt war and reunify to create a new community that will enrich the two countries' economic state. However, the rich only become richer while the marginalized stay in place. Because of this, crime rates tripled. Left with no choice, a bunch of thieves gather to create the foolproof plan in infiltrating the Unified Korea Mint and steal a huge sum of money and elevate their status. A North Korean soldier-turned-robber named Tokyo (Jeon Jong Seo) joins the gang alongside North Korean genius Berlin (Park Hae Soo). It also includes ex-convict Moscow (Lee Won Jong) and his gangster son Denver (Kim Ji Hoon), con woman Nairobi (Jang Yoon Ju) and skilled hacker Rio (Lee Hyun Woo). The former gang members and twins Helsinki (Kim Ji Jun) and Oslo (Lee Kyu Ho) are also part of the gang, which is led by the Professor (Yoo Ji Tae), the mastermind of the heist. As the gang successfully enters the Mint, South Korean inspector Seon Woo Jin (Kim Yun Jin) and North Korean agent Cha Moo Hyuk (Kim Seong Oh) try their best to negotiate, and hopefully catch the robbers. 'Money Heist Korea' Episode 2: Where Things Get Shaky As the two countries come up with the best plan to take down the robbers, Professor and his gang push through to reach their goal. With the help of their hostages, the gang start to print bank notes amounting to four trillion won while simultaneously digging up an escape route. Things become more complicated as one of the hostages is identified as one of the US Ambassadors' daughter. On the other hand, Yoon Mi Sun (Lee Joo Bin), a hostage, is put in danger after her former lover Mint Director Cho Young Min (Park Myung Hoon) orders her to contact the police through his smartwatch. Episode 2 also depicts how Professor's relationship with the inspector, which was a crucial part of the plan, falls off as the situation at the Mint becomes more intense. 'Money Heist' Episode 3: The Beginning of the Matriarchal Government While the Professor sits back and creates a foolproof plan to the team, Berlin sees to it that everything goes according to plan inside the area. Unfortunately, the camaraderie of the gang is shaken as Rio and Nairobi's identities were revealed despite the use of Hahoe masks as their disguise. Berlin's apathy and impulsive decisions don't help their current state, which plant seeds of doubt to the gang, especially to Tokyo. Episode 3 becomes a bloodshed as the police fire without hesitation, shooting the Mint Director after being mistaken for a robber. The police send their experienced medical team to appease the situation. However, a police officer pretended to be a medical assistant which is a breach of the inspector and Professor's deal. To counter attack, Rio plants a device in the police's phone, giving them the upper hand. Because of Berlin, things became awry. The Professor keeps Berlin at bay, and gives Tokyo the throne. Denver and the rest of the team saves the critical Yoon Mi Sun, and Rio confesses his love for fellow robber Tokyo. KDramastars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. The second half of the six-part series "Money Heist Korea" takes a dark turn as things get bloody and intense. The police forms a strategic plan to take down the robbers, but little do they know that the latter are always one step ahead of them. To know more about what happened in "Money Heist Korea" episode 4 to 6, then keep on reading! 'Money Heist Korea' Episode 4: The Police's Counterattack In "Money Heist Korea" episode 4, the police sent medical assistance to treat the Mint Director (Park Myung Hoon), who was accidentally shot in the heist. When the Professor (Yoo Ji Tae) figured out that one of them was a police officer, he started to infiltrate the Task Force by hacking Cha Moo Hyuk's (Kim Seong Oh) phone, allowing them to know their next step. Unbeknownst to everyone, one of Cha Moo Hyuk's agents successfully entered the Mint, duping the robbers as a hostage. 'Money Heist Korea' Episode 5: The End of the Tunnel After Tokyo (Jeon Jong Seo) replaced Berlin's (Park Hae Soo) patriarchal ruling, the hostages felt safer than ever. The gang continued to dig their escape hole and print money to reach the four trillion won goal. However, the situation outside got worse. Cha Moo Hyuk's agent, along with the Mint Director, Yun Mi Sun (Lee Joo Bin) and Anne Kim (Lee Si Woo), hijacked the heist and tortured Denver (Kim Ji Hoon) into revealing the Professor's identity. The Task Force then learned that the Professor isn't inside the Mint, but rather supervising the gang from a distance. Because of this, the Professor worked his way into discarding the evidence of their plans, resulting in an intense car chase with the police. In "Money Heist Korea" episode 5, the police was unable to catch the Professor, losing once more to the experienced geniuses and robbers. 'Money Heist Korea' Episode 6: Berlin's Resurrection In "Money Heist Korea" episode 6, Berlin successfully broke free from Tokyo's grip. After realizing the situation, he took his gun and shot Cha Moo Hyuk's agent who caused a massive havoc inside the Mint. Two gunshots were heard from the inside of the Mint, causing panic and anxiety to the expectators. Because of this, the Task Force became more determined to attack the robbers. While they were not allowed to use force, they convinced the Professor to let them enter the Mint and revealed how ruthless and murderous the robbers were. Through a live broadcast, Inspector Seon Woo Jin entered the Mint. Berlin then revealed his identity to the public, building great rapport. Little did they know, the inspector had a plan to turn the tables around. After the hostages appeared in the live broadcast one by one, the inspector grew hysterical and looked for Cha Moo Hyuk's agent, claiming that the robbers had killed him. Berlin then revealed that the agent was alive, and ruined the Task Force's clean reputation by releasing the police's footage of breaking in and planning to use brute force, not minding the casualties. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Money Heist Korea' Episode 1-3: The Biggest Robbery in Korean History Takes Place The gang's counterattack became a success, even gaining public trust. In addition to that, Moscow (Lee Won Jong) also saw light as he finished digging the gang's escape hole. On the other hand, Denver and Yun Mi Sun shared a sensual, intimate and heart-fluttering moment inside the Mint. In the final episode of "Money Heist Korea" Part 1, the Professor also realized how much he loved Inspector Seon Woo Jin. KDramastars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. Chhattisgarh Police on Sunday arrested a 36-year-old man for killing his father a few days ago in a village in Mahasamund district. Mahasamund Additional Superintendent of Police Megha Tembhurkar identified him as Chandu alias Chandeshwar Sahu of Jivtara village. Sahu killed his father Rikhiram on Thursday night. A murder case was lodged on Friday after his body was found lying by a road by villagers. Sahu, who was detained, eventually confessed to killing his father. He said he had a heated argument over farming and hit his father with an iron rod, claiming his life. A cyclist rides past a film set for the movie "Deadpool 2" in Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. A 15-month dispute in British Columbia's film and television industry has ended with the ratification of a new contract for creative and logistical people working on productions shot in the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Voting for Mandar by-poll passed off peacefully with voting percentage remaining 61.25 per cent till 7 pm. Ranchi Deputy Commissioner, Chhavi Ranjan has thanked everyone for peaceful polling. In Mandar bypoll, around 3.5 lakh voters exercised their franchise deciding the fate of 14 candidates in EVMs. Voting took place in 433 booths from 7 am to 4 pm. However, at many booths, voting took place for some time due to the voters being engaged in the queue. Now all eyes are on the counting held on June 26. The district administration had made elaborate arrangements for peaceful voting. Large number of security personnel were deployed at various booths. At Murhu panchayat of Bero block, voter enthusiasm was seen as a large number of voters exercised their franchise due to the large number of security personnel. The candidates contesting the election also voted. BJP candidate Gangotri Kujur who is trying her luck for the second time from Mandar reserved seat, exercised her franchise at Jaipur village under Chanho block. She reached the polling booth after performing puja at Sarna sthal and temple. Similarly, an independent candidate who is supported by AIMIM Deo Kumar Dhan voted at his native village in Lapung. Congress candidate Shilpi Neha Tirkey is a voter in Hatia constituency. The voting percentage in the morning was slow, but as day progressed voters enthusiasm was seen at booths. The district administration had divided the constituency into various sectors, with the sector magistrate keeping an eye on voting. Borders of consituency with neighboring districts were sealed for peaceful voting. The seat is likely to witness a triangular contest as the ruling Congress has fielded Shilpi Neha Tirkey as a joint candidate of the mahagatbandhan, while the opposition BJP is banking on its former MLA, Gangotri Kujur, this year. In the 2019 polls, Kujur was benched by BJP over her non-performance. In 2014, she was elected from the seat on a BJP ticket. BJP rebel candidate Deo Kumar Dhan is contesting the election as Independent candidate supported by All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has campaigned for Dhan trying to woo the Muslim voters who has a sizeable number. The seat is tribal reserved seat with tribal Sarna population around 1.75 lakh, followed by Hindu population with around 74,000. The seat has also sizeable Muslim population as there are 70,000 Muslim. The seat, having several missionaries, has around 30,000 Christian. Apart from Mandar, bypolls to three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats took place today across six states. The results of these votes will be announced on Sunday (June 26). Mandar election_1/2 : People stand in a long queue to cast their votes at a polling centre, during Mandar Assembly Constituency By-poll, on Thursday. The Clonmel Show returns on Sunday, July 3, after the Covid enforced absence of three years. The closing date for entries is Friday, June 24, but late entries will be accepted up to noon on Monday, June 27. All entries should be made online where possible at www.clonmelshow.ie. There is a significantly increased prize fund of 70,000 for this years show. There will be 56 horse and pony classes competing for prizes worth 22,5000. These include classes for ridden hunters and cobs, retired racehorses and rescued equines. There will also be classes for young horse, broodmares and foals, ridden and led ponies together with working hunter classes which involve being judged for conformation and riding over a set of rustic obstacles. The Coolmore All-Ireland Thoroughbred Brood Mare championship, with an increased prize fund for mares and foals, is scheduled for judging on Sunday, July 3 at 1.30pm. Showjumping There are 21 jumping events listed and these will be scheduled to be jumped in four different areas. The Red Mills Munster Grand Prix will have a prize fund of 5,000. All grades of horses, ponies and riders will be catered for in the twenty one classes. There is a total prize fund of 12,500 for the jumping events Cattle Forty nine cattle classes are listed, with an increased prize fund of 18,600. There will be classes for Friesians and Shorthorn dairy stock. The beef section has classes for Herefords, Simmentals, Belgium Blues, Limousins, Charolais and Angus breeds with classes for young handlers and non-pedigree cattle also. Sheep Ninety classes are listed in a much-enlarged sheep section, which will have a prize fund of 13,200. New classes this year will feature the Hampshire Down All Ireland breed championships along with the Dutch Spotted and Dassenkop / Badgeface Texels. These are two new breeds of pet /hobby sheep which are fetching prises of many thousands for a single sheep. The following breeds will be on show: Scottish Blackface, Rouge De LOuest, Zwarbles, Beltex, Jacob, Llyen, Texel Suffolk, Vendeen, Charollais and commercial sheep There will also be classes for pet lambs and young handlers. Other Classes There are 15 poultry and egg classes listed along with seven goat classes In the Handcrafts, Home Baking and preserves section there will be 45 classes with some reserved for the young bakers. There will be more than 45 classes in the horticultural show, again with special classes for the young exhibitors. As was normal an adult painting class for amateur artists is also listed. Entries for all those classes listed above should be submitted online at www.clonmelshow.ie preferably before close of business on Friday, June 24 but late entries will be accepted up to Monday at noon. Sinn Fein spokesperson on Children, Kathleen Funchion TD, has raised concerns around the number of vulnerable children who have not been assigned a social worker. A parliamentary question response received by Deputy Funchion has disclosed that 4,494 children were without an assigned social worker. Of this number, eight percent (361) were categorised as high priority. The Carlow-Kilkenny TD stated that the figures 'show that Tusla does not have enough social workers nor does the system seem capable of keeping up with demand'. "To discover that there are 361 extremely vulnerable children without a social worker is completely unacceptable," she said. "Equally worrying is the length of time children are waiting for someone to be assigned." Funchion argued that children in care are being let down and stated that more must be done to ensure that not one child is allowed to fall between the cracks. I am calling on the Minister for Children Roderic OGorman to seriously address social workers staffing levels and match it with increased funding in Budget 2023," she added. The Burren community in North Clare gathered at the Michael Cusack Centre, the birthplace of the founder of the GAA, this weekend for the official unveiling of the Puca. Inspired by Irish folklore and the localitys equine heritage, the 2m-tall bronze art piece is expected be a significant draw for visitors to the visitor attraction. The Michael Cusack Centre in Carron, which is located in an area historically named Poll a Phuca or Lair of the Puca, was selected as the artworks home following an expressions of interest process managed by Clare County Council. Artist Aidan Harte, who was commissioned by the Arts Office of Clare County Council to produce the artwork, told those in attendance at the unveiling ceremony, I want to thank the people of Carron and the Burren for making this scallywag welcome. I couldnt pick a better backdrop. The Puca has come home. A wild place for a wild thing. Mr. Harte, who is from Galmoy in north Kilkenny, previously worked with animation studio Cartoon Saloon before embarking on a career as a sculptor. Commenting about his first piece of public art, the artist described the Puca as one of Irish folklores great characters. Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland (1938-45), described a terrible steed carrying mortals to fairyland on his back, he said. Catch him in the right mood, said Hyde, and the Puca tells fortunes and grants wishes. People who never heard these stories want to know if the Puca is bad or good. Hes neither. Like the rest of us hes inconsistent. Donal O hAinifein, Chair of the Board of Michael Cusack Centre, commented, We are delighted to be selected to host the Puca. Ta athas an domhain orainn go bhfuil an Puca ag filleadh abhaile go Poll a Phuca. We are thrilled that the fantastic Puca artwork is coming home. The Michael Cusack Centre is a most appropriate setting for this magnificent figure. Mr. O hAinifein confirmed that plans to develop an annual event celebrating the Puca are at an advanced stage. The annual Samhain/Puca Storytelling Festival on November 1 will celebrate the folklore around the Puca with a programme of events ranging from the academic to childrens art, he explained. The inaugural event later this year also will coincide with the 175th anniversary of the birth of Michael Cusack here in Carron. Leonard Cleary, Director of Rural Development with Clare County Council, described the Michael Cusack Centre as a fitting home for the Puca and will add value to both the installation and the community-run visitor attraction. The Puca was originally commissioned by the Local Authority in 2021 as part of a capital project investment to increase visitor dwell time in Ennistymon and further enhance the overall appearance of the town. Following extensive consultation with Elected Members and the local community, a public survey on the Puca and its proposed location influenced the decision to relocate the artwork elsewhere in North Clare through an Expression of Interest process held in early 2022. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will soon launch the "Mission Peepal" initiative under which unwanted trees and branches will be removed from the heritage buildings at the outer and inner circles of Connaught Place, according to an official. The civic body will first conduct a survey of these buildings, its Vice Chairman Satish Upadhyay told reporters here on Friday. However, the Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena launched an NDMC drive on Friday for the pruning of old trees at Connaught Place. "Pruning is a healthy procedure that can remove any portion that has a disease, fungi or other types of decay, stopping it from spreading to the healthier branches. Removing these branches can also expose other branches to more sunlight and air circulation, which also helps reduce the incidence of disease and encourages fruit production. The NDMC covers only 3 per cent of Delhi's total area, but 64.5 per cent area of the council is under a green cover," Upadhyay said. "The NDMC will soon start an initiative called 'Mission Peepal' under which all the unwanted trees and branches will be removed from the heritage buildings of the outer and inner circles at Connaught Place. It will be a good and environment-friendly initiative, he said. "The NDMC will first conduct a survey of these buildings and thereafter, scientifically prune overgrown and dead branches of the old trees," he said. The civic body will collaborate with the market traders associations (MTAs) for purpose, Upadhyay said, adding that initiative is especially for Connaught Place as thousands of people visit area on a daily basis. The official informed that most of the unwanted plants that grow on building walls are "peepal". "The best way to get rid of the peepal trees (Ficus religiosa) grown on roofs and walls is to use glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in non-selective, systemic herbicides and which commonly kills weeds and weed roots in landscape settings. Fast-growing trees close to buildings can cause an unequal settlement when the active tree roots dry out the soil, causing differential soil shrinkage, he stated. "As trees grow and the root systems become more expansive, they absorb more moisture from a larger area and the soil shrinks further. This causes a ground movement that can lead to subsidence and eventually, damage to building foundations," Upadhyay said. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Partly cloudy skies early with heavy thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early with heavy thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. The researchers in a study titled "GIS and Gravity Model-Based Accessibility Measure for Delhi Metro", published recently in a foreign journal, have claimed that the implementation of the phase-IV project of the Delhi Metro "could reduce the average travel time between zones and metro stations". The study was carried out at three different levels -- the measure of accessibility, the policy for accessibility and the relation of accessibility with MMTS. MMTS explores the coordinated use of two or more modes of transport for safer, faster and more comfortable movement of passengers in urban areas. Traffic congestion and environmental condition of Delhi are degrading continuously, and to improve the situation, a sustainable Multi Modal Transport System (MMTS) with high accessibility must be explored," the study said. Due to an increasing population and migration of people from nearby places to Delhi for work, education and business, the city roads and the environmental condition are becoming worse. To improve accessibility, it is required to make a policy revolving around accessibility, it said. The paper, authored by two researchers from the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), CSIR and NIT-Surathkal, also discusses the policy that "accessibility will be improved by expanding the metro network and by making metro available in walkable distance". "With the improvement in accessibility through metro, air and noise pollution will reduce due to a reduced congestion on roads as commuters will prefer MMTS," it said. The research paper said "with the higher level of metro accessibility, people will prefer the multimodal transport system with metro as the main mode". From these results of the study, we can conclude that the use of policy for accessibility for planning a city like Delhi will help in the development of the city in a sustainable manner," it added. Under the approved segment of the ongoing phase-IV project, 65 km of new metro lines shall be constructed across three different corridors comprising 45 stations. These new sections shall provide inter-connectivity among the already operational lines of the Delhi Metro. According to the government, the Mukundpur-Maujpur, R K Ashram-Janakpuri West and Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridors were approved by the Cabinet. The work on phase-IV had begun in December 2019 with a groundbreaking ceremony, but was hit after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Delhi in March 2020. In the paper, a "policy to improve zone-to-zone metro accessibility for work purpose is discussed and relation between multimodal transport system with accessibility" was studied, using software models. It was observed that by additions and extensions of metro lines, transport accessibility is greatly improved. The study also shows that the "percentage of zones in Delhi with higher accessibility level could increase from 5 to 13.88 with the implementation of phase-IV of metro". In addition, the implementation of phase-IV could reduce average travel time between zones and metro stations. It will also reduce travel time between metro stations substantially (for zones covered in study, average travel time is reduced by 23.63 per cent and for stations, it is reduced by 17.73 per cent), it said. Besides, the study can be extended by using the metro fares as a parameter. "Delhi metro fare is high and it will be higher after the execution of phase-IV metro plan. This might restrict the lower income group and students to prefer metro," it said. Also, the availability of metro in a walkable distance and a safe environment for pedestrians are also needed to improve metro accessibility, the researchers said. Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 11 PM CDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values between 100 and 105 can be expected Monday, followed by heat index values between 105 and 110 Tuesday and Wednesday. * WHERE...Portions of south central, southwest, and west central Illinois. Portions of central, east central, northeast, and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From Noon Monday to 11 PM CDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. 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. People in the Saint Louis Metropolitan Area can get information about cooling centers or energy assistance related to the excessive heat by calling the United Way of Greater Saint Louis at 800-427-4626, or if calling from a land line phone dial 2-1-1. You can also call Cool Down Saint Louis at 314-241-7668. && North Korea holds an anti-American rally for the third day in a row in Pyongyang, June 25, to mark the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, with participants vowing to "mercilessly annihilate" the United States. Yonhap North Korea held an anti-American rally for the third day in a row to mark the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, with participants vowing to "mercilessly annihilate" the United States if it provokes the North, state media reported Sunday. The North has held anti-U.S. rallies since Thursday to mark the war anniversary for the first time in five years. Pyongyang skipped such rallies in 2018 amid a thaw in relations with the United States and had not resumed them amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "The speakers vehemently denounced the U.S. imperialists for provoking the Korean War to nip in the bud the young DPRK less than two years after its foundation and perpetrating the most hideous massacre and barbaric destruction unprecedented in the world war history," the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported. "They stressed that if the U.S. imperialists dare provoke the DPRK again, oblivious of their bitter defeat in the 1950s, the latter will mercilessly annihilate the imperialists by mobilizing all the invincible physical means it has so far bolstered up," the KCNA said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Saturday's rally was held in front of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, which was established to commemorate what Pyongyang calls its victory in the Korean War. The KCNA said the participants also called for bolstering "our politico-ideological strength and military edge in every way to prevent the grudge-filled history from repeating itself and to make any force be aware that it will have to pay dearly for attempting to infringe upon the security of our country." (Yonhap) President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, will depart for Madrid, Spain, Monday, to attend the NATO summit, making his debut in multilateral diplomacy. He will also hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Wednesday, on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Yonhap Korea-US-Japan summit to be held on Wednesday By Kwon Mee-yoo President Yoon Suk-yeol will take part in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit this week, making his debut in multilateral diplomacy, centering on defense and economics. Yoon will depart Seoul for his first official overseas trip to Madrid, Spain, Monday, to take part in the NATO summit slated for June 29 to 30, and hold a flurry of bilateral talks with major heads of state during the summit. Yoon did not have any official schedule Sunday as he prepared for his first multilateral diplomatic engagement. South Korea is a global partner of NATO and Yoon is going to be the first Korean president to attend a NATO summit. He is expected to discuss the strengthening of shared values based on democracy and constructing a comprehensive defense network as well as emerging security threats such as cyberattacks, climate change and aerospace. Yoon will also hold a trilateral summit with the United States and Japan, Wednesday, to discuss cooperation on North Korea, for the first time in four years since the last such summit was held in September 2017. However, there will be no one-on-one Korea-Japan summit. Yoon will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on other occasions, but there won't be bilateral talks, not even in the form of a pull-aside meeting, according to the presidential office. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit The police have disclosed the murder case of Zilla Parishad candidate Vikram Rajak on Thursday. The incident was planned by extremist group Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), Area Commander, Akarman Ganjhu and Bhairo Ganjhu. Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed on the instructions of Chatra Superintendent of Police (SP), Rakesh Ranjan and the team has arrested four criminals involved in the incident. The arrested criminals include Devendra Ganjhu, Aditya Ganjhu, Bahadur Oraon and Suresh Oraon. Weapons and other items including 165 rounds of live bullets have been recovered by the police from the arrested criminals. Addressing media persons Ranjan said that Rajak used to cooperate with the district administration and also contested the election of the Zilla Parishad. Because of this, the TPC militant organization killed him. In this incident, 21 cases are registered against the arrested criminal Devendra Ganjhu in different police stations of Chatra district and Hazaribagh district. There are three cases registered against Aditya Ganjhu in Chatra district while in Bahadur Oraon there are three cases registered against him in Chatra district, he added. Rajak was shot dead on the night of 15 June. The murder near Lavalong CRPF camp had stirred the entire area. After the incident, the angry villagers were jamming the Lavalong main square demanding the arrest of the killer. In view of the seriousness of the matter, a police team was formed on the instructions of SP Rakesh Ranjan. Taking action, the police team disclosed the whole matter within a week. Meanwhile Ranchi District Police also disclosed sales manager Anjani Kumar Sinha murder case. According to information received from sources, Anjani Sinha was murdered for profit in business. Police has arrested two people in this case. It is being told that the sales manager was murdered by giving a betel nut of Rs 2.10 lakh to a big criminal gang of Garhwa. Sinha lived in a rented house at Kadru in Ranchi, while he was originally from Patna. The arrested businessman has told the police that the sales manager used to take orders for parts from other shopkeepers and supply them. Due to which his turnover was reduced to Rs 50 lakhs. Anjani Kumar has been murdered because of not agreeing even after persuasion between the two. slide 2 of 6 Theres nothing new about the dedicated and endless way K-pop group AB6IX loves their fans, their ABNEW theyve loved them since the start. However, for the first stop of their 2022 Fanmeeting AB_NEW AREA, AB6IX brought their energy, talent, and excitement for performance to New Yorks Webster Hall in a way that weve never seen before. The four members of AB6IX Woong, Donghyun, Woojin, and Daehwi started off their tour with a bang! When youre starting off a tour in the midst of a New York summer, any fan can expect some heat. But on the evening of June 20, 2022, all the heat came from AB6IX taking to the stage! Even their energy-filled sound check served as a precursor to the electric night ahead: for ticket holders with soundcheck access, seeing their biases clad in casual clothes and still delivering top-quality performance was a treat! And the treats simply didnt stop the whole night. Welcome to My Hollywood served as the perfect opener to the show, marking the origins of the members on Produce 101 Season 2. Clad in embellished suit jackets, each member made the deep house beats of the song their own! With iconic rap lines from Woojin and a flip from Woong at the bridge, AB6IX truly pulled out all the stops for their first stop! As AB6IX settled into a break for self-introductions, they mightve been out of breath, but never out of love for their ABNEW. The groups self introductions were all filled with an excited softness in comparison to the darker opener of Welcome to My Hollywood. During this ment, the boys shared thoughts on coming to the United States: Woong recounted their adventures of having so much good food already and thinking of their ABNEWs, while Daehwi discussed how he was still super jetlagged and sleepy. Still, the boys mustered up energy to dive into the following portion of the show: even more jaw-dropping performances. The hard-hitting beats of Savior were only as hard as their New York ABNEW shouting each fanchant with glee! Daehwi, in particular, was heavy on the fan service (as always) using his brief moments out of the limelight to smile and wave at fans. Close saw the members bathed in orange light, using the songs star-like synths to make the boys sparkle even brighter on stage. These songs led into AB6IXs next ment & Q&A portion, where they discussed their solo activities: members have been producing songs for their new album, they've been making OSTS, MC-ing for broadcast shows, and more but it all led up to their preparations for their ABNEW! ABNEW were even given a chance to ask members questions via post-it notes. As it was their time meeting ABNEW on their tour, the members remarked that they'll have so much to talk about! As the members each picked a Q&A post-it, they made small talk with fans. Woong asked if it was hot outside, but the crowd resounded with the response of: No, its you! Its you thats hot! Members even showed off their impeccable vocals with short karaoke moments, singing their favorite snippets from Justin Bieber and One Direction. The people whose questions were selected were chosen to come to the stage and receive T-shirt signed by the members! The lucky winners were all so starstruck, given the chance to speak with their biases and really share their love with their favorite boys. The moment took their breath away luckily, AB6IX has a song for just that. AB6IX ended their ment for Breathe! As the groups iconic debut song, each ABNEW was dancing and singing along! The track let the group show off the resounding comfort that they find on stage, full of riffs. Red Up kept the energy going with its stylish rock beat ABNEW went crazy over the members putting their hearts into the hip-shaking choreography of the chorus. After another short ment, the boys dove into Cherry, asking ABNEW to sing along. Bathed in purple and red lights, every voice in Webster Hall sang along with smiles and playful moves, bopping to AB6IXs iconic You are my Cherry! Each ABNEW came alive to Donghyuns cheery smile and Woojins rap. Sucker For Your Love was filled with a similar amount of fan service: shining as brightly as the stars in Daehwis eyes, each member waved to fans with soft smiles throughout the track. For their next event, AB6IX talked about their #AB_NEW_AREA_NY event, where fans could tweet using the hashtag to share their thoughts and excitement for the tour! Some tweets even received replies from the members and that was only the beginning of the interactions ABNEW could get from their faves! While on stage, the boys picked a handful of their favorite tweets, with the selected fans able to take a Polaroid picture with the group. While the members were busy picking, it was yet again time for more interactions! One fan shouted a cute Hi! at Donghyun, and he misheard it as Bye, it made him double take, and reply with a smile: Bye? No, not yet! He also fielded a special request from some Venus enthusiasts and danced to the song. The very definition of enthusiasm came into play when the four lucky fans were finally chosen: they came up on stage and were able to take photos with AB6IX! For many fans, the fan meeting was absolutely surreal and there was no better way to say goodbye to it than with the track Surreal. Webster Hall was filled to the brim with love between AB6IX and their ABNEW, especially as a montage of fan-recorded messages to AB6IX played, with each fan wishing the members luck on the tour! After basking in their love for ABNEW, AB6IX returned to the stage adorned in tour t-shirts and smiles. Their final track Shining Star served as a promise to fans to be their shining stars, lighting their way back to AB6IX and they sealed that promise by exchanging hearts and waves with fans. With a final gorgeous high note from Woong and their last, heart-wrenching messages to ABNEW, AB6IX shared their goodbyes to New York but not without sharing their promises to come back for another performance. But before that, they have an entire fan meeting tour to finish! Here are the next stops for AB6IXs 2022 Fanmeeting AB_NEW AREA, and make sure to check out the stop near you! June 26, Sunday - Dallas June 29, Wednesday - Seattle July 1, Friday - Los Angeles Thank you so much to Brand New Music and Helix Publicity for giving KpopStarz press access to our readers, make sure to keep supporting AB6IX! Samajwadi Party senior leader Mohammad Azam Khan and party MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav stayed away from the meeting called by party president Akhilesh Yadav to finalise the strategy for the presidential election. The SP and its allies have decided to support joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in the presidential election. The SP and its allies have 125 MLAs which includes 111 of SP, eight of Rashtriya Lok Dal and six of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party. The members of the legislature council are not in the electoral college for the election of the president of India. Besides, the SP and its allies have five MPs in Rajya Sabha and three in the Lok Sabha. If the SP wins the by-elections to Rampur and Azamgarh parliamentary constituencies, the number of its MPs will increase to five in the Lok Sabha. The total value of votes of MLAs and MPs of SP and its allies is 26,000. The term of President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 18, 2022. Members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha and MLAs of the state assemblies constitute the electoral college of the presidential election. Each MP carries a vote value of 708, which is based on a pre-decided formula. The vote value of each MLA varies as per a states population (1971 Census) and the number of seats in assembly. This is where UP is vital as each of its MLA carries a value of 208, the highest, as opposed to a mere seven for an MLA in Sikkim. The SP faces a tough task of keeping its flock together in the presidential election. Its ally, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party leader Om Prakash Rajbhar, is particularly sulking over the denial of ticket to his son for the recently concluded UP Legislative Council election. Shivpal Yadav, the estranged uncle of Akhilesh Yadav, is another party legislator giving jitters to the SP president. Yashwant Sinha, a leader of Trinamool Congress, was proposed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the consensus presidential candidate of the opposition. The Geneva Lake Conservancy will host two events leading up to Fourth of July weekend one to celebrate the opening of a new oak exhibit at Geneva Lake Museum, and the other a childrens day at Helen Rohner Childrens Fishing Park. The first event will celebrate the opening of the conservancys Oak Tree Exhibit at Geneva Lake Museum, 255 Mill St., Lake Geneva. It will be an evening reception held on Wednesday, June 29, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Featured in the exhibit is a ring from an old oak tree. The exhibit encourages viewers to learn about the importance of oaks in our ecosystem, and to count the rings to determine how old the oak would have been when it was cut down. Oaks are an incredibly important native tree, said Karen Yancey, executive director of the conservancy. With 83% of our oaks in Walworth County having disappeared since European settlement, were very happy to celebrate and educate families on the importance of oaks. Oak trees are known as a keystone species, which means that they provide habitat and nutrients for many native wildlife and insects. They support over 500 types of caterpillars, many birds, and other wildlife. They also store a lot of carbon dioxide in their trunks and branches, thus helping reduce the effects of climate change. The Lake Geneva Rotary Club funded and assisted with the exhibit. The second conservancy event is a childrens day Friday, July 1, at Helen Rohner Childrens Fishing Park, 159 Elkhorn Road, Williams Bay. The event starts at 10 a.m. and will focus on the beauty of birds. Children will hear from Geneva Lakes resident Bird Lady and other Lake Geneva Avian Committee members on the most common birds found in Williams Bay. They will get a chance to learn in-depth about four common birds sandhill cranes, eastern bluebirds, downy woodpeckers, and ruby-throated hummingbirds. The presenters will also guide families through various activities, focused on topics such as beaks and feet, wings and flight, and bird habitats. The Conservancy encourages families to stick around after the presentation for a self-guided bird-themed scavenger hunt of the Fishing Park. Helen Rohner Childrens Fishing Park is a great spot for identifying and learning about birds, said Ava Beyers, summer intern with the conservancy. I love teaching children about the different types of birds in the park, and this event will be an extra-educational and fun look into the importance of birds in our ecosystem. Information on both events can be found on the conservancys website at GenevaLakeConservancy.org. Registration for both is optional, but encouraged. The Geneva Lake Conservancy is an accredited land trust that has protected almost 3,000 acres of open land in Walworth County. Formed in 1977, it offers five public nature preserves for hiking and other recreational activities as well as other programs and educational activities for children and adults, including its Conservation@Home program. Baghpat, Jun 26 (PTI) Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik Sunday slammed the 'Agnipath' scheme as a "fraud" with the hopes of future jawans and said those retiring without a pension after serving the armed forces for four years would hardly attract any marriage proposal. Malik, who has also served as Jammu and Kashmir governor, urged the government to "reconsider" the new scheme under which youths will be recruited as soldiers on a contractual basis. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Government To Launch One Nation, One Dialysis Programme Soon, Says Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Seventy-five per cent of the recruits will be retired -- they will be called Agniveers -- after four years of service with the benefit of pension or health insurance. "Future jawans will train for six months, and they will have six months of leave. After three years of job, when they return to their homes, they will hardly get any marriage proposal," Malik told reporters here. "The Agnipath scheme is against future jawans, and a fraud with their hopes." Also Read | Hyderabad: World's Largest Technology Startup Incubator All Set for Inauguration on June 28. Malik, who is from Baghpat, had come to Khekra village here to pay condolences to the family of his friend Gaje Singh Dhama who died recently. The governor said he had earlier raised the issue of farmers when they were protesting against the three now-repealed farm laws, and now will speak about the youth and their problems. Asked by journalists if he should have quit as governor before raising these political issue, Malik quipped, "Had I got into the 'chakkar' (trap) of advisors like you, I would not have been able to reach this place." "I will leave the post in a minute, if the person who has made me (a Governor) asks me to do so." To a question on his post-retirement plans, he said he has no intention to enter active politics again or contest polls. "I will struggle fo farmers and jawans wherever needed." The former J&K governor said he will write a book on the border state of Kashmir after he demits office. Asked if his attacks on the government would sharpen after he retires, Malik said, "It is not about the government. The issues I raise, if those are accepted, then it will be in favour of the government." (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jammu, Jun 26 (PTI) Around three lakh pilgrims have registered so far for the annual Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled to begin on June 30 amid unprecedented security arrangements in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said on Sunday. Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which manages the annual pilgrimage, commenced the registration of pilgrims for the 43-day yatra on April 11 through 566 designated branches of various banks across the country, in addition to the facility on its website. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: Eknath Shinde Moves Supreme Court Against Disqualification Notices Issued To Rebel MLAs. Registrations will continue till the end of the yatra. The yatra will commence from twin routes traditional 48-km Nunwan in south Kashmir's Pahalgam and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal -- after a break of two years following the Covid outbreak. Also Read | Assam's Kaziranga Park and Tiger Reserve Faces New Threat From Invasive Plant Species. The first batch of pilgrims, including Sadhus, will leave for the twin base camps of Kashmir from Bhagwati Nagar and Ram Mandir in Jammu a day ahead of the official commencement of the yatra which will culminate, according to tradition, on the day of 'Raksha Bandhan' festival on August 11. "Around three lakh pilgrims have so far registered for the yatra," an SASB official said. According to SASB, no one below the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years, and no woman with more than six week's pregnancy, are registered for the yatra. The government, this year, is introducing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system for pilgrims to track their movement en-route to ensure their well-being. Over 3.42 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the shrine, housing the naturally formed ice-shivlingam from July 1 to August 1, 2019 before the government cancelled the yatra midway ahead of abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two union territories (on August 5, 2019). Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh said security-related arrangements are complete for the yatra which is being conducted under the surveillance and close coordination of various security agencies. "We have been provided with a sufficient number of security personnel and the deployment (of the forces for the yatra) is complete," he said, expressing confidence that the yatra will be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. The ADGP said since sabotage by terrorists is the biggest challenge during the yatra, the police has also launched an awareness campaign to inform the public, especially drivers, about various steps which are required to be followed to avoid any untoward incident. Senior Superintendent of Police, Udhampur, has started an awareness campaign in the district which falls on Jammu-Srinagar national highway to inform the drivers about the threat of sticky bombs. "Such a campaign will be taken to all the districts and we are fully confident that the yatra will culminate in a peaceful manner," he said. During this year's yatra, SASB has decided to put in place a daily route-wise pilgrims ceiling to 10,000, excluding those travelling by helicopters. The board has also decided to extend the free-of-cost battery car service for the pilgrims at the 2.75 km-long Baltal to Domel stretch. Hundreds of pilgrims including Sadhus, have already started arriving in Jammu and are enthusiastic about undertaking the pilgrimage, a symbol of communal harmony and brotherhood. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Cachar (Assam) [India], June 26 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday held a review meeting on the flood situation and rescue operations in the state at the District Collector's office in the Cachar district. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister visited the flood-affected Barak Valley area where a resident braved flood waters to greet him with a 'Gamusa'. Also Read | I Dedicate My Victory to the Workers of the Party. They Have Been Working Continuously Day Latest Tweet by ANI UP/Uttarakhand. The flood situation in Assam has been marginally improving, but more than 25 lakh people of 27 districts of the state are still affected by the deluge. In central Assam's Morigaon district, 285 villages and nearly 11,000 hectares of cropland are still under flood waters of Kopili and Kolong river. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: Centre Provides Y+ CRPF Security Cover to 15 Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs. "It's been 2-3 weeks and we are in big trouble. I am a second-year student of Higher Secondary and all my books have been ruined due to this flood", Nitumoni Nath, a local. Dr M Ali," Me and team have come from Laharighat because the situation here is very intense. Due to floods, most of people have lost their homes. Fever, cold and cough and diarrhoea has become the most common diseases this time". He further added, "skin diseases are also one of the concerns in this flood situation. We are trying to help the victims in all possible manner." Many flood-affected people of the Jagi Bhakatgaon area in the district are taking shelter on roads, embankments, and high lands for the last couple of days after the devastating flood-damaged houses of many villagers and inundated the entire area. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), four people including two children died after drowning in flood waters in Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang and Golaghat districts in the last 24 hours. The devastating flood and landslides have claimed 121 human lives in the state this year so far. The Assam cabinet on Saturday decided that teams led by Ministers of the Assam government and supported by the senior secretaries will visit the affected areas in the state shortly to oversee the damage assessment followed by the severe flood in Assam. The Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of the entire state would also be arranged for damage assessment. The cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Assam Chief Minister. On the other hand, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel of Itanagar and Bhubaneswar as well as prepositioned NDRF teams in Assam along with the Indian Army, SDRF, Fire and Emergency personnel, Police Force and AAPDA MITRA Volunteers are helping the district administrations in rescue operations and relief distributions. The water level of Kopili is still flowing above the danger level mark at Kampur in Nagaon district and Dharamtul in Morigaon district and Brahmaputra river in Dhubri. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) The allegations against Dr Deepak Maravi, the superintendent of Hamidia Hospital, may not have proved in the investigation of the internal committee, but the matter is not over yet. On Friday, some nurses along with BJP leader Manish Srivastava had reached the office of the divisional commissioner Gulshan Bamra where they lodged their objection in front of the divisional commissioner. The nurses said that Dr. Maravi's behavior is not good, so he should be removed from the post of superintendent. According to sources, the Divisional Commissioner told the nurses that an inquiry committee had been formed. The complaints will have to be placed before the committee for due consideration. In this way, repeatedly complaining about the same matter and giving opportunity to be heard on it cannot be given. Nevertheless, the department will take action at its level. Let us tell you that there was a complaint by nurses against Dr. Maravi. On this, the Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang had ordered an inquiry to the Divisional Commissioner. On this basis, the Dean of Gandhi Medical College, Dr. Arvind Rai had formed an internal inquiry committee into gender issues. The report of the inquiry committee has been submitted on June 19. In this, the serious allegations made against Dr. Maravi have not been proved. No complainant had even appeared in the case. After this, Dr. Maravi was given a clean chit by the committee. It is understood that earlier on two occasions Medical Superintendents were removed for fair investigations in Hamidia Hospital. In the first case, the then medical superintendent Dr ID Chaurasia was removed from the post when the issue of Remdesivir theft surfaced at the hospital during the Corona period. Again following fire at the hospital child unit on November 21,2021, Dr Lokendra Dave, the then medical superintendent, was removed for fair investigation. However in the nurses sexual harassment case, Maravi was not removed when probe against him was conducted. New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) People hailing from Assam's Barak Valley and living in Delhi-NCR on Sunday staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar demanding a special economic package for the rehabilitation of flood-hit Silchar, which has been severely affected by floods. The protestors also sought a planned distribution of relief materials in the flood-hit areas. Also Read | Delhi Police Bust Fake Placement Agency, Seven Arrested for Cheating Over 250 Job Aspirants. People in highly affected areas such as Rangirkhari, National Highway Road, Link Road, Public School Road and Chengkuri Road are yet to get proper relief materials, including drinking water, they said. Accusing the Cachar district administration of an "unplanned" rescue and relief operation, Joydeep Samaddar, a native of Silchar living Delhi, said, "The rescue and relief operations are totally unplanned. Youth groups and NGOs were reaching out to stranded people in far-flung areas by risking their lives as they don't have life jackets and specialised boats for flood relief work." Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: 'In May, Uddhav Thackeray Had Asked Eknath Shinde Whether He Wants To Be CM', Claims Aaditya Thackeray. Rajib Mehera, who works at a private firm in Delhi, demanded from the central and state governments a special economic package for Silchar. "The economy of Barak Valley has shattered. A major section of Silchar residents lost everything. The central and state governments should announce a special economic package as most of the residents, businessmen and others, lost their lifetime savings," he said. Rabidyuti Biswas, a professor at the School of Planning and Architecture, said, "Many people are facing acute shortage of food and drinking water. Proper distribution of relief materials is the need of the hour." The flood situation in Assam improved on Sunday, although five more people died and over 22 lakh people continued to reel under the deluge across 25 districts, an official report said. According to the daily bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, the five people included four children and they drowned at different places of Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang, Karimganj and Morigaon districts. The death toll due to the floods and landslides in the state has gone up to 126. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Shillong, Jun 26 (PTI) Border Security Force (BSF) troops apprehended a Bangladeshi national in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district for trying to smuggle goods, an official said on Sunday. Acting on reliable inputs, BSF troops deployed at the international border in the Pyridiwah area of the district apprehended the Bangladeshi national with medicines, cosmetics and clothing items worth over Rs 20 lakh on Saturday, a BSF spokesperson said in a statement. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: 17-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Sexually Harassed by Member of School's Management Committee in National Capital; Arrested. The Bangladesh national was identified as Feroz Ali, a resident of Sylhet town in Bangladesh. The apprehended person was handed over to the district police, the statement said. Also Read | Tripura Bypolls Results 2022: BJP Bags 3 Seats, CM Manik Saha Wins From Town Bordowali. BSF troops also seized medicines including cough syrups and cosmetics in West Jaintia Hills district, South West Khasi Hills and East Khasi Hills district, it said. (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 26 (ANI): Congress on Sunday strongly condemned the "mindless attack" on Congress Bhawan and "brutal assault" on Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee President, Birajit Sinha and other Congress workers allegedly by "BJP goons", after the thumping victory of Congress party candidate Sudip Roy Barman in the Agartala bypoll. A three-member senior leaders delegation of the Congress party led by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi and Naseer Hussain will visit Tripura tomorrow to take stock of the situation and make a report on this "heinous attack". Also Read | 7th Pay Commission Latest Update: Hike in Dearness Allowance For Central Govt Employees Likely in July; Check Details Here. "This barbarous attack happened even as the police passively looked on while BJP goons vandalized properties and carried out blatantly violent attacks on our party office bearers. It is utterly shameful that the police stood as mute and complicit spectators while the goons stormed the office and attacked our office bearers. The BJP goons were freely roaming with rods and sticks and threw stones inside the office," the official statement by the Congress party read issued by party secretary KC Venugopal. The PCC President sustained injuries and is admitted in hospital following the attack. Also Read | Delhi Police Bust Fake Placement Agency, Seven Arrested for Cheating Over 250 Job Aspirants. "This cruel act happened after the Congress Party candidate Sudip Roy Burman emerged victorious in the prestigious bypoll for the Agartala assembly seat. Earlier, the BJP goons had mercilessly attacked Burman and he has sustained serious injuries. The desperate BJP is unable to accept the verdict of the people and they are once again letting loose their goons to attack our offices and office bearers," the statement read. The Congress party demanded an apology from the BJP President JP Nadda and an investigation by Home Minister Amit Shah into why these attacks occurred. "If the state government is unable to handle law and order then President's Rule will be necessary," it read. Congress urged the authorities to take strict action against the culprits and ensure safety to Congress Party offices and office bearers. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday condemned the 'vicious' attack on party leaders and workers allegedly by BJP goons following Congress' win in the Agartala assembly bypoll. "I strongly condemn the vicious attack on our leaders and workers by BJP goons following @INCIndia's win in the Agartala bypoll. The people are with us. Shameful that the police stood as mute spectators instead of stopping the attack. These BJP goons must be brought to justice," Rahul Gandhi tweeted. Earlier today, the Congress party tweeted pictures of Tripura Congress party chief Sudip Roy Burman and wrote on Twitter, "Frustrated by our good performance in the by-elections and the historic victory of Shri Sudip Roy Burman ji, the BJP has now turned to hooliganism and violence. This bloody politics is the real face of Bharatiya Janata Party." Counting of votes was completed in Tripura bypolls in four Assembly constituencies on Sunday. Bharatiya Janata Pary won 3 out of 4 constituencies and Congress bagged one. Chief Minister and BJP candidate Manik Saha won in Town Bordowali while Sudip Roy Barman secured the Agartala seat for Congress. Voting for the Tripura bypolls in four Assembly constituencies took place on Thursday. The fate of many bigwigs including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha was sealed today as the counting of votes took place for three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats spread across five states. Counting began at 8 am under heavy security arrangements. The postal ballots were counted first and then EVMs were opened. The three Lok Sabha seats which witnessed bypolls include Azamgarh and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab's Sangrur, while assembly by-elections were held in Tripura, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. (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 26 (PTI) Medical students, who were evacuated from war-torn Ukraine, sat on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Sunday demanding admission in the country's medical colleges as a one-time measure. They said there are approximately 12,000 students, barring those in the final year, and as there are at least 600 medical colleges in the country, each institution needed to accommodate only around 20 students. Also Read | The Central Young Mizo Association Are on Their Way to Deliver Drinking Waters to Our Latest Tweet by ANI. Around 350 people participated in the protest. Of these, 35 students from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan sat on a hunger strike from 10 am to 5 pm, Parents' Association of Ukraine Medical Students (PAUMS) president R B Gupta said. "We also held a march at Jantar Mantar. We want the government's help in accommodating our children. My child was studying second-year in Ivano (Ukrainian city). We are only requesting the government that these children be accommodated as a one-time measure," he said. Also Read | Delhi Police Bust Fake Placement Agency, Seven Arrested for Cheating Over 250 Job Aspirants. PAUMS has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. "There are 15,000-16,000 (approx.) medical students out of which around 3,000 are of final year for whom the NMC (National Medical Commission) has permitted to complete their internship in India, which is a breath of relief. Now, this leaves us with 12,000 approx. students to be given admission... There are around 606 medical colleges in India, which means each college will have to accommodate only 20-21 students," the letter read. "This is an unprecedented war situation which needs extraordinary thinking, steps and solution. We are hopeful that a lenient view shall be taken while taking a decision in regard to accommodate all Ukraine-returned MBBS students and our request may be well taken and acted accordingly. We will be highly obliged," it added. Thousands of students from India studying in various medical colleges across Ukraine had to abandon their courses and return home after Russian forces launched an offensive against the eastern European country. In April, too, parents of MBBS students had staged a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the government's intervention in accommodating their children in medical colleges. In March, a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions on the issue of admission and continuation of their studies in India. The plea also sought directions to the Centre to provide a medical subject equivalency orientation programme for such students. The Indian Medical Association has also recommended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that such students be accommodated in Indian medical colleges as a one-time measure. In a letter to Modi on March 4, the IMA had said such students should be permitted to go to Indian medical colleges for the remainder of their MBBS courses through an "appropriate disbursed distribution", but it should not be seen as an increase in the annual intake capacity. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 26 (PTI) The fifth session of the Kerala Assembly, commencing on Monday, is likely to take a turbulent turn as the opposition led by the Congress seemed to have been equipped with enough ammunition, ranging from the startling revelations by a key accused in the gold smuggling case against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to the vandalisation of Rahul Gandhi's office by SFI activists, to take on the CPI(M)-led LDF government. Also Read | UP CM Yogi Adityanath's Chopper Makes Emergency Landing in Varanasi After Getting Hit by Bird. The one-month-long session, being convened mainly to discuss and pass the demands for grants for the financial year 2022-23, is expected to be a politically charged one with the Congress-led UDF making it clear that they would raise the ongoing controversies in the House. Also Read | Sangrur Lok Sabha By-Election Result 2022: SAD-Amritsar Candidate Simranjit Singh Mann Leading in Punjab Bypoll. The opposition members would be coming to the House drawing confidence from the recent historic victory gained by party candidate Uma Thomas, the widow of former legislator P T Thomas, in Thrikkakara bypoll defeating CPI(M)-LDF nominee Jo Joseph by a thumping margin. The ruling CPI(M) and Chief Minister Vijayan were already facing stiff protests from the main opposition party over the fresh revelations by gold smuggling case key accused Swapna Suresh for some time. But, the SFI activists' attack and vandalism of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's office in Wayanad on Friday was likely to give the Left government more trouble in the Assembly and would put the ruling front and its members on the defensive in the initial days. Though the Chief Minister, and the CPI(M) state and central leadership were quick to denounce the protest march and attack of Gandhi's office by their students' cadre and promised stern action against the guilty, the agitated Congress leaders and workers were standing by their charge that it was done with the knowledge of the party bigwigs. They even alleged that Gandhi's office was attacked as per the agenda of the Sangh Parivar and with the support of the CM to please the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. As the allegations were levelled directly against him and his family members in the gold and dollar smuggling case, the Chief Minister may have to put in extra effort to curtail the opposition's charge and prove that all accusations were politically motivated. The CM and the ruling members are expected to claim that there was nothing new in the latest disclosure by Suresh and the people had already rejected them and given them the mandate to rule the state again in the Assembly polls held in 2021. The gold smuggling case, allegedly involving some bureaucrats of Vijayan's office, was one of the key issues debated during the Assembly polls last year. The ruling front may also rake up the ongoing interrogation of Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald case to prove their argument that central agencies are targeting non-BJP leaders and state heads. The LDF is also likely to claim that the reported meeting of Suresh and controversial leader P C George, who is now close to BJP, was proof for their argument that there was a conspiracy behind her sudden disclosure targeting the Chief Minister, his family members and some top bureaucrats. However, the UDF is expected to point out the reported phone calls between the controversial ex-journalist Shaj Kiran and the top police officers to reject the claims of the CM's non-involvement in the issue. The opposition and ruling fronts would also raise the unprecedented security arrangements being made for Vijayan after Suresh's disclosures and protest by the Youth Congress activists against the CM aboard a flight to attack each other, respectively. The issue of buffer zones around the protected forests, the government's bid to push the multi-crore SilverLine rail corridor project amid the poor economic position of the state and the ailing condition of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) would also be among other topics expected to be raised in the House. The session is scheduled to be concluded on July 27. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ahmedabad, Jun 26 (PTI) Gujarat recorded 420 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which took the tally to 12,30,128, while the recovery count increased by 256 to touch 12,16,719, a state health department official said. Also Read | Delhi Police Bust Fake Placement Agency, Seven Arrested for Cheating Over 250 Job Aspirants. The death toll stood unchanged at 10,946 and the active caseload was 2,463, he added. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: 'In May, Uddhav Thackeray Had Asked Eknath Shinde Whether He Wants To Be CM', Claims Aaditya Thackeray. Ahmedabad accounted for 161 of the new cases, followed by Surat with 92, Vadodara 63, and Mehsana 17, among other districts, he said. A government release said 9,488 persons received COVID-19 vaccination shots on Sunday, and the overall number of doses administered was 11.12 crore. With five new cases, the tally of active cases in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu rose to 12, local officials said. Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 12,30,128, new cases 420, death toll 10,946, discharged 12,16,719, active cases 2,463, people tested so far - figures not released. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ahmedabad, Jun 26 (PTI) A court in Ahmedabad on Sunday remanded social activist Teesta Setalvad and former state director general of police RB Sreekumar in police custody till July 2 in a case of fabricating evidence to frame innocent persons in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: Eknath Shinde Moves Supreme Court Against Disqualification Notices Issued To Rebel MLAs. The prosecution had sought 14-day remand of Setalvad and Sreekumar. Also Read | Assam's Kaziranga Park and Tiger Reserve Faces New Threat From Invasive Plant Species. The court of metropolitan magistrate SP Patel sent Setalvad and Sreekumar, both arrested in connection with an FIR lodged on Saturday by the city crime branch, to police custody till July 2, said public prosecutor Mitesh Amin. Setalvad had accused the police of roughing her up and bruising her arm when she was picked up on Saturday by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) personnel from her Mumbai home. She was brought here and handed over to the city crime branch on Sunday. During the course of the hearing, she was taken to the city civil hospital for medical examination as per the court's direction. "The court has kept the medical certificate in its record. We had demanded 14-day remand on the ground that the two accused produced fabricated evidence such as affidavits. There is need to interrogate them to know who their political masters are, as the apex court observed that the matter was politicised," Amin said. Sreekumar was arrested on Saturday, and Setalvad on Sunday. Former IPS officer and accused Sanjiv Bhatt, who is serving life sentence in a custodial death case and is lodged in a jail in Palanpur in Banaskantha district, will be brought to Ahmedabad on a transfer warrant. The city crime branch had registered an FIR against the three accused on Saturday, a day after the Supreme Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to then chief minister Narendra Modi and others in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases. Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt are accused of abusing the process of law by conspiring to fabricate evidence with an attempt to frame innocent people for an offence punishable with capital punishment in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots. While dismissing plea of Zakia Jafri, widow of slain former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, the apex court had observed, "At the end of the day, it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge." The trio has been booked under sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy). The complaint drew upon documents of proceedings and other materials to make out a case of cognizable offence against them. It took into account submissions made before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Supreme Court to investigate the 2002 Gujarat riots cases and the Justice Nanavati-Shah Commission of Inquiry appointed by the Gujarat government. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Nagpur, Jun 26: A man allegedly hacked to death his in-laws and seriously injured his wife and daughter over a property dispute in Amar Nagar area of Nagpur, a police official said on Saturday. Narmu Seeta Yadav (40), a driver addicted to alcohol, attacked his father-in-law Bhagwan Ravare (75), mother-in-law Pushpa Ravare (70), wife Kalpana (40) and daughter Muskan (15) on Saturday night, the MIDC police station official said.Maharashtra Political Crisis: 'In May, Uddhav Thackeray Had Asked Eknath Shinde Whether He Wants To Be CM', Claims Aaditya Thackeray. "Narmu was living in his in-laws house since getting married to Kalpana in 2013. Deceased Bhagwan Ravare, who had 50 goats and a milk business, had sold some of them and the accused thought the former had money with him. He also wanted the two-storied house to be given to him," he said. "On Saturday night, amid a quarrel, he first tried to strangle Kalpana, and then attacked all four with an axe, inflicting serious injuries. The accused's 8-year-old son was saved as he was sleeping on another room. Bhagwan and Pushpa died en route to hospital, while Kalpana and Muskan are undergoing treatment," the official added. The accused also attacked neighbours who tried to prevent him from fleeing the spot, the official said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) Mumbai police has no information on when the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs will arrive in the metropolis from Guwahati in Assam, but preparations, including alerting airports, are underway, an official said on Sunday. Also Read | Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare @nstomar Visited Central Institute of Latest Tweet by Prasar Bharati News Services. A sizable number of MLAs, led by the party's Thane strongman Eknath Shinde, had rebelled against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on June 21 and had moved first to Surat in neighbouring Gujarat and then to Assam, both BJP-ruled states. Also Read | Tripura Bypolls Results 2022: BJP Bags 3 Seats, CM Manik Saha Wins From Town Bordowali. "We have alerted airports and have deployed personnel (bandobast). We have no idea, however, on when these MLAs will arrive here. The MLAs have asked the hotel management there (Guwahati) to extend their stay till June 28," the official said. Meanwhile, Sena workers loyal to Thackeray held rallies and protests in several parts the state. They organised a motorcycle rally from the office of party mouthpiece 'Saamana' in Prabhadevi to Dadar, while the effigy of Yavatmal MLA Sanjay Rathod was burnt. Officials said some Sena workers tried to attack the house of Osmanabad MLA Balaji Kalyankar. Meanwhile, rallies in support of Shinde were held as well, mostly in Thane and adjoining areas in Palghar and Raigad. Officials said Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) protection has been given to the homes of 16 rebel MLAs who were sent notices by Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal seeking their explanation on the Sena's application for their disqualification. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 26 (ANI): Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Sunday said there is no major incident of disruption of law and order in the state. The minister stated that adequate security has been provided at the office and residence of all MLAs who have gone to Guwahati. Also Read | 7th Pay Commission Latest Update: Hike in Dearness Allowance For Central Govt Employees Likely in July; Check Details Here. Taking to Twitter, HMO Maharashtra wrote "There is no major incident of disruption of the law and order situation in the State today. Adequate security has been provided at the office, and residence of all MLAs who have gone to Guwahati. At no point was the security withdrawn of the MLAs who have gone to Guwahati." "The Maharashtra Police is on alert and geared up to deal with any law and order issue which, (if at all) arises. Prohibitory orders are in force in various parts of the state. Anybody trying to disrupt peace will be dealt with as per the law," it said in a subsequent tweet. Also Read | Delhi Police Bust Fake Placement Agency, Seven Arrested for Cheating Over 250 Job Aspirants. Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said that he received a complaint from 8 MLAs, of Shiv Sena, 2 MLAs of Prahar Jan Shakti Party and 7 Independent MLAs stating that the police security of their families has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn. Koshyari said, in the complaint, they have raised serious concerns about the safety of their homes and families in the context of the provocative and threatening statements being made by certain political leaders. On Sunday, top government sources said the Central government has provided 'Y+' category armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security cover to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently in Assam's Guwahati. The MLAs provided with round the clock CRPF security are Ramesh Bornare, Mangesh Kudalkar, Sanjay Shirsat, Latabai Sonawane, Prakas Surve, Sadanand Saranavnkar, Yogesh Dada Kadam, Pratap Sarnaik, Yamini Jadhav, Pradeep Jaiswal, Sanjay Rathod, Dadaji Bhuse, Dilip Lande, Balaji Kalyanar and Sandipan Bhumare. The security was provided on Sunday by the CRPF which received an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Reiterating the commitment of the state government to eliminate gangster culture from the state, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced plans to introduce comprehensive law and order reforms in the state. Winding up the discussion on the Governor's address at the floor of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Chief Minister said that the state government is duty bound to curb gangster activities in the state. He said that the need of the hour is to bring comprehensive law and order reforms. He said that the state government will soon introduce witness protection bill and modify jails of state into high security jails. The Chief Minister said that the state Government has already set up an Anti-Gangster Task Force headed by an ADGP Rank officer. He said that this task force has been directed to adopt zero tolerance towards gangsters and work without any fear and prejudice adding that the force is being equipped with advanced facilities and resources for this purpose. Mann said that STF in coordination with district police, Intelligence wing, BSF, NCB and other agencies is launching need based operations to check cross border smuggling of narcotics and weapons. The Chief Minister, while highlighting the achievements of the state government so far and laying down the roadmap for future, said that delivering these dreams will not be a smooth task and there will be challenges at every step as they will be tested on this mission l. But, Mann said that he is confident that they will pass every test with flying colors. Soliciting support and cooperation of all members of the house across party lines, he said that they should work tirelessly to rebuild the Punjab of our Dreams. He said that the state government is committed for maintaining law and order in the state at every cost, adding that a peaceful atmosphere will always prevail in the state and severest of severe action will be taken against anyone trying to disturb the hard earned peace of the state. Mann said that his government is according top most priority to maintain peace and prosperity in state. Announcing a war against drugs, he said that Police has been directed not to spare anyone conniving with the Drug Mafia. He said that SSPs/CPs have been asked to work in close coordination with STF to catch big sharks involved in the supply of Drugs adding that every Police officer will be held accountable for laxity in dealing with the drug menace within their jurisdiction. Bhagwant Mann also said that the state government has increased the number of OOAT clinics from 280 to 500 to ensure ease of accessibility of treatment to recovering drug addicts. Referring to the emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Mann termed it as a ''big blot'' on India's democracy lambasting it as a period when people's voice was suppressed. He mentioned the emergency during his address in the state Assembly, winding up the discussion on the governor's address, on the day the special powers measure completed its 47th year since it was first imposed in the country. ....Today, there was such a day in India's history, which was a big blot on India's democracy. On this day in 1975, Emergency was imposed in the country when people's voice was suppressed, he said. As Mann began his address, Congress members started to protest over not being given adequate time to speak and staged a walkout. Call it a coincidence, those who muzzled people's voice then, their own voices cannot be heard here today, he said. The Emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, for a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977, when the fundamental rights of the people were put under strict curbs. During his hour-long address, Mann announced bringing of comprehensive law and order reforms as he reiterated his will to eliminate gangster culture from the state. As the Congress members started to protest over not being given adequate time to speak, the Speaker said that the opposition members had in fact been given more time to speak during discussion on the governor's address. Alleging that they were being short-changed, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and other Congress members rushed to the well of the house, while the Chief Minister was on his legs, before marching out. As they were staging a walkout, Mann quipped Congress' problem is that people don't listen to them outside and over here they don't want to listen. The CM, meanwhile, said that the Special Task Force in coordination with district police, Intelligence wing, BSF, Narcotics Control Bureau and other agencies is launching need-based operations to check cross-border smuggling of narcotics and weapons. Thanking the people of Punjab for giving a big mandate to AAP in the Assembly polls, he said, Let us ensure this revolution of change and good governance reaches every household and every person of Punjab.'' Discussing the law and order, for which the AAP government has come under fire from the opposition parties, the Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to maintaining law and order at every cost. Having capped the pension to one term for former MLAS, Mann said a bill in this regard will be brought in the ongoing budget session of the assembly. The CM had last month announced that former MLAs will now get pension for only one term, doing away with the earlier practice of drawing the benefit for each term served by them, Mann said, corruption-free governance is at the core of the ethos of our government, which has been duly proved in its actions in the last 100 days. He said that an anti-corruption helpline was launched within the first few days of his governments formation, with 29 cases so far been registered and 47 arrests made. Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) The power tussle between Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena dissident Eknath Shinde became intense on Sunday with Sena leaders, led by Sanjay Raut, launching an acerbic attack on the rebels while NCP chief Sharad Pawar held closed-door meetings with MVA leaders. Also Read | Tripura Bypolls Results 2022: BJP Bags 3 Seats, CM Manik Saha Wins From Town Bordowali. On the second day in a row, Shiv Sena cadres staged protests against the dissidents in various parts of the state, including Mumbai and Pune. Also Read | Jharkhand: More Than 1700 Lives Ended in Last 10 Years Due to Lightning, 28 People Died in Last 20 Days. State minister Aaditya Thackeray, son of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, and Sena chief spokesman Sanjay Raut addressed party cadres in suburban Dahisar to drum up support for the beleaguered party leadership and slammed the Shinde camp. Sharad Pawar met leaders of NCP, Congress ministers Balasaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan, and Shiv Sena's Anil Parab and Anil Desai to discuss the political fallout of the six-day-old rebellion. Striking an aggressive note, Raut said the present crisis was an opportunity to resurrect Shiv Sena. "We have learnt a lesson on whom to trust....These are bodies whose souls have died. Their mind is dead....40 bodies will come from Assam and will be sent directly to the morgue for postmortem," Raut said in an apparent reference to the number of MLAs camping in Guwahati with Shinde while addressing Sena cadres. Meanwhile, another Shiv Sena leader and cabinet minister for higher and technical education, Uday Samant, has gone incommunicado and is reportedly on his way to Guwahati from Surat. A 'passenger manifest' of an airport services company bearing the name of Uday Samant with destination Guwahati is doing rounds on social media. So far, state cabinet ministers Gulabrao Patil, Dada Bhuse, Sandipan Bhumre, and ministers of state Shamburaje Desai and Abdul Sattar (all Shiv Sena) have joined the camp of rebels. Another minister Bachu Kadu of Prahar Janshakti Party and an Independent minister from Sena quota, Rajendra Yedravkar, are also been camping with Shinde. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was discharged from a hospital here on Sunday after recovering from COVID-19, authorities said. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi Hits Out At Centre Over Rupee's Fall, Says PM Narendra Modi's Mastery at Distractions Can't Hide Disasters. Koshyari, 80, was admitted to the private hospital in south Mumbai on Wednesday after testing positive for the infection. Also Read | UP CM Yogi Adityanath's Chopper Makes Emergency Landing in Varanasi After Getting Hit by Bird. A statement issued by the Raj Bhavan said the governor returned to his official residence after remaining hospitalised for four days. In a tweet on Wednesday, the governor had said, "I have tested positive for COVID-19. There are only mild symptoms. However I have been admitted to a Hospital as a precautionary measure." A day before that, Shiv Sena's cabinet minister Eknath Shinde had launched a rebellion against his own party, setting off hectic political activities in the state. Majority of the Sena legislators have supported Shinde and joined him in Guwahati, where all of them are currently camping. Their rebellion has pushed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to the brink of collapse. NCP and Congress are also part of the ruling combine. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai (Maharashtra)[India], June 26 (ANI): The power tussle between Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena dissident Eknath Shinde intensified on Sunday when Maharashtra Cabinet Minister for Higher and Technical Education Uday Samant joined Eknath Shinde faction at Guwahati. "Uday Samant, Maharashtra Minister of Higher and Technical Education joined Eknath Shinde faction at Guwahati. He is the 8th minister to join the Shinde camp," sources earlier said today. Also Read | Assam's Kaziranga Park and Tiger Reserve Faces New Threat From Invasive Plant Species. Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Sunday informed that the party has initiated legal action and served notices to concerned MLAs. Addressing the reporters today, Sawant said, "Political turbulence is going on in Maharashtra, many MLAs defected and have gone to Assam. We have initiated legal action against them and notice has been served to 16 MLAs till now." Also Read | Narendra Modi Government To Launch One Nation, One Dialysis Programme Soon, Says Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Advocate Devdutta Kamat, Shiv Sena's Senior Counsel also said to reporters, "Proceedings have been initiated by Shiv Sena against 16 MLAs, under the provision in the Constitution which says that if a person gives up the membership of a party then he's eligible for disqualification." "There were several meetings that were called by Shiv Sena at different times, none of which were attended by them. Visiting BJP-ruled states, meeting BJP leaders, and attempting to topple government amounts to a violation by rebels," Advocate Devdutta Kamat said. Kamat said the concept of 2-3rd (to surpass anti-defection law) applies only if there is a merger. "Until the MLAs, don't merge with another party, disqualification applies. Till today there's no merger, they have voluntarily given up membership," Adv Devdutta Kamat said. Notably, the national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena on June 25 passed six resolutions giving absolute rights to Maharashtra Chief Minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebels to bring the revolt within party under control. The meeting was called in the wake of Sena MLA Eknath Shinde's rebellion, which has not only destabilised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in the State but also poses a risk of the Thackerays losing control of the party. The advocate said that under the constitution, the deputy speaker has the power of the speaker in the latter's absence and can adjudicate on such matters. "No confidence motion was sent through an unauthorized email address by rebels," he said. Meanwhile, two MLAs on June 26 called for the removal of the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, who could be the key decision-maker about the disqualification of the rebel MLAs. Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal, both independent MLAs and said to be close to the BJP, have moved for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran assembly constituency reached Vidhan Bhavan today and submitted a letter to the office Deputy speaker saying that he cannot disqualify the 12 MLAs. In his letter, he has cited several judgements of the Supreme Court. "The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government doesn't have the majority and they can't disqualify any MLA. I am against Congress and NCP and if the MLAs are disqualified, we will also go to the Court," he said. Notably, the Maharashtra assembly doesn't have a Speaker since February 2021. Also, the Deputy Speaker also approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as leader of the ruling party Shiv Sena in the assembly in place of Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde has called the appointment illegal as Chaudhary's name was proposed by the "minority faction" as he represents the "real Sena". Shinde, who has been replaced by Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena's legislature party leader on Friday, is currently camping with over 40 rebel MLAs in Guwahati. In a jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs revolted against the party on June 20 and camped in Surat. The rebel MLAs have shifted base to a hotel in Guwahati. On Friday, in his virtual address to the party's district unit chiefs and 'sampark pramukhs', CM Uddhav Thackeray said "despite the rebellions that the party has faced earlier, it came to power twice. I may have left 'Varsha', the Chief Minister's official residence, but not my determination". Meanwhile, party MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Sena is ready to quit the MVA government if the group of rebel legislators camping in Assam returns to Mumbai in 24 hours and discusses the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "You say you are real Shiv Sainiks and will not quit the party. We are ready to consider your demand provided you come back to Mumbai in 24 hours and discuss the issue with CM Uddhav Thackeray. Your demand will be considered positively. Don't write letters on Twitter and WhatsApp," Raut told reporters. (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 26 (PTI) The July 18 presidential election is much more than a personal contest and is a step towards resisting the authoritarian streak of the government, the Opposition's candidate Yashwant Sinha said on Sunday. In an interview to PTI, Sinha said he was not in any 'dharma sankat' over not getting the support of his son, Jayant Sinha, a BJP MP. "...he follows his 'Raj Dharma', I will follow my 'Rashtra Dharma'," he said. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: 17-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Sexually Harassed by Member of School's Management Committee in National Capital; Arrested. "This election is more than merely the election of the president of India. This election is a step towards resisting the authoritarian policies of the government. This election is a message to the people of India that there should be resistance to these policies," he told PTI. On the BJP-led NDA nominating Droupadi Murmu, a tribal leader, for the presidential election, the former Union minister said elevating an individual does not ensure the elevation of the whole community and the BJP's projection of Murmu was nothing more than political symbolism. Also Read | Tripura Bypolls Results 2022: BJP Bags 3 Seats, CM Manik Saha Wins From Town Bordowali. "From my long experience of public life, (I can say) the elevation of one individual does not elevate the whole community. The whole community's elevation depends on the policies followed by the government. Without commenting on it further, I would say that there are various examples in our own history where elevation of one individual in a community has not necessarily helped to pull up that community even by an inch. This is more symbolic and nothing more," he said. Sinha said the contest is much bigger than his personal fight and unless the people wake up and the whole system reforms, "we will not be able to see light at the end of the tunnel". "Our democracy, our Constitution are threatened and all values of freedom struggle are under threat.... So India is threatened and they have to rise to protect India," he said, adding that he personally thinks that people come out on the streets only when the political system starts to fail. "Polity of our country today is afflicted with so many weaknesses that people are being forced to come out on the streets. In a democracy, that is not how things should happen," he noted. Noting that the Rashtrapati Bhavan needs more than a "rubber stamp" occupant, he recalled how such presidents had behaved on some occasions in the past. "So that would be a catastrophe if we had another rubber stamp at the Rashtrapati Bhawan," he said. Sinha, who was part of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA cabinet, said, if elected, he would put an immediate end to the "misuse" of government agencies as a tool to target political opponents and will ensure that justice and fairness prevail. Sinha will file her nomination papers on Monday. A host of Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee, are expected to accompany him. With the numbers stacked clearly in favour of the NDA nominee, Sinha claimed he would get the support of certain "invisible forces" between now and the polling date and asserted that there was no question of withdrawing from the contest. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) A man died after saving his three children from a fire that broke out in his bungalow in Navi Mumbai's Panvel area on Sunday morning, a police official said. Also Read | Pune Shocker: Man Offers Sedative-Laced Soft Drink to 22-Year-Old Colleague, Rapes Her; Arrested. Rajiv Thakur (38), who kin claimed was an actor, died in the fire that engulfed the ground-plus-one structure located in Akurli village, the Khandeshwar police station official said. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: Minister Uday Samant Also Joins Eknath Shinde Led Rebel Group. "Thakur managed to alert his three children, and guided them safely out of the house. He then went back to his first floor bedroom to gather his laptop, scripts, documents etc, but got trapped in the blaze and died after being rushed to a nearby hospital. His wife was not at home," he said. "Three fire engines and a water tanker were deployed to douse the blaze, which took two hours. Prima facie cause seems to be short circuit. An accidental death report has been filed," he added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 26 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate for the Azamgarh in by-poll Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua', who won defeating Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav on Sunday, credited his victory to party's "good policies" and said that he would "try his best" to get works done in the remaining 1.5 years before the next General elections. Notably, BJP's Dinesh Lal Yadav defeated SP's Dharmendra Yadav by 8,679 votes. The BJP candidate secured 3,12,768 votes while the SP candidate got 3,04,089 votes. Also Read | Delhi Police Bust Fake Placement Agency, Seven Arrested for Cheating Over 250 Job Aspirants. Speaking to the media after his victory, Nirahua said, "I would credit this win to BJP's good policies and various groundwork schemes for the upliftment of the poor." Taking a jibe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, the BJP leader said that he knew that his candidate would lose the election which is why he did not come to campaign in the by-polls. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: 'In May, Uddhav Thackeray Had Asked Eknath Shinde Whether He Wants To Be CM', Claims Aaditya Thackeray. "My priority will be to begin stagnant development works here at the earliest. I would only have 1.5 years but would try my best to get everything done within that time frame," he said. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party candidate for Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh by-poll Dharmendra Yadav, who was defeated by BJP's Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua', blamed the state administration and "BJP-BSP alliance" for his loss and said that the people of the district will again make them victorious in the 2024 General elections. Speaking to the media after his loss, Dharmendra Yadav said, "We fought election within 12-14 days and got historic support of people. I lost because of state administration and the BJP-BSP alliance which is palpable even in Presidential elections. By 2024, the people of Azamgarh will again make the SP win. I regret that I could not make my party win from the seat." Meanwhile, Azamgarh bypoll, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that the historic victory in the by-election in Azamgarh Sadar Lok Sabha seat is a result of the welfare policies of the 'double engine BJP government'. "The historic victory in the by-election in the Azamgarh Sadar Lok Sabha seat is the result of the welfare policies of the 'double engine BJP government' under the leadership of the respected Prime Minister. This victory is dedicated to all the hardworking workers of the BJP. Thanks people of Azamgarh!" tweeted Adityanath in Hindi on Sunday. Earlier, expressing gratitude to the people of Uttar Pradesh for the resounding victory in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha by-polls, BJP national president JP Nadda said that the victory shows that the people have faith in the welfare schemes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (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 26 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Punjab Lok Congress founder and former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh to enquire about his health after he had undergone a successful spinal surgery today. Amarinder Singh underwent successful spinal surgery in a London hospital on Saturday, according to Prenee Kaur who is with him at present. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: Thane District Shiv Sena Chief and Eknath Shinde Loyalist Naresh Mhaske Quits. She informed that the surgery was successful and Amarinder Singh was shifted to a private room in the hospital. He will be discharged on Monday, she said. The former chief minister heads the Punjab Lok Congress outfit, which is an ally of the BJP. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: 30-Year-Old Woman Thrown Off 4th Floor Balcony by Husband in Agra, Dies; 3 Arrested. Amarinder Singh had served as Punjab Chief Minister for over nine years including 2002 - 2007 and then 2017 -2021. In September last year he had unceremoniously resigned from the Congress, later floated his PLC and then made an alliance with the BJP that already had made SAD (Sanyukt) as its ally. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 26 (ANI): Amid twists and turns in the political drama of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a potshot on the Eknath Shinde-led faction of rebel MLAs and asked how long they will hide in Guwahati in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Assam finally they have to return to Mumbai. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the party, thus achieving the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena. Also Read | Kolkata: Patient Falls from 7th Floor of Neuroscience Hospital, Dies. Taking to Twitter, Raut said, "Kab tak chhipoge Gauhati mein...Aana hi padega Chowpatty mein (How long will you hide in Guwahati, you have to come back to Chowpatty)." According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Also Read | Lok Sabha By-Election Results 2022: Counting of Votes Begins for Rampur, Azamgarh Bypolls. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership. Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp's suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu. Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'. The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that the leaders who have left Shiv Sena should not ask for votes in the name of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray. Ask for votes in the name of your father. Maha Vikas Aghadi is united," Sanjay Raut said earlier. "People will come to know what actions will be taken against those who have left the party by the evening. The work that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has done is commendable. We will all fight the elections under his leadership," he added. Eknath Shinde claims to have the support of 38 MLAs of the 56 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar claimed that their faction has two-thirds majority while denying merger talks with any party. "We are still in Shiv Sena, there is a misunderstanding that we have left the party. We have just separated our faction. We have the two-thirds majority to follow the path we wanted. Our new leader is chosen by the majority. They didn't have more than 16-17 MLAs," Kesarkar said. "There is no need to merge, our faction will be given different recognition and we aren't merging with any other party. Recognition should be given to our faction, if it isn't given, we will go to court and prove our existence and numbers. We have numbers, but we respect CM Uddhav Thackeray, we won't speak against him. We must follow the path on which we fought Assembly elections," he added. Notably, Eknath Shinde was unanimously elected as the leader of the faction recently which is revolting against the Uddhav faction. The Uddhav Thackeray faction recently submitted a plea before the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs. (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 26 (PTI) A slum dweller from Mumbai, a namesake of RJD founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, a social activist from Tamil Nadu and a professor from Delhi are among those who have submitted their nomination papers to contest the July 18 presidential election. While NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu and common opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha are the main contestants, at least 30 others also have filed their nomination papers with Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, the returning officer for the election. Also Read | Pune Shocker: Man Offers Sedative-Laced Soft Drink to 22-Year-Old Colleague, Rapes Her; Arrested. Sanjay Savji Deshpande, a resident of the Amar Nagar Slum No. 1 in Mumbai's Mulund suburb, was among those who filed their nomination papers days after the election was announced on June 9. Lalu Prasad Yadav, a resident of Saran in Bihar, T Ramesh, a social worker from Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu, and Prof Dayashankar Agarwal from Timarpur in Delhi are the other nominations that have garnered some eyeballs in the presidential nomination. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: Minister Uday Samant Also Joins Eknath Shinde Led Rebel Group. Most of the nomination papers do not have the mandatory names and signatures of proposers and seconders or a bank draft of Rs 15,000 as security deposit and are set to be rejected. A couple of presidential hopefuls from Maharashtra have listed names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, local MPs and MLAs as proposers and seconders, but have left the signature column blank. Among those who have submitted their nomination papers also include Pareshkumar Manubhai Mulani from Ahmedabad, Ved Vyas from Mahedragad in Haryana, Ashok Shankar Patil from Dhule in Maharashtra, Vivek Sakharam Bagekar from Pune, Amit Kumar Sharma from Shahdara in Delhi, Ravikumar Kesagani from Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Kankanla Penchala Naidu from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Dr K Padmarajan from Salem in Tamil Nadu and Saira Bano Mohammad Patel from Andheri, Maharashtra. The presidential election in 1967 had 17 contestants - the highest till date -- in the fray. Zakir Hussain was elected the third President of India. The fifth presidential election in 1969, necessitated due to the death of Hussain, saw 15 candidates in the fray. This election is considered the most interesting for the presidential post as the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, battling detractors within the Congress, had called for a "conscience vote" leading to the defeat of the official nominee Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy. Varaha Venkat Giri, an independent candidate, then became the President. In 1974, the Election Commission amended the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election Act to introduce a security deposit of Rs 2,500 for those keen on contesting the election. The commission also made it mandatory for nominees to have at least 10 members of the electoral college as proposers and another 10 as seconders. The number of proposers and seconders was increased from 10 to 50 in 1997, ahead of the 11th presidential election, while the security deposit was hiked to Rs 15,000. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 26 (ANI): Teesta Setalvad, who was produced before the court on Sunday in connection with a case against her NGO which gave baseless information about the 2002 Gujarat riots to the police, alleged that her arrest was illegal and she was driven from Mumbai to Ahmedabad in a car to intimidate a "human rights lawyer". She called her arrest an "abuse of power" alleging that she was not allowed to speak to her lawyer. Also Read | We Fought Election Within 12-14 Days & Got Support of People. I Lost Because of State Latest Tweet by ANI UP/Uttarakhand. She was making her statements in the metropolitan court of Ahmedabad where she was produced by the Gujarat police crime branch. "The ATS barged into my house without any warrant, snatched my phone and pushed me. Look at this wound they inflicted on me. They brought me to Ahmedabad Crime Branch at 6 am," she said in the court. Also Read | UP Lok Sabha Bypoll Results 2022: BJP Sweeps Samajwadi Party Bastions Azamgarh and Rampur. "They came in at three and it was only after my lawyer came that they showed me an FIR. Is arresting on the basis of an FIR legal? Why wasn't I served a notice? I was detained illegally from 3 pm to 10.30 am. Why was I driven down in a car by ATS from Mumbai to Gujarat? To intimidate me? To intimidate human rights lawyers is okay? This is an abuse of power. My detention and arrest is illegal," Setalvad alleged. Alleging "fear for life", she questioned why ATS was sent for arresting her in an alleged forgery case. "I fear for my life. I have been roughed up, and abused...why should ATS be sent for what is a forgery case? Is this the new norm? I should be given bail. I am a human rights activist. This is a political case. I am cooperating and will cooperate with all legal investigations and queries," Setalvad said. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Police Crime Branch on Sunday arrested Teesta Setalvad in connection with a case against her NGO which gave baseless information about the 2002 Gujarat riots to the police. The action came after Union Minister Amit Shah in an interview with ANI said that Teesta Setalvad-run NGO gave baseless information about the 2002 Gujarat riots to the police. "Former IPS officer RB Sreekumar was arrested yesterday and Teesta Setalvad was arrested today. Forging of evidence and hindering of evidence will be looked into. We will produce both the accused in the court by 3 pm," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Chaitanya Mandlik said earlier today. "The accused are not supporting us in the investigation. We are demanding 14 days of custody. Teesta will be produced in front of the Magistrate and all her statements will be recorded there. We are getting the documents arranged from various sources," said the DCP. He further said that as of now the investigation is at a primary level and later strict actions will be taken once the investigation is done. "We have done the medical check-up, and the due process was followed by the Crime Branch. The investigation is at a primary level, strict actions will be taken once the investigation is done. We have the primary affidavits and documents submitted by accused," he added. Earlier in the day, Setalvad was taken for a medical checkup at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad."They have done my medical. I have a big bruise on my hand. This is what the ATS did to me. They are taking me to the magistrate's court," said Teesta Setalvad had said after the medical checkup. On Saturday, Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) team detained Setalvad from Mumbai in connection with a case on her NGO and later in the night she was taken to Ahmedabad.The Gujarat ATS team took Teesta Setalvad to the Santacruz police station yesterday. "I have read the judgement very carefully. The judgement clearly mentions the name of Teesta Setalvad. The NGO that was run being run by her - I don't remember the name of the NGO- had given baseless information about the riots to the police," Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview, told ANI. The Supreme Court had on Friday, dismissed as "devoid of merit" an appeal by Zakia Jafri in a plea challenging SIT's clean chit to the then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi and others in cases related to the riots. Zakia Jafri is the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the riots. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) UK should stop preaching on human rights (Xinhuanet) 10:57, June 26, 2022 By Xin Ping Since striking a deal with Rwanda in April this year on sending asylum seekers who arrived illegally in Britain, the United Kingdom has been pressing ahead with the controversial plan obdurately. However, in an embarrassing blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, the first flight scheduled on June 14 to carry seven asylum seekers to the east African country where their claims would be processed was canceled at the last minute, due to the intervention from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). From the very beginning, criticism on UK's handling of the asylum seekers has been mounting both at home and abroad. The entire leadership of the Church of England denounced the plan as "immoral" and "shameful". The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said that it cannot "stand the judgment of God". A British Member of Parliament (MP) described such a move as "creating a British Guantanamo Bay". It was reported that Prince Charles had privately described the government's plan as "appalling". The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has repeatedly pointed out that the move is unlawful and that people should not be "traded like commodities", urging the UK to "re-think the plans". In the words of High Commissioner Filippo Grandi, the UK's bid to export refugees to Rwanda is "all wrong for so many different reasons", and the precedent it creates is "catastrophic for a concept that needs to be shared like asylum". Turning a deaf ear to all the criticism and determined to "outsource" the asylum seekers, the Boris Johnson government has made a fine mockery of the UK's commitment to human rights, its international obligations as well as its own integrity and reputation. For decades, the UK has portrayed itself as the champion of human rights, a paradigm of humanitarianism and a moral vanguard. It frequently "expresses concerns" over the human rights situation in other countries. When it comes to its own refugee and migrant issues, the UK, however, chooses to be oblivious to the human rights standards and humanitarianism, and shies away from its obligations and responsibilities under international conventions. That double standard reveals the UK's real intention to use human rights as a mere tool to achieve its own political agenda. A core principle of the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, to which the UK is a contracting state, is non-refoulement, which asserts that refugees should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. UK's policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda is a blatant violation of the principle of non-refoulement, and outright denial of its obligations to protect refugees. It's also suspected that this policy, running counter to the principle of non-discrimination in the Refugee Convention, is targeting mainly at the "unwelcome" refugees from Africa and the Middle East, who the UK government believes are more difficult to be integrated into its society, in comparison with other "white" and "well educated" refugees. A couple of media reports conveyed the weak voices of the asylum seekers who are facing the fate of deportation from the UK. When asylum seekers at the Brook House detention centre in Sussex were issued removal notice from the Home Office informing them that they would be flown to Rwanda on June 14, they had no other choice but to go on a hunger strike. One asylum seeker from Syria said that upon hearing the news he "started hitting himself and was ready to die". Mohammed, a 45-year-old Iranian Kurd, recalling himself being taken to the deportation flight from his cell at Colbrook removal centre near Heathrow, said "it felt like I was going to be executed", and asked "what crime have I committed to be treated like this?" When Prime Minister Boris Johnson was defending his refugee relocation policy earlier, he argued that "our compassion maybe infinite but our capacity to help people is not". However, looking back at how obstinately the UK government pushed on with this policy in the past two months and the harrowing stories of the asylum seekers, the world sees more of the British governments "infinite capacity" to deport refugees rather than its true compassion to help them. The Johnson government was not held back by the ECHRs urgent interim measure. Immediately after the grounding of the flight, the UK Home Secretary told parliament that the government was committed to the policy, and "preparations for our future flights and the next flights have already begun". Prime Minister Johnson even made it explicit that in order to circumvent the ECHR, the UK could withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, a convention that the UK has helped to establish (ironically, Johnson's own maternal grandfather James Fawcett helped to write the convention). With that, the Johnson government illustrates to the world once again how the UK views and complies with international laws and norms as well as its own obligations and responsibilities under international and regional treaties, and how the UK safeguards human rights values. No matter how far the UK can go with the Rwanda asylum policy, people are just no longer interested in its sanctimonious sermons on human rights. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) An orientation programme of Rural Awareness Work Experience (RAWE) was organized for the students of B.Sc Agriculture by Agriculture Faculty of Rabindranath Tagore University. This six months rural agriculture work experience is mandatory for obtaining Bachelor of Agriculture degree in the syllabus prescribed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. As the chief guest D.K. Dwivedi, Chief Technical Officer was Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Central Agricultural Research Institute), Bhopal. The program was presided over by the Registrar of the University, Vijay Singh. On this occasion Dwivedi highlighted the need and importance of rural awareness work experience. He gave detailed information about the rural agricultural areas in which work experience is to be taken during this six months period. On the other hand, Registrar Vijay Singh, in his remarks, called upon the students to convey the knowledge of the new techniques, which they have acquired and used while staying in the university, to the rural people and show them what they have learned. Anil Kurchania, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, while motivating the students in his remarks said that this 6-month rural agricultural work experience will determine the direction of their future life. This experience will be useful both in job and self-employment and in the same way, time has to be fully utilized in subsequent industrial attachments. After this, the professors of the Faculty of Agriculture explained in detail about the work related to their subject, the experience to be obtained and how the information is to be filled in the form. In the same vein, Manohar Saryam did Village Survey, Balkrishna Namdev did Horticulture, Swapnil Pandey and Mahesh Kumar did Entomology, Digvijay Dubey did Soil Improvement and Testing, Fruit and Vegetable Production by Shubham Kulshrestha, Food Processing and Storage by Balbir Singh, M.E. Animal husbandry and management by Khan, agriculture extension and technology transfer by Rohit Gupta and attachment in agriculture industries by Neetu Singh Gurjar gave detailed information to the students and resolved their doubts. At the end of the programme Ashok Verma, Head of the Department expressed his gratitude to all, wishing the students for their bright future. Hyderabad, June 26 (PTI): Telangana Rashtra Samithi's working president and Minister KT Rama Rao will be attending the nomination programme of the Opposition's presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha on Monday, TRS sources have said. Also Read | Delhi Police Bust Fake Placement Agency, Seven Arrested for Cheating Over 250 Job Aspirants. Rama Rao has already left for the national capital for the purpose, the sources said on Sunday. Also Read | Maharashtra Political Crisis: 'In May, Uddhav Thackeray Had Asked Eknath Shinde Whether He Wants To Be CM', Claims Aaditya Thackeray. Along with Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (also known as KCR), and some of the TRS MPs would also attend the programme. The sources said though KCR did not physically participate in the Opposition parties meet on deciding their common candidate for the presidential elections, the Telangana's ruling party decided to support Sinha's candidature. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan is currently enjoying her family vacation in London, and the Heroine actor recently attended a rock concert by the British brand 'The Rolling Stone' with her son Taimur and husband Saif Ali Khan. Bebo, on Saturday, uploaded a few pictures on her Instagram, in which she can be seen posing with Taimur, in the first picture, the mother-son duo can be seen twinning in a black rolling stone t-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Taimur Attend Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmus Book Launch in Style (View Pics). Tim-Tim can be seen striking a fun pose into the camera with a funky hairstyle, all decked up to attend the rock concert. Sharing the image, she wrote in the caption 'And here we come" followed by star eyes emojis. In the second picture, the Jab we met actor can be seen twinning with both Saif and Taimur in the same t-shirts with the rolling stone logos. The couple donned a black leather jacket, whereas Tim-Tim opted for a grey hoodie. She captioned it as, "The rolling stones baby" followed by heart eyes emojis. The 3 idiots actor has been quite active on social media, and she has been treating her fans with her adorable pictures from the vacation. Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena will be next seen in Laal Singh Chadha with Aamir Khan, the film is slated to release on August 11, 2022. Taimur Ali Khan's Cutest Pictures: Kareena Kapoor Khan's Baby Son Wins Hearts in 2017. Check Out Kareena Kapoor Khan's Instagram Story: Kareena Kapoor Khan's Instagram Story (Photo Credits: Instagram) Kareena Kapoor Khan's Instagram Story (Photo Credits: Instagram) Apart from this, she recently wrapped up shooting her OTT debut project helmed by Sujoy Ghosh. The film is based on the Japanese novel The Devotion of Suspect X, which also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma in the lead roles. Saif, on the other hand, will be next seen in Vikram Vedha opposite Hrithik Roshan and in Adipurush with south superstar Prabhas. (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 26 (PTI) After over five months, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has finally got a director appointed on the board of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd -- a firm it had acquired for Rs 36,915 crore. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on June 22, conveyed its consent for the appointment of Pankaj Kumar, Director (Offshore), ONGC as a director on the board of HPCL, according to regulatory filings by HPCL. Also Read | Dish TV Managing Director Jawahar Lal Goel Steps Down. For over five months, ONGC had no representative on the board of HPCL -- a company in which it owns a 51.11 per cent stake since January 2018. HPCL for over one-and-a-half years -- between January 2018 and August 2019 -- did not recognise ONGC as its promoter despite the government selling its entire 51.11 per cent stake in the company to the oil explorer. Also Read | Ikea To Relocate Purchasing Office to Bengaluru From Gurugram. It relented only after a rap from market regulator SEBI. ONGC got the right to appoint one director who HPCL called 'Government Nominee Director (Representative of ONGC)'. "Pankaj Kumar has been appointed as Government Director on the Board of the company effective June 22, 2022," HPCL said in the filing. Officials said ONGC has been nominating one of its directors as the nominee director. Prior to the latest appointment, its last nominee director was Alka Mittal, Director (HR) who was appointed to the HPCL board in April 2021. In January this year, Mittal was given additional charge of chairman and managing director of ONGC after the retirement of the incumbent. And following the past practice of the company that the chairman could only sit on the board of a subsidiary in the capacity as chairman and not as a director, Mittal resigned from the board of HPCL and Kumar was nominated. HPCL promptly took note of it. In a filing on January 6, 2022, HPCL said: "Alka Mittal has tendered resignation from the position of the Government Nominee Director (Representative of ONGC) of the company effective January 05, 2022." Officials said as per rules, Mittal also sent her resignation from the HPCL board to the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas -- the parent ministry of ONGC and HPCL. The ministry, however, rejected the resignation and asked Mittal to continue on the HPCL board for "strategic reasons", they said. ONGC thereafter approached HPCL for reinstatement but the company said it wanted written instructions from the ministry as it had already accepted Mittal's resignation and changed its books, officials said, adding while the firms went into letter writing, HPCL's annual accounts for fiscal 2021-22, were approved without a nominee of its principal promoter. But now the ministry seems to have had a change of heart and approved the original recommendation of ONGC, i.e. appointment of Kumar as the firm's representative on the HPCL board. It is not clear why the ministry changed its stance. In the initial months of the Rs 36,915-crore buyout, HPCL had refused to recognise ONGC as its promoter. It had ignored directives from the government as well as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), forcing the latter to set a deadline of August 13, 2019, and warn of "appropriate action" if it failed. This forced the HPCL management to make amends. Before the SEBI order, HPCL listed ONGC as a public shareholder in its regulatory filings. The President of India was listed under the promoter/promoter group category with nil shares. In September 2018, SEBI first advised HPCL to re-file the shareholding pattern to the stock exchanges revising the status of ONGC as 'promoter'. In June 2019, the ministry directed HPCL to indicate 'President of India' as the promoter of HPCL and ONGC also to be added as a promoter below 'President of India'. These were ignored on the pretext that the company needed clarifications from multiple agencies, officials said. In an August 6, 2019 letter, SEBI again advised HPCL to re-file the shareholding pattern to the stock exchanges for all quarters since the acquisition of shares by ONGC, while revising the status of ONGC as a 'promoter', by August 13, 2019, failing which appropriate action will be initiated as per SEBI Act. HPCL made amends thereafter. (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 26 (PTI) The Finance Ministry has asked public sector banks to explore fintech partnerships and co-lending opportunities to expand their business. In the recently concluded performance review of PSBs by the Finance Ministry, sources said, lenders were asked to focus on technology and data analytics to push their lending. Also Read | Dish TV Managing Director Jawahar Lal Goel Steps Down. The ministry also urged the heads of the public sector lenders to strengthen IT security systems and cybersecurity to check fraud. According to the sources, banks were asked to sanction loans for productive sectors to accelerate the revival of the economy facing headwinds, including the Russia-Ukraine war. Also Read | Ikea To Relocate Purchasing Office to Bengaluru From Gurugram. As per the RBI's latest data, growth in lending by PSBs has improved significantly to 7.8 per cent in March 2022 from 3.6 per cent a year ago. Some of the PSBs recorded 26 per cent growth. Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) recorded a 26 per cent increase in gross advances to Rs 1,35,240 crore at the end of March 2022. It was followed by the State Bank of India and Union Bank of India with 10.27 per cent and 9.66 per cent growth, respectively. The Pune-headquartered BoM witnessed a 16.26 per cent deposit growth and mobilised Rs 2,02,294 crore at the end of March 2022. Union Bank of India was the second with an 11.99 per cent growth in deposits (Rs 10,32,102 crore), while Indian Bank recorded a 10 per cent rise to Rs 5,84,661 crore. The sources said banks were asked to expedite non-performing assets (NPAs) resolution and focus on the recovery of bad loans. The meeting took stock of asset quality and business growth plans of banks, the sources said, adding that non-performing assets (NPAs) of Rs 100 crore and the recovery status were also discussed. It is to be noted that the meeting was held against the backdrop when all PSBs posted a profit in the second financial year in a row. They have more than doubled their net profit to Rs 66,539 crore in FY22. The collective profit of 12 state-owned banks together was Rs 31,820 crore in FY21. However, there were collective losses for five straight years during 2015-16 to 2019-20. The highest amount of net loss was registered in 2017-18 at Rs 85,370 crore, followed by Rs 66,636 crore in 2018-19; Rs 25,941 crore in 2019-20; Rs 17,993 crore in 2015-16 and Rs 11,389 crore in 2016-17. To improve the financial health of PSBs, the government implemented a comprehensive 4Rs strategy -- recognition of NPAs transparently, resolution and recovery of value from stressed accounts, recapitalisation of PSBs, and reforms in PSBs and the wider financial ecosystem -- for a responsible and clean system. Comprehensive steps were taken under the 4Rs strategy to reduce NPAs of PSBs. As part of the strategy, the government has infused Rs 3,10,997 crore to recapitalise banks during the last five financial years -- from 2016-17 to 2020-21, out of which Rs 34,997 crore were sourced through budgetary allocation and Rs 2,76,000 crore through issuance of recapitalisation bonds to these banks. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Niteroi (Brazil), Jun 26 (AP) Gathered at a cemetery on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, friends and relatives paid their final respects on Sunday to British journalist Dom Phillips, killed in the Brazilian Amazon while researching for a book about how to save the world's largest rainforest. First of all, I would like to express my eternal gratitude to the Indigenous peoples, who are with us as loyal guardians of life, justice, and our forests, Phillips' wife, Alessandra Sampaio, said at the cemetery entrance. Today, Dom will be cremated in Brazil, the country he loved, his chosen home. Today is a day of mourning. Also Read | Nepal Cholera Outbreak: Kathmandu Puts Ban on Panipuri. Phillips, 57, and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, 41, were killed on June 5 on their boat on the Itaquai river, near the entrance of the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory, which borders Peru and Colombia. Three fishermen from nearby riverine communities were arrested. Two of them confessed to the murders, according to the police. The region holds a long conflict between and Indigenous tribes and poor fishermen hired to invade the Javari Valley to catch arapaima, turtles and game. Pereira, who was an official of Brazil's Indigenous affairs bureau, fought these invasions for years and had received multiple threats for his work. Also Read | South Africa Shocker: 17 People Found Dead in Nightclub in Sourtheastern City; Police Begins Probe. He was killed because he tried to tell the world what was happening to the rainforest and its inhabitants, said Phillips' sister, Sian. Dom understood the need for urgent change for political and economic approaches to conservation. His family and his friends are committed to continuing that work even in this time of tragedy. The story must be told. Phillips wrote about Brazil for 15 years, first covering the oil industry for Platts, later freelancing for The Washington Post and The New York Times and then regularly contributing to The Guardian. He was versatile, but gravitated toward features about the environment as it became his passion. After living in Rio for several years, the couple had moved to the northeastern city of Salvador, closer to Sampaio's family, where Phillips taught English to students from poor communities. They were also in the process of adopting two children. As we remember Dom as a loving, fun and cool big brother, said Sian, we are sad he was denied the chance to share these qualities as a father for the next generation. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Oslo, Jun 26 (AP) The suspect in a mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Norway has refused to explain his actions to investigators and will remain in pretrial custody for the next four weeks, police and his defense lawyer said Sunday. The man, whom authorities described as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the shooting in Oslo's nightlife district early Saturday. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Also Read | Nepal Cholera Outbreak: Kathmandu Puts Ban on Panipuri. Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act. Oslo police said they tried to question the suspect on Saturday and again on Sunday without success. Norwegian media identified him as Zaniar Matapour. Also Read | South Africa Shocker: 17 People Found Dead in Nightclub in Sourtheastern City; Police Begins Probe. Matapour's defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, told The Associated Press by email that his client refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped unless police released the entire recording to the public with no time delay so it won't be censored or manipulated. Recording interrogations is a standard police practice, Elden said previously said his client did not deny being the shooter but had not divulged any motive. The lawyer said Sunday that Matapour did not object to remaining in custody for four weeks so would not appear in court on Monday. In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks. Norway's prime minister and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service Sunday at Oslo Cathedral for the victims of the attack. The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in Oslo. Police investigators said it was too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community. A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was called off because of the shooting. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said during Sunday's memorial service that the shooting in the night hours put an end to the Pride parade, but it did not stop the fight and the efforts to fight discrimination, prejudice and hatred. He also addressed Norway's Muslim community. I know how many of you felt when it turned out that the perpetrator belonged to the Islamic community. Many of you experienced fear and unrest. You should know this: We stand together, we are one community and we are responsible for the community together, Stoere said during the church service, which was also attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Norwegian media said Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s. He had a prior criminal record that included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense for carrying a knife. Investigators said they seized two weapons after Saturday's shootings: a handgun and an automatic weapon. The Norwegian domestic security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST, said Saturday it first became aware of the suspect in 2015 and later grew concerned he had become radicalised and was part of an unspecified Islamist network. On Sunday, Norwegian media outlets reported that Matapour allegedly was in close contact with an Islamic extremist living in Norway whom Norwegian police had been aware of for a long time. (AP) (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 26 (ANI): Clashes outside polling stations in several districts in Pakistan's Sindh province have been reported in which atleast 20 people were injured, according to local media on Sunday. Voting for the first phase of local government elections in 14 districts of Sindh was held today, Dawn newspaper reported. Also Read | China Floods: Nation Renews Alert for Severe Weather Threat, Thunderstorms and Rain. Dawn newspaper reported that there were reports of sporadic violence, with broadcasters airing footage of two groups attacking each other with sticks in Kandhkot. 20 people were reportedly injured in the clashes, and five people were believed to be seriously injured. Polling, which has begun after 8 am and will continue till 5 pm without any break. Also Read | Growing Space Tourism Worsening Climate Damage: Study. The 14 districts of four divisions -- Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas -- include Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot and Tharparkar. Meanwhile, Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the citizens to vote for his party and eliminate "Zardari mafia". He hit out at the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the country's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. "LBEs (Local Body Elections) are to be held in 4 divs of Sindh. Despite PPP terrorising our candidates & not following SC orders to devolve authority to local reps under Art 140A, we are taking part in the elections. I ask people of Sindh to vote for PTI candidates & eliminate the Zardari Mafia," Imran Khan had tweeted. The total number of registered voters is 1,149,2680. The election commission printed 2,950,000 ballot papers for the first phase of the Sindh LG polls. Meanwhile, Pakistan political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) supremo Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that his party had gathered all political parties to a platform against the previous government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). While addressing a seminar, Fazlur Rehman said, "It was necessary for the political parties to gather their force on a single platform after the 2018 general elections. The PTI government had created the economic crisis in the country under a plan." He alleged that Imran Khan had initiated a false narrative of a threat letter and his assassination plot which was even rejected by the United States. (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 26 (ANI): Pakistan's Finance Ministry on Sunday said that their deal with International Monetary Funds (IMF) will be sealed by tomorrow as the organization plan to hand over the economic and financial policy for the renewed deal providing economic relief package to Islamabad. Pakistan Finance Minister Miftah Ismail in the National Assembly said that although the country is common with the negative comments made by the financial quarters it looks very likely that the restoration of the IMF programme is in the offing, ARY News reported. Also Read | G-7 Countries to Ban Gold Imports From Russia in Response to Ukraine War, Says US President Joe Biden. Moreover, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had asserted that the terms with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been finalised and the deal will close soon, barring any other conditions set by the global lender. Earlier on Friday, the Shehbaz Sharif government increased the tax rates for the salaried class to fulfil the demand of the IMF. It had withdrawn the tax relief to the salaried class announced on June 10 and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR's) collection target was increased to Rs 7,470 billion, reported Geo News. Also Read | Russia Strikes Ukrainian Capital Kyiv as Troops Consolidate Gains in the East. On Personal Income Tax (PIT), the government raised a tax amount of Rs 80 billion as first, the government abolished tax relief of Rs 47 billion and then raised a tax amount of Rs 35 billion, so the FBR was going to collect Rs 235 billion from salaried class in the next budget against a collection of Rs 200 billion in the outgoing fiscal year. The Ministry of Finance high-ups disclosed to The News that all IMF's demands on the fiscal front were almost fulfilled and now it was expected that the Fund staff would share a draft of the Memorandum of Financial and Economic Policies (MEFP) next week on Monday. The IMF and the Ministry of Finance as well as the State Bank of Pakistan are holding parleys continuously. Finance Minister Miftah Ismail also chaired a meeting related to the government's strategy for hiking power tariffs, reported Geo News. The government slapped a 10 per cent super tax on 13 big industries including cement, sugar, steel, oil and gas, RLNG Terminal, textiles, banking, auto industry, tobacco, fertilizer, aviation, chemicals and beverages. The Fund has objected to the government's estimates of allocating Rs 225 billion for Price Differential Claims (PDCs) for the next budget as the IMF assessed that it might escalate to over Rs 350 to Rs 450 billion. The government has proposed a tax on jewellery shops as on-premises of shops, it has been fixed at Rs 40,000 per shop of jewellery. There are nearly 30,000 jewellery shops and only a few shops are registered. The Withholding Tax on the sale of gold by consumers was cut to 1 per cent from 4 per cent, reported Geo News. The Imran Khan-led PTI government had made a commitment with the IMF for raising the tax amount of Rs 335 billion through an increased rate of slabs for the salaried class but the PDM-led coalition government convinced the IMF for collecting Rs100 billion less than agreed by the previous PTI-led government with the IMF. (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 26 (ANI): Pakistan's National Assembly (NA) will take up the budget for the next fiscal year for passage on Thursday. The bill will be sent to Pakistani President Arif Alvi for his approval on the same day as per the schedule. Also Read | Growing Space Tourism Worsening Climate Damage: Study. Since the Finance Bill would be immediately consigned to the President, it is feared that he would hold the bill if his past practice is kept in view, The News International reported citing sources. Even without the implementation of the Finance Bill, the budget will be in place of July 1. Also Read | Bangladesh's Flood Death Toll Climbs to 82. The government has made it clear that all the ministries, divisions and relevant departments will start getting their expenditures and sanctioned amounts on July 1. The Finance Bill will become automatically enforced after ten days of its passage on July 9 in case the Pakistani President doesn't give his assent, The News International quoted citing sources. The local media reports mention that there could be a delay in starting of collection of taxes and other government revenue resources if the presidential assent for the Finance Bill is not received, however, the impact will only last for less than two weeks. Alvi's assent to the Finance Bill is very important for his own position in the parliament as he is a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and any negative decision could be strongly considered an impeachment by the parliament for being under Imran's influence as a political tiff between Shehbaz government and PTI continues to deepen. Meanwhile, Shehbaz Sharif's government on Friday increased the tax rates for the salaried class to fulfil the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It had withdrawn the tax relief to the salaried class announced on June 10 and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR's) collection target was increased to Rs 7,470 billion, reported Geo News. On Personal Income Tax (PIT), the government raised a tax amount of Rs 80 billion as first, the government abolished tax relief of Rs 47 billion and then raised a tax amount of Rs 35 billion, so the FBR was going to collect Rs 235 billion from salaried class in the next budget against a collection of Rs 200 billion in the outgoing fiscal year. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Munich [Germany], June 26 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the Indian community in Munich, Germany on Sunday. It is the largest gathering of the Indian diaspora in Germany post-pandemic. Most of the people came dressed in traditional attire. Also Read | Nepal Cholera Outbreak: Kathmandu Puts Ban on Panipuri. Earlier in the day, PM Modi received a grand welcome from the Indian diaspora at the Hotel in Munich on Sunday where he will be staying during his trip. "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan reverberated at the hotel premises as people from the Indian diaspora cheered and waved their flags seeing the Prime Minister. Also Read | South Africa Shocker: 17 People Found Dead in Nightclub in Sourtheastern City; Police Begins Probe. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," the MEA said. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) In a shocking incident, a 20-year-old boy allegedly killed his grandparents over being refused money to buy liquor in a village in Budaun and hid the bodies in two separate rooms, police said on Sunday. Himesh, the accused, who lived with his grandparents in Delhi was said to be a liquor addict. According to police, the accused killed the elderly couple on June 22 in Damri village in Budaun where they had arrived for a wedding. The police recovered the partially decomposed bodies and sent them for autopsy. The bodies of Premshankar (65) and Bhawan Devi (60) were recovered from the locked houses of their sons in Damri village under Faizganj police station limits, SP (Rural) Siddhartha Verma said. According to a complaint lodged by one of the sons, his parents had come to the village with Himesh to attend a wedding. Himesh is said to be a liquor addict and would fight with his family members for money to buy his daily dose. It has been alleged in the complaint that Himesh killed his grandparents following an argument over money to buy alcohol on June 22, the SP said. Meanwhile, in Rae Bareli, two youths slit the throat of his friend. Reports said that Lal Bahadur, a resident of Hatwa village, was sleeping at his house at around 11 pm on Saturday when some of his friends woke him up and took him with them to a secluded place about 300 metres away. They later offered him alcohol and when he got drunk, they slit his throat with a knife and fled the scene. However, Lal Bahadur regained consciousness and somehow returned home. His brothers took him to the CHC from where he was referred to KGMU Trauma Centre. A case was registered in this regard and a manhunt was launched for the accused. Elsewhere in Kannauj, a man allegedly killed his wife and later committed suicide. The incident came to light on Sunday morning when the 3-year-old son went out and started crying after which villagers reached the scene and informed police. Reports said that Ramswaroop, who is a resident of Srinagar village of Thana area, had married off his daughter Aarti six years ago with Shakti Singh of Sugandh Nagar village of Jaswant Nagar in Etawah. The couple would fight off and on over domestic issues. About a fortnight back, Aarti went with her brother Guddu to her house and also took her son Shiva. On June 23, Shakti also reachere there. The in-laws asked him to stay in a separate house and take Aarti along with him after a few days. On Sunday morning, when Shiva started crying, Aartis parents and neighbours reached the scene and found her lying dead in a pool of blood. Later, Shaktis body was also found hanging from a tree in the courtyard of the house. Police suspected that Shakti first killed Aarti and then committed suicide. A case was registered in this connection and the police are waiting for the autopsy report. Munich, Jun 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez here on Sunday and the leaders discussed ways to deepen the commercial and cultural linkages between the two countries. Modi arrived here on a two-day visit to Germany on Sunday to take part in the G7 summit. He will discuss issues like energy, food security, counter-terrorism, environment and democracy with the leaders of the powerful bloc and its partner countries. Also Read | Nepal Cholera Outbreak: Kathmandu Puts Ban on Panipuri. "Accelerating friendship with Argentina. PM @narendramodi held talks with President @alferdez in Munich. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen commercial and cultural linkages between India and Argentina," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet on Modi's first bilateral meeting on his two-nation tour. Besides India, Germany, the host of the G7 Summit, has also invited Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as guests for the summit to recognise the democracies of the global south as its partners. Also Read | South Africa Shocker: 17 People Found Dead in Nightclub in Sourtheastern City; Police Begins Probe. India-Argentina relations were elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership in 2019. Multi-faceted relations between the two countries have strengthened over the years and encompass political, economic, cultural and scientific and technological cooperation. India opened a Trade Commission in Buenos Aires in 1943, which was later converted into one of the first Embassies of India in South America in 1949, according to the Indian embassy in Argentina. There are around 2,600 NRIs/PIOs in Argentina. The majority of them live in the capital city of Buenos Aires, including professionals working with Indian companies and multinational corporations. From Germany, Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of the Gulf nation. Sheikh Khalifa passed away on May 13 after battling illness for the last several years. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington [US], June 26 (ANI): A White House official on Sunday said that the United States is expecting that the new NATO strategic concept, which will be adopted during the upcoming summit in Madrid, will contain some "strong" language on China. According to Sputnik News Agency, the official said, "So just as teams are continuing to work here on the G7 document teams are continuing to make final tweaks on the strategic concept. So those conversations are ongoing." Also Read | Nepal Cholera Outbreak: Kathmandu Puts Ban on Panipuri. "I think we're very confident we're gonna get to a good place. And then we're gonna have strong China language in the NATO Strategic Concept, which will be I think, you know, a significant improvement or change from 2010 when China was not mentioned and Russia I think was called a strategic partner or something," the official added. He further said that during the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27 in Germany, China will be discussed widely. Also Read | South Africa Shocker: 17 People Found Dead in Nightclub in Sourtheastern City; Police Begins Probe. "They touched on China, which I think is going to continue to be a broad theme for this trip. A year ago, you remember China was mentioned in the G7 leader statement and was also mentioned for the first time in the NATO leader statement. We expect that that's going to be echoed and enhanced in meetings this week, starting at the G7 and then continuing on at NATO including in the strategic concept," the official said. Separately, after a meeting of US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Scholz, the official told a media briefing that Washington and Berlin have decided that the conflict in Ukraine should be settled diplomatically, Sputnik reported. "There was a continued commitment by both President [Joe] Biden and [German] Chancellor [Olaf] Sholz to continue providing security assistance to Ukraine... I think both of us have the same broad approach to the diplomatic solution," the official said. Biden reached Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 25 to attend the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders' Summit. An official statement earlier stated that, during the summit, the US President Biden and other G-7 leaders will hold discussions on the global issues including the G-7's unwavering support for a democratic, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine, economic and democratic resilience, tackling the climate crisis, development infrastructure, global health security, and the food and energy crisis caused by Russia's war of aggression. The statement added that Biden will travel to Madrid in Spain on June 28 for the 2022 NATO Summit where the allied leader will endorse a new Strategic Concept to guide NATO's transformation over the next decade. This will focus on strengthening deterrence and defence, building resilience against transnational threats including cyber and climate and deepening partnerships with democratic partners in Europe and Asia in order to strengthen the rules-based international order. The G7 Summit is scheduled to be held on June 26-28 this year, at Schloss Elmau, a castle resort in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The G7 comprises Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States and Canada. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Disney has reportedly offered Hollywood star Johnny Depp a whopping Rs 2355 crore ($301 million) deal for him to return as the iconic character of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and a Disney Plus series. According to poptrack.au, an industry insider, the company is preparing a $301 million deal as a formal apology and a request for the actor to return as Jack Sparrow. Johnny Depps Face as Jack Sparrow Used for Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean Light Show in Paris (Watch Viral Video). According to a source close to Disney, the Mouse House company is putting together a deal, reports poptrack.au. "Disney are very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp. They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another Pirates film or two." "I know corporate sent him a gift basket with a very heartfelt letter, but I'm unsure how it was received. But what I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow -- so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character," the source said. Johnny Depp Reveals Disney Wanted to Cut Ties on Pirates of the Caribbean To Be Safe. According to the source, Disney is reportedly willing to go above and beyond and offer USD$301 million, exceeding the amount Heard's lawyer claimed that Depp would refuse. During the defamation trial, Heard's attorney, Bredehoft, asked, "Is Disney aware that Mr. Depp has testified under oath that he would not take another 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise role for $300 million and a million alpacas?" "Disney are prepping a deal for USD$301 million deal that will include a sizable donation to a charity of Depp's choice. The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl." (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2022 07:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Lucknow, June 26: Uttar Pradesh has achieved a major milestone by becoming the first state in India to fully vaccinate over 16 crore individuals. In nearly 20 days after crossing the landmark of fully vaccinating 15 crore people, the state has crossed another significant milestone with more than 16 crore people -- 16,02,66,806 -- receiving both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine so far. According to the government spokesman, the state has so far given over 33.92 crore doses to people. In addition, the state has also achieved the landmark of administering the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 100 per cent of the eligible adult population. While nearly 99 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated in the state. COVID-19 Vaccines Less Effective Against Delta Variant: WHO. Uttar Pradesh started administering booster shots (precaution dose) from January 10. Nearly 35.22 lakh 'precaution doses' have been administered in the state so far. Strengthening its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Uttar Pradesh government is providing the vaccination cover to all children between 12 to 17 years of age in a time-bound manner. So far, over 2,60,80,643 vaccine doses have been administered to children in the age group of 15-17 and over 1,37,51,108 vaccine doses have been administered to the children in the age group of 12-14 in the state. According to the latest figures on CoWin, Uttar Pradesh has administered 17.54 crore first doses of the vaccine so far. Just a few days after crossing the 32 crore dose milestone, Uttar Pradesh has also inched closer to crossing 34 crore Covid-19 vaccine shots. This will be another major landmark as the state continues to conduct one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the country. Aggressive vaccination is an integral part of the comprehensive strategy of the Yogi-led Uttar Pradesh government to contain the pandemic, along with adherence to Covid- appropriate behaviour. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2022 03:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Meghalaya BSF troops y'day seized medicines, cosmetics, clothing items worth more than Rs 20 lakh on different locations of International Border which were being smuggled to Bangladesh. A Bangladesh national was also apprehended by BSF for illegally carrying cosmetics from India pic.twitter.com/WVBlpWtx2b ANI (@ANI) June 26, 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.) Reviewed the full range of the India-Argentina friendship during the very productive meeting with President @alferdez in Munich. Stronger cooperation between our nations will greatly benefit our people. pic.twitter.com/bBe32Wg850 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 26, 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.) London, June 26: The recent race for space tourism by Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX with several rocket launches is causing a bad effect on climate and increasingly contributing to global warming, according to a study. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that black carbon (soot) particles emitted by rockets are almost 500 times more efficient at holding heat in the atmosphere than all other sources of soot combined (surface and aircraft) - resulting in an enhanced climate effect. Richard Branson-Jeff Bezos Space Tourism Race Begins, World on the Edge While the study revealed that the current loss of total ozone due to rockets is small, current growth trends around space tourism indicate potential for future depletion of the upper stratospheric ozone layer in the Arctic in spring. This is because pollutants from solid-fuel rockets and re-entry heating of returning spacecraft and debris are particularly harmful to stratospheric ozone, according to the findings published in the journal Earth's Future. "Rocket launches are routinely compared to greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from the aircraft industry, which we demonstrate in our work is erroneous," said Dr. Eloise Marais from UCL. "Soot particles from rocket launches have a much larger climate effect than aircraft and other Earth-bound sources, so there doesn't need to be as many rocket launches as international flights to have a similar impact. What we really need now is a discussion amongst experts on the best strategy for regulating this rapidly growing industry," Marais added. To calculate the findings, the researchers collected information on the chemicals from all 103 rocket launches in 2019 from across the world, as well as data on reusable rocket and space junk re-entry; and the recent demonstrations by space tourism entrepreneurs Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX and proposed yearly offerings of at least daily launches by Virgin Galactic. These data were then incorporated into a 3D atmospheric chemistry model to explore the impact on climate and the ozone layer. The team showed that warming due to soot is 3.9 mW m-2 from a decade of contemporary rockets, dominated by emissions from kerosene-fuelled rockets. However, this more than doubles (7.9 mW m-2) after just three years of additional emissions from space tourism launches, due to the use of kerosene by SpaceX and hybrid synthetic rubber fuels by Virgin Galactic. Under a scenario of daily or weekly space tourism rocket launches, the impact on the stratospheric ozone layer threatens to undermine the recovery experienced after the successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol -- adopted in 1987, the global ban on substances that deplete the ozone layer. The study calls for immediate mitigation practices to regulate the environmental impact of the space launch industry to minimise harm to the stratospheric ozone layer and climate. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2022 03:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). During the first two decades of the 20th Century, there was a great deal of talk in the United States of such subjects as race suicide, the decline of Western civilization and the Yellow Peril. As a number of influential authors observed, the birth rate was declining in all Western nations. If this trend was not reversed, they warned, the inhabitants of Western Europe and the United States were likely to find themselves overwhelmed by peoples who were breeding more vigorously. The theme was one that President Theodore Roosevelt returned to again and again. He repeatedly warned the American people of the race decadence that would be an inevitable consequence of a low birth rate. If marriages did not produce an average of four children, he said, then the Germans or the Slavs would eventually achieve world dominance. Others thought that the rapidly increasing Asians posed the greatest threat. For example, the novelist Jack London believed that it was the Chinese who should be feared. According to London, they would be led by the Japanese, who had ruling and organizing capacities that the Chinese lacked. These ideas are apparently not so outmoded as one might think. In his new book, The Birth Dearth, syndicated columnist Ben J. Wattenberg issues warnings that are barely distinguishable from those of Roosevelt and London. For the last several decades, Wattenberg says, fertility rates have been falling in all Western countries. If we do not do something to reverse this trend, he warns, we are likely to lose our dominant position in the world to the Soviets and the peoples of the Third World. During the last 15 years, the author says, fertility rates in Western countries have been so low that the number of children being born is not sufficient to maintain present population levels. In order to maintain a population, each woman must bear an average of 2.1 children. But the average American woman now has only 1.8 offspring. In some Western countries, the fertility rate is even lower. For example, it is only 1.3 in West Germany. Advertisement Even though there is a widespread birth dearth, the populations of Western nations are still increasing. But this is simply a consequence of the fact that the members of the baby boom generation are currently of childbearing age. If present trends continue, the author says, the total population of the western democratic industrial nations will have begun to decline in 30 years. On the other hand, Wattenberg warns, the populations of the Soviet Union and other Communist nations will continue to grow rapidly. So will the population of the Third World. The fertility rate in the Communist bloc is 28% higher than that in the United States. Third-World birth rates are higher yet. Wattenberg estimates that, if present trends continue, the Soviet Union will have a population that exceeds that of the United States by 30% in 2065. Comparisons between the West and the Third World are even more dramatic. In 1950, he says, Westerners made up 22% of the world population. But today they constitute only 15%. By 2035, the figure will be no more than 8%. The consequences of this may be disastrous, the author says. As populations decline, Western cultural influence in the Third World will inevitably lessen. Our ideals will no longer be admired. Our political system will no longer be imitated. We will no longer be in a position to export our art and literature. Television audiences in Algeria may even cease to watch Dallas. In fact, the Third World could eventually become dominant and erode our culture. In other words, there may really be a Yellow Peril after all, even though it might not take the form that London and other early 20th-Century authors envisioned. According to Wattenberg, the most serious consequence of falling population may be a decline in military power. As he points out, military technology has become expensive indeed. It now costs almost $3 billion to build a heavy aircraft carrier, and the Star Wars project is likely to cost a trillion. Obviously, large populations of taxpayers are needed to support present-day military establishments. It never seems to occur to the author that there might be anything unreasonable about spending so much money on a missile defense system that probably wouldnt even work, or on huge ships that would only be vulnerable targets in wartime. But I suppose we cant really blame him for that. After all, the theme of the book isnt military expenditure. The Birth Dearth is a fascinating and frightening book. When I read an author who maintains that Western cultural dominance of the Third World is wholly beneficial, who urges that we breed more prolifically so that we can continue to increase our already huge military expenditures, I cant help experiencing a sudden chill. Fortunately there are humorous passages in the book. If there were not, my mounting feeling of horror might have prevented me from finishing it. The only trouble is that this humor is sometimes unintentional. For example, at one point, the author informs us that there will be much personal misery . . . if fertility is so low that four grandparents must share one grandchild, and if lots of grandparents dont have grandchildren. I must say that I, too, would hate to live in a world in which grandparents had no grandchildren. It would be nearly as bad as one in which there were parents who had no children. Brazil is known for its globally famous celebration, Carnaval, and for its rainforests, beaches, and city life. Aside from the modern ways in Rio De Janeiro and Brasilia, Brazil is also home to Brazilian society that includes people of indigenous groups, Portuguese, European, and African ancestries. Brazil is considered the world's fifth-largest country in geographical expanse and the largest nation in Latin America, which covers slightly under half the land mass of the South American continent. It also shares a border with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. READ NEXT: Taste of Nicaragua: Traditional Nicaraguan Dishes You Must Try While in the Country People and Language in Brazil According to Every Culture, almost all Brazilians speak Portuguese, a Romance language belonging to the Indo-European language family. It was first introduced to the country by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. Before the arrival of the Portuguese, the native population spoke languages such as Arawakan, Ge, Carib, and Tupi-Guarani. Tupi-Gurani was spoken by coastal Indians, who were the first to come into extensive contact with the Portuguese. On the other hand, Brazilians' family ties, immediate and extended, generally remain stronger than in western Europe and North America. Family members customarily live in relatively close proximity to one another, holding frequent reunions or gathering at a family farm or ranch on weekends and holidays. Various members of an extended family may occupy the same dwelling in the favelas due to economic pressures or family tradition. Festivals and Celebrations in Brazil The world's biggest and most famous carnival takes place in Rio de Janeiro every February. According to Veloso, Rio Carnival is considered a fiercely contested competition between professional samba schools. Enormous floats form the centerpieces of the parades, usually surrounded by Cariocas in colorful costumes while dancing to the beat of live samba music. Semana Santa is also observed in Brazil every Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It is considered to be the most important Catholic event on the calendar for many countries. The celebration tells the story of the Passion of Christ as he passes through different stages of his life and death. The best place to attend Semana Santa in Brazil is Ouro Preto, having the largest of the historic cities of the Minais Gerais region linked with the Brazilian Gold Rush era. Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo is also a highly anticipated event, which usually starts in early or mid-November. The country's love for Formula One has been influenced by the past success of multiple world champions, namely Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, and Ayrton Senna. Brazil's History According to Britannica, Europeans explored the Brazilian coastline only after mapping parts of the Caribbean Sea and the northeastern coast of South America. In 1498, the Portuguese Vasco da Gama discovered an all-water route to the Indies and the Spice Islands. Archaeological sites near the Amazonian towns of Santarem and Monte Alegre showed that the region had been inhabited since at least 9000 BC. Between two million and six million indigenous Indians lived in the region at the time of European contact in 1500. READ MORE: Travel in Brazil Amid Pandemic: Here Are Things You Should Be Aware of Before Visiting the Latin American Country This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Brazil: History, Geography, Economy & Culture - From Geodiode A retired Army officer allegedly shot his father and brother dead after an argument with them over property issues. The incident took place at Dhandhari village in Kaptanganj area of Azamgarh district on Wednesday night. The accused was identified as Manoj Kumar Singh (45) and the deceased as Shivnarayan (70), and Manish Singh (30). According to reports, Manoj asked his father, Shivnarayan, about their property and the money they received from farming. However, the discussion soon turned into a heated argument. While Shivnarayan and Manoj were having a heated argument, Manish also reached the spot. On seeing him, Manoj suddenly took out his licensed pistol and shot his father dead. When Shivnarayan fell to the ground, Manish tried to nab Manoj but he fired at his brother also. Hearing the gunshots, his aunt Avadhraji (65) tried to catch Manoj but he hit her with a stick and fled the spot. A few hours later, Manoj reached the Kaptanganj police station with his licensed pistol and surrendered himself, a senior police officer said. Circle Officer, Azamgarh, Lalta Prasad, said Manoj had been arrested and further investigation was underway. A senior police officer of Kaptanganj police station said that during preliminary inquiry, it came to light that Avadhraji had adopted Manish when he was six years old. "After returning home on retirement, Manoj had been trying to convince his father not to give their property shares to Manish as he would inherit Avadhraji's property. However, Shivnarayan was adamant about giving Manish a share of the family property and this led to the dispute and the killing," the police officer added. In Unnao, a young man killed his grandfather by slitting his neck with a shovel. According to police, the accused killed his grandfather over a property dispute. The deceased was identified as Anantu, a 70-year-old man, who was lying outside his house on Wednesday evening when the accused, identified as Umesh Yadav (24), attacked him. On hearing the old man's scream, Umesh Yadav's mother came outside and saw her son killing his grandfather. Umesh fled from the spot after the crime. Anantu did not have any children. Many years ago his wife passed away. Since then, he used to live at his brother's house. Umesh was angry with his grandfather over some property issues. The police registered a complaint against the accused. A police team has been formed to nab Yadav. Further investigations are on. In Etawah, a 55-year-old seer was murdered near Barauli Kala village, police said on Thursday. Ramji, a resident of Sakrava village in Kannauj district, was living in a hut at a temple, about one kilometre away from Barauli Kala village. The sadhu was murdered by unknown people on Wednesday night, Saifai police station in-charge Muhammad Tariq said. The killers used sharp-edged weapons to slit his throat, he said, adding that further investigations were on. In Pratapgarh, a constable was allegedly lynched by three of his associates in Kunda locality. Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Rahul Mishra said on Thursday that Sanjay Yadav (29), a police constable posted in Chhattisgarh, had come to his house in Maheshganj on leave these days and late on Wednesday night he along with his associates Kuldeep Yadav, Premchand and Pintu. Kunda had gone to town. He said that the three ate food and drank alcohol at a dhaba near a petrol pump. During this, there was a dispute between them about something and the three companions beat Sanjay Yadav with sticks and left him in a drain in an injured condition. Mishra said that on receiving information, the police reached the spot and took the seriously injured constable out of the drain and rushed him to the local hospital, where the doctors pronounced him dead. He said that on the complaint of the family, the police registered a case of murder against the three associates of Sanjay Yadav and took them into custody. Further investigations are on. A Syrian man did a u-turn at the M7 toll and drove in the wrong direction on the motorway on his first journey on his Irish licence, a court was told. Yaser Almulhelm, 26, Eroc Abbeyfield Hotel, Ballaghaderren, Co Roscommon appeared at Portlaoise District Court charged with dangerous driving, which was reduced down to a careless driving charge on a plea. Sgt Mark Daly said the man approached the toll booth and did a u-turn and drove a short distance back at the Toll Plaza, Mountrath on August 28, 2021. This is the M7 Motorway? asked Judge Patricia Cronin. She asked Sgt Daly if he was taking a u-turn on the Motorway and driving back in the wrong direction? Sgt Daly said he believed it was a short distance back where the motorway widens for the toll and he said he didnt get in second or third gear. It was quiet at the time. There was only one car in the vicinity, he said. Weighing up whether it was dangerous or careless driving, Judge Cronin described it as very much borderline if somebody does a u-turn on the motorway. However, she accepted that the incident took place on the wide approach to the toll and accepted a careless driving charge in place of the dangerous driving. Barrister Suzanne Dooner said her client had been in Ireland for the past two and a half years and was resident in the refugee centre in Ballaghaderreen. She said he had gone to visit a family member in Tipperary and it was his first journey on his Irish licence. She said the incident occurred at 1am when he was returning home and he didnt have the toll fare and was unsure what to do. Ms Dooner said her client has a licence and insurance. She said his wife, who doesnt drive, had a hospital appointment and he had been driving back to take her there. On hearing all of the evidence, Judge Cronin fined the man 250. The Office of the Inspector of Prisons is set to be give a wider remit with new laws on the way to bolster its powers to inspect jails and other places of detention. The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee has received Government approval to publish the General Scheme of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill. The Department of Justice says the bill will provide for the designation of National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) that will act as national inspection bodies of places of detention in the State. A statement said the establishment or designation of a NPM is necessary to allow Ireland to ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) which it is claimed provides an oversight mechanism which assists States in preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment in places of detention. The Department says the approach proposed in the General Scheme is to expand the existing statutory role of the Inspector of Prisons to become a Chief Inspector of Places of Detention. The Chief Inspector will be designated as the NPM not just for prisons but for relevant places of detention within the whole justice sector, including detention in Garda stations, court holding cells and in vehicles transporting persons between places of detention. A statement added that the bill will also strengthen and update the statutory basis in place for the Inspector of Prisons. Minister McEntee said she was delighted to publish the General Scheme. "This is a major piece of work which will further strengthen Irelands commitment to the highest international standards in this area of human rights. This legislation will help ensure that detention conditions and wellbeing of any persons deprived of liberty are maintained in accordance with recognised international standards. "The proposed approach of expanding the remit of the Inspector of Prisons to become an Inspector of Places of Detention will allow for the existing structure and expertise to be retained and applied to other places of detention in the justice sector which have not, to date, had the benefit of such oversight, she said. A statement said the establishment of statutory NPMs will have the effect of setting standards which will be subject to international inspection and monitoring and will ensure that all places of detention in the State consistently meet recognised standards. The Department said it is important to note that places of detention are not limited to those in the criminal justice sector. This Bill will enable other Ministers to designate national preventive mechanisms for places of detention outside the justice sector and within their own remit. It is intended that IHREC will become a co-ordinating National Preventive Mechanism, co-ordinating the activities of NPMs and maintaining effective liaison with the UN oversight body the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT). Minister McEntee spoke about the valuable input from civil society in relation to the development of these new proposals. In developing these legislative proposals, my Department consulted with various organisations and experts with policy or operational responsibility for inspection arrangements across the range of the potential NPM regime provided for in OPCAT. These consultations indicated broad support for the proposed approach of an expanded role for the Office of the Inspector of Prisons as the NPM for the justice sector and for the designation of IHREC as a co-ordinating NPM for Ireland Ratification of OPCAT and the enactment of this legislation will allow for more rigorous standards in inspecting places of detention in this State. Both international and national inspection bodies (the NPMs) will be facilitated with unfettered access to facilities, information and engagement with those deprived of their liberty and people working in places of detention. The ratification of OPCAT and establishment or designation of NPMs will strengthen Irelands commitment to upholding human rights and provides an opportunity to improve conditions and enhance safeguards against ill treatment across all places of detention. The General Scheme can be found at https://www.justice.ie/en/ JELR/Draft-General-Scheme-of- Inspection-of-Places-of- Detention-Bill-June-2022.pdf/ Files/Draft-General-Scheme-of- Inspection-of-Places-of- Detention-Bill-June-2022.pdf Ireland ratified the UN Convention against Torture in 2002. The Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) was agreed by the UN General Assembly in 2002, introducing a combined system of national and international monitoring of places of detention with a view to preventing ill-treatment and torture in places of detention. Ireland signed the OPCAT in October 2007 On June 16, 1922, the people of the new Irish Free State went to the polls to choose, for the first time, a government independent of British influence. The first Irish General Election was notable for many other reasons. It was the first election to be held on the Proportional Representation system and was the first time that the Labour Party competed in a general election. It was also the first election to be contested by two major political parties destined to dominate Irish politics for the next 100 years, although under different names. The election was also notable for a pact between Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera, representing the pro- and anti-treaty factions of Sinn Fein, respectively. Bitterness over the Treaty was growing day by day and the prospect of facing an intimidating election campaign was daunting for all sitting TDs who had been returned largely unopposed in 1918 and 1921. On May 20, 1922, Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera reached an agreement on the holding of an election and the make-up of a future Irish government based on each partys existing strength. They agreed that after the election, a coalition government sharing power would be established. Both sides would contest the elections under a shared Sinn Fein banner relative to their existing strength in the Dail and call on the electorate to vote only for pro- or anti-Treaty candidates and ignore the bread-and-butter-issues. Why you should vote for the National Panel, their election material stated: National interests are greater than Class interests Ireland over all. Not everyone was informed of the pact, and it caught members of the Provisional Government as well as the British government by surprise. (The Provisional Government was an emergency government formed for the administration of southern Ireland after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.) Collins had not consulted them in any detail about his arrangement with de Valera and President Arthur Griffith was enraged when he learned of the pact it was undemocratic, Griffith railed. Arthur Griffith The British were also displeased, especially Winston Churchill who vehemently opposed the pact on the basis that it might result in an Irish government not fully committed to the Treaty. The country was divided into 26 constituencies designed to return 128 TDs. These constituencies had originally been designated to the Southern Ireland House of Commons in the Government of Ireland Act of 1920. The old two-seat constituencies of Kildare North and Kildare South were incorporated into Kildare-Wicklow with five seats. Nominations closed on June 6, 1922, with 65 pro-Treaty candidates and 57 anti-Treaty candidates. The Labour Party fielded 18 candidates; Independents fielded 21, while the Farmers and Ratepayers Party put forward 13 candidates. Some candidates withdrew due to intimidation. The Kilkenny home of Denis Gorey, leader of the Farmers Party, was attacked but he refused to stand down in his Carlow-Kilkenny constituency. Sinn Fein was of the view that candidates from the smaller parties had no right to stand because they were not veterans of the Easter Rising or War of Independence. In the Kildare-Wicklow constituency the five outgoing TDs (four anti-Treaty and one pro-Treaty) were joined by five additional candidates three Farmers Party and two Labour Party. The National Panel outgoing Sinn Fein TDs were: Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Art OConnor (Kildare), Robert Barton, Erskine Childers and Christopher M. Byrne (Wicklow). Hugh Colohan (Kildare) and James Everett (Wicklow) stood for Labour, while John James Bergin and Patrick Phelan (Kildare) and Richard Wilson (Wicklow) ran for the Farmers Party. The Kildare constituency register had 29,591 voters, while Wicklow had 29,440 bringing the total to over 59,000 voters. The Collins-de Valera pact was generally adhered to by both wings of Sinn Fein except in Monaghan where Eoin ODuffy and Ernest Blythe openly campaigned on accepting the Treaty. However, when Michael Collins urged Cork voters to vote for the candidates you think best of, it was interpreted as an invitation by him to repudiate the election pact. On June 14, Eamon de Valera spoke at Athy and Kildare town where many of the new Civic Guards were among the spectators. An estimated 3,000 attended a meeting in Naas where addresses were delivered by Eamon de Valera, Harry Boland, Austin Stack, Robert Barton, Eamon Aylward, Domhnall Ua Buachalla and Art OConnor. On June 16, the Irish people went to the polls. There was some intimidation, but less violence than expected. Except for Castledermot and Monasterevin, perfect order prevailed, and the election was fought in an agreeable manner. In Monasterevin, a disagreement between pro- and anti-Treaty forces forced the polling booths to remain closed until 3pm, by which time most of the farmers who had come to vote at the polling station had returned home. Castledermot Sinn Fein Hall, which was being used as election rooms for the Sinn Fein panel candidates, had earlier being occupied by four anti-Treaty republicans. National troops, under Brigade-Adjt Lillis, arrived in Castledermot on election duty and in an ensuing skirmish at the hall anti-Treaty Volunteer Thomas Dunne, was mortally wounded by a bullet from a revolver allegedly discharged accidentally. Three shots were fired, two accidentally, according to Capt F Lawler, who fired the fatal shot. The election count took place in the Agricultural Buildings, Basin Street, Naas. Five seats were returned for Kildare-Wicklow constituency with total votes of 34,514: Christopher Byrne, pro-Treaty (9,170); Robert Barton, anti-Treaty (6,568); Hugh Colohan (6,522) and James Everett (5,993), Labour; Richard Wilson (6,261), Farmers and Ratepayers Party. Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Art OConnor and Erskine Childers lost their seats. Results were not announced until June 24, and there was no doubting the wishes of the Irish people. They voted overwhelmingly for peace. Despite the Collins/de Valera Pact stating the general election was not to be decided on the issue of the Treaty, the pro-Treaty Sinn Fein party won, with 239,193 votes to 133,864 for anti-Treaty Sinn Fein. A further 247,226 people voted for other parties, all of whom supported the Treaty (except the Unionist Party). The total result was: pro-Treaty Sinn Fein 58, anti-Treaty Sinn Fein 36, Labour 17, Farmers and Ratepayers Party 7, Independents 10. While the pro-Treaty party was the strongest, it did not have a majority, so the anti-Treaty party held that the outcome should be a coalition government. However, events soon overcame them. At the Third IRA Convention, held in Dublin, on June 18, a proposal by Tom Barry to restart hostilities with the British was narrowly defeated in the face of opposition by Liam Lynch. Rory OConnor and Liam Mellows led a walk out from the convention. About half the delegates reconvened in the Four Courts, which had been occupied by an anti-Treaty force in April, and replaced Liam Lynch with Joe McKelvey as chief of staff. In Kildare Thomas Daly, president of the disgruntled faction of Civic Guards stationed in Kildare Barracks known as the Mens Committee, met a force of anti-Treaty men from Dublin outside Kildare Town who accompanied him to the barracks. They gained entrance using the password, tied up the guards on duty and commandeered 167 rifles and 243 revolvers, and ammunition. A small number of disgruntled Civic Guards joined the anti-Treaty IRA men and went to the Four Courts, Dublin. Most of the guards remained in the depot and loyal to the Provisional Government. On June 22, Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson, who had been official adviser to the Stormont Minister of Home Affairs on organisation and control of the Ulster Special Constabulary, was assassinated outside his home in London. Two members of London Battalion IRA, Reginald Dunne and Joseph OSullivan, were later hanged for his murder. Winston Churchill assumed that the anti-Treaty Four Courts garrison was responsible and warned Collins that if he did not act against them, British troops would be used to re-take the Four Courts. When republicans from the Four Courts garrison arrested General J. J. OConnell, deputy chief of staff of the National Army, the Provisional Government was left with little choice. A decision was made to clear the Four Courts, an act that ignited the flames of civil war. James Durney is a historian in the Local Studies, Genealogy and Archives section, Kildare Library and Arts Service A local councillor has suggested that the former Red House Hotel between Naas and Newbridge should be developed into accommodation to ease the local housing crisis. Cllr Noel Heavey made his call at the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal Meeting which was held in Aras Chill Dara in Naas on June 15. The politician said the building should become a suitable functioning residence as part of the solution to the current housing emergency in the local Municipal District in light of the agreed national policy to restore vacant and derelict buildings for accommodation purposes. Kildare County Council said: This property is currently in private ownership and would require the agreement of the owners to bringing forward the building as a functioning residence which would be suitable to purpose set out. No documentation is in existence in the Housing Department precluding the building being brought forward for this purpose but it is likely that significant analysis and works may be required. The council also said it has identified the sprawling property on the R445 as a possible location for refugees in a submission to Government departments in relation to the provision of accommodation. Officials added that a detailed assessment of the property in terms of its suitability would have to be carried. Sources of funding to pay for any improvements of the building would also have to be identified. Last year the property was designated a derelict site by the council. The Environment Section of the local authority has also given notice that the site has been entered in the Derelict Sites register. In February 2005, a massive fire caused extensive damage to the landmark building. County Limerick company Blockstar Ltd acquired the Red House site from NAMA in 2014. Blockstar Ltd, which was established in 2008 and is registered in Kilmallock, is involved in the civil engineering and construction sector. Plans for a massive 15m film studio at the derelict site were withdrawn by the developer in 2017. That application had also included a 65-bedroom hotel, a 162-bed nursing home and a media school. In 2019, plans were lodged for a new roundabout to provide a new access point to the Red House Hotel and adjoining properties. The plans also allowed for the provision of a 2.5m pedestrian and cyclist lane to the south of the proposed roundabout. The expert tips for the final day of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby festival from Fran Berry and Ruby Walsh. The second race at 2:10, the Airlie Stud Stakes first on the lads agenda to mention and all of the panel were high on the quality of this six furlong race but Ruby kicked it off and reckons it will be hard to look past Aidan OBriens odds on favourite Statuette. But called the race one for horse racing lovers. Fran Berry was hesitant to recommend anything beyond the favourite but complemented many of the other runners. But it looks like Stauettes to lose in this one. 2:40 Its another six furlong trip up next with Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes Handicap. Ruby is out of action for this one as his choice Goodnight Girl who he predicted to run well in the soft has been withdrawn. Fran fancied the favourite Heavenly Power ridden by Conor Hoban and he reckons this horse has come on a lot and should take him victory in this one. 3:10 Frans first runner to mention was 16-1 shot Laugh a Minute who could run a big race in this one, but the two to handicappers to the forefront of his mind in this one were Additional trained by Sarah Lynam at 5-1 and Alligator Alley formerly trained by Joseph OBrien and now by David OMeara which sits at 6-1. A wide open race in regards to betting. The experts paid mention to the English that usually have success on Irish soil in these handicaps although that has dwindled in recent years. Ruby, although he was unaware at the time, opted for the favourite at the time of writing 9-2 shot Erosandpsyche. Ruby cited the horses higher draw for this one, especially if it rains. 3:45, The big race The big race on the final day of the Curragh, the Group 1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes. The general consensus was that this one is a cracker race and displays a nice blend of Irish versus English horses. La Petite Coco was the favourite early in the week but has since drifted to third in the betting at 5-1. The current top two in the betting are both trained by Englishman William Haggas with My Astra and Purplepay who sit at 3-1 and 10-3 respectively. But its My Astra who is Fran Berrys choice for this one. Ruby stayed away from all the aforementioned picks and discussion and opted for Concert Hall. The three-year old is trained by Aidan OBrien and ridden by Ryan Moore. Ruby reckon the mile and two furlongs will suit Concert hall and the filly currently sits at 11-2. 4:20 The Irish Stallion Farms EBF "Ragusa" Handicap and straight out of the gate not much love for Willie Mullins Berkshire Royal who Ruby described as having plenty of ability but has his problems and 22-1 price probably reflects that. Ruby has opted for Dancila and its a second time unlucky for the Kildare mans pick as Dancila has since been withdrawn. Frans choice was Michael Halford horse that is drawn in stall two for this one and that is Golden Twilight. Fran cited the horse's maiden win in Dundalk, a track where he has won on two occasions. 16-1 shot that could be worth a go each way according to our expert. The Barpali police have busted an inter-district robbery gang and arrested three dacoits. They were identified as Akshay Mahananda, Gupe alias Purnachandra Sahu and Bishwanath Mahananda of Bandhapali village in the Barpali police station. A case has been registered against them at Barpali police station under Section 395 IPC. The other three suspects in the gang have absconded, police said. At a Press meet at Barpali, Bargarh SDPO Deepak Kumar Gochayat informed that Yogeshwar Patel of Guderpalli village, Melchhamunda police station, was returning home from Rampur, Subarnapur district at around 7 pm on June 20 when on the way, three dacoits waylaid him near the Bandhpalli bridge. They terrorized him at knife point and later fled the scene snatching his bike and mobile. The police had registered a case at Barpali police station and were investigating the case. On Thursday, Akshay and Gupe were arrested and the bike was seized from them. Bishwanath was arrested on Friday. Efforts are underway to arrest the absconders, SDPO Gochayat said. There is a robbery case at Bijapur police station and three robbery cases at Rampur police station against Akshay, a professional criminal. Barpali police IIC Rosalyn Patel was present at the Press meet. Proud And Regal looked a horse with a bright future in winning on his debut at the Curragh. Sent off at 16-1 for the Barronstown Stud Irish EBF over seven furlongs, Killian Leonards mount had a nice early position and while he was niggled along a touch three out, once he entered the final furlong he stayed on particularly strongly. The Donnacha OBrien-trained Galileo colt was always holding Tiverton in the closing stages, to triumph by three-quarters of a length. Donnacha OBrien has a nice horse on his hands I thought he was a nice horse, but he was kind of sleeping at home. Hes quite green and I said Id give him a run and hed improve a lot for it, said OBrien. We knew he had ability and its nice to see him going and doing that. Hes not a horse Ive absolutely drilled at home, hes a Galileo and you like to take them along slowly. In fairness to him he did well today. Well take him back and have a look at the programme, but Id imagine hell go to stakes company next. Piz Badile did not let himself down in the Irish Derby OBrien also had news of his Irish Derby runner-up Piz Badile, who left a below-par Epsom effort behind in proving best of the rest behind the impressive Westover. Hes very good and came out of it perfect. It was a great run and it was nice to see him bounce back after a disappointing effort at Epsom, OBrien said. Obviously the winner was very good, but it was a good run. Hes got plenty of options and we havent decided anything yet. I have to speak to the owners and well come up with a plan. Hes the kind of horse, as he strengthens, youd be able to think about stepping him back to 10 (furlongs). I think 10 or 12 is no problem to him. Ano Syra landed a significant pot in winning the five-furlong Paddy Power Rockingham Handicap, prevailing by half a length at 9-2 for trainer John Feane and apprentice jockey Jamie Powell. Ano Syra (9-2) makes light work of testing conditions to win the Paddy Power Rockingham Handicap @curraghrace A double on the day for @JamiePoweII and another big prize for @johnfeaneracing pic.twitter.com/z7jNgV6Dn1 Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 26, 2022 Jamie has ridden five winners for me now from eight rides with two seconds and a fourth. Hes doing well for me at the moment anyway, said Feane. We got her before Christmas, Charlotte and James (Musgrave, owners) were kind enough to send her to us, and shes kept improving. In fairness to Kevin Manning hes done a lot of work with her as well. We thought shed get a bit of black type in the future and wed plot a course through the year with her. We were a little bit worried about the ground but she was brave, she has a big heart. I know she had a light weight, but she was a three-year-old taking on older sprinters. She travelled really well and shes just a good filly. With just a few weeks until the opening, the line-up for Boyle Arts Festival 2022 is complete and the official programme will be published very shortly. With almost 50 events, including an impressive mix of live music, visual art, drama, comedy, interviews, workshops, storytelling, childrens events, poetry, science, readings, presentations and much more, Boyle Arts Festival is back with a bang! After three years, the festival is back in the regular venues again and tickets for the majority of the events are now on sale through www.boylearts.com The festival will be officially opened by Hilary Beirne on Thursday, July 14 and it will continue until Saturday, July 23. Some of the big names to watch out for in the live music genre include Soda Blonde, Something Happens, Lisa Lambe, The Lost Brothers, The Swing Cats, Matteo Cullen & Friends, Mules & Men and The Men Who Knew Too Much along with live shows from local bands The Flies, The Regulars, Adam Daly and a showcase of the best young local musical talent by Music Generation. The classical music programme will include performances by the Wolfgang Ensemble with violinist Lynda OConnor, concerts with The Three Tenors, mezzo soprano Sharon Carty with pianist Jonathan Ware, along with the acclaimed series of lunchtime and coffee concerts featuring junior pianists Lenny Chen, Tiantian Gao, Ai Lin Sun and Mickey Glen Tomas, violinist Phoebe Pan, harpist Kara Lord Bisset, soprano Blathnaid Nicholson, tenor Stephen Walker and guitarist Fraser Newton. The second annual King House Piano Commission was awarded to composer Ronan Guilfoyle and he will be joined by Conor Linehan, Phil Robson and Matthew Berrill for the premiere of Rath Cruachan, a five part suite in King House on Monday, July 18. The headline traditional music concert will feature Mike McGoldrick, John Carty, Michael McCague and Matt Griffin for a special performance in St Josephs Hall on July 15. Celtic Tenors King House will as always, house the centrepiece of Boyle Arts Festival - the main Visual Exhibition. Curated by Paul McKenna, the theme this year is Past, Present & Future and it features almost 100 of the very best artists from all over Ireland. Several other exhibitions will also be held there during the festival. Watch out for spoken word events with Carole Coleman, Hilary Beirne, Julian Vignoles, Brian Leyden, Una Mannion, Gerry Boland, A Naggin of Knowledge, local interest readings, lectures, book launches and guided tours with Dr Eve Campbell, Oliver Fallon, John Mulligan, Charlie McGettigan and Tony Conboy. There will be outrageous comedy from Sharon Mannion and Ian Coppinger and Beezneez Theatre Company. For children there will be art workshops, a opening parade, circus, storytelling and lots more. For more info visit www.boylearts.com The protective fence around the immaculate headquarters of the highest judicial body in the United States of America in Washington, D.C., is a clear indication of the danger that threatens it: The Supreme court risks cutting itself off from the country by way of ideological drift. In two rulings handed down on June 23 and 24, the conservative justices of the nine-member Supreme Court upheld two tenets of the religious right: the uncompromising defense of firearms in the name of a freedom that should know no bounds; and the tireless fight against the right of women to control their own bodies. These two obsessions are shared by only a minority of their fellow citizens, but the justices ignored the advice of the constitutional scholar John Freund, who once said the Supreme Court judges "should never be influenced by the weather of the day but inevitably they will be influenced by the climate of the era." They overturned both a gun restriction law that had been in place in New York State for more than a century and the famous Roe v. Wade decision, upheld in 1992, that had protected abortion rights since 1973. An earlier call for moderation by the conservative president of the court, chief justice John Roberts was unheeded. By giving the states the power to legislate in the area of abortion rights while restricting them in matters of gun control, the judges have displayed a loyalty to one side that outweighs all other considerations. One of them, Clarence Thomas, further fueled concern by questioning the constitutional protection of contraception, same-sex sexual relations, and gay marriage in the name of an outdated moral order. This devastating epilogue for the image of the United States is the product of the tyranny of a minority enabled by an electoral system outrageously favorable to the most conservative states. It allowed a president who was widely defeated in the popular vote, Donald Trump, to nominate three judges selected by a lobby, and then to see their nominations upheld by a Senate that is a distorted reflection of the country. It is difficult to grasp the anti-abortion ruling of judge Samuel Alito when he compares this reversal of precedent to the decision that ended racial segregation. The June 24 ruling does not establish a new right, it abolishes one. It includes an assertion that abortion is not "deeply rooted in the history and traditions of the nation." Also, in a bid to clear obstacles to their nomination, two of Donald Trump's appointees had assured lawmakers during their Senate confirmation that they considered Roe v. Wade an immutable precedent. To preserve its own essential legitimacy, the Supreme Court should have kept its distance from the deadly polarization that is dividing the United States ever more deeply. The consent of its citizens constitutes far greater protection than that afforded by the tenure of judges appointed for life. By failing to respect its duty of reserve, the Supreme Court is inflaming passions. Its members are already under police protection since a gunman planned to kill one of the conservative justices after the first version of the anti-abortion decision was leaked he eventually preemptively surrendered to the police. We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback In the heart of the federal capital, whose Congress was besieged on January 6, 2021 by a horde contesting the result of the presidential election, the Supreme Court is now itself under siege as a sad reminder of the collapse of American democracy. Le Monde Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version. VISUALLY impaired children and teenagers in Limerick will hit new heights of bravery as they abseil down one of Munster's most iconic venues for fun. The event, which will take place at Thomond Park Stadium on Saturday, July 2, will see young service users between 12-14 take on the challenge in support of Irelands leading sight loss agency. The National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) is hosting the family day out, as part of their RISE project, which is supported by the Toy Show Appeal. Nothing like this has ever been organised before for us, Jennifer Wilson, Rise Project Coordinator said. The aim, Jennifer stressed, is to champion social inclusion and hone in on family connection. Abseiling, team activities and a hot meal to finish is whats on the ballot for the day, with one family member each permitted to join the event, which take place between 10am to 1pm. Nevsail Watersports, a collaborator on the day, said that participants will get fantastic panoramic views of the iconic stadium, the River Shannon and of Limerick City before their descent. Most of all, they will get a huge sense of achievement and have been asked to bring their A game. Children and young adults who are blind or visually impaired often don't get the same opportunities as their peers who have no disability, Jennifer continued. The event will allow young adults to experience an activity that is both unique and exciting but often not accessible to them in regular circumstances. This will be a truly special experience that should not be missed, Jennifer concluded. For more information or to book a spot, contact: jennifer.wilson@ncbi.ie. METROPOLITAN councillors have agreed to lobby both Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and HSE boss Paul Reid to expand the Long Covid clinic in Limerick. University Hospital Limerick confirmed last month it would establish a clinic here, meaning patients would no longer have to travel to Galway or Waterford, which were previously the closest such facilities. Around one in 10 people develop Long Covid after initially contracting coronavirus. Long Covid is defined as when symptoms persist longer than 12 weeks after infection and are not due to another diagnosis. Speaking at this month's metropolitan meeting, Labour councillor Elena Secas saw a notice of motion passed which will now see members write to urge an increase in the clinic here. She said: "The health supports needed for those suffering are not in abundance or widely available. Only recently, one Long Covid sufferer was informed the care they were receiving from one of Ireland's only Long Covid clinics in St James in Dublin was due to be cut which is against the stated aim of the HSE Model of Care." "With Covid-19 cases rising again, many people are really struggling to get the care they need to cope with the breathing difficulties and the fatigue they experience. Research and reality show that Long Covid is actually worse than originally thought in that it can affect one's brain, cause brain fog, anxiety and depression," the City East councillor added. Her motion - which also called for the request to be brought to UHL - will be sent around to other councils across the country. It was Cllr Secas's party colleague, Cllr Conor Sheehan who formally seconded it. He said: "The vast majority of people with Long Covid are suffering in silence. Some people are so sick they need to learn how to sit up and walk again. We need to see the HSE plan for this." AS PART of a "Be a Lifesaver Road Safety" initiative, An Garda Siochana is set to commence a social media campaign, #SlowDown at 2pm on Monday in response to the rising number of fatalities on our roads. And to highlight the importance of slowing down and driving carefully. The aim of this campaign is to encourage all roads users to "modify their behaviour on our roads and to encourage all age groups to think about road safety and how they can influence the behaviours of others". In recent years, Ireland has reduced road deaths through a collective effort and "we all have a role to play in saving lives". Speaking this Sunday, Chief Superintendent Michael Hennebry, Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said: "So far this year, 83 people have already lost their lives on our roads. This is not just a number, these are people, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues." Chief Supt Hennebry asks people to "please reduce your speed in all circumstances, speed limits are not targets and we must change our driving culture and behaviours if we are to save the lives of those we love. "An Garda Siochana has a long history of working with communities and we are reaching out again to these communities to share this message about road safety on their social media platforms. Every loss of life on our roads has a heart-breaking impact on families and communities. "There is one thing that every driver can do to reduce collisions on our roads. Please #SlowDown," said Chief Supt Hennebry. The #Slowdown Campaign will run for one week from Monday, June 27 until Sunday, July 3 and will feature a number of well-known #SlowDown Ambassadors from around the country. Members of the public and the media are invited to follow along next week in order to help share this vital message..#SlowDown Follow An Garda Siochana's Facebook page, @gardatraffic on Twitter and gardainsta on Instagram from 2pm on Monday I made an online contribution to the national pension system (NPS) on 29 March but this was reflected in the NPS account statement only on 4 April, implying that the contribution is for the financial year (FY) 2022-23. Since my bank account was debited during FY2021-22, will I get income tax (I-T) exemption under section 80 for FY2021-22? Ravichandran As per provisions of the I-T Act of 1961, an individual employed by the Central Government (on or after 1 April 204)/any other employer or any other individual tax payer, who has paid or deposited any amount in his account during the financial year towards notified pension schemes (including NPS), shall be eligible for a deduction (up to specified amount) in the computation of income. Based on the literal reading of the provisions, it seems that the deduction may be allowed to the individual in the year in which the amount is paid or deposited by him into his NPS account. Accordingly, in your case, as the amounts have been paid/contributed into your NPS account on 29 March 2022, a deduction ought to be allowed for FY 2021-22. However, in the absence of any specific instructions/clarifications, this may be scrutinized by the tax authorities which may then need to be substantiated based on the above provisions and the proof of payment i.e., debit of the amount paid and contribution receipt generated for 29 March 2022. I am a central government employee and my taxable income falls under the basic exemption limit (less than 5 lakh). However, I have received 6,000 as prize money from my university for educational performance. How do I report this additional income? Name withheld on request Assuming that you are below 60 years of age, as per the provisions of the I-T Act 1961, the maximum amount not chargeable to tax (basic exemption limit) applicable in your case is 2.5 lakh. However, please note in the case of an individual being resident in India having taxable income up to 5 lakh, tax relief u/s 87A of the Act (up to 12,500) is available due to which no tax liability is required to be deposited if taxable income is up to 5 lakh. Since the prize money from the state university is not in the nature of any scholarships granted to meet the cost of education, the amount so received will be taxable in your hands as Income from other sources". If your total taxable income (including the prize money) does not exceed 5 lakh, then there will not be any tax liability. In case your total taxable income exceeds 5 lakh, relief u/s 87A will not be available and you would be required to pay the taxes as per the applicable slab rates (which would depend upon your choice of tax regime i.e. old tax regime or the new tax regime). In either of the scenarios, you shall be required to file a return of income, if taxable income exceeds 2.5 lakh. Parizad Sirwalla is partner and head, global mobility services, tax, KPMG in India. In Asia, faith-based schools may have an effect on the survival of patriarchal attitudes and norms in society, offsetting some of the benefits of expanded educational access for gender equality. In Asia, non-state faith-based schools have boosted girls' access to education, but at a price, according to the UNESCO-published worldwide education monitoring report on the topic of "deepening the discourse on those left behind". However, the UNESCO report advises against exaggerating any potential adverse consequences of faith-based schools. It was found that graduates of madrasas had fewer positive opinions toward women's higher education and working mothers, believed that wives' primary role was to raise children, believed that God determined the ideal number of children, and expressed a desire for large families. "Several decades ago gender disparity in education was high in many Muslim-majority countries in Asia. Significant progress to increase access and close gender gaps has since been achieved, in partnership with non-state faith-based providers. Rising enrolment of girls in madrasas helped relax social constraints on women's mobility in conservative rural areas where madrasas have been low-cost platforms to achieve universal education," the report stated. "Madrasas can also cancel out some of the positive impact on gender equality from increased education access. First, their curricula and textbooks may not be gender-inclusive, instead reinforcing traditional narratives on gender roles, as studies have shown in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Second, their teaching and learning practices such as gender segregation and gender-specific restrictions on social interactions may leave the impression that such gender-unequal practices are socially acceptable more broadly," it said. According to the report, the teachers may lack training to address gender issues and may act as negative models, for instance affecting students' attitudes to fertility. "Fourthly, the more traditional institutions may have restricted environments with limited exposure to progressive role models and media. Reproducing traditional gender norms discourages participation in further education and employment. What happens inside faith-based institutions has implications for the persistence of patriarchal norms and attitudes in society," it said. The report notes that there are many different types of non-state faith-based institutions with vastly-different educational offerings and financial backing, and that they frequently function in a complex institutional setting throughout Asia. "While madrasas generally follow a curriculum that promotes a religious way of life, the situation is far from uniform both within and between countries. Some countries integrate madrasas with the government curriculum while others stick to traditional models," it said. New research for the report, according to UNESCO specialists, examined data connecting faith-based schools, particularly the non-state kind, with advancement or stagnation of gender equality in their societies. "A study comparing female secondary school and madrasa graduates found that the latter held less favourable attitudes towards higher education for girls and working mothers, considered raising children to be wives' main responsibility, believed the optimal number of children was up to God and indicated a preference for large families. "Further analysis suggested that madrasa students, especially from unrecognized institutions, held less favourable attitudes about women and their abilities than did their peers in secular schools. Teachers in traditional madrasas were found to have a significantly larger families," it said. "It is very difficult to separate the impact of religious belief and socioeconomic background from the impact of non-state faith-based schools on progress towards gender equality. Madrasa enrolment has been found to be positively correlated with degree of household religious belief and physical distance from a non-faith-based school. "Their unique cultural and institutional histories, which often blur boundaries between state and non-state institutions, further complicate analysis. Differences between them may entail the school of thought followed, emphasis on scriptures and Islamic sciences, presence of daily rituals, boarding arrangements and attachment to local mosques. These important differences mean experiences are country- and even school-specific," the report stated. (With PTI inputs) The Supreme Courts decision overruling Roe v. Wade triggered immediate responses across the U.S., as conservative states moved forward with new abortion restrictions, some clinics suspended service and advocates on both sides of the abortion debate girded for new state-level battles. Miscreants allegedly looted cash from an unmanned Automated Teller Machine (ATM) of the State Bank of India (SBI) at Padmapur Haat under the Haldipada outpost in Baleswar district on Friday night. As per the initial reports, three masked miscreants entered the ATM kiosk and decamped with the cash after cutting the machine with a gas cutter. They also damaged the CCTV installed in the kiosk to avoid detection by police. Sources said cash around Rs 32 lakh has been stolen from the ATM. However, the bank authorities are yet to make any statement. Soon after the matter came to light, senior police officials reached the spot and started further investigation in this connection. Forensic and other technical experts were also roped in to investigate the incident and get clues. The cops are also scrutinising the footage from other CCTV installed near the ATM to identify the miscreants. Click here to read the full article. A lot of changes are taking place at CNN after the merger of its parent company, WarnerMedia, with Discovery, but this wasnt one many people were anticipating. Christi Paul, who has been a regular presence on CNNs weekend morning programs for nearly nine years, is leaving the news outlet, she announced on air Sunday morning. Paul has been with CNN and its sibling HLN since 2003, and has co-anchored New Day on Saturday and Sunday mornings alongside Victor Blackwell and, more recently, Boris Sanchez. Her Sunday appearance on CNN will be her last. A rotating group of anchors is expected to fill in on New Day alongside Sanchez for the foreseeable future, according to a CNN spokesperson. CNN declined to offer comment on where Paul may be heading next, but she suggested on air Sunday she was leaving to be closer with her family, and expected to be on air in Ohio. I am part of the Great Resignation, Paul said, noting that she informed CNN in January that she would be leaving. An announcement about her new job should come later this week, she said. Among those offering tribute on air or online Sunday morning were Blackwell, CNN Reliable Sources anchor Brian Stelter and Bethany Crudele, a CNN senior producer who works on New Day. It's a bittersweet day on New Day this morning. Today marks @Christi_Paul's last day on our show. She's been the heart of weekend mornings for years. Tune in as we say goodbye! Bethany Crudele (@BCrudeleCNN) June 26, 2022 Paul joined HLN in 2003, and was a regular anchor during the networks daytime schedule. During her time at CNN, she has been open about her experiences with domestic violence ,and wrote a book on the topic, Love Isnt Supposed to Hurt, in 2012. Before arriving at HLN, Paul was an anchor, consumer reporter and weathercaster at Arizona stations KNXV and KTVK.. Before moving to Phoenix, Christi was an anchor/reporter for KTVB in Boise, Idaho. She began her career as a one-person unit, doing reporting, anchoring and photography at WDTV in Clarksburg, WV. Among other things, Paul has been known for her unique sign-off, in which she urges viewers to make good memories today. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Alejandro Loayza Grisis Utama, which won the grand jury prize in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance this year, took home top honors at the closing ceremony of the Transilvania Film Festival on Saturday night. Grisis feature debut tells the story of an elderly couple in the Bolivian highlands who refuse to relocate to the city despite the constant threat of drought. In a glowing review, Varietys Peter Debruge described the film as a sublime, quietly elegiac character study that looks quite unlike anything else. By relying on the simplicity, purity and poetry of his cinematic approach, the director takes the audience on a universal journey, talking about the essence of life, death and everything in between, said the Transilvania jury, praising a film that gives the audience a deep, multilayered feeling of how fragile our future is. Utama was also feted with the festivals Audience Award. The prize for best director went to Gumundur Arnar Gumundsson for Beautiful Beings, which the jury singled out for the credible, original and brilliant universe crafted by the Icelandic filmmaker, who won the same award at Transilvania in 2017 for Heartstone. Varietys Jessica Kiang described the film as a coming-of-age tale radiant with violence and tenderness in her review after its premiere in the Berlin Film Festivals Panorama section. A Special Jury Award went to Dovile Sarutytes Feature Film About Life, a darkly comic story of a woman overwhelmed by memories when shes left alone to deal with her fathers funeral. The award for best performance went to Laura Muller and Schemci Lauth for their portrayals of two lovers whose intense romance is consummated over a single night in Julien Hilmoines The Night Belongs to Lovers. A special jury mention went to bodybuilder-turned actress Eszter Csonka for her role in Gentle, directed by Laszlo Csuja and Anna Nemes. The top prize from the festivals Whats Up, Doc? competition section went to You Are Ceausescu to Me, Sebastian Mihailescus experimental docufiction in which a group of young people gather to reenact scenes from the life of the former Romanian dictator. A special jury mention was given to Yuri Ancaranis Atlantis, which follows a young Venetian who devotes his time to building the fastest speedboat among his set of barchino afficionados. In the festivals Romanian Days domestic competition, Bogdan George Apetris Miracle took home the top prize. Varietys Owen Gleiberman described the crime drama as a highlight of last years Venice Film Festival and a film that could rekindle Romanian cinema. A special jury mention went to Stefan Constantinescus Man and Dog. The award for best debut was given to Alina Grigore, the actress-turned-director whose Blue Moon won the Golden Shell at San Sebastian last year. The Audience Award for a Romanian film went to Victor Canaches feature debut The Goat With Three Kids. The FIPRESCI Prize was awarded to Immaculate, by directing duo Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark, which took home the best director prize last year in the Venice Film Festivals Venice Days sidebar. At Saturday nights ceremony, veteran actress Maia Morgenstern was also honored with the Excellence Award in recognition of a career spanning nearly four decades. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Bogdan George Apetris Miracle took home the top prize in the Romanian Days competition at the Transilvania Intl. Film Festival, which saw nine first-time directors among the 12 filmmakers competing in the annual showcase of domestic cinema. Its the first time such a formidable number of debuts have featured in the competition, offering a snapshot of what the fests artistic director Mihai Chirilov describes as a balanced landscape of new and established voices in Romanias celebrated film industry. Its been nearly two decades since Cristi Puius The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005) won the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival, kickstarting what would come to be known as the Romanian New Wave. Two years later, Cristian Mungiu won the Palme dOr for his abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, cementing the movements status and effectively punching the tickets of Mungiu, Puiu and many of their peers to top-shelf festivals like Cannes and Venice for years to come. While those directors remain a fixture on the festival circuit Mungius latest, R.M.N., recently bowed in competition on the Croisette a new wave of Romanian filmmakers is looking to breathe fresh life into an industry whose international impact and acclaim, wrote Varietys Owen Gleiberman, has radically diminished in recent years. Those words appeared in his review of Miracle, which Gleiberman described as a highlight of last years Venice Film Festival and a film that could rekindle Romanian cinema. Another Lido premiere, Immaculate, marked the auspicious debut of directing duo Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark. The film, which won the best director prize in the festivals Venice Days sidebar, is a story of lost innocence depicting the trials and tribulations of a young woman in a rehab clinic. Co-director Stan is among an emerging generation of female filmmakers that includes Ligia Ciornei, whose directorial debut Clouds of Chernobyl, 1986: The Lost Year follows a young woman forced by her mother to terminate her pregnancy, and Alina Grigore, the actress-turned-director whose first feature, Blue Moon, took home the top prize at San Sebastian last year and won the Romanian Days Award for best debut in Transilvania. A trio of female-centered narratives told by women directors marks a distinct shift for the long male-dominated Romanian industry. The difference is also visible on screen, not only in the themes those filmmakers address Blue Moon is centered on a young woman whose dreams are thwarted by her belligerent, dysfunctional family but in a cinematic approach that strays from the conventions of the Romanian New Wave. Youre witnessing a film like Alina Grigores Blue Moon, which doesnt fit at all that aesthetic, and comes from a completely different approach, says Chirilov. People no longer try to copy-paste the aesthetic of the Romanian New Wave. Words like adventurousness and innovative come to mind for the TIFF programmer as he describes the new generation of Romanian directors. That approach plays out in a film like Victor Canaches feature debut The Goat With Three Kids, which turns a traditional Romanian folk tale on its head with brutal and gory elements that goes into genre, Chirilov says. For many young filmmakers, the simple act of making movies outside the bureaucratic constraints of Romanias state-backed funding bodies encourages bold new waves of thinking. They are willing to take risks especially with people who dont have money from the state, says Chirilov. They take the chance in making films with their own money, in an indie style. This usually means they also take chances in storytelling. They are free to tell a story completely devoid of any ideology. If there is a constant that seems to unite the old and young generations of Romanian filmmakers, its the plaudits they continue to win abroad: along with the San Sebastian and Venice triumphs for Grigore and co-directors Stan and Chiper-Lillemark, respectively, there is Alexandru Belc, who won the award for best director in the Cannes Film Festivals Un Certain Regard sidebar for his communist-era drama Metronom. Sebastian Mihailescus hybrid documentary For Me You Are Ceausescu was awarded at both DocLisboa and Ji.hlava. Other titles from this years Romanian Days selection likewise arrived in Transilvania off of previous festival premieres, including Anca Damians animated feature The Island, which bowed in Rotterdam; Emanuel Parvus San Sebastian selection Mikado; and Gabriel Achims Tallinn Black Nights premiere Snowing Darkness. Octav Chelarus feature debut A Higher Law world premiered in Thessaloniki, while Stefan Constantinescus Man and Dog bowed in Goteborg. Rounding out the competition was Florin Piersic, Jr.s Nothing About Love, which had its world premiere in Transilvania. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Following the Supreme Court decision doing away with the 1970s decision of Roe v. Wade, several organizers hosted a protest Friday night in Laredo to voice their dissatisfaction. The Bans Off Our Bodies protest occurred at the San Agustin Plaza, where those in attendance marched to the Federal Courthouse. Many of those gathered wore the color red, as close to 200 were in attendance. According to the organizer of the protest, the main idea of the event was to grieve, process and show support for bodily autonomy. Virginia Palacios, a local environmental advocate, helped organized the impromptu event in the early afternoon hours of Friday as the decision was announced by the Supreme Court. I think the gathering gave people an opportunity for catharsis, to put their anger, fear, frustration and grief into an action that will grow into safety and protection, Palacios said. Last night, we showed Laredo that there is a strong community here that believes in bodily autonomy and human rights, and we will not stop fighting for liberation. Before the gathering, we heard from people who were afraid to be seen in public because they were scared that they might be fired from their jobs if their employers saw them in photos. This fear is all too common in Laredo, and it's important that we show that Laredo is full of diverse ideas and ways of life, and that it's wrong for the government and people in power to force their religious views on everyone. Palacios said the people who gathered feared the decision shows that women can be stripped of their rights by national leaders who follow theological teaching rather than legal doctrine. I gave remarks supporting bodily autonomy for women, transgender, gender non-binary and gender-nonconforming people, Palacios said. I explained that we were wearing red as a reference to the novel and television series The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, which was based on real policies imposed on women throughout history. In the story, women's rights are taken away by a theological government. ... As our government becomes more theological, we can see that the dystopian nightmare of The Handmaid's Tale is coming true once again. Palacios said she was glad several other young people and community leaders spoke at the rally and shared stories of their own experiences with sexual violence and abortion. She recalls how a veteran spoke up for personal freedom, and she encouraged them not to leave the country and to stay and fight for their rights. Melissa Cigarroa spoke about how different the world was for women before Roe v. Wade, that women were mostly confined to the home and had little access to careers and involvement in government or institutions, Palacios said. We don't want to go back to that." A young professional spoke regarding the idea that banning abortion isn't a pro-life policy, but rather a prejudiced one disproportionately impacting Black and brown communities, which lack the resources to travel out of state to obtain abortions. Another person spoke out stating that banning abortions won't stop them but instead make them less safe. Other people said the protest was beautiful, as individuals were able to vent their frustrations during a challenging moment in history. "The protest was something so beautiful but at the same token was something about anger and frustration, because we worked almost a century -- a century to where we are now -- and now we are going backward. It's like we are going back in time," Mayela "Maye" Villarreal said. "We know our rights have not been taken away yet, but they are going to be. And it was not just a protest about abortion but also a protest about women's rights, children's rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, interracial rights -- it is something more about than just that as we are fighting for our human rights." Villarreal said as they marched to the federal courthouse, a federal marshal threatened to arrest them because they accused them of disruptive conduct. But they continued pushing until reaching the steps and making their voices heard. "Fridays protest was for a community space to grieve the loss of a right that allowed 50% of the American population to live with full human dignity before yesterday," Jordee Rodriguez Canales said. "By design and with intent, SCOTUS recent holding on abortion will hurt poor Black and brown communities, like those in La Frontera, the hardest. ... By overruling Roe, this country has again made law that in practical effect only dominates the bodies of people of color." Palacios believes the decision has also once again reinforced the idea people need to be more involved in political matters and choose wisely who their leaders are, so they can restore the protections of Roe v. Wade. I do believe that our federal rights to bodily autonomy will not only be restored for abortion access but will be expanded to include transgender and intersex protections. ... This unconscionable practice must end, Palacios said. "I believe that we will one day live in a society that celebrates all humans as they are and allows us to make decisions about our own bodies. At the federal level, it will be a long road, but at the state level, we have the opportunity to change our governor, attorney general and other down-ballot races to elect pro-choice and pro-human rights leaders. Villarreal said the fight will continue, and there will be other protests and movements to ensure womens rights are restored in the future. There was a tremendous amount of energy and new leadership that emerged out of last night's gathering, and I think we will be coming together again soon to build, she said. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate, Shilpi Neha Tirkey won the Mandar State Assembly by-election and became the youngest MLA from the State. She defeated BJP candidate Gangotri Kujur by more than 23 thousand votes. Till the filing the report announcement has not been made yet. Congress candidate Shilpi Tirkey got a total of 95062 votes. While BJP candidate Gangotri Kujur got 71 thousand 545 votes. On the other hand, AIMIM candidate Dev Kumar Dhan has been at number three with 22395 votes. Shilpi Tirkey was consistently ahead from the beginning. She maintained an edge over BJP candidates from the first round till the last. There is an atmosphere of celebration in the party with the victory of the Congress candidate. The echo of fireworks and drums is being heard at the Congress State office. Congress leaders are expressing happiness by feeding each other sweets. Congress party created history with the victory of Shilpa Tirkey. At present, the Congress party has become such a party in Jharkhand, which has the maximum number of women's representatives. At present, five women MLAs have reached the Jharkhand Assembly on Congress ticket. At present, Deepika Pandey Singh, Mamta Devi, Poornima Neeraj Singh and Amba Prasad are women MLAs from Congress. The number has gone up to five with Shilpi Tirkey. With this, the Congress has a total of 18 MLAs. At the same time, Geeta Koda has become an MP by winning on a Congress ticket. After the victory, Shilpi Tirkey has become the youngest MLA of Jharkhand. Earlier, Congress MLA from Barkagaon, Amba Prasad was the youngest MLA. Prasad's age was 31 years at the time of 2019 elections. At the same time, Shilpi Tirkey is 29 years old. After the victory, Shilpi Tirkey said, I will take the fight that Baba has started from the road to the house. The people of Mandar proved by supporting that truth should not be supported by lies. He said that the opposition parties conspired to implicate Baba, to which the people of Mandar have given the answer. I will complete Baba's unfinished work on priority. Expressing happiness over UPA candidate victory, Chief Minister, Hemant Soren said that the people of Mandar have given the answer to BJP by giving blessings to Shilpi Neha Tirkey. It is not possible to make statements just by being narcissistic. Work has to be done on the ground too. He said that BJP has suffered a fourth defeat by taking Mandar by-election, and the party should think about Babulal Marandi. Congress was confident that Shilpi Neha would win by about 20 thousand votes. Which the people of Mander have done, he added. Congress Legislature Party Leader and Rural Works Department Minister, Alamgir Alam said that all the conspiracy of BJP has been destroyed by the people of Mandar. Mandar's former MLA and working president Bandhu Tirkey was harassed under the conspiracy, which the public has shown the door to outside in Mandar. Opponents got a befitting reply, he added. Caption: Shilpi-Congress -1: Congress candidate Shilpi Neha Tirkey with her father Bandhu Tirkey flashes victory sign after winning the Mandar Assembly constituency by-election, in Ranchi on Sunday. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Groups in Longford and around the country are being encouraged to join a new coalition, Trans Equality Together, which launched recently. Led by TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland), Belong To and LGBT Ireland, Trans Equality Together says its objective is to create an Ireland where trans people are equal, safe and valued as well as to: Promote positive attitudes towards trans and non-binary people in Longford and around the country; Advocate for policy and legislative changes that will improve the lives of trans people and make Longford and the rest of Ireland a more equal society for all; and Counter the negative and false messages about trans people that have been circulating in recent years. Speaking at the launch, Sara Phillips, Chair of TENI and Co-Director of Trans Equality Together, said: The aim of Trans Equality Together is to bring together the diverse array of organisations that work with the trans community directly and those that are our allies to demonstrate to politicians, policymakers and the wider public the breadth of support that exists for trans rights and the challenges that we, as a community, are facing right now. Moninne Griffith, CEO of Belong To and Co-Director of Trans Equality Together, said: Trans people in Ireland are a tiny minority of the population whose voices have rarely been heard in national discourse. They have been marginalised, denied access to healthcare, and demonised in the press. Trans Equality Together will work to create an Ireland where trans people are equal, safe and valued. We want to promote positive attitudes towards trans people, counter the negative and false messages that have been circulating in recent years, and work to achieve policy and legal changes particularly in relation to gender recognition and healthcare that will really improve the lives of trans people. We do not want to see the sort of divisive rhetoric and villainisation of trans people taking hold in Ireland that we have witnessed in other countries. Seeking Legislative and Policy Change Trans Equality Together outlined its legislative and policy priorities at the launch. The coalition is seeking the explicit inclusion of gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics as protected grounds in the Equality Acts, which are currently being reviewed by government. Trans Equality Together also wants to see the gender recognition process opened up to include under-18s, and streamlined to remove the current requirements for 16 and 17-year-olds to attend court and present certificates from medical professionals in order to have their gender legally recognised. In relation to healthcare, the coalition said the waiting list for adults seeking care through the National Gender Service is currently in the region of five years, and must be reduced as a priority. There has been no active health service for trans children and adolescents in Ireland since December 2020 and this must be re-instated with immediate effect, according to Trans Equality Together. In Ireland, we have demonstrated strong leadership on trans rights in the past. In 2015, we enacted the Gender Recognition Act, ensuring people over 18 can have their true gender recognised in law, based on self-declaration. This law was supported without controversy by a strong majority of Oireachtas members, and was greeted with widespread approval when it was introduced, said Paula Fagan, Co-Director of Trans Equality Together. Now, we need to acknowledge and address the gaps that exist in relation to gender recognition for under-18s; and gender-affirming healthcare for people of all ages. Over the coming months and years, Trans Equality Together will be working closely with Oireachtas members and policymakers to highlight these gaps and ensure properly resourced services and supports are in place for Irelands trans community. Longford man fined for threatening and abusive behaviour at landlord A man has been fined 400 with five months to pay for behaving in an abusive manner towards his landlord after an eviction notice was served. Coalition Members Alongside the three lead organisations TENI, Belong To and LGBT Ireland members of Trans Equality Together include: AMACH! LGBT Galway, Amnesty International Ireland, BI+ Ireland, Brod West Cork, FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), GCN, Intersex Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Irish Network Against Racism, Irish SecondLevel Students' Union (ISSU), National LGBT Federation (NXF), the National Womens Council, the Open Doors Initiative, Outhouse, ShoutOut, and Trans Limerick Community, with additional groups in the process of joining. Trans Equality Together was launched at a special event at the Mansion House in Dublin, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland. Today, we were proud to launch Trans Equality Together, an Irish coalition working to create an Ireland where trans & non-binary people are equal, safe & valued. We're excited to work alongside all of our coalition members to promote trans rights in Ireland. pic.twitter.com/CnOMwCEmmr TransEqualityTogether (@TransEqTogether) June 13, 2022 Further information about Trans Equality Together, including about how groups in Longford can get involved, is available at www.transequalitytogether.com Frances three energy companies are urging people to immediately reduce consumption of fuel, oil, electricity and gas amid shortages and soaring prices due to Russias supply cuts and the war in Ukraine. The bosses of TotalEnergies, EDF and Engie said in a rare joint statement: The effort must be immediate, collective and massive. Every gesture counts. Russia has cut and in some case shut off gas supplies to several European Union countries in retaliation for the blocs sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. For months, the European energy system has been under severe strain, and the French system has not been spared. The level of alert on gas stocks across the continent is high and rationing measures have been put in place. France, like other European countries, is trying to beef up its gas reserves for winter, aiming to fill up its storage by early autumn to avert an economic and political crisis. Taking action in the summer will prepare us for winter, the energy companies leaders said. In addition to the gas supply shortages linked to the war in Ukraine, there are pressures on electricity production capacities in Europe and reductions in hydroelectric production due to drought. The soaring energy prices are a result of these difficulties that threaten our social and political cohesion and have a heavy impact on purchasing power of families, the statement said. A protest has been held at the United States embassy in Dublin after the constitutional right to abortion in the US was removed by the nations highest court. The US Supreme Court ruling, handed down on Friday, ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. It is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of US states. A protest held at the US embassy in Dublin on Sunday heard speeches from activists about how the US can learn from Irelands 2018 referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment and liberalise its abortion laws. People Before Profit TD Brid Smith compared the restrictions on abortion laws to gun regulations in the US. Its alright to control womens bodies but dont control access to guns, she said. I have no doubt that that ruling will embolden the anti-choicers in this country and elsewhere. We still have a way to go. Repeal was a massive victory, it was won from below by people power throughout this country over many years, she said, adding that better access to abortion was still needed in Ireland. Watch this space: the right wing in Dail Eireann, and outside Dail Eireann, will try to chip away at meagre access. Sinead Kennedy, of the Action for Choice group, told those who had gathered that after decades of solidarity from people in the US and around the world over Irelands strict abortion laws, it was time that we paid that back. Weve seen this disgusting judgement that basically has said that women and pregnant people are now second-class citizens in the United States. This flies in the face of one of the core things that weve come to realise in the last decade that control over your own body, over your own person is one of the core and fundamental rights. You cannot exist as a free human being in this society without that fundamental right. This is not 1973, its not the 1950s, there are reasons to be optimistic, she said. We have seen inspiring, powerful social movements: the Me Too movement, Black Lives Matter, the wave of unionisation that is taking place in the United States. There is the example of Ireland We can see what a grassroots movement can achieve. We learned the lesson not to look to the courts, not to look to so-called enlightened politicians, that we will fight for our rights. Hundreds outside US embassy in solidarity with women and all those impacted by overturning of Roe v Wade. pic.twitter.com/VBziD7HIRH Paul Murphy (@paulmurphy_TD) June 26, 2022 Ailbhe Smyth, a feminist and LGBT rights activist, told the crowd that the ruling was a mockery of freedom, a mockery of justice, a mockery of equality for women. What we saw the unelected members of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, what we saw them do and declare the other day in their ruling on Roe v Wade was to declare a war on women. This is incredibly, incredibly serious. We talk about this as being a rollback. It is not a rollback of one law or one right, this is a rollback in the way in which the whole democracy of the United States of America works. Everywhere across the world, we have to be those who stand in absolute solidarity with the many people in the US who are every bit as disgusted. I think of the distress, I think of the suffering, I think of the anxiety, the anguish that so many people are experiencing as we stand here outside the US embassy. I hope theyre listening to what were saying, because no country should ever condemn women or anyone to those levels of suffering and anguish, she said. Speaking on RTE programme The Week In Politics, Minister of State Mary Butler said that the issue is a very, very divisive one and it will continue to be debated in the US. Ms Butler campaigned for a No vote in the referendum on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment. We took that decision in Ireland in 2018 and we embedded it in our constitution. Whether youre in favour of it or not, the people spoke quite clearly from a majority of two-to-one, and abortion is a reality here in Ireland. What I do say, and everybody would have known my position in relation to the referendum, but I would be very, very fearful now of the amount of illegal abortions that will take place in (the US), she said. (Alliance News) - Boris Johnson said he is planning to be UK prime minister into the 2030s despite Conservative critics plotting to oust him after voters rejected the Tories in a double by-election defeat. Johnson insisted he was "thinking actively" about fighting the next two general elections to become the longest-serving post-war leader. He urged Tory members of Parliament plotting to oust him not to focus on the issues he has "stuffed up" after his authority was further diminished by a Cabinet resignation. And he insisted questions over his leadership were now settled after the loss of Wakefield and former stronghold Tiverton and Honiton. But the attacks kept on coming from his own backbenches on Saturday night, with Damian Green, who chairs the One Nation caucus of Tory MPs, warning the government "needs to alter both its style and content" and calling on Cabinet members with leadership hopes to show their stripes. Former minister David Davis also lashed out at the PM's claim the only argument of "substance" for a change of direction he had heard from his critics was for the UK to return to the EU single market, arguing this is "plainly not true of me, or many others". Johnson earlier insisted the "endless churn" of allegations was "driving people nuts", as he pushed on with his Rwanda trip despite suggestions further ministerial resignations could follow. Oliver Dowden resigned as Tory party co-chair, saying he and Conservative supporters were "distressed and disappointed by recent events" and telling the prime minister that "someone must take responsibility". But Johnson set his sights on being in office in the "mid 2030s", in a run that would see him outlast Margaret Thatcher's reign. Asked by journalists at the British high commissioner's residence in Kigali if he would lead his party into the next election, he said: "Will I win? Yes." In a buoyant mood, the prime minister added: "At the moment I'm actively thinking about the third term and what could happen then, but I will review that when I get to it." Labour, meanwhile, challenged the Tories to call an early election, with leader Keir Starmer telling Johnson: "Bring it on." Further controversy loomed on Saturday evening as The Telegraph reported the PM intends to impose sweeping new steel tariffs in a drive to win back support in traditional Labour heartlands. The newspaper said the changes were the same as those cited by Lord Geidt when he resigned as Johnson's ethics chief, as he claimed he had been forced into an "impossible and odious" position by the prime minister. Former Conservative leader Michael Howard has urged Johnson to step down for the good of the party and the nation, and called on the Cabinet to consider resigning to force him out. But the PM said in Rwanda: "I love my colleagues and of course I would urge them respectfully: golden rule of politics, the more we focus on Westminster politics the more irritating it is to voters." He argued that "what's driving people nuts is this endless churn of stuff about things that I'm meant to have stuffed up or whatever about my colleagues, their views of me, my character, the leadership, Tory blah blah" There are suggestions of a challenge to change the rules of the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs in order to allow another vote of confidence in Johnson within the next year. Asked if he believes questions over his leadership are settled, Johnson replied: "Yes." Conservative veteran Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who retained his Cotswolds seat with a majority of 20,000 at the last vote, is among the Tories to have expressed fears they could lose their jobs at the next general election. In the by-election in the Devonshire constituency of Tiverton and Honiton, a dramatic swing of almost 30% from the Conservatives saw their 24,000 majority overturned by the Liberal Democrats. In West Yorkshire, Labour seized back Wakefield with a majority of 4,925 on a swing of 12.7% from the Tories. By Sam Blewett, in Kigali, and Amy Gibbons, PA Political Staff source: PA Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The pandemic is said to have led to increased consumption of alcohol and drugs by young people in Mallorca. The use of drugs is reckoned to be among the highest in Spain. Add to this the free time that students have in summer and a calendar of non-stop parties until September, and the Council of Mallorca, for one, believes that this is a risky combination, exacerbated by this being the first post-pandemic summer season following restrictions, cancellations and clubs being closed. The Council's department for youth affairs has launched a plan aimed at tackling alcohol and drug abuse as well as preventing gender-based violence, homophobia and risky sexual practices. At present, the plan's programme includes information activities at three clubs - Es Gremi and Sa Possessio in Palma and Factoria de So in Santa Maria - a couple of music festivals, and fiestas in Alcudia, Algaida, Colonia Sant Pere, Esporles, Inca and Valldemossa. Alex Segura, the director of youth affairs, says that the idea is "to offer healthier leisure alternatives, prevent risk behaviours and to provide tools to manage conflicts when going out". "For example, if you are at a party, you annoy residents and they rebuke you, do not confront them. If you want to get drunk or use drugs, the programme's techniques will tell you - 'if that is what you want, at least do it this way in order to avoid an unnecessary problem'." The plan is similar to one that has been working successfully in the Madrid region, Alicia Bustos, its coordinator, saying that if young people do look for information, this is usually prohibitive - don't do this. "We don't work like that. We are there to inform, to offer alternatives and to dissuade. The final decision is up to the individual." Delhis Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia on Saturday directed the Government schools principals to set minimum benchmarks in their school regarding the infrastructure, cleanliness and environment. Sisodias remarks came in an interaction session held with the principals of Government run schools on Saturday. The interaction was attended by over 200 school principals from all across Delhi. Sisodia said that in the last seven years, the Government has done a lot of work on schools and has given a great model of education but now it is the responsibility of the school heads to set their own accountability for their school and ensure that nothing in the school falls below the minimum benchmark set by them. For this, the government will provide all the necessary facilities and funds to the schools. Also, schools will be reviewed from time to time by the DoE officials to check the maintenance of schools, said Sisodia. Sisodia added that now its the responsibility of principals to ensure that no student is left behind, when we move ahead with the next session after summer vacation. The aim of the Delhi government is to provide dignified education spaces to all children coming to Delhi Government schools and not paying attention to the same will be an injustice to children who have chosen our schools over others, said Sisodia. The interaction between the Deputy Chief Minister and principals was mostly centered around academic priorities of Delhi Government Schools, cleanliness and maintenance of classrooms and schools and upon developing a positive classroom culture. Sisodia also said that schools are implementing the curriculum well and the results are evident but to make it a huge success the government will need their further support. With Gareth Bale's bombshell move to Los Angeles FC confirmed, rumours about his potential salary are one of the hot topics, mainly because it is thought that he will be the highest-paid player in MLS. However, that could be wide of the mark as his salary will not even come close to what he has been earning with Real Madrid in the last few years. How much will Gareth Bale earn with LAFC? According to reports around Bale's salary, the former Real Madrid player won't even come close to matching the likes of Chicago Fire's Xherdan Shaqiri, Los Angeles Galaxy's Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez or Toronto FC newcomer Lorenzo Insigne. A report from the Los Angeles Times says that one of their sources claimed that Bale will not be a designated player and his salary would be just over $1.6 million. However, it is a very low figure in relation to what Bale received with Real Madrid, which is estimated to be $20.3 million. It's worth remembering that he received that salary after signing a contract still in his prime in 2017 and now with LAFC he will be close to 33 years old. The deal includes a one-year extension until 2024 and within those 12 extra months, Bale could increase his salary with LAFC or take one of the places as a franchise player. Who are the highest-paid players in MLS? Lorenzo Insigne will earn $12.42 million per year at Toronto FC, while Xherdan Shaqiri isn't far behind on $8.15 million and Chicharito earns $6 million with LA Galaxy. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said that Jashpur district has immense potential for horticulture crops. Further work should be done by putting an action plan in place. Baghel was holding a review meeting of Jashpur officials at Kunkuri Rest House, on the second day of his Bhent Mulaqat drive in the district. He laid emphasis on development of horticulture crops due to the climatic conditions of Jashpur. At present, the district is known for growing tea, scented rice and Ramtil (Niger oil seed). Baghel said being a forested area, the collection of medicinal plants and forest produce should be done. Its value addition is taken on priority with packaging, marketing and commercialization on a large scale. This can generate employment to the women's groups. The officers need to work with personal interest to increase the income of the people. He called for a special action plan to prevent human-elephant conflict. He wanted the water recharging scheme Narwa to be effectively implemented to augment the water level. The Chief Minister urged officials to dispose of pending revenue cases within a time limit. The officers should take special care so that people do not face harassment. Baghel said there was a need to reduce the level of malnutrition and anemia among women and girls. Malnourished children, anemic women, pregnant women and mothers with infants must be provided hot food and ready to eat packets, he said. A Naxalite Militia Commander, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, and two other Maoists on Thursday surrendered to security forces in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada district. They were identified as Ramesh Kumar Kashyap alias Ramesh Mao, Baisu Mandavi and Devaram Mandavi. They turned themselves in before security personnel in Dantewada town citing their disillusionment with the Maoist ideology, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Siddharth Tiwari said. Kashyap was the Militia Commander in the Handwada Area Committee of the Maoist movement and carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh. Baisu Mandavi was a member in the same committee. Devaram Mandavi was a militia member in the Malanger Area Committee, the officer added. They will be provided facilities as per the governments surrender and rehabilitation policy. So far, 545 Naxalites have quit violence in the district since June 2020. Two security personnel and two women labourers were injured after Naxalites opened fire on a police camp in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada district, police said on Thursday. A group of Maoists fired at the camp and its surrounding area in Hiroli village where some construction work was underway on Wednesday night, Dantewada Additional Superintendent of Police Yogesh Patel said. Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) Constables Salim Ladka and Kishan Suryavanshi and women labourers Dule Hemla and Budri Tati sustained injuries in the attack, he said. The rebels fled after the security forces retaliated, the officer added. Dule Hemla was shifted to the Dantewada district hospital where her condition was stated to be out of anger. The other three were given preliminary treatment at the camp. MERIDEN A motorcyclist was critically injured in a crash at a Valero gas station Saturday evening, police said. The crash took place shortly before 11 p.m. at Cook and New Hanover avenues, according to the Meriden Police Department. The motorcyclist, a man whom police did not identify, was rushed to Hartford Hospital with head injuries. Police said he was not wearing a helmet when he apparently lost control of his 2002 Harley Davidson. Police said witness statements and surveillance footage show the motorcyclist was traveling south on Cook Avenue, a two-lane roadway, before the crash. The evidence, according to police, indicates the man was unable to negotiate a slight curve, causing him to skid onto the sidewalk and into the gas station parking lot. The motorcycle was found on its side and the operator appeared to have been ejected, police said. The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Police ask that anyone with information about the incident contact officer J. Vazquez at the Meriden Police Department at 203-630-6201. richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com When Chris Buckley left the Army National Guard, he was angry. He was angry that the world didnt seem to understand what hed been through, angry at the training accident in Kentucky that had left him with a broken back and near constant pain. He was particularly angry at the men on the other side of the world who had killed his best friend, Daniel, when they served together in Afghanistan. It seemed like all he did was strugglewith his family life, with an opioid addiction that stemmed from his back problems, with what his purpose should be now that he was a civilian. If you can name it, I was fighting the demon, Buckley says. So when he connected on Facebook with a Navy veteran who seemed to understand what he was going through, he felt intrigued. The Facebook group page they had met on was full of posts Buckley related toabout America, and patriotism, and Christianity. He noticed a lot of other veterans were active in the group. But he didnt know the group was part of a larger community, until one day, his Navy friend asked if Buckley realized whom hed been chatting with. I was like, I have no idea, bro, Buckley says. He was like, This is the Ku Klux Klan. Buckley was unfazed. The group spoke to a lot of his interests. He liked the distinct pro-America, pro-Constitution vibe. But he liked the rage, too. His anger and grief over his friend Daniels death had ballooned into a hatred of Muslims, and he felt similar fury toward gay people that followed from a childhood molestation, he says. He realized, as he began to meet members of the group offline, that his military background served him well. Id been to combat, Buckley says. I knew how to shoot, move, and communicate, lead a team through combat exercises and scenarios, train them to use their rifles, train them to use their pistols, live-fire exercises. And thats what we were doing. Since the attack on the U.S. Capitol a year and a half ago, where some 15% of the rioters had a military background, the military and veteran community has grappled with the problem of far-right extremism within its ranks. Just this month, the Justice Department indicted five members of the Proud Boys on charges of sedition stemming from the Jan. 6 insurrection. Four of them were veterans, including one who had been awarded a Purple Heart. Determining actual numbers is difficult, though it appears to be small. But veterans presence can bring a perception of credibility to these groupsparticularly militia groups, where their numbers are larger. Since at least the Vietnam war, the loss of support and identity that many veterans feel when they leave the military, combined with the effects of trauma and sometimes a feeling of being abandoned by their country, have left some veterans vulnerable to extremism, experts say. While in recent years, the military and veterans groups have been more willing to confront this problem than in the past, extremist groups know about and capitalize on this vulnerability. They recognize that veterans are looking for something, says Amy Cooter, a senior lecturer at Vanderbilt University who studies militias. Its an easy way for them to grow their ranks. Its going to take a lot to slow down the momentum In 2009, a Department of Homeland Security analyst named Daryl Johnson wrote an internal report highlighting the growing number of military veterans involved in far-right extremism. The problem wasnt newas historian Kathleen Belew details in her book Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America, early manifestations of todays alt-right movement can be traced, in part, to a small number of disgruntled Vietnam veterans who felt abandoned by the United States and turned to white supremacy. In the 1970s, the KKK openly operated at Camp Pendleton. Randy Weaver, who was at the center of the Ruby Ridge standoff with the federal government in 1992, was a Vietnam War-era Army veteran. Timothy McVeigh met Terry Nichols, who helped him plan the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, in the Army. But after the election of President Barack Obama, Johnson saw more activity in far-right and white supremacist groups than he had in years. He noticed these groups specifically prioritized recruiting military veterans, in large part to capitalize on the skills they had gained during their time on active duty. At first, he got a lot of positive feedback on the report from within the department, he says. But then it leaked to the press. The public backlash centered on Johnsons comments about disgruntled military veterans who might be vulnerable to recruiting effortscommentators said the memo denigrated veterans and disrespected their service to the country. Ultimately, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano apologized for the report. But the problem Johnson highlighted didnt disappear. Its incubated now for 12, 14 years, Johnson says. Its going to take a lot to slow down the momentum thats built up over that time. Maj. Gen. Brian Mennes, commanding general, 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum, holds a discussion on extremism in the Army with the Headquarters Support Company Maintenance Platoon at the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion at Fort Drum, New York, March 19, 2021. (Pierre Osias/U.S. Army) In part because of this fear of disrespecting the military, data about the scope of the problem among active-duty service members and veterans is sparse. This is a terribly nontransparent problem that were dealing with, says Peter Simi, an associate professor of sociology at Chapman University who has studied extremism for more than two decades. The data that does exist suggests the problem is growing. Statistics from the Center for Strategic & International Studies show that 6.4% of all domestic terror plots and attacks in the United States in 2020 were committed by active-duty or reserve service membersa tiny percentage, but up from 1.5% in 2019. A 2019 poll by Military Times found that more than 1 in 3 troops surveyed reported seeing direct evidence of white nationalism within the military. Thats also up, from 1 in 4 in 2017. Among those who have left the military, the data is even less clear. While the total number of veterans who join extremist groups is still very small, they play an outsize role in these groups, particularly in militia-style organizations. Amy Cooter and other experts have found that, very roughly, 30 to 40% of militia members have military experience. Its not a couple people, Simi says. People dont want to disrespect the military. But you still have to talk about a problem, and its going [to] get a little uncomfortable. Veterans give them a degree of legitimacy When Chris Buckley joined the KKK in 2014, its days of cross burning were retreating into the past, he says. Theyre doing away with the lets protest in public with pointy hats and robes, Buckley says. The KKK is shifting towards a more militia-style environment. A report on radicalization within the military community from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism found that, among extremists with military backgrounds who had committed criminal acts, nearly half belonged to organized militias or embraced anti-government views. Militia-style groups, which are often oriented around the Second Amendment and a defensive, or even oppositional, stance toward the government, particularly prize members with military experience. It comes down to two basic things, Simi says. One is skills and training, leadership, munitions training, explosives, all that stuff. And then two is status. Groups that worry about or are preparing for some sort of confrontation with the government value the experiences military veterans have, from leading teams to weapons training to combat experience. In fact, on Jan. 6, members of the Oath Keepers used infantry tactics to help them gain access to the Capitol building. And as Simi and other experts point out, having veterans in the ranks can boost the credibility of an extremist group. Military veterans are among the most respected groups in American society. Veterans give them a degree of legitimacy, Cooter says. It makes them look like theyre trained and makes them look like theyre really being patriotic. I needed a mission In 2015, Chris Buckleys wife gave him an ultimatum: He could have drugs and the KKK. Or he could have her and their son. He couldnt have both. With the help of a former extremist, Buckley left the KKK. Today, he works with Parents for Peace, an organization dedicated to supporting families and friends trying to help loved ones leave extremist groups. He points to his experience in the months and years after he left the Army National Guard as an example of why a disproportionate number of veterans are vulnerable to extremist recruitment efforts. I would rival KKK recruiters to that of any military recruiter I ever talked to, Buckley says, noting they are good at telling potential members exactly what they want to hear. The disorientation many veterans feel when they leave the military can be profound. A loss of a mission, a community, even a sense of self can lead people to search for meaning and camaraderie elsewhere. I was looking for something to be a part of something, Buckley says. I needed a mission. On top of that, Buckley says he struggled with PTS. Many veterans have experienced some form of trauma during their service, and asking for help is often still stigmatized. Some of the more traditional venues that could be provided through the VA or other kinds of official military associations are seen as soft, in a way that kind of undermines the very notion of masculinity that the military relies on, Cooter says. Sgt. Maj. Viridiana Lavalle, Fort Sill Provost SGM, shares her role in ensuring extremism is not tolerated in the ranks March 15, 2021, in Haymond Conference Center. (Marie Pihulic/U.S. Army) Experiencing trauma has been linked to an increased potential for radicalization. Trauma can heighten negative emotions like fear, anger, and sadness, which are common in far-right and racist organizations, Simi says. Your race is on the verge of extinction, Your country is being taken from you, Your culture is being lost, he says. Its a very depressive ideology. Its a very angry ideology. The military needs to take a more proactive approach to help service members guard against the possibility of radicalization, Buckley says. In the same way the military prepares troops to deploy overseas, he says, it should better prepare them for the minefields that can await them when they come home from combat or leave active duty. When you go overseas, you spend three, three and a half, four, five, six months at a mob site, he says, referring to mobilization and demobilization in the National Guard and reserves. When you come home, it takes two weeks to get the entire battalion through demob. Extending a units recoveryor even simply using some of that time to address the threat of radicalizationwould go a long way, he says. Those evenings, where theyre sitting around pounding beers waiting to go home, they could do a two-hour class twice a week, he says, adding that they could perhaps even hear from people like him, who were radicalized, and who have come out the other side. I can tell them what happened. I can explain to them how easy it was to happen. This War Horse investigation was reported by Sonner Kehrt, edited by Kelly Kennedy, fact-checked by Ben Kalin, and copy-edited by Mitchell Hansen-Dewar. Abbie Bennett wrote the headlines. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iranian state television said Sunday that Tehran had launched a solid-fueled rocket into space, drawing a rebuke from Washington ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehrans tattered nuclear deal with world powers. It's unclear when or where the rocket was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Irans rural Semnan province, the site of Iran's frequent failed attempts to put a satellite into orbit. State-run media aired dramatic footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, which is racing ahead under decreasing international oversight. Iran had previously acknowledged that it planned more tests for the satellite-carrying rocket, which it first launched in February of last year. Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Defense Ministry, said Zuljanah, a 25.5 meter-long rocket capable of carrying a payload of 220 kilograms (485 pounds), would gather data in a low-earth orbit. It was not immediately clear whether it reached its intended orbit. Zuljanah is named for the horse of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The White House said it was aware of Irans announcement and criticized the move as unhelpful and destabilizing. It said it was committed to using sanctions and other measures to prevent further advances in Irans ballistic missile program. The launch comes just a day after the European Unions foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, traveled to Tehran in a push to resuscitate negotiations over Irans nuclear program that have stalemated for months. A few significant sticking points remain, including Tehran's demand that Washington lift terrorism sanctions on its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Borrell said on Saturday that talks over the nuclear deal would resume in an unnamed Persian Gulf country in the coming days, with Iranian media reporting that Qatar would likely host the negotiations. Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed crushing sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by greatly ramping up its nuclear work and now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. In a further escalation that limits the international community's view into its nuclear program, Iran removed over two dozen International Atomic Energy Agency cameras from its nuclear sites this month. The agency's director called the move a fatal blow to the tattered nuclear deal. As confrontations continue between Iran and the West after the unraveling of the nuclear deal, Tehran's rocket launches have raised alarm in Washington. The U.S. warns that such launches defy a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on Iran to steer clear of any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The U.S. intelligence communitys 2022 threat assessment, published in March, claims such a satellite launch vehicle shortens the timeline to an intercontinental ballistic missile for Iran as it uses similar technologies. Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, maintains its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component. Even as Iran's government has sharpened its focus on space, sending several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launching a monkey into space, the program has seen recent troubles. There have been five failed launches in a row for the Simorgh program, a type of satellite-carrying rocket. A fire at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in February 2019 also killed three researchers. The launch pad used in the preparations for the launch of the Zuljanah rocket remains scarred from an explosion in August 2019 that even drew the attention of then-President Trump. He later tweeted what appeared to be a classified surveillance image of the launch failure. Satellite images from February suggested a failed Zuljanah launch earlier this year, though Iran did not acknowledge it. Meanwhile, Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in April 2020 revealed its own secret space program by successfully launching a satellite into orbit. The Guard operates its own military infrastructure parallel to Irans regular armed forces. ___ DeBre reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Tom Strong in Washington contributed to this report. The Marlins announced to reporters, including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, that they have selected the contract of infielder Erik Gonzalez. To make room for him on the active roster, infielder Willians Astudillo has been designated for assignment. Astudillo, 30, spent the first four years of his career with Minnesota, becoming a fan favorite due to his unusual size and profile. La Tortuga played every position on the diamond except for shortstop while with the Twins, including a few stints on the mound. He was also noteworthy for nearly constantly putting the ball in play, very rarely walking or striking out. However, his overall production lacked enough that the Twins designated him for assignment in November of last year. The Marlins added him on a minor league deal in March, eventually selecting him to the big league team in May. Since then, hes matched his profile, lining up at multiple positions, striking out just 5.3% of the time and walking just 2.6% of the time. His overall slash line of .270/.289/.351 amounts to a wRC+ of 84. The Marlins evidently think that they can coax better production out of Gonzalez, based on this transaction. The veteran spent a few weeks with the club earlier this year, when they were dealing with a COVID situation. As such, Gonzalez was designated a substitute that could be removed from the 40-man roster without being exposed to waivers. During that time with the big league team, he got into 12 games and hit just .194/.286/.194 for a wRC+ of 49. However, hes fared much better in Triple-A this year, slashing .339/.376/.431, 119 wRC+. With injuries to Joey Wendle and Brian Anderson, the Marlins have been trying to find infield solutions, including utility types like Astudillo and Jon Berti, with Gonzalez now being swapped in as the latest attempt. Parliament has directed the Minister for Defence to immediately order the withdrawal of soldiers in the Lower Manya Krobo Constituency. The soldiers are assisting the ECG with the installation of new prepaid meters following months of hostility between residents and the ECG over the payment of electricity bills. Member of Parliament for the area, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi raised the matter on the floor of the house on Friday, June 24, 2022, indicating that the presence of the military men is heightening tensions in the community. Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, subsequently issued directives to the Ministers for Energy and Defence on the matter. We are also directing that, the Minister for Defence withdraws the military attache in the area for the time being for us to address certain matters, I so direct. The ECG has justified the use of military personnel during the exercise. The deployment was because previous attempts at introducing prepaid meters in the enclave caused a rift between residents and workers of ECG, with a case where ECG officials were physically assaulted in the past. But following a recent stakeholder consultation amongst interested parties aimed at finding an amicable solution, an agreement was arrived at to commence the process . Some persons have expressed surprise about the military deployment in the operation. But, Sakyiwaa Mensah who speaks for the ECG in the Tema Region and has oversight responsibilities in that part of the Eastern Region explained that while there are police officers as part of the operation to provide protection for the installers, the presence of the military is only to provide technical support during the exercise. We have the support from these men in uniform as well, but they are here to provide technical support for the meter installation. ECG through our training school has been collaborating with the military for over two decades on electrical issues. It was decided that they should be part of the operation. The police are the ones providing security for the operation. Lets be collaborative because the fact that you see military men in uniform doesnt mean that necessarily they are going to harm people just like that. She was quick to add that the exercise had been encouraging, although there were still some residents who kicked against the installation of the prepaid meters. We have currently done 250 meters in the Kpong and Somanya areas. Some customers came on their own to request for the meters and some were replaced meters. We've had some good and bad experiences. Some of the customers still say they do not want the prepaid meters. The contractor installed about six in one of the areas and some of the residents agitated that they do not want the prepaid meters, so the contractor had to remove these meters. ---citinewsroom 26.06.2022 LISTEN Mr Emmanuel Korbla Agbaxode, Ghana News Agency correspondent in the Volta region who doubled as the morning show host at a local radio station "Kaleawo FM" at Akatsi in the Akatsi South Municipality has been elected as the new Ghana Journalists Association Chairman of the Volta region. He will take over from his predecessor Mr Kafui Kanyi who ended his term of service with the Association. He pulled 29 votes reprenting 70 percent as against 12 votes gathered by Mr Harrison Kofi Belley and Mr Hubert Mawuli Yevu-Agbi who got only one vote. Mr Agboxode in an exclusive interview with Evans Worlanyo Ameamu of ModernGhana news expressed joy over the win. He congratulated all the aspirants for their hard works. "It is not me who won the election,it's rather Volta GJA and it is time for all of us to come together and build a stronger association to achieve greater successes", he added. He continued that he will operate an open door administration to everyone for ideas to build up an association that will bring development, growth and better results. "You see,their is a lot of gabs to fill,and this is the time all hands must be on the desk for development and move the region to the next level," he stated. Mr Agbaxode promised that,he will do everything within his powers to make sure all journalists in Volta and Oti region enjoy peace in their lines of duties. He urged non-member journalists to join the Ghana Journalist Association for greater benefits that comes with being a member of an association. GJA Volta regional treasurer position was won by Ewoenam Kpodo of GNA who gathered 23 votes to beat Ivy Setordji, Joy FM Volta regional correspondent who got 19 votes. Mr Fred Duodu was elected as the association's new secretary as he had 19 votes to eliminate Macliberty Misromawuda who had 11 votes. The election which was held at Ho, the Volta regional capital. 25.06.2022 LISTEN Fatoumata Doro has been speaking about leadership development amongst the youth. This is part of her mission to positively impact society. She made her voice heard at The Aurora Women Conference, and By the Fire Side programmes organized by Strands of Pearls International and Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) respectively. In the first engagement, Fatou joined a panel of accomplished female leaders to discuss the topic Leading and Managing Change: What Does It Take?. Her submission touched on the need for continued support and positioning of female professionals as potential leaders. She called for actionable diversity policies that make room for female professionals to excel. Ms Doro highlighted the bias against women in leadership. Noting that women are often misjudged on their abilities to lead even before they are given the chance to start. She stated, we need to normalize women in leadership. A Harvard Business Review analysis found that women in business scored higher than men on most key leadership qualities, including resilience and results-driven attitudes. Women also pull ahead in motivation, bold leadership, and teamwork. A womans career journey must also include leadership. Fatoumata Doro is the first female MD to lead the first textiles manufacturer in Ghana since its establishment in 1966. She is a seasoned leader with over 10 years international experience in general management and strategy execution in Africa. Having joined Tex Styles Ghana Limited, producers of GTP and Woodin and marketers of Vlisco in September 2021, Fatou has begun to transform the company digitally and financially towards a sustainable economic growth with her vision to bring premium African fashion to the world. Speaking on the topic My Story in her second engagement with the Cohorts of Emerging Public Leaders, Ms Doro underscored the importance of intentions in achieving results and excellence. She mentioned hard work, going the extra mile and embracing continuous learning as a way of setting standards and achieving corporate transformation, especially in a time of economic uncertainty. Ms. Doro also commended EPL for investing in the leadership of public service through the youth. The work of Emerging Public Leaders is rare and worthy of support. While we work towards building a stronger economy, we need youth with vision and leadership skills in public service. Ms Doro called for resilience, consistency and perseverance amongst future leaders who are desirous of reaching their goals. She revealed, I had always chased my dreams, always seeking what is next and looking for opportunities to expand my scope. My father is my bedrock, someone who always brought me back on track. If you want something, go for it, keep seeking until you find it. Never quit. Somalia's parliament on Saturday unanimously endorsed Hamza Abdi Barre as new prime minister, paving the way for the creation of a new government for the troubled Horn of Africa nation. All 220 lawmakers present gave their blessing to Barre's appointment, and he was then sworn in to office, the parliament speaker said. Barre 48, told parliament he would form a "quality" government that would focus on "creating inclusive political stability (in line with) the president's motto of a reconciled Somalia that is at peace with the world". Somalia's new adminstration faces a raft of challenges including a looming famine and a grinding insurgency by Al-Shabaab jihadists. The MP from the semi-autonomous state of Jubaland was chosen earlier this month by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected by parliament in May after a long-delayed and stormy voting process. "Our government has an ambitious policy programme which seeks to improve our security, strengthen our economy and deliver basic services for our people," Mohamud said on Twitter after Barre was approved. "Let us move forward together." There are hopes that Mohamud's presidency will draw the line under a seething political crisis that blighted the rule of his predecessor Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and threatened to plunge the country back into violent chaos. Mohamud himself did not appear at the parliamentary session after he said on Friday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. "So far, I have no symptoms but I will continue to self-isolate and serve the people of Somalia from home," he said on Twitter after returning from the United Arab Emirates where he had made his first official trip abroad since his election on May 15. Mohamud is a former academic and peace activist who was previously president from 2012 to 2017 but whose first administration was dogged by claims of corruption and infighting. Hong Kong to distribute 220,000 RAT kits following sewage COVID-19 detection Xinhua) 11:01, June 26, 2022 HONG KONG, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Saturday that it will distribute around 220,000 sets of COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kits as part of a follow-up on the recent detection of the COVID-19 virus in sewage samples. The test kits will be distributed to residents, cleaning workers, and property management staff working in the areas with positive sewage testing results showing relatively high viral loads, in order to help identify infected persons. The HKSAR government also urged RAT kit users to report any positive results for COVID-19 via the government's online platform. On Saturday, Hong Kong registered 1,680 confirmed locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 and 114 imported cases, official data showed. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) In protest against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in armed forces, the Uttarakhand Congress would hold protests in all parts of the state on June 27. The state media in charge of the Congress party, Rajiv Mehrishi said that the protest would be held on the call given by the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara. Terming the Agnipath scheme as a deceit with the youngsters dreaming to serve the armed forces of the country, Mehrishi said that the Congress party has decided to hold protests in all parts of the country on the issue. He said apart from breaking the morale of the youngsters the Agnipath scheme aims to destroy the long standing tradition of the armed forces of the country. He said that massive protests are being held in all parts of the country including Uttarakhand against the scheme. The youngsters are agitated because the Union government has foisted the scheme without any consultation. Mehrishi said that the Congress party has been protesting against the scheme from day one on the grounds that it is against the interests of the country and the glorious traditions of the armed forces. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) had staged a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on June 20 against the scheme. Mehrishi said that the PCC President Karan Mahara has asked all congressmen to hold protests in all 70 assembly constituencies on June 27. The Congress leaders and workers would hold Satyagrah on the day from 10 am to 1.00 pm. All the leaders including the party MLAs and party candidates in the recent assembly elections would take part in the protest. A group of lawmakers belonging to French President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party are to propose a bill to inscribe abortion rights into the country's constitution, in the wake of Friday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned abortion legislation as a constitutional right. The move, announced by two members of parliament on Saturday comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 50-year-old ruling and stripped women's constitutional protections for abortion. The right to abortion in France is already inscribed in a 1975 law relating to the voluntary termination of pregnancy within the legal framework that decriminalised abortion. A constitutional law will cement abortion rights for future generations, said Marie-Pierre Rixain, a member of parliament from Macron's newly rebranded Renaissance party. What happened elsewhere must not happen in France, Rixain said. Constitutional protection for women According to the statement released by two members of the National Assembly, the bill will include a provision that would make it impossible to deprive a person of the right to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy. Aurore Berge, the leader of Macron's party group in the parliament, said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to revoke abortion rights is catastrophic for women around the world. We must take steps in France today so we do not have any reversal of existing laws tomorrow," Berge said in an interview with the public radio station France Inter on Saturday. Macron's party and his centrist alliance have the most seats in the National Assembly, although it lost its majority in last Sunday's legislative election as voters opted for parties on the far right and the far left. In a deeply polarized political climate, Berge said French lawmakers should not take chances on fundamental rights even if they already are inscribed in law. Women's rights are still rights that are fragile and are regularly called into question, Berge said. She added: We don't change the constitution like we change the law. * Solidarity Macron expressed solidarity with women in the United States following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn a nearly half a century old landmark ruling that will likely lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. Macron said women's liberties are being undermined by the decision. Abortion is a fundamental right for all women. It must be protected, the French president wrote in a Twitter post late Friday. Members of the newly installed Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) today met face-to-face with heads of governments attending their summit in Kigali. The historic intergenerational dialogue saw young leaders sitting in a circle with prime ministers, presidents, ministers, and heads of delegation from 15 countries, including Rwanda, Canada, The Seychelles, and Samoa. Chairperson of the Council, Kim Allen from Papua New Guinea, kicked off the conversation with a sharp focus on the Youth Forum Declaration a proposed action plan for youth-led sustainable development created by more than 350 young people from across the Commonwealth. He called on the leaders to offer the new Council guidance and financial support for their initiatives. Interspersed among the government leaders, Council members each delivered a special message from the young people in the regions they represent. Vice Chairperson, Inclusion and Engagement Christabel Derby, from Ghana, focused on the multifaceted challenges facing young Africans, such as education, healthcare, gender equality and unemployment. She passionately called for an enabling environment in which young people can thrive. Asia Regional Representative, Bangladeshi, Famida Faiza, stressed the need for meaningful support beyond the dialogue. When I go back home, I want to tell the young people of Asia that we were not just given a seat, we were given priority. Reminding leaders that there are youth from rural communities and minority groups who are not able to sit in the room with them, but who need access to the technology to participate in the conversation, Caribbean Regional Youth Council Representative, Kendell Vincent, highlighted the need for digital transformations. Echoing these sentiments Regional Representative for Europe and Canada, Namir Chowdury, revealed the Councils intention to work with ministers and organisations on creating holistic education programmes and curriculum that will prepare young people for the changing landscape of work. This CHOGM, he said, could really be immortalised for one reason - which is we are reimaging what education can look like. Speaking for the Pacific, regional representative Sagufta Janif, focused on climate and sustainability solutions. Easy access to climate finance, she stressed, was needed to build resilient infrastructure so that businesses can focus on growth and employment instead of rebuilding again and again. Responding to the young people, H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda promised to continue listening to and working with young people Echoing his sentiments, Canadian Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau highlighted the importance of including young people in solutions to todays challenges. He said: "We don't need you to be leaders of tomorrow, we need you to be the leaders you are today. You should be directly contributing to the policies and positions of the Commonwealth . Agreeing, Prime Minister of Samoa, Hon Fiame Naomi Mataafa told participants: "Governments can no longer do things by themselves, whether we ever thought we could. But there is growing acknowledgment that governments are not enough. In going forward, we need to ensure all of society is involved." While Seychelles President H.E. Wavel Ramkalawan highlighted the need to engage young people in politics: "As we go about campaigning, we realise our young people become disconnected with the politics. It's only by getting in, that you will make your voice heard. And changes will happen. [...] You are leaders in your own rights." Congratulating the young people for speaking on behalf of the billions of youths in the Commonwealth, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: Today is a moment for us to reset the agenda, for us to start to reimagine what our world could be, what our world should be, and you are shaping it for us. During the meeting the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, announced, by video link, that Pakistan would be hosting the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in Pakistan in January 2023. The dialogue was the last youth-led event in a week of activities leading up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The UN Eminent Peace Ambassador to Ghana, Dr Samuel Ben Owusu has urged African leaders to make youth development in peace a major priority. His advice is based on the fact that the youth is the bridge to a stronger and sustainable future of the nations. He said this at a national press conference on Observing United Nations Charter Day, 2022 in Kampala, Uganda. The press conference was attended by various African Peace Ambassadors from different nations including Amb. Sammy David from Liberia, Amb. Emmanuel Nkweke who is the World Peace Spokesman from Nigeria, Amb. Johnson Elhatt from United Arab Emirates, Amb. Livingstone Banjagala of Uganda is the Head of Missions. Speaking at the event, Dr Samuel Owusu encouraged nations to direct their focus towards strengthening their youth and push for the beacon of hope for all in a peaceful manner. As a strong advocate for African Youth Peace development, Amb. Samuel Owusu was of the belief that if African leaders do not strengthen their youth, the future of the nations will perish. According to him, it is the reason he has worked tirelessly in his country by organizing peace rallies, pushing for a peaceful transition in the election, including speaking at the 2021 UN conference which focused on building the youth since his induction as a Peace Ambassador. Due to his work, Uganda is hungry for his insight and prescription on how to build forward, empower its youth, and sustain peace. The Governments of Kenya and Eswatini have stepped forward to champion action on geothermal energy and energy literacy, as part of the Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition (CSET) Agenda. The announcements were made during a side event in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali this week, where leaders have gathered to discuss pressing global issues facing member countries and to decide actions and work programmes for the organisation. In their new roles as Champion Countries under the CSET Agenda, Kenya and Eswatini will take the lead in forming voluntary coalitions made up of member countries willing to work together to develop shared strategies and align action on each issue. Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Dr Arjoon Suddhoo (pictured below), said: The Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition Agenda is the Commonwealth flagship for accelerating the global energy transition. Our Commonwealth is blessed with a wealth of precious natural resources, including renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and wave energy. However, our shared economic recovery will depend upon learning from the past and continuing to learn from one other as we build a better future. The Sustainable Development Goals point the way, particularly SDG7 on sustainable energy, SDG13 on climate change, and SDG14 concerning the ocean. Maximising untapped potential of geothermal energy Launching the Action Group on Geothermal Energy, a spokesperson delivered a statement on behalf of Rebecca Miano, Managing Director & CEO of Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen). She said: Kenya is pleased to take the lead to champion the Action Group on geothermal energy under the CSET Agenda. Globally, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 per cent of renewable energy sources, but significant potential exists to increase this to make geothermal baseload by 2050. Kenya is already leading the way in this sector. We are happy to share best practices and in-depth experience with fellow Commonwealth countries who also wish to develop this opportunity and to contribute to the global transition to low carbon forms of energy. Currently, four Commonwealth member countries have installed geothermal energy. New Zealand and Kenya have the highest installed capacity at 984 MW and 823.8 MW, respectively, followed by Papua New Guinea (56 MW) and Australia (0.31 MW). However, there is great potential for its development in the Commonwealth, particularly in geothermal resource-rich countries such as Canada, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent, St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean and the Americas; Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda in East Africa; and Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. Promoting energy literacy At the same side event, Senator Manqoba Khumalo (pictured above), Minister for Commerce, Industry and Trade of Eswatini, invited other countries to join the Action Group on Energy Literacy, stating: Knowledge is power, and energy literacy empowers people to make informed and better decisions concerning energy. Research has shown that despite increasing concerns about sustainable energy and its role in addressing climate change, energy literacy levels remain low among most people. Eswatini is proud to steer this Action Group with the hope of collaborating with other likeminded Commonwealth countries to raise awareness among our societies about energy issues, and then translate these into concrete actions that will help achieve a more sustainable future for all. The Action Group on Energy Literacy will share information, know-how, best practices and collaborate to support energy literacy amongst children, young people and local communities, facilitate dialogue amongst various stakeholders on sustainable energy, and encourage cooperation with potential partners such as regional organisations, community-based organisations and the private sector. Countries such as Malta, Ghana, Seychelles and Sri Lanka have already signed up to join the Action Group. In support of this work, the Commonwealth Secretariat recently unveiled a childrens book series on sustainable energy, targeting school students aged 7 to 12, which were presented to Commonwealth Education Ministers in April this year. Advancing the clean energy transition in the Commonwealth The two new action groups are the first to be launched under the CSET Agenda, in addition to another on youth, which was announced at the Commonwealth Youth Forum last week. This action group on youth is led by an interim steering committee made up of representatives from Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Tanzania and Singapore. The CSET Agenda was developed in response to a mandate given by Commonwealth leaders at their previous CHOGM meeting in 2018. In June 2019, the inaugural Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Forum was held, which outlined three pillars of action to guide Commonwealth action: (I) Inclusive Transitions; (II) Technology and Innovation and (III) Enabling Frameworks. The second Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Forum took place virtually in May 2021 to facilitate consensus building, knowledge sharing as well as raised ambitions amongst member countries to achieve the targets under Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), as well as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It was agreed that member countries will drive the implementation of the CSET Agenda through Action Groups, which will meet regularly and shape their own respective workplans, supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat. For more information about the Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition Agenda, click here. The good initiative by the NPP government to bring development to the doorsteps of every Ghanaian has gingered the Regional Communication Bureau of Western North NPP to express their profound gratitude to the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia led government for their immense commitment to building infrastructure across the length and breath of the country. Barely four days ago, the government through the Minister of Interior and the Western North Regional Minister, commissioned the first ever residence for the Immigration Service in the Regional capital Sefwi Wiawso and the Suaman-Dadieso district all in the newly created region, Western North. The seven detached bungalows sited at Sefwi Wiawso Municipal assembly is specifically designed to house the Officers of the Western Command and the four (4) storey accommodation facility sited at Suaman District is to house the staff of the security in the border town, Dadieso. Mr.Harry Addo, Communications Directorate ,NPP Western North Region,after taking a cursory look at the massive development witnessed in the region used the opportunity to applaud the government for the huge infrastructure investments injected into the region. According to him,the move clearly shows how important the Akufo-Addo led administration prioritizes the development of the Western North Region. In statement issued to the press today, he stated that, it is amazing how the new region is currently having ultramodern Regional Coordinating Council popularly known as "Wiawso Jubilee House," Regional Education Office at Bibiani Municipal (98% complete), Regional Health Directorate at Bodi District (84% complete), Regional Feeder Roads Office at Aowin Municipal (92 % complete), Ultra Mordern Regional Youth Employment Agency(YEA) office at Wiawso (commissioned ), Regional Lands Commission office(Commissioned) among others . He noted that, it is evidently clear that no government in the history of the fourth republic has hugely invested in the infrastructural sector of the region in less than four years of it's creation. He used the platform to plead with the traditional leaders in the area to erect an emolument of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the region to symbolise the immense contribution his government has made in the region. "In fact, there is one thing that cannot be erased in the history of the Region i.e. government that engineered and created the region, which is H. E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo's administration . "With the voice of unionism, we say 'ayekoo' to the New Patriotic Party and the government for easing the ancient burdens on us as a region through such unprecedented infrastructure development," Mr.Harry Addo emphasised. A new initiative launched today in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, will support Commonwealth ocean states in cultivating and scaling-up projects that protect the marine environment while also tackling climate change. With 47 out of 54 Commonwealth countries bordering the sea - including 25 small island developing states or large ocean states - the Commonwealth Blue Charter Project Incubator will assist governments in developing pilot projects that accelerate their transition to sustainable and inclusive maritime development and conservation, while mitigating and adapting to climate change. The initiative is supported by an initial contribution from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation, with matching commitments from various partners, to the tune of approximately GBP 400,000 in total, with more expected in the coming year. Focusing on proof-of-concept and small-scale projects in particular, the incubator will be managed by the Commonwealth Secretariat, in close cooperation with member countries and Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Groups. The project aims to address the dearth of financial support for ocean action worldwide, with Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Under Water) receiving the least funding globally among all the SDGs. Small island and coastal states are particularly affected, with even fewer funding options for typically marginalised groups, including women, youth, indigenous peoples and local communities. Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Dr Arjoon Suddhoo, said: Commonwealth member nations are stewards of more than one third of the global ocean within national jurisdictions. Our island states have many times more ocean area than land The pandemic over the past year has underlined how mutually reliant we all are upon one another. We now know that decisive joined-up, cooperative, multilateral actions are the only way to tackle global ocean challenges. There is no doubt that we need to redouble our efforts. Head of Oceans and Natural Resources at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Dr Nicholas Hardman-Mountford added: The ocean sustains the lives and livelihoods of billions on this planet but its core life-support functions are critically threatened by climate change, pollution and unsustainable exploitation. Yet, the ocean continues to be eclipsed in climate financing discussions. SDG14 is the least funded of any of the sustainable development goals. For ocean investments to be sustainable Governments need to be supported to lead on the projects they know are most needed in their context. The Blue Charter Project Incubator will uniquely enable Governments to develop a pipeline of bankable projects to mobilise ocean financing where it is needed the most. Ocean Governance Adviser and Blue Charter programme lead, Dr Jeff Ardron noted: There are many very good ocean incubators out there already, but none address the needs of governments. The Blue Charter Project Incubator fills that critical gap. All Commonwealth member countries will have access to the project incubator. Among the many services it offers, the incubator will provide mentoring and technical support to governments on the development of ocean-related pilot projects that build social, ecological and climate resilience, while also facilitating project partnerships with non-governmental entities. It will review proposals, leverage seed funding for projects and encourage planning for sustainability and scaling up initiatives, including at the regional level. Support will also be provided through unique customised tools, including machine-learning. Project ideas that dare to be different, offering innovative and cooperative solutions, while also engaging women, youth, indigenous peoples and local communities, will receive particular attention. Commonwealth Blue Charter progress This new initiative continues the significant track record of practical solutions delivered by the Commonwealth Secretariat under the Commonwealth Blue Charter an agreement by all 54 countries made in 2018 to work collaboratively to address global ocean challenges. It is implemented by 10 Action Groups, led by 16 champion countries. Over the past four years, more than 450 officials from 40 countries have been trained in ten topic areas. Members have benefitted from 13 online learning courses and 15 resource toolkits on various themes, such as mangrove restoration and blue carbon. In addition, more than sixty case studies illustrating good and best practices have been published by the Secretariat and shared to Commonwealth member states. An online database of more than 200 online training opportunities and another database of more than 100 marine funding opportunities have been launched. The long-term goal of the Commonwealth Blue Charter is to build on its track record of supporting countries through capacity-building, towards small-scale project development and eventually mainstream impact, with enhanced financial support via a potential dedicated action fund. Find out more about the progress of the Commonwealth Blue Charter in the report An Ocean of Opportunity Telecommunications giant MTN Ghana has reiterated its gesture to invest one billion US dollars in infrastructure by the end of 2025. The move is to aid the acceleration of the enhancement of the digital economy, as means of attaining resilient financial inclusion. The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh announced this at an editors forum held in Kumasi. He said, MTN aimed at implementing digital solutions to drive digital and financial inclusion for the quality of life of the citizenry. He announced that the company spent huge sums of money on fixing fibre cuts in the country, hence the need for the media and the general public to join hands in fighting the menace. This he said, will aid the company to deliver perfect and uninterrupted services to its clients. He indicated that the country cannot attain its vision of economic digitization without proper network from telecom providers. He hinted that 16.5million customers have had their Ghana cards linked as of the end of May 2022. He added that 10.2 million had their bio-data captured. He emphasized that the company has contributed a total of 3.1 billion cedis to the country's revenue coffers in 2021. 26.06.2022 LISTEN The Akatsi South Branch of the National Democratic Congress has congratulated Mr. Emmanuel Agbaxode on his election as the GJA chairman for Volta and Oti Regions. According to the party, the fountain of knowledge, experience, and wisdom that Mr. Emmanuel exude relatively to his profession made him well-rounded and a safe pair of hands to man the highest office. The congratulatory message was contained in a press release signed by Hon Daniel Dagba, the NDC's Akatsi South Constituency Secretary, and copied to the media. He stated that Mr. Emmanuel Agbaxode was the best candidate for the position. "We as a party believed in your ability and dexterity hence, your election as the Chair of the fourth realm of government, Volta Chapter, was not in doubt at all. We are confident that your professionalism, objectivity, and hard work will be brought to bear in your new role," Hon Daniel Dagba stated. The party's short congratulatory message expressed the hope that God would illuminate Mr. Emma's path and imbue him with divine wisdom and understanding to steer the affairs of his highest portfolio. The statement also lauded the other newly elected executives of the association. READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW: THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS(NDC) -AKATSI SOUTH 25th June, 2022. Congratulatory Message To You As Chairperson Elect: EMMANUEL AGBAXODE _________________________ On behalf of the Akatsi South Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), I stand in to extend our heartfelt congratulations message to you on your election as the Volta Regional chapter Chairman of the Ghana Journalist Association. We as a party believed in your ability and dexterity, hence, your election as the Chair of the fourth realm of government, Volta Chapter was not in doubt at all. We are confident that your professionalism, objectivity and hard work will be brought to bear in your new role. As we look forward to a closer relationship with you in your new role, the party would like to again congratulate you and other elected representatives. Thank you. Signed Dagba Daniel (Constituency Secretary,NDC) President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to leave Ghana today, Sunday, 26 June for Lisbon, Portugal for the 2022 UN Ocean Conference. The president will this time be travelling on the Presidential jet. This was disclosed by the Presidency in a statement signed by Director of Communications, Mr Eugene Arhin. The president trip on the presidential jet was disclosed after North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged that Nana Akufo-Addo continues to sink tax payers monies on luxurious private jets on his foreign travels, the latest being his recent trips to Belgium and Rwanda which cost some GHS4 million. A statement from the Presidency denied the claim while announcing that the President will travel today onboard the Presidential jet. Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to return to the country on Wednesday, 29 June 2022. 26.06.2022 LISTEN The four persons in my mind that Ghana and Ghanaians will be lucky to have as their future presidents are Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Dr Alhaji Mahammudu Bawumia, Dr George Akuffo Dampare and Dr Kwabena Duffour. I have not mentioned their names in order of preference but in alphabetical order according to their surnames. Any of them, and in their turns all of them, can best serve Ghana in the capacity as president and will surely be able to catapult Ghana into the sphere of internationally recognizable economic and human development to rid Ghanaians, and by extension black Africans, of their tagged "uncivilized bunch of corruption-infested people unable to manage their own affairs as human beings but always kowtowing to their white contemporaries for assistance of all sorts all the time. Let the public not rush into conclusions to denigrate the writer, or the publication, without first exercising patience to read to the end of this publication and giving the content the scrutiny and thoughtfulness it deserves. Why is Kennedy Agyapong a choice for the presidency, a curious or doubting mind may ask? Kennedy Agyapong (Hon) has all the qualities it takes to be a successful president when given the nod. He is fair, firm and friendly. He understands the dynamics of politics to moving a nation and her citizens forward. From empirical observations of his life, any honest person who is not a deceit themselves, would have noticed how Kennedy subscribes strictly to the three principles that make a successful leader or president. He believes in "Meritocracy, Pragmatism and Honesty" to running a country successfully. These are the very three cardinal pillars on which the success of Singapore as an island nation without any natural resources has prosperously been built. Kennedy is noted for wishing people ascend to higher positions on merit but not on the cancerous "whom you know", the bane of the economic development of Ghana, although the prevailing trait of the Ghanaian leadership. It is by giving positions to qualified persons who are capable of credibly performing the functions of their office, but not to clueless persons that you know or affiliated to, that a nation can be developed for the benefit of all. He believes in the application of pragmatism as a catalyst to solving any problems, known and unknown, that comes the way of the nation since the enforcement of existing laws in the country is either weak, or nothing exciting, to write home about. On pragmatism, one does not have to restrict themselves to any particular political ideology to resolving a problem that rears its ugly head at any moment in time but to quickly adopt any measure that can sort out the problem there and then. Has Kennedy not tried to sensitize Ghanaians to the harm the mushroomed pastors and prophets in Ghana are doing to the people and the nation to retard their progress? Had he not tried pragmatically to curtail the nonsense these charlatan pastors and prophets are doing to the detriment of the economy and the health and safety of the citizenry? Kennedy is an honest person. No sensible Ghanaian can deny him of his honesty except those who are crazy to gain political power by hook or by crook. A person who does not know the difference between his children or family members and the public when it comes to condemning them for wrongdoing. A person who does not shield his political party members from wrongdoing but rebukes and exposes them same as he will expose and castigate rival political party members. This is the person Ghana needs, if truly, we want to see the country developed. He hates the commitment of malfeasances by whomever. He really has Ghana and the collective interests of her children at heart. He is somebody who does not know the difference between his children and other people if it comes to seeking their welfare. This quality of equality among people in him, has made him such an admirably unrivalled philanthropist in Ghana. For Ghana to develop in the midst of having so many corrupt officials, we need an ACTION MAN in the person of Kennedy Agyapong. He will be able to ensure the enforcement of the laws to rid Ghana of the devastating official corruption and the inability to enforce the laws for the good of the people. Don't write him off because of his known emotive insults. I shall elaborate on this in my future article. Difficult times demand action leaders same as a unique problem requires a unique solution. On Dr Alhaji Mahammudu Bawumia. He is a farsighted individual and a technocrat who has long term implementable policies to advance Ghana for the collective interests of Ghanaians. No wonder many a discerning Ghanaian not blinded by myopic and populist politics calls him "Mr. Digital". He is very innovative. He is putting in place structures to get almost all Ghanaians captured on his brain child "Digitization-cum-Digitalization". By this, great improvement will be seen in the economy of Ghana to transform the lives of Ghanaians for the better. With time, Ghana will be rid of ghost names on her public pay vouchers; all houses and their occupants will easily be known; drivers, especially taxi drivers, will easily find their way to their destinations using Global Positioning Systems, thus, satellite navigation device; capturing many workers for the purposes of tax collections, etc. All these are the measures being put in place for the good of Ghana by Dr Alhaji Mahammudu Bawumia, a visionary intellectual doubling as the current Vice President of Ghana. Again, until now, he is an honest person who has the development of Ghana at heart. On Dr George Akuffo Dampare, although currently not into politics, he will be a very good president if he were to become one. His dedication to duty and preparedness to enforce public adherence to the laws of the land is unique. Ghanas main problem that is setting the country and the people therein back is the abundance of active official corruption with its devastating ramifications. Because of corruption, the nations water bodies, virgin forests, arable and fertile lands, all of which constitute life, are being destroyed by the heartless Chinese and their Ghanaian accomplices to the detriment of the nation and her citizens. Were armed robberies, murders and all sorts of crimes not rampant in Ghana without any effective means to mitigate them until Dampare was appointed the Inspector General of Police (IGP). Have the crimes not been greatly reduced since he became the IGP? Anyone who has the ability to honestly enforce the obedience of the laws of the land without fear or favour, will be a good president. If he could do this as an IGP, will he not be able to do greater things as president where all that he has to do is to issue orders and they will be carried out? On Dr Kwabena Duffour; he is a technocrat with the welfare of Ghanaians and the nation at heart. He has very good policies and programmes that can move the nation forward. He is a farsighted individual who does not share in the populist and propagandist views expressed or harboured by many a corrupt Ghanaian politician. As said somewhere in my previous publications, he had decided to embark on adding value to the raw materials produced in the country before exporting them abroad to earn the country more revenue. Is it not the same as the policy of One District One Factory, thus, industrialization of Ghana, as is being pursued by an equally farsighted President Nana Akufo-Addo? Additionally, I am privy to his policy that could raise more revenue to the government from the nations ports without necessarily raising import duties. That policy is credible and if he does become the president of Ghana and implements it, it will be marvelous. He has more nation-advancing policies and programmes up his sleeve. He will implement them if he is given the nod to become the future president of Ghana. I shall write separately about the four individuals mentioned above in my future publications. How I wish all four could be a team to rule Ghana in various coordinating positions. What an effective or perfect team that will be! The current state of Ghana with the corrupt and do-nothing but earn more money mentality of Ghanaians, we require an action man who is strong, honest, firm and incorruptible, to rule the nation. Let me define some of the words employed in the publication for the better comprehension by readers. 1. MERITOCRACY: a social system, society, or organization in which people get success or power because of their abilities, not because of their money or social position 2. PRAGMATISM: the quality of dealing with a problem in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist, rather than following fixed theories, ideas, or rules 3. HONESTY: the quality of being honest and HONEST is free of deceit; truthful and sincere 4. DIGITIZATION: is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format 5. DIGITALIZATION: is the use of digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it is the process of moving to a digital business Rockson Adofo Saturday, 25 June 2022 Chhattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Uikey was also a frontrunner for Indian presidency but the BJP-led NDA foiled her chances due to her Congress background, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Thursday. Talking to reporters at the airport here after returning from Delhi, Baghel also accused the BJP of trying to topple the Shiv Sena-led and Congress-supported government in Maharashtra. The BJP-led NDA on Tuesday named Droupadi Murmu, a tribal leader from Odisha, as its candidate for the July 18 presidential election. Asked about the NDA fielding a tribal leader, Baghel said: Anusuiya Uikeyji (who hails from a tribal community) was also in the line but she didnt get a chance because she has a Congress background." She was a former Congress MLA. Asked about some Shiv Sena MLAs' claim that they were forcefully shifted to Surat, Baghel said: The way policemen were pushing the Shiv Sena MLAs going to Assam from the Surat airport, it is clear it is a horse-trading. "When Narayan Rane, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Mukul Roy were in opposition, cases were filed against them by the Enforcement Directorate or Income Tax department. But when they switched to BJP or some other parties, everything became alright. "Everyone understands that when they go to the BJP camp, everything becomes clean, he added. Baghel said the BJP was out to destabilize governments in states where its political opponents were in power. The BJP is not able to tolerate governments of opposition parties in states and engages in destabilizing them. Earlier they did it in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Even here in Chhattisgarh they were trying to do that. Sometimes they use ED, sometimes IT. Earlier, during the Raman Singh government in the state, phones of opposition leaders, bureaucrats, journalists and even ruling party leaders were tapped. It is in their nature, Baghel added. 26.06.2022 LISTEN An appeal to the Sudanese youth who are demonstrating and protesting in the streets, you must be rational and wise and look at the interest of your country and not be led by the calls of those who do not want goodness or progress for your country, sabotaging private and public properties, closing the streets and blocking them, disrupting the movement of life, and above all exposing lives to unjustified death, all this is for no benefit and does not serve you a cause or a purpose, but rather aggravates the situation and complicates the scene, and the only affected is the homeland and this overpowered people. You must unite for the interest of your country and its future, discard differences and turn towards the reconstruction and development of your country, through genuine national initiatives without external dictates or hidden agendas, and then you will realize the value of the homeland and how much it is worth sacrificing for it. Young people, beware of extremism, and beware of ethnic, regional and tribal revolution. There must be a homeland that accommodates everyone, and the social base for democratic transition must be expanded. It is also necessary to expand the base of participation and avoid excluding others. The group you exclude will definitely turn to the other side and be your opponent. The minimum must be agreed upon; the transitional period must be managed in a spirit of consensus and preparation for holding free and fair elections after the transitional period, which is not recommended to exceed the specified date so that it would not be the opponent of the exercise of good democratic practice. Young people, do not destroy your country, for the destruction of the country and its ruin is necessarily considered a source of strength for the enemies, great service to them, gains for their economy and money that feeds their coffers. look at the countries around you that preceded you to ruin and destruction, what have they gained other than heartbreak, pain and regret where regret and remorse are of no use, and now they wish that history could turn back in time? Oh young people, oh you who refuse dialogue, you who raise the slogan no dialogue, no partnership, no bargaining, how can you, in this situation, reach safety without sitting down and debating until you reach the minimum and more commonalities that unite you. The inevitable result of such slogan is the blockage of the political horizon, more crises, the disruption of the movement of life and the stagnation in one station, and perhaps resorting to the foreigner with agendas and falling into his arms, and then paying the price dearly. In the prevailing circumstances now, it is not enough to demand that the Sovereign Council hands over power to civilians and return to before October 25, 2021 AD, while there is none that has been constituted through a popular electoral process. The former cabinet of ministers, constituted through unconstitutional partisan quotas, was even rejected by street protests. Currently, efforts are being made by local, regional and international stakeholders, particularly the African Union and the United Nations, with the aim of bringing about a national dialogue between the various conflicting groups and this is a very welcome gesture. There are pure national initiatives on which good people of the Sudanese people were founded, on top of which is the National Accord Document, which is supported by a broad base. It is an initiative built on the common denominators between the people of Sudan. It is a purely Sudanese document that expresses the aspirations and hopes of the Sudanese people. Addressing disparate conflicts is of paramount importance and the early Sudanese realized this to generate a national consensus among them rather than inviting outside influences to make matters worse for them. Therefore, it is important that all players remain within their mandate enshrined in diplomatic norms. The armed forces should pay more attention to ensuring the safety of Sudan's lands, citizens and property. The foreign legion of ambassadors should also steer clear of roles outside their diplomatic norms, such as provoking and facilitating mass protests. And political activists must collectively speak out against the prevailing foreign behavior that encourages youth to disorderly and drug abuse before urging them to dare to engage in physical confrontations with the security forces. These are, in the end, the same young people who will be governed by any new political formation. As expected, the international community and regional bodies such as the United Nations and the African Union can play an active observer and facilitator role in the purely Sudanese dialogue processes with the specific aim of providing the necessary logistical and financial support. You have to trust yourselves as Sudanese and agree that the principle of resolving the Sudanese crisis through the Sudanese is a matter related to national security and the security of the future. In certain historical circumstances and circumstances, the current reality is different and puts the pen in the hands of the Sudanese to write, of their own free will, their future document and define their interests. Young people do not occupy yourselves by talking now about crucial and major strategic issues, for the transitional period throughout history and times cannot bear such a discussion. No one is empowered to decide on major national issues, such as the permanent constitution, the relationship of religion and the state, and foreign relations and how Sudan is governed. These issues are decided by parliament ,the elected government and popular referendum. This can only be in the shadow of an elected government delegated by the people through free and fair elections. Therefore, it requires that the people agree on an independent technocratic government that will manage the transitional period and prepare the Sudanese political stage for the elections by starting to form the census commissions, the electoral commission, the distribution of electoral districts, the enactment of the law of parties and other entitlements of the democratic transition process. Democracy is an essential factor in the stability of Sudan and Africa as a whole. Any group that chooses an opposite path to dialogue and democracy are hostile to Sudan, Africa and all humanity. There is no need to continue bypassing the popular will and striving to re-hijack the Sudanese revolution and impose agendas that have nothing to do with the revolution or the interests of the people. The result of all of this is creating daily battles without a fight, deceiving young people and pushing them to the hell of death daily for no reason. Young people, Sudan with its distinguished geopolitical location coupled with its rich capabilities and resources, including mineral, animal and agricultural wealth, and above all human wealth, all of this gives it a dire opportunity to jump the pole, compensate for the years of failure and make a major breakthrough to get out of the successive crises towards a better situation and a brilliant future, that only requires unification of word and the joining of ranks to make Sudan an influential force and get out of the wills attempt on it through the entrance of extortion resulting from the series of conflict tools that were practiced against it and from unilateral sanctions and the approach to crisis-making and others, which make Sudan always captive under the pressures of economic deterioration, pressure from the street and the temptation to provide money and strategic goods. Finally, young people, preserve your homeland and your souls, and do not throw yourself into destruction, and follow the voice of reason and wisdom, and conduct a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue. You will win what you want and you will never be disappointed. By Fatuma Ahmed 26.06.2022 LISTEN Nigerians need timely executive and administrative directives from President Muhammadu Buhari and INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu on Bashir Machina's right to potentially work in his rightful place in the Nigeria senate or the United Nations should step in to protect Machina. On humanitarian grounds, he is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out in the United Nations Declaration. Like all human beings, Machina has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Machina recently won a major senatorial primary race in Nigeria. Nigerians are saying that Machina has a life of dignity, respect, and equality. President Buhari can act in Machinas case as he has the inherent authority to protect Machinas right to work and choice of employment. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document in the history of human rights, has protections for victims like Machina. Article 13 says everyone has the right to freedom of movement. Article 21, says everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in their country. Article 23 says everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. During the senatorial primary election in Yobe north district, on May 28, 2022, Machina stated, "I was recently elected on the day of the election held in Gashua by our party in the presence of party delegates, national representatives of our party, security officials, representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission and numerous other non-governmental observers." I scored 289 votes. Ballots were cast transparently and openly, going by the guidelines of the National Assembly elections as stipulated by the electoral commission. I emerged the winner out of a total of 300 voters, out of which I got 289 votes. " Now there is a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the report of the INEC team sent to monitor the primary election, signed by Omale Samuel and dated May 28, 2022. The primaries were conducted by INEC returning officer, Alh. Danjuma Isa Munga. The All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Adamu Abdullahi, and his working committee, with impunity, replaced Machinas name with that of the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and sent it to the Independent National Electoral Commission. As noted by Pelumi Olajengbesi, an Abuja-based human rights lawyer, the replacement of the name of Bashir Machina, the Yobe North Senatorial candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) with that of the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, is unconstitutional and fraudulent. It is a known fact that Lawan, actively participated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Primary election but lost to the flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Lawan, having failed to secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket, suddenly and by any means possible, authoritatively made moves to return to the Senate to continue to represent the people of Yobe North Senatorial District. Machina a once highly experienced law maker, as part of his fundamental rights, insisted that he wouldn't cede his mandate to anyone, as he had duly won the senatorial primary. INEC is claiming that it cannot reject the names of candidates sent by political parties even if the individual did not compete in the INEC-monitored primaries, which many Nigerians see as clearly fraudulent and unconstitutional. In Machinas words, "I formally wrote a letter to the party, reiterating and affirming my position that I am still the candidate. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress has no candidate in Yobe North even when INEC has confirmed that the senatorial primary in Yobe North senatorial district was rightfully won by Machina. Incredible. President Buhari can issue a directive that Machina, as the declared winner by INEC, should be publicly announced and filled in as the occupying APC senatorial candidate for the Yobe North district in order to protect his right to a published directive from the President. The INEC chairman, Yakubu, can openly give a directive to provide guidance to the voters of the senatorial election results and the winner. Buhari and Yakubu can show their humanity to democratic causes by removing Machina from his current nightmarish situation, or Nigerians will think that powerful men are protecting each other, a very dangerous situation that unfairly threatens the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed like Machina. The Buhari administration does not need to wait for a court judge to protect Machina from powerful interests, particularly in a judiciary where some judges are subordinated or subject to political pressure and meddling from the powerful. In the face of continued indifference and silence from this administration, it is then the duty of the United Nations to protect individuals like Bachina and others in the same victimized situations regarding human rights abuses like stealing one's rightful winning. I conclude by asking the United Nations and the good people of the world to hear Machina in his own words, "I am the elected candidate; I did not withdraw for anybody and will not withdraw because, as a matter of right, that is the mandate given to me by the members of our great party, the delegates...So surreptitiously removing my name, I consider it very undemocratic, illegal...and needs to be corrected." The world is watching. Prof. Oshodi wrote in via [email protected] Fishermen in the Effutu Fishing Community in the Central Region appeal for marginally increase in price of premix fuel to facilitate regular supply of the product. To them they prefer marginally increase to facilitate regular supply to address the present situation in which they find themselves. In a separate interview at Winneba recently, they explained that the time has come for government to consider increasing the product to boost the fishing industry. Mr. Kwame Tetteh, a canoe owner popularly known as 'Brazil' made passionate appeal to Government to tackle the issue of interrupted supply of premix to the fishing Communities. He noted that due to lack of premix fuel, the fishermen were in financial crisis thus becoming extremely difficult to cater for their families and dependants. "We appreciate the fact that Government spends a lot to refine Premix fuel, this may explain why it takes some months for us to get the product. "The fisher folks have increased in numbers so the demand for the product is also high, we have to struggle before getting a bit which last for some few days. "There must be more fuel pumps in all the fishing Communities. Fishing is our main source of income used to pay school fees, electricity and water bills among others financial expenses. The only way we could sustain our outboard motors is by using the Premix fuel, Petro and other products damage our machines," he stated. Another Canoe Owner, Mr. Alex Cobbina aka 'Omanhene Pozo' wished premix fuel could be bought at every fuel pumps at the coastal communities just like petro and diesel for their daily activities. "This will enhance our work as Fishermen. Is a humble appeal to the government. We are hopeful that our listening President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will listen to our phight and act accordingly. "We know what our hardworking Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hon. Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson is doing for the fishing industry, we appreciate her affort of making fishing activities attractive and creating jobs for the youth but our major concern is Premix fuel to power our machines." Mr. Alex Cobbina emphasised. The chiefs and people of Ejura have celebrated one year anniversary of Ejura Shooting incident with special prayers for the victims who lost their lives in that unfortunate incident. The special prayer which was organised by the Chief of Ejura Traditional Council Barimah Osei Hwedie II in collaboration with Ejura Zongo chiefs on Friday June 24, 2022 was to pray for perpetual peace and tranquillity and the departed souls in that unforgettable shooting incident. Speech for Ejurahene Barimah Osei Hwedie II in his speech read on his behalf by the Nifahene of Ejura, Nana Osei Kwadwo Ansebie II said the commemorative day is to remind Ejura citizens to keep to the resolution that never again will such killings occur in the area. "It was a terrible tragedy, and we remain heartbroken for families who lost thier children, friends and fathers". He said. This prayer event was born out of my unwavering commitment to see to it that Ejura residents are living in peace and harmony, " he stated. He expressed gratitude to the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his vice Dr Alhjai Mahamadu Bawumia and the National Security Interior Ministries for supporting the Ejura Traditional Area since the shooting incident. Background Some youth of Ejura on Monday, June 28, 2021, took to the streets to protest an alleged mob attack that lead to the death of Ibrahim Mohammed Kaaka, a social media activist in the area. The military men who were deployed to control the crowd are reported to have shot into a protesting crowd leaving two dead with four others with gunshot wounds. The two, Mutala Mohammed and Abdul Nasiru Usif, died in the protest. Following the melee, a three-member committee of inquiry was set up by the Minister of Interior to probe the underlying issues. After 22 witnesses, 555 pictures in soft copies, 117 videos evidence, eight documentary evidence, two written statements and two physical evidence, the committee chaired by Appeals Court judge, Justice George Kingsley Koomson concluded its investigation on July 16, 2021. The committee on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, presented its recommendations to Ambrose Dery, the Minister of Interior. Government subsequently presented GHs50,000 to the two families of the victims as compensation. The Spokesperson for Ejura Zongo chiefs, Alhjai Kadri on behalf of the Ejura Zongo Community described the event as a catalyst to ensuring peace in the area. He disclosed that Ejurahene Barima Osei Hwedie II single handily sponsored the entire prayer event with about GHS10,000 and one fat cow. "Honestly we at the Zongo communities at very grateful to Barima Osei Hwedie II for his unprecedented support, he has constantly showed that he cares for all residents of Ejura. "We all have resolved to live in peace and also support his reign for him to bring massive development to Ejura and its environs," he stated. Government will continue to encourage and partner with private sector organisations in the quest to meet the needs of the disabled and disadvantaged in order to ensure greater societal inclusion. It is my firm belief that with the collective support of social and economic actors, the active participation of the various representative associations gathered here, we shall collectively achieve more for this vulnerable group, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia stated on Saturday, June 25, 2022 in Accra. Dr Bawumia gave the pledge at a fundraising dinner organized by the Charismatic Evangelistic Ministry (CEM) towards the establishment of the CEM Ability Village, a philanthropic programme aimed at providing a model to support Persons Living With Disability (PWD) through access to three main areas: Health and Social care; Education and Training; and Enhancing Economic Activities. According to officials of the church, the CEM Ability Village will have an Empowerment Centre to provide Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and other skills training to address the employment challenges of PWDs; an ultra-modern hospital to cater for the specific needs of persons with disability; a Technology centre to focus on software development and hardware assembly and repair. It will also have an Advocacy, Counselling, Guidance and Information service; assisted living and affordable housing support; and support for PWDs to venture into agriculture. As a Government we will continue to address the various challenges of PWDs head-on. We all need to put our hands to the wheel and work to remove all obstacles facing our brothers and sisters. Let us tap into our human nature and give out our resources to lift them up. In fact, our gathering at this fund-raising event is a very crucial step as CEM Ability Village is showing the way that we do not have to wait for the Government to do everything. This charity has stepped up to the plate by initiating this empowerment centre for Persons with Disability. We are therefore witnessing a fine example of responsibility sharing and this calls for our overwhelming support as government, organizations and individuals. We need to support this private and social sector led initiative which is a perfect example of forging partnership with the government to address critical issues facing this vulnerable group to create more inclusive communities. Making a passionate appeal to individuals, corporate institutions and all persons concerned about the wellbeing of persons living with disability to support the CEM Ability Village and other initiatives designed to make life better for them, Dr Bawumia said it is now time to match the walk with the talk. I believe that supporting the CEM Ability Village is our civic and moral responsibility. Let us all rise to the occasion. Every life matters and we should not leave anyone behind, he emphasized. Dr Kenneth Asamoah Gyimah, Senior Lecturer, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, says students should be allowed but guided to use smart phones to facilitate learning in basic schools. He said education was undergoing transformation hence allowing students to use phones would open them up to a lot of things as they researched and expanded their intellectual frontiers. Dr Gyimah said this to the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of Wesley College of Education's Armstrong/ Amissah memorial lectures in Accra. The lecture forms part of the commemoration of the College's centenary anniversary celebrations. The lecture was on the theme, Shaping Ghana's Educational Transformation: The Role of Wesley College. Dr Gyimah advised parents to also guide their wards to use their phones to learn and research at home. He said phones and computers should not be seen as objects of distraction for children, but tools that facilitated their studies. Dr Gyimah urged the public to fully embrace educational transformation in the country, especially in the rollout of the Standard-Based Curriculum in schools. Reforms in education are critical to equitable and inclusive education, and improve teaching and learning outcomes, he stressed. He said educational reforms should place much emphasis on developing students' skills and competences and not just on passing examinations. Placing too much emphasis on external examination performance is what often leads to the various malpractice. However, when emphasis is placed more on improving students performance and capacities these malpractices canker would be addressed, he added. Wesley College of Education, Kumasi was established by the Methodist Church Ghana in 1922 to offer training for the Church's workers then. The College currently, has a student population of 1,254 and 92 staff. GNA IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has highlighted some challenges with the National Cathedral project in its policy document. The document drifts away from fundamental issues of politics and morality of the project and focuses on matters bordering on procurement, viability, and sustainability. It also questions the socio-economic justification for the project. The inter-denominational cathedral which is expected to have an auditorium capable of seating 5,000 people, as well as chapels and a baptistery, has been criticised by various groups and individuals. The President has said the controversial project is in fulfilment of a promise he made to God in the run-up to the 2016 election. Below are the ten issues IMANI raised in its document Challenge One: Value Proposition Ghana already has 40 orthodox/traditional cathedrals. There are also over 120 cathedral-scale Christian worship centers. There is almost no native religion complex worthy of a visit. Komfo Anokye's hometown has been completely neglected as have the Sakumono & Korle shrines. Given a large number of basilicas and cathedrals worldwide, can a 21st-century cathedral with no history or spiritual pedigree distinguish itself? Is Ghanaian Christianity sufficiently distinctive to allow the creation of a visit-worthy site and Bible Museum? Challenge Two: Communal Commitment Why isn't the Christian Community, its philanthropic allies and the faithful taking responsibility for building an extra cathedral if indeed they are as supportive as the government claims they are? The National Ecumenical Center in Nigeria was started in 1989 . Christian denominations were responsible for finding the money. In 2004, Christians woke up to their responsibility and raised 3 billion Naira, which was then a reasonable $23 million to complete it by 2005. The Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, merely served as Treasurer for the project. He did not pump public funds into the construction. He relied on his personal goodwill to mobilise private donations. Challenge Three: Conceptual Confusion Even before construction reached ground level, costs had ballooned from $100 million to $400 million. This is a clear and incontrovertible sign that the project was poorly designed from the start and the very concept mired in sheer confusion/ Challenge Four: Financial Opacity From an initial estimate of $100 million, the financial commitment climbed to $190 million, then $250 million. Late last year, it was said to be $350 million. And now, according to the General Counsel of the lead contractor, it is $400 million. None of the justifications for these estimate revisions have been shared Challenge Five: Flagrant Disregard for Law The government disregarded the law by sole-sourcing the project to Adjaye despite the clear conditions and thresholds laid out in the procurement law for sole-sourcing. It also committed the nation in contracts to spend far more than was expressly approved by the procurement authorities while refusing to openly disclose spending plans in the budget so that funds can be appropriated for the project in a way that would ensure scrutiny by the legislative branch. The failure to disclose the full set of financial commitments, disbursements and liabilities to Parliament despite several budget cycles since project inception, leading to strong suspicions of underhand spending, crooked dealings and corruption-related conduct is questionable. Why were architects and contractors not yet in good standing with the appropriate regulatory authorities in the construction and architectural industry in Ghana engaged for this project? Actions and duties reserved for the Board of Directors of the National Cathedral under Ghanaian law have been appropriated by the Presidency. Challenge Six: Potential for Interfaith Discord The plan to hold civic ceremonies in the planned Ghanaian National Cathedral suggests a privileging of Christianity over other faiths that can in time undermine the positive interfaith relations being experienced presently. Challenge Seven: Categorical Confusion Cathedral is a technical term; churches with an episcopal hierarchy build cathedrals. It is NOT a generic Christian term. A cathedral is the SEAT OF A BISHOP. Ghana has no National Bishop. There is NO established church so there cannot be a National Cathedral. Hence while in Nigeria, they called theirs a National Christian Center and previously National Ecumenical Center, the Government's incorporation of an interdenominational church through the Museums Board confuses an already messy situation. At most, a chaplaincy model as used in Ghanaian universities, hospitals and the armed forces should have been adopted. The building itself should have been owned by a statutory body and operated by a chaplaincy system established by the Christian churches. Challenge Eight Massive Upfront Payments Adjaye has been paid at a rate that is at least three times what the local regulators of the profession suggest to be reasonable and four times the median rate in the UK where he principally practices Challenge Nine: Inflated Architectural & Design Costs Given his 20-year industry record, it is noteworthy that Ghanaian public institutions will, since 2018, suddenly start awarding large contracts to Adjaye without any design competitions or even basic tenders taking place. Challenge Ten: Preposterous Cost-Benefit Analysis The government has entered into secret pacts with the Museum of the Bible (MOTB), Nehemiah Group, and Cary Summers (all linked to the Green Organisation in the US) for assistance in developing Christian tourism around the National Cathedral. The experience of these individuals and organizations in their own backyard and operations proves that bible museums are extremely hard to run and fully cover costs. In MOTB's desperation, it has had to grapple with artifact fraud and antiquities trafficking. Fundraising strategies developed for the Ghanaian National Cathedral have so far failed spectacularly. Museum of the Bible (Washington DC), part of the bevy of international Christian tourism advisors to the National Cathedral, has faced lawsuits for antiquities fraud and smuggling and has come under state investigations. Citi Newsroom 26.06.2022 LISTEN Oliver Burkeman, a British journalist, and an author has made a very interesting observation about human time on earth. He indicates that, if one assumes to live up to 80 years, one will have about four thousand weeks to spend on earth. So individually, how can we manage our four thousand weeks or a little over to live a meaningful, productive, and contributive life? TLC, a behavioral and attitudinal change advocacy group has initiated the timekeeping dialogue series to explore the concept of time and how people can become better at managing and maximizing this important resource available to everyone. The 3rd episode of the dialogue series dubbed Of Time and Times: The Intergenerational perspective has been scheduled for Sunday, 26 June 2022 at 4pm. This episode of the Dialogue Series will provide the opportunity for the guests and audience to share their generational perspectives of time and how each generation can learn from one another to enhance their lives, be more productive and live a life of meaning both at the individual and societal level. The event will feature the distinguished Professor Lade Wosornu, a Poet and a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Yvonne Oppong Ayisi, Manager of Trustees and Capital Markets, Consolidated Bank Of Ghana. The other guests are Mercedes Rowe Asamani, Political and Social Affairs Officer, All Africa Students Union, Redeemer Buatsi, a journalist and a youth leader at Amnesty International and Afia Owusuaa Baffuor- Kwakye , a Morgan International School graduate who recently completed her International Baccalaureate. It is expected to be chaired by Togbe Kwasinyi Kakakloklo Agyeman V, the chief of Adidome and hosted by Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, a communications for development advocate The 1st and 2nd dialogue series hosted Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, Communications and Culture expert, Madam Comfort Ocran, Motivational speaker and Author, Ibrahim Asante, Founder of Significant International Training Systems (SITS) and Ewurama Bennin, Learning Facilitator, Author and Program Manager- Central Leadership respectively where they identified time as an important and a unique resource that is available to every person, group, and nation and for that matter, utilizing time to its maximum will help catapult individuals, societies and nations to their desired destinations of growth and development. The past speakers also underscored the critical role of time in national development. The Timekeeping initiative is being undertaken to help in creating a better Timekeeping culture in Ghana. It was launched to improve the chronic lateness and lack of respect for time and timekeeping in Ghana. The national timekeeping initiative is targeted at policymakers, media, legislators, event organizers, corporate leaders, politicians, teachers, professionals, the youth, civil society and behavioural change agents. A massive attempt by migrants to storm the barrier between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla resulted in "unprecedented violence" that killed at least 23 sub-Saharan Africans and has sparked fears of worse to come. "It was like a war, we were holding rocks, little rocks, to fight the Moroccan military, who beat us by any means, with sticks," said a 20-year-old Sudanese migrant at a detention centre inside Melilla. "I climbed up the fence but a Moroccan guard hit my hands. I fell unconscious on the Spanish side, where I was beaten up by Spanish forces," said another. They were among 2,000 migrants who on Friday stormed the heavily fortified border between the Moroccan region of Nador and the enclave of Melilla. At least 23 migrants died and 140 police officers were wounded, according to Moroccan authorities -- the heaviest toll in years of such attempts. Many of the migrants, often from war-torn zones such as Sudan's Darfur region, have spent months or even years under precarious, dangerous conditions in the nearby forest of Gourougou, braving beatings and arrests in multiple attempts to reach better lives in Spain. But observers said the latest attempt was unprecedented in the level of violence. "It's the first time that we see this level of violence by migrants themselves against security forces," said Omar Naji from the Nador office of the AMDH rights group. The violence has heightened fears among Moroccans in the area. "We're terrorised by what happened," said Issame Ouaaid, 24, from the border district of Barrio Chino. "It's the first time that we've seen migrants carrying iron rods to fight with the police." Migrants treated 'very harshly' Naji linked the level of violence to a recent mending of ties between Spain and Morocco, leading to renewed cooperation against migrants and stricter enforcement. Morocco, the only African country sharing a land border with the EU, is a key conduit for migrants fleeing war and poverty. But the kingdom has also been accused -- by Spain -- of using migration flows as a tool to exert political pressure. The border fence separating Morocco and Spain's North African Melilla enclave. By FADEL SENNA (AFP) In May 2021, some 10,000 migrants surged across the border into Spain's other enclave, Ceuta, as Moroccan border guards looked the other way, in what was widely seen as a punitive gesture by Rabat in a political row over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. The two countries' resumption of ties earlier this year after a convergence on Western Sahara has led to "an intensification of pressures" against migrants living rough in the forested hills near the border, Naji said. Recent months have seen a fall in the numbers of migrants reaching Spanish territory, according to Madrid. At least 23 African migrants died in the latest drama on the edge of the European Union, when around 2,000 mostly sub-Saharan African migrants stormed the border with Spain's North African Melilla enclave. By FADEL SENNA (AFP) "The Moroccan authorities treat migrants very harshly, raiding their camps," Naji said. "There's no doubt that this pressure has generated the unprecedented violence we're seeing." Ceuta bid foiled Before Friday's incident, Spanish media reported several clashes between migrants and security forces, who had chased away residents of camps and transferred some away from the border region. For Othmane Ba, president of an association for sub-Saharan African migrants in Morocco, "the difficult conditions these migrants are facing condition them psychologically for violence". A majority of migrants arriving in Morocco are originally from Sudan, particularly the Darfur region where a new spike in violence has left 125 people dead and 50,000 displaced. On their way to Morocco, many pass through Libya, notorious for rights abuses by armed groups against migrants. Once they arrive in Morocco, many are willing to risk their lives to reach Europe. Border fence separating Morocco and Spain's North African Melilla enclave. By FADEL SENNA (AFP) "There are people here who have been waiting for two or three years" to get across, Naji said. Moroccan authorities said Sunday they had foiled a plot by migrants to cross the border into Ceuta, making 59 arrests. But, Naji said, "Morocco can't totally close its borders and play the role of police force for Europe. That policy can only lead to more violence." isb-fs-kao-agr/par/hc Government insists that all former attendants at the defunct road toll collection points were paid in full for the duration of their contract. Months after the government abolished the collection of road tolls in the country with a promise to re-assign the affected workers; many of them are still unemployed. Answering questions in Parliament, Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wireko Brobbey explained that although these workers do not have jobs as of now, their salaries were paid in full. At the time of the suspension of toll collection, a total of 784 toll workers were engaged by the Ghana Highway Authority under a contract set to expire in December 2021. Out of the 784 contract workers, 517 of them were employed by the toll and route management limited while 214 were employed by the Ghana Highway Authority. As part of measures to cushion the affected workers, the government paid their salaries for the remaining time of their contract; that is November and December 2021. The toll workers were relieved of their jobs following a directive by the Government in November 2021 to suspend the collection of tolls on roads and bridges in the country. On the back of this, the government promised to pay affected workers until they are reassigned. However, the workers say they are yet to be trained and reassigned to other jobs. By Citi Newsroom A two day training programme on the proposed new Labour Codes was organised at the headquarters of UJVN Limited on Friday and Saturday. In the programme the deputy chief labour commissioner of government of India, R G Meena and secretary Uttarakhand Productivity council, S P Singh imparted training on the various aspects of the labour code. In the programme 42 officers of UJVN Limited took part and they were given training on the labour laws and new labour codes proposed by the Uttarakhand government. The General Manager of the UJVNL Sandeep Singhal said that the objective of the programme was to provide information to the officers so that the proposed laws are effectively implemented in the organisation. Director operations Purushottam Singh and addressed the participants. The executive director human resources Rajendra Singh and deputy general manager Babita Kohli and other officers attended the training. Dr. Mohamad Zreik 26.06.2022 LISTEN Diplomatic and commercial ties between China and Syria have been established for decades. When Hui Liangyu visited Syria in 2009, he met President Bashar al-Assad. A statement from Assad to the Syrian people stated that China would work to improve mutually beneficial relations and partnership between the two countries in a variety of areas. According to the vice premier, China has had diplomatic relations with Syria for more than 50 years. In 1956, Syria became the first Middle Eastern country to recognize China. Zhou Enlai's advocacy for Sino-Arab cooperation during the 1955 Bandung Conference impressed Syrian leaders. Energy security, geostrategic ambitions, internal stability, and great power status are among China's objectives in the Middle East. In order to maintain system stability, China has been involved in the Middle East as a companion stakeholder state. A severe dilemma in the Middle East was on display for China after the Arab uprisings stunned it. China was alarmed when the United States applauded the Arab uprisings. Rather than welcoming them, the Chinese government has restricted local media coverage out of fear of a Chinese uprising. In October 2011, China and Russia thwarted the European Union's Syria sanctions resolution. The option of Assad's resignation was rejected by China and Russia on February 4, 2012. On February 16, China and Russia abstained on a UN resolution condemning Syria. Another resolution condemning Syrias crimes was vetoed by China and Russia on March 1. On July 19, China and Russia voted against a UN Security Council resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Syria for failing to implement a peace plan agreed upon in March. One-eighth of the Security Council's members, including the United States and the United Kingdom, voted in favour of the resolution; Pakistan and South Africa did not. At the beginning of Geneva 2 meetings on January 22, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put up China's view on the Syrian crisis in five points. China opposes any attempt to inflame Middle East tensions. Oil supplies to China are at risk if the situation in Syria worsens, raising the possibility of a regional confrontation. Trade and energy imports are negatively impacted by regional instability. Both economic and political interests can be safeguarded by rejecting the use of military force. The purpose is to prevent Western accusations of direct interference in countries' internal affairs and to protect China from such influence. Beijing had hoped for a political solution to the Syrian problem at Geneva 2 in order to keep the region and the international community stable. Although Beijing's efforts in Syria have been widely criticized, the Chinese government is still trying to maintain its international image and deploy its soft power. For China's political and economic interests, the world's perception of it is critical. The Syrian War: A Place to Vent Tension Between International Adversaries China avoids conflicts with other countries. Because of the policy of non-interference, China supports its allies from the side-lines. With the help of Russia, the Syrian-Chinese agenda has challenged US control in the region. The Syrian conflict demonstrated the antagonism between China and the United States. China has increased its influence in the Middle East at the expense of the United States. China opposes American leadership and unilateralism. As a condition for the NATO bombing of Libya in 2011, China changed its policy of silence and began to raise the voice in Syria. When the Arab uprising occurred, the Security Council made an effort to resolve conflicts and ease tensions. China decided to intervene politically and take part in Syria, e.g. China refused to support a UN Security Council resolution that asked Syria's president to step down. The Middle East has been China's primary oil supplier since 1995. Saudi Arabia and Iran have a role to play here. While Iran came in fourth, Saudi Arabia was China's leading oil supplier. With its growing reliance on foreign trade and oil imports from the Middle East, China places a high value on economic growth. As a result, the country makes significant investments in the region's stability. Chinese policy in the region may be complicated or even impossible if regional security is compromised, as it has been since the Iraq War. Iraqi oil imports have been hampered, and as a result, China is increasing its ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran. For as long as the Middle East remains a viable market for China, and as long as China retains a significant stake in oil and gas resources, this growth will likely go slowly and remain concentrated on the economic side. China's Middle East policy is influenced by the rhetoric and actions of the United States. As Arab countries undergo major political transitions, the US's influence in the region has shifted and waned. There have been significant improvements in China's standing in global trade due to the country's growing diplomatic ties throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa. Despite the fact that China will not become a superpower any time soon, the Chinese government is cognizant of the US's waning influence. As the Middle East has become more unstable and the United States' influence has decreased, China has sought to protect itself from the dangers of a power vacuum. Strategically, the Arab upheavals, particularly the Syrian crisis, appear to be a golden chance for China to strengthen its ties to the Middle East and North Africa and expand its regional ties and influence. A number of governments in the Middle East are benefiting from an increase in Chinese investment and political involvement. To counter the growing tension in East Asia, China's leaders have turned their attention to the West. It was argued by Chinese policymakers that China has more opportunities to expand its geopolitical influence in Central Asia and the Middle East. Economic and military analysts agree that the Syrian crisis has decimated the Middle East and more specifically the Levant region for more than a decade. Along with Russia, China has put a stop to US sanctions aimed at punishing the Assad regime. Government-opposition dialogue is China's preferred method of resolving conflicts. To become a major global power, China has taken actions since the end of the first decade of the 21st century, including regulating its relations with the United States. This strategy could alter the world order without compromising the stability of the economy or the freedom of trade. China was able to spread its reputation and achieve its goals across the globe. There are indications that China is bolstering international processes and institutions in order to thwart the United States' plans. China's geostrategic interests are put at risk, but there are also opportunities presented by the turmoil in the Middle East. America's lack of confidence in the Middle East is compounded by US policies and processes, allowing China to take advantage of a historic opportunity. No evidence of Beijing's desire to surpass the United States as the world's military powerhouse has been found. Chinese strategic advantages include the ability to exert influence over the United States in a future crisis in Asia or elsewhere. Even if hegemony can't be challenged head-on, the new power does so in a more subtle way. China's Foreign Policy toward West Asia in the Post-Syria Crisis Oil and markets are the two pillars of Chinese foreign policy, and the Middle East is a primary source of energy for China. Even while China's commerce with Syria is little, the country's oil reserves are not important enough to sway Beijing's geopolitical considerations. China used its veto power in the UN Security Council to block resolutions condemning the Assad regime for human rights abuses. Chinese actions appear to be in response to Western policies that were detrimental to its interests, rather than the Syrian conflict or its future. China's resources and economic growth are impacted by the unrest in the Middle East. In spite of China's confidence that its Syria policy will not harm its economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia, noting that Saudi Arabia is the largest crude oil exporter in the region. Because of China's geopolitical and economic objectives, the veto dilemma becomes more and more bizarre. The commercial centre that is Syria has neither become an ally nor a significant trading partner for China. In 2011, China sent $2.4 billion worth of goods to Syria, while importing $26 billion worth of goods back from the Middle Eastern nation. There were 30 enterprises with 100 employees from China, who had invested $20 million in Damascus by 2011. China has consistently supported the Syrian regime, as well as preventing UN Security Council action on Syria. China has used its veto power and criticized US intervention to safeguard its sovereign system against externally imposed regime change, resource security, and the stability of the Xinjiang autonomous region. As a result of the conflict between the Sunni and Shiite factions in Syria, Beijing is concerned about the violence. People in north-western Xinjiang's Uyghur minority want to break away from Beijing. The involvement of numerous Chinese jihadi groups in Middle Eastern hostilities shows how deeply ingrained the organization is in the conflict. Alawite Assad must be supported by Beijing to avoid legitimizing a minority that could threaten the stability and credibility of the Chinese Communist Party. Chinese diplomats have been in contact with the Syrian opposition and have attempted to negotiate. Increasing China's economic clout alongside Russia is a priority for the United Arab Emirates, which has strengthened commercial ties with the country and hopes to mend fences with the Syrian government. Some scholars believe that as long as the West sees China as an autocratic country with a poor human rights record, Arab countries will always support the West. The Belt and Road Initiative in the Middle East: An Opportunity to Advance China-Syria Relations China hopes to gain access to new markets and develop global supply chains through the Belt and Road Initiative. China's involvement in the Middle East has increased. It enjoys cordial ties with nations on both sides of the conflicting regional divides. Because it connects Europe, Africa, and Asia, the Middle East is a strategic region for China. The Bosporus, Dardanelles, Bab al-Mandab, and Strait of Hormuz carry the majority of Chinese shipping. Access to the Mediterranean from Damascus will help China with its BRI projects. Beijing's BRI economic corridor connects China, Central Asia, and West Asia, reducing China's dependence on the Suez Canal. Syrian ports Latakia and Tartus may be suitable for China's communications and infrastructure developments in the Mediterranean. As the eastern Mediterranean's primary maritime hub, Tripoli, Lebanon's port should be serviced by a restored railway between Tripoli and Homs. President Assad stated in 2019 that friendly countries like China, Russia, and Iran will have priority in Syria's lucrative reconstruction projects for the regime's international allies. Iran's economy has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and US sanctions, reducing its ability to fund Syria's reconstruction. A 4.5 percent drop in Iran's GDP in 2020/21 owing to its economic repercussions. Russia's public resources are anticipated to remain insufficient as the country faces a prolonged recession and a record number of pandemic cases. In addition to the recent conflict with Ukraine which will negatively affect Russia's effective presence in Syria. Russia and Iran are less capable of rebuilding Syria because their companies are primarily focused on the oil industry, not reconstruction. Equipment for power generation, construction, food processing, and manufacturing are all necessities for Syria's economy. When it comes to meeting infrastructure demands in emerging countries, Chinese companies have a leg up on their counterparts in Moscow or Tehran. The ongoing conflict has brought with it a need for urgent infrastructure development. This unique opportunity for China to penetrate an underdeveloped economy as the war winds down is provided by Western sanctions and the absence of financial rivalry or expertise from Iran and Russia. If Bashar al-Assad's regime is victorious in the Syrian crisis, it will be an important aspect of China's West Asian policy. Syrian and Chinese officials met recently to discuss Syria's national reconstruction efforts and China's ability to play a big economic role in Syria's future. As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has declared its willingness to assist with Syria's rehabilitation. Although Chinese officials have supported rehabilitation and investment initiatives, very little has been done on the ground thus far in terms of implementation. While the security situation in Syria remains tense, Beijing is reluctant to invest there. For the time being, large-scale investment is likely to be discouraged by the threat of foreign involvement from Turkey or the United States and the tightening of US sanctions. Adverts in China appear to focus on headlines and photos rather than genuine developments. The remaining third of the country, which is rich in natural resources and will be required to repay large loans, has yet to be retaken by regime forces. Beijing will make it a regional priority if it can help to stabilize Syria and bring an end to the conflict diplomatically; in the long run, this would help China achieve its geostrategic objectives and support long-term stability in this region. About author: Dr. Mohamad Zreik has PhD of International Relations, he is independent researcher, his area of research interest is related to Chinese Foreign Policy, Belt and Road Initiative, Middle Eastern Studies, China-Arab relations. Author has numerous studies published in high ranked journals and international newspapers. 26.06.2022 LISTEN I have done my research on this matter. As I said from the outset, I cannot and will not condemn my friend and brother Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his beautiful wife unless I see the evidence of their wrongdoing or they are convicted by a court of law. I am now convinced that there is NO evidence and that they will NOT be convicted. There is also a distinct possibility that the charges may eventually be dropped or thrown out by the court if the British really want to play it fairly. I believe that the London Metropolitan Police have acted hastily and in error or that they are simply behaving in a typically racist manner all in an attempt to demonise and stigmatise a Nigerian public figure and Nigerians generally even though the evidence before them cannot possibly justify the charge or a conviction. When I looked into the matter and considered all the facts, including the young man David Nwaminyi's own testimony which was published on his Facebook page a few hours ago, I asked myself the following questions. How can this man be so wicked and cruel and how can he be so ready, willing and able repay good with evil? The Ekweremadus needed help and instead of giving it to them as promised he sought to take advantage of them, milk them dry, endanger the life of their ailing daughter, send them to jail and utterly destroy them. Was David not sent to the Ekweremadu family by Lucifer? Is he not the biblical "son of perdition" who takes pleasure in the destruction and misery of others? Is he not the quintessential sadist? Is he not a beast in human flesh? I know Senator Ekweremadu quite well. He is a deeply courageous man and his greatest concern and fear right now will not be for his own safety or future but rather for the welfare of his daughter and the travails of his dear wife. That is the measure of man that he is: he always puts his family first. And when I consider what this monster called David is doing to them I ask myself, what on earth have they done to deserve all this? Consider the facts: A couple have a sick child in a foreign hospital. They needed and asked for your help. You volunteered to donate one of your kidneys to their daughter so she could live. You were well paid for this purpose. You were of age. You were not underage or a minor. You gave your consent. Your visa was lawfully and legitimately processed and your purpose for going to the U.K. was disclosed in the visa application. You were not smuggled across international boarders secretly or illegally, against your will or treated like a slave but rather you were flown on a plane and you entered the U.K. lawfully and willingly. Nothing was hidden. Nothing was done in the darkness. There were no hidden, ignoble, macabre or sinister motives. You were taken abroad for the sole purpose of donating one of your kidneys and you were given the best treatment by the Ekweremadu's (by your own admission) and at their hospital of choice. Instead of doing the right and honorable thing and following through on your own part of the deal by helping the young lady or instead of simply saying that you have changed your mind and have elected not to donate your kidney any longer, satan entered your body, spirit and soul, you got other ideas, you sought to make more money and you started plotting and conceiving evil against those who were depending on you. You resolved to attempt to send the Ekweremadus to jail for no just cause, far away from home and in a foreign land simply because they were desperate, they asked you for help, they trusted you and they paid you. You have destroyed their reputation and you now want their daughter to die from stress and the inability to get someone else to donate a kidney to her. You wish to destroy three lives and an entire family just so you can gain political asylum, stay in the U.K. and live off the state. Apart from being motivated by your crass and primitive greed, it is possible that you are also being used by some unscrupulous elements and Senator Ekweremadu's political enemies but whichever it is, you alone will bear the consequences of your wicked and callous actions both in this life and in the next. It can never be well with you. You will suffer the consequences of your wickedness and you will be exposed for what you are. You are not 15 but 21. You consented to this course of action. You offered to help them but now you are hell- bent on destroying them. I and millions of other Nigerians condemn and despise you. As for the Ekweremadus they will come out of this better and stronger and rise even higher. Their daughter will not die but live to the glory of God and both the Senator and his wife shall return to Nigeria in victory and in glory. You on the other hand will fail in your evil quest, you will be eventually deported and you shall return in shame. And when you do you will face the full wrath of the Nigerian people and legal system. It is only a question of time. I assure you of this. When one of our own is falsely accused in a foreign land we ought to rally around him or her. And Ekweremadu and his wife are our own. We may not agree with them on everything but they are part and parcel of us as a people and we must not abandon or condemn them without good reason. Permit me to end this contribution with a word for David the Wicked: You have no idea how much damage you gave done to yourself, your country and your life with this evil course of action. Surely you shall reap what you have sown. You are nothing but a wicked, evil and cruel little man. The God of Heaven who sees and knows all shall judge you. (FFK) June 26, 2022 Russia Is Running Out Of [Whatever The Media Claim] The main stream media have no problem with contradicting their own reporting: U.S. Lacks a Clear Picture of Ukraines War Strategy, Officials Say - Jun 8, 2022 - New York Times Intelligence agencies know far more about Russias military, even as the United States ships billions of dollars in weapons to the Ukrainians. New York Times Intelligence agencies know far more about Russias military, even as the United States ships billions of dollars in weapons to the Ukrainians. Commando Network Coordinates Flow of Weapons in Ukraine, Officials Say - Jun 25, 2022 - New York Times A secretive operation involving U.S. Special Operations forces hints at the scale of the effort to assist Ukraines still outgunned military. > [S]ome C.I.A. personnel have continued to operate in the country secretly, mostly in the capital, Kyiv, directing much of the vast amounts of intelligence the United States is sharing with Ukrainian forces, according to current and former officials. At the same time, a few dozen commandos from other NATO countries, including Britain, France, Canada and Lithuania, also have been working inside Ukraine. < --- Another such scheme: There are only a few 'western' sources who have a grip on reality: The Return of Industrial Warfare - Jun 17, 2022 - RUSI > The expenditure of cruise missiles and theatre ballistic missiles is just as massive. The Russians have fired between 1,100 and 2,100 missiles. ... The initial stockpile in February 2022 is unknown, but considering expenditures and the requirement to hold substantial stockpiles back in case of war with NATO, it is unlikely that the Russians are worried. In fact, they seem to have enough to expend operational-level cruise missiles on tactical targets. The assumption that there are 4,000 cruise and ballistic missiles in the Russian inventory is not unreasonable. This production will probably increase despite Western sanctions. In April, ODK Saturn, which makes Kalibr missile motors, announced an additional 500 job openings. < --- This 'Russia is running out of ...' thingy is by the way a recurring scheme: Yeah, sure! Now cope with this and guess again what someone is is running out of: > Speaking near the frontline, south of the city of Severodonetsk, company commander Oleksandr said a core of experienced soldiers who had been fighting together since 2018 have been lost. "My unit was 100% made up of professional soldiers who have a lot of experience. Now, 80% are incapacitated from serious injuries or death," he says. In comments which will alarm those backing Ukraine in its four-month long war with Russia, he says he does not know how long his unit can sustain such losses. < Posted by b on June 26, 2022 at 7:47 UTC | Permalink Comments next page June 26, 2022 Ukraine Open Thread 2022-97 Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict ... The current open thread for other issues is here. Posted by b on June 26, 2022 at 13:52 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ISTANBUL (AP) Dozens of people were detained in central Istanbul after city authorities banned an LGBTQ Pride march, organizers said Sunday. Turkey's largest city has banned the march since 2015, but large crowds nonetheless gather every year to mark the end of Pride Month. Organizers called the ban unlawful. We do not give up, we are not afraid! We will continue our activities in safe places and online, the Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee said on Twitter. Kaos GL, a prominent LGBTQ group, said shortly before the marchs 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) start that police detained 52 people had been detained. The Pride Week Committee later said more than 100 had been arrested. There was no immediate word on the number of arrests from the police or the governors office. Images on social media showed people being frisked and loaded onto buses, including at least one news photographer. Journalists' union DISK Basin-Is said many were beaten by police. Local residents banged pots and pans from their windows and balconies in a show of support for the marchers as a police helicopter circled overhead. Metal fences and lines of riot officers cordoned off streets around Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue in the Beyoglu district, the heart of the citys shopping and tourism sectors, as well as a traditional gathering point for protesters. Metro services around Taksim Square were shut down for hours ahead of the march. Turkey previously was one of the few Muslim-majority countries to allow Pride marches. The first was held in 2003, the year after President Recep Tayyip Erdogans party came to power. In recent years, the government has adopted a harsh approach to public events by groups that do not represent its religiously conservative views. Large numbers of arrests and the use of tear gas and plastic pellets by police have accompanied Pride events. Counter-demonstrations by nationalists and Islamists, who claim the LGBTQ community is a danger to Turkish values, have also threatened marchers. The Yogi Adityanath government 2.0 has drawn up a blueprint for the next five years for the sugarcane industry and the farmers which includes modernisation of sugar mills, distillery plants, production of sulphur-free sugar, and increasing sugarcane yield and sugar production in a phased manner got the benefit of the families of more than 50 lakh sugarcane growers of the state. The holistic strategy drawn by the government includes modernisation of 14 sugar mills in five years at a cost of Rs 480 crore. The government has prepared an action plan for the upgradation of 14 sugar mills of Uttar Pradesh Co-operative Sugar Mills Federation Limited in a phased manner. It will cost about Rs 480 crore. In the first phase, mills in Satha (Aligarh), Sultanpur and Maharajganj-Nautanwa will be modernised in 2022-2023 at an estimated cost of around Rs 95 crore. In the second phase (2023-2024), the government will spend Rs 105 crore for the modernisation of Bilaspur in Kasganj, Seemakheda in Bareilly and Puranpur sugar mills in Pilibhit. In the third phase 2024-2025, the sugar mills at Ghosi in Mau, Mahmudabad of Sitapur, Bisalpur of Pilibhit and Budaun are to be modernised. In the final phase of the five-year action plan, the upgradation of sugar mills at Kaimganj in Farrukhabad, Morna in Muzaffarnagar, and Tilhar in Shahjahanpur and Baghpat is to be done. The government will spend Rs 140 each on the eight sugar mills to be modernised in the subsequent two phases. Similarly, in a phased manner, three mills of Uttar Pradesh State Sugar Corporation Limited -- Pipraich in Gorakhpur, the distillery at Mohiuddinpur in Meerut and Burhwal Chini Mill in Barabanki -- will have a cogeneration plant, sulfur-less plant and distillery. In these three, the contribution of the state government and the Centre will be 30 per cent and 70 per cent loan, respectively. A multi-feed distillery sugar complex will also be set up at Chhata, Mathura at a cost of Rs 550 crore. Apart from the modernisation of mills, the government has set a target of increasing sugarcane productivity from 81.5 tons to 84 tons per hectare in five years. Promotion of sugar tourism through sugarcane and its by-products, Sugar Museum at Ganna Kisan Sansthan, the establishment of sales centres for sugar mills produced by union and corporation mills and organisation of Gur Mahotsav every year are the other programmes. A record payment of more than Rs 1.75 lakh crore has been made to sugarcane farmers. It is known that the welfare of farmers has been the top priority of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath since his first term. This can be possible when about 50 lakh sugarcane growers of the state are happy. In view of this, unprecedented work was done in the first term of the Yogi government. For example, there was a record payment of dues of sugarcane farmers. If we look at the payment figures, the UP government has set a new record by paying more than Rs 1.75 lakh crore to sugarcane farmers since 2017. Even during the COVID-19 period, all the mills of UP ran at full capacity and made a record in sugar production in the country. While the sugar mills of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab remained closed during the COVID-19 period, the Yogi government did not allow even a single sugar mill in UP to remain closed during the pandemic. In 2017, as soon as the Yogi government assumed office, keeping the farmers on the main agenda, it started all the closed sugar mills and increased the capacity of more than one-and-half dozen sugar mills and started new sugar mills at Pipraich, Mundrewa and Ramala. The crushing capacity of Ramala (Baghpat) mill is 2,750 TCD to 5,000 TCD. A 27 megawatt co- generation plant was set up. At the same time, the Yogi government gave licences to 270 khandsari units and it also provided employment to 50,000 people. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate OSLO, Norway (AP) The suspect in a mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Norway has refused to explain his actions to investigators and will remain in pretrial custody for the next four weeks, police and his defense lawyer said Sunday. The man, whom authorities described as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the shooting in Oslo's nightlife district early Saturday. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act. Oslo police said they tried to question the suspect on Saturday and again on Sunday without success. Norwegian media identified him as Zaniar Matapour. Matapour's defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, told The Associated Press by email that his client refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped unless police released the entire recording to the public with no time delay so it wont be censored or manipulated. Recording interrogations is a standard police practice. Elden previously said his client did not deny being the shooter but had not divulged any motive. The lawyer said Sunday that Matapour did not object to remaining in custody for four weeks so would not appear in court on Monday. In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks. Norway's prime minister and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service Sunday at Oslo Cathedral for the victims of the attack. The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in Oslo. Police investigators said it was too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community. A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was called off because of the shooting. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said during Sundays memorial service that the shooting in the night hours put an end to the Pride parade, but it did not stop the fight and the efforts to fight discrimination, prejudice and hatred. He also addressed Norway's Muslim community. I know how many of you felt when it turned out that the perpetrator belonged to the Islamic community. Many of you experienced fear and unrest. You should know this: We stand together, we are one community and we are responsible for the community together, Stoere said during the church service, which was also attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Norwegian media said Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s. He had a prior criminal record that included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense for carrying a knife. Investigators said they seized two weapons after Saturday's shootings: a handgun and an automatic weapon. The Norwegian domestic security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST, said Saturday it first became aware of the suspect in 2015 and later grew concerned he had become radicalized and was part of an unspecified Islamist network. On Sunday, Norwegian media outlets reported that Matapour allegedly was in close contact with an Islamic extremist living in Norway whom Norwegian police had been aware of for a long time. ___ Tanner reported from Helsinki. Relatives of drug war victims light candles for their slain loved ones at the Commission on Human Rights where families of drug war victims gathered to pray ahead of All Saints Day, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Oct. 29, 2021. Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the United States Supreme Court as the court rules in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Washington, D.C., June 24, 2022. On a hot, muggy Thursday in early July 1776, a handful of men got together in Pennsylvania and declared their independence from Great Britain. But they werent meeting in Independence Hall and Messrs. Franklin, Adams and Jefferson werent there. At least, not at this meeting. Yet, on the same day 100 miles away, another group met and did the same thing. Maybe it was an incredible coincidence; perhaps the historical facts were fudged a little to make a good story even better; or perhaps it was just one of those odd things that happen from time to time. Whatever the reason, its an interesting tale thats largely forgotten today. This is the story of Americas other Independence Day. It all started a decade earlier. Britain bought a bunch of land from the Iroquois Indians, opening big chunks of Pennsylvania and New York to settlement. There was considerable haziness about the purchase areas exact boundary. Settlers moved into disputed territory in the West Branch Susquehanna River valley. Because they were living in the area illegally, those settlers had no voice in Pennsylvanias colonial government. So, they created one for themselves. They established what they called a Fair Play System in 1773. Three commissioners were elected and charged with making sure everyone was treated fairly. (Thus, the name.) They spent most of their time addressing property headaches arising from faulty deeds and land claims. But they also handled criminal cases that arose, and when they did so, the commissioners didnt mess around. They had the authority to expel anyone found guilty by setting them adrift in a canoe. Say what you may about the system, at least it wasnt soft on crime. The arrangement seemed to work, more or less, to everyones satisfaction. Until the colonies decided to go to war with the mother country in 1775. Because they werent included in Pennsylvanias legislature, the settlers had no voice in the momentous events being debated. The folks living in the West Branch Susquehanna River valley were patriots, too, and resented being left out. They once again took matters into their own hands. And they did it in a big way. The Fair Play Men got together in early July on the west bank of Pine Creek. Since it was blazing hot, they met under the shade of the Tiadaghton Elm tree. After talking it over, the Fair Play System declared independence from England. And it did so on July 4, 1776. Little did the Fair Play Men know that at that precise moment 100 miles away in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress was voting to do the same thing. At this point, details get very murky very fast. Two men were dispatched to inform colonial officials what the group had done. The pair were ambushed and robbed on the way by pro-British Indians, jailed by pro-British Loyalists, later escaped, and finally arrived in Philly only to find the Continental Congress had stolen their thunder a week earlier. The Fair Play Men didnt put their declaration in writing the way John Hancock did his. That has historians divided over just what happened. Some say records were destroyed in a later fire. Or maybe nothing was put in writing to avoid being discovered by the British (who took a harshly dim view of rebelling against the Crowns authority). Others claim the two riders may have carried a copy of their declaration, but it was stolen when they were waylaid. Still, others doubt whether the meeting occurred on July 4, suspecting later generations may have stretched the date a little to create a cool coincidence. For two centuries the Tiadaghton Elm was a local landmark until advanced age finally claimed it in the 1970s. A marker stands at the site today as a reminder. While we will never know the full story, its fairly certain something significant happened there in July 1776. Whether it was on the Fourth or another day doesnt matter. Because it showed American independence was more than just a fantasy held by a handful of political idealists hunkered down in sweltering Philadelphia. It was a dream, a vision of a different kind of country where a man could live the life he chose in freedom. And people in even the most remote backwater parts of this land were willing to stand up and declare it for themselves. Thats worth celebrating. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian forces were seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, pressing their momentum after taking full control Saturday of the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk and the chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians had been holed up. Russia also launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraine's air command said. The bombardment preceded a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, during which Putin announced that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control Sievierodonetsk and the villages surrounding it. He said the attempt by Ukrainian forces to turn the Azot plant into a stubborn center of resistance had been thwarted. Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk province, said Friday that Ukrainian troops were retreating from Sievierodonetsk after weeks of bombardment and house-to-house fighting. He confirmed Saturday that the city had fallen to Russian and separatist fighters, who he said were now trying to blockade Lysychansk from the south. The city lies across the river just to the west of Sievierodonetsk. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian forces control of every major settlement in the province, a significant step toward Russias aim of capturing the entire Donbas. The Russians and separatists control about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a spokesman for the separatist forces, Andrei Marochko, as saying Russian troops and separatist fighters had entered Lysychansk and that fighting was taking place in the heart of the city. There was no immediate comment on the claim from the Ukrainian side. Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk have been the focal point of a Russian offensive aimed at capturing all of the Donbas and destroying the Ukrainian military defending it the most capable and battle-hardened segment of the countrys armed forces. Russian bombardment has reduced most of Sievierodonetsk to rubble and cut its population from 100,000 to 10,000. The last remaining Ukrainian troops were holed up in underground shelters in the huge Azot chemical plant, along with hundreds of civilians. A separatist representative, Ivan Filiponenko, said earlier Saturday that its forces evacuated 800 civilians from the plant during the night, Interfax reported. Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Zhdanov said some of the troops were heading for Lysychansk. But Russian moves to cut off Lysychansk will give those retreating troops little respite. Some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to the west, four Russian cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea hit a military object in Yaroviv, Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said. He did not give further details of the target, but Yaroviv has a sizable military base used for training fighters, including foreigners who have volunteered to fight for Ukraine. Russian missiles struck the Yaroviv base in March, killing 35 people. The Lviv region, although far from the front lines, has come under fire at various points in the the war as Russia's military worked to destroy fuel storage sites. About 30 Russian missiles were fired on the Zhytomyr region in central Ukraine on Saturday morning, killing one Ukrainian soldier, regional governor Vitaliy Buchenko said. He said all of the strikes were aimed at military targets. In the northwest, two missiles hit a service station and auto repair center in Sarny, killing three people and wounding four, the Rivne regional governor, Vitaliy Koval, said. He posted a picture of the destruction. Sarny is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the border with Belarus. In southern Ukraine along the Black Sea coast, nine missiles fired from Crimea hit the port city of Mykolaiv, the Ukrainian military said. In the north, about 20 missiles were fired from Belarus into the Chernihiv region, the Ukrainian military said. Ukraine's military intelligence agency said the Russian bombers' use of Belarusian airspace for the first time for Saturday's attack was directly connected to attempts by the Kremlin to drag Belarus into the war. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that as a war that Moscow expected to last five days moved into its fifth month, Russia felt compelled to stage such a missile show." He said the war was at a difficult stage, when we know that the enemy will not succeed, when we understand that we can defend our country, but we dont know how long it will take, how many more attacks, losses and efforts there will be before we can see that victory is already on our horizon. During his meeting in St. Petersburg with Lukashenko, Putin told him the Iskander-M missile systems would be arriving in the coming months. He noted that they can fire either ballistic or cruise missiles and carry nuclear as well as conventional warheads. Russia has launched several Iskander missiles into Ukraine during the war. Following a botched attempt to capture Kyiv, Ukraines capital, in the early stage of the invasion that started Feb. 24, Russian forces have shifted their focus to the Donbas, where the Ukrainian forces have fought Moscow-backed separatists since 2014. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking in Washington on condition of anonymity, on Friday called the Ukrainians withdrawal from Sievierodonetsk a tactical retrograde to consolidate forces into positions where they can better defend themselves. The move will reinforce Ukraines efforts to keep Russian forces pinned down in a small area, the official said. After repeated Ukrainian requests to its Western allies for heavier weaponry to counter Russias edge in firepower, four medium-range American rocket launchers arrived this week, with four more on the way. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry released a video Saturday showing the first use of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, in Ukraine. The video gave no location or indication of the targets. The rockets can travel about 45 miles (70 kilometers). The senior U.S. defense official said Friday that more Ukrainian forces are training outside Ukraine to use the HIMARS and are expected back in their country with the weapons by mid-July. Also to be sent are 18 U.S. coastal and river patrol boats. The official said there is no evidence Russia has intercepted any of the steady flow of weapons into Ukraine from the U.S. and other nations. Russia has repeatedly threatened to strike, or actually claimed to have hit, such shipments. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up two centres of excellence in the state for the promotion of startups. One of these startups is being set up in the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur for promotion of drone technology. With the Yogi government committed to providing a better ecosystem to industries, around 6,379 startups have already registered in the state. According to the department for promotion of industry and internal trade of the Centre, 6,379 startups are registered in Uttar Pradesh. The startup policy of the state government has been framed to provide all support to those willing to set up their startups in the state, said Vinayak Nath, chairman of UP Startup Council. Noida has turned out to be the most preferred destination for startups followed by Ghaziabad, Agra, Lucknow and Gorakhpur in Purvanchal region. According to government officials, around 1,154 startups have registered in Noida, 533 in Ghaziabad, 500 in Lucknow and 1,219 in Bundelkhand and Purvanchal regions of the state. According to industry experts, Noida is a preferred destination for startups due to availability of logistics, better connectivity and availability of land for big projects. The Information Technology and Electronics department of the state government has also decided to set up 100 incubators with one incubator in each district. Around 47 incubators have already been set up. In the state capital, the countrys biggest incubator will come up in around 2.5 lakh square feet area. The Uttar Pradesh Electronics Corporation (UPEC) has already identified a land opposite CCS airport in Amausi to set up the incubation centre. The UPEC is in talks with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), a Union government enterprise, to build and operate this incubation centre. The startup policy of the state government offers additional incentives of 50 per cent to startups based in Purvanchal and Bundelkhand regions as well as to those where startup founders/co-founder is a woman, divyangjan or from a transgender community. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MENDON Thousands of people some camping overnight to stake out the best spot possible filled the Adams County Fairgrounds on Saturday, hearing from Republican power-hitters while waiting for former President Donald J. Trump to take the stage. "This is my second Trump rally," said Susan Baumgartner, who was sporting an American flag-themed cowboy hat. "The whole process is amazing. If you haven't been to one, you need to." Throughout the parking lot and grounds, vendors set up shop selling Trump shirts, hats, flags and other memorabilia. "It's still early, but I'm feeling really excited," Cheryl Lewis, who traveled from North Carolina, said before speakers started taking to the stage. "I was excited when no one was here." "It's definitely interesting with the timing of everything, because we're in a Democratic state," said rally participant Mary Betts. "I'm pretty excited." Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, took to the podium first, urging the crowd to support U.S. Rep. Mary Miller for the newly drawn 15th Congressional District in Illinois. Miller faces U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis in Tuesday's Republican primary. Also center stage was businessman and Trump loyalist Mike Lindell, also known as the My Pillow Guy. The founder of the My Pillow company also gave a political nod to Miller before raising long-debunked claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Trump himself repeated the allegations during his hour-long speech, saying "they used COVID to rig and steal an election. We had one of the most successful presidencies in history." "This was the biggest crime in history and now we're in the biggest cover up in history," Lindell told the crowd. "Trump has had a plan, and so does God." Lindell touched on a U.S. Supreme Court's decision just a day before to end federal protection for abortion. "We need to put God back in our schools and with kids that now will be alive" because of the ruling, Lindell said. Trump has taken credit for the outcome because he nominated three of the conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the 1972 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion. Both Miller and Davis have said they are against abortion. It was a topic Miller addressed when she spoke at the rally, although she drew social media backlash after calling the Supreme Court decision a "historic victory for white life." Her campaign said Saturday night that Miller misread remarks that had been prepared in advance. "You can clearly see she is reading off a piece of paper, she meant to say right to life'," Miller spokesman Isaiah Wartman told NBC News. With Trump behind her, Miller accused Davis of "betraying us" and voting against Trump's agenda. She said America needed "to get that weak, incompetent man (President Joe Biden) out and get Donald Trump back in." In a statement Sunday, Davis said Miller's comments "are just another part in a disturbing pattern of behavior she's displayed since coming to Congress. " "Whether it's catering to the extremes, praising Adolf Hitler ... and now these comments, Miller has demonstrated she is not fit for public office. This is why it's so important to vote in our Republican primary on Tuesday and show the country Miller's behavior is unacceptable," he said. Miller was heavily criticized days after being sworn in to office for a comment made at a rally hosted by the conservative group Moms for America in which she said, "Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future'. But for those who had gathered Saturday at the fairgrounds outside of Quincy, what was important was Trump's enthusiastic endorsement. "Mary is pro-life. Mary is pro-gun. Mary is pro-police. Mary is pro-America and MAGA (Make America Great Again) all the way," Trump said. Trump went on to endorse Darren Bailey, who is seeking the Republican nomination in a crowded race Tuesday that will determine who goes against incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November. "The next governor of Illinois (is) Darren Bailey," Trump said. "He's a farmer and he's a fighter ... he wants to lower taxes and he wants to make Illinois competitive again." As Bailey took to the podium, he was quick to recognize Trump and push one of his main goals. "Illinois will roll out the red carpet out in 2024 because Illinois will be ready," he said of Trump becoming president for a second time. KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) Residents at a motel along a tourist strip not far from Walt Disney World that was used as the setting for the 2017 film The Florida Project were told that they must vacate on short notice because the complex has been sold to another owner. Residents of the Magic Castle Inn & Suites were told last Monday that the hotel had been purchased and the new owners were forcing everyone out, local media reported. Because the Magic Castle was a motel, the new owners dont have to follow the same eviction procedures that a landlord would for removing tenants from a rental apartment. Now I have to find a home and a job, Heather Squires, who paid for her room by working at the motel, told the Orlando Sentinel. Thats a lot to dump on someone in less than 24 hours. The lavender-painted hotel was the setting for the movie that, through the eyes of a young girl, told a story of poverty and resilience at the pay-by-the-week motel that was the home of last resort for people who couldnt afford anywhere else to live. About 15 people had been living at the hotel before the closure, said David Sarfati, who owned the hotel with his wife before it was sold. Residents said they were given no warning about the motels pending closure, even though the owners had been supportive of them in the past. No warning at all, no severance package, said Thomas Delgado, who also lived and worked at the motel. Just, Heres your final paycheck and your vacation pay. Bye. Sarfati said he too was surprised by the speed at which the new owners were moving. He said he had expected months to prepare for the transition and didnt realize the new owners wanted residents out until trash containers showed up at the motel on Monday. When the dumpsters showed up, we knew there was something wrong, Sarfati said. A listing by Corcoran Premier Realty showed the property was under contract for $5.5 million, but a deed hadnt yet cleared Osceola County property records. The finance committee of Vinoba Bhave University has decided to recover excess payment from retired teachers. The university administration has replied to the High Court that the increased payment will be made to the teachers, who are not getting the payment on increased rates. A meeting was presided over by the Vice Chancellor of the university. VC, Mukuk Naryan Dev said that the Human Resource Department (HRD) has revised the pay scale in the hope that the department will get the amount from the state government as well as from the University Grant Commission. In this condition the payment was made to the teachers. Now the HRD revised the pay scale. According to a new list 10 teachers, who have retired from the service received the excess payment. Now, the university has decided to recover the excess amount from their pension. The finance committee has also taken the decision to purchase the books for library and equipment for laboratory in the constituent colleges of the university. Regarding the proposal of enhancement of the salary of teaching and non- teaching staff of self- financed courses run by the university in the headquarter, the committee has decided to constitute a five members committee. After a report of the committee, the decision will be taken. In the meeting financial adviser SK Singh, finance officer Surendra Kushvaha, registrar BK Gupta were present. As summit host, Spain urges NATO to watch its southern flank View Photo BARCELONA, Spain (AP) While Russias invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Spain and other member nations are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mercenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscows influence to Africa. As the host of the summit taking place from Tuesday to Thursday, Spain wants to emphasize its proximity to Africa as it lobbies for a greater focus on Europes southern flank in a new document outlining NATOs vision of its security challenges and tasks. The Strategic Concept is NATOs most important working document after the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, which contained the key provision holding that an attack on one member is viewed as an attack upon all. The security assessment is updated roughly every decade to reset the Wests security agenda. The current version, approved in Lisbon in 2010, stated the risk of a conventional war on NATO territory was low. It did not explicitly mention concerns about instability in Africa. At the time, the alliance viewed apathy as its biggest military threat; U.S. complaints that some European members were not paying their due featured heavily in summit talks. Fast forward a dozen years, and the view looks very different from NATO headquarters in Brussels. After Russia brought war close to NATOs eastern borders, the alliance has worked to provide Ukraine with an assortment of more powerful weapons and to avoid the very real risk of getting drawn into the fighting. But there appears to be a consensus among NATO members heading into the Madrid summit that while Russia remains concern No. 1, the alliance must continue to widen its view globally. Spains position for an increased focus on the South is shared by Britain, France and Italy. In their view, the security challenges in Africa arise from a Putin apparently dead-set on restoring the imperial glories of Russia as well as from an expansive China. Russia has gained traction thanks to the presence of its mercenaries in the Sahel region, a semiarid expanse stretching from Senegal to Sudan that suffers from political strife, terrorism and drought. Each time I meet with NATO ministers, the support of the allies is total due to the instability that we see on the alliances southern frontier and especially the situation in the Sahel region right now, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares said. The Kremlin denies links to the Wagner Group, a mercenary force with an increasing presence in central and North Africa and the Middle East. The private military company, which has also participated in the war in Ukraine, has developed footholds in Libya, Mali, Sudan and Central African Republic. In Mali, Wagner soldiers are filling a void created by the exit of former colonial power France. In Sudan, Russias offer of an economic alliance earned it the promise of a naval base on the Red Sea. In Central African Republic, Wagner fighters protect the countrys gold and diamond mines. In return, Putin gets diplomatic allies and resources. French President Emmanuel Macron has long called for a greater involvement from NATO in the Sahel region. Now that Wagner has moved into Mali, French authorities underlined that Wagner mercenaries were accused of human right abuses in the Central African Republic, Libya and Syria. Former NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said that Russias brutal military campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his countrys long civil war left it emboldened. Syria gave (the Russians) the sentiment that they could be more active in that part of the world, Solana told The Associated Press. They have very good relations with Algeria and they have () the Wagner type of people in the Sahel, which is delicate. With the Sahel, Morocco and Algeria at risk of worsening instability, the southern part of NATO, for Portugal, Spain, Greece, etc., they would like to have an eye open to that part of the world, he said. Italy is another NATO member attuned to the political climate across the Mediterranean Sea. The country hosts NATOs Joint Force Command base in Naples, which in 2017 opened a south hub focusing on terrorism, radicalization, migration and other issues emanating from North Africa and the Middle East. The Italian ambassador to NATO, Francesco Maria Talo, said in a May interview with Italian news agency ANSA that humanitarian crises in Africa must concern all NATO allies. Near us theres Africa, with a billion inhabitants at risk of poverty, aggravated by food insecurity, terrorism and climate change, all factors that combine to create insecurity, Talo said. And Russia is present there, too. The importance of the other side of the Mediterranean became painfully evident to Spain over the past year due to a series of diplomatic crises involving Morocco and Algeria and their rivalry over the fate of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. Amid the disputes, reduced border security allowed migrants to enter Spanish territory, and there were perceived threats to energy supplies. Analysts consider both to be tactics of hybrid warfare when governments use them against other countries. Speaking in Madrid last month, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace noted the problems caused last year when Belarus, a Putin ally, allegedly encouraged migrants to cross its borders into Poland and other neighboring countries. If the likes of Wagner get the control they have or theyd like to have in places like Libya or indeed what we see theyre already doing in Mali, do not think that Spain will be untouched by that, Wallace said. NATO is also expected to include in the new Strategic Document a reference to Chinas growing military reach both in and beyond the Pacific theater. U.S. Army Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander of U.S. Africa Command, warned last month that China was trying to build a military naval base on Africas Atlantic coast. He said Beijing has most traction toward establishing the base in Equatorial Guinea, a tiny oil-rich dictatorship that was once Spains only sub-Saharan African colony. China only operates one acknowledged foreign military base, located in Djibouti in East Africa, But many believe its Peoples Liberation Army is busy establishing an overseas military network, even if it doesnt use the term base. NATO has invited the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to the summit to demonstrate its interest in the Asian-Pacific. The foreign minister of Mauritania, a former French colony in West Africa, is also invited to attend a working dinner of fellow foreign ministers at the NATO summit. NATO said the country, which borders Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali and Senegal, was closely associated with the preparatory work for the new Strategic Concept. ___ AP writers Ciaran Giles in Madrid, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report. By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press Russia strikes Kyiv as Western leaders meet in Europe View Photo KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv early Sunday, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings, and President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his 7-year-old daughter and wife injured. Associated Press journalists saw emergency workers battling flames and rescuing civilians. The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks barbarism after he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit. Later Sunday, a local official reported a second death, telling the Unian news agency that a railroad worker was killed and several others were injured in the attacks while servicing rail infrastructure. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the first air-launched weapons successfully to target the capital since June 5 were Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away. Kyivs mayor told journalists he thought the airstrikes were maybe a symbolic attack ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid that starts Tuesday. A former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said the strikes also were a signal to the leaders of G-7 nations meeting Sunday in Germany. Russia is saying, We can do this all day long. You guys are powerless to stop us, retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said. The Russians are humiliating the leaders of the West. The G-7 leaders were set to announce the latest in a long series of international economic steps to pressure and isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine: new bans on imports of Russian gold. Standing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the three-day meetings host, Biden said of the missile strikes on Kyiv: Its more of their barbarism. Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, appealed to the G-7 leaders for more help, saying stopping Russian aggression is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and in the time we need it weapons, financial support and sanctions against Russia. A Ukrainian parliament member, Oleksiy Goncharenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that preliminary information indicated that Russia launched 14 missiles toward the capital region and Kyiv itself. Zelenskyy said some were intercepted, and he vowed revenge against all pilots, dispatchers, technicians and other people who ensure the launch of missiles in Ukraine. We will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these blows, Zelenskyy vowed. And if someone thinks he will evade responsibility by saying that this was an order, you are wrong. When your missiles hit homes, its a war crime. The court is what awaits you all. And you will not hide anywhere neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus Nowhere. In a phone interview, retired U.S. general Hodges told The Associated Press that Russia has a limited stock of precision missiles and if they are using them, its going to be for a special purpose, Russia has denied targeting civilians during the 4-month-old war, and Hodges said it was hard to know if the missiles launched Sunday were intended to strike the apartments buildings. Russian forces tried to seize control of Kyiv early in the war. After Ukrainian troops repelled them, the Kremlin largely shifted its focus to southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian rocket strikes in the city of Cherkasy, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kyiv, killed one person and injured five, regional governor Ihor Taburets said Sunday. In the east, Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains by battling to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge. Theres very much destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognizable, he wrote on Facebook. For weeks, Lysychansk and the nearby city of Sievierodonetsk have been subject to a bloody and destructive offensive by Russian forces and their separatist allies aimed at capturing all of Ukraines eastern Donbas region. They have made steady and slow progress, with Haidai confirming Saturday that Sievierodonetsk, including a chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were holed up, had fallen. Commenting on the battle for Sievierodonetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control not only the city but the villages surrounding it. He said the Russian military had thwarted Ukrainian forces attempt to turn the Azot chemical plant into a stubborn center of resistance. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian and separatist forces control of every major settlement in Luhansk. At last report, they controlled about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. On Saturday, Russia launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraines air command said. Reacting to the shelling from the Russian bombers, Zelenskyy appealed to the people of Belarus to resist cooperation with the Russian military. The Russian leadership wants to draw you all Belarusians into the war, wants to sow hatred between us, he said in his video address Sunday. You can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. In a meeting Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. On the economic front, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said banning imports of Russian gold would represent a significant escalation of sanctions. That is the second-most lucrative export that Russia has after energy. Blinken told American news channel CNN. Its about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G-7 countries. So cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, thats significant. Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following international sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad. ___ Follow APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine By OLEKSANDR STASHEVSKYI Associated Press Prince Charles denies any wrongdoing over bags-of-cash claim View Photo LONDON (AP) Prince Charles office has denied there was any wrongdoing in the heir to the British throne accepting bags full of cash as charity donations from a Qatari politician. The Sunday Times said the prince was given a total of 3 million euros ($3.2 million) by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar. It said the money was handed over to Charles at private meetings between 2011 and 2015 on one occasion in a suitcase, and on another in shopping bags from Londons Fortnum & Mason department store. The newspaper said the money was deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Waless Charitable Fund. It did not allege that anything illegal was done. Charles office, Clarence House, said in a statement that the donations were passed immediately to one of the princes charities who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed. The princes charitable fund told the newspaper it had verified that the donor was a legitimate and verified counterparty and our auditors signed off on the donation after a specific enquiry during the audit. There was no failure of governance. Qatars government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As Qatars prime minister between 2007 and 2013, Hamad oversaw the oil-rich states sovereign wealth fund, which has major property investments around the world, including Londons Shard skyscraper, Heathrow Airport and Harrods department store. London police are currently investigating a separate allegation that people associated with another of the princes charities, the Princes Foundation, offered to help a Saudi billionaire secure honors and citizenship in return for donations. Clarence House has said Charles had no knowledge of any such offer. Kenzo channels preppy, Celine goes for razzmatazz in Paris View Photo PARIS (AP) Kenzos designer, Nigo, found his groove for his sophomore collection at the LVMH-owned house, drawing vibrant parallels with house founder Kenzo Takada. Nigo has made history as the first Japanese designer to front the house since Takada, who died in 2020. But beyond the fashion, Nigo who has made high profile collaborations with Pharrell has real star attraction, once again pulling in top VIPs this season such as Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. Here are some highlights of Sundays spring-summer 2023 menswear collections in Paris. KENZOS BACK IN THE GROOVE Set in a college hall and with a pervading 70s, preppy vibe, Nigo channeled the dazzling colors and mix-and-match cultural fusion that became synonymous with the houses origins. Hanging from the roof were flags reading Kenzo 1970. For students of fashion, a reference not lost: This date was not only the year Takada presented his first fashion show in the Galerie Vivienne in Paris in front of his new shop, Jungle Jap, but it was also the year of Nigos birth. Funky scarves, a take on Boy Scout styles, morphed into colored lapels on suits that riffed on uniform. A bright yellow patch-loaded waistcoat had an African vibrancy and mixed with Breton striped scarves, nautical themes and Asian cross-over styles in jackets. It created a dynamic cultural melting pot. But it was the quirkiness and humor that defined spring-summer in this strong show thick woolen socks on canary yellow flip flops, crimson flower appliques and multicolored bowler hats. Nigo, 51, is only the second Asian designer at the head of a European high fashion label, alongside Ballys Filipino-American Rhuigi Villasenor. His appointment continues to represent a milestone as the luxury industry wrestles more broadly with questions over racism and diversity. CELINES RAZZMATAZZ Screaming and crying fans thronged both sides of Paris Palais de Tokyo noisily ahead of Celines Sunday night show. Yet they had not turned out for designer Hedi Slimanes fashions, but for glimpse of one the worlds most adulated popstars: Kim Taehyung, aka V from BTS, the multimillion disc selling South Korean boy band. Inside the venue, proceedings around the spring-summer collection staging were marginally calmer. Guests swigged on CELINE branded mini champagne bottles, as large abstract mirrors descended on cords from the ceiling reflecting light in all directions to funky rock music. Adolescent models with shaggy hair stomped grumpily past, in the designers signature style, showcasing his early 70s styles that were on high the shimmer and riffed on LA rock. Winklepickers and blue drainpipe jeans were capped with fringed black leather coats and shades in the Franco-Tunisians designers tried-and-tested styles. Black, gently flared pants were used as a backdrop for statement fringed coats and jackets. One came in dazzling gold sequins. Yet despite the razzmatazz, there was little new here in the designers repertoire. For Slimane, who shopped a similar aesthetic at Saint Laurent with panache, it is a case of if it aint broke, dont fix it. WOOYOUNGMIS GENTLE CONTRADICTIONS Sobriety met moments of punk and the late-1990s skateboarding community in South Korean designer Woo Young Mis collection on Sunday, held in the ornate interiors of Paris Musee des Arts Decoratifs. Classy tailoring on suits, such as a double breasted number that opened the show with a delicate nip at the waists, contrasted with white sneakers and vests. It made for a deft play in contradiction. Pants were a big theme designed in a trendy 90s baggy style. They hung in a beautiful curved shape at the bottom of the leg. There were moments of sensuality and humor throughout this 42-piece co-ed show that marked two decades since the brand was launched. One tactile and semi-transparent blue punk vest was worn by a model with greasy grungy hair who held a posh square leather bag. THOM BROWNES INFINITE VARIATIONS It was a performative runway occasion for suit-loving Thom Browne, as VIPs including Farida Khelfa dressed head to toe in the designers garb arrived theatrically to take their seats after the show had apparently begun. Guests were in stitches laughing at what seemed to be intentional choreography. A strange retro voiceover then signaled the real show would commence as a male model with giant, spiky punk hair strutted out in an ecru tailored jacket, tie and shorts. Pastel gray tweeds in contrasting patterns and with multitudinous layers that were completely unfit for the spring-summer season followed. They were worn by a model with a decorative anchor covering his face holding a hound-shaped bag, and a 35 sign in the tradition of old-school couture, which featured numbered looks. Stripy socks, tailored shorts, tweed skirts, black briefcases and patterned pastel suits in checks and stripes created what seemed like infinite variations on the same theme. By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer Family, friends mourn British journalist killed in Brazil View Photo NITEROI, Brazil (AP) Gathered at a cemetery on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, friends and relatives paid their final respects on Sunday to British journalist Dom Phillips, killed in the Brazilian Amazon while researching for a book about how to save the worlds largest rainforest. First of all, I would like to express my eternal gratitude to the Indigenous peoples, who are with us as loyal guardians of life, justice, and our forests, Phillips wife, Alessandra Sampaio, said at the cem e tery entrance. Today, Dom will be cremated in Brazil, the country he loved, his chosen home. Today is a day of mourning. Phillips, 57, and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, 41, were killed on June 5 on their boat on the Itaquai river, near the entrance of the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory, which borders Peru and Colombia. Three fishermen from nearby riverine communities were arrested. Two of them confessed to the murders, according to the police. The region holds a long conflict between and Indigenous tribes and poor fishermen hired to invade the Javari Valley to catch arapaima, turtles and game. Pereira, who was an official of Brazils Indigenous affairs bureau, fought these invasions for years and had received multiple threats for his work. He was killed because he tried to tell the world what was happening to the rainforest and its inhabitants, said Phillips sister, Sian. Dom understood the need for urgent change for political and economic approaches to conservation. His family and his friends are committed to continuing that work even in this time of tragedy. The story must be told. Phillips wrote about Brazil for 15 years, first covering the oil industry for Platts, later freelancing for The Washington Post and The New York Times and then regularly contributing to The Guardian. He was versatile, but gravitated toward features about the environment as it became his passion. After living in Rio for several years, the couple had moved to the northeastern city of Salvador, closer to Sampaios family, where Phillips taught English to students from poor communities. They were also in the process of adopting two children. As we remember Dom as a loving, fun and cool big brother, said Sian, we are sad he was denied the chance to share these qualities as a father for the next generation. ___ Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. By FABIANO MAISONNAVE Associated Press Iraqi caretaker PM in Iran to rekindle talks with Saudis View Photo TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iraqs caretaker prime minister met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday, state TV reported, on a visit aimed at reactivating Baghdad-mediated talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Irans President Ebrahim Raisi officially received Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who was slated to meet with other officials in Tehran, according to the report. Al-Kadhimi flew to Tehran from Irans regional rival Saudi Arabia, where he held meetings with Saudi officials in the port city of Jeddah. Although the leaders made no mention of the Sunni powerhouse during their joint press conference in Tehran, it was clear that al-Kadhimi had come to Tehran with messages from the kingdom in a bid to resume suspended political talks between the adversaries that have been held secretly in Baghdad. Al-Kadhimi said he discussed regional challenges with Raisi and agreed on restoring stability in the region. Raisi similarly made vague remarks about the importance of calming tensions in a Mideast riven with political and religious rivalries. We persisted on negotiations among regional nations for solving problems of the region, he said, in pursuit of peace and calmness. Iran, the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world, and Sunni kingdom Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranians protesting the execution stormed two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, fueling years of animosity between the nations. The Saudi-Iran talks aimed at defusing yearslong tensions between the regional foes began quietly in Iraqs capital last year. Saudi Arabia was seeking a way to wind down its disastrous war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The conflict has spawned one of the worlds worst humanitarian disasters and brought bombs from rebel drones and missiles raining down on Saudi airports and oil facilities. Beyond Yemen, Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposite sides in conflicts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Iraq borders both Iran and Saudi Arabia and is often caught in the middle of the two nations proxy wars. A fifth and last round of talks was held in Baghdad in April before they were suspended again amid heightened regional tensions. Al-Kadhimi has stressed he seeks balanced relations with the two neighbors. Improving relations with wealthy petrostate Saudi Arabia was a key policy of his administration when he took office. Illinois governors race is also battle among billionaires View Photo WAUCONDA, Ill. (AP) The race to be Illinois next governor is also a battle among billionaires, including two whose names wont appear on Tuesdays primary ballot. Republican candidates Darren Bailey, who as a state lawmaker fought pandemic measures such as mask mandates, and former prosecutor Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Chicagos largest suburb, each has a benefactor who has pushed a different vision for the GOP and put their money behind it. Billionaire businessmen Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein among the countrys biggest Republican donors have combined to pour more than $60 million into the race. Griffin backs Irvin and Uihlein supports Bailey. Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, meanwhile, along with the Democratic Governors Association, has spent millions trying to ensure Irvin, an Army veteran and Aurora mayor, isnt the GOP nominee. The money has funded a monthslong barrage of ads that have attacked Irvin and propped up Bailey, the opponent Pritzker would rather face in November. The ads note Baileys strident far-right positions, including being 100% pro-life, and his allegiance to former President Donald Trump qualities that may help Bailey in a Republican primary but would be a liability for a general election in a state Trump twice lost by double digits. Trump endorsed him at a rally Saturday night in Mendon. Although rich men in politics certainly arent rare, there may never have been a battle of the billions to match this one in a state election, particularly in a primary. Its left Irvin, once considered the front-runner, scrambling to convince GOP primary voters that hes the only one who can beat Pritzker. J.B. Pritzker is telling you that every time he takes out an ad. Hes telling you that This is the guy Im the most most afraid of, Irvin said during a stop at an Illinois manufacturing plant. Irvins downfall may be a record that is considerably more moderate than that of his GOP rivals. Unlike Bailey and the four other men in the race, Irvin avoids saying if he voted for Trump or talking much about issues such as abortion, focusing instead on steps he would take to reduce crime and taxes. He has been criticized for saying Black Lives Matter during protests over police brutality that turned destructive in his hometown, then filming a TV ad where he said All Lives Matter. Bailey has built a reputation during three years in the Legislature as an uncompromising conservative unafraid to take people on. People say J.B. Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he believes that Im the easiest opponent to beat, Bailey said during a campaign stop at a restaurant. Well, Ive got news for J.B. Pritzker: Be careful what you wish for because its coming. Friends, were going to win on Nov. 8. Bailey, a farmer from rural Xenia, jumped onto the statewide scene in summer 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued to slow transmission of the virus. Bailey was seen by supporters as a maverick when he was escorted from the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask in defiance of Democratic leaders. His backers like that he speaks often of his faith. Bailey, who speaks with a prairie twang, ends his nearly daily online video messages with prayer. Hes a godly man. He isnt afraid to put his faith out there, said supporter Ruth Bast, 63, of Springfield. The three billionaires Pritzker, Griffin and Uihlein have a long history of clashing politically in Illinois and elsewhere. Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund company Citadel, has been a vocal critic of Pritzkers administration, particularly over the issue of crime in Chicago. In addition to the $50 million he gave Irvin this cycle, he also spent millions to help get former Gov. Bruce Rauner elected in 2014 and on Rauners loss to Pritzker in 2018. He bankrolled a successful campaign to block Pritzker and other Democrats from changing Illinois tax structure to levy more on the highest earners. In 2020, Griffin gave $37 million to the GOPs Senate campaign arm, making him the PACs second-largest individual donor, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending. Asked at a forum last year if he would support Trump should he run for president in 2024, Griffin replied, I think its time for America to move on, adding that Trump had been pointlessly divisive. In a statement to The Associated Press, Griffin criticized Pritzker for interfering in the GOP primary, saying spending tens of millions of dollars in cahoots with his cronies attacking the most successful Black political leader in Illinois is despicable. Pritzker has defended his actions, saying an ad attacking Irvin is telling the truth. Uihlein, a founder of the office supply company Uline Inc., is a major Trump supporter who has a long record of donating to far-right candidates and groups. That includes PACs and people strongly opposed to abortion, and the House Freedom Fund, which backs the most conservative candidates and strongest Trump backers. The other candidates seeking the GOP nomination are businessman Gary Rabine, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon. Pritzkers only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles. ___ OConnor reported from Athens, Illinois. ___ Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics By SARA BURNETT and JOHN OCONNOR Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv early Sunday, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings, and President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his 7-year-old daughter and wife injured. Associated Press journalists saw emergency workers battling flames and rescuing civilians. The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks barbarism after he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit. Later Sunday, a local official reported a second death, telling the Unian news agency that a railroad worker was killed and several others were injured in the attacks while servicing rail infrastructure. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the first air-launched weapons successfully to target the capital since June 5 were Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away. Kyiv's mayor told journalists he thought the airstrikes were maybe a symbolic attack ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid that starts Tuesday. A former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said the strikes also were a signal to the leaders of G-7 nations meeting Sunday in Germany. Russia is saying, We can do this all day long. You guys are powerless to stop us, retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said. The Russians are humiliating the leaders of the West. The G-7 leaders were set to announce the latest in a long series of international economic steps to pressure and isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine: new bans on imports of Russian gold. Standing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the three-day meeting's host, Biden said of the missile strikes on Kyiv: Its more of their barbarism. Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, appealed to the G-7 leaders for more help, saying stopping Russian aggression is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and in the time we need it - weapons, financial support and sanctions against Russia. A Ukrainian parliament member, Oleksiy Goncharenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that preliminary information indicated that Russia launched 14 missiles toward the capital region and Kyiv itself. Zelenskyy said some were intercepted, and he vowed revenge against all pilots, dispatchers, technicians and other people who ensure the launch of missiles in Ukraine. We will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these blows, Zelenskyy vowed. And if someone thinks he will evade responsibility by saying that this was an order, you are wrong. When your missiles hit homes, its a war crime. The court is what awaits you all. And you will not hide anywhere - neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus ... Nowhere. In a phone interview, retired U.S. general Hodges told The Associated Press that Russia has a limited stock of precision missiles and if they are using them, its going to be for a special purpose, Russia has denied targeting civilians during the 4-month-old war, and Hodges said it was hard to know if the missiles launched Sunday were intended to strike the apartments buildings. Russian forces tried to seize control of Kyiv early in the war. After Ukrainian troops repelled them, the Kremlin largely shifted its focus to southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian rocket strikes in the city of Cherkasy, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kyiv, killed one person and injured five, regional governor Ihor Taburets said Sunday. In the east, Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains by battling to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge. Theres very much destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognizable, he wrote on Facebook. For weeks, Lysychansk and the nearby city of Sievierodonetsk have been subject to a bloody and destructive offensive by Russian forces and their separatist allies aimed at capturing all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. They have made steady and slow progress, with Haidai confirming Saturday that Sievierodonetsk, including a chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were holed up, had fallen. Commenting on the battle for Sievierodonetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control not only the city but the villages surrounding it. He said the Russian military had thwarted Ukrainian forces' attempt to turn the Azot chemical plant into a stubborn center of resistance. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian and separatist forces control of every major settlement in Luhansk. At last report, they controlled about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. On Saturday, Russia launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraines air command said. Reacting to the shelling from the Russian bombers, Zelenskyy appealed to the people of Belarus to resist cooperation with the Russian military. The Russian leadership wants to draw you - all Belarusians - into the war, wants to sow hatred between us, he said in his video address Sunday. You can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. In a meeting Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. On the economic front, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said banning imports of Russian gold would represent a significant escalation of sanctions. That is the second-most lucrative export that Russia has after energy. Blinken told American news channel CNN. Its about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G-7 countries. So cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, thats significant. Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following international sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad. ___ Follow APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine The Biden administration has agreed to cancel $6 billion in student loans for about 200,000 former students who say they were defrauded by their colleges, according to a proposed settlement in a Trump-era lawsuit. The agreement filed Wednesday in San Francisco federal court would automatically cancel federal student debt for students who were enrolled at one of more than 150 colleges and later applied for debt cancellation because of alleged misconduct by the schools. Almost all the schools involved are for-profit colleges. The list includes DeVry University, the University of Phoenix and other chains still in operation, along with many that have folded in recent years, including ITT Technical Institute. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement that the settlement would resolve the claims in a manner that is fair and equitable for all parties. The deal has yet to be approved by a federal judge. A hearing on the proposal is scheduled for July 28. If approved, it would mark a major step in the Biden administrations efforts to clear a backlog of claims filed through the borrower defense program, which allows students to get their federal loans erased if their schools made false advertising claims or otherwise misled them. The class-action suit was initially filed by seven former students who argued that President Donald Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos, had intentionally stalled the borrower defense process while she rewrote its rules. When the suit was filed, no final decision had been made on any claims for more than a year. When the department under DeVos started deciding claims months later, it issued tens of thousands of denials, often without any explanation. At the time, the judge overseeing the case blasted DeVos for the blistering pace of rejections, saying her approach hangs borrowers out to dry. Tens of thousands of borrowers were still in limbo when the Biden administration took over and started negotiating a settlement in 2021, according to court documents. The latest federal data shows there are more than 100,000 pending claims for borrower defense. Under the proposed settlement, anyone who attended an eligible school and applied for cancellation as of Wednesday would get their federal student loans and interest fully forgiven. They would also get refunds for past payments made on those loans. An additional 68,000 plaintiffs who did not attend eligible schools will get a streamlined review of their claims. The oldest claims will get reviewed first, while the most recent ones will get a decision within 2 years. All borrowers who were caught up in DeVos flurry of denials will have their rejections revoked and their claims will be treated as if they have been pending since the date they were originally filed. The Project on Predatory Student Lending, which represented students in the suit, said the agreement will help create a "fair, just and efficient for future borrowers. "This momentous proposed settlement will deliver answers and certainty to borrowers who have fought long and hard for a fair resolution of their borrower defense claims after being cheated by their schools and ignored or even rejected by their government, said Eileen Connor, director of the project. Borrower defense claims are typically reviewed individually, but the Education Department decided to grant automatic cancellation in this case because of common evidence of institutional misconduct at the schools in question, according to the settlement. At some schools, there was already proof of substantial misconduct, while others were included because of high rates of claims coming from their former students, according to the deal. The borrower defense process was started by Congress in 1994 but was rarely used until the collapse of the Corinthian Colleges chain in 2015. The for-profit company closed its campuses amid widespread findings of fraud, prompting thousands of students to apply for debt cancellation. That led the Obama administration to expand the program and create clearer rules. It became the centerpiece of the administrations efforts to crack down on for-profit colleges that lied or used high-pressure tactics to recruit students. Students at Corinthian and other chains said they enrolled on promises that they would land high-paying jobs, only to graduate with few job prospects. Earlier this month the Biden administration agreed to cancel federal student debt for anyone who attended a Corinthian school from the company's founding in 1995 to its collapse two decades later. The action will erase $5.8 billion in debt for more than 560,000 borrowers, the largest single discharge in the Education Departments history. The settlement adds to the administrations effort to cancel student debt for certain groups of borrowers. It has erased billions of additional dollars in debt from other former for-profit college students, along with borrowers who have severe disabilities and those with jobs in public service. Biden has also faced mounting pressure to pursue mass student debt cancellation. The White House recently signaled that it is considering canceling $10,000, but no decision has been reached. ___ The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Click here to read the full article. The Onion mercilessly lampooned the U.S. Supreme Courts reactionary tilt following Fridays historic decision to nullify Roe v. Wade. The satirical outlets eight top stories Friday on the homepage were simply headlines over the same photo of the current Supreme Court justices that alluded to the courts 5-4 vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had established Americans constitutional right to abortions. Supreme Court Votes 5-4 To Throw Beer Bottle At Slut, said The Onions lead item. In other variations on that theme, The Onion reported that the court voted 5-4 to Lock Nations Toddlers In Hot Cars; Drive Slowly Alongside Woman Walking Home Alone At Night; Add Jesus Into All Paintings; Make It Illegal For Women To Deceive Men With Makeup; Baptize Constitution; Reclassify Women As Service Animals; and Reopen Japanese Internment Camps. The Onions vilification of the conservative-majority court continued lower on the page, with another headline reading Supreme Court Rules 5-4 To Ride Stephen Breyer Around Like A Horse. Justice Breyer was among the four judges to vote against overturning Roe v. Wade, alongside Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Other brutal jabs at the court included Kavanaugh, Thomas Champion Creating Better Future For Next Generation Of Rapists; Womans Preventable Death During Childbirth Upheld In 6-3 Supreme Court Vote; and Nation Forced To Seek Human Rights From Back-Alley Supreme Court. Last month, The Onion staged a similar front-page takeover following the horrific shooting deaths of 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. On May 25, the site posted 21 articles with the same headline No Way To Prevent This, Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens and the same fake quotes it has used for stories following gun massacres since 2014. Even before the Supreme Court issued the decision nullifying Roe v. Wade, Americans confidence in the high court had reached a new 50-year low, according to opinion-polling firm Gallup. Only 25% of U.S. adults said they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the Supreme Court, compared with 36% one year ago and five percentage points lower than the previous low recorded in 2014. The most recent Gallup poll was conducted June 1-20 with a random sample of 1,015 U.S. adults. The Onion was founded in 1988. The sites current owner is New York-based G/O Media, which was formed in 2019 after Univision sold Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion to private-equity firm Great Hill Partners and G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday let go protocol as he played indoor games as well as 'pitthul' with children from Kunkuris Swami Atmanand School. On requests from the children, he played pitthul in the school premises by hurling a ball at a pile of horizontally placed stones, knocking down all of them. This ignited adoring smiles on the faces of everyone. He also played snake and ladder with Vaishnavi, Prachi and Alfia of Class V. He tried his hand in carom too. He watched Preeti playing chess and gave her some tips. He wrapped up everything with a ludo game. Baghel also allowed the students to take pictures and selfies with him. The Chief Minister was escorted by the cadets of Scout and Guide at the school. Children presented Baghel his portrait made of water colour. Shivansh Mishra of Class VIII presented a picture of a waterfall to the Chief Minister. Asana Iqbal, a student of Class 10, made a portrait of Swami Atmanand and of MLA U.D. Minj. Baghel praising her art work. San Antonio Burrito Bites, a weekly column searching for and grubbing on the best burritos in San Antonio and the Hill Country. As the Texas Hill Country reporter, I am all over the map. So, finding quick stops to grab a bite to eat is key. And what better Texas food than burritos? This series will see me scouring Texas for burritos and trying some of the local favorite hotspots (with your help). My palate is a clean slate and ready to get to work for the good of the people. Want to see last week's burrito bite? Click here. Where to eat this week? This week I finally got to go to a place one of my readers suggested. I must have driven by this place countless times and never batted an eye. I'm so glad that reader Keith Cunningham reached out to me to give me this week's Burrito Bite. Keith told me that Jalisco Taqueria has one of the best burritos in the area, but was he right? What I look for in a burrito Before I begin, here are a few ways I judge a burrito. Does it taste good? Is it worthy enough to go into my burrito rotation? Is it cooked? How does it stack up? How is the service? (I understand there is a staffing shortage, so I won't go too hard on this one for now). Is it worth the price of admission? How is the salsa for the burritos? Every question is crucial to providing my rankings. Photo by Gabriel Romero Jalisco Taqueria The restaurant is on 9080 Guilbeau Road in San Antonio. The cashier told me it has been around for almost 20 years, but they have been at the Guilbeau location for about nine years. From the outside this place looks like a small restaurant that only has a drive-thru, but it is much larger inside and a nice place to beat the Texas heat. I pulled up a crocodile skinned seat and ordered the burrito. First off, the red and green salsa were pretty bland. The red salsa really didn't have any heat and the green was a little sour for me. The service was great, they put in my order while others at the table were still unsure of what they wanted to eat. My order came out within 10 minutes and it was eaten even faster. Photo by Gabriel Romero Carne Asada Burrito This is one of the reasons why I hopped on this burrito journey to help people find places that are great. I love tacos, but a burrito slaps different. The carne asada burrito comes with your choice of meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and avocado. Every time I got a burrito with lettuce and tomato in Texas, it was soggy, the tortilla was ripping, and I felt like I was biting into a head of iceberg lettuce. This burrito changed the way I will now think about burritos. My tortilla was crispy without being burnt to a crisp. The light amount of lettuce, tomato and avocado didn't get too hot or make this burrito soggy. The carne asada was seasoned the way my family back in California marinades the meat, which is really hard to find out here. The burrito was evenly layered inside the 12 inch tortilla with cheese melted to perfection. From start to finish, this burrito had a consistent bite of every ingredient. The only knock on this burrito was it had a few pieces of cartilage and fat from the meat, which is usually no problem, but they were pretty noticeable. This burrito was the most affordable one I have tried yet, coming in at $6.75, but is one of the best burritos I've had so far. It will go into my rotation for sure and if you need a quick bite head over to Jalisco Taqueria. Rating: 8 out of 10 chiles If you feel like your favorite burrito place needs to be tasted by everyone, like Keith did with this Burrito Bite, then hit me up and I will head to wherever those burritos may take me. Email me at gabe.romero@mysa.com or on Twitter @romeroreports. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) The judge in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial made a jury's award official Friday with a written order for Heard to pay Depp $10.35 million for damaging his reputation by describing herself as a domestic abuse victim in an op-ed piece she wrote. Judge Penney Azcarate entered a judgment order into the court record after a brief hearing in Fairfax County Circuit Court. She also ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million, the jury's award on her counterclaim that Heard was defamed by one of Depp's lawyers. M Swiet Productions/Getty Images For those looking for summer vacation plans, the Caribbean offers many opportunities for unique getaways with beautiful beaches, secluded islands and adventurous hiking. From Cancun, Mexico to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Texans can fly nonstop to multiple Caribbean locations from the Lone Star State. Most flights originate in either Houston International Airport or Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with a few options for those flying out of San Antonio International Airport or Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. International airports in El Paso, Laredo, Midland and Lubbock do not have direct, nonstop flights to locations in the Caribbean, but they do offer many options for flights with connections. A Texas House candidate and police officer backed by former President Donald Trump and top Texas Republicans has been indicted on a charge of impersonating a public servant, according to authorities. Dallas police said Friday that Frederick Frazier was placed on administrative leave after the department was notified that a Collin County grand jury indicted him. Impersonating a public servant is a third-degree felony. Frazier turned himself in to the Richardson jail Friday and posted bond, said Teddy Yoshida, a spokesperson for the Richardson Police Department. It is unclear what the specific allegations against Frazier are, and a spokesperson for the Collin County district attorneys office was not immediately available for comment. Responding to the indictment, Fraziers campaign blamed his Republican primary runoff opponent, Paul Chabot, who had suggested Frazier posed as a city code compliance officer to get Chabots campaign signs taken down at a Walmart. In a statement, Fraziers campaign said Chabot, who has run for office multiple times before, is trying to overturn the results of that election by bringing up trumped complaints to law enforcement and testifying before a grand jury. Frederick Frazier is looking forward to having the opportunity to defend himself in court, where we are confident jurors will see through Chabots lies in the same way that voters have five times before, the statement said. John Thomas, Chabots consultant, issued a statement on Fraziers indictment: An independent grand jury was empaneled and determined that Mr. Frazier committed multiple felonies. In fact, it was the Rangers and the McKinney PD who uncovered the felonies. Fraziers lying and deceit knows no limits. He committed crimes and refuses to fess up. He is a disgrace to himself and to those who dawn a badge in law enforcement. Paul Chabot demands Frazier have one shred of decency and immediately drop out of the race as its crucial that both a Republican and candidate with integrity represent the people of the 61st district. Frazier easily won the Republican primary runoff last month for House District 61, an open seat in Collin County that leans Republican. A well-known advocate for law enforcement in Austin, Frazier had the backing of Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state House Speaker Dade Phelan. The Democratic nominee in the race is Sheena King. During the runoff, Chabot spoke out about the alleged theft of dozens of his campaign signs. In one incident, Chabot said a Walmart store manager told him someone claiming to work for city code compliance came in and told the store to take down Chabots signs because they were illegally placed. Chabot said he reported that to the police. The Texas Rangers ultimately looked into his claims. Chabot later obtained a report from the Rangers through a public records request that said the agency investigated Frazier in February for alleged criminal violations of Impersonating a Public Servant and potentially related Theft. At the time, Fraziers campaign consultant, Craig Murphy, said his candidate denied any wrongdoing and called Chabots claims frivolous. Texas Scorecard and Steven Monacelli, a freelance journalist who extensively covered the campaign sign controversy for Rolling Stone, were among the first to report Friday that Frazier had been indicted. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org. Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war both real fog and stage fog in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will be summarily whacked. And for those who are new here, this is not a mere polite request. We have written site Policies and those who comment have accepted those terms. To prevent having to resort to the nuclear option of shutting comments down entirely until more sanity prevails, as we did during the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we are going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders. Yves P.S. Also, before further stressing our already stressed moderators, read our site policies: Please do not write us to ask why a comment has not appeared. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and reply. Using the comments section to complain about moderation decisions/tripwires earns that commenter troll points. Please dont do it. Those comments will also be removed if we encounter them. *** Jerri-Lynn here. Compiling todays Links reminded me of the warning I received when I first arrived at MIT in autumn 1979: keeping up with my studies would be like trying to take a drink from a fire hose. Alas, lots of worthwhile links ended up on the cutting room floor today. Some of those pertaining to Dobbs v. Womens Health Organization Ill discuss in a post to be launched later today. As for all the links that did make todays cut, enjoy! If readers think I missed anything Link-worthy, please mention my oversight in todays comments. I always try to read the Sunday comments before I post Mondays Links, so as to pick up on anything I may have otherwise overlooked. Thanks! *** Good God, I cant publish this The Critic From aardvark to woke: inside the Oxford English Dictionary New Statesman Frozen baby mammoth discovered in Yukon excites Canada BBC C.L.R. James Review: From Trinidad to Trotsky WSJ The Victim Cloud Harpers Three cheers for booing in the theatre The Spectator Iconoclasm of the Vanities: Why We Are Destroying Statues American Affairs The End of the Art-Baby Problem The New Republic Ada Calhoun comes to terms with a neglectful father in Also a Poet WaPo of Inefamyens Bob Stanleys pre-history of pop breathes life into a lost musical era New Statesman A Brief History of Womens Eyebrows in Art Hyperallergic The resurgence of Venices prized dorona grape BBC 19th-century letters between two sisters reveal early records of avian life in Madras Scroll Queens of Infamy Longreads The Ultimate Summer 2022 Reading List Literary Hub Im posting this for its list of lists, as I dont think much of the compilers prime recommendations, other than the recommendation of Mohsin Hamids latest, which is on my to-read pile. Ive enjoyed many of his previous novels, although some I found not as fine as touted. These lists will prod me to get serious about this summers reading. Curling up with a good book is one of the only ways Ive found to escape being overwhelmed by the flood of contemporary bad news. #COVID-19 Monkeypox By the way, note that in addition to monkeypox, @WHO also removed smallpox. A closely related airborne virus is apparently inconvenient at the moment Also a missed opportunity to add SARS-CoV-2 to the examples. It is a virus most people know about I should think https://t.co/jTJHv5d1Er pic.twitter.com/GQjWxOXROm Maarten De Cock (@mdc_martinus) June 24, 2022 New Not-So-Cold-War Havent unnamed Western intelligence officialsalong with named thinktankers, experts & OSINTersbeen making this same prediction since March? https://t.co/u9uwnnhbtP Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) June 25, 2022 Old Blighty Iran Iran and EU agree to restart nuclear deal talks on Borrell visit Al Jazeera Gunz Climate Change They Own the Ocean: Gwadars Struggle With Illegal Fishing The Diplomat The Mexican Energy Option Consortium News Woke Watch Groves of Academe The Hysterical Style in the American Humanities Chronicle of Higher Education The Supremes Abortion Florida is a good testing ground for the politics of abortion. A Republican-dominated state with a population that leans pro-choice. Rs are already struggling with a political split. https://t.co/qKvMzAqy6U pic.twitter.com/TnY02uBdyC Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) June 24, 2022 Last month, California Governor @GavinNewsom included in his budget significant funding increases to enable people facing economic barriers to travel to California to obtain abortions (California democratically enshrined Roe into state law):https://t.co/Mh8tx7ypN9 Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 24, 2022 Class Warfare Waste Watch Imran Khan challenges NAB law amendment in Supreme Court Dawn India Drowning: A silent killer Dhaka Tribune. Bangladesh moves to launch a network of community-based early childhood care facilities, in order to stop children from drowning: the leading cause of death for youngsters in this very wet country. Ill watch this proposal with interest, as I know a Bangladesh NGO drastically reduced death from childhood diarrhea by widely distributing and showing people how to use measuring spoons for salt and sugar, to add to clean water, to make homemade rehydration solution. See Naked Capitalism here. The latest initiative raises an obvious question: if Bangladesh can afford to launch a nationwide plan for community-based early childhood care centers, why cant the U.S. do the same? China? Hows the China-India economic relationship changed 2 years on from the deadly Galwan Valley border clash? South China Morning Post Tunisia Syraqistan Earthquake poses test of US resistance to the TalibanResponsible Statecraft Click on full thread in the following tweet, including embedded video. At least 27 migrants are dead after a mass attempt to breach the Spanish border fence yesterday. Horrifying images show Moroccan security forces surrounding a pile of bodies at the base of the border wall the dead, together with the injured and arrested.pic.twitter.com/q33v1v1Awb https://t.co/S8F6Sa79GK Max Granger (@_maxgranger) June 25, 2022 Antidote du Jour (via): See See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. (Natural News) As Joe Biden met with wind industry executives at the White House on Thursday, the gaffe-prone illegitimate commander-in-chief obliviously held his cheat sheet backward. (Article by Alicia Powe republished from TheGatewayPundit.com) The notecard showcased to the world step-by-step guidance prepared by Bidens staff instructing the feeble crook to do the most basic things. YOU enter the Roosevelt room and say hello to participants, the memo states. The staff wrote the words you and your in capitalized letters to emphasize to the leader of the free world, who regularly forgets where he is, who he is talking to, what he is talking about and who he is, the appropriate time to sit or speak. YOU take YOUR seat, advised the guidance, titled, Offshore Wind Drop-By Sequence of Events. YOU give brief comments, states another directive. The script also instructed Biden which reporter to take a question from. YOU ask Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO, a question, Bidens handlers wrote. YOU Thank participants. This isnt the first time Biden relied on staff notes to avoid more embarrassment on the public stage. The left and the uniparty constantly charged former President Donald Trump with being unhinged for routinely disregarding teleprompters. Meanwhile, Joe Biden constantly depends on cue cards to make it through the day. In March, Biden embarrassed the United States on the global stage again after was he spotted using typed cue cards to answer random questions from reporters about the Ukraine war. After getting away with stealing the 2020 presidential race, Biden was caught relying on cue cards to sustain composure during his first press conference. During the briefings, he is only allowed to take questions from journalists and outlets selected by his managers. Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com (Natural News) The American Journal host Harrison Smith denounced health experts for mandating the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines that do not prevent the recipients from contracting and transmitting the virus. They only and exclusively do bad things to you, Smith said during the June 23 episode of his program on InfoWars. Thats the real thing you need to understand about the vaccine. The gene-altering experimental injection does have massive side effects. Smith pointed the reasons to decline the deadly vaccine: sudden adult death syndrome, lifelong heart issues and reduced fertility. He slammed the health authorities for mandating it even though a benefit-risk analysis showed the risk of taking the vaccine is 100 percent and the benefit is zero. They mandated it because they cant actually make the case. Their only argument is do it or will punish you, do it or will fire you, do it or well call you a terrorist, do it or you wont be able to travel and do it or you wont be able to buy food anymore,' Smith said. He cited a caller on the show from New Jersey who has been fired from his media job because he rejected taking the vaccine. But he was jovial because he knows in his heart, that he made the right choice. And even if hes losing his dream job, at least hes not playing Russian roulette with his life. Its worth it to stand up against this because it is dangerous and it is immoral and just objectionable in an ethics realm, he said. Authorities continue to conceal the adverse effects of Big Pharma vaccines Elsewhere in the show, Smith read out an article featuring the latest Pfizer release that classified almost all of the severe adverse events during Big Pharma vaccine trials. The company claimed that they were all not related to the shots. The latest release by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine documents reveals numerous instances of participants who sustained severe adverse events during Phase three trials. Some of these participants withdrew from the trials, and some were dropped and some died, Smith said. Participants were just removed from the case and classified as something other than a serious adverse event and concluded that the effects were not related to the vaccine. So when a trial participant gets myocarditis after getting the vaccine, were gonna pretend that thats not related to the vaccine? Smith asked. Moreover, a peer-reviewed study in the European Journal of Andrology concluded that the vaccines could lower male fertility rates after taking the COVID shots. Also, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicated that the coronavirus vaccines actually increase the risk of contracting the disease. Those who have been fully vaccinated with two shots from Moderna or Pfizer are more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who have not been vaccinated at all, the study authors wrote. The paper also stated that booster shots offer protection approximately equal to natural immunity, but the benefits wane after two to five months. It further said that natural immunity lasts for at least 300 days, which is the length of the study. So, all they know is it lasts at least 300 days and very well could be longer than that. Some speculated that it could be lifetime protection when it comes to natural immunity, Smith explained. Last week, the Expose published a story titled: Fully vaccinated account for four in every five COVID-19 deaths since February in Canada. The Government of Canada has confirmed that the vaccinated population accounts for four in every five COVID-19 deaths to have occurred across the country since the middle of February, and 70 percent of those deaths have been among the triple vaccinated population, the article stated. Visit BadMedicine.news for more news related to the adverse events of COVID-19 vaccines. Watch the full segment of The American Journal below. This video is from InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Harrison Smith decries lockdowns, COVID death counts as FLAWED. American Journal host Harrison Smith slams racist monoclonal antibodies treatment for COVID-19. Justin Biebers face paralyzed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a known adverse reaction of covid injections. Medical journals now CENSORING all science that documents vaccine adverse reactions. Sources include: Brighteon.com ChildrensHealthDefense.org TrendingPolitics.com JDRucker.Substack.com Expose-News.com (Natural News) The groundbreaking new documentary film Infertility: A Diabolical Agenda is finally available for viewing at Brighteon.com, and you will not want to miss it! The film is a labor of love from Andy Wakefield, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the other fine folks at Childrens Health Defense (CHD) who are blowing the lid on a decades-long plot by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO) to depopulate Africa and really the entire world. You can also watch the movie below if you prefer: A quick rundown of its contents: the film addresses a mass vaccination campaign that was repeatedly pushed on the women of Kenya in particular, who were told that they were receiving protection against tetanus. Instead, they were being sterilized covertly with laced jabs. While the injections that the women received supposedly contained anti-tetanus ingredients, they were also engineered by the WHO and its partners to contain anti-hCG antibodies, which provoke an autoimmune response inside a womans body to becoming pregnant. In a nutshell, what these injections have been doing is reprogramming African womens bodies to treat pregnancy like a disease. The anti-hCG antibodies essentially kill off any new life that forms, resulting in barrenness. It starts in Africa and eventually sweeps across the entire world The WHOs Task Force on Vaccines for Fertility Regulation started the program back in the 1970s to solve the alleged problem of overpopulation in Africa. The anti-fertility vaccines they unleashed have harmed many and prevented childbearing, in many cases. In order to immunize a woman against getting pregnant or abort a successful pregnancy, scientists discovered that physically combining the beta subunit of hCG (B-hCG) with the tetanus toxoid used in the routine tetanus vaccine was the most effective approach, one expert in the film explains. Not only did the woman develop antibodies against tetanus, she also produced antibodies against hCG, including that produced by her own body. There were various approaches employed, including administering a spaced-out schedule of bi-annual injections for a total of five. The shots, which were disguised as tetanus shots, contained anti-fertility hCG where none should be present. All the tests showed that the vaccine used in Kenya in March and October 2014 was laced with serum B-hCG, someone else in the film explains about the hidden ingredients found in some of the intentionally tainted tetanus injections. The Catholic Church in Africa spoke out about the jabs once they were discovered to contain anti-fertility ingredients, to which WHO Africa division struck back with a mass propaganda and indoctrination campaign. Leaders from WHO Africa falsely claimed that independent tests conducted on the vials, proving they were laced with anti-fertility ingredients, were fraudulent. It turns out that they were spot-on accurate, as the only way the shots could have been contaminated with such was at the production site. This is not something that you can actually take and put in a vial and test and find it, one expert explained. This hormone was actually riding on something else, so there was actually a hump and a peak which shows that it is chemically linked or bonded. Dr. Stephen Karanja, an outspoken activist who did his best to warn Africans against the shots, died mysteriously last year, supposedly from COVID. Prior to his death, he warned both Africa and the world to beware of the WHOs laced injections. When theyre through with Africa, theyre coming for you, Karanja is quoted as saying. Keep your children ready. They will come for them, and theyll come for you. You will find more related news about lethal injections disguised as medicine at Vaccines.news. Sources for this article include: Brighteon.com InfertilityMovie.org NaturalNews.com (Natural News) When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia, the biggest state in the USSR and around which the alliance was formed, inherited the bulk of weaponry it had arrayed against NATO. That included a massive amount of ballistic missiles, many of which have remained in service and now form the backbone of Moscows A2AD anti-access/area denial strategy for the allied security alliance. But of course, not all of Russias ballistic missile stockpile, the largest in the world, is aged. In fact, many models are fairly new and all are extremely lethal, including the Iskander-M, a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), which NATO is particularly concerned with. The SS-26 Iskander missile has a range of approximately 400 to 500 kilometers, or about 250 to 310 miles, The National Interest reports. It can carry a variety of warhead types, including earth penetrator, high explosive or thermobaric. Export models have a shorter, 280-kilometer range (about 175 miles), and a smaller 480-kilogram payload (nearly 300 pounds), while the Russian service standard payload is 480 to 700 kilograms (300 to 430 pounds), the report continued. In addition, the report noted that the Iskander is also very accurate. It uses a combination of inertial, GLONASS, and radar terrain correlation guidance, the missile can strike targets within a circular error probable (CEP) of 2 to 5 meters GLONASS being Russias version of our GPS. In other words, the missiles have a 50 percent chance of landing some two to five meters away from a target, versus older SCUD-D missiles that have a CEP of 50 meters, making them far less accurate. Whats also notable about this model is that Iskander transporters are capable of carrying two missiles at one time in a side-by-side configuration. Also, the transporter features an armored roof to protect the cargo inside while the cabin itself also shields occupants from chemical biological, and nuclear hazards. Reloading vehicles that travel with the missile transporters on a battlefield are capable of reloading them quickly via a crane, the National Interest reported. The Iskander system is deployed in Russia proper, as well as in Kaliningrad, an important Russian exclave next to Poland and the Baltic Sea. From Kaliningrad, the Iskander can hit targets in Poland, parts of eastern Germany, southern Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus and a great part of the Baltic Sea, the outlet added. Kaliningrad-based Iskanders are an excellent example of Russian coercive diplomacy. From the exclave, Russia can hit targets in most of the Baltic Sea, threatening an important shipping route, and hit NATO targets. Since the Iskander system does not carry a nuclear payload, there is less risk of causing a nuclear confrontation. There arent many countries that have bought the systems, however. Just two Armenia and Algeria in 2016 and 2017 respectively have done so, though, since 2005 several countries including Iran, Syria, South Korea, India and the United Arab Emirates have expressed an interest in buying them over the years. Recently, according to WorldCrunch.com, President Vladimir Putin put his nuclear forces on alert a shock for many, but even more so for those just across the Polish border from Kaliningrad where Russian nuclear missiles are stationed, and aimed at European capitals from Warsaw to Berlin. In the immediate vicinity of this Polish tourist town, there are three special features: a picturesque lake, a renowned health spa and Russian weapons of mass destruction. The small town of 14,000 inhabitants is located directly on the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, the report continued. Putins likely becoming more desperate to end the conflict he started, as well. He has sent his conscripts into an unexpected meat grinder which is why his forces are indiscriminately bombing Ukrainian cities into rubble, just like German forces did after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. Iskander missiles are part of that equation, and NATO knows it. Sources include: NationalInterest.org WorldCrunch.com (Natural News) The Miami Police Department is about to get into a heap of trouble with a gun buyback program they are running on behalf of the country of Ukraine. According to a report in The Truth About Guns, the departments buyback program has been advertised specifically as a means of collecting firearms that can then be shipped to Ukraine to help in their war to beat back a Russian invasion. Only, the plan is rife with legal problems. For one, the department currently does not possess a firearms export license or state permit from the various regimes to export guns to any country, but officials say the department is working on obtaining them. In the meantime, the GUNS 4 UKRAINE buyback, held over the weekend, proceeded, with Miami Police spokeswoman Officer Kenia Fallat telling reporters that the firearms collected at the buyback will summarily be shipped to the Ukraine. The outlet reported further: Their plan was fraught with legal entanglements, since shipping firearms to a foreign country without the proper paperwork violates federal law, specifically the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, known as ITAR. The plan also violates state law, specifically, Florida Statute 790.08, which regulates what police can do with firearms or other weapons that come under their control. Shipping guns to a foreign military is not one of the options allowed by the statute. During her interview, Fallat asked for questions to be written down and provided to her, which she answered and distributed ahead of the buyback. Does Miami PD have a firearm export license? NO. However, at the June 9, 2021 Commission Meeting, the City of Miami adopted Resolution R-22-0219 directing the City Manager to take any and all action to work with federal authorities to ship any functional weapon received through the Citys Gun Buyback program to Ukraine for use in the conflict against the Russian invasion. The directive to take any and all action to work with federal authorities may include, but is not limited to, the procurement of an export license in accordance to the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) including conformity to the requirements of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR); any guidance from the Department of States Directorate of Defense Trade Controls regarding AECA export controls and licensing for articles enumerated on the U.S. Munitions List; any relevant portions of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); and/or compliance with the Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security export controls for items listed in the Commerce Control List (including firearms) pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Part 774 of the Export Administration Regulations; and/or compliance with the National Firearms Act including any application to obtain a permit for permanent exportation of firearms; any necessary clearances from ATF prior to export; or compliance with any one-time licensing exception the City may be eligible to obtain as provided in the provisions of ITAR. The actual avenue for the City to lawfully export anything is speculative at this time because the City cannot predict the amount or types of firearms that will be donated at buyback event. Are you aware shipping guns to a foreign country without an export license violates ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)? If by you you mean the City of Miami, YES. See above. The resolution adopted by the City Commission anticipates that the City must work with federal authorities to lawfully attempt to comply with the directive and deliver the firearms to the brave men and women fighting for their liberty against their oppressors. Are you aware shipping guns to a foreign country violates FL Statute 790.08? If by you you mean the City of Miami, it is the Citys position that section 790.08 of the Florida Statutes does not regulate the international exportation of firearms. Whats the takeaway here? TTAG says its clear that the city did not think through this plan ahead of time. Sources include: TheTruthAboutGuns.com NaturalNews.com The Patkura police arrested one Manan Ali of Miramohalla under Tendakudas Muslim Basti and produced him before the SDJM Court for hacking his wife to death with an axe. Patkura PS IIC Saroj Sahu said Manan is an alcoholic person and used to spend most of his earnings in consuming liquor; so, most of the time quarrel erupted between the couple. Manan used to assault his wife several times. Ali in an inebriated condition, on Thursday late night attacked his wife , Parul Bibi, with an exe while the latter was in deep sleep. In a fit of rage Manan killed his wife ,after an altercation erupted between them a few hours earlier. Acting on the information, the police rushed to the spot, seized the weapon used for the crime and sent the body for autopsy to the District Headquarters Hospital. Police too arrested Manan ,while he was hiding at the roof top of his building. Manan was on Friday produced before the SDJM court where he was remanded in jail custody after his bail plea was rejected by the court, informed police sources. (Natural News) Drew Wrigley, the attorney general of North Dakota, is calling on a trust allegedly tied to billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates to justify its recent purchase of some 2,000 acres of ranch land in Grafton, located near the Minnesota and Canadian border. Red River Trust reportedly acquired six parcels in possible violation of state corporate farming laws. Wrigley, responding to this, wrote a letter to the trust requesting information about how the land will be used and whether the company meets any of the states exception requirements for corporate land purchases. According to reports, if Red River Trust did violate state laws, it will be forced to divest the land, called Campbell Farms, immediately and pay up to $100,000 in fines for the violation. Gates has fast become the largest private owner of farmland in the United States, having quietly amassed at least 270,000 acres of land in dozens of states. If he is tied to this latest purchase, then Gates is still trying to take over the countrys agriculture system, piece by piece. Wrigley explained that under state law, corporations and limited liability companies are prohibited from owning or leasing farm or ranchland in North Dakota. These same entities are prohibited from engaging in any type of farming or ranching activities. In addition, Wrigley added in the letter to the trust, the law places certain limitations on the ability of trusts to own farmland or ranchland. Our office needs to confirm how your company uses this land and whether its use meets any of the statutory exceptions, such as the business purpose exception. Upon receipt of the letter, Red River Trust has 30 days to provide a copy of its land ownership title, as well as disclose its true and full intentions for the property. North Dakotans are NOT happy about the purchase The quiet transaction reportedly took place last November. Public deeds obtained by Ag Week show that Red River Trust spent about $6,600 per acre for the land portion in Pembina County, and $6,000 per acre for that in Walsh County. According to North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, complaints have been pouring in with opposition to the land purchase. Ive gotten a big earful on this from clear across the state its not even from that neighborhood, Goehring said. Those people are upset, but there are others that are just livid about this. The people of North Dakota, he went on to state, feel like they are being exploited by the ultra-rich who buy land in North Dakota but do not necessarily share the states values. Wrigleys letter does not mention Gates, and is addressed to trustee Peter Headley. Red River Trust is located in Lenexa, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City. It shares an address with Cottonwood Ag, or Cottonwood farms, and Oak River Farms / Midwest. Ag Week reported that Cottonwood Ag Management is an agricultural asset management team for Cascade Investment, LLC and Bill and Melinda Gates Investments. In 2020, analysts revealed that Cottonwood is an ag-investment platform for Gates and his former wife, who are now divorced presumably for money-hoarding purposes. Gates already has an impressive land portfolio, reported the Daily Mail (UK). As of 2021, his largest holdings in the U.S. included 69,071 acres in Louisiana, 47,927 acres in Arkansas, 25,750 acres in Arizona, 20,588 acres in Nebraska and 16,097 in Washington state. Gates also reportedly shopped for hundreds of acres of farmland in Turkey while vacationing aboard a superyacht last November He allegedly wanted to create a large sustainable farm in the country. It is unclear if he ended up purchasing the land. More related news can be found at Corruption.news. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk NaturalNews.com (Natural News) An op-ed has expounded on the suppression of safe cures against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in favor of the more dangerous vaccines. Every time a treatment was discovered that improved COVID-19 patients outcomes or prevented transmission of the virus, forces stepped in to prevent the treatment from being used, wrote Rhoda Wilson in a June 22 piece published in the Daily Expose. A growing number of natural treatments that could have prevented the spread of this virus, including most of the serious infections, have been blocked by these controllers. Incredibly, a law was passed that prevented clinical physicians from even suggesting such treatments. Wilson pointed to the medical establishments suppression on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) during the early days of the pandemic, in collusion with the government. When it was revealed that early use of HCQ could significantly reduce the severity of the disease and prevent the need for a ventilator, reports immediately surfaced from government agencies declaring that the drug was of no use, was dangerous and should not be used. This occurred despite reports of HCQs benefits from doctors actually treating patients. In some states, prescriptions for HCQ were banned, wrote Wilson,. New York-based family physician Dr. Vladimir Zev Zelenko was among the doctors who attested to the effectiveness of HCQ. He shared to Reawaken America Tour founder and Brighteon.TV host Clay Clark how the establishment blocked the use of the drug when it was found to work against COVID-19 infection. In March [2020], my treatment protocol was based on the use of HCQ, zinc and the antibiotic azithromycin. But what happened on March 27, 2020 [is that] the ghoul what I call [former New York] Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order (EO) blocking pharmacies in New York state from dispensing HCQ, recounted the Ukraine-born American doctor. [It] was approved for other indications and it was safe, so I couldnt understand why that was obstructed. I lost a few patients because of that EO [since] they couldnt get medicine. According to Zelenko, people die from COVID-19 because of the moronic doctor who delays care and the tyrannical government that obstructs access to life-saving medication. (Related: Dr. Zelenko shares how the MSM smeared him for revealing the cure to COVID Brighteon.TV.) Ivermectin also suppressed despite its effectiveness Wilson also cited the establishments suppression of ivermectin, another drug that has shown promise against COVID-19 infection. The writer zeroed in on the efforts of Dr. Pierre Kory, co-founder and president of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), to promote ivermectin. During a December 2021 Senate hearing, the pulmonary and critical care specialist told lawmakers that he and other FLCCC members have spent tirelessly reviewing the scientific literature to gain insight into this virus and the disease process and to develop effective treatment protocols. The I-MASK+ protocol to prevent and treat early COVID-19 served as the fruit of this endeavor. Ivermectin is highly safe, widely available and low-cost, Kory said. In the last three to four months, emerging publications provide conclusive data on the profound efficacy of the [anti-parasitic], anti-viral and anti-inflammatory [drug] called ivermectin in all stages of the [COVID-19] disease. The FLCCC president added: We now have data from over 20 well-designed clinical studies 10 of them randomized, controlled trials with every study consistently reporting large magnitude and statistically significant benefits in decreasing transmission rates, shortening recovery times, decreasing hospitalizations, or large reductions in deaths. Wilson wrote that Kory made a number of discoveries that dramatically improved the survival of patients with serious COVID-19 cases. Unlike physicians who espouse vaccines, the FLCCC head has spent his professional life treating some of the sickest in the intensive care unit (ICU) settings, including hundreds of COVID-19 patients. There is evidence that early treatment before deterioration occurs, can reduce hospitalization by 85 percent. But each discovery [Kory] made was intensely resisted and rejected by the medical elite and bureaucracies, at least until the proof became so overwhelming that they could no longer deny it. In the interim, thousands died as a result of the elite controllers intransigence. We see the same thing with ivermectin, another highly effective and safe medication, concluded Wilson. As bad as all this is, whats worse is the alignment of forces being used to prevent safe methods from being used to stop this virus. Watch Dr. Pierre Kory denouncing Big Pharmas suppression of effective COVID-19 cures at the Defeat the Mandates Rally in Washington, D.C. below. This video is from The Willow channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: New study on Ivermectin should convince any naysayer: Dr. Pierre Kory. Dr. Zev Zelenko discusses his Covid treatment protocol with Clay Clark Brighteon.TV. FLCCC Alliance implores CDC, FDA to review research on Ivermectin as COVID-19 treatment. Government clamps down on ivermectin, hides drugs benefits from public in latest example of blatant medical murder. The Stew Peters Show: Vladimir Zelenkos life-saving, effective COVID-19 protocols demonized in favor of vaccines Brighteon.TV. Sources include: Expose-News.com Brighteon.com 1 TheEpochTimes.com Brighteon.com 2 (Natural News) The U.S. Supreme Court has officially released its decision in the highly-anticipated case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, a Mississippi law that banned all abortions after 15 weeks. The nations highest court has voted 6-3 in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that overturned all state laws concerning abortion at the time and legalized it throughout the United States, claiming there was some hidden constitutional right to killing unborn babies added to Americas founding governing document. There is nothing in the Constitution about abortion, and the Constitution does not implicitly protect the right, the ruling states. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives. As such, abortions will remain legal in states that deem it so; other states, however, are liable to ban the procedure altogether or severely restrict it. The decision was foreshadowed last month. In early May, a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito in February was leaked to Politico and it set off a firestorm, not to mention that the leak was unprecedented and set off a chaotic investigation to discover who did it. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start, Alito wrote. We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled, he wrote in the document. We, therefore, hold the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives. The document was labeled the Opinion of the Court. Soon after Alitos draft majority opinion leaked, its assumed there were at least five votes in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, leaving state legislators to weigh their own abortion policies. Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz at one point offered his opinion of who he believed the leaker could be. I had several reporters ask today what if it was a justice that did this? I got to tell you, I just dont believe that, Cruz said, ruling out Obama appointee Justice Sonia Sotomayor. It is such a grotesque violation of trust, to me, it is beyond imagination that a justice would do this. He continued: To use the nuclear code example, its like the president handing the nuclear codes to Putin, its just I cannot believe that even the most left-wing justice would do this. I think it is very, very likely a law clerk. And it is very, very likely a law clerk for one of the three liberal justices, that means there are twelve human beings who are your likely suspect pool, thats not a big likely suspect pool. It is likely to be someone who is a hard partisan, and who was willing to burn the place down because he or she was so upset about what happens. If I were to guess, the most likely justice for whom the law clerk is clerking is Sonia Sotomayor. Prior to the official ruling being announced, Supreme Court officials launched a probe into identifying the source of the leaked draft opinion, which included asking law clerks to provide cell phone records and sign affidavits. CNNs Joan Biskupic provided an update on the Supreme Courts investigation to identify the leaker. First of all, remember, this is the most important case of this term, the most important case in many years: the potential to roll back a half-century of abortion rights, and privacy rights. Midway through the negotiations over this case, a draft document was leaked, as we all know, it was leaked from last February, he said. So not only did the public see where the court was headed, to roll back Roe v. Wade, but also it so seriously disrupted negotiations among the justices in terms of where they were actually going to head by the end of June. In the end, however, the justices who agreed with Alito did not change their views. Sources include: POLITICO.com ConservativeBrief.com (Natural News) The CDC and MSM call it vaccine hesitancy but its more about vaccine science that shows the COVID-19 gene-mutation jabs are experimental, dangerous and ineffective. Its not hesitancy if the statistics reveal that getting a clot shot is FAR more dangerous to the majority of the population that actually catching the latest coronavirus. Its not a conspiracy theory that the clot shots are experimental at best, with emergency use only approvals and fraudulent clinical trials that reveal commonplace nightmarish side effects and adverse events. Just because mainstream (fake news) media doesnt cover the facts does not mean they are not happening all around us. If a tree falls in the forest, but you dont hear it hit, that doesnt mean it never fell. When perfectly healthy athletes, pilots and military members drop dead from blood clots, myocarditis, heart attacks and strokes, just days or weeks after getting injected with gene therapy COVID-19 shots, there is valid reason to be very concerned. Why give any teenager, tween or child a deadly Wuhan virus clot shot when theres next-to-zero chance they could die from COVID? Even after the CDC and FDA admit that teens and kids are at very low risk of contracting or dying from the Fauci Flu, still they are pushing and propagating vaccination for them all, because of wait for it cash cow profits and the depopulation agenda. Its like pushing the HPV shot, an injection for a sexually transmitted disease, on 9 year olds. Its like making some AIDS shot mandatory for every American. We have rights, and one of them is whether or not to have toxins injected into our blood by rogue doctors and scheming scientists who profit immensely from their snake oil medicine. Whats next, mandatory pre-cancer chemotherapy for all Americans? Will we all have to line up for the drip before we can buy groceries, work or run our businesses? The vaccine industrial complex has shelled out over $4 billion for vaccine-induced injuries and deaths over the past couple decades, and the COVID-19 jabs are MORE DEADLY than all other vaccines combined, since the 1960s. Two-thirds of all Americans have been brainwashed by a fear-based campaign of propaganda to get the COVID jabs The days of evidence-based science are dead in America. The days of checks and balances are gone. The regulatory agencies are chock full of Big Pharma gurus who make all the rules and mandates based on zero science. Only fear could make hundreds of millions of Americans get stuck with shots that clog the blood, flood the organs, and cause sudden adult death syndrome (SADS). Only a fear-based campaign for a virus that causes far less than a one percent death rate could convince two-thirds of all Americans to wear a bacteria-breeding mask over their respiratory apparatus for two years straight. Only a scamdemic could take so much taxpayer money and hand it to the evil scientists, politicians and regulatory goons who funded, designed and propagated it. Lets face it, theres NOTHING safe or effective about the Fauci Flu jabs. Avoid them like the plague. Top 7 SCARIEST COVID-19 post-vaccine adverse events MSM and CDC never mention for fear of vaccine hesitancy #1. Dropping dead suddenly from unexpected causes a.k.a. SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome) #2. Weird, long, rubbery, fibrous blood clots (bio-structures) #3. Myocarditis, irregular heart beats and heart attacks #4. Cancer and tumors flare up out of the blue #5. Catching and/or dying from COVID-19 or its variants #6. Paralysis of arms, legs or face (Justin Biebers Ramsay Hunt Syndrome) #7. Suddenly suffering from GBS (Guillain-Barre Syndrome), AIDS, ADE, or VAED Bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on experimental emergency only vaccines that spread Wuhan Coronavirus and offer zero protection against it. Sources for this article include: Health.ClevelandClinic.org TheGatewayPundit.com NaturalNews.com During an underwater volcano exploration, volcanic chimneys that resemble the "gates of hell" were captured on camera by divers for the UNESCO 1Ocean Expedition. 1Ocean Expedition Alexis Rosenfeld, an explorer and photographer, captured footage of a volcanic island just off the coast of Panarea, which is close to Sicily in Italy. The footage was taken as part of the 1Ocean expedition, which was run in conjunction with UNESCO. Scientists are closely observing the area for any signs of eruption or volcanic activity. According to experts, the likelihood has increased over the past few years. Permanent gas eruptions can be seen erupting from the volcano's magma chamber just a few meters below the surface, inside the underwater crater. According to UNESCO, more than a million liters of gas can be released from here each day. Rosenfeld was also taken by the expedition to "the smoking land," a location that is more than 70 miles below the surface. Gates of Hell In the Smoking Land, hydrothermal vents can be seen erupting bubbles from the earth as a result of acidic fluids. During a press conference, Rosenfeld described the experience as something that is like being at "the gates of hell." He added that there was not much to suspect on the surface. But among all the landscapes he has ever seen, the underwater volcanoes of Panarea are one of the most striking. The Smoking Land He and his team are in the middle of a Dante-like spectacle of volcanic chimneys that spew out burning fluids and gasses, which is somewhat like being at the gates of hell. while also being engulfed in the endless silence of the ocean, he emphasized the knowledge that life exists on Earth. Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet and politician best known for his work, The Divine Comedy, in which he journeys through Hell, through Purgatory, and into the light of Paradise. According to UNESCO, a designated team from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) is constantly and diligently monitoring The Smoking Land for any volcanic activity. This is because experts worry that it could pose a serious threat to nearby communities in the years to come. Read also: Gateway to Hell: Scientists Suggest Drilling Holes and Extinguishing Fire at the Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan Once and For All Due to the unstable volcanic behavior near the Aeolian Islands, scientists are growing more concerned every day. According to their predictions and studies, an eruption and any resulting landslides could generate a massive tsunami that would greatly affect the coastal population. According to a natural cycle, a significant explosion is predicted to occur in this region every 70 years, according to Rosenfeld. The most recent occurred at the close of the 1930s. One of the dangers in the event of an explosion is the possibility of a tsunami. Francesco Italiano, Head of the INGV, clarified that this phenomenon travels at a speed of at least 300 km per hour. People will need to act quickly because it could hit the islands in a matter of minutes. Panarea According to Newsweek, the nearby volcano Stromboli, which sparked a devastating tsunami in 2002, is not far from Panarea. On December 30, 2002, the volcano erupted, resulting in two enormous landslides and a 66-foot wave. The eastern coast was severely damaged by the tsunami. It is regarded as one of the region's most violent eruptions in the previous 100 years. Related article: Sharkcano - Underwater Volcanic Eruption Near Thriving Shark Community Continues in Pacific Ocean According to findings from recent research, the presence of salt in seawater was crucial to the early habitability of the planet because it caused temperatures to rise when the sun was less intense. The research, led by Stephanie Olson, an Indiana-based professor at Purdue University who studies evolution to direct the search for extraterrestrial life, is based on a climate model in which different amounts were dissolved. The research could aid alien hunters in controlling planets in their search for extraterrestrials. Salt + Atmosphere + GHG According to Olson, the composition of the atmosphere, particularly given the abundance of greenhouse gases, affects the climate of the Earth. She also claims that the amount of salt in seawater can significantly affect whether Earth and other planets are habitable. Her team concentrated specifically on the impact of ocean salinity on the planetary climate. According to research published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, life may exist elsewhere in the cosmos. According to Olson, salt may have been an essential component of early Earth's habitability when the sun was less intense. Their discoveries might also apply to the habitability of other planets, opening the door for life to exist outside the solar system more distantly than previously believed. The dynamics of the ocean can be altered by salt. In the current scenario on Earth, increasing salinity from 20 to 50 grams per kilo led to a 71 percent decrease in ice cover. The carbon dioxide threshold at which a "snowball" planet forms billions of years ago was also reduced by half as a result of this salinity change. Olson pointed out that the Earth's climate system is intimately linked to the chemical evolution of the planet's oceans, suggesting that a saltier ocean, in combination with higher levels of greenhouse gases, may allow for a warm Archean Earth with only seasonal ice at the poles. Olson added that warmer climates with less sea ice are a result of saltier oceans. Changes in ocean dynamics have a significant impact on warming with rising salinity. When the Sun was less bright and the oceans were saltier, it may have helped keep the early Earth warm. Read also: New Satellite Data Reveals Freshwaters are Growing Fresher and Salt Waters are Growing Saltier Applicable Theory Ocean salinity is known to be a crucial factor for life on planets outside of our solar system. Olson noted that the effects are modest today but were dramatic in the distant past. This is particularly relevant to the outermost reaches of the habitable zone, where extremely cold water can still be liquid, Newsweek reports. Olson said that their findings raise the intriguing possibility that a saltier ocean might help early Earth make up for a lower solar luminosity. Given these circumstances, salt may be a necessary component of early Earth's habitability. Salt may have even helped create a warmer climate in the past when combined with other warming factors. The key finding of their research, she continued, is that ocean salinity plays a significant role in the planet's climate system. In both our present-day and Archean simulations, saltier oceans result in warmer, more equable climates with less sea ice. Related article: Study Shows that Saltier Ocean Could Prevent Earth From Freezing Some of the fish in a seabream shipment that arrived at a port in the United Kingdom have a parasitic infestation commonly known as tongue-eating lice in their mouths. When the Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority (SCPHA) inspected the seabream shipment after the importer failed to complete the required paperwork, they discovered the tongue-eating lice, Cymothoa exigua, in the packaging of the imported fish. Cymothoa Exigua Further research revealed that the parasites were living in the fish's mouths instead of having tongues. The SCPHA did not identify the nation of origin of the shipment, which had arrived at the Port of Felixstowe, in its statement. Cymothoa exigua, a parasitic infestation, infects a wide variety of fish species worldwide, including both species that are fished for commercial purposes and species with no economic or commercial value. They attach to the tongue of the host fish after entering through the gills, and the male attaches to the gill arches below and behind the female. The fish's tongue eventually falls off after the female cuts the blood vessels in it and consumes the fish's blood supply. She then parasitizes the fish by sitting where the tongue once was. Robert Poulin, a parasite ecologist and expert in the field, explained that, typically, only a small portion of the fish population is infected. The parasitic infestestation starts when female parasites release their spawn into the water. The majority of these juveniles will perish before they can attach to a fish host, but a small percentage will make contact with a fish and settle in its mouth or gill cavity, where they will live out their entire lives. Surprisingly, there is little evidence that the infected hosts' ability to feed or breathe normally has been compromised. The parasite seems to be used mechanically by the fish in place of its tongue. Read also: Fish Found With Strange Tongue-eating Parasite in its Mouth in Texas Park UK Standards Danut Cazacu, a veterinary surgeon with the SCPHA, mentioned in the statement that instances like these serve as a stark reminder of the need for our intensive import investigation and human consumption safety assurance efforts. According to Cazacu, the SCPHA rejected the shipment's entry into the UK after inspecting additional cartons and finding that the majority of the seabream fish was infested. The importer then has the option of having it destroyed or returned to them; in this case, they opted for the latter. The SCPHA's assertions regarding the batch of infected seabream's safety were rejected by Poulin, Newsweek reports. He emphasized that most consumers would not buy and eat the fish because of the parasite's presence, which undoubtedly makes the fish unappealing. According to Poulin, the comment in the article that the fish must be safe for human consumption is very misleading because the parasite cannot be transmitted to people, and eating the fish would not be any more harmful than eating a crab or lobster. Despite being abhorrent, they pose no threat to human health. Brenda McRory, the technical leader of the SCPHA, said that The import did not meet the standards we would expect in the UK, despite the fact that the parasites are not harmful to human health. Related article: People are Freaking Out at This Bizarre Parasite that Latches to a Fish's Mouth to Eat Their Tongues There are currently six different species of sea lions. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists three sea lion species as endangered, and the Endangered Species Act of the United States lists only one species as endangered (ESA). Endangered Sea Lion Species IUCN and state governments both consider the genetically isolated Australian sea lion to be endangered within its current range, which is believed to consist of 6,500 mature individuals across Western and South Australia. Similarly, after being hunted to nearly extinction for their fur in the early 20th century, the IUCN listed the Galapagos sea lion from vulnerable to endangered in 2008, and it is now completely protected under Ecuadorian law. Following the last significant El Nio event in 2015, the species experienced a decline of almost 24%. The New Zealand sea lion was listed as endangered by the IUCN in 2015 as well, citing a 98 percent likelihood that the species will go extinct in its largest general population within just five generations. There were then just over 3,000 people left in total. The Steller sea lion, on the other hand, is listed as endangered under the ESA and is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act despite being deemed "not threatened" by the IUCN. The IUCN claims that between 1985 and 2015, a significant increase in the Loughlin Steller sea lion subpopulation made up for losses in other parts of the world. Threats Climate change, pollution, bycatch, and diseases brought in by other species put sea lion species at risk. While Galapagos sea lions are more vulnerable to disease, climatic change, and pollution, complications from gillnet fishing pose a very real threat to both Australian and New Zealand sea lions. Read also: Pig Brain Transplant Cures Sea Lion Epilepsy, Could This Mean Treatment for Humans Too? Conservation Efforts - Big and Small Sea lions and seals are both members of the pinniped family of marine mammals, which spend most of their time in the ocean but can spend extended periods of time on land thanks to specially modified flippers that resemble feet. They are therefore difficult to count, identify, and keep an eye on. To close the gap, researchers in Glacier Bay, Alaska, are combining counts from aerial photographic surveys with in-water sightings from vessel surveys, Treehugger reports. Countries like Australia have specific recovery plans for sea lion species that are endangered. The Western Australian government created a number of sea lion protection zones in 2018 that are strictly off-limits to gillnet fishing and are located around known breeding colonies. A decade-long program in South Australia run by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Humane Society International to prevent the use of gillnets close to sea lion colonies has reduced fishing net fatalities there by 98%. Numerous marine reserves spread out across sea lion habitats have been shown in studies to increase prey biomass, fish diversity, and even population sizes. Community marine reserves may also enhance the ability of marine mammals to withstand some effects of the climate as well as the health of the marine ecosystem, directly benefiting both sea lions and fishermen. Related article: Sea Lion Pups and Seals Found Covered With Banned Firefighting Chemical Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths helicopter had to make an emergency landing at the police lines in Varanasi just a few minutes after take-off on Sunday. After his two-day visit to Varanasi, Yogi was leaving for Sultanpur to pay tributes to former MLA Surya Bhan Singh but the helicopter had to make an emergency landing following a bird hit. According to Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal, the chopper was hit by a bird and the pilot, in a bid to avoid any problem, decided to make the emergency landing in Varanasi. District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said the CM and other staff were safe and they left for Lucknow from a state plane. After the incident, the CMs proposed visit to Sultanpur was postponed and he returned to the circuit house before leaving for the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Babatpur. There he waited for some time for the state plane to arrive. Around 11 am, the CM left for Lucknow. Earlier, the local ministers, public representatives and other officers made emergency arrangements at the police lines and the CM was provided a security cover first on his way to the circuit house and then to the airport. Shes innovative in the way of looking at things differently than others," former United Way CEO Tammy Lemke says of C-U Schools Foundation honoree Sue Grey. "Shes not your stereotypical fundraiser. Shes always like, Lets figure it out. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Erik Johnson is director of the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College. He can be reached at ejohnson@parkland.edu. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Brett Kepley is a lawyer with Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Inc. Send questions to The Law Q&A, 302 N. First St., Champaign, IL 61820. Hailing the Bharatiya Janata Partys bypoll victory in Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituencies, considered to be the stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that the public has given a clear message to parivarvadis, casteist and communal elements. Congratulating the BJP candidates and workers, Yogi said, The victory in the bypolls has determined the optimistic fate of the 2024 general elections. People have shown their trust in the double-engine government under the leadership of PM Modi. Good governance and public welfare policies have overthrown corruption, hooliganism and terrorism. The victory of BJP candidate Ghanshayam Singh Lodhi in Rampur and that of Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua in Azamgarh has affirmed BJPs positive and development-oriented approach which ensures the uplift of every section of the society without any discrimination, Yogi said. The win testifies the good governance of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the tireless efforts as well as hard work of dedicated party workers have produced incredible results in such challenging places. I express my deepest gratitude to the people of Rampur and Azamgarh for believing in the BJP, he added. Highlighting the success of the BJP in winning public support, Yogi said, After the thumping victory in assembly elections, the BJP won massive seats in the UP Legislative Council elections, and now the party has fared exceptionally well in Azamgarh and Rampur. Double engine has fetched double win. The BJP will continue to work under PM Modis able leadership on the path of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas aur Sabka Vishwas. This is the reason people have rejected negative forces with destructive and dynastic approach, he added. (Newser) A new city is rising in the Indian Ocean, and its not intended as a tourist trap or playground for the wealthy. Per CNN, the project is a joint venture between the Maldives government and developer Dutch Docklands, which hails from a country with deep experience adapting to intrusive ocean waters. The Maldives Floating City will be home to 20,000 people and 5,000 buildings, including schools, restaurants, and shops, all interconnected by a network of canals and beaches designed to resemble brain coral. Dutch architect Koen Olthius says it offers new hope for Maldivians, whose nation of 1,190 islands could be submerged by centurys end. "It can prove that there is affordable housing ... and normal towns on the water that are also safe," Olthius told CNN. [Maldivians] will go from climate refugees to climate innovators. Construction is proceeding quickly, with the first residents expected in 2024 and a completion goal of 2027. Modular units built in a local shipyard are towed to sea and connected to an underwater, concrete hull, which is stabilized by telescoping steel columns. Per the Independent, the government calls it the worlds first true floating island citya futuristic dreamscape finally poised to become reality, though the architecture reflects the culture and traditions of a seafaring nation, as depicted in this video from Dutch Docklands. Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed said it will have minimal impact on natural coral reefs, and new artificial reefs will help protect ocean habitats as well as the city, per USA Today. Our adaption to climate change mustnt destroy nature but work with it, Nasheed said in a statement. We cannot stop the waves, but we can rise with them. The city will be solar powered, sewage will be treated and composted, and air conditioning will be augmented by cold water pumped into the nearby lagoon from the depths of the ocean. Residents will get around by boats and electric scooters, and most homes will cost between $150,000 and $250,000. (Read more Maldives stories.) (Newser) Thousands of people protesting the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade returned to the streets of dozens of cities on Saturday. Smaller crowds turned out in many places to celebrate the ruling, CNN reports, and the two sides sometimes got in each other's faces to argue the issue. With some states already putting bans on abortion services in place, clinics canceled weekend appointments, sometimes for patients sitting in their waiting rooms, per the New York Times. Activists said a long struggle is just beginningwith one side trying to further increase abortion restrictions while the other concentrates on electing politicians in the November midterms who will work for abortion rightsdespite the fact that they knew the ruling was imminent. "It's like seeing the train coming toward you," said Julia Kaluta, 24, at a demonstration in New York City. "And you finally get hit by it. And it still hurts more than you ever thought." Developments involved: The ban : Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota have already put a prohibition on providing abortions into effect. : Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota have already put a prohibition on providing abortions into effect. The clinics : Providers in Arizona and Arkansas have begun turning away patients, per CNN. Little Rock Planned Parenthood canceled 60 to 100 appointments, said Dr. Janet Cathey. "There were patients who said they were in their car and on their way and asked us, 'It will be OK, won't it?'" Cathey said. "And we had to tell them, 'No, we have to follow the law.'" She added: "Most patients were desperate or panicked." Patients in some places rushed to book appointments in states where abortions are still legal, such as Illinois and Minnesota. : Providers in Arizona and Arkansas have begun turning away patients, per CNN. Little Rock Planned Parenthood canceled 60 to 100 appointments, said Dr. Janet Cathey. "There were patients who said they were in their car and on their way and asked us, 'It will be OK, won't it?'" Cathey said. "And we had to tell them, 'No, we have to follow the law.'" She added: "Most patients were desperate or panicked." Patients in some places rushed to book appointments in states where abortions are still legal, such as Illinois and Minnesota. Official resistance : The Republican governors of Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Vermont said they'll preserve abortion rights, despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Polls show them to be have among the highest approval ratings of any governors in the US, per the Washington Post, and all are in mostly Democratic states. Michigan's attorney general said she won't prosecute anybody for seeking an abortion, per WMMT. : The Republican governors of Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Vermont said they'll preserve abortion rights, despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Polls show them to be have among the highest approval ratings of any governors in the US, per the Washington Post, and all are in mostly Democratic states. Michigan's attorney general said she won't prosecute anybody for seeking an abortion, per WMMT. Clashes : Police used tear gas on protesters outside the Arizona Capitol on Friday night. The protest mostly was peaceful, per the AP, and demonstrators called the police response an overreaction. Senate President Karen Fann, a Republican, issued a statement Saturday calling the protest a failed insurrection. In Iowa, a truck was driven into a crowd of abortion rights protesters crossing a street on Friday night in Cedar Rapids. "He tried to murder them," a local journalist said. One woman was taken to a hospital. No arrests were made, per Yahoo News. : Police used tear gas on protesters outside the Arizona Capitol on Friday night. The protest mostly was peaceful, per the AP, and demonstrators called the police response an overreaction. Senate President Karen Fann, a Republican, issued a statement Saturday calling the protest a failed insurrection. In Iowa, a truck was driven into a crowd of abortion rights protesters crossing a street on Friday night in Cedar Rapids. "He tried to murder them," a local journalist said. One woman was taken to a hospital. No arrests were made, per Yahoo News. Voices: Both sides demonstrated at a clinic in Overland Park, Kan., near the Missouri line. Abortion became illegal in Missouri on Friday, and Kansas has a measure on the Aug. 2 ballot that would remove protections for abortion services, per the Times. "I fear for my child," said Abbye Putterman, 36, who has a 12-year-old daughter. "I worry that she isn't going to have choice." Abortion rights opponents chanted and tried to keep women from going into the clinic. "We don't believe in moral compromise," said Valley Scharping, 26, "and we dont want them to be guilty of murder." (Read more Roe v. Wade stories.) (Newser) Crossing state borders has become a big issue after the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling, but Americans aren't just thinking about driving from Missouri to Illinois or Arizona to California. Google searches for "how to move to Canada from US" jumped 850% in the hour after the court announced its abortion decision Friday, Axios reports. And "how to become a Canadian citizen" queries rose 550% in that hour, per Simon Rogers' Google Trends newsletter. Anyone thinking about becoming Canadian over the issue could find encouragement in the government's response to the US changes. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pronounced the ruling "horrific" and warned that it could eventually lead to weakened protections for same-sex couples, per the Washington Post. "Women for generations have fought for more rights in the United States, (only) to see this setback, to worry as well about how this can be expanded to more rights be taken away in the United States," Trudeau said Saturday. When asked, he didn't quite say his government will help US women arriving for abortions, but he said, "Everyday Americans who find themselves in Canada access our health care system in Canada, and that's certainly something that will continue." Canadian officials began pointing that out after Politico last month published a leaked draft of the majority opinion in the abortion case. Abortion is legal at every stage of pregnancy in Canada. "If an American wanted a medical procedure, they could get one, they would just have to pay for it out of pocket," a Cabinet member said. "There's no reason why we would turn anyone away to receive that procedure here." At the same time, per Politico, Canadians warn Americans that it might not be a simple process. "Wait lists are through the roof," the head of Planned Parenthood Toronto said in May. "The places that do provide abortion or reproductive care in this country are overwhelmed." (Read more Roe v. Wade stories.) (Newser) When the Roe v. Wade decision came down, Clarence Thomas made headlines with a controversial separate opinion. He suggested the court, as it did with abortion, should examine the legal underpinnings of issues including same-sex marriage and the use of contraception. Thomas, part of the powerful new conservative majority on the court, is saying the quiet part out loud, NYU law professor Melissa Murray tells the Washington Post. Hes issuing invitations. An analysis at the Texas Tribune has a similar take, concluding that Thomas is essentially inviting legal challenges in regard to rights the court has previously ruled are protected by the Constitution. So what are the chances the court might eventually rule against gay rights and birth control? For now, the consensus is that the odds are pretty slim, per the Wall Street Journal. The story notes that Samuel Alito, author of the majority opinion that overturned Roe, made a point to throw cold water on the idea. Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion, Alito wrote. Fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh also distanced himself from Thomas: I emphasize what the Court today states: Overruling Roe does not mean the overruling of those precedents, and does not threaten or cast doubt on those precedents, he wrote. But the three liberal dissenters are worried. Todays opinion will fuel the fight to get contraception, and any other issues with a moral dimension, out of the Fourteenth Amendment and into state legislatures," wrote Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. The Journal talks to legal scholars who generally are in sync with Alito and Kavanaugh. I dont think there are the votes for re-examination of those other precedents, says Sarah Parshall Perry, a Heritage Foundation lawyer. Abortion is inherently different. ... Roe has always stuck out as a particularly egregious decision. As Aaron Blake points out in a Washington Post analysis, if Alito and Kavanaugh aren't on board, no such reversals will happen. Blake also points out what others have raised: That Thomas, whose wife, Ginni, is white, did not mention interracial marriage in his list of possible reversals. It's notable because Kavanaugh specifically mentioned the issue in his own opinion, citing the Loving v. Virginia case that established the right as an example of rulings that should remain unchallenged. (Read more Clarence Thomas stories.) (Newser) President Biden said Sunday in Germany that the US and other Group of Seven nations will ban imports of gold from RussiaMoscow's second largest export after energy. A formal announcement was expected Tuesday as the leaders hold their annual summit. Senior Biden administration officials said banning gold would make it more difficult for Russia to participate in global markets, per the AP. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the ban will directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putins war machine," a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin is squandering his dwindling resources on this pointless and barbaric war, Johnson said. We need to starve the Putin regime of its funding. In recent years, gold has been the top Russian export after energyreaching almost $19 billion or about 5% of global gold exports, in 2020, according to the White House. Of Russian gold exports, 90% was consigned to G-7 countries. Of these Russian exports, over 90%, or nearly $17 billion, was exported to the UK. The United States imported less than $200 million in gold from Russia in 2019, and under $1 million in 2020 and 2021. Biden arrived in Germanys picturesque Bavarian alps early Sunday to join his counterparts for the annual meeting of the world's leading democratic economies. Reverberations from the brutal war in Ukraine will be front and center of their discussions. Biden and the allies aim to present a united front in support of Ukraine as the conflict enters its fourth month. We've got to make sure we have us all staying together," said Biden. "You know, were gonna continue working on economic challenges that we face, but I think we get through all this." (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.) (Newser) Police in a South African city are investigating a mysterious tragedyat least 20 young adults died Saturday night at a nightclub for reasons that remain unclear. Bodies of the victims, thought to be ages 18 to 20, were found at the Enyobeni Tavern in the city of East London, reports the BBC. A local newspaper, DispatchLive, reported that "bodies are lying strewn across tables, chairs and on the floor; with no obvious signs of injury," per the AFP. A police spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing, and "we do not want to make any speculations at this stage." Of course, that hasn't stopped all kinds of theories from circulating on social media, and an Eastern Cape provincial official addressed one of them: "It's difficult to believe it's a stampede as there are no visible open wounds to those dead," Unathi Binqose tells the AFP. Authorities say most of those in the nightclub were celebrating what's known as "pens down," the end of high school exams. It's possible the death toll could rise because others remain hospitalized. (Read more South Africa stories.) Hong Kong: 1 virus case in King Fai Hse The Government today announced that one positive COVID-19 case was found in the compulsory testing exercise for the restricted area concerning King Fai House, Yue Fai Court in Aberdeen. It made a restriction-testing declaration yesterday to cover the building where 523 people were tested. Government staff also visited 216 households there and will follow up on those who did not answer the door. This story has been published on: 2022-06-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. China to provide 50 million yuan of emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan Xinhua) 11:02, June 26, 2022 BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- After the earthquake disaster in Afghanistan, the Chinese government has decided to provide 50 million yuan (about 7.46 million U.S. dollars) of emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday. Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks in response to a query on the progress of China's emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The earthquake that struck Afghanistan Wednesday is the most serious to hit the country in more than 20 years. It has caused at least 1,500 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries, and destroyed more than 3,000 houses, Wang said. The number of casualties continues to rise. Aid provided by China will include tents, towels, folding beds and other materials urgently needed by the Afghan people, he said. The first batch of aid is scheduled to be shipped by charter flight on June 27. In the next step, China will coordinate closely with the Afghan interim government to ensure that relief supplies are delivered to those in need as soon as possible, and to help the Afghan people tide over their current difficulties, Wang said. "We firmly believe that with the concerted efforts of the Afghan interim government and people from all walks of life, and with the help of the international community, the people in the affected areas will be able to prevail over this blow at an early date, accelerate the reconstruction of their homes and resume normal production and life," he added. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) For India, which is not part of the China-led Regional Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement, the IPEF might emerge as a more reliable and credible alternative in creating new mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific The genesis of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework can be traced to October 2021, during the East Asia Summit held virtually. At the East Asia Summit, the US President enunciated his plans to unveil a US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Following the initial announcement, the Biden administration released an Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, which saw a formal iteration of the IPEF. As such, it bears no surprise to see US President Joe Biden officially launched the IPEF on May 23, 2022, in Tokyo before the QUAD leaders Summit. In addition to the four Quad members, leaders from 9 other nations namely Brunei, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam participated virtually. These countries became the founding members of the IPEF initiative making a bakers dozen. Out of the thirteen participating countries in the IPEF, seven are also part of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, three ASEAN countries Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar have refrained from participating in the IPEF. The partial overlap of the IPEF with ASEAN reflects that the economic strategy has factored in China. The seven countries in IPEF which have overlapping membership with the ASEAN will help the US and its Quad partners to further consolidate the ASEAN centrality principle of the Indo-Pacific strategy. Both Laos and Cambodia have perhaps been left out due to their proximity to Beijing, while Myanmar has paid the price for a non-democratic political functioning that continues in the country since the military junta grabbed power. That creating competitive structures against China lies at the heart of the IPEF has become clearer with the engagement of Taiwan in a similar bilateral engagement, albeit outside the IPEF. In many ways, the IPEF is an offshoot of the re-invigorated Americas Pivot to Asia strategy launched in 2011 during the Obama administration. The strategy aimed to relocate the strategic focus of the US from West Asia to the Pacific theatre, primarily because of the competition and threats it faces from China. Besides, it also sought to advance the US economic and geopolitical interests through wider engagements with the Asia-Pacific region. The two important constituents of this strategy were the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor. However, the US withdrawal from the TPP during the presidency of Donald Trump in 2017 deteriorated the progress made in terms of coalition-building and intensification of geopolitical and geo-economic ties with allies in the Indo-Pacific region. The Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy released in 2019 during the Trump administration gathered inimical reactions from the allies and partners in the region. It was perceived as a confrontational narrative rather than a regional strategy. Therefore, the return of a new collective strategy by the US to collectively compete with China, at a time when the US dominance on the trade and investment is facing intense competition from Beijing in the region, may be a timely and well-calibrated step to instil fair and principled regional competition which is consistent with climate goals and predictable supply chains. China is the leading trade partner of almost all the IPEF member countries. As such, the IPEF initiative outlines the underlying thrust in building partner coalitions, developing a collective response and preventing the growing Chinese influence in the region. Broadly, the evolving predicament within the IPEF countries is China using its economic heavyweight for achieving its security and diplomatic goals. The IPEF could present an opportunity for like-minded countries of the Quad to find new and reliable alternatives to their current dependencies on China, especially in trade related infrastructure and supply chains. In particular, for India, which is not part of the China-led Regional Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement, the IPEF might emerge as a more reliable and credible alternative in creating new mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific. Indias own FTA being negotiated with ASEAN could be consistent with some of the objectives of the IPEF. Much of how the IPEF will unravel remains to be seen. The IPEF countries that are already part of some sort of Free Trade Agreements such as CPTPP and RCEP would require substantial incentives from the US to diversify their ties from any such already existing arrangements in the region. Also, the four focus areas of the IPEF: trade, supply chains, clean energy, decarbonisation and infrastructure; tax and anti-corruption need to be implemented and assessed. While executing these focus areas, climate, labour and data localisation standards in the IPEF countries (which are not as per the US standards) might turn out to be prominent irritants. (Vivek Mishra is fellow, Strategic Studies Program, ORF, New Delhi. Mrityunjaya Dubey is a researcher and Senior Assistant member with The Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers affiliated with the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs) (Newser) Former President Trump's supporters are praising him in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and Trump himself is publicly celebrating the ruling. But the New York Times reports that Trump's private views appear to be less enthusiastic. At a rally in Illinois on Saturday, Trump took what Fox News describes as a "victory lap." The court "handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law and above all, a victory for life," Trump told the appreciative crowd in Mendon. That tracks with a statement he put out Friday afternoon in the wake of the decision to scrap abortion protections. Todays decision, which is the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation, along with other decisions that have been announced recently, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court, Trump said. The Times, however, reports that Trump has privately told people in recent weeks he thinks the move will be "bad for Republicans" and has criticized laws like one in Texas that allows people to sue those who enable abortions as "so stupid." His statement on Friday not withstanding, Trump also has appeared to be relatively reluctant to accept credit for what's happening. Asked on Fox News Friday whether he deserved praise, for example, Trump responded, "God made the decision." And in May, he told the Times when asked a similar question, "I never like to take credit for anything." Still, that isn't stopping others from praising Trump. On behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory, GOP Rep. Mary Miller told him at Saturday's rally in Illinois. The crowd, too, chanted, "Thank you, Trump!" (Miller made a gaffe in her full comments on the subject.) (Newser) Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the early hours of Sunday morning, striking at least two residential buildings, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, as elsewhere Russian troops consolidated their gains in the east. AP journalists in Kyiv saw rescue services battling flames and rescuing civilians. Klitschko said four people were hospitalized with injuries, and a 7-year-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble. Culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said on Telegram that a kindergarten was hit in the attacks, the AP reports. Before Sundays early morning attack, Kyiv had not faced any such Russian airstrikes since June 5. Klitschko told journalists that he believed "it is maybe a symbolic attack" ahead of this week's NATO summit in Madrid. Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that "according to prelim data 14 missiles were launched against Kyiv region and Kyiv." Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the missiles were Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles fired from planes over the Caspian Sea. President Biden, asked for his reaction to the Russians' missile strikes Sunday on Kyiv, said, "It's more of their barbarism," as he stood with Olaf Scholz as the German chancellor greeted leaders arriving to open the Group of Seven summit. In addition, Russian forces have been seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, pressing their momentum after taking full control Saturday of the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk and the chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians had been holed up. Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region that includes Sievierodonetsk, said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the adjacent city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge. "There's very much destructionLysychansk is almost unrecognizable," he wrote on Facebook. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.) (Newser) Doubts were expressed when Paul McCartney was announced as the headliner for this year's Glastonbury Festival in southwest England. For one thing, the co-founder of the Beatles just turned 80 years oldfour times the age of Billie Eilish, who also performed at the festival. The skeptics are singing a different tune now, after McCartney played for 2 hours, 50 minutes on Saturday night, a show UK reviewers and concertgoers called historic and brilliant, the Guardian reports. The Sunday Telegraph found the performance "one of the most thrilling, uplifting, banger-filled, star-studded sets this 50-plus-year-old festival had ever seen." McCartney had help from friends: Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl joined him onstage for several songs. Using Peter Jackson special effects, he sang "I've Got a Feeling" with John Lennon. He played "Something" on a ukulele given to him by George Harrison. More than 100,000 people attended the concert in personthe biggest crowd ever at the Pyramid stagewhile 4 million watched on TV on a delay. This year's event was a celebration of the festival's 50th anniversary, delayed by the pandemic, per CNBC. Fans began staking out spots in front of the stage more than 12 hours before the concert began, per the BBC. They saw a performance that a Guardian reviewer called "about as thrilling as pop music gets." Actor-comedian Steve Coogan told the BBC, "I dont think theres anyone else in the world who can just give such unadulterated joy to people." Many fans had not seen McCartney play live before, such as Sorcha Ingram, 25. "I had the time of my life," she said, adding that the Beatles are "where my music taste stems from." Many, including James Jack, 35, said they would tell their grandchildren about the show someday. "Musically, it was up there with one of the most seminal moments of my life," he said. "It exceeded all expectations," said Richard Martin, 75, who'd never seen McCartney or the Beatles. "My wife has," he said, "she was one of those screaming teenagers." On Friday night, Billie Eilish became the festivals youngest solo headliner when she took to the same stage, per the Independent. "The Beatles were what raised me," she said. (Read more Paul McCartney stories.) From the Alaska Post Nearly 60 years later, in 2012, an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk crew conducting a training mission spotted aircraft wreckage on Colony Glacier on Gannetts southwest slope. Recovery operations began that June and confirmed it was the debris of the missing C-124 crash site, now 14 miles from its original point of impact. As Indians, we must take pride in being a Secular nation and as citizens promote an environment devoid of religious antagonism for the greater good of humanity, writes Susan Mishra As we stand in the 21st century and witness bitter inter-religion intolerance, a peed into the past is imperative to understand the present. There are numerous instances from the medieval to the modern era in the south, north, and eastern India where Hindu and Muslim communities lived side by side without a feeling of animosity and antagonism. In Malabar, Islam probably arrived in the 7th century CE along with the Arab traders, and by the 12th century CE, a strong Muslim community existed here. The Zamorins were Hindu rulers of the Kingdom of Calicut (now Kozhikode). They maintained elaborate trade relations with the Muslim Middle-Eastern sailors in the Indian Ocean as Calicut was then an important trading entrepot on the western seaboard of India. Under the Zamorins, the Muslims enjoyed many commercial, political and religious privileges. The very fact that Zamorin rejected Vasco da Gamas request to banish all Muslims from his kingdom clearly speaks of the significance accorded to Muslims in a Hindu kingdom. In fact, it is the Portuguese who became the common enemy of the Muslims and the Zamorin. The latter received full support from their Muslim populace in terms of mobilization of manpower, resources, and funding of wars against the Portuguese. The Muchundi and Mishkal mosques in Kozhikode are living examples of assistance provided by the Hindu Zamorin rulers to their Muslim community. The 13th century CE inscription in Muchundi mosque in Kuttichira, Kozhikode records the establishment of the mosque by certain Shahab al-din Raihan, and the Zamorin ruler granted some land to it for certain daily expenses incurred at the mosque. The Mishkal mosque is also located in Kuttichira, Kozhikode, and was built by a merchant ship owner in the 14th century CE. This mosque was attacked, destroyed and burnt in 1510 by the Portuguese. The Zamorin was furious at seeing the devastation of the city and the destruction of the mosque. The combined efforts and firm determination by the Nairs and Muslims shattered the dreams of the early colonizers in Malabar. Post the victory of the Zamorin in the battle of Chaliyam, the ruler supported the restoration and reconstruction of the Mishkal mosque. It is believed that the stones and the wood from the Chaliyam fort were carried and placed in the yard at Mishkal to be used in the reconstruction of the mosque. The Khasi Foundation of Kuttichira commemorated 500 years of the grand gesture of the religious harmony of the times by honoring the Zamorin. In remembrance of the great harmony between the two communities and for thanking the Zamorin King for his solidarity with the Muslims, the representatives of the Khasi Foundation visited the residence of the current descendants of the erstwhile Zamorin kings and presented him a painting of the Mishkal Mosque. Turning the focus on 21st century Kerala, at Ponnani a 16th century CE mosque, known as Misri Palli preserves its original structure due to the efforts of a non-Muslim speaker and legislator. When the work of its demolition began for the purposes of constructing a new mosque, some people contacted P. Sreeramakrishnan, who rushed to the site and stopped the work. He called a meeting of the mosque committee and convinced its members not to dismantle it so that it is preserved under the Muziris- Ponnani heritage conservation project. Erumely/ Erumeli in the Kottayam district of Kerala is a living example of how myths and legends can bind two religious communities and assimilate a mosque within an important Hindu religious pilgrimage. The Mosque here is dedicated to Vavar who is considered a companion of Lord Ayyappa. Every year multitudes of Hindu pilgrims worship at this mosque before they embark on the arduous trek to the holy shrine of Sabarimala Ayappa Swami. There are many legends about Vavar and according to one, Vavar was an Arab commander who was defeated by Lord Ayyappa. Impressed by Vavars valor, he became Ayappa's close associate and aided him in the wars in the mountainous region. According to belief, Vavar protects devotees who make the difficult trek through the forests to the main temple at the top of the hill that houses the Sabarimala Temple. The Hindu Vijayanagara Empires 14th century CE capital of Hampi and its monuments is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Legends and inscriptions speak of Hindu support to the Muslim populace of the kingdom. At Sindhaghatta in Mandya district of Karnataka, the Muslim community did not have a mosque and Babu setti, a local merchant, built a mosque to which the local officer Rangayya Nayaka gifted a village. What is of interest is that the mosque was not built at a site away from a Hindu settlement, but was located amidst villages granted as gifts to learned Brahmins. Legend has it that Babbaya, a Muslim Fakir, established himself at Penukonda and had a strong following. After the death of the fakir, a dargah was erected, and the grant of Venkata II records the restoration of certain villages originally granted by Vira Narasingha Raya, Sadashiva, and Venkata I, to the dargah of Babayya in Penukonda. Mangammal, a Hindu Nayaka queen made a gift of some villages in 1701-02 CE in Tiruchirapalli to the dargah of Babanatta. The other contemporaneous dynasty ruling at Deccan was the Muslim Adil Shahis of Bijapur (1489 to 1686). A Farman of Muhammad Adil Shah dated to 1653 CE records a grant made by the ruler to Namdev Vithal, a Brahmin from Mubarakabad. Namdev was the head of Joshis and had approached the ruler for royal favours and the Sultan obliged by granting land at various localities. He also received a tanka (gold coin) from highway and food grains and was also exempt from payment of taxes. Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580 CE to 1627 CE) was a great patron of music and is credited with the composition of the book Kitab i Nauras is a book of couplets and verses dedicated to Hindu deities and Muslim saints. What is of interest is that most are dedicated to Saraswati, Ganesh and other Hindu deities. The text begins with an invocation to Goddess Saraswati for her blessings and favors. Descriptions of Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiva have been beautifully described by the Sultan in his compositions. In the modern epoch of South India, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad- Mir Osman Ali Khan (ruled from 1911-1948) deserves special mention. He had a liberal outlook toward religion and provided financial assistance and donations to temples and Brahmins in his kingdom. Mir Osman Ali Khan tended to the repair, and maintenance of the conservation of the Thousand Pillar Temple at Warangal. The Nizam also donated liberally donated to various temples in his dominions. Turning towards the region of eastern India, in Orissa Salabega occupies a permanent position among the devotional poets of Odisha. He lived in the first half of the 17th century and was the son of the Mughal Subedar. According to folklore, he was held up on his way while returning from Vrindavan to Jagannatha and he prayed earnestly to the Lord to wait for him on the Nandighosha chariot so that he could see his Lord. The Lord waited there and gave darshan to Salabega, his dear devotee on the Bada Danda, near Balagandi. An ardent devotee of Shri Krishna and Jagannath, Salabega devoted his life to composing bhajans, hymns, and devotional songs in praise of the Shri Jagannath and Radha Krishna. In Ahom kingdom, the Muslim populace was well assimilated into the Assamese society and the army included many Muslim soldiers and officers who fought against the Mughals. Ismail Siddique, popularly known as Bagh Hazarika played a significant role in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671. An inscription of Ahom king Lakshmi Singha issued around 1780 CE records a grant in favour of Hazi Anwar Fakir. Ahom king Kamaleswar Singha reconfirmed all earlier grants made by the Mughal and Ahom rulers in favour of Khadim of Hajo Dargah, In the context of north India, in the erstwhile region of Awadh, in 1855 at the Hanumangarhi temple at Ayodhya conflict arose between the Hindus and the Muslims. Wajid Ali Shah is said to have appointed a Committee to investigate the matter, and the decision went in favour of the Hindus. On learning about an imminent attack on the temple, Wajid Ali Shah ordered a regiment to guard the temple. Other instances include the 250-year-old Hanuman temple of Lucknow which is believed to have been constructed by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulas mother Alia Begum. The mosque, popularly called as Padain Masjid in Aminabad was built by Rani Jai Kunwar Pandey, a Brahmin as a gift to her close friend - the Begum of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan. When we try to look at the past from a 21st-century lens, we will inevitably see Hindus and Muslims as polar opposites. While there are challenges in Hindu-Muslim relations, it would be naive to dismiss the relative social harmony in which the two communities have coexisted in India. As Indians, we must take pride in being a Secular nation and as citizens promote an environment devoid of religious antagonism for the greater good of humanity. (The writer is a research scholar and recipient of the Devangana Desai senior Fellowship CSMVS Mumbai. She is also the author of two books.) Bahrain police arrest man who cut hole in car's roof to steal valuables, money Bahrain police arrest man who cut hole in car's roof to steal valuables, money TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Police yesterday arrested a 36-year-old suspect who broke into a car by cutting through the roof and fleeing after stealing valuables and money from the vehicle. The man, police said, caused costly damages to the car during his attempt to steal. The vehicles owner had also reported losing more than BD1,000 from the car. The Capital Police Directorate said the incident occurred on the 23rd of May 2022. Soon after registering a case, police had also started investigating. CCTV footage and other evidence from the crime scene, the police said, helped them identify and arrest the suspect. Police said they arrested the suspect amidst an investigation into another crime committed by the same suspect. The public Prosecution is pursuing necessary legal action against the suspect. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Indian Embassy in Bahrain on Thursday held its second successive in-person open house, resolving several consular and labour cases Another very productive Open House. Many issues faced by our labourers/ workers were resolved, while others made forward movement. Thank Bahrain Govt authorities and our community organisations for support, Tweeted Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava following the Open House. During the event, Srivastava informed Indian Community members about Passport Seva Divas 2022, celebrated every year on the 24th of June. Ambassador also read excerpts of External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankars message, which had his emphasis on the word Seva. Word Seva, as in the Passport Seva Programme, Ambassador said, summarises what we are doing today and where we intend to go further tomorrow. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Crown Princes International Scholarship Program (CPISP) has started its Candidacy Program, which is the final step in the 2023 scholarship selection process. The CPISP held an orientation at the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) headquarters to brief the scholarship candidates, from both public and private schools, on the training they will receive during the program. CPISP Director Dr Cynthia Gessling commended HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister's vision to upskill young Bahrainis and congratulated the candidates for being short-listed. During the Candidacy Program, students will complete several courses with a focus on critical thinking, academic writing, leadership, and communications. Students will also undergo a career and personality aptitude test, prepare for standardized tests, and complete a Level 3 Certificate in Team Leading granted by the UK-based Chartered Management Institute (CMI). The CPISP will announce the 10 scholarship recipients early next year. Recipients will be selected based on their academic merit and leadership qualities as determined by their Grade Point Averages (GPA), IELTS scores, SAT scores, and the scores of the critical thinking and leadership courses undertaken. Dr Gessling thanked BIBF for continually sharing their expertise and wished the students a fruitful experience. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Hi, How are you? May I know your name? This way of starting a conversation has become a thing of the past, says a new study. The study by the University of Bahrain says the rules of etiquette are changing among youngsters in today's world, where people are mostly living virtually. The barrier between virtual and our world has become so thin and blurred that youngsters have started introducing themselves to others using their social media IDs, even in the real world. Instead of politely asking each other's names, the norm now is asking each other's social media accounts to get to know each other, the UoB study finds. It just does not end there. Also gone are the days of street shopping and job hunting. Social media has also become a place to shop and find work. UoB study says social networking sites are now one of the basic requirements of life for young people, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Respondents to the study said they are now using social networking sites as an alternative to actual communication. "This has turned social media from a second thing in the lives of young people to something essential," the study points out. Young people are so obsessed with the virtual world that most find themselves glued to social media even while surrounded by friends and family, which the study terms "addiction". The study on "the relationship between the use of social networking sites and social interaction among young people in the Kingdom of Bahrain" was prepared by Khaled Ali Al-Sayadi for the master's programme in mass communication at the Faculty of Arts. Associate Professor of Media in the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts, Dr Ashraf Ahmed Abdel-Mughith, supervised the study. The study aimed to know the reality of youngsters' use of social networking sites in Bahrain and the effect of social networking sites on family interaction patterns," said Al-Sayadi. The researcher said he employed a descriptive approach using the structured interview tool with three groups of young men and women. Bahrain King affirms keenness to consolidate independence of the judiciary TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has affirmed his keenness to consolidate the independence of the judiciary, as well as support the judicial branch and provide it with qualified competencies, given the major role it plays in preserving rights and enhancing the security and stability of the Bahraini society. HM the King expressed pride in the deep-rooted history of the kingdoms judiciary, as well as in the pioneering achievements it continues to attain, being essential for achieving the aspired for justice. HM King Hamad made the statements while receiving at the Al-Sakhir Palace today, the Supreme Judicial Council Vice-President and Court of Cassation President, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, and Constitutional Court President, Chancellor Abdulla bin Hassan Ahmed Al-Buainain, who took the official oath before HM the King following the issuance of royal orders appointing them to their new posts. HM the King congratulated Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and Chancellor Abdulla bin Hassan Ahmed Al-Buainain on their new posts, wishing them every success in serving the nation and the citizens, as well in undertaking the tasks entrusted to them. HM the King also thanked them for the valuable contributions they had made while holding their previous posts, as well as for their services to the Bahraini judiciary. HM the King commended the dedicated efforts exerted by the members of the judicial branch in the kingdom to protect and preserve the rights of the citizens and residents by defending them, by the Law and the Constitution. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Labour Fund Tamkeen is continuing to hold its meetings with enterprises that have received support through the recently launched programmes. The programmes focus on increasing productivity and achieving a positive impact on the local economy, while also addressing current and potential market changes. The meeting included representatives of enterprises across technology, cybersecurity, jewellery, accounting and auditing, restaurants, and personal services. This initiative focuses on understanding their future aspirations while also exploring how they can utilize Tamkeens support in training, investment, and expansion. Husain Mohamed Rajab, the Chief Executive of the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) encouraged business owners and entrepreneurs to identify new ideas and market opportunities, shedding light on the most important indicators and growth prospects in several sectors. Mahmood Al Adraj, Founder of VirtuThinko thanked Tamkeen for their efforts. He said: This meeting allowed us to share our feedback on the human capital and enterprise support programs, while also helping to identify other support opportunities that could contribute to the development and expansion of projects outside the Kingdom. Mahmood Qannati, Founder of Objets DArt, praised Tamkeens transformation initiative. He said, I am happy to have participated in Tamkeens meetings with enterprise owners, which highlights how keen Tamkeens management is to learn more about the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, as well as the impact of Tamkeens new support programmes on their business plans, and how to contribute to providing further solutions that offer opportunities for the growth, development, and expansion of projects. Nineteen activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the students wing of the ruling CPI(M), have been arrested and remanded so far in connection with the attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's office here, even as opposition Congress-led UDF targeted Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the incident saying the attack was held with his knowledge. The Marxist party's students' cadre attacked the Wayanad MP's office as part of a Sangh Parivar agenda with the knowledge of Vijayan to please the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, the Congress alleged. Sharpening their attack, the opposition also charged that a personal staff of Health Minister Veena George, identified as Avishith, was among the assaulters involved in the office vandalism but the minister quickly rejected the allegation claiming that he was no longer her staffer. He had relieved himself from the duty earlier this month citing personal reasons, the minister claimed. Though the SFI activists held a protest march to Gandhi's office and allegedly vandalised his office on Friday alleging his inaction in the issue of buffer zones around forests, the Chief Minister's office on Saturday clarified that the Wayanad MP sent a letter to Vijayan seeking his government's urgent intervention in the matter. The CMO also said Vijayan, in his reply, had requested Gandhi to raise the issue in the upcoming Parliament session. Police, meanwhile, said all the arrested persons were identified as local SFI activists and they were remanded for two weeks by a local court. "The arrest of 19 people have been recorded so far. Some more persons were taken into custody and more arrests are expected to take place today. At present, the case is investigated by the Mananthavady Deputy Superintendent of Police and it will be handed over to the ADGP-led special investigation team soon," he told PTI. Hours after SFI activists vandalised the Wayanad office of Gandhi, the Left government on Friday night ordered a high-level probe by an ADGP-rank officer and suspended Kalpetta Deputy Superintendent of Police. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan visited the vandalised office on Saturday morning and reiterated that it was done with the knowledge of Vijayan. Charging that it was the agenda of the Modi government to oust Gandhi from Wayanad, his Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress leader accused the ruling CPI(M) of taking over the "quotation" of the Sangh Parivar in this regard and the office attack was its result. "The attack against Rahul Gandhi's office was held with the knowledge of the CM... It was carried out with with precise planning and also with the knowledge of top police officials... Condemning the attack by the CM was an eyewash to cheat people," Satheesan added. A protest march of the SFI against Gandhi's office here on Friday turned violent as a group of activists entered the Lok Sabha member's office and vandalised it, prompting the Chief Minister to strongly condemn the incident and warn of stern action against the culprits. While the main opposition party claimed that the attack happened with the knowledge of the CPI(M), Vijayan, in a strongly worded message, said this land ensures space for freedom of expression and democratic protest but it was a wrong practice if it turns into violence. A recent Supreme Court order mandates the maintenance of an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of one kilometre around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which has led to widespread protest in various parts of Kerala. The high range areas of Kerala, particularly in Idukki, Wayanad, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, had been witnessing hartals by various political and farmers' groups against the apex court order delivered on June 3. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY A goat barn planned for a century-old farm in a neighborhood of single-family homes wouldnt be visible to people passing by the property on South King Street. And thats the way the farm-owning family wants to keep it. We are trying to keep things nice and gentle and easy-going, said Dainius Virbickas, an engineering consultant representing the family, at a recent public hearing before Danburys wetlands commission. The idea behind the design is to follow the existing paths, and where we are not able to follow, they want the paths to be curvy so you dont see anything, the consultant said of the 130-acre property, which is south of the Upper Kohanza Reservoir. They just want it to look as it currently looks. That means that as Danbury continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in Connecticut, the property once owned by the Wibling family would remain a terrain of hayfields, forestry and wet meadowlands, just as it has for generations. Were here to present a proposal to be conducted on a piece of farmland thats been farmed for over a century in the city of Danbury, Virbickas told Danburys Environmental Impact Commission last Wednesday. This piece of land is a mixture of open fields and wooded areas and currently has no structures on it whatsoever, but our client wishes to continue a farm on this property, the consultant said. What they would like to do at this particular location as a beginning is to build a small structure on the property for farm animals chickens and goats is what theyre looking to start with. The family itself wants to remain as inconspicuous as the farm, the owner said this week. This is purely a family project, said Ben Benoit, president of PCW Management Center in Mystic, which stewards the assets of family foundations, including the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation. When we purchased it, we said we would keep it a farm. We are really trying to keep this quiet. Benoit, who is also executive director of the PCLB Foundation, as the Buck trust is known, said the family farm was being pursued in the same spirit of conservation as much of the Buck foundations philanthropy. Peter Buck died in November at 90 after living much of his life in Danbury where he became a billionaire through his founding investment in the company that would become Subway. In addition to building a barn for goats and chickens, the Benoits proposed widening a tractor path on the farm to 14 feet and installing utilities beneath it to light the barn. To do that, contractors would have to disturb some of the farms wetlands ecologically important land features that distribute storm water for natural flood control. We do have a couple of wetland impacts Virbickas told the wetlands commission. Not to minimize it, but if there werent ribbons there (to indicate wetlands) it looks just like pasture. There will be a little bit of impact, but it will be minimal. As they start to farm are they going to have any holding ponds for the effluent from the animals manure piles or whatever they are going to collect? wetlands commission member Geoffrey Herald said. That could run into the wetlands and the streams. Abigail Adams, a land use consultant representing the family, said there were no immediate plans to have large farm animals. So the reference to cows and horses is in the future thats not planned now? Herald said. Right now, it is a small family operation, Virbickas said. The wetlands commission continued the public hearing until its next meeting in mid-July. Im glad to see the farm is coming back to Danbury, Herald said. Thats great. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-334 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY Founded in 1964, Boy Scout Troop 52, gathers together three times a year to celebrate and award merit badges and rank advancements to its members. But the event on June 18 was a special one for the 52 Scouts in the troop, as they met up at Hatters Park to honor William Doran, who achieved the rare feat of becoming the troops 100th Eagle Scout, as well as to honor the 99 Eagle Scouts who came before him. It was a fun, emotional way to celebrate the success of our Scouts in an uplifting moment, said Rick Rogers, a committee member with Troop 52 and the former committee chairman. The milestone of 100 Eagles in a single Scout Troop is a very rare occurrence in Scouting. Joe Walker III, who was Troop 52s first Eagle Scout in 1972, traveled from his home in Oregon to attend the celebration. Many other past Eagle Scouts from the troop were on hand as well. The event on Saturday was something I enjoyed and will always remember. It was more than just a celebration of the 100th Eagle Scout, it commemorated all 100 Eagles. It was a great experience to share what I learned with the other Eagle Scouts, including the first Eagle Scout, Joe Walker III, Doran said. Similar to all Eagle Scouts, Rogers said Doran dedicated himself to earning the award over a seven-year period. The path to Eagle included camping, cooking, learning outdoor skills and completing 36 merit badges (21 required for Eagle), and three Eagle Palms. Doran also had to plan and lead a Leadership Service Project. For his project, Doran spent four months restoring outdoor benches and tables at the Danbury Regional Hospice on Milestone Road. I didnt know during the process that I was actually going to be the 100th Eagle Scout, said Doran, who recently graduated from Immaculate High School and will attend Georgetown University. He actually hit the milestone on Sept. 27, 2021, but it was decided to wait until the next ceremony to celebrate his achievement. It was an exciting thing to hear when I found out I was No. 100 as Sept. 27 got closer, Doran said. The celebration included a large potluck lunch provided by Troop 52 families at Hatters Park Pavilion with over 150 people in attendance. State Sen. Julie Kushner and former state Sen. Mike McLachlan were there, along with state Rep. Ken Gucker, who earned his Eagle Scout in 1981 from Troop 42 in New Fairfield. Also there was the Rev. Paul Bryant-Smith of the King Street United Church of Christ, which has sponsored the troop for its entire 58 years. To achieve this goal, the troop must be in existence for many years. During those years, it must have consistent, long-term dedication from adult leaders and other volunteers to make the program meaningful and fun for the boys, Rogers said. Six of Troop 52s nine living scoutmasters took part in the presentation of gifts to the Eagle Scouts at the ceremony. To describe Will, I would use the words determined, serious, well-organized and resourceful, said Rogers, who became an Eagle Scout in 1969 with Troop 835 in Dallas. He also has a dry sense of humor. We always knew Will was Eagle material. To be an Eagle you have to go after it, you have to do what it takes and Will embraced the opportunity. Danbury Troop 52 recently increased its Eagle Scout number to 101, when Chase Stanton became an Eagle Scout on March 28. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BETHEL A group of about 40 protesters marched down Greenwood Avenue in Bethel on Saturday to show solidarity for a womans right to choose an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The event was organized by Marissa Amundsen of Molten Java, a downtown coffee shop. A protest was also held on the Green in New Milford on Friday evening. The high courts decision issued Friday morning reverts authority to regulate abortion to the states. Connecticut upholds a womans right to abortion, but that is not the law in many other states. In the 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court found that the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision was egregiously wrong and on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided. In New Haven, a crowd of about 1,000 protesters gathered on Friday in front of the federal courthouse on Church Street, saying the high courts decision was only the beginning of a movement to take away rights and freedoms, including possibly same-sex marriage and contraception. Political activists, clergy, educators and others warned the decision isnt about protecting the life of the fetus, but about controlling women and others. Todays ruling is as outrageous as it is unacceptable, said Kica Matos, a longtime political activist who acted as emcee of the rally. The court has stripped away the freedom and agency of millions, especially Black, brown and indigenous women, girls, LGBT, gender-nonconforming people. The DESIGNwith studio brings together academia, corporations and community to democratize both learning and design through public research, workshops, and exhibitions TORONTO, June 23, 2022 /CNW/ - With a commitment to community and sustainability, Cadillac Fairview (CF) has partnered with DESIGNwith and OCAD University to launch a new design incubator in Toronto. Opening today, the DESIGNwith studio at CF Toronto Eaton Centre will bring together a diverse range of designers, students, and community members, and serve as a dedicated learning lab to explore the circular economy for creating lasting, social good. "We're proud to open the DESIGNwith studio alongside our passionate partners, showcasing the powerful social impact we can achieve together," said Jason Anderson, Senior Vice President, Brand & Marketing, Cadillac Fairview. "This is a first-of-its kind experience for Cadillac Fairview and as long-standing city builders, we're excited that one of our largest retail properties in the world can purposely serve our community as the common ground for thoughtful design, research and knowledge sharing." Strengthening the Fabric of Our Community and Planet Located on Level 2 (between the Dundas Street station entrance and Canadian Tire), the studio will function daily as an incubator space for OCAD University students, a student resident, designers and community members who will use the space to research, learn, and share their exploration of the circular economy through classes, research and hands-on design. Throughout the year, DESIGNwith will open to the public for ticketed events, starting with a sneaker-making workshop, a circular design student exhibition and natural-dyeing classes. The vision for creating a space that minimizes ecological impact also helped influence its design. The 635-square-foot studio was built with 40 per cent repurposed materials thanks to the thoughtful design from partners Design Workshop Architects. These elements were salvaged from other CF locations and previously used store fixtures, including the front doors and windows as well as the track lighting inside. "We're thrilled to extend our collaboration with Cadillac Fairview following the success of last year's CF Art Corridor Project on Yonge Street, located above CF Toronto Eaton Centre, which made public art more accessible to the community," said Ana Serrano, OCAD University's President and Vice-Chancellor. "With this new initiative, we're excited to create a place where the public can learn more about the impact design has on everyday items through hands-on learning and workshops." Students and Professionals Innovating Together Among the makers and designers who are part of the DESIGNwith studio are Katya Koroscil, DESIGNwith intern, and Ernesto Ramirez, a furniture design intern from Durango, Mexico; both students are in their third year of industrial design at OCAD University. Both students co-designed a furniture collection for use in the incubator space with Industrial Design Professor Ranee Lee and Lee Fletcher, the founding partner at Fig40 and principal at Fletcher Scott Studio. The studio furniture pieces are designed with sustainability, flexibility and affordance in mind, and are made with easy-to-use dimensional lumber and readily available fasteners. This achieves the goal of sharing designs that are producible for anyone, by anyone. "As an OCAD University instructor, it's always a delight to see my students get out into the community and do work for the social good," said Ranee Lee, founder of DESIGNwith. "The DESIGNwith studio is also an opportunity to level the playing field for learning and design, which are often inaccessible for many within our own city. We're grateful to Cadillac Fairview for opening up this significant community space to us, as it is truly only by approaching community differently that we can expect to achieve different results." Also joining the space is DESIGNwith's student resident, Deanna Badi--an industrial designer with a focus on environmental sustainability. Badi is working on grant-funded research to produce a biodegradable, water-repellent solution for natural fibre outerwear jackets she designs and sews herself. One of the first workshops to be hosted at the DESIGNwith studio will be led by footwear designer Nelson Silva, who has more than 20 years of professional experience in the field and focuses on sustainability and innovation in footwear. His five-week sneaker workshop will use upcycled fabrics for shoe-making, as part of DESIGNwith's goal of democratizing design and knowledge through teaching and making. These workshops are open to the public, but half of the seats will be offered to marginalized community members and students ensuring equity and inclusion. To learn more about DESIGNwith and how to get involved with participating community organizations or attend workshops, please visit designwith.ca. About Cadillac Fairview Cadillac Fairview (CF) is a globally focused owner, operator, investor, and developer of best-in-class real estate across retail, office, residential, industrial and mixed-use asset classes. Wholly owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, CF manages in excess of $35 billion of assets across the Americas and the United Kingdom, with further expansion planned into Europe and Asia. Internationally, CF invests in communities with like-minded partners, including Stanhope in the UK, Lincoln Property Company in the U.S., and Multiplan in Brazil. The company's Canadian portfolio comprises 68 landmark properties, including the Toronto-Dominion Centre, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Tour Deloitte, CF Carrefour Laval, CF Chinook Centre and CF Pacific Centre. Continually striving to make a positive impact in communities where it operates by promoting social connection, growth, and a sustainable future, CF's Purpose is Transforming Communities for a Vibrant Tomorrow. Learn more at www.cadillacfairview.com and follow CF on LinkedIn. About DESIGNwith DESIGNwith is a creative collective that transforms communities through participatory design. We bring together academia, corporations, and community members to share in the design process by learning from one another to create positive, lasting change. People's deep knowledge from lived experiences, together with designers and other professionals is the intersection for disruptive design methodology to produce innovative outcomes. The first of its kind, DESIGNwith creates space to come together and democratize both learning and design at the intersection of circular design and social good. DESIGNwith is an explicitly social enterprise design incubator, incubating ideas for social good. About OCAD University OCAD University is Canada's largest and oldest art and design university. We're a world-famous hub for art, design, digital media, research, innovation and creativity. Our students benefit from hands-on studio learning in small classrooms and have access to state-of-the-art shops and studios for both traditional and digital creation. Alongside a diverse and supportive team of instructors and peers, our students gain valuable employable skills to support them in driving Canada's creative economy. Our graduates work in different sectors such as urban planning, environmental design, industrial design, health care, film, publishing, graphic design, visual arts and arts administration. SOURCE Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited For further information: Emily Ngai, North Strategic on behalf of Cadillac Fairview, [email protected], 416-570-2058 This MRA will contribute to increased security of the international supply chain, facilitate trade at the border, and strengthen the economic competitiveness of Canadians doing business with Peru. Members of Canada's Trusted Trader program, Partners in Protection (PIP), can save time and money at the border because their imported goods are treated as low security risks. This ultimately means a faster and more predictable customs clearance, and contributes to the protection of Canadians by helping prevent contraband from entering the country. This MRA signifies that Peru will recognize Canada's PIP program and will facilitate customs clearance for PIP members. In turn, the CBSA will provide reciprocal benefits to members of Peru's Trusted Trader program, which is referred to as their Authorized Economic Operator program. The CBSA signs MRAs with customs organizations around the world so that countries can recognize each others' members and choose to honour similar benefits and security standards. This also means that countries will apply similar approval processes for program applicants. The overall goal of an MRA is to strengthen trust and security in the supply chain as a method of preventing nefarious activity, such as cargo theft and pilferage. Border management is a shared international responsibility. Threats and opportunities arising from global migration and trade are dealt with most effectively by working together. Expanding the international network of accredited low-risk companies allows customs administrations to focus on targeting shipments of higher or unknown risk. Quote "The CBSA is a fully engaged and active member of the World Customs Organization, regularly cooperating with its global partners to strengthen trust and security in the supply chain. This Mutual Recognition Arrangement will contribute to increased security of the international supply chain, facilitate trade at the border, and strengthen the economic competitiveness of Canadians doing business with Peru." Ted Gallivan Executive Vice-President, Canada Border Services Agency Quick Facts Trusted Trader programs facilitate legitimate trade by providing streamlined border processes to pre-approved, low-risk trusted traders. The security and integrity of the supply chain is enhanced through customs-to-business partnerships. Trusted Trader programs also help the CBSA to keep Canadians safe by allowing the agency to focus resources on areas of higher and unknown risk. Peru is Canada's second-largest bilateral trading partner in South and Central America , and the second-largest destination for Canadian direct investment in the region. is second-largest bilateral trading partner in South and , and the second-largest destination for Canadian direct investment in the region. The 2009 Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement is the cornerstone of our bilateral trade relationship. Canadian merchandise exports to Peru reached nearly $1.1 billion in 2021, while Canadian merchandise imports from Peru were close to $4 billion . reached nearly in 2021, while Canadian merchandise imports from were close to . In addition to this MRA with Peru , the CBSA has signed MRAs with the Customs Administrations of Australia , Hong Kong , Israel , Japan , Mexico , New Zealand , Singapore , South Korea and the United States . Associated Links Partners in Protection: Mutual recognition World Customs Organization Follow us on Twitter ( @CanBorder ), join us on Facebook or visit our YouTube channel . SOURCE Canada Border Services Agency For further information: Media Relations, Canada Border Services Agency, [email protected] There was an altercation in the Shirmal neighbourhood of Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday There was an altercation in the Shirmal neighbourhood of Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, according to the police. Kashmir Zone Police tweeted The encounter has begun in the Shopian neighbourhood of Shirmal. The police and security personnel are at work. More information will come later. The police were informed on June 15 that one of the two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists killed in the Shopian encounter was responsible for the murder of Vijay Kumar, a bank manager from the Kulgam area. The banker, Vijay Kumar, was employed in Kulgam but was from the Rajasthani town of Hanumangarh. Terrorists shot and killed the banker in broad daylight. According to Kashmir Vijay Kumar, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), seven terrorists, including three Pakistanis, were killed in clashes with security personnel in the Valley on June 20. However, IGP said in a statement, On Sunday, a confrontation started in Kupwara. Yesterday alone, two LeT terrorists from Pakistan were slain. Meanwhile, today in the early hours, another terrorist from Pakistan was shot and killed. Showkat, a local terrorist from Shopian, was also shot and killed. The Ahmedabad crime branch on Sunday arrested activist Teesta Setalvad, a day after she was detained in Mumbai and shifted to Gujarat, in connection with a fresh case of forgery, criminal conspiracy and insulting criminal proceedings to cause injury registered against her, officials said. A day earlier, the crime branch had arrested former Gujarat DGP Sreekumar and is in the process of getting a transfer warrant for ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's custody in connection with the FIR lodged against them, said DCP (crime), Chaitanya Mandlik. He said the crime branch will collect documents submitted by Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt to the Commission of Inquiry, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), and courts regarding the 2002 communal riots cases as part of the investigation. "The investigation is underway in this case and we are procuring documents that were submitted by the accused persons before the Commission of Inquiry, SIT (formed by the Supreme Court to investigate 2002 riots cases), and different courts...Affidavits and other documents are the main basis for the FIR, and we are trying to collect other documents as well," he told reporters. Investigators believe that more people may be involved in the criminal conspiracy and the probe is conducted from this angle, Mandlik said, adding that none of the two accused-Sreekumar and Setalvad- are cooperating in the investigation. Setalvad was detained from her house in Juhu area of Mumbai on Saturday afternoon after an FIR was registered against her at the Ahmedabad crime branch based on a complaint lodged by a crime branch inspector D B Barad. She was brought to Ahmedabad via road by the Gujarat police squad. "After being brought here, Setalvad was handed over to the city crime branch on Sunday morning. She will soon be placed under arrest," a crime branch source had said earlier in the day. The FIR was lodged against Setalvad, Sreekumar, and Bhatt after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to then chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases. "The FIR is based on the observation made by the Supreme Court in its judgment, which said, 'As a matter of fact, all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceed as per law,' Mandlik said. Setalvad, who is the secretary of NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace, is also accused of conspiring to fabricate facts and documents, tutor witnesses and abuse the process of law by fabricating false evidence to frame people, based on the submissions made before the SIT formed by the Supreme Court to investigate the 2002 Gujarat riots cases and before the Justice Nanavati-Shah Commission of Inquiry. Setalvad and her NGO were co-petitioners with Zakia Jafri in the petition filed against Modi and others in the Supreme Court. Jafri's husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots. While former DGP Sreekumar was arrested, Bhatt is currently lodged in jail after being convicted of life imprisonment in a custodial death case. In another case, he has also been charged with planting contraband to frame a lawyer. The FIR invoked sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save a person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. The officer said that while the investigation is at the primary stage, all the persons who are found to be involved in the criminal conspiracy will be arrested. After her detention, Setalvad claimed her "arrest" was illegal and apprehended a threat to her life. On her accusation that she was roughed up by the Gujarat police, Mandlik said that due process was followed and Setalvad is free to lodge a complaint before the court of the magistrate. Setalvad, Bhatt and Sreekumar have been accused of having conspired "to abuse the process of law by fabricating false evidence to make several persons to having committed an offence that is punishable with capital punishment." Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a swipe at Eknath Shinde-led party of dissident MLAs and questioned how long they will hide in Guwahati Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a swipe at Eknath Shinde-led party of dissident MLAs and questioned how long they will hide in Guwahati in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Assam before they had to return to Mumbai amid the twists and turns in the political drama of Maharashtra. After Minister Eknath Shinde traveled to Surat with a few MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claimed to have the backing of 38 MLAs of the party, gaining the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena, the faction war in the Shiv Sena set off the political unrest in Maharashtra. Kab tak chhipoge Gauhati mein, Raut said on Twitter. Narhari Zirwal, the deputy speaker of Maharashtra, has delivered notices to the 16 Shiv Sena breakaway MLAs. The disqualification hearing must be attended by the MLAs on Monday in Mumbai. Notably, Zirwal already gave his approval for Ajay Choudhary to succeed Shinde, the state cabinet member who disobeyed the Shiv Sena leadership, as head of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party. Zirwal also rejected the Shinde camps proposal to replace Sunil Prabhu as the top whip of the parliamentary party with renegade Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale. Its interesting to note that the Shinde faction called itself the Shiv Sena Balasaheb. As the Chief Minister stated that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder, the Uddhav faction reacted angrily to the groups name being taken from the founder of the Shiv Sena, Balasaheb Thackeray. Earlier, Sanjay Raut remarked, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena leaders who have left the organization shouldnt solicit votes on behalf of the organization or Balasaheb Thackeray. Invoke your fathers name while requesting votes. The unified Maha Vikas Aghadi. By the evening, people will learn what steps will be taken against individuals who quit the party. Uddhav Thackeray, the chief minister, has done an excellent job. Under his direction, we shall all campaign for office he added. However, 38 out of the 56 Shiv Sena members, or more than two-thirds of the partys strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, allegedly favour Eknath Shinde. It indicates that they wont be barred from the state assembly if they decide to resign and start a new political party or join forces with another. While dismissing merger negotiations with any party, renegade Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar said that his group had a two-thirds majority. Pakistan is alleged to detain Sajid Mir, a key member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and also the man to blame for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks Pakistan is alleged to detain Sajid Mir, a key member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and also the man to blame for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, after years of denying his existence and even asserting that he was dead. Both the US and India are trying to find Mir for the last ten years. Mir was a part of the November 2008 siege, when a gaggle of 10 men distributed coordinated strikes on many sites in Mumbai. Six Americans were among the 170 victims of the phobia assault, who were of assorted nationalities. According to Nikkei Asia, the dispute appears to possess reached a boiling point with Pakistans intention to get rid of itself from the Financial Action Task Forces (FATF) global listing for supporting terrorism. Hammad Azhar, the person to blame for talks with the international watchdog for the previous three years and also the former government minister of Pakistan under the recently overthrown government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, told the media outlet that Pakistan had taken actions against Mir and other terrorists that were satisfactory to the FATF. Modi landed in Munich today to participate in the G7 summit that will be held in Germany Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Munich today to participate in the G7 summit that will be held in Germany. He will meet with representatives of the G7 and its partner nations and have talks on topics including the environment, energy, and counterterrorism. PM Modi will mingle with the Indian diaspora and meet with international leaders during the gathering, which is slated for June 2627. Arindam Bagchi, the official spokeswoman for the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted, PM @narendramodi arrives in Germany for the G7 Summit at the request of @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz. PM Modi will meet privately with the heads of several of the participating nations at the Summit. On his arrival, he was greeted by a Bavarian band. MEA said, PM will have multiple bilateral meetings on the sidelines in addition to taking part in @G7 debates on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality, and more. The invitation to the G7 Summit continues India and Germanys history of a solid and close relationship and frequent high-level political meetings. Meanwhile, Indian community in Germany is now getting set to formally welcome PM Modi to Munich. After the epidemic, it will be the greatest meeting of the Indian diaspora in Germany. Audi MDome will be decorated with the song Vande Matram, and hundreds of artists will take part in the event. Earlier on June 28, 2022, to express his condolences on the loss of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE. He will also give Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan his congratulations on being the new President of the United Arab Emirates. Since Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected as the new President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, this would be PM Modis first encounter with him. On May 2, 2022, for the sixth iteration of the India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations, PM Modi made his final trip to Germany (IGC). It will be a pleasure to see Scholz again after the successful India-Germany IGC, PM Modi remarked before leaving for the G7 Summit. Helping Individuals Grow and Thrive Since 1955. This uplifting message greets visitors to the CCI website. I was reminded of it at the June meeting of the CCI board of directors, which I chair. Our executive director, Gaby Rattner, reported that two Greenwich High School seniors chose to do their end-of-year internships at CCI. It was inspiring that these 18-year-old young women who graduated Thursday have long been part of the CCI family. We were excited when Gigi and Naomi reached out to us to ask about interning at CCI, said Rattner, noting that CCI already hosts social work interns and is fully committed to experiential learning. But in this instance, it was even more gratifying because the girls are CCI kids and have been part of several of our programs, she said. Their desire to give back to CCI in this way was so meaningful. Griselda (Gigi) Vargas has been participating in CCI programs since first grade. Naomi Turners involvement with CCI began in ninth grade. It was always a fun experience for me, said Gigi speaking of her participation in CCI programs during my phone interview with her and Naomi. Gigi will be going to Norwalk Community College with plans to transfer to the University of Connecticut and study psychology. She spoke of CCI staff as a source of inspiration for her interest in psychology and social work. Naomi, who has been a student in the Greenwich public schools since pre-K, also spoke of the CCI staff role in her life, noting how much they had helped her with her schoolwork and enhanced her learning experience. In seeking this CCI internship, she wanted to continue a relationship with the staff who had been so meaningful to her since ninth grade. Like Gigi, Naomi will be attending Norwalk Community College and plans to transfer to the University of Connecticut. She hopes to pursue a career in radiology. For their CCI internships, Gigi and Naomi were each assigned to create a program for CCI elementary school participants. These programs were to focus on Gigis and Naomis own interests. Gigis program centered on animals, and Naomis was focused on science, and more specifically outer space and astronomy. They engaged in brainstorming about possible summer activities and planning CCIs summer programs. Gigi said her animal program consisted of coloring and spelling activities, educational videos, and trips to the zoo. Both interns came up with a list of activities that included movies, stories, games, puzzles, lesson plans and booking trips for the summer. With social work at the heart of all its programming, CCI seeks to build trust and lasting relationships with children and families. It provides continuity and consistency through services that are free of charge. With this focus on trust, continuity, individual growth, and lasting relationships, CCI differs from many other human service agencies, not to mention the provision of free services. CCIs programs include homework clubs, tutoring, after-school activities, summer enrichment programs for kids, therapeutic counseling, supportive social groups for teens, seniors, special needs adults, families in crisis, as well as citizenship classes. Historically, most of the participants in CCI programs have been residents of Greenwich Housing Authority developments, now Greenwich Communities, a good name for the affordable housing developments where so many longtime residents of our larger Greenwich community live. I asked Gigi and Naomi what they learned from the 120 internship hours they completed. Both agreed that the internship had taught them to be responsible for meeting deadlines. Time management is very important, Gigi said. Gigi said she learned to be more observative, meaning that she learned to listen to the children, to learn from them rather than impose her own pre-conceived ideas. We created a little bond with the children, she said. Naomi said she learned these same things but added the importance of working with different people and sitting in on staff meetings. She said it was valuable to view participation in CCI programs from the staff perspective. It was very cool, she said. Gigi and Naomis internships reflect the way theyve carried forward the support CCI has given them in earlier years, Rattner observed. Although quantitative measures usually define program success, Gigi and Naomi exemplify the qualitative dimension that defines CCI. Alma Rutgers served in Greenwich town government for 30 years. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WAUCONDA, Ill. (AP) The race to be Illinois' next governor is also a battle among billionaires, including two whose names won't appear on Tuesday's primary ballot. Republican candidates Darren Bailey, who as a state lawmaker fought pandemic measures such as mask mandates, and former prosecutor Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Chicago's largest suburb, each has a benefactor who has pushed a different vision for the GOP and put their money behind it. Billionaire businessmen Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein among the countrys biggest Republican donors have combined to pour more than $60 million into the race. Griffin backs Irvin and Uihlein supports Bailey. Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, meanwhile, along with the Democratic Governors Association, has spent millions trying to ensure Irvin, an Army veteran and Aurora mayor, isn't the GOP nominee. The money has funded a monthslong barrage of ads that have attacked Irvin and propped up Bailey, the opponent Pritzker would rather face in November. The ads note Bailey's strident far-right positions, including being 100% pro-life," and his allegiance to former President Donald Trump qualities that may help Bailey in a Republican primary but would be a liability for a general election in a state Trump twice lost by double digits. Trump endorsed him at a rally Saturday night in Mendon. Although rich men in politics certainly arent rare, there may never have been a battle of the billions to match this one in a state election, particularly in a primary. It's left Irvin, once considered the front-runner, scrambling to convince GOP primary voters that he's the only one who can beat Pritzker. J.B. Pritzker is telling you that every time he takes out an ad. He's telling you that This is the guy Im the most most afraid of, Irvin said during a stop at an Illinois manufacturing plant. Irvin's downfall may be a record that is considerably more moderate than that of his GOP rivals. Unlike Bailey and the four other men in the race, Irvin avoids saying if he voted for Trump or talking much about issues such as abortion, focusing instead on steps he would take to reduce crime and taxes. He has been criticized for saying Black Lives Matter during protests over police brutality that turned destructive in his hometown, then filming a TV ad where he said All Lives Matter. Bailey has built a reputation during three years in the Legislature as an uncompromising conservative unafraid to take people on. People say J.B. Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he believes that Im the easiest opponent to beat," Bailey said during a campaign stop at a restaurant. "Well, Ive got news for J.B. Pritzker: Be careful what you wish for because its coming. Friends, were going to win on Nov. 8. Bailey, a farmer from rural Xenia, jumped onto the statewide scene in summer 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued to slow transmission of the virus. Bailey was seen by supporters as a maverick when he was escorted from the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask in defiance of Democratic leaders. His backers like that he speaks often of his faith. Bailey, who speaks with a prairie twang, ends his nearly daily online video messages with prayer. Hes a godly man. He isnt afraid to put his faith out there, said supporter Ruth Bast, 63, of Springfield. The three billionaires Pritzker, Griffin and Uihlein have a long history of clashing politically in Illinois and elsewhere. Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund company Citadel, has been a vocal critic of Pritzker's administration, particularly over the issue of crime in Chicago. In addition to the $50 million he gave Irvin this cycle, he also spent millions to help get former Gov. Bruce Rauner elected in 2014 and on Rauner's loss to Pritzker in 2018. He bankrolled a successful campaign to block Pritzker and other Democrats from changing Illinois' tax structure to levy more on the highest earners. In 2020, Griffin gave $37 million to the GOPs Senate campaign arm, making him the PACs second-largest individual donor, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending. Asked at a forum last year if he would support Trump should he run for president in 2024, Griffin replied, I think it's time for America to move on, adding that Trump had been pointlessly divisive. In a statement to The Associated Press, Griffin criticized Pritzker for interfering in the GOP primary, saying spending tens of millions of dollars in cahoots with his cronies attacking the most successful Black political leader in Illinois is despicable. Pritzker has defended his actions, saying an ad attacking Irvin is telling the truth. Uihlein, a founder of the office supply company Uline Inc., is a major Trump supporter who has a long record of donating to far-right candidates and groups. That includes PACs and people strongly opposed to abortion, and the House Freedom Fund, which backs the most conservative candidates and strongest Trump backers. The other candidates seeking the GOP nomination are businessman Gary Rabine, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon. Pritzker's only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles. ___ O'Connor reported from Athens, Illinois. ___ Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW HAVEN New Haven food entrepreneurs with enterprises waiting to blossom like Kismet Douglass, the creative force behind Momma Kiss Kitchen Cuisine will get some help building businesses through a new partnership between the Dixwell Community Q House and nonprofits CitySeed and LEAP. The new venture will help guide local people through the ins and outs of the food business and teach them how to bring food products to market in the Q Houses new commercial and teaching kitchen. Using a recently-announced $194,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Healthy Food Financing Initiative grant, CitySeed will extend its existing food incubation services to the Q House. The grant, announced this week at a press conference attended by U.S. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Mayor Justin Elicker, aims to improve food access and strengthen food entrepeneurship in the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods, considered underserved areas in federal parlance. Some locals call it a food desert although there certainly are plenty of good cooks nearby. In addition to supporting programs out of the incubator kitchen built into the new Q House, the grant will support the new Q House Farmers Market, which will operate on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. through October, said LEAP Executive Director Henry Fernandez and CitySeed Executive Director Cortney Renton. Douglass. the 46-year-old daughter of Alder Frank Douglass Jr., D-2, and works by day as a chef at Yale Universitys Schwarzman Center, formerly known as Yale Commons. But shes trying to get her own gig off the ground, turning out some inspired food including some of the citys tastiest macaroni and cheese with a variety of add-ins at last months New Haven Night Market and again this past Wednesday at the Q House Farmers Market. For years, shes been catering for family and friends. She ramped things up a bit about five years ago. But now she wants to reach out a little farther. She didnt go to school for this. Her father, who also used to cook at Yale, taught her how to make that macaroni and cheese. When Kismet Douglass started working at Yale, I just fell in love with cooking, she said. Im just like an artist. The program is built for people like her. I started with posting pictures of food I was making for my children on social media and people wanted to know how they could get some, Douglass said. She went through the CitySeed food collaboration program. Now shes looking to get licensed to work out of the Q House kitchen. Thanks to CitySeed, theyve made me feel confident, she said. Ive got insurance. My ultimate goal is to eventually have my own brick and mortar place, maybe a cafe. She said she wants to use local markets to source her food so I can really get the freshest food that I can. The grant actually is to CitySeed, but it grants funds to CitySeed and LEAP for work at the Q House, said Fernandez, who manages the Q House. What exactly will it do? It really increases the capacity, Fernandez said. It opens up many more hours and many more spaces to have classes related to businesses. There are many increases in the scale of that classwork. It also creates opportunities for people to use the commercial kitchen at the Q House for their products, he said. Space is then licensed for that purpose. There currently are several entrepreneurs who are using the kitchen, but that will grow, he said. Some of them, like Douglass, also sell their products at the farmers market. The goal, especially given that New Haven is really such a city of restaurants and foodies, is to make sure that community members, people of color especially from the Dixwell and Newhallville area have the ability to start businesses and participate in the activity here, Fernandez said. Its also to allow people to have access to high-quality food, both as consumers and as producers, he said. Renton said it will allow CitySeed to expand work that its already doing, improve access to healthy food in underserved areas and to increase access to jobs ... also promoting more healthy food entrepreneurs. Among other things, it will fund some staff to run the farmers market, to run the kitchen, to increase the capacity, Renton said. It will fund probably five new employees, some full-time and some part-time, including a market manager for the Q House, support staff for CitySeed Incubates and a kitchen manager, she said. It also will pay for a new, much-needed CitySeed farmers market vehicle, Renton said. Kismet Douglass whose sister, Frankie Douglass, is CitySeeds community outreach manager is one of the people currently renting space in the Q House kitchen. Others include Je Taime Cupcakes & Cocktails, which also is a farmers market vendor, and Try This Pie, which makes bean pies, Renton said.. We try to prioritize vendors that are Black-owned and women-owned, she said. CitySeed and LEAPs proposal was one of 134 projects selected nationwide through a highly competitive federal grant process, Renton said in an email. This project will build food access and economic prosperity by activating Q Houses new commercial and teaching kitchen as a site for growing food incubation and entrepreneurship services, she said. CitySeed is excited to bring its experience to these important efforts. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com 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. Amid the rebellion by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and incidents being reported of offices of some rebel MLAs being attacked and damaged, Independent Lok Sabha MP from Amravati Navneet Rana on Saturday sough President's Rule in the state. Shinde and a sizable number of MLAs raised the banner of revolt against Thackeray on June 21, with the rebel group's main demand being that the Sena withdraw from the ruling MVA, which comprises the NCP and Congress. In a video message, Rana said, "I want to request (Union) Home minister Amit Shah to secure the families of all the MLAs who have gone to the original Shiv Sena group, which is the one led by Eknath Shinde." "President's Rule must be imposed in Maharashtra so that the hooliganism of Uddhav Thackeray is stopped and people of Maharashtra are protected from it," she said. Rane and her MLA husband Ravi Rana are bitter critics of Thackeray and had, in April, announced that they would recite Hanuman Chalisa in front of Matoshree, the Sena chief's private home in Mumbai's Bandra. The couple was arrested on April 23 and released on bail in early May. Operatives of Delta Police Command have arrested one Gabriel Volts who allegedly beheaded his toddler son for ritual purpose. Bright Edafe, ... Operatives of Delta Police Command have arrested one Gabriel Volts who allegedly beheaded his toddler son for ritual purpose. Bright Edafe, spokesperson for the police command in a statement said the 33-year-old suspect used saw to cut off the head of his one year and eight months old son at Etinabobo bush in Edo state for ritual purpose and buried him by a palm tree there. He added that the suspect was arrested after his wife reported to the police that the child was missing. The police spokesperson said Volts had lied to his wife that the son is with his sister in Warri, a claim which turned out to be false. This prompted the wife to be suspicious, so she reported to the Police. Suspect has confessed to the alleged crime, DSP Bright said. President Buhari has said with the establishment of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Nigerians abroad can now seamlessly con... President Buhari has said with the establishment of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Nigerians abroad can now seamlessly contribute their quota to national development, especially by investing in the economy. The President said this on Saturday while speaking at a town hall meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora on the margins of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), in Kigali, Rwanda. Buhari urged them to continue to uphold the good image of Nigeria by obeying the laws of their host country. He hailed Nigerian youths excelling at home and abroad, saying the country would welcome inputs and investments from compatriots with international exposure for the economy to thrive. Buhari, in a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said, It gives me great pleasure to be in Kigali, Rwanda and to meet with you, members of the Nigerian Diaspora as part of my regular meetings with Nigerians wherever I visit other countries. Let me begin by congratulating and commending Yewande Adebowale for emerging as one of the top four winners at the Commonwealth Youth competition at the Kigali Startup Festival 2022 at the Commonwealth Youth Forum. I also commend Esther Olanrewaju and Favour Aderinto who are recipients of the Lakshmi Subramanian CMU-Africa Student Excellence Awards for Masters in Information Technology and Electrical and Computer Engineering respectively. I am proud of you all, and I remain ever proud of our Nigerian youths excelling, at home and abroad. The President expressed the determination of his administration to work with Nigerians both at home and abroad to develop the economy and create a productive and peaceful nation that catered to the needs of its citizens. He added that his administration was equally working assiduously to protect all Nigerians whether at home or abroad to feel safe and attain their full potentials in life. The Nigerian High Commissioner to Rwanda, Ambassador Aishatu Musa, told President Buhari that Nigerians in the country were generally well behaved, and their population had swelled from 100 to 400 in recent years. She added that President of the Association of Nigerians was Professor Umaru Wali, a Dean at the University of Rwanda, who hails from Sokoto State. The event, coordinated by Chairman NIDCOM, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, saw the following Nigerians interacting with the President: Kelechi Reginald, Chief Executive Officer of an investment firm, Uduak Udoh, who runs an architectural consultancy, Muyiwa Omololu, Managing Director of Rope Ways Transit, a company that builds cable cars, Favour Aderinto and Esther Olanrewaju, Lakshmi Subramaniam Excellence Award Winners, and Yewande Adebowale, who runs Salubata, an outfit that makes shoes from recycled plastic waste. Also at the event were Mr Geoffrey Onyeama and Chief Sunday Dare, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and Youth and Sports Development, respectively. The youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, OYC, has again waded into the raging contr... The youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, OYC, has again waded into the raging controversy over the detention of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice. It was reported that the couple are being held in the UK for charges bothering on alleged organ harvesting. OYC had earlier urged for caution and an end to the social media trail of the Senator. The group has now written an open letter to the UK Embassy, begging that at least the Senators wife be freed to enable her attend to their ailing daughter. In the appeal made available to newsmen on Sunday, the Ohanaeze youths said it was now clear that the Ekweremadus did not involve themselves in any untoward deal but had followed an established process to save the life of their daughter. The letter of appeal was signed by Ohanaeze Youths President-General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and the Secretary-General, Comrade Obinna Achionye. Following more emerging revelations in the case involving the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, both true son and daughter of Igbo land, we find it expedient to make this open appeal to the UK Embassy in Nigeria. Contrary to earlier reports which flooded the media, it has become clear that the couple had no bad intention in mind. Having seen that they had no other intention rather than to save the life of their daughter, as nobody will sit by and watch their child die without making efforts, we deemed it necessary to make this appeal. We plead with the United Kingdom, through its Embassy here in Nigeria, to look into the implication of detaining the husband and the wife. We appeal for the release of one of them so the person can take care of the sick child who needs medical help urgently, the group wrote. They also slammed fifth columnists who they said had gone on to create pseudo accounts with the name of the alleged victim of organ harvesting, David Nwamini. OYC said, we observed that within the last 48 hours, no less than five fake Facebook accounts have been created with the profile of the alleged victim. This is no doubt the work of blackmailers as they have gone ahead to be making posts with the said unverified accounts. The posts contain spurious claims and allegations which are clearly the handiwork of political enemies, all aimed at bringing the Senator down. It is a matter of time and the identity of those behind this shall be unveiled if they fail to desist from their evil antics. They had earlier claimed that the boy in question is 15 years, but current revelations have proved otherwise. This is why we call for a thorough investigation. We urge the general public to discountenance those posts as the truth will surely prevail and Senator Ike Ekweremadu and the wife will come out of these allegations with their reputation unscathed. Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday, said he made two mistakes, which included the choice of his number two ahead of the 1999... Obasanjo said the second mistake was his refusal to accept an asylum when he was told that the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, wanted to arrest him, the action, he said, could have led to his death . Obasanjo became democratically elected President in 1999 while the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, was his vice president. Obasanjo, who did not mention Atiku in his statement, said it was a mistake he made in good faith, but was saved by God. The former president spoke on his life and achievements both as a military Head of State and as a civilian President. Obasanjo stated this, while answering questions posed by students from selected secondary schools that participated in the finals of the National Exhibition and Awards organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship. The event, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State, featured presentations and exhibitions of some products made by students of the participating schools. The former president, while interacting with the students during a questions and answers session, said he had many mistakes, which he could describe as genuine mistakes in his life but God made him to overcome. He said, One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the President. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me. The second one was when Abacha wanted to arrest me. When he wanted to arrest me, I was told by the American ambassador that they would arrest me and that America had asked that I should be given an asylum. I said No. It could have been a mistake because I could have lost my life. I will say there are many things that could have been a mistake but God saved me from them all. While speaking on opportunities for the youths to take over the mantle of leadership in the country, Obasanjo said youths can never come into power, if the current trend continues. He said with the Not Too Young to Run campaign, and you can see that those that are contesting now are between 70 and 80 years old, how can the youths run? He added, Another thing inhibiting youth from running is the amount of money involved in going into politics. I hope that things should not continue like this. I was 39 years old when I became the Military Head of State. Twenty years later, I came back as civilian president, but those there now do not want to allow the youths. If things continue like this, I do not know how you can come in. The former president also tutored the students that they should imbibe religious tolerance. He advised them not to see their own religion as superior to that of another person. Obasanjo said, I have no right to say what another man believes in is inferior to mine. If God had wanted all of us to be of the same religion, he would have made it so, and since He did not make it so, no person should attempt to make it so. Young people should learn at a very early stage in life that if there are five religions in the world, that is how God wants it to be. If there are ten, that is how God wants it. All religions originate from the same source. If you are a Muslim and you did not live the way God wants you to live, you cannot enter Aljannah. If you are a Christian and you did not live the way God wants you to live, the same thing, you will not enter paradise. If this is the basis of religion, it is doing the right thing for the benefits of mankind, you dont have to condemn any person because of what he believes. I do not believe that any religion is superior to mine and I dont believe that mine is superior to another persons beliefs. I will not allow any person to cast aspersions on my religion and will not do same for another person. Practise your religion the way God wants you to do it and dont condemn another person. Welcoming participant at the event, the Chairman of SAGE Nigeria, Agwu Amogu, said the programme was to celebrate the creative energies and commitments of teen entrepreneurs who see the challenges in the communities as their responsibilities. He said, SAGE is an acronym for Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship. It is an international programme initiated at the California State University Chico USA in 2002 and currently operational in over 32 countries across all the continents of the world. It offers secondary school-age young people a hands-on learning process on how to create wealth, help others and their communities. Amigu said since the introduction of the program in Nigeria in 2006, it has shown that it is a potent strategy and model for educational reform, youth re-orientation, job creation and poverty alleviation and multi-cultural integration According to him, Nigeria urgently needs a new paradigm for education. The new paradigm must provide students with a chance to learn while solving community problems and immediately applying what they have learnt in the classroom by actually doing something great. We now live in a world where any country can compete effectively with others based on the creative imagination of its human capital. There is no better place to stoke the fire of imagination than in the young people. And that is where SAGE comes in. SAGE is about creating value. Students are encouraged to create something of value in their communities by applying what they learn in the classroom and testing it in the ultimate laboratory the free market, he said. Amogu added, We firmly believe that Nigeria can be a world leader in providing potent human capital to the rest of the world; setting a benchmark for other countries to follow. Having won the SAGE World Competition 8 times in the last 12 years, I have no doubt in my mind that Nigerian young people are one of the most energetic and enterprising in the world and they can quicken our rise to a global super power status. The SAGE chairman said winners of this years competition will represent Nigeria in the SAGE World Competition holding in Netherlands in August, 2022. The Imo State Government has denied that there is any issue between Governor Hope Uzodinma and the Catholic Church and Bishops in the State.... The Imo State Government has denied that there is any issue between Governor Hope Uzodinma and the Catholic Church and Bishops in the State. This was contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba, on Saturday. Emelumba said that Uzodimma, as a Christian of the Catholic faith, holds the church and its leadership in high esteem and would not undermine their authority. According to him, the church did not allow Uzodinma to address the faithful with the executive seal of government during the installation of Archbishop Lucius Ugorji held last Thursday in Owerri, but he did not see it as a slight either on his office or authority. Reports had emerged that there was a rift between the Governor and the Catholic church in the State. The statement read in part, Irrespective of the fact that the church authorities in Owerri Archdiocese did not allow the governor to use the executive seal to address the clergy and congregation during the installation of the new Archbishop, Dr. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, last Thursday, Governor Uzodinma, did not see it as a slight, either on his office or authority. To demonstrate that His Excellency was not in any way bothered by that incident, he went ahead to host the Apostolic Nuncio and other bishops that attended the ceremony at a state dinner that same evening. So, there is no animosity to warrant the speculations of the rift by the social media. The statement added: What the appointee expressed was her opinion and she has retracted same to show that the government has no hand in it. Any other appointee expressing an opinion on the issue is doing so in a personal capacity. The Governor has a deep respect for the church and the religious leaders and he would always accord them their due respect. Following the detention of former Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in the United Kingdom, the Ebonyi State Government has said ... Following the detention of former Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in the United Kingdom, the Ebonyi State Government has said it is currently reaching out to the family of David Okemini Ukpo. Recall that Ekweremadu had facilitated the travel of Ukpo to the UK for kidney donation to his (Ekweremadu)s daughter, Sonia, who is reportedly suffering from kidney failure. Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice were, however, arrested and detained by the Metropolitan Authority of UK for allegedly trafficking Ukpo to the UK for organ harvesting. Speaking on the issues, Ebonyi State Government in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, said it stands with Ekweremadus family in their trying time. While we urge the UK Government to act progressively and meticulously and critically look at the intention (Mens rea) and the minds of the detained family and please give them the benefit of the doubt, we enjoin the public especially those with shades of opinions and surge of anxieties to remain calm as we hope to see light at the end of the tunnel. The State Government is reaching out to the family of David Okemini Ukpo from Ebonyi State, whose information to the Metropolitan Authority of UK orchestrated the criminal charge incidented against the Distinguished Senator and his wife. The State Government stands with Senator Ike Ekweremadu at this trial moment and hopes that the truth and nothing but the truth shall guide the outcome of the matter. Also, a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Kenneth Ugbala to the British High Commission Abuja and Nigeria High Commission, London said Ukpo was not a minor as the Metropolitan earlier reported. According to the statement, Ukpos younger brother, who he (Ukpo) was living with is above 20 years of age. According to a document earlier sighted by DAILY POST, the young man was said to be 22-year-old. Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has boasted of victory in the coming July 16 governorship election, saying defeat is never an option f... Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has boasted of victory in the coming July 16 governorship election, saying defeat is never an option for him in the contest. Oyetola said that various efforts his administration had put into the development of the state would make the victory at the poll a landslide one. He said this while addressing members of Nigerian Incorporated Electronic Practitioners, Osun State Chapter during an engagement meeting organised by the Civic Engagement Office on Sunday in Osogbo. Oyetola, who was represented at the meeting by his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, noted that the alleged campaign of calumny by the opposition parties against his administration would not stop his victory. Oyetola said that the landslide victory recorded by the All Progressives Congress for its candidate in Ekiti governorship election would be replicated in the July 16 election in the state. For me, defeat is not an option in the coming election. The victory that will be recorded in the election through the popular votes of the electorate for me and APC , will surpass that of Ekiti State. We are prepared for the election and it will not be out of place to extend hands of fellowship to everyone to join us in moving the state forward. I want to emphasise that failure is not an option, but victory is certain by the grace of God, he said. Oyetola also assured the electorate that he would not let them down during his second term in office, adding that his mission in politics was service to humanity. He said the laudable achievements his administration had achieved in all sectors in the state would be consolidated on, when reelected. The governor said his tireless efforts to improve workers welfare, the economy, education, agriculture, youth empowerment, among others would be sustained. The governor, however, urged the electorate to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to support him in the coming election. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday appealed to the youth of Kashmir to shun militancy and save their lives, claiming security forces were getting incentives for killing them. Mehbooba said Jammu and Kashmir was going through a tumultuous phase and in the times to come, it will need its youth. "I hear every day that three or four youths have been killed, which means the local recruitment here has increased," she told reporters here. "It is my request to the parents and the children to save their lives because killing you is an incentive for them (security forces). They get money and promotions for that, she alleged. So, do not pick up arms. They kill four-five (militants) every day... I appeal to you this is not right and you should leave it, the PDP president said. Referring to the protests by Kashmiri Pandits over the target killings of the members of the community, she said people, including religious leaders, should emphasise on the fact that Pandits were a part of the Kashmiri society and are its asset. Kashmiri Pandits are still protesting. When the situation was bad during my tenure (as CM), even then no Pandit was killed. We provided them a salary for 17 months while they were home. I appeal to our people, our maulvis (religious leaders) to announce that they (Kashmiri Pandits) are our assets," she said. "Whenever something wrong happens here, the BJP uses this community (Kashmiri Pandits) to defame us, she added. About the unprecedented security arrangements for this year's Amarnath Yatra, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the administration has created such an atmosphere as if some attacker is coming. They are yatris, our guests. We have been caring for them for centuries. But, (this year), you (administration) have placed so many nakas (security checkpoints) that it seems the yatra is taking place for the first time, she added. Referring to the revocation of Article 370 by the Centre in August 2019, Mehbooba said the endeavour is to take away our lands, jobs, mineral, water, assets, but do not let them take your courage. They want to give us a sense of hopelessness and helplessness that nothing will happen now and what has happened, has happened. But, it is not like that. I do not accept that whatever has happened, has happened. We all have to get united. If we lose hope and accept everything, then, God forbid, our position will become worse that the people in the Gaza strip who have certain rights... So, do not lose hope. We still have many things which we need to safeguard. Otherwise, a time will come when our situation will be worse than what Israel did to Gaza Strip, she said. The PDP chief said if the people stand united and use their powers in a peaceful manner, democratically, constitutionally and politically, then we will succeed and get back what was taken from us. On the ban on Falah Aam Trust (FAT) schools, followed by administration's direction that schools built on government land should be shut, she said, after 2019, attempts are being made to disempower the people of Kashmir. Now, there is a latest attack on education. First, they targeted the 300 schools of FAT. They are accused of being affiliated to the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). Is JeI a criminal organisation? Does it provide arms training or trishul' (trident) or sword training to children which otherwise takes place at (RSS) shakas? They provide modern education, have the same syllabus which other schools have. The only difference is that our poor children study there in minimal fees. Now, they are closing schools which are on government land, she said. This, she added, will leave lakhs of students and thousands of teachers helpless. On the situation in Maharashtra, she said the BJP has made a mess of this country. The country was built with so much of blood and sweat by leaders like Jawahar Lal Nehru, over the years by the Congress party, Indira Gandhi, A B Vajpayee. The basic fundamentals of India were democracy and secularism. They are turning everything upside down. They are the most corrupt system that I have ever seen in my life because (of) the way they are purchasing MLAs after the elections, be it in Rajasthan, MP, Goa or now in Maharashtra. There is no example of such corruption in the history of India for the last 70 years, she said. On the Centre's Agnipath scheme, Mehbooba said it was against the pride, the hard work and the spirit of sacrifice of the army personnel. (Veer) Savarkar wanted Hindus, the RSS people, to be trained so that tomorrow they are more brutal in their dealings with the minority community and others, she added A team of police and vigilante led by the Divisional Police Officer in Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area, SP Obonoh Ndem, have rep... A team of police and vigilante led by the Divisional Police Officer in Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area, SP Obonoh Ndem, have reportedly wounded two suspected armed robbers. They also arrested a 22-year-old Benedict Agbawara of Abbi town during an exchange of gunfire along Igbuku road in Orogun Community. It was learnt that the suspects sustained bullet injuries. The police also recovered three locally-made cut-to-size guns, one live cartridge and one motorcycle from the suspect. The Delta State Police Command led by CP Ari Muhammed Ali, confirmed the report in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe. According to him, The Injured suspects were taken to the hospital where they later died while receiving treatment. Investigation is ongoing. Locally reported news and sports Stay Current with What's Happening Get the most of NNY360, register today! By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails and special offers from NNY360.com Close to three years since the last time ESSENCE Festival of Culture could host in-person events, the festival celebrating Black music, Black women and Black-owned business returns to New Orleans Thursday, June 30, though Sunday, July 3. The festival again hosts its mainstage concert series at the Caesars Superdome and will fill the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with day-long marketplaces, panels, workshops, Q&A sessions and other experiences. Also, ESSENCE Fest will extend its footprint with virtual offerings and in-person special events around New Orleans. This years theme is Its the Black Joy for Me! As the pandemic-forced lockdowns started in spring 2020, ESSENCE Festival which is produced by the media company ESSENCE Communications Inc. canceled that summers event and instead hosted a two-weekend virtual festival. It again went virtual in July 2021, but with more time, ESSENCE filmed portions in New Orleans, incorporating the city into the streaming events.b We are excited to welcome the family back live to New Orleans and thrilled to connect with more of our diasporic family through new digital experiences, ESSENCE CEO Caroline Wanga said in a press release. Whether it be those that have three years of outfits reflective of the Festival tradition that was disrupted by the pandemic, or those who will have their inaugural Festival experience in 2022, all are invited to immerse in the crown jewel of culture known as the ESSENCE Festival of Culture. ESSENCE Fest 2022 kicks off a four-day line-up on Thursday with comedian Kevin Hart at 8 p.m. at the Smoothie King Center. The stand-up comic and actor is no stranger to big arena shows and just recently started his Reality Check tour, his first major national tour in over four years. In fact, New Orleans will be his first U.S. date on this tour after playing two shows in Ireland. Kenny Burns hosts. Mainstage evening concerts take place starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday in the Superdome. Nicki Minaj headlines Friday with performances by Beenie Man, Mickey Guyton, Kes the Band and Machel Montano. Janet Jackson tops Saturday's bill, with Patti LaBelle, Jazmine Sullivan, Summer Walker, D-Nice featuring Carl Thomas and Stephanie Mills, and Lucky Daye a New Orleans native and recent Grammy winner. New Edition closes the mainstage on Sunday following sets by the Isley Brothers, The Roots featuring Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, City Girls, Tems and WizKid. ESSENCE this year offers more than a dozen experiences with in-person and online aspects. Most experiences will be headquartered at the Convention Center, opening at 9:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday. The mainstay Beauty Carnival returns with vendors, beauty experts, influencers and discussions centered around Black beauty trends and products. ESSENCE Studios Center Stage will host Q&A sessions with a number of emerging musicians, artists, authors and filmmakers. And the Tech Summit will feature product demos and panels about future technology and opportunities. A Health Hub will include doctors, health care professionals and wellness influencers discussing a range of topics, from physical and mental health to intimate partner violence, holistic medicines and CBD. Wealth and Power programming will focus on panels and roundtables with Black business leaders and media figures. And at 10 a.m. Sunday, the Get Lifted Gospel Celebration will take place in the Convention Centers theater. New this year is the ESSENCE Film Festival, taking place on the Convention Centers second floor with film screenings, meet-and-greets and filmmaking panel discussions. Theres also the In His Zone Mens Experience taking place on the second floor, with programming focused on Black men and topics from fatherhood and relationships to sports, fashion and travel. A number of experiences are planned away from the Convention Center this year. ESSENCE Wellness House, which features a robust lineup of classes and events focused on self-care and health, will be at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art all weekend. The E-Suite will present programming around professional development starting at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday at the NOPSI Hotel. And ESSENCE Eats, another new experience, will run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday at The Sugar Mill, with chef Q&As, cooking demos and, of course, food. This year, ESSENCE After Dark will host late-night events Friday through Sunday at The Joy Theater and the Republic. There will be nightly comedy shows at The Joy, with sets by Finesse, Karlous Miller, Ms. Pretty Ricki, Ryan Davis and more. And the Republic will host music, including World Night on Friday, Ladies Night on Saturday and New and Next on Sunday. Look for numerous New Orleanians taking part all over the festival: Supa Cent, the CEO of Crayon Case Cosmetics, will be at the Beauty Carnival as will the fashionable men of the Silver Fox Squad; actor Wendell Pierce takes part in Mens Experience programming; WWL-TVs Sheba Turk will speak as part of the Wealth & Power experience; and many others. ESSENCE Studios Center Stage will feature content by Da Truth Brass Band, Fresh x Reckless, Justin Garner, Nkiruka Drum & Dance Ensemble, Domonic Scott, Spy Boy Shaudy and more. For tickets and more information, check out essence.com/essence-festival-2022. There also is an app available. Tickets for Kevin Harts show start at $41. Three-day packages for Superdome concerts are sold out, but single-day tickets start at $70. Suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, on Saturday, once again refused to adhere to the summons from a police station in Kolkata. According to the summons issued by Amherst Street police station under the north and north suburban police station under Kolkata Police, Sharma was supposed to be present at said police station on Saturday afternoon. However, a letter from Sharma reached the Kolkata Police through email on Saturday, where she has sought some more time to appear as she apprehends security threat if she comes to the city. This is the second time that Sharma has ignored the summons from the city police. Earlier, she was sent a notice from the Narkeldanga Police station under Kolkata Police's eastern suburban division where she was asked to be present at the said police station on June 20. However, at that time too, she refused to turn up at the last moment citing security reasons. Soon after Sharma's controversial comments on Prophet Muhammad went viral, there were severe tensions in a number of minority - dominated pockets in West Bengal districts like Howrah, Nadia and Murshidabad. Clashes erupted between the agitators and the police in which Domjur Police station in Howrah district was attacked, police vehicles were torched and several police personnel were injured. Internet services were also suspended for a few days in a number of pockets to arrest the spread of rumours. Following countrywide tension over the controversial comments, the BJP suspended her from the party. The BJP also took action against Delhi leader Naveen Kumar Jindal who shared her comments on Twitter. A man was stabbed in New Orleans East Saturday at 3:07 p.m., according to the New Orleans Police Department. The man was attacked in the 9700 block of Chef Menteur Highway (map) by three other men. He ealized he was cut and went to an area hospital in a personal vehicle, police said. The stabbing is one of several violent crimes to take place in New Orleans since Saturday morning. Here's what else we know via preliminary information from the NOPD: Man shot in St. Roch A man was shot at 12:11 a.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of Painters Street (map). Another man went up to him and shot him multiple times. Paramedics brought the victim to a local hospital. Women robbed in 7th Ward Two women were robbed in the 2400 block of Dauphine Street (map) Sunday at 12:26 a.m. Three men went up to them and demanded their things. The women gave up their belongings, and the men ran away. Man carjacked in St. Claude A man was carjacked in the 1000 block of Montegut Street (map) Sunday at 1:18 a.m. NOLA Business Insider The biggest stories in business, delivered to you every day. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Three men got out of a silver or grey SUV with guns and demanded the victim's keys and wallet. They took the car and drove away. Three people robbed at gunpoint in the Marigny Two women and one man were robbed at gunpoint Sunday at 1:20 a.m. in the 2400 block of Royal Street (map). Three men went up to the them, showed their guns and demanded their phones and wallets. The victims gave them their belongings, and the men drove away in a silver Saturn SUV with the Louisiana license plate 768EPM. Woman robbed in 7th Ward A woman robbed another woman in the 2200 block of St. Claude Avenue (map) Sunday at 5:53 a.m. The woman showed a knife and demanded the other woman's things. The women started fighting, and the subject stole $200 from the victim before 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. Sajid Majeed Mir, one of India's most wanted terrorists and the main handler of the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks who was earlier declared dead by Pakistan, has been jailed for over 15 years in a terror-financing case by an anti-terrorism court in the country, which is struggling to exit the grey list of the FATF. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab Police, which often issues convictions of the suspects in such cases to the media, did not notify Mir's conviction. His sentencing comes as Islamabad prepares for an on-site visit by the officials from the Paris-based global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to verify the implementation of Pakistan's relevant anti-money laundering and terrorism-financing reforms. A positive report may facilitate Pakistan's exit from the grey list of the FATF. An anti-terrorism court in Lahore early this month had handed down 15 and a half years jail term to Sajid Majeed Mir, an activist of banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in a terror-financing case, a senior lawyer associated with terror financing cases of LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) leaders told PTI on Friday. Besides, since it was an in-camera proceeding at the high-security jail, the media was not allowed. The lawyer further said Mir has been in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore since his arrest in April. He said the court also imposed a fine of over Rs 400,000 on the convict. Pakistani authorities had in the past claimed he had died, but Western countries remained unconvinced and demanded proof of his death. This issue became a major sticking point in FATF's assessment of Pakistan's progress on the action plan late last year. This was where things finally started moving in Mir's case leading to his arrest', the Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday. His conviction and sentencing were, therefore, major achievements that Pakistani officials showcased in their progress report given to FATF on its action plan during the latest plenary, the paper commented. It indeed helped in convincing FATF members that Pakistan had finished all the required tasks, it added. Mir, 44, is on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists. The US has placed a bounty of USD 5 million for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Mir is on India's most-wanted list for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead, including six Americans. Before the last meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan reportedly told the agency that it had arrested and prosecuted Sajid Mir in order to seek its removal from the global anti-laundering body's Grey list'. Mir was called the "project manager" of the Mumbai attacks. Mir reportedly had visited India in 2005 using a fake passport with a fake name. The FBI says that Mir is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. Beginning on November 26, 2008, and continuing through November 29, 2008, ten LeT attackers carried out a series of coordinated attacks against multiple targets in Mumbai, including hotels, cafes, and a train station, killing approximately 170 people." "Six Americans were killed during the three-day attacks. Mir allegedly served as the chief planner of the attacks, directing preparations and reconnaissance, and was one of the Pakistan-based controllers during the attacks. Additionally, Mir allegedly conspired to commit a terrorist attack against a newspaper and its employees in Denmark between 2008 and 2009," it said. "Mir was indicted in the US District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, Chicago, Illinois, on April 21, 2011, and was charged with conspiracy to injure the property of a foreign government; providing material support to terrorists; killing a citizen outside of the US and aiding and abetting; and bombing of places of public use. An arrest warrant was issued on April 22, 2011," it said. Mumbai terror attacks' alleged mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has already been sentenced to 68 years imprisonment in terror financing cases by the Lahore anti-terrorism court. The sentence is running concurrently, which means he will not have to spend many years in jail. Mumbai attack operation commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is also sentenced to several years in jail. Both Saeed and LeT militant Abdul Rehman Makki are also in Kot Lapkhapt jail in Lahore. Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist on whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty, was arrested in July 2019 in the terror financing cases. Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack. The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is instrumental in pushing Islamabad to take measures against terrorists roaming freely in Pakistan and using its territory to carry out attacks in India. The FATF had placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering. Last week, the FATF said Pakistan will continue to be on the "Grey List" of countries under increased monitoring, a statement from the global money-laundering and terror-financing watchdog said on June 17. 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 has so far avoided being on the black list with the help of its 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 international financial system. Dissident Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Saturday alleged that the Maharashtra government has withdrawn the security cover provided at the residences of 16 rebel legislators, including himself, and dubbed the action as "political vendetta". Shinde, who is currently camping in Guwahati with the rebel legislators, tweeted a letter signed by the 16 MLAs that is addressed to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil. In the letter, the legislators said CM Thackeray and the leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will be responsible if any harm is caused to their family members. In his tweet, Shinde alleged that the security cover of the 16 rebel Sena legislators was withdrawn on the orders of Thackeray and Walse Patil due to "political vendetta". "The government is responsible for the security of these legislators," he added. In the letter, the legislators demanded that their security cover be reinstated. "If our family members are harmed, then the chief minister, leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government like Sharad Pawar, Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray will be responsible," the letter said. The security cover, which is provided at their residence as well as to their family members as per the protocol, has been withdrawn illegally and unlawfully as an act of revenge, it said. The MVA government has been facing a crisis of survival after a majority of Sena MLAs shifted their loyalty to Shinde and are camping in Guwahati. Photo credit: Bekleyen, A. (2009). The dovecotes of Diyarbakr: the surviving examples of a fading tradition. The Journal of Architecture, 14(4), 451-464.. Many societies, ancient and contemporary, have innovated ways of supplying their fields with fixed nitrogen and phosphorustwo crucial ingredients for crop productivity. One is crop rotation, which alternates nitrogen-fixing and nitrogen-exhausting crops. Farmers around the world make use of chickens, ducks, and geese to add fresh guano to their fields. Cattle manure is another useful alternativealthough it often lacks in phosphorus. Much more labor intensive than simply adding fossil-fuel derived synthetic fertilizer, these practices tend to build up soil, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and lead to less run-off into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Persian pigeon towers are one of the more elegant solutions to the nitrogen-phosphorus problem. These are essentially castles built for thousands of wild pigeons, strategically placed in the middle of the fields. Their droppings were shoveled up once a year and sold to nearby farmers. While most pigeon towers existing today are in disrepair, the oldest still standing are dated to the 16th century (but they are assumed to have existed over 1,000 years ago) and helped fuel the cultivation of Persias legendary orchards, melons, and wheat production.[1] Snakes The basic design of pigeon towers is simple. Its main structure is conically shaped and made of mud bricks. At the center of the structure rests a large cylindrical drum, surrounded by smaller pillars, also made of the same brickthis design maximizes the potential surface area, allowing some towers to house up to 10,000 pigeons. The bricks are indented to create a small cove and ledge for the pigeons to nest in. At the very top of the tower there are holes that allow pigeons to come and go as they please. These holes are also designed to be inaccessible to snakesthe pigeons main natural predator in the region. The structural cracks in many pigeon towers are said to be due to the tremors caused by thousands of birds in panicked flight when they spot a snake. The central drum also houses a stairway, and most towers have one or two doors to allow someone to collect droppings and check in on their guests. Sometimes the pigeons are provided with grain and water, making the tower a free bed and breakfast. In other cases, pigeons ate from the surrounding fields. Never mind AirBnB: this is the true sharing economy. Pigeon towers are an example of whats called vernacular architecturea type of structure that is architecturally unique but has no single creator. Likely passed down by families throughout the ages, the design of the pigeon tower tends to be isomorphic with regional variations. Source: Flickr. One unique aspect of the Persian pigeon towers is the ledge of the bricks on the inside of the structure. The repetitive feature creates a mesmerizing honeycomb effect, in which the whole becomes greater than the parts. It is also amazingly inventive, in that it enables the maximum number of coves with a minimum of building material. The bands of smooth plaster around the exterior of the tower may seem decorative, but are also highly functional: unlike the rest of the bricks, snakes have trouble climbing up this low-friction surface. 10,000 years For centuries pigeons played a significant role in the Persian economy and political system. Farming first evolved in Iran 10,000 years ago, and considering this long tradition, the focus has been on sustaining yields over time rather than short-term maximization of profits.[2] Pigeon towers became a crucial part of the agricultural economy, providing much-needed fertilizer for melons, cucumbers, and other nitrogen-demanding cropscornerstones of Persian cuisine. With characteristic enterprise, rulers even taxed owners of pigeon towersthe equivalent of taxing salt or fossil fuels. Pigeons also featured significantly in Persian cultureto such an extent that most European travelers, starting with Marco Polo, felt the need to make remarks about them in their travel diaries. Pigeon dung was also used to make gunpowder, well before Europeans started playing with explosives. Most pigeon towers still around today are in the area of Isfahan, the second most populous region in Iran. However, many of these lie in disrepair. There are also pigeon towers in Eastern Turkey, but these differ greatly in their design. These look like small shacks that dot the hillside, but are actually entrances to larger caves dug into the limestone bedrock, providing large empty spaces for the pigeons to nest in. Often villagers will hang baskets in the shacks and caves as nests for the pigeons. These dovecotes are often still in use, but, like the ones in Iran, are more and more falling into disrepair.[3] Low Maintenance While Iran was almost self-sufficient in food production in the 1960s, the increased use of synthetic fertilizers actually lowered food productivity, as they scorched the thin soil. Water scarcity is increasingly a problem in many areas of IranIsfahan being one of them [9], and high-input agriculture is using up most of whats left. This confluence of problems indicates the need to start practicing alternatives to high-input agriculture. Despite their decreased use, pigeon towers have some benefits over other low-tech alternatives in use today, such as the practice of some organic farmers to roll chicken coops over their fields. Another example is the flightless Indian runner duck, which some farmers let stampede fields in hordes, laying droppings and eating pests. Photo: Safavid dovecotes near Isfahan. Mohammad Reza Pourjafar, Mohammad Reza Leylian, Farid Khodarahmi & Farhang Khademi Nadooshan First, unlike chickens or ducks, wild pigeons are extremely low-maintenance. Provide water and shelter, and they will come. A pigeon tower is also stationary: no need to spend the whole day rolling an enormous shed around your field, or herding ducks. Like chickens, you can also eat pigeons and harvest their eggsalthough peasants in Iran seemed to have abstained, in part due to the important place of pigeons in Islamic cultures. Best of all, pigeon towers are extremely low-tech: no wheels, electricity, or tractor needed: just bricks and a shovel to harvest the droppings, and some maintenance work every couple hundred years. They may lie in disrepair today, but pigeon towers stand as monuments to the enduring importance of low-tech solutions to contemporary crises. Its no surprise that the region that gave birth to agriculture has also refined innovative sustainable agriculture methods for thousands of years. Pigeon towers were one such innovationand they helped Persian farmers cultivate all kinds of crops on previously arid, thin-soil land. Aaron Vansintjan [1]. Beazley, Elisabeth. (1966) The pigeon towers of Isfahan. Journal of Persian Studies: 105-109. Bekleyen, A. (2009). The dovecotes of Diyarbakr: the surviving examples of a fading tradition. The Journal of Architecture, 14(4), 451-464. [2]. Koocheki, A., & Ghorbani, R. (2005). Traditional agriculture in Iran and development challenges for organic agriculture. The International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management, 1(1), 52-57. [3]. Bekleyen, A. (2009). The dovecotes of Diyarbakr: the surviving examples of a fading tradition. The Journal of Architecture, 14(4), 451-464. [4]. Before Europeans discovered the enormous islands of bird droppingsguanooff the coast of South America, Andean people collected and sold the fecal gold for over 1,500 years. [5]. http://www.nature.com/news/one-third-of-our-greenhouse-gas-emissions-come-from-agriculture-1.11708 [6]. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fertilizer-produces-far-more-greenhouse-gas-expected [7]. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#nitrous-oxide [8]. Rockstrom, Johan, Will Steffen, Kevin Noone, Asa Persson, F. Stuart Chapin, Eric F. Lambin, Timothy M. Lenton et al. A safe operating space for humanity. Nature 461, no. 7263 (2009): 472-475. [9]. Erdbrink, Thomas. (2015) Scarred riverbeds and dead pistachio trees in a parched Iran. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/19/world/middleeast/scarred-riverbeds-and-dead-pistachio-trees-in-a-parched-iran.html Abortion clinics across the US have begun to shut after the Supreme Court overturned its 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision which granted women constitutional right to abortion. In the wake of the 5-4 order on Friday, about half of states are expected to introduce new restrictions or bans, out of which 13 have outlawed abortion effective immediately, reports the BBC. Trigger laws, which allow an instant ban, have already been applied in Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Alabama. Meanwhile, bans in Mississippi and North Dakota will come into effect after their Attorney Generals approve it. While Wyoming's ban will take effect in five days, Utah's ban must be certified by a legislative council Bans in Idaho, Tennessee and Texas will be applied in 30 days. At an abortion clinic in Little Rock, Arkansas, the doors to the patient area shut as soon as the court's opinion was posted online on Friday afternoon. Staff made calls to tell women that their appointments were cancelled. "No matter how hard we prepare for bad news, when it finally hits, it hits hard. Having to call these patients and tell them Roe v. Wade was overturned is heartbreaking," a nurse at the clinic told the BBC. In New Orleans, Louisiana, the Women's Health Care Centre, one of only three abortion providers in the state, was also closed. Due to the Supreme Court ruling, about 36 million women of reproductive age will lose access to abortion, the BBC quoted research from Planned Parenthood, a healthcare organisation that provides abortions, as saying. Meanwhile, the decision was met with elation by anti-abortion campaigners outside the court in Washington, but protests against the ruling were due to be held in more than 50 cities across the US. The ruling has led to widespread criticism. President Joe Biden said the Supreme Court's move will put women's health and lives at risk. "It's a realisation of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court," he said. Slamming the verdict, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, said the "Republican-controlled Supreme Court has achieved the GOP's dark and extreme goal of ripping away women's right to make their own reproductive health decisions". "American women today have less freedom than their mothers... This cruel ruling is outrageous and heart-wrenching. But make no mistake: the rights of women and all Americans are on the ballot this November." The Governors of California, Washington and Oregon have vowed to protect patients travelling from other states for an abortion. The landmark 1973 Roe v Wade case saw the Supreme Court rule by a vote of seven to two that a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy was protected by the US constitution. The ruling gave American women an absolute right to an abortion in the first three months (trimester) of pregnancy, but allowed for restrictions in the second trimester and for prohibitions in the third. DYER A local eatery and a classic car club teamed Saturday to showcase local police departments and their vehicles. Pops Italian Beef and Sausage and As R Us Model A Club presented the initial Police Appreciation Night and Car Show that showcased the best and fanciest police units. Rob Cryns, who with his father Vincent owns the Dyer Bobs, said this project has been in the works for several years but was delayed due to COVID. We love our police force, Cryns said. I have a lot of friends in uniform, and this is the least we can do for them. Visitors to Pops parking lot voted on the best in K-9 police cars, police trucks/SUVs, DARE vehicle, antique police vehicle and uniformed officer. The program also featured a police K-9 unit demonstration, performance by Lake County Pipes and Drums, and a police car light-up. Established in 1980 in Palos Heights, Pops today has multiple locations in Indiana and Illinois. As R Us describes itself as a family-friendly Model A classic car club based in Crete. In existence for 27 years, the club sponsors events throughout the year. Membership ranges from young adults to senior citizens, with nearly 40 member families. Tim Bots, a member of the car club, said his group invited 25 police departments from Indiana and Illinois, but he feared Saturdays questionable weather may have kept some police home. Bots explained that the idea for the Indiana car show and police tie-in came from a similar event seven years ago in Illinois. With all the bad publicity police are getting, Bots said, we wanted the public to meet with police in a non-enforcement setting. Among the charities the club also supports are a veterans home in Manteno, Illinois, Ronald McDonald House and Camp Quality, a facility for children with cancer. The club as also adopted the Dixie Highway, a roadway that extends from Chicago to Miami that opened in 1918. Twenty years ago, club members erected metal signs along the highway stretch from Blue Island to Danville. Now the club is replacing many of those weather-worn signs. The group also posted storyboard signs explaining the significance to the area from the Dixie Highway. Among the more colorful vehicles at the show was a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria K-9 unit vehicle of the Lansing Police Department. Officer Dana Tatgenhorst explained that the vehicle was refurbished with donations, and those donors names are on stickers adorning the twice-retired vehicle. Still having the original engine, the Lansing vehicle is used today primarily for show at cruise tours, block parties, parades and trunk-or-treat events. Although the vehicle resembles something from NASCAR, it has never raced, Tatgenhorst said, but it has been used as a pace car. Another vehicle of note was a 1929 Ford Model A tudor sedan belonging to Tim Dionne of St. John, a car club member. Although not officially a police vehicle, the classic car has seen police action on film, including Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks and Public Enemies with Johnny Depp. Dionne has had the car for 49 years, having bought it from the South Side of Chicago. It took Dionne seven years to finish repairs on the 92-year-old vehicle. This is my baby, and Ive had a lot of fun with it, he said. Its got its dings and dents, but I drive it. Dionne, who also owns a 1940 Packard, is a retired salesman. Recalling the cars movie career, Dionne said Depp and Hanks were both good to work with. Tom Hanks was a super guy, he said, who would take time to talk to people beyond the barriers. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The news about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade was "saddening" for Munster resident Nina Oats. "Its very disheartening that people are suffering, children are suffering from neglect," Oats said while sitting in Wicker Memorial Park on Friday afternoon. "They (government-funded services) dont provide enough support to raise these children ... so I do feel like it was a bad decision." When the news that a Supreme Court ruling had ended the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood in America for nearly a half-century, organizations throughout the country and the Region took action. AntiSexist Action and Northwest Indiana NOW staged a protest at the Porter County Courthouse in downtown Valparaiso Friday evening, as protests also sprung up in south suburban Homewood, Oak Lawn and Chicago. The crowds rallied against the ruling, under which abortion bans are expected to be enacted in roughly half the states. Various abortion restrictions already exist in multiple Midwestern states including Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio. Porter County League of Women Voters President Beckie Guffin expects more protests will take place. "Women's reproductive rights are one of our major initiatives," she said. "We're devastated by today's ruling. We completely agree with the three dissenting justices. We will keep fighting for women's full human rights, which we feel have unfortunately been eroded today. We've very upset but we'll keep fighting. We're not done fighting." In Indiana, abortion remains legal for now. "What comes next is dangerous and will open the floodgates for states across the country to ban abortion outrigh a promise the Republican-dominated Indiana State Legislature has made already and that Gov. (Eric) Holcomb has said is now a state issue that will most certainly be addressed in the upcoming special session," Planned Parenthood Indiana Communications Manager Nicole Erwin said. "In Indiana, if the state legislature passes an outright ban it would mean at least 1.5 million women and people of reproductive age will be left without access to abortion, equating to a 21% increase in pregnancy-related deaths overall and a 33% increase among Black women in a state where maternal mortality is already killing black women at 2.5 times the national average." The Republican-controlled General Assembly is scheduled to convene in a special session July 6, during which Holcomb said he expects the Legislature to act on abortion. I have been clear in stating I am pro-life. We have an opportunity to make progress in protecting the sanctity of life, and thats exactly what we will do," Holcomb said. A ban will harm the most vulnerable women in Indiana, Erwin said. "People who have the financial means to flee the state, to take time off or work and find childcare to travel for care will still be able to get an abortion. Those who dont have the financial luxury to travel will be forced to remain pregnant. It is cruel and it is dangerous," she said. Indiana women likely will seek care out of the state but that will place a burden on them and providers, Erwin said. "What people need to realize is that abortion is time-sensitive care. When we add patient volumes from surrounding states we will see this care delayed significantly," she said. "Suggesting patients 'simply travel' to blue states for abortion is unsustainable. Clinics in these states are already completely swamped, with patients unable to get in. This is not a solution. Everyone deserves access to abortion care." She encouraged women to reach out to Planned Parenthood to navigate their options even if abortion is banned in Indiana. "We are prepared to adjust our operations for this new reality because we have known this moment was coming for months," she said. "We expect many patients will be coming to us from Kentucky, where a trigger ban immediately went into effect after SCOTUS delivered its decision." In the wake of the ruling, HealthLinc Community Health Center, which has clinics in East Chicago, Valparaiso, LaPorte and Michigan City, is looking to ramp up its prenatal care and educational services. "We do not do abortion and do not refer people to abortions," HealthLinc CEO Beth Wroebel said. "What we have been doing is preparing ourselves to continue to do family planning and obstetrics, to continue to do the things we can do with prenatal care. We're a little worried because Indiana is third-worst for infant mortality. We'll do everything we can to help women understand what they need to do not have a baby, to not to get pregnant and how to use birth control. If they do get pregnant, we'll help them create the healthiest baby they can. We'll look to step that up and get the word out." HealthLinc recently launched a program focused on promoting healthy pregnancies by educating parents on prenatal vitamins and more. Franciscan Health, a Catholic health care provider that operates several hospitals in Northwest Indiana, heralded the Supreme Court ruling. Respect for life has always been a core value of our Franciscan mission: continuing Christs ministry in our Franciscan tradition," Franciscan Alliance president and CEO Kevin Leahy and Franciscan Alliance Chairwoman Sister Jane Marie Klein said in a joint statement. "This decision affirms our deeply held religious belief that each and every life is created in the image of God and, therefore, we are called to speak up for and defend the most vulnerable. This includes women who find themselves in unexpected pregnancies. We believe the gift of life is so valued that each person should be cared for with joy, respect, dignity, fairness, and compassion that he or she is consciously aware of being loved. We are grateful for the courts ruling because we always celebrate life and protect it at every stage. As Jesus met all with compassion, our mission is to meet all women with the support and resources they need to bring their children into this world with love. Bishop Robert J. McClory with the Diocese of Gary said the ruling answered many Catholics' prayers in Northwest Indiana. "We are very encouraged by the decision, as it moves us forward in building a culture that respects and values all life," he said. "This federal ruling recognizes that there is no constitutional right to abortion. This issue will now primarily be decided at the state level with ongoing federal action as well. Therefore, while we are grateful for this progress, we must remain steadfastly committed to cultivating communities that serve the needs of all people, especially the poor and vulnerable, those on the margins, and those facing extraordinary challenges." He called on members of the Diocese to pray for change in the world and "support women, couples and families facing challenging situations." "In collaboration with local service agencies, we provide women, couples and families with resources to assist them when they are most vulnerable. We must put greater energy into advancing even more resources and alternatives to support women facing challenging pregnancies both before and after birth," he said. "In this ongoing work, we must remain a people of peace and love. We will encounter many people who have differing opinions regarding the practice of abortion. Let us keep our focus on the Lord and our mission as disciples of Christ. We can and must respond to adversity with a gentle spirit, while we remain committed to serving others, as Jesus taught us." Creating an oasis "Abortion is still legal in Illinois." That was the message Planned Parenthood of Illinois posted on Facebook shortly after Roe V. Wade was overturned. PP Illinois Action held an emergency news conference Friday afternoon where the organization's president and CEO, Jennifer Welch, reiterated the message adding that "this is not true for our neighbor states. In 2019, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health Act, cementing abortion as a human right. Illinois has become an "oasis" for residents in surrounding states seeking an abortion, Welch said. Abortion bans and restrictions in states like Indiana and Wisconsin will strand "millions of people in a vast abortion desert," Welch said. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also spoke on the prospect of abortion bans in neighboring states during the news conference. Her message for out-of-state patients: "Come to Chicago. we will protect you, we will make sure your rights are respected, we will make sure that you get access to the healthcare that you deserve. Healthcare providers in Illinois will need additional financial resources and protections "in our new post-Roe reality," Welch said. PP Illinois is expecting to treat about 20 to 30,000 more patients a year now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. The organization has been preparing for the increase for some time now. In 2018, PP Illinois opened a Flossmoor location that is 13 miles from the state line. In 2020, almost 10,000 patients crossed state lines to receive an abortion in Illinois. The majority of those people came from Missouri with 6,578, though Indiana had the second-highest number of residents who went to Illinois to receive an abortion with 1,878. Added mileage means patients may have to take time off work or school, find childcare and transportation. Low-income, Black and brown, and rural communities will be most impacted by the additional barriers, Lightfoot said. Welch said Illinois needs to be "ready for the surge." Last month PP Illinois saw its highest number of out-of-state patients to date. While it's not yet known if the Legislature will take action to prohibit Hoosiers from seeking an abortion in another state, Lightfoot called the possibility "absurd." "Even though we all knew this was coming, it's still a shock," said artist Nancy Cassidy, who attended the Valparaiso rally Friday. "That a cluster of cells is more important to them than a live, breathing, fully human woman is infuriating. That states are falling over themselves to enact deadly laws that wont even allow a woman to have an abortion if she would literally die without one, is breathtaking. That women will be forced to carry their rapists' babies to term is sickening." Cassidy said the ruling on Roe v. Wade will likely embolden the Supreme Court to take away even more rights. "And we know they wont stop with abortion. Clarence Thomas (Friday) said the Supreme Court should now 'reassess' birth control and same-sex marriage. They are falling over themselves to take away our civil rights as quickly as possible," she said. "People think theyre so high-minded saving 'babies.' They are dooming women, especially low-income women and women of color, to a potential lifetime of poverty and in some cases, death. Are they passing laws to make funding for pre-natal care mandatory? Child support beginning at conception? Funding childcare? Better education? No. It's not about babies it's about control of women's lives." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Joseph S. Pete Business Reporter Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military. Follow Joseph S. Pete Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today The Salvation Army is merging its operations in Northwest Indiana, linking services in Lake and Porter counties. The Salvation Army Northwest Indiana Area Command will continue to serve residents of both counties through existing facilities in East Chicago, Gary, Munster and Valparaiso while pooling talent and resources. Headquarters for The Salvation Armys Northwest Indiana Area Command will be based in its Munster facility. The formation of the Northwest Indiana Area Command for The Salvation Army is exciting. It is part of a larger strategic reorganization of The Salvation Army Central Territory called Project Advance and is designed to help us efficiently and effectively utilize the resources entrusted to us in these communities, said Major Marc S. Johnson, divisional commander for The Salvation Army Indiana Division. With Project Advance, the Indiana Division will be comprised of the entire state of Indiana. This will provide better advocacy for all the residents of Indiana who seek assistance and support from our myriad services throughout the state, Johnson said. After two and a half years of serving as Lake County Coordinator, Capt. Brian Clark will be retiring. A new position has been created for the officer responsible for The Salvation Armys Northwest Indiana Area Command overseeing both Lake and Porter counties. Capt. Bersabe Vera-Hernandez will be that officer serving as divisional secretary for Northwest Indiana Area Command. The programs and services delivered in Lake and Porter counties will be stronger and help more people because of these changes, Clark said. "The money given by donors will still remain in their communities Doing the Most Good for neighbors in need." Vera-Hernandez also sees a promising future for Northwest Indiana. I am looking forward to the many opportunities that God will provide in the days, months and years ahead opportunities to serve him and others. Other personnel changes in Northwest Indiana include Capt. Crystal G. Sherack joining Capt. Gloria Pelayo to lead the East Chicago Corps Community Center and Auxiliary Capt. Jim Prichard joining the Porter County Corps Community Center as its new leader. The merger and realignment, announced Friday, also mean both Lake and Porter counties will be changing divisions. Come July 1, The Salvation Army of Porter County will be leaving the Western Michigan Northern Indiana Division, and Lake County the Chicago Metropolitan Division. Both will merge to become The Salvation Army Northwest Indiana Area Command and join the Indiana Division. The Salvation Army Northwest Indiana Area Command will continue serving individuals and families in Lake and Porter counties from its four community centers in Munster, East Chicago, Gary and Valparaiso. While the community centers each offer some different programs, all of them provide emergency food assistance, help with paying rent and utility bills, activities for children and youth and much more. For media contact or to find out more about The Salvation Army and its work visit SalArmyLakeCounty.org or contact Kevin Feldman, director of development, at 219-838-1328 or Kevin.Feldman@usc.SalvationArmy.org. In Porter County visit SAPorterCounty.org or contact Angela Kalin, director of development, at 219-762-9191 or Angela.Kalin@usc.SalvationArmy.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MENDON, Ill. Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is headed into Tuesday's primary election with what will be a major boost for many voters after former President Donald Trump offered a full-throated endorsement. During a rally on Saturday night in Adams County, Trump also offered his support to U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, as she faces fellow incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in 15th Congressional District. The former president endorsed Miller in early January and appeared at a fundraiser she held at his Mar-A-Lago resort in April. But Trump's endorsement of Bailey, a state senator from Xenia, was a new development, one Bailey has been openly seeking for months. The former president suggested in an interview with The Center Square earlier this week that Bailey would likely be his man if he did endorse. On Saturday, he went further: "Darren is just the man to take on and defeat one of the worst governors in America, J.B. Pritzker." He will crack down on the violent crime that is devouring our Democrat-run cities and restore the state of Illinois to greatness," Trump said. "Darren has my complete and total endorsement. Bailey has opened a large lead in the Republican primary over the past few weeks, according to most public and private polling. He faces Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, paving magnate Gary Rabine, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf, attorney Max Solomon and cryptocurrency venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan. Trump described Bailey as a farmer, a fighter, "an outstanding warrior in the Illinois State Senate," as well as "a fearless supporter of the Second Amendment and a tireless champion of religious liberty." He also took shots at Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who released a video criticizing the former president ahead of Trump's visit. Calling Pritzker "pathetic," Trump criticized the governor's response to the coronavirus pandemic and compared gun violence in Chicago to the military situation in Afghanistan during his presidency. "Everybodys fleeing your state. This is a disaster," Trump said. He told a story about meeting Bailey earlier in the day, saying Bailey yanked a hair out of the former president's head after commenting that it was hanging across Trump's face. "Which tells you a lot about Darren theres no games, right?" Invited onstage to address the crowd himself, Bailey agreed: "I will not lie to anyone and I will not let anything go unnoticed." "I made a promise to President Trump that in 2024, Illinois will roll the red carpet out for him because Illinois will be ready for President Trump," Bailey added. Support for Miller Trump's in-district visit held about 15 miles north of Quincy at the Adams County Fairgrounds offers Miller a significant boost in the final stretch of the campaign against Davis. "Mary is a warrior for our movement and our values," Trump said, calling her a "fearless, America-first patriot." Speaking to the crowd on Saturday, Miller said Davis "betrayed us." "My friends, this race is between MAGA and a RINO establishment member," she said, using the acronyms for Trump slogan Make America Great Again and Republican in Name Only. "Dont you miss President Trump?" Miller, however, could not escape controversy Saturday as she thanked Trump, who appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices, for the high court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, calling it "a victory for white life." Miller's campaign said Sunday that the congresswoman meant to say victory for right to life but misspoke. They also released a picture of Miller with her grandchildren, some of whom are people of color, while accusing the news media of jumping on the remark. "To suggest that she is somehow not committed to defending all life is disgusting," said campaign spokesman Isaiah Wartman. Still, it isn't the first time Miller's words have sparked backlash. In early January 2021, Miller stoked controversy with remarks about Adolf Hitler at a pro-Trump rally outside the Capitol. ("Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future, she said, speaking about the need to reach young people.) This drew widespread condemnation, some calls for her to resign and eventually an apology. Davis, in a statement Sunday, said Miller's comments are "just another part in a disturbing pattern of behavior she's displayed since coming to Congress," adding that her behavior is "unacceptable" and that she "has demonstrated she is not fit for public office." Miller and Davis have been locked in a heated incumbent-versus-incumbent primary contest, the result of a congressional redistricting process controlled by legislative Democrats and the state losing a district following the 2020 U.S. Census. The new 15th is a sprawling district that stretches west to east across Central Illinois from the Iowa and Missouri state lines to the Indiana state line. It also includes some outlying portions of the Metro East region. Trump won about 68% of the vote in the district in the 2020 election. Welcomed in Quincy The former president's trip was well-received by many in Quincy, the quaint river town of just under 40,000. About two-thirds of voters there supported Trump in 2020. Nick Dooley, owner of Dooley's Fly Fishing in downtown Quincy, said that "every hotel here is completely booked up" with Trump supporters. He attempted to reel them in with a 24% off "MAGA" sale. "Obviously, conservative business owners attract conservative customers," said Dooley, 34. Dooley said he planned to vote for Bailey in the governor's race and "probably" Miller for Congress. Trump's support is a factor here. "I think from the background he has as a businessman, he knows how to read people," Dooley said. "And he has a very good way of judging people." At an art festival in a downtown park just across the street, friends Diana Mixer, 77, and James Richards, 77, both of Quincy, proudly wore their Trump gear as they ate and listened to music. When asked who she was supporting for Congress, Mixer said Miller. And for a pretty simple reason: "Because of Trump." "If it's good enough for Trump, it's good enough for me," Mixer said. "Whatever he decides is the best for our country." Mixer said she was "kind of for" Davis before, but she will back Trump's candidate. "If he supports her, then she must be good," she said. Contentious race Though there have been some high-profile losses by Trump-endorsed candidates this cycle, most with the former president's stamp of approval win their elections. Miller, a freshman firebrand, is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Davis, a five-term incumbent who is in line to chair a committee if Republicans take the House majority, is a traditional conservative with a bipartisan streak. Davis voted Trump's position 89% of the time during the former president's term in office. He also served as an honorary chair of Trump's 2020 campaign. He even appeared with Trump at a rally in Southern Illinois in the waning days of the 2018 campaign. But he had previously rescinded his support of Trump in 2016 following the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape in which the then-Republican nominee described sexually assaulting women. Davis has not said whether he voted for Trump that year or not. Davis also voted to certify President Joe Biden's electoral college victory and was among 35 Republicans who supported the creation of a 9/11-style independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. That effort stalled in the Senate, and Davis later voted against the creation of the Jan. 6 select committee. Miller, on the other hand, supported Trump's efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election in several states. Davis is viewed as a more seasoned retail politician with the stronger political organization. He's raised more money, though spending from outside groups on Miller's behalf has evened the playing field. Miller, on the other hand, has Trump. Her campaign has been more low-profile, shunning local media and being less visible on the trail in hopes that the former president's backing would be enough to get her across the finish line. Her campaign has been bogged down by controversies, such as a campaign volunteer who drove her around to campaign events who was convicted of during a child for sex in 2005. However, she appears to have momentum in the campaign's final days. According to a poll from McHenry-based Victory Geek published in The Illinoize last week, Davis leads Miller 38%-35% with 27% undecided. However, when voters were told of Trump's endorsement, Miller led 47% to 39%. Trump's visit will be another test of the former president's hold over his party, especially in a deep-red district where his popularity is still high. Rally atmosphere Hundreds of Trump supporters arrived early to ensure a spot at Saturday's event. It had the festive feel of a college tailgate at times, except team attire was replaced with "Make America Great Again" hats and Trump flags. Trump remarked that his rallies are "like being at a great football game." The crowd included both supporters of Miller and people who traveled from outside of the 15th Congressional District to see the former president. "She's going to fight for everything that I would fight for," said Nikki Buehler of Camp Point, who described Miller as "one of us." Buehler, 42, said she had concerns that Davis was not a true conservative. She thought Trump's appearance would help her preferred candidate gain more momentum heading into Election Day. "A lot of people will rally behind him and what he stands for, knowing that that's the president they most liked and most think alike to," she said. "His values line up with ours." Doug Rowe and his wife Merry Higgin, who woke up at 7 a.m. and drove four hours from Marengo in McHenry County. "We've watched all his rallies; big supporters," said Rowe, 65. "(This is) the first opportunity we've had to come see him." Speaking before Trump's remarks, Rowe was interested to learn whether the former president would endorse a GOP gubernatorial candidate something he said would be the deciding factor in earning his vote. Without a confirmed endorsement, Rowe said he was leaning toward voting for Bailey. "I think he's the most closely aligned with Trump," Rowe said. "My values are aligned with the president's." In addition to stumping for Bailey and Miller, Trump also pushed baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election and took credit for the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. "I promised to nominate judges and justices who would stand up for the original meaning of the Constitution and who would honestly and faithfully interpret the law as written," Trump said. "We got almost 300 federal judges and three great Supreme Court justices confirmed to do exactly that." The former president also took shots at the January 6 Select Committee, calling it the "unselect committee" and deriding its two high-profile Republican members, Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon. "These RINOs are in many ways worse than the Democrats because you don't really know where they're coming from," Trump said, using an acronym that stands for "Republican in name only." Beyond Trump, high-profile speakers including My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and far right U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Co., who called herself a professional political RINO-hunter." Missouri Senate candidate and former Gov. Eric Greitens also attended the rally but did not speak. Greitens' "RINO hunting" advertisement, which debuted last week, was widely condemned for promoting political violence. Contact Brenden Moore at 217-421-7984. Follow him on Twitter: @brendenmoore13 Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SATURDAY PUZZLE Adam Aaronson is still in college, and hes one of a coterie of young constructors who have come on strong in the last few years. This is his seventh Saturday puzzle since his New York Times Crossword debut at the beginning of 2020 and all have been crowd-pleasers, with fresh and vibrant fill. Todays grid has nine debuts, all in the Across entries; some are showstoppers, but there are also some great clues for ordinary objects that make this solve a delight. Tricky Clues 15A./16A. What a clean, clever couple of clues! First, Soft-soap is an idiom with the same metaphorical meaning as butter up that is, using ones slippery wiles to COAX someone into doing something. Second, Soap in Mexico. Hmm, sopa is soup in Spanish; jabon means soap, but that doesnt fit here (and has never been in a Times grid before, although its French relative, savon, appeared in several midcentury puzzles). It turns out that this clue is also using a soap idiom, one for a soap opera, or a TELENOVELA when youre in Mexico. 22A./28A. Literary folk might see a relationship between these two stacked clues. The King in the Return of the King at 22A is J.R.R. Tolkiens character ARAGORN, whose love for the elf Arwen makes for an epic romance. At 28A, the Surname of a star-crossed lover refers to Juliet CAPULET, whose doomed love for a Montague drives Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. I scoured the page for something for me, something special, some kind of further explanation of why they left when they still had time to live. There was a tiny note next to my name. She said she was sorry she couldnt come to the wedding. And that was that. A few days later we found out that Mopsy had written letters to a few of her friends to say goodbye. Part of me longed for my own letter. But there was nothing. It might sound romantic: After 68 years together, choosing your time and leaving this world together. But what they left in their wake was not: three children, six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, another great-grandchild on the way and me, Mopsys girl, replaying our final conversation over and over. Through the course of planning my wedding, I would go to my phone to text her, but then my heart would crack like the day I learned they were gone. After so many years of her scrutiny, her love, her judgment, her dreams for my future, I felt completely and utterly left behind. Now that I am married, its hard not to compare my relationship to Mopsy and Papas. But what they had wasnt just marriage. It was a chemical bond that simply wouldnt work without them both. In the past year, Tesla moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Austin, Texas; just this past week, Citadel said it was moving from Chicago to Miami. That has been the playbook for corporate America for decades: Find a blue enclave in a red state Austin in Texas, Nashville in Tennessee and move there for low taxes and a more affordable work force. That may be much more complicated in the aftershock of yesterdays ruling. Texas, obviously, the economic argument was the primary argument at least for me it was one of the primary arguments, said Vivek Bhaskaran, chief executive of QuestionPro, a technology services company that moved its headquarters to Austin from San Francisco just before the pandemic. It definitely puts a pause on the economic argument. Executives have tried to stay out of the fray or have waded in only after intense employee pressure, with tumultuous results. In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, angry with Disneys chief executive, Bob Chapek, for speaking out against the states new Parental Rights in Education act, had the Legislature strip the company of its special tax status. Reaffirming commitments Companies began to come out with policies on covering travel expenses for employees who need abortions when a draft opinion that was leaked in May previewed the justices decision in the case. This small group includes Starbucks, Tesla, Yelp, Airbnb, Netflix, Patagonia, DoorDash, JPMorgan Chase, Levi Strauss & Company, PayPal and Reddit. Others, including Goldman Sachs, Disney, Meta, Dicks Sporting Goods and Conde Nast, joined them on Friday when the decision became final, though most of them avoided making public statements directly referring to the ruling. Instead, the statements often obtusely signaled that the companies offered out-of-state medical services, seemingly hoping to appeal to employees without drawing the ire of politicians. Facebook told employees not to discuss the decision on internal chat systems. A spokeswoman for JPMorgan, the countrys largest bank, with about 170,000 U.S. employees, said it was focused on equal access to health care for all its employees. She highlighted a June 1 memo alerting them that their travel costs would be covered if they needed to go more than 50 miles to receive certain medical procedures, including abortions. The more than 1.4 billion people living in China are constantly watched. They are recorded by police cameras that are everywhere, on street corners and subway ceilings, in hotel lobbies and apartment buildings. Their phones are tracked, their purchases are monitored, and their online chats are censored. Now, even their future is under surveillance. The latest generation of technology digs through the vast amounts of data collected on their daily activities to find patterns and aberrations, promising to predict crimes or protests before they happen. They target potential troublemakers in the eyes of the Chinese government not only those with a criminal past but also vulnerable groups, including ethnic minorities, migrant workers and those with a history of mental illness. They can warn the police if a victim of a fraud tries to travel to Beijing to petition the government for payment or a drug user makes too many calls to the same number. They can signal officers each time a person with a history of mental illness gets near a school. Abortion rights and anti-abortion advocates clashing outside the Supreme Court on Sunday. Follow our live coverage on abortion news and the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has unleashed a frenzy of activity on both sides of the abortion fight, with anti-abortion forces vowing to push for near-total bans in every state in the nation, and abortion rights groups insisting they would harness rage over the decision to take to the streets, fight back in the courts and push the Biden administration to do more to protect abortion rights. The court said its ruling on Friday was needed because of what it called a half-century of bitter national controversy sparked by Roe, but its decision set off more immediate and widespread rancor and mobilizing than the original ruling and guaranteed pitched battles and extraordinary division ahead. The maneuvering was already underway. In Florida, where the Legislature recently passed a ban on abortion after 15 weeks, lawmakers pushed Gov. Ron DeSantis to call a special session to consider a ban after six weeks. The National Right to Life Committee promoted model legislation for state bans and renewed calls toward its original, bigger goal of a constitutional amendment banning abortion nationwide. It and other anti-abortion groups also pledged to punish prosecutors who have said they would not enforce abortion bans. They promised other steps to limit access to abortion, including pushing for legislation prohibiting people from crossing state lines to get abortions or obtaining abortion pills. Image Demonstrations continued outside the Supreme Court in Washington on Sunday. Credit... Shuran Huang for The New York Times Abortion-rights groups were heading back to court with a hearing Monday where they are seeking an injunction to stop Floridas 15-week ban from taking effect. They promised court fights over the so-called trigger bans that took effect on Friday upon the Supreme Courts ruling. In Ohio, Freda J. Levenson, legal director for the Ohio American Civil Liberties Union, said Sunday that her organization and Planned Parenthood of Ohio would file suit early this week to block the implementation of abortion bans in the state, arguing that abortion is a protected right under the Ohio constitution. The Womens March, which rallied hundreds of thousands to demonstrations after Donald J. Trump became president in 2017, promised street protests in a Summer of Rage and said it would back primary challenges to Democrats it considered complicit in the appointment of the conservative Supreme Court majority. On Monday, California state lawmakers are expected to put a state constitutional amendment on the ballot that would explicitly protect reproductive rights. In Michigan, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has filed suit to stop a nearly century-old ban on abortion from taking effect, activists were collecting signatures on a ballot initiative that would enshrine the right to abortion in the state Constitution. Were going at it, were pulling out all the stops, Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, said on Face the Nation With Margaret Brennan. This is a fight-like-hell moment. Abortion-rights supporters could take heart over what appeared to be broad public disapproval of Fridays ruling. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted immediately after the court handed down its decision shows that Americans considered it a step backward for the nation by more than a 20 percentage-point margin. Nearly 60 percent of Americans and two-thirds of women disapproved of the ruling, the poll said. Fifty-eight percent said they would approve of a federal law making abortion legal. Image Abortion-rights advocates demonstrated outside the Supreme Court in Washington on Sunday. Credit... Shuran Huang for The New York Times And 56 percent of women said the ruling would make womens lives worse, according to the poll, far greater than the 16 percent who said it would improve womens lives But, opponents of abortion, celebrating their biggest victory in the nearly 50 years since Roe, felt as if they had the wind at their back. Kristan Hawkins, president of the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America, said its primary focus would now be on preventing pregnant women from getting abortion pills as a workaround to bans. It had also discussed proposed legislation, modeled along the lines of a Texas law that since September has banned abortion after six weeks, that would allow ordinary citizens to sue anyone who provided abortion services across state lines. Ultimately our mission in the pro-life movement is to make the act of abortion unthinkable and unavailable in our nation, Ms. Hawkins said. The waves of joy and anger set off immediately after the decision Friday continued all weekend, on the airwaves and in pulpits and at protests in the sweltering summer heat. A thousand protesters waving signs and chanting objected to the courts decision outside the State Capitol in Oklahoma City, where Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, signed one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation last month, in anticipation that the court would overturn Roe. Hundreds turned out to support abortion rights at rallies in Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery in deeply conservative Alabama. Leaders of the rally outside the Madison County Courthouse in Huntsville urged the crowd not to pay attention to or interact with a group of chanting anti-abortion protesters who attempted to interrupt the gathering. Denunciations of the court ruling rang out at events wrapping up Gay Pride month across the country. A contingent of Planned Parenthood supporters led off the boisterous Pride Parade in downtown Manhattan, chanting, Rise up for abortion rights! At the Pride event in San Francisco a city supervisor, Rafael Mandelman, told the crowd that while they could party for the day, tomorrow we have work to do! Even those in California, he said, could campaign for congressional candidates in other states. If were going to change what happened on Friday, we all need to do work, he said. We can knock on doors and we can elect Democrats and we can protect Democrats. For many conservatives, Sunday was a day of celebration At the Austin Baptist Church in Texas, the Rev. Jonathan Spencer devoted his two morning sermons to celebrating the courts decision. I rejoice with the Lord in his mercy and grace in helping remove what I believe is one of the greatest tragedies of our generation, he told his congregants, asserting that more than 63 million children have been killed because of abortion since Roe. This does not end the battle, he said. Abortion still stands and people will still undergo these procedures. His message was well-received among the congregation. I thought he was perfectly on point, said Dawn Church, 49. Of the court decision, she said, Im ecstatic. But in other congregations there were other messages. At Mount Zion Baptist Church in Nashville, Bishop Joseph Walker III blessed several babies in a baby dedication ceremony, before calling on women in the large and mostly Black congregation to stand and be applauded. Image Bishop Joseph Walker III blessing children at the front of Mount Zion Baptist Church during a baby dedication in Nashville. Credit... Laura Thompson for The New York Times He recognized the women for the role they have long played on the front lines of so many battles and fights nationally and globally and committed to more prayers for them. Look at these beautiful babies, life is a blessing, he said. At the end of the day, no one has a right to tell you what to do with you. Thats between you and God. Tameka Gibson, 45, welcomed his support. I believe in pro-choice, she said. I believe that is a decision between people and God. She did not agree with the direction Tennessee was taking; its trigger ban on abortion took effect on Friday. Everything is going backwards, she said. Protests were mainly peaceful, though some sporadic violence was reported. A grocery store worker on Staten Island was arrested on Sunday after hitting Rudolph W. Giuliani on the back while the former mayor campaigned on behalf of his son, a Republican candidate for governor. Mr. Giuliani said he was walking through a ShopRite grocery store when the employee slapped his back and said, Youre going to kill women. But as the nation absorbed the gravity of the moment the rare occasion when the court has taken away a constitutional right there were scenes of doubt, nuance and sometimes a desire to find middle ground, or at least understand those with different and deeply held views. At the service at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville on Sunday morning with her husband and 5-month-old daughter, Katie Fullan said she supported the courts decision. But I had mixed feelings too, she said. I have a lot of friends, co-workers, neighbors who feel very distressed by it, and I feel like I really sympathize with them and understand where they are coming from. Image Katie Fullan and her husband, Michael Fullan, walking into Mass with their daughter at Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. Credit... Laura Thompson for The New York Times And while she supported the states decision to ban abortion, she thought it also needed to pass laws for paid maternity leave, subsidized child care and financial support for food and housing for those who need it. Many of the reasons women feel like they need abortion is because of the lack of support for raising children, Ms. Fullan said. The hardships that come with pregnancy and recovery, thats going to be hard even with paid health care and paid child care. At the Brethren Church on a rural highway in Jefferson Township, Ohio, the congregation is split roughly half between Black and white members, with a handful of Latino congregants. Part of the service is delivered in Spanish. And while the churchs stances have historically been progressive, the membership prides itself on nurturing a diversity of views. I am totally for the Supreme Court verdict, I dont believe in harming innocent children, said Sharon Sampson. Terri Griffith said: I am very disillusioned. This Supreme Court is dangerous. Yet those on opposite sides had worshiped together and shared in the potluck after the service. Jan Putrell, 68, was also there. While she described herself as a radical progressive on many social issues, she said abortion didnt fit the easy categories that some do. We need a time of discernment, she said, to reflect on the verdict. Reporting was contributed by Jamie McGee, David Montgomery, Kevin Williams, Holly Secon, Luke Vander Ploeg , Sydney Cromwell and Ben Fenwick Planned Parenthood Association of Utah filed a lawsuit on Saturday seeking to block the states ban on abortion, which came into effect after the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Utah has outlawed abortion, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the woman, becoming one of eight states to have an abortion ban take effect on Friday after the court rescinded the constitutional right to an abortion. Several more bans are expected to take effect in the coming days and weeks. The lawsuit in Utah argues that the states ban violates several provisions in the State Constitution, including the right to determine family composition and the right to equality between the sexes. Russian-operated tanker to sail to Piraeus after moored off Greek island for days Xinhua) 11:07, June 26, 2022 ATHENS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Russian-operated and Iranian-flagged tanker "Lana" was expected to sail in coming hours to Piraeus port after being moored off the island of Evia since mid-April, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Saturday. Following a legal dispute, the vessel's owners paid their debts to a towage company that had provided services when the vessel faced an engine problem in April and was towed to safety, AMNA reported. A new certificate of seaworthiness was expected to be issued by the monitoring classification society before Lana can be released, according to the same report. The vessel which was carrying 104,134 tons of Iranian crude, according to AMNA, had been seized by local authorities following a U.S. judicial request for the confiscation of part of its cargo. A Greek court ruled against the seizure of the oil a few weeks ago. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday announced an additional USD 1 billion to the USD 3 billion already committed by China to the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund as he held a high-level dialogue on global development in virtual format, a day after hosting the 14th BRICS summit. China will allocate more resources for global development cooperation, Xi told the meeting. We will upgrade the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and add USD 1 billion to the fund on top of the USD 3 billion already committed, he said.We will also increase input to the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund he said, adding that such efforts will further support cooperation under the Global Development Initiative (GDI) initiated by him earlier. For the third day on Friday, Xi who hosted the 14th BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) on Wednesday and Thursday, attacked the US for sanctions against Russia in the ongoing Ukraine war and forming new alliances to contain China. The protectionist policies will boomerang. Anyone attempting to form exclusive blocs will end up isolating himself; maximum sanctions serve nobody's interest, and practices of decoupling and supply disruption are neither feasible nor sustainable, he said. He also said development is being politicised and marginalised by some countries that are forming "small yards with high fences," imposing maximum sanctions, and deliberately creating division and confrontation. His criticism against US, EU sanctions was the dominant theme of his speeches at the BRICS Business Forum on Wednesday and the 14th BRICS summit on Thursday. It is important that we pursue development in real earnest and build an open world economy, and shape a global governance system and institutional environment that are more just and equitable, he said. He called for jointly fostering global development partnership. Developed countries should fulfil their obligations, developing countries should deepen cooperation, and the South and the North should meet each other halfway, Xi said. Recalling his experience of working as a farmer in a small village in China in the 1960s, Xi said there I experienced first-hand the hardships in farming and saw how the local people struggled to make ends meet. Half a century later, I revisited the village and found the villagers no longer in want of food or clothing, as evidenced by the happy smiles on their faces, he said, stressing placing development at the centre of the international agenda. Xi called for implementing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and building a political consensus that development is valued by all people and cooperation is jointly pursued by all countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has eroded the gains of global development over the past many years, and the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been confronted with headwinds, Xi said. Meanwhile, people around the world have even stronger aspirations for peace, development and cooperation, with the emerging markets and developing countries firming up the resolve to stay united and seek self-strengthening, he added. Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city that became emblematic of the savagery of Russias military campaign, is now suffering deeply under Russian rule, according to the citys mayor. The city of 120,000 captive residents has no working sewage system or drinking water, the mayor, Vadym Boychenko, said in a Telegram post this week that described mountains of uncollected trash and a flood of garbage overrunning the streets. He expressed concern that Mariupol could be on the brink of a new disaster of disease, citing the spread of cholera and dysentery and noting frequent burials throughout the city. Russia shelled the city ruthlessly almost from the first minute of its invasion, killing thousands of civilians and Ukrainian fighters. Then, in mid-May, Russian forces crushed the citys last military resistance in the underground bunkers at a vast steel complex. This week, a Turkish cargo ship became the first to set sail from the Russian-occupied port. UZHGOROD, Ukraine As intense battles raged in eastern Ukraine and Russian forces pressed to cut off the supply lines for thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, Moscow unleashed more than 40 missiles on targets across the country on Saturday morning, including in areas in the north and west that have been largely spared in recent weeks. The barrage, which officials say was fired from Belarusian airspace and which appeared to hit mostly military installations, was a stark reminder of the vulnerability of cities across Ukraine. It also spotlighted the escalation in Russian air attacks in recent weeks. Even in western and northern regions where the wail of air alarms had become more sporadic in recent weeks, they rang out five times in less than 48 hours to signal that missiles had been fired within striking distance, a noticeable uptick in intensity. DRUZHKIVKA, Ukraine Ukraines decision to retreat from Sievierodonetsk, a strategic city in the countrys east, hands Russia another victory in its grinding campaign to seize the Donbas region. But the battle for Lysychansk, the city across the Siversky Donets River, is far from over, as Ukrainian officials signaled their forces would pull back in order to retrench and take advantage of the higher ground on that side of the river. The fight for the second of the twin cities covers a slice of territory now roughly 15 miles wide and three-quarters surrounded by Russian forces. The battle for the area, which has come to be known as the Sievierodonetsk pocket, has entered a new phase as Russian troops move to encircle Lysychansk. The Booth family, by and large, proved more easily moved when it came to the metaphysical. Their patriarch, Junius Brutus Booth, one of the most famed thespians of his day, was also famously peculiar, a man who held funerals for pigeons and once dug up his daughters grave and attempted to revive her by sucking out her impure blood. Several sons succeeded him in his career path, and his idiosyncrasies: Edwin had an abiding fear of ivy vines and peacock feathers; Joe, the youngest, once absconded to Australia without warning, then spent years there on some kind of vision quest. As for Lincolns eventual killer? His mind was a haunted house, according to one contemporary journalist quoted here. But even Alford, whose 2015 book, Fortunes Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth, was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, never really roots out the source of the mania that turned a celebrated performer of no particular political will or creed (though he really seemed to hate house cats) into a foaming radical willing not just to die for the Southern cause, but to unseat democracy. Booths fanatical conviction that Lincoln had kingly designs on a dictatorship and that he alone could stop it somehow managed to pass, it seems, as one more quirk of an artistic temperament. Whimsy is one thing for an actor; its another altogether for a sitting president. And the cool logic of a trained attorney (not impulsive, fanciful or imaginative, but cold, calm, precise and exact, according to his longtime law partner) did seem to live incongruously alongside an almost primal set of superstitions; unlucky numbers, for example, worried Lincoln so much that he once reportedly refused to be seated 13th at a table. News of quirks like those were manna to his enemies, who envisioned a daft administration run by a rapping table: No need for a constitution when it tapped, thumped and banged out orders from Hannibal and Attila the Hun that were the new law of the land. Not exactly Nancy Reagan divining foreign policy from her astrologer, maybe, but not far off. Beyond the prospect of dinner-party amusement or indulging his increasingly mercurial wife, though, Lincoln had at least one good reason to want to believe: the loss of his favorite child, Willie, a noble, beautiful boy whose death from typhoid at the tender age of 11 left both Lincolns bereft. Set against the wider landscape of a Civil War whose mass casualties were already carving deep wounds in a poisonously divided nation, is it any wonder he sought comfort in the supernatural, or at least the clever performance of it? Romance has been understandably reluctant to put the pandemic on the page. A handful of authors have tried, but audience reaction has been decidedly negative. It seems that acknowledging Covid torpedoes the sense of escapism people are hungry for. But Mia Hopkinss Eastside Brewery series, begun in 2018, has never shied from difficult realities. Two of the three Rosas brothers are ex-felons, with all the social and emotional baggage that entails. In this latest installment, TANKED (Little Stone, ebook, $4.99), Angel, the youngest, has become involved in the world of illegal underground fights. He battles out of trauma a lonely childhood spent, in large part, with an abusive uncle and to ensure hes never left defenseless again. Our heroine, Deanna, is a social worker whose last relationship ended when her ex turned violent, so she has more than enough reason to distrust a man who fights for a living. Life was hard for both of them long before the pandemic made everything worse. In Tanked, were galaxies away from the glamour of ballrooms and boardrooms: Hopkinss characters live in a Los Angeles that Angel describes bluntly as a cold gray world. Angel fears for the future of his brothers brewery business, and Deanna starts the book being laid off from her job. Meanwhile, the pandemic has infiltrated daily life: Rapid tests are taken, masks are worn, loved ones who test positive have to isolate in a cloud of dread and fear. It is a very real narrative grind that echoes what life demands of people right now, in this country, in this moment. But there is little hard evidence to suggest that safety technologies have prevented or mitigated catastrophic school events like mass shootings, according to a 2016 report on school safety technology by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. There can be a tendency to grab the latest technology and make it appear that you are doing something really protective and very innovative, said Brian Casey, the technology director at Stevens Point Area Public School District in Wisconsin. We really have to take a step back and look at it and say: What benefit are we getting out of this? And whats the cost? Civil liberty experts warn that the spread of surveillance technologies like gun detectors may make some students feel less safe. They say the tools also do nothing to address what many consider to be the underlying causes of school shootings: the widespread availability of assault weapons and a national mental health crisis. Much of this tech serves the function of a distraction, said Chris Harris, the policy director for the Austin Justice Coalition, a racial justice group in Texas. Wesley Watts, the superintendent of West Baton Rouge Parish Schools, a district in Louisiana with about 4,200 students, said that creating a supportive school culture was more important for safety than security technology. Even so, certain tools may give schools an extra layer of security, he said. His district recently began using video analysis from a start-up called ZeroEyes that scans school camera feeds, looking for guns. The company, founded by U.S. military veterans, said it used so-called machine learning to train its system to recognize about 300 types of assault rifles and other firearms. Since October 2020, Just the Pill has provided more than 2,500 telemedicine consultations with doctors to supply abortion pills by mail to patients in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana and Wyoming. Within a few days, it plans to deploy in Colorado the first of what will become a fleet of mobile clinics to park along state borders, providing consultations for medication abortions and dispensing pills, said Dr. Julie Amaon, the organizations medical director. Called Abortion Delivered, the clinic-on-wheels program, which will also provide surgical abortions for patients who prefer it or are too far along in pregnancy for a medication abortion, is designed to reach patients from nearby states like Texas, Oklahoma and South Dakota that quickly outlawed abortion after the court decision, as well as other states like Utah that are expected to ban or sharply restrict abortion. By operating on state borders, we will reduce travel burdens for patients in states with bans or severe limits, Dr. Amaon said. And by moving beyond a traditional brick-and-mortar clinic, our mobile clinics can quickly adapt to the courts, state legislatures, and the markets, going wherever the need is. Similar medication abortion providers are also planning for an influx. Hey Jane, an organization that has served nearly 10,000 patients in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, New York and Washington, plans to expand to more states. Weve ramped up our team to accommodate this significant increase in demand, said its chief executive, Kiki Freedman. Anti-abortion groups are trying to counter the rise in interest in medication abortion by claiming it is unsafe, calling it chemical abortion. James Studnicki, vice president of data analytics at Charlotte Lozier Institute, an arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said on Friday that the safety of the abortion pill is greatly exaggerated, and called the rise in medication abortion a serious public health threat. Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. The party had already started by the time I arrived in Monowi, Nebraskas one-woman town, last summer. I eased into the crowded parking lot of the Monowi Tavern after a solitary, 200-mile drive from the Omaha airport. Nearby, a streetlight cast a warm glow over the remnants of the towns abandoned general store, which had recently collapsed. Not much had changed since my first visit to Monowi nearly two decades earlier. Inside the tavern, residents from neighboring farms and towns the closest is seven miles away joined visitors from across the country to celebrate the bars 50th anniversary. Most had known each other for as long as they could remember. They toasted Elsie Eiler, the sole resident of Monowi, who had run the bar since 1971. The town is an anomaly: Elsie is the mayor and tax collector, in addition to being the cook and bartender at the tavern. Monowi continues to exist only because Elsie files the required county and state paperwork every year. Image 3 Things Dear Diary: I was on the subway on a service-change, midsummer Saturday. An ad hoc committee had formed in the car I was on. We were debating where the woman sitting next to me should transfer to get to the Brooklyn Museum. After deciding which stop made the most sense, she and I talked about our lives as we made our way there. She had lived in New York for over 50 years. I had just moved back after a year away. She had done IT work for a firm based in Germany, and I worked in technology, too. When we got to where she would transfer, I got off with her and we waited for the next train together. I wondered whether anyone thought we were grandmother and grandson, rather than strangers who had met just 20 minutes before on a rerouted D. When I mentioned that I had just gone through a breakup, she told me that in bad moments I needed to tell myself three things: I love you. Ill take care of you. Ill never leave you. Theres an inherent connection between queer liberation and the ruling, she said, and because of that its really important for people to enjoy what theyre going to do this weekend and not be drowned out by fear. She said the diversity of New York City Pride is empowering because of the visibility it offers. Theres a sense of anything possible in New York, theres so many identities here, she said. But she said she worried that the court decision would affect how women everywhere view themselves: You cant reach your full potential if you perceive yourself as second-class citizen. Steps away from the Stonewall Inn, Jauger Scott stood on Sunday afternoon in a leopard-print button-down shirt and sunglasses, reflecting on the importance of the gay bar in Greenwich Village and the men who had fought for gay rights before him. We had to fight and were still fighting for more freedom, said Mr. Scott, 67, who lives in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn. As a kid, I would sit there and imagine what life would be like if I could just be me. He added, This building represents all of that, of that journey we all went on to get here. Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor on Friday said the year 2022 is turning out to be a memorable one for him as he tied the knot with Alia Bhatt and now has two back-to-back films lined up for release. At a press conference here, Kapoor was asked if his two movies "Shamshera" and "Brahmastra: Part One Shiva" are a wedding gift to his fans. "It is a very big year for me. It is a great year for me, I got married, it is a beautiful thing that has happened in my life," Kapoor told reporters. The 39-year-old actor then referred to a dialogue from his 2013 "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani". "I used to say, in my films, that shaadi (marriage) is like dal chawal for pachaas saal (50 years) till you die. Arey life mein thoda bahut kheema pav, tangdi kebab, hakka noodles bhi hona chahiye na. "But after my experiences in life, I can say dal-chawal is the best. My life with Alia is the best. My life has dal chawal with tadka, pickle and onions, it has everything. So, I couldn't have asked for a better life partner, Kapoor said. The Bollywood star married Bhatt, 29, in an intimate wedding ceremony in April this year. The actor said Bhatt has seen the teaser of "Shamshera" but she is yet to watch the trailer of the movie, as she is in London. Bhatt is currently shooting for her Hollywood debut film "Heart of Stone", which features Gal Gadot. The spy film is directed by Tom Harper. Kapoor, whose last release was 2018's "Sanju", assured fans that he will be seen in more films now. "I have to do a lot of work now, first I was working for myself, now I want to make my family and work for my family," the actor said. Also starring Sanjay Dutt and Vaani Kapoor, "Shamshera" is directed by Karan Malhotra and backed by Yash Raj Films. The movie is set to hit the theatres in IMAX on July 22 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. NNNN A grocery store worker on Staten Island was arrested on Sunday after smacking Rudolph W. Giuliani on the back while the former mayor campaigned on behalf of his son, a Republican candidate for governor, according to the police and Mr. Giuliani. In a brief interview, Mr. Giuliani said he was walking through a ShopRite grocery store in the Charleston neighborhood with supporters when the employee disparaged him and slapped his back, then made an apparent reference to abortion. The one thing he said that was political was youre going to kill women, youre going to kill women, said Mr. Giuliani, who said he understood the remark to be about the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday. FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. Before he goes out to hunt, Brian Leydet pulls on his hiking boots and his all-white jumpsuit, fetches a homemade flannel flag out of his car and then, most importantly, duct-tapes his socks to his pant legs. Then he heads into the undergrowth, dragging his flag around like a morose matador. He has no lure, but needs none: Mr. Leydets quarry is quick to attach to the white flannel, using its tiny hooks on their legs to grab hold as it seeks its own prey a warm-blooded host on which to feed. I am literally the bait, he said. He found a female black-legged tick almost immediately. Mr. Leydet allowed it to crawl across his hand, with a sense of appreciation for his prey. Among the lines that stay with me: Quoting from Stromans legal team, There is nothing illogical about a system where society does not always fulfill the victims desire for revenge, but always respects the victims desire for mercy. Blooms memoir may seem to have little in common with the other two. But Americas indifference toward those suffering at the end of their lives offers a startling contrast to those waiting out their attenuated lives on death row. In January 2020, Bloom accompanied her 66-year-old husband, Brian, recently diagnosed with Alzheimers, to Zurich, the only place in the world where Americans can travel for a painless, peaceful and legal suicide. The few places in the United States where assisted suicide is allowed impose restrictions so exacting they are difficult for people in state, and often nearly impossible for anyone out of state, to meet. Brians death comes at his own wish and by his own hand, and while marked by grief, theres nothing unwanted about it. This, I thought while reading, is how its done and yet we cannot do it this way, here in America. Among the lines that stay with me: Quoting a doctor, When any kind of right-to-die legislation is proposed the opposition shows up with 10 million dollars as soon as its about your right to choose. At our worst, we ourselves display an undeniable strain of mercilessness, in ways that have come to pervade our culture. Minor mistakes are taken as capital offenses. Apologies are often forced and true forgiveness, rare. In the push to identify and condemn an enemy, we fail to allow for people to make amends. The drive toward justice and accountability too often veers toward blame, retribution and abnegation. Well, then I wont end here with more blame. It would be inaccurate, in any case, to pin these policies entirely on the American people when polls suggest that most wouldnt choose these arrangements. A majority of Americans, 72 percent as of 2018, support euthanasia, and 65 percent as of 2018 support physician-assisted suicide. Around six in 10 Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. A minority about 39 percent but still a sizable number of Americans, oppose the death penalty. Yet majorities concede that innocent people might be killed and that in practice, the current system is racist. With this deep interdependence that we all share come obligations to one another. We do not always choose the ways our bodies are dependent on others. And we often do not choose the obligations placed on our lives by others who are dependent on us. Covid threw into sharp relief ways that our bodies and our bodily health depend on the choices of other people. Ive criticized those on the right for casting a choice about whether to get a Covid vaccine as entirely an individual decision. This kind of individualistic rhetoric is the very logic of autonomy that people can do what they want with their own bodies without regarding their obligations to others. But human bodies, unlike machines, simply arent autonomous. Our choices about our own bodies impact the bodies around us. 3. The pressing issue when it comes to abortion is whether championing bodily autonomy requires us to override or undo biological realities. In the Dobbs oral arguments, Julie Rikelman described what women experience if they lack access to abortion: Allowing a state to take control of a womans body and force her to undergo the physical demands, risks and life-altering consequences of pregnancy is a fundamental deprivation of her liberty. But is restricting abortion the same thing as forced gestation? Is it correct to compare abortion restrictions to a state taking control of a womans body and a deprivation of liberty? Whatever one thinks sex is and what it is for whether a sacred act or a mere recreational pleasure all of us can agree that sex is the only human activity that has the power to create life and that every potentially procreative sexual act therefore carries some level of risk that pregnancy could occur. (Birth control significantly lessens this risk but does not entirely take it away since birth control methods can fail.) Yet, the state does not impose this risk of producing human life; biology does. Except in the horrible circumstances of rape or incest, which account for 1 percent of abortions, women and men both have bodily agency and choices about whether they will have sex and therefore if they are willing to accept the risk of new life inherent in it. Our bodies undeniably place a disproportional burden on women in reproduction. There is an inescapable asymmetry in male and female bodies when it comes to making and carrying life. To address the particular difficulty that pregnancy places on women, we need to hold fathers more responsible through child support laws. And we need to create a culture that does not shame women for unintended pregnancies but supports them through pro-women policies like paid parental leave, access to affordable child care, free health care and other measures. Yet, the state, in the end, cannot and ought not entirely rescue us from the known realities of human biology. A sperm and an egg unite to grow into a human inside the body of a woman. The state doesnt force this to happen any more than it forces aging or forces weight loss from exercise or forces lungs to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. [MUSIC] ezra klein Im Ezra Klein. This is The Ezra Klein Show. On Friday, June 24, a Supreme Court majority voted to overturn Roe v Wade. I am recording this on Saturday evening, and abortion is now banned in at least nine states. More likely to follow in the coming days. The way to understand this moment goes beyond any one case. This is a moment of legal regime change. This has made clearest in a concurring opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts. He charges its really an extraordinary document. He charges the other five Republican appointees with abandoning judicial restraint. He writes quote, If it is not necessary to decide more to dispose of a case, then it is necessary not to decide more. Perhaps were not always perfect and following that command, and certainly, there are cases that warrant an exception, but this is not one of them. There are now six Republican appointees on the Supreme Court to three Democratic appointees. That is true despite Republicans losing the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. The Supreme Court is our least Democratic branch, but it has become unbelievably undemocratic, maybe even anti-democratic. Now you might imagine that this would lead to a certain modesty among the Republican majority, but it has not. The core of this ruling, if you read it, is not just about abortion. It is an argument about how this court will wield its power going forward. And the majority opinion is explicit repeatedly on this point. They write quote, We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences such as concern about the publics reaction to our work. The Republican-appointed justices who now control the court they will remake this country as they see fit. They already are. Im joined today by Dahlia Lithwick. She covers the Supreme Court for Slate, she hosts the legal podcast Amicus. shes a person I turn to whenever I need to understand the court, and she brings her clarity and passion in spades here today. As always, my email is ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. Dahlia Lithwick, welcome to the show. dahlia lithwick Thank you for having me. ezra klein So let me ask you something blunt to start. Is it a waste of both of our time for me to ask you a bunch of questions about Justice Alitos legal reasoning here? Five justices believe abortion is wrong. Roe is wrong. And they had the power to do something about it, and so they did it. Am I actually missing anything with an explanation that centers power and ideology rather than constitutional reasoning? dahlia lithwick My sense of this is, having covered the court, this is, I guess my 22nd term and for almost everyone until this one, it was kind of there was a little bit of mystery in it and often that was because throughout my career, whether it was Sandra Day OConnor or Anthony Kennedy, that center of the court was in play. As soon as Amy Coney Barrett comes onto the court and John Roberts is no longer determinative of anything, and lets be clear, his concurrence today really shows that he is now kind of constitutionally irrelevant to the majority of the court. But as soon as there stop being any doubt about what you were going to get, the court could have done a whole bunch of things, some of which are just optics and appearances, some of which are genuine efforts to say were going to pump the brakes. Were not going to make it look like this is an enterprise that is about raw power. There were a hundred different ways and by the way, Chief Justice John Roberts is a master of the game of either saying that youre doing something without doing something or saying youre not doing something with doing it or doing it kind of small and then doing it big the next time or pretending that you already did it and finding it you know, this is the thing he does. It is his M.O. And the fact that none of that matters to the other five conservatives on the court, theres no need anymore to worry about appearances. Theres no need to do what Roberts would propose doing, which is lets do the 15-week ban that Mississippi is asking for. And in two years, well come back, and well take the eight-week ban, and then we can do the personhood thing. Itll look good. Theres no interest in that anymore. And so I think two things have happened. One, stipulated, now this is purely instrumental. This is purely power. We have the six votes. You do not. But two, underneath that, there are 1,000 mechanisms that the court can deploy to kind of razzle-dazzle you so that it doesnt look like its straight-up power. But the minute Amy Coney Barrett is flying to the Mitch McConnell Center and standing next to him and giving a speech about how the court isnt partisan, or the minute the court is dropping opinions on the quote-unquote shadow docket that have no reasoning and are not signed, the court is doing everything it can do to not kind of cater to those niceties and those appearances. So in some sense, I guess Im describing a double barrel problem. One is that it is raw power, and on that, you are diagnostically correct. The other is the majority does not care that we see that. I will say one doctrinal thing before we completely walk away from Justice Alitos opinion, and that is I think it matters because I think that there are two kind of chilling theres a lot that is chilling about this, Ezra, but two of the things that I think are chilling are the way the court disposes of precedent and stare decisis. And so I think I guess I would say it matters not so much because we should care about the doctrine, but I think that if we follow the breadcrumbs, it matters because it tells us what could come next. ezra klein Yeah, I think thats a really good way of putting that. So lets get into the regimes here. I think for a lot of people, what they understood yesterday was that Roe makes abortion to some degree legal in this country and protected by the Constitution, and as of today, something has changed. So lets actually go through the regimes. What did Roe make constitutional unconstitutional? How did Casey modify that? And then how does Dobbs change all that? dahlia lithwick Well, Roe essentially built on a set of protections that in some sense, I think you know, Justice Alito, and this was, by the way, the same sets of protections if you were listening to the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings, you heard John Cornyn and Marsha Blackburn sort of describe, oh, these unenumerated rights theyre sort of made out of like peanut butter and cotton candy, and theres nothing there. But actually, theres a really, really robust set of rights that is not in the Bill of Rights. Its lashed to the sort of liberty interests that are fleshed out with the 14th Amendment. And this is a set of rights, and its so important to understand this, and in some sense, so frustrating the Democrats at those Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings didnt argue this. Theyre actually definitional when you were trying to think about what it meant to emancipate former slaves, because if you were former slaves and suddenly you were free, all of the free speech rights in the world and all of the right to bear arms in the world, even using a militia clause, all of those rights are meaningless if you do not have, fundamentally, bodily autonomy and family autonomy. And so when you look at the drafting of the 14th Amendment and so much of this history, I just want to point to Peggy Cooper Davis, who has done amazing scholarship. Try to put meat on the bones of what it meant to truly be free. And what they were doing when they were thinking about the sort of liberty interest protected by the 14th Amendment that the rest of the Constitution didnt get at, it was the idea that if somebody can rape your wife, you are not free. If families could be separated, if your children could be sold into slavery over your objections, you were not free. If husbands and wives were treated as chattel and they were economic instrumentalities, but they were not, in fact, a family unit, they were not free. And theres amazing, heartbreakingly beautiful language about trying to enforce that idea that the cornerstone of freedom is the ability to define what a family is, to marry who you love, to raise children as you see fit. And if this all sounds still like peanut butter and cotton candy, I would just say that the whole line of cases that follows that Myers, Pierce, a whole bunch of cases that have to do with how your children are educated, how they are raised, in some sense, it has its apogee in Loving v. Virginia, the anti-miscegenation case that says you cannot be free if you cannot construct the family that you want to construct. And all of that becomes this kind of unenumerated rights substantive due process. Its so fundamental to what it meant to be free, and to suggest that, oh, you know Griswold v. Connecticut was invented out of plain air by these weird hippie justices who wanted to give people the right to use contraception is to ignore all of that framing language and ideology about what the 14th Amendment sought to protect in terms of what your liberty interests were. And I just say that because if you think about what it means in Griswold v. Connecticut to be able to use birth control within your marriage, what it means in Roe v. Wade to be able to determine how many children you will have and when you will have them and all the economic valences that go with that what it means in Obergefell to be able to marry the person that you love all of those things are weirdly the same rights that people who are now objecting to critical race theory in the classroom or sex education in the classroom are objecting to. And so its sort of like if you peel away the notion of the family unit, bodily integrity, family autonomy and the ability to sort of direct your life choices about how you structure your family, if you peel it out of the Roe context its weirdly a right that John Cornyn and Marsha Blackburn would privilege above all else. And so thats my very long-winded way of saying that what Griswold and Roe tried to protect, and, yes, theres penumbras and emanations and the Ninth Amendment and the Fifth Amendment, and its complicated, but it was trying to give force to this idea that if you cannot construct your family as you see fit, you cannot be free. And so what Roe essentially did is that before Roe, it was a matter of which states allowed it. What Roe determined was that you had a right to terminate a pregnancy. And they had this tricky trimester system, right. And heres where Justice Blackmun, who had been talking to the Mayo Clinic, goes super wonky and medical. But he created this three-trimester framework and essentially said that within that three-trimester framework, the line would be something like fetal viability. And up until the point that a fetus is viable, you put a thumb on the scale for the interests of the mother. And after viability, the state has a whole bunch of interests in supporting the life of the baby. And so Roe was meant to be a compromise, where you were balancing those interests. And Casey, essentially in 1992, built on that and scuppered the three-trimester framework and said thats crazy and kind of anachronistic and doesnt work, but nevertheless used this benchmark of viability and said you cannot put an undue burden on a womans right to choose. And really truly, I think maybe the most essential thing I can say is that Casey, faced with the opportunity of overturning Roe, we had three Republican-appointed justices, David Souter, Sandra Day OConnor and Anthony Kennedy, who said you know what, were not going to overturn Roe. Were going to uphold Roe even though we kind of dont love it. Were going to uphold it because the reputational interests of the court would be so damaged if the composition of the court led us to a different outcome just because of whos on the court. So in a weird way, Casey was a compromise by Republican-appointed justices, saying people have relied on this, theyve ordered their lives around this. Were going to just live with it changing the test somewhat. Theres also some description in the opinion of womens economic interests, their interests in being able to participate in the economy, and in being breadwinners. So by the time Casey comes along, the justices hold their nose and say, look, everybody relies on this. This is the law of the land, and it was chipped away in certain contexts, but essentially, that was the law until yesterday. ezra klein I want to go back to a case you mentioned because it plays into this one interestingly. So you mentioned Loving, which is the case that finds a right to interracial marriage. And that comes up here because across Alitos argument, he makes this argument that if a right cannot be found in either the history of the United States, if you cant see it having been widely adopted in our past, and it is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, it really doesnt exist. At that point, you have no reason to say thats a right, not something that should be decided by legislatures. And the dissent written by Justices Breyer and Kagan and Sotomayor bring up Loving and say if you apply that test to Loving, then you have no basis for finding that right. And I thought that was a very sharp way of prying apart what it is the conservatives were saying here. And I want to see if you could build that out a bit. dahlia lithwick Yeah, I mean, I think they are saying that initial point that I made to you, which is, if you take Justice Alito at his word and if the only test is whether a right was quote, deeply rooted in the history and tradition or some deeply rooted notion of the sense of ordered liberty those are the tests hes using, then you cannot pluck out Roe and Casey without plucking out all the other cases in that basket of an enumerated family autonomy dignity rights. And so what theyre essentially saying is if you mean what you say here and then you turn around and try to cabin it and say, oh, this doesnt actually affect Loving, this doesnt affect Griswold, this doesnt affect Lawrence, the anti-sodomy laws, this doesnt affect Obergefell, the marriage equality laws, then youre just asking us to take you at your word that theyre different. And I think what theyre trying to say is you either mean it when you say that some stare decisis matters more than others, or this is just pulling out this one Jenga piece, this is pulling out Roe and assuring us that the rest of the Jenga Hubble stays intact but of course Loving, of course, Griswold would be the next to fall. ezra klein Theres an argument that Alito and the majority make, which is that Roe itself shouldnt be understood as legal reasoning. From the conservative perspective, that too was either raw exercise of power, or at least, of judicial overreach. And the majority rights quote, The scheme Roe produced looked like legislation, and the court provided the sort of explanation that might be expected from a legislative body. And so their argument is that they are just taking this out of the hands of the unelected Supreme Court and giving it back to the people and their elected representatives. That it shouldnt be the court legislating. It should be legislators legislating. Whats wrong with that reasoning? dahlia lithwick I mean, I think it would be vastly more persuasive had it not been completely subverted only one day earlier with the courts guns ruling and Bruen. In Bruen, what the Court says is no, this is not going to be decided state by state. This is not going to be decided at the ballot box. When we say that the right to keep and bear arms means that you can concealed carry in New York without getting a license under this sort of ambiguous test, what we mean is we are not leaving that to the vagaries of the New York legislature or the California legislature to determine. And so I think it goes to your very, very first question about how absolutely ends driven this is because the court literally used the opposite logic in Bruen and said, well, its entirely true that there wasnt an individual right to bear arms until 2008 in Heller, which comes a lot later than Roe v. Wade, but its so fundamental now that it cannot be left to the elected branches and we cannot leave the poor people in New York to the tender mercies of their state legislature or licensing schemes. And so I think its just a really, to me, holding those two cases together coming 24 hours apart, you can sort of see the flaw with the argument. Now I take their point, which is if you simply define rights to mean that, oh, we went back and we looked at all the history in each of these cases, by the way, is an exhaustive jaunt through centuries of history cherry-picked, I think in both majorities to make the point. But if you get to the point where you say, oh, heres the deal, when we look at all of the history and pull the bits of it that we like and then we say, no, actually, we didnt invent an individual right to bear arms in Heller. That was always there, even though it wasnt there. But you invented a right to have bodily autonomy and liberty and freedom to arrange your family as you see fit, that was invented out of whole cloth in Roe, then it seems to me that if you set it up so that youve determined what you think to be deeply rooted in the history and tradition or a sense of ordered liberty, you can kind of have that outcome derive the way you do your history. And I think one of the real questions that comes up in the dissent is, actually no, some liberties are not just to be determined at the ballot box. Some liberties are absolutely fundamental, and we dont want to have it be different in Louisiana than it is in New York, which is, by the way, exactly the argument that the court had deployed the day before when they handed down the guns case. [MUSIC] ezra klein So weve touched this question of stare decisis, and I really want to spend some time here because I think from the outside to a normal person, this all looks like a debate over rights. Is there a right to abortion? But I dont really think thats true or at least not the main thing being debated inside these decisions because if it was, there sort of be nothing to debate. The conservative justices just believe abortion is wrong, that theres no right to it, and thats that. But Chief Justice Roberts opinion, the majority opinion, the dissent are very, very centrally concerned with this question of stare decisis. So lets begin here. Can you just say what it means? dahlia lithwick I mean, stare decisis is a legal principle that says that the law is the law, doctrine is doctrine, and the composition of the court cannot willy-nilly drive reversals in what the law is. And theres a kind of an elaborate set of values that the court looks at. How workable is the doctrine? Have people relied on the doctrine? Theres chunks of it that the court uses to analyze it. But the general principle is that people organize their lives around court decisions, and it would really suck if a couple of retirements in a couple of appointments mean that the law is different. ezra klein I think its worth for a second trying to look at this with non-legal eyes because, in a way, its a very weird principle. I mean, imagine youre a Supreme Court justice. You think theres that ruling was really wrong. You were nominated and appointed to the court by people who think this or that ruling was really wrong. Thats partially why they nominated you. And youre not supposed to do anything about it. And not because you dont have the power, but because theres this norm or semi-rule that you shouldnt do it except only in extreme circumstances. Isnt that actually strange? How have we gotten people to abide by it, more or less? dahlia lithwick Well, I think its part of the bargain of how it is, and this goes to and I know weve had this conversation you and I but how we, I dont know, mollify ourselves, delude ourselves, soothe ourselves into thinking that the court is not a purely political branch. And theres a whole bunch of again tricks and tips that the justices deploy to do that. They wear black robes. They show their work. They tell us time and time again that theyre just umpires that there is nothing partisan or political. Justice Stephen Breyer just wrote this book saying were different. Were not a political branch. ezra klein The worse timed book. dahlia lithwick Yeah, and if you read the dissent through the eyes of that book, it is doubly heartbreaking, Ezra, because it just feels like the footnote he never wanted to write to that book. ezra klein I knew afterward: my book was wrong. dahlia lithwick Whoops by Stephen Breyer. But I do think, in a profound way, one of the bargains is you, the American people believe that we are different. And in exchange for that, we do certain things for you, like showing our work and trying to be reasoned and trying to be principled and trying to hold ourselves above politics. And one of those things that we do is called stare decisis because otherwise, its just pure power, and that looks bad. And so, I think in a way, I guess it dovetails with the very, very first question you launched into, which is stare decisis, one of those complicated fictions that the court deploys in order to have the American people abide by its decisions knowing that we knew we were going to get Federalist Papers but knowing that the court has no other power neither the purse or the sword? What they have is public legitimacy. And I think stare decisis in this cynical construction is a way of saying dont freak out because its all going to kind of stayed the same. And if it changes, its going to change in a kind of iterative organic forward-moving way, not slashing and burning whats come before. And so I think on this one front, again, the hero of the story in some sense is Clarence Thomas because hes always been very clear. He just doesnt believe in stare decisis for the reasons you laid out. Hes like, if its wrong, its wrong and it should be overturned. But I think in many, many ways, I mean, this is the same Clarence Thomas, who in his dissent says, oh, by the way, let me be clear, Im coming for Obergefell. And let me be clear, Im coming for Lawrence. Let me be clear that Im coming for Griswold. In a sense, Clarence Thomas is so good at saying the quiet parts loud that when he says what you just said, which is this is just kind of a dumb fiction that soothes people but doesnt really allow the court to get it right or do error correction, hes the only person whos been that open about it. And in an interesting way, thats really clear in his dissent today too. ezra klein Yeah, his dissent is very darkly amusing. You can imagine the other conservatives who think, can you not shut up for five minutes and not say the quiet part out loud? Can you just let us get this thing youve always wanted to get done done? dahlia lithwick And I should say its a concurrence. Let me say it because weve both said dissent. But in his concurrence. ezra klein Oh, Im sorry. dahlia lithwick We both did. ezra klein Dissenting from this one part. But, yes, its a concurrence. Hes part of the majority opinion. But I do want to read to you from the majority opinion here because I think that even beyond overturning Roe and Casey, and you talked about this earlier, perhaps the most important thing that the opinion talks about is the majoritys approach to stare decisis. The majority acknowledges that quote, There is a special danger that the public will perceive a decision as having been made for unprincipled reasons when the court overrules a controversial watershed decision such as Roe. But then they go on to say, We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences, such as concern about the publics reaction to our work. And that almost read to me a statement of purpose for this court. What does it actually mean for the Supreme Court to say, hey, were done with extraneous concerns? Were done worrying about public opinion. Weve got the keys to this thing, and were going to drive it like we stole it. dahlia lithwick Its so interesting, and again its in such contrast to the solicitude that you see in those last lines of the dissent where you really see the three dissenters, and they wrote this dissent together essentially saying you are giving up the hard-fought legitimacy, and Justice Breyer would say two centuries of hard-fought legitimacy for a court that had no legitimacy for a long time. But I think its really important to understand that for the dissenters, the thing that youve identified is the kind of cardinal sin here that for Justice Alito to write in his opinion, you know, theres this big kind of weird shrug emoji section in the middle where he more or less just says we dont know how this is going to land. We dont know how its going to affect people. I guess its just not on us to even worry about it. And its such a strange you know, its been extensively briefed. The horrific impacts on maternal health and infant health and the economy, and womens ability to have anything close to parity and economic earning, all this stuff is documented in the briefs. And then theres this just amazing section that I think youve just characterized where Justice Alito says we do not pretend to know how our political system or society will respond to todays decision overruling Roe and Casey. And even if we could foresee what will happen, we would have no authority to let that knowledge influence our decision. We can only do our job, which is to interpret the law, apply longstanding principles of stare decisis, and decide this case accordingly. And it literally feels like hes giving the back of his hand not just to the dissenters who are imploring him to think seriously about what this does to the legitimacy of the court, but to every single justice, including many Republican appointees that have come before that have upheld Roe and Casey out of this greater sense that it would be a jolt to the system to just willy-nilly reverse it. And so I think there is this feeling that pervades the majority opinion that kind of is Professor Leah Litman describes it as the hashtag #YOLO majority, that You Only Live Once. Weve got the keys, as you said. Were going to do it. And actually, were just not much concerned both about the impacts or about the effect on the legitimacy of the court. And it is, I think in a sense, the most elegiac parts of the dissent are longing for the quote-unquote wise justices that did the compromise in Casey and put that before their own sort of parochial interests. ezra klein Weve been putting the majority opinion in conversation here with the dissent, but on this point, I think what it is in sort of shocking conversation with is the opinion penned here by Chief Justice John Roberts. And he doesnt really say the majority is wrong. He says, in his opinion, they have become judicial radicals, his fellow Republicans, that they have abandoned judicial restraint and stare decisis totally. He writes quote, The courts opinion is thoughtful and thorough, but those virtues cannot compensate for the fact that its dramatic and consequential ruling is unnecessary to decide the case before us. How do you read what Roberts is doing in his weird concurrence? dahlia lithwick Well, I think what hes doing is saying very explicitly what I think described earlier as his M.O., which is we could have done this pretty. We could have done this over many years. We could have, I think, the parlance used to be chipped away at Roe v. Wade and slowly, slowly over time, we could have achieved this result without doing it big and ugly and carelessly. And John Roberts has been really interesting both insofar as he side with the liberals in a case that directly challenged whole womens health. And he essentially said, hey, no, were the deciders. We will decide this correctly. And then, really interestingly, over the course of this term, as the liberals have been more and more voluble in their objections to the so-called shadow docket And thats the emergency docket where these unsigned orders on really important issues, like the attendance orders for houses of worship during Covid and the Remain in Mexico policy and the eviction moratorium and then, finally, SB8, which was the Texas quote-unquote vigilante bill All of those things got decided on the shadow docket and sometimes that just meant quite literally something would pop up, and you wouldnt even know which justices were in the majority, and you maybe got a sentence. Sometimes you didnt know what the reasoning was. And Chief Justice Roberts has evolved in this sense over the course of this term where he is now started to join the liberals in saying this is an abuse of process. You cannot use this emergency docket, and decide huge consequential issues, and nobody knows what the law is. And so he has, in a lot of ways, I think joined with the liberals on this one issue of what I would just call judicial unseemliness, Ezra. Hes not really, I think, in any way devoted to different outcomes. He just doesnt like looking like hacks. And what he wanted to do, and we know this from the leak, was that he was trying to get some kind of plurality, some chunk of the sort of liberals and the quote-unquote moderate conservatives that would have been Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh in this case, to peel off and do something that looked seemly that was just this. Were going to bless this 15-week ban. Were going to put a thumb on the scale for having abortion regulations, but we dont have to go all out and overturn Roe because that would be ugly. And again, he uses the word jolt. He got zero people on board with that project. Both at oral argument, it was plain. Nobody but him was interested in that. And thats what this concurrence is. It is zero people agreeing with him that we could save overruling Roe and Casey for another day when the people have gotten used to it, and well just uphold the Mississippi law. And what he got was nobody, no takers on any side. In a sense, I read his concurrence as I have lost the court. ezra klein I think theres also a question with him about whether he thinks the institution can survive where it looks to be going. Often we think of ideology is too one-dimensional that we have in our heads this left-right spectrum where all the way on the left you can be a socialist and all the way on the right you can be a libertarian, and then everything else is between them. I mean, there are many more dimensions, but an important one that we often miss is this dimension of temperament towards change that you can be somebody with liberal ideology, but a sort of conservative view of change, or you can be somebody who has very conservative ideology but a very, very revolutionary view of change. And it seems to me that Roberts is not ideologically out of step with the conservatives on the court, but hes temperamentally out of step with them. I think he thinks are going to break this place. And one thing I thought was striking in his opinion is the majority on this point of stare decisis takes some pains to say, look, we are in a lineage here of the court. We have overturned many important decisions, and thats actually part of our heroic legacy. They talk about Brown v. Board, about West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnett, about West Coast Hotel company v. Parrish. And those were all also, I should say, cases that liberals venerate. And Roberts actually goes through and rebuts those examples one by one and says, quote, None of these leading cases, in short, provides a template for what the court does today, which struck me as a pretty harsh rebuttal. I mean, not that it mattered, but a pretty harsh rebuttal to the Republicans in the majority. Can you talk a bit about the distinction hes drawing between when overturning a case in his view is merited and here where he thinks it is not? dahlia lithwick My sense of this is that he just thinks that it goes too far to hold out overturning Dred Scott or overturning Plessy v. Ferguson as analogous to overturning Roe v. Wade. I think my sense is that that feels hinky to him in a way that it may be hinky to people who think, wait, really? You are analogizing the wrongness of Roe to the wrongness of Plessy? Like that has to be bad. And I think maybe the one place where I might split hairs with you is that I dont know that his temperamental problem is so much the pace of change. I think he sees himself as in a line of Chief Justices, and he clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who very much also saw himself as a sort of Steward of the court and of public approbation of the court. And so I think its less about an appetite for pumping the brakes and more about an appetite for how do we make this palatable in a way that does not rock the countrys confidence in the court. And he thinks and I think hes right you can look at, for instance, his mentor Chief Justice Rehnquist who reversed himself on the Miranda warning, which, by the way, I think was eviscerated this week too, but again for exactly the reason that in Rehnquists case, although he hated the Miranda warning, he really felt that the country had come to depend on it. They had ordered their lives around it. It was on TV shows, and it would be a huge shock to do away with it. And I think that thats the temperamental difference is Ive always sort of described John Roberts as actually having a phenomenal sort of constitutional E.Q. He can really read the room. And I think hes always been very, very good at saying we will go just this far and no further because it would be too much. And as I said, we lauded him even when liberals didnt agree with him, and that was certainly, I think, the basis of his switching his vote in the Obamacare case, by the way. But I think there was just a sense that he wasnt so purposive that he would break every single thing in the China shop to get what he wanted, and that wasnt because he didnt want it. Its because, like Rehnquist, he always had an eye on this other thing, which is how far can I push the public. And it is really telling to me that theres been 10 pieces written this year with the title, headline John Roberts has lost his court because nobody, nobody, I think, on the right-wing of the court really is interested in that project. He is absolutely alone in triangulating against what the public might be willing to abide. ezra klein I want to wrap our stare decisis conversation by asking about the big picture on this. And you alluded to this. the court is very fundamentally weird. Its all-powerful, but it is in no way of backing up that power. Its obviously apolitical, but its supposed to stand beyond politics. Its got these nine people who are always disagreeing, but theyre somehow presumed to speak on behalf of the Constitution. And stare decisis seems to me to be this norm that the court has adopted to paper over its contradictions. Its how it makes itself seem like a coherent institution operating across time as opposed to, I dont know, nine-robed warlocks who are casting legal spells all over the country. And so Ive said this. I dont think stare decisis makes a lot of sense logically, but without it, I dont really think the Supreme Court itself makes sense. And that seems, to me, to be what Roberts is trying to protect, but also its kind of obvious here that if you just say we can do whatever we want, then youre going to force the question you never want anybody to ask about the Supreme Court, which is, well, why? dahlia lithwick Yeah, its interesting because so much of this fury on Friday, at least what I was catching on cable news and maybe that doesnt reflect anything was the sort of Susan Collins like, what? They lied in their confirmation hearing? When they said they respected stare decisis, I believed them. And I think you can have a whole separate conversation about whether thats just deliberate credulous cover. But Joe Manchin seemed a little grumpy. He really took them at their word. And I think that theres one ezra klein Just to say what he took at their word, two or three of them won confirmation, either saying or implying extremely heavily to key senators that they would not overturn Roe. Thats what theyre mad about. Its kind of wild how many of them won confirmation saying, basically, I think now it looks like lying. dahlia lithwick Well, right. And the question would have had to be because Donald Trump, in 2016, for the first time ever ran for president, disclosed a list of his Supreme Court picks that were going to overturn Roe. He told us that. So I guess if somebody had pledged to me that they werent going to overturn Roe, I think the correct question is, was Trump lying, or are you lying because somebody is clearly lying? And I think that in a strange way, one of the reasons people feel so surprised right now is that they thought that was a genuine pledge or something that was somehow said under oath that is perjury. And I think that it goes to, in a sense, how bogus these confirmation hearings are. But I think it goes to your fundamental question, which is why do we need stare decisis. And we need it because if we dont have some reassurance that this new person is not going to come into our house and rearrange all the furniture and put the fridge in the backyard, then its really, really hard to organize your life. And I think that stare decisis in that sense, I mean, weve both characterized it in similar ways, is part of a kind of pledge that you will believe in me if I believe in you. And me believing in you means that I dont go around and change everything because that would be really political and partisan. And so there is this question under your question, which is maybe its better like maybe its just better to have Clarence Thomass stare decisis sucks. We should get rid of it altogether. Or maybe its better to live in a world where were supposed to take Justice Alitos word that stare decisis doesnt control in overturning Roe, but it will control when he gets to Obergefell. But I think it really does go not just to the sort of fiction that the court is weird and the court is different, which is its own pathology we can talk about another time. But I do think it goes to this essential need for public trust that really makes the court unlike any other institution, and its kind of those ethics rules that everybodys squawking about. How is Clarence Thomass wife texting Mark Meadows, and hes still sitting on the January 6 cases. And the answer is I think that the court has sort of swapped itself in all of these norms that are fundamentally insane, but theyre all part of a promise that the courts going to just conduct itself differently. And thats what stare decisis is of a piece with that, I think. [MUSIC] ezra klein So I want to move to some pieces of the dissent. And I mean, it is a genuinely searing and remarkable piece of work, and people should read it. Its very readable. Its actually an amazing piece of writing, in my view. But one of the things it does, and the place I want to begin with it, is Justice Kavanaugh has a concurrence which is odd because it seems to me he doesnt have any particular reason for writing this except for wanting to say something. But what he wants to say is that the Supreme Court is not weighing in against abortion, that it is attaining neutrality on the question of abortion. The Constitution is neutral on it, and so the Supreme Court should be neutral on it. And what the dissent says is, I quote, When it comes to rights, the court does not act neutrally when it leaves everything up to the states. Rather the court acts neutrally when it protects the right against all comers. So can you talk a bit about these competing ideas of neutrality? dahlia lithwick Yeah, I mean, it does go back to what I said about this is the answer. I think this is the dissents answer to fight it out in the ballot box. No, no. Thats not actually how we do fundamental liberty is. We dont fight it out in the ballot box. And I think what the dissent is saying is that your neutrality is giving half of the states the right to do whatever they want to womens bodies. And I guess the other thing thats sort of interesting, and this comes up in the dissent too, is, you know, Kavanaugh sort of sets up this strawman where hes like, well, some of the states want to give all the abortions and other states want to criminalize all the abortions, so the neutral posture is to be just right in the middle of those things. And, of course, thats not the reality. And so I think, in a funny way, he sets up the goalposts so that he can stake out the middle. And I think that what the dissenters are trying to say and they say this I think with as you say, just clarion sharp language is no. There has always been a compromise. And it is between the interests of the mother and the interests of the fetus, and that compromise was called Roe, and that compromise was called Casey. And the idea that you can sort of change what the two poles are in order to find a convenient middle doesnt actually erase the fact that we had the closest thing to a compromise, which is a system that tried to balance the actual two competing interests here in every single case. And so I think in a sense, theyre calling him out for reframing this as though some states want to put all the women in jail. Thats just not the battlefield here, and I think that the studied neutrality again is just really, really hard to take when you hold it up against Thursdays decision in Bruen where absolutely nobody was going to say the neutral posture here is to let the states that want to regulate guns go ahead and do that and the states that want to give everybody guns go ahead and do that. Kavanaugh would have been the first person to say, well, thats not neutral. ezra klein They also make a point that I think is both very, very profound and very obvious about the kind of textual literalism and historical analysis that the conservatives are saying all constitutional interpretation should rely on. They write quote, Those responsible for the original Constitution, including the 14th Amendment, did not perceive women as equals and did not recognize womens rights. When the majority say that we must read our foundational charter as viewed at the time of ratification except we may also check it against the Dark Ages) it consigns women to second-class citizenship. I mean, this, to me, gets to a very fundamental divide now on the court, which is that, I mean, it often gets talked about the living Constitution versus originalism. But it seems very potent to just note that almost intrinsically to the method of interpretation the conservatives are now using and that dominates the court that takes the injustices and inequities of the founding and ensures that reproduction in the present. dahlia lithwick Right. There will only be this asymmetry because at the time of the founding and if you go back hundreds of years before to some of the legal sources that Justice Alito is citing, Matthew Hale, a person who thought witches should be burned. A person who thought a man couldnt rape his own wife because she was his property. I mean, so many of the sources that are cited here are just of a time and place where women were possessions. They were chattel. And one of the reasons I make such a point of pulling on that history of what it was that the 14th Amendment sought to protect and to give robust protection to is that if you take seriously that those are affirmative definitions of liberty and family rights and autonomy and the ability to order your intimate relations, then the text in history actually is on the side of Griswold and Roe. But I think youre exactly right that there is a way that by lashing this to only freedoms that are deeply rooted in our history and tradition, women are never going to win. They cannot win. And it feels as though thats the tell that this is the game. And I think youre quite right. Thats why this is the tell that L.G.B.T.Q. rights or marriage equality would have to come next. They were also not deeply rooted in the traditions in history. And so I think that the word living constitutionalism gets kind of a bad rap. Its always associated with the idea that, you know, those justices in the 70s in the Warren court were just like smoking pot and making it up as they went along. I think they were trying to answer to the dilemma you lay out, which is, how do we do this in such a way that we are both very seriously looking at text and history, very seriously looking at precedent and stare decisis, but also evolving in ways that understand that liberty simply doesnt mean what it meant when laws of coverture meant that you were owned by your husband. And I think that is a project that we sort of flippantly say just means making it up as you go along. But its an iterative project, and it is an iterative project that if you start from the proposition that if they were property in 1751 and 1868 and these magical dates, they still, I guess, are just going to be stuck now, then as I said, women can never get out of that kind of doom loop. And it seems to me that one of the things that the dissent does, which is just chilling, and I agree with you, people should just read it because its an amazing piece of not just craftsmanship, but cooperative craftsmanship. And it seems to me that what time and time and time again the dissenters are trying to do is exactly what you said, which is make the life of women visible and urgent and true in conversation with the majority that doesnt take a second to think about the harms that women will actually suffer. ezra klein Yeah, they say this very explicitly in the dissent. But if you read the majority opinion, its really striking that there is simply no engagement. I mean, its not like an engagement I disagree with. I would say there is functionally no engagement with what this will really mean in womens lives. They dont really try to rebut whats there. They just read it, but they dont dig into anything. So in the dissent, they write, Experts estimate that a ban on abortions increases maternal mortality by 21 percent with white women facing a 13 percent increase in maternal mortality while Black women face a 33 percent increase. It goes on to talk about financial costs. It goes on to talk about laws relating to health care coverage and pregnancy discrimination. But it is really striking. I mean, one thing the dissent is arguing throughout is that Roe and Casey, say what you will about them, they are a balancing act. They are balancing of the rights of the women versus the states interest is, I think, the way they put it in protecting fetal life. And the conservatives do not try to balance anything here. I mean, they just wipe the whole thing away. It is a genuinely, strangely abstracted opinion that I think in dissent it really throws out into unbelievably sharp contrast. I mean, there really is a right to life, capacity for life for many people risk here. And its just something the conservatives never even try to find their way through. dahlia lithwick And I would marry what you just said to the incredible solicitude of the Alito opinion to when the tiny fingers show and when the tiny fetus begins to move. It is fascinating, and this is one of those places where it just careens into kind of pro-life talking points because he actually has very, very deep emotional solicitude for what he variously describes as unborn human beings and fetal life. Thats very visible to him. And I guess that in contrast with the dissenters just talking about what it is to be a rape victim, what it is to be impoverished in a state where you cannot cross state lines to terminate a pregnancy, you know, what it is to not be able to afford to take care love your children. And so I do think that youre almost looking at two conversations that are talking past each other, and he actually scolds, by the way, he scolds the dissenters for not taking the regard for fetal life as seriously as he does. He thinks this is Cavalier of them. But it is really, really fascinating. Its as though youre seeing two completely different movies running side by side. And his movie really, really is at pains to have sort of tender regard for the unborn life. And as you say, no regard at all that I could discern for the welfare of the mother at any stage. And then suggests that who can know, although there are ample, ample meticulously researched briefs that lay out the harms and he sort of pretends that he hasnt seen them. And so it is the contrast in some sense. It feels like its almost a metaphor for the partisanship that has infected this whole debate where he is so obsessed with fetal life and unborn human beings that he literally doesnt see the mothers, and then he turns around and accuses the three dissenters for not having any solicitude or tenderness for fetal life. ezra klein Its so I know this is a very common liberal complaint about the right, but Im going to make it here, which is theres a lot of rhetoric about fetal life in Alitos opinion in the majority opinion here but I wouldnt say actually in truth a deep or consistent concern for it. Its actually something the liberals point out. They write that the majority takes pride in not expressing a view about the status of the fetus. I want to say that Im not somebody who thinks these are easy questions or that there isnt a difficult need to weigh complex ethical considerations. I encourage people to listen to an episode we did about a month ago on the ethics of abortion with Kate Greasley, who really thinks about these things very deeply. But you can imagine an opinion here that said the court has not correctly balanced the fetuses right to life. And that the way that opinion might work is to say, well, lets take the easy case first and say we really need much better maternal health care in this country to prevent miscarriage. And actually, theres a lot we know we can do to prevent miscarriages that are unwanted, and we need to make it easier to make sure that people are able to bring the children they do want into the world and we need to bring maternal mortality down because also the mothers right to life is meaningful. And they kind of dont do any of that. Fetal life is sort of wielded here. And Im not saying its insincerely held, but I think it is odd when we are talking about rights, and I mean, if you are talking about life, you are talking about rights on some level that they dont actually try to take more of a view on those rights. They really do just say, well, whatever any particular state decides is fine with us. And its pointed out in the dissent and is true, if you look at the states that have the most restrictive abortion laws, they also tend to be the states that have the least helpful and comprehensive maternal health laws that offer the least support to mothers-to-be. Its Just a very weird. Its often pointed out that it does not feel particularly pro-life. It kind of feels like something less than that, but it seems true here too. dahlia lithwick Yeah, and I think its part of that studied neutrality or attempted studied neutrality that weve ascribed to the Brett Kavanaugh concurrence, which is look, were not taking a position. Were just getting the courts out of the business, and were going to let it all get quiet and easy by sending it back to the states. But I think youre exactly right. I think that studied neutrality assumes a whole lot that is not in evidence about how states are approaching this. And in fact, even what has happened right since SB8 came down since Brett Kavanaugh got on the court where we saw a raft of states suddenly falling all over themselves to make abortion less and less accessible, states that were passing laws that nullified Roe after Texass SB8 came down or after the Dobbs draft leaked. And so I think theres a way in which to say were just going to be neutral about it, or even more cynically, theres an amazing passage where Justice Alito says, you know, yay, we prize women. We prize them so much that were going to let them vote. And its just such a funny version of neutrality given that and I know this is just my hobby Horse but we know how the levers of government work to ensure that the neutral setting is not necessarily the setting that advantages women. ezra klein So we now have this 6-3 Republican court with at least five of them in the YOLO demographic, as you and Professor Litman put it. And its going to be that way for a while and not just on abortion. I mean, youve talked about guns going backwards a little bit to different iterations of this court. Theyve really gutted the Voting Rights Act. They have allowed very extreme gerrymandering to have the imprimatur more or less of the court. They look to be readying to revisit the amount of deference the courts give administrative agencies, which is a big part of the liberal state. They are probably going to look at affirmative action in the next term. What are the prospects for liberal governance in a world where have this unleashed Republican court? I mean, even if Democrats could pass bills which theyre not doing such a remarkable job of right now, can they actually sustain any kind of consistent governance in these conditions? dahlia lithwick Well, this is where we get back to that. I remember a couple of years ago, you and I chatted about this minoritarian rule problem that leaches its way not just through the filibuster, which means the WHPA, the Womens Health Protection Act, didnt even come to a vote that would have codified Roe or the filibuster rule, the John Lewis Act, which would have reinstated the parts of the Voting Rights Act that Shelby County gutted. And I think that part of the thing that we need to really wrap our heads around is what do you do when Republicans currently sitting on the court were seated by presidents who, in fact, lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and the electoral college is massively weighted towards rural agrarian states and that in turn is reaffirmed by a Senate that massively, massively malapportioned in the interests of rural agrarian states. And they then, once they get on the court, become a party too exactly what youre describing, which is shrinking the vote whether its Shelby County, or Brnovich last year. Whatever it is, it feels as though this really does feel like the doom loop of minority rule right. And the justices are working hand in glove to do the things youre describing, whether its sort of entrenching business interests term after term or whether its slowly chipping away at the existence of the administrative state, which well see more of next week eroding the kind of wall of separation between church and state, which weve already seen this week and I guess well see again next week. But all of those actions are really interestingly, in most cases, not commensurate with the popular will. And so in both the guns case, Bruen, and Dobbs, you have 60 percent, 70 percent, and some cases 80 percent of Americans polling saying like I hate this. This is not what I want. And part of it is we can have a conversation about captured state legislatures and gerrymandering in all the ways that noncompetitive elections and the way the Senate works all of that works hand in glove with the court to continue to entrench those systems. And I think that isnt a court problem per se. That is a democracy problem. And I think thats the kind of thing that until and unless each piece of that puzzle can get sorted out. I think its just almost that youre consigned to either say add four seats to the court because we cant live under a juristocracy forever, which is part of your question, or it is what do we do about all these instrumentalities of government that are going to keep privileging not just minoritarian positions but extreme minoritarian positions over the will of the people. ezra klein And do you have a strategy as somebody who thinks about this all day and is much more immersed in liberal legal circles than I am? Is there a strategy that you think people are coming up with that seems plausible, or is the liberal take on this right now just oscillating between despair and panic? dahlia lithwick Yeah, I think despair, panic and drinking might be the trifecta, but I would say, look, we have seen the state of Connecticut really boldly passed legislation that sought to protect abortion care providers in that state from being, you know, hauled into court in Texas and Oklahoma, like very aggressive forward-thinking legislation thats now being copied elsewhere that essentially says, were going to have to think as creatively I think the word was clever when Texas passed SB8 and immunized itself from having any state actors and so nobody could be sued. There are very, very clever aggressive things blue states can do. There was a great op-ed, and I cannot remember who wrote it about what the state of Maine has done to sort of insulate itself from some of the discriminatory elements in Carson the religious school funding case this week. So I think states can do a lot of things, and were going to see states do a lot of things. And thats part of the answer is just be as aggressive and that means really be as aggressive, and dont sit around and say some blue states should pass a law. Figure out how to do it. But I think on the big systems work, it is so head and shoulders above my pay grade to say, you know, how are we going to seriously theres the compact solution for the electoral college. Theres meaningful efforts at every turn to fix the quite democracy problem. But I think I will say this. Liberals, in my view, get very, very myopic about saying America has a guns problem. America has an abortion problem. Why is it that the E.P.A. cant be empowered to do something problem? And all of those problems are fundamentally I guess this is what Im saying those are structural, fixable, democracy and governance problems. And to really, I think, be much, much better at connecting that if my vote doesnt count because gerrymandering is so bad, I think I better work on gerrymandering. Or if these voter suppression laws have been passed in 19 states lashed to the big lie, I think I better work on voter suppression. All that stuff of democracy is the only way to get both the distortive minority-driven function of democracy fix, but I think also its the only way to get these larger outcomes around the environment or workers rights or gun regulation to get those effectuated. ezra klein So I think thats a good place to come to a close. So always, our final question, which is, what are three books you would recommend to the audience? dahlia lithwick Three books for folks who are feeling as shattered and gut-punched as I am feeling today, I would start with a book that I carry around everywhere with me, which is Rebecca Solnits Hope in the Dark, which is actually a book that when one of my sons was getting very, very panicky as teenage boys tend to do about climate change, she had me give to him and talk about with him. And its really a book that is like a very, I think, profound meditation on hope and why it matters and how we achieve it and that its not airy-fairy. Its just a thing we have to grasp for. The next is, and this is an improbable choice, but I also carry it around everywhere I go, and that is Viktor Frankls book Mans Search for Meaning. And it is sort of a depressing book about surviving the Holocaust. But for me, for the last four years, its been kind of a lodestar to purpose that if you have purpose, you can kind of get through really, really, really hard stuff. And I have stopped talking in terms of happiness as much as I have purpose. And then the third is just this Howard Zinn You Cant Be Neutral on a Moving Train, and I cited this section of it in a piece I wrote a few weeks ago because I think also, like Solnit, its really a meditation on hope. So if I can read the little segment that I quoted, it goes like this, To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places, and there are so many where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act in however smaller way, we dont have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents. And to live now as we think human beings should live in defiance of all that is bad around us is itself a marvelous victory. Howard Zinn, You Cant Be Neutral on a Moving Train. [MUSIC] ezra klein Dahlia Lithwick, thank you very much. dahlia lithwick Thank you so much for having me. ezra klein Now, 80 years later, Mississippi has already made a clear, pointed, unmistakable discrimination, as if it has selected a particular race or nationality for oppressive treatment, which the court specifically struck down and condemned in Skinner. What todays Supreme Court strategically overlooks, legal history reminds us with stunning clarity, specifically the terrifying practices of American slavery, including the stalking, kidnapping, confinement, coercion, rape and torture of Black women and girls. In a commentary reprinted in The New York Times on Jan. 18, 1860, slavery was described as an enterprise that treats a Black person as a chattel, breeds from him with as little regard for marriage ties as if he were an animal, is a moral outlaw. Such observations were hardly unique or rare; the Library of Congress offers a comprehensive collection of newspapers, almanacs, daguerreotypes, illustrations, and other materials that comprise the African-American Mosaic: Influence of Prominent Abolitionists. Laws that date back to the 1600s expose the sexual depravity and inhumanity of American slavery. In 1662, the Virginia Grand Assembly enacted one of its first slave laws to settle this point, expressing, Whereas some doubts have arisen whether children got by any Englishman upon a Negro woman should be slave or free, be it therefore enacted and declared by this present Grand Assembly, that all children born in this country shall be held bond or free only according to the condition of the mother. Thomas Jefferson kept copious receipts and documents related to the births of enslaved children at his Monticello plantation, including those who were ultimately discovered to be his own. Not surprising, at the heart of abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude in the 13th Amendment was the forced sexual and reproductive servitude of Black girls and women. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, who led the effort to prohibit slavery and enact the 13th Amendment, was nearly beaten to death in the halls of Congress two days after giving a speech that included the condemning of the culture of sexual violence that dominated slavery. Black women also spoke out about their reproductive bondage. In 1851, in her compelling speech known as Aint I a Woman, Sojourner Truth implored the crowd of men and women gathered at the Womens Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, to understand the gravity and depravity of American slavery on Black womens reproductive autonomy and privacy. Reported by newspapers and recorded through history, Ms. Truth stated that she had borne 13 children and seen nearly each one ripped from her arms, with no appeal to law or courts. Wasnt she a woman, too? By the accounts of those gathered, including famed feminist abolitionist Frances Gage, the room stood still and then erupted in applause. Similarly, in Incidents In The Life of A Slave Girl, published in 1861, Harriet Jacobs describes the herculean efforts made to avoid the inevitable sexual assault and rape by her captor. She wrote, I saw a man forty years my senior daily violating the most sacred commandments of nature. He told me I was his property; that I must be subject to his will in all things. June 27, 2022: NASA announced the launch of CAPSTONE is now targeted for 5:55 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday. Coverage on NASA Television will begin at 5 a.m. In the coming years, NASA will be busy at the moon. A giant rocket will loft a capsule with no astronauts aboard around the moon and back, perhaps before the end of summer. A parade of robotic landers will drop off experiments on the moon to collect reams of scientific data, especially about water ice locked up in the polar regions. A few years from now, astronauts are to return there, more than half a century since the last Apollo moon landing. Those are all part of NASAs 21st-century moon program named for Artemis, who in Greek mythology was the twin sister of Apollo. As soon as this week, a spacecraft named CAPSTONE is to launch as the first piece of Artemis to head to the moon. Compared to what is to follow, it is modest in size and scope. Ms. Thomas, of Little Rock, said she had already been stocking up on Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, in case her 21-year-old son and his girlfriend ever needed it. She bought even more on Friday. Abigail Carroll, the 22-year-old founder of Abortion Access Nashville, said that some young women were stockpiling Plan B, but she cautioned people not to clear the pharmacy shelves so those who need the pills now can obtain them. Planned Parenthood Southeast in Atlanta was getting more calls than usual from people concerned that their options surrounding pregnancy were diminishing, said Lauren Frazier, a spokeswoman. They want to know how many birth control pills they can stockpile, said Ms. Frazier, who said there also were questions about emergency contraception, vasectomies and tubal ligations. Even before the Supreme Court ruling, abortion pills were becoming more popular. In 2020, more than half of the abortions in the United States were medication abortions, according to a report by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports access to abortion. And that number is expected to rise. Follow our live updates on abortion news and the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. JACKSON, Miss. A young woman entered the parking lot of the only abortion clinic in Mississippi, her shoulders hunched. She was accompanied by an older woman and a stone-faced young man with a handgun on his hip. She appeared terrified. All around them, the noise was deafening. It was early Saturday morning, and a man with a powerful P.A. system was preaching about Jezebel being eaten by dogs. Dozens of evangelical Christians had come to pray. Volunteer clinic escorts, sweating in the summer heat, directed patients cars through the throng and blasted music they thought the evangelicals would hate: At the moment, it was the cheeky alt-rock song Stacys Mom. Posters of aborted fetuses lined the street. A pastor named Doug Lane huddled with the older woman and encouraged her to persuade the younger woman not to go through with the procedure. I wanted her to have the baby, the woman said, her voice unsteady. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Jeffrey W. Swanson, a sociologist at Duke University, is no stranger to Washingtons gun laws debate. He has been studying violence and mental illness for more than 30 years, building a scientific case for policies that might reduce gun deaths. He has presented findings to members of Congress showing that so-called red flag laws, which allow the authorities to temporarily remove guns from people deemed dangerous by a court, save lives. He has stood side by side with researchers whose studies found that licensing laws and bans on large-capacity magazines sharply reduce gun violence deaths. Dr. Swanson is part of a small community of American academics about two dozen in all focused exclusively on studying gun violence and how to prevent it. Washington has often stood in their way; for 24 years, Congress effectively barred the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from funding their work. Federal law still prevents the government from giving them access to gun-tracing records that would be extremely helpful to their research. The European Union agreed on Thursday to put Ukraine on a path toward EU membership, acting with uncharacteristic speed and unity to pull the embattled country further away from Russia's influence and bind it more closely to the West. Meeting at a summit in Brussels, leaders of the EU's 27 nations mustered the required unanimous approval to grant Ukraine candidate status. That sets in motion a process that could take years or even decades. The EU also granted candidate status to the tiny country of Moldova, another former Soviet state that borders Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pronounced it a good day for Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted his gratitude and declared: Ukraine's future is within the EU. Ukraine applied for membership less than a week after Moscow invaded on February 24. Thursday's decision was unusually rapid for the EU. But the war and Ukraine's request for fast-track consideration lent urgency to its cause. To gain EU membership, countries must meet a detailed host of economic and political conditions, including a commitment to the rule of law and other democratic principles. Ukraine, among other things, will also have to curb entrenched government corruption and adopt other reforms. The European Parliament endorsed Ukraine's bid hours before the summit started, passing a resolution that called on EU governments to move without delay" and live up to their historical responsibility". It will strengthen Ukraine, it will strengthen Europe. It is a decision for freedom and democracy and puts us on the right side of history, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said ahead of the final announcement. The EU's nations have been united in backing Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion with money and weapons, adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against the Kremlin. EU candidate status doesn't give an automatic right to join the bloc and doesn't provide any immediate security guarantees. Once a country gains membership, however, it is covered under an EU treaty clause that says if a member falls victim to armed aggression, the other EU countries are obligated to assist it by all the means in their power. The main benefits of EU membership, though, are economic, since it gives access to a market of 450 million consumers with free movement of labour, goods, services and capital. Ukraine has long aspired to join NATO, too, but the military alliance is not about to offer an invitation, in part because of governmental corruption, shortcomings in the country's defense establishment, and its contested borders. Before the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO, which he has condemned for its eastward spread toward Russia's flank. But earlier this month, he did not seem bothered by Ukraine's determination to get closer to the EU, saying it is not a military pact and thus we have no objections. The membership process can be long and tortuous. Turkey, for example, applied for membership in 1987, received candidate status in 1999, and had to wait until 2005 to start talks for actual entry. Only one of more than 30 negotiating chapters has been completed in the years since, and the whole process is at a standstill as a result of various disputes between the EU and Turkey. Similarly, several Balkan countries have been seeking without success for many years to join the EU. European officials have said that Ukraine has already adopted about 70 per cent of the EU rules and standards, but they also have pointed to corruption and the need for deep political and economic reforms in the country. Considerable efforts will be needed, especially in the fight against corruption and the establishment of an effective rule of law, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said. But I am convinced that it is precisely the (postwar) reconstruction of Ukraine that will provide opportunities to take important steps forward. On the first weekend after the Supreme Court overturned nearly five decades of constitutional abortion rights, Democrats seized on the ruling to portray their Republican opponents as threats to women and their health care providers, while two sitting G.O.P. governors welcomed the decision, as they tried to emphasize that the matter is a local issue with more debate to be had. Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia who is in a rematch with the Republican she narrowly lost to four years ago, told CNNs State of the Union, that the public should take into very real consideration the danger Brian Kemp poses to the life and welfare of women in this state. Ms. Abrams also told CNN that Mr. Kemp intends to adds incest and rape as prohibitions. Tate Mitchell, a spokesman for Mr. Kemp, said in a statement that Ms. Abrams is lying and that Mr. Kemp supported the states law that includes exemptions for rape, incest, life of the mother, and ectopic pregnancies. Follow our live updates on primary elections and results in Colorado. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. Just six weeks before the 2020 presidential election game day for vote-counting bureaucrats Tina Peters was so proud of her operation at the Mesa County clerks office that she invited a film crew in to show it off. Theres no chance of mishap here, she boasted. The Russians cant hack into and start casting votes for someone, she said, as a few in the office chuckled. By May 2021, it was Ms. Peters, not the Russians, who had helped engineer an audacious breach of voting machines, according to an indictment charging her with seven felonies. Ms. Peters arranged to copy sensitive election software from county voting machines in an attempt to prove the 2020 presidential election was rigged, according to court records. Prosecutors said she committed identity theft and criminal impersonation, and violated the duties of her office in the process. Ms. Peters has pleaded not guilty. JOHANNESBURG Twenty-one teenagers were found dead early Sunday morning in a tavern in the coastal city of East London, South Africa, the police said, in a tragedy that remains something of a mystery and that has left much of the country, including top officials, reeling emotionally. Initial reports were that the teenagers, who the police say ranged in age from 13 to 17, died from a stampede. But Bheki Cele, the national police minister, said investigators had not confirmed that theory. He was overcome with tears as he spoke about the victims, nine girls and 12 boys. Its a scary thing, Mr. Cele said outside of the mortuary where the victims were being examined. I got inside but could not go any further to where they were opening up the bodies, he added, his voice trailing off as he buried his face in his left hand and began to cry, turning away from the crowd. A prominent Indian human rights activist who spearheaded a campaign to hold officials responsible for deadly 2002 riots in the western state of Gujarat has been arrested and faces charges of fabricating evidence against the prime minister, Narendra Modi. The activist, Teesta Setalvad, was detained by an antiterrorism squad on Saturday in Mumbai and taken north to the neighboring state of Gujarat to face charges relating to a case brought against Mr. Modi when he was the states top official. While he was never found responsible, for years Indians have asked whether Mr. Modi could have curtailed or stopped the sectarian riots, in which more than 1,000 people were killed. Ms. Setalvad was detained after Indias top court Friday dismissed a petition that challenged Mr. Modis exoneration in the strife. Russia unleashed a new round of missiles at Kyiv on Sunday, the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks, an apparent show of defiance as a summit of the worlds biggest democracies opened on Sunday with new steps to isolate Moscow. President Biden announced that the Group of 7 nations would ban imports of gold from Russia, the latest effort by Ukraines Western allies to choke the flow of cash to President Vladimir V. Putins government. The summit in the Bavarian Alps on Sunday and Monday was also expected to discuss possible attempts to tighten sanctions on Russian oil. As the fighting in Ukraine grinds into its fifth month, the leaders of G7 countries Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States are seeking to maintain unity against Russia in the face of the wars growing toll on the global economy. The Western sanctions intended to create pain for Russia have sent food and energy prices skyrocketing across the world, even as Moscows war machine has shown little sign of slowing down. Oleksandra Kvitko, a psychologist who lives in the neighborhood, said she was afraid when she heard the first explosion. She took her two young children and hid in their apartments bathroom. We were sitting in the bathroom and there comes another explosion my walls and doors were shaking, she said. I was playing word games with the children. I could hear the walls trembling and realized there is nothing I can do, so I just kept saying, You start with A. You start with H. When she went back to her room, she screamed into her pillow. It really was a very nervous situation, Ms. Kvitko said. But when the mother is calm, then the children are calm. Russian missiles also struck Kyiv early this month, wounding at least one person. Before June, the last missile strike in Kyiv had been in late April on the same apartment complex, hitting a building adjacent to the one where Roman and Olha lived. Both suspected that their building was hit this time because it was near a munitions factory. Ukraine was already on edge after 50 missiles rained down across the country on Saturday. But the strikes on Sunday in Lukianivka, a neighborhood in the very heart of Kyiv, raised new fears in a city that has roared back to life since April. Russia is one of the worlds biggest gold producers, and the metal is its second most valuable export after energy products. Most of those exports go to G7 countries, particularly Britain, through the gold trading hub of London. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain said in a statement on Sunday that the actions taken against Russian gold would directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putins war machine. We need to starve the Putin regime of its funding, he added. The U.K. and our allies are doing just that. The gold sanctions follow extensive steps to cut Russian export revenues. The United States banned oil and gas from Russia, and Europe will prohibit most Russian oil while reducing gas imports. The United States, the European Union and their allies have also placed sanctions on Russian officials and other members of the elite and imposed punishments on Russian banks, airlines and other companies. The mansaf dust-up has roiled the kingdom for the last two years, pitting traditionalists against innovators, those who eat with their hands against those who eat in their cars, and raising the question of how much a culinary tradition can change before it forsakes its roots. For Muhammad al-Tarawneh, a mansaf chef in the central Jordanian town of Karak, considered the dishs homeland, the answer was clear: Mansaf in a cup is just plain wrong. They took the dignity away from mansaf, he said. Mr. al-Tarawneh spoke recently in the busy kitchen where he and his 15 employees churn out massive batches of traditional mansaf for weddings, funerals and other special occasions. That days order was for about a thousand wedding guests, so preparation had begun the day before with the slaughter of 73 sheep to yield a ton and a half of mutton. To make the mansaf, the meat was boiled on the bone in huge metal cauldrons. The cooks dissolved large white balls of a dehydrated sheeps yogurt, known as jameed, in giant pots to make a salty, milky soup. When the meat was partially cooked, the cooks drained the water it was boiled in and replaced it with the milky mixture. The meat boiled in the milk until it was tender, making the signature mansaf combination. It looks like JavaScript is either disabled or turned off. Please enable JavaScript to correctly view this web site. Parece que JavaScript esta desactivado o apagado. Por favor, activar JavaScript para ver este sitio de web. Afigura-se o JavaScript esta desativado ou desligado. Por favor ative o JavaScript para visualizar este site. Il semble que JavaScript est dasactive. S'il vous plait, activer JavaScript pour visualiser ce site. When there is no light, shine forth. When there is apathy, show caring for another. When there is a famine, be bread to the hungry soul. When there is despair, inspire someone. When there is a drought, be a wellspring of hope. Where there is war, please make us all instruments of peace (Ronan's Prayer for Help More than 23 million people are experiencing extreme hunger in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, according to a new report from the UN. That's up from over 10 million last year. Many parts of Africa are now in a hunger crisis which has been exacerbated by the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in over 40 years as well as rising food and oil prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The cost of food staples has risen sharply with grain and cereal prices up to five times their normal rates. The cost of a food basket is up 66% in Ethiopia. These rising prices along with drought and ongoing conflicts have meant the meagre savings and the other safety nets that families hang onto, such as crops and livestock, are long gone. Three consecutive dry seasons in East Africa have forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes, caused the death of millions of livestock and the destruction of crops and livelihoods. Children are particularly vulnerable to acute hunger and malnutrition and there are now 10 million children facing severe drought in the Horn of Africa, according to UN and INGO sources. These are children like the two young daughters and son of Lilian Kura, a small-scale farmer from Kadogoi village in northern Kenya, who described to a colleague of mine recently how she had endured successive years of drought, and was sending her children to bed hungry, most nights. Lilians harvest this year barely yielded anything, and even her goats, the hardiest of creatures, were struggling to survive. She used to have 20 animals but only has less than half that number now. For me, this starvation is a political failure. The world produces enough food for our global population but it lacks the political courage to ensure that it is distributed fairly. While Ukraine has understandably taken up much media attention recently, the fact that so few people in Ireland are aware of the crisis in the Horn of Africa is deeply concerning. The international community was able to raise $16 billion for Ukraine in one month while the UN has so far collected just $93 million for the hunger crisis in East Africa. Africa has the potential to produce far more food than it does currently if more long term investment was made in infrastructure, land expansion, technology and climate-smart agriculture. Agriculture can be a solution to hunger in Africa. Its responsible for up to 42% of total GDP in sub-Saharan Africa and is 2.5 times more effective than other sectors at lowering rates of poverty. The threat posed to Africas food supplies by the conflict further underlines the vital importance of improving African grain production. According to a recent McKinsey report, investment in food production systems would result in a two or threefold increase in the volume of cereals and grains produced on the African continent. Tapping Africas agricultural potential would add 20% more cereals and grains to the current worldwide 2.6 billion tons of output. Similar increases could be seen in the production of horticulture crops and livestock. A few years ago, Self Help Africa involved itself directly in a humanitarian emergency for the first time, in response to the unfolding food crisis in East Africa. For me, it was a logical and natural move. We distributed climate-resistant seed and other support to the farming communities affected by the crisis, and since then have also handed out food as well as addressing the needs of many families affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters like the recent tropical storm Ana. The passage in James 2:15-16, "Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed', but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?" reminds us that faith must be accompanied with action. It is not simply enough to send good wishes with the hopes that words will suffice to alleviate someone's condition. While being empathetic is necessary, it must also be translated into good deeds and real action.The capacity to help people and children in need is a measure of our humanity. War, hunger, famine and poverty are not abstract; they have a human face. Im confident that with the help and support of Irish Aid and the generosity of the Irish public and our partners on the ground, we can make a huge difference for good in the lives of some of the poorest people, families and children on our planet. Self Help Africa are working with local partners in East Africa particularly in Ethiopia and Kenya to provide emergency supplies and vouchers to help families buy the essentials for survival. Longer-term, were also ensuring farmers have access to drought-tolerant seed for the next planting season. Our priority right now is to respond to those families and communities at most risk but they need your help. Together, we can protect farming families from the worst effects of the drought, and access essential food for their family. Please, if you can afford to, make a donation to help us continue this work with people in extreme need. Why not organize with your family, friends or businesses a fundraising event or to make a donation, to support our East Africa Appeal and our work in many countries in Africa and some other countries in our world and find out more about the work of Self Help Africa to Act locally but impact globally and you can make a donation at www.selfhelpafrica.org/ie/east-africa-appeal/ You can make a credit or Laser card donation by phoning ((01 ) 6778880 or simply send whatever you can afford to Self Help Africa, Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, Westside, Galway or to Self Help Africa, Kingsbridge House, 17-22 Parkgate Street, Dublin 8. If you are interested in finding out more about Self Help Africas Lifetime Gifts, or want to find out any other ways you can help us or partner with us in our work, just visit www.selfhelpafrica.org or drop me a note at ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org. Id be happy to chat! In a first such case involving an electric car in India, a Tata Nexon EV caught fire in Mumbai and the company was investigating the incident. The EV car fire incident was reported from Vasai West (near Panchvati hotel) in Mumbai late on Wednesday, and the video of the Tata Nexon engulfed in fire went viral on social media. The company said in a statement that "a detailed investigation is currently being conducted to ascertain the facts of this isolated incident". "We will share a detailed response thereafter. We remain committed to the safety of our vehicles and their users," it added. Tata Nexon EV is the highest selling electric car in India and at least 2,500-3,000 cars are being sold every month in the country. The company has so far sold over 30,000 Nexon EVs. According to the video, the owner of the car charged his Nexon EV with a normal slow charger installed at his office. After driving about 5 km towards his house, he heard some weird sounds from the car and saw flashes of warnings on the dashboard which alerted him to stop the vehicle and get out of the car, media reports said. Later, firefighters were seen spraying water on the burning Nexon EV. "This is a first incident after more than 30,000 EVs have cumulatively covered over 1 million km across the country in nearly four years," said the company. Several electric two-wheelers have caught fires owing to battery explosions in the country, leading the government to launch a probe into the incidents involving EV makers such as Ola Electric, Pure EV, Jitendra EV Tech, Ather Energy and Okinawa. A man who survived a bomb attack in Dublin as a young child has pressed Irish police to release files relating to their investigation. Edward ONeill was just five years old when the blast on Parnell Street, part of the Dublin/Monaghan series of bombs, killed his father and left him with life-long injuries. No one has ever been convicted over the four no-warning bombs on May 17, 1974 which claimed 35 lives, including two unborn babies. The attacks have been blamed on loyalist paramilitaries. The ONeill family had gone to the city centre to get haircuts the day before Mr ONeills brother had his first communion. He described walking out of the barber shop with his father holding both him and his brother by the hand when the bomb exploded. Ill never forget it, my dad was swinging me on his left hand, he had my brother by the right hand my brother jumped up and grabbed a button out of his jacket, as he went down to pick it up the bomb exploded, he said. Mr ONeill is still receiving treatment for the injuries he received that day, including skull fractures, a broken jaw, fractured cheekbone, collapsed lung, first and second degree burns and severe lacerations to both legs. Earlier this week, he underwent his 64th operation: spinal surgery, to correct those injuries from almost 50 years ago. His mother Martha was heavily pregnant at the time, and went on to lose her baby as a result of the trauma. Martha juniors name was added to the memorial on Talbot Street last week. The case is currently under review by Jon Boutchers Operation Kenova. However Mr ONeill said the Gardai are blocking the release of files to the independent cold-case initiative led by the former Bedfordshire chief constable. He said Garda have refused to meet him on the matter, adding: I have requested on many an occasion meetings with the Garda to tell me face to face why they are blocking the release of files. They have completely ignored us, they have refused any request for a meeting, they have treated us absolutely appallingly, he said. It is understood that as Operation Kenova is a review exercise, cross-border protocol only allows the sharing of files for live investigations. There is an effort under way to devise legislation to allow the files to be shared, however Mr ONeill said his family suspects this is a delaying tactic. He said he believes the Gardai are protecting a terrorist informant. Weve been told there is a statutory instrument being written to allow Boutchers team to get access to the files, he said. I dont doubt the sincerity for one second of what Boutchers team is trying to do, what I do have a problem with is the sincerity of the Garda I have been trying to get a meeting with the Garda to ask what is going on with the files but they just ignore me. If the whole thing about the statutory instrument was genuine, whats the problem with them saying this to me, confirming it to me. Mr ONeill said his family feels left behind by the Good Friday Agreement, saying victims and survivors were forgotten, ignored at the expense of terrorists. Victims and survivors have been left fighting for scraps, he said. This whole thing has occupied my entire adult life, many times I would have loved to have my anonymity back, Id love to be the anonymous person in the crowd but people know me as the kid who was blown up coming out of the barbers. Mr ONeill also said his family would like to see a public inquiry into the atrocity. Responding, a Garda spokesperson said: It is the policy of An Garda Siochana not to make detailed public comment on ongoing investigations such as this one. An Garda Siochana reaffirm its commitment to continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the bombings of Dublin and Monaghan in 1974 with the objective of identifying and holding those responsible to account for their criminality in relation to these matters. An Garda Siochana continues to appeal to any person who has any information in relation to the events in Dublin and Monaghan in May 1974 either, who has not contacted An Garda Siochana to this day, or who may have provided information to An Garda Siochana at some stage but has further information which they may now be able to provide at this time to make contact with An Garda Siochana at any garda station or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. A protest has been held at the United States embassy in Dublin after the constitutional right to abortion in the US was removed by the nations highest court. The US Supreme Court ruling, handed down on Friday, ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. It is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of US states. A protest held at the US embassy in Dublin on Sunday heard speeches from activists about how the US can learn from Irelands 2018 referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment and liberalise its abortion laws. People Before Profit TD Brid Smith compared the restrictions on abortion laws to gun regulations in the US. Its alright to control womens bodies but dont control access to guns, she said. I have no doubt that that ruling will embolden the anti-choicers in this country and elsewhere. We still have a way to go. Repeal was a massive victory, it was won from below by people power throughout this country over many years, she said, adding that better access to abortion was still needed in Ireland. Watch this space: the right wing in Dail Eireann, and outside Dail Eireann, will try to chip away at meagre access. Sinead Kennedy, of the Action for Choice group, told those who had gathered that after decades of solidarity from people in the US and around the world over Irelands strict abortion laws, it was time that we paid that back. Weve seen this disgusting judgement that basically has said that women and pregnant people are now second-class citizens in the United States. This flies in the face of one of the core things that weve come to realise in the last decade that control over your own body, over your own person is one of the core and fundamental rights. You cannot exist as a free human being in this society without that fundamental right. This is not 1973, its not the 1950s, there are reasons to be optimistic, she said. We have seen inspiring, powerful social movements: the Me Too movement, Black Lives Matter, the wave of unionisation that is taking place in the United States. There is the example of Ireland We can see what a grassroots movement can achieve. We learned the lesson not to look to the courts, not to look to so-called enlightened politicians, that we will fight for our rights. Hundreds outside US embassy in solidarity with women and all those impacted by overturning of Roe v Wade. pic.twitter.com/VBziD7HIRH Paul Murphy (@paulmurphy_TD) June 26, 2022 Ailbhe Smyth, a feminist and LGBT rights activist, told the crowd that the ruling was a mockery of freedom, a mockery of justice, a mockery of equality for women. What we saw the unelected members of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, what we saw them do and declare the other day in their ruling on Roe v Wade was to declare a war on women. This is incredibly, incredibly serious. We talk about this as being a rollback. It is not a rollback of one law or one right, this is a rollback in the way in which the whole democracy of the United States of America works. Everywhere across the world, we have to be those who stand in absolute solidarity with the many people in the US who are every bit as disgusted. I think of the distress, I think of the suffering, I think of the anxiety, the anguish that so many people are experiencing as we stand here outside the US embassy. I hope theyre listening to what were saying, because no country should ever condemn women or anyone to those levels of suffering and anguish, she said. Speaking on RTE programme The Week In Politics, Minister of State Mary Butler said that the issue is a very, very divisive one and it will continue to be debated in the US. Ms Butler campaigned for a No vote in the referendum on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment. We took that decision in Ireland in 2018 and we embedded it in our constitution. Whether youre in favour of it or not, the people spoke quite clearly from a majority of two-to-one, and abortion is a reality here in Ireland. What I do say, and everybody would have known my position in relation to the referendum, but I would be very, very fearful now of the amount of illegal abortions that will take place in (the US), she said. The assessments come despite continued Russian advances against outgunned Ukrainian forces, including the capture of the key town of Severodonetsk. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is heading to Europe where leaders will discuss rising living costs, the war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China. The last G7 meeting in Germany took place in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea. Seven years later, leaders are back to confront the costly consequences of decisions that led up to the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said at least two people were injured and some were trapped under the rubble after missiles struck a district near Kyiv's center. Meanwhile, G7 leaders were due to meet in Germany. DW has the latest. On the 47th anniversary of the nationwide Emergency, Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Congress party, accusing them of snatching rights of people. Oneindia 26 Jun 2022 Activist Teesta Setalvad was taken into custody by the Gujarat Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad from Mumbai on June 25. But who is.. The leaders of some of the most powerful democracies in the world are gathering in Germany on Sunday for a series of meetings, with Russia's war on Ukraine expected to be a top priority. Sri Lanka's economy has "completely collapsed" and it is facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned on Wednesday, underscoring the urgency of arriving at an early agreement with the IMF to obtain an additional credit facility. Sri Lanka has been facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 which has prompted an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and fuel across the island nation. Giving an update to Parliament on the government's mitigation measures taken so far, Wickremesinghe, also the finance minister, said, it is no easy task to revive a country with a "completely collapsed" economy, especially one that is dangerously low on foreign reserves. "If steps had at least been taken to slow down the collapse of the economy at the beginning, we would not be facing this difficult situation today. But we lost out on this opportunity. We are now seeing signs of a possible fall into the very bottom. However, we must come out of this situation. If not, we will be unable to seek solutions to any other issue in the country," he said. "We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food. Our economy has faced a complete collapse. That is the most serious issue before us today. These issues can only be resolved through the reviving of the Sri Lankan economy. In order to do this, we must first resolve the foreign reserves crisis faced by us," he said. For Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister said, the only safe option now is to hold discussions with the International Monetary Fund. In fact, this is our only option. We must take this path. Our aim is to hold discussions with the IMF and arrive at an agreement to obtain an additional credit facility." The nearly-bankrupt country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, had 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. The foreign currency crisis has crimped imports, creating severe shortages of food, fuel, electricity and other essentials like medicines, forcing people to stand in long lines to fulfill basic needs. The Indian credit lines since January this year have provided a lifeline to Sri Lanka amidst growing public dissent over the worsening economic conditions. But Wickremesinghe said India would not be able to keep Sri Lanka afloat for too long. "We have taken loans amounting to USD 4 billion under the Indian credit line. We have requested more loan assistance from our Indian counterparts. But even India will not be able to continuously support us in this manner. Even their assistance has its limits. On the other hand, we too must have a plan to repay these loans. These are not charitable donations," he said. Wickremesinghe said that currently, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is USD 700 million in debt. As a result, no country or organisation in the world is willing to provide fuel to us. They are even reluctant to provide fuel for cash, he said. He informed lawmakers that USD 70 million from the World Bank and USD 20 million from Sri Lankan Government funds will be paid to import 100,000 MT of gas to solve the issue soon. He said that on Monday, an IMF team arrived in Sri Lanka and the talks with the group will continue for the next several days. "We have concluded the initial discussions and we have exchanged ideas on various sectors such as public finance, finance, debt sustainability, stability of the banking sector and the social security network," he said. "We intend to enter into an official level agreement with the IMF by the end of July," he said. He said representatives of the financial and legal advisory firms Lazard and Clifford Chance are now in Sri Lanka to assist in its debt restructuring efforts. The framework for debt repayment restructuring is being formulated, he said. He said that next Monday, a team of representatives from the US Department of the Treasury will also arrive in Sri Lanka. He said that Sri Lanka will organise a credit aid conference which will be led by main lending countries -- India, Japan and China. "There have been some conflicts and disagreements between us in the recent past. We are working towards resolving these and fostering friendly relations once again. Each country has different processes for granting loans. Through the credit aid conference, we hope to arrive at a general consensus on the lending processes," he said. "If we receive the IMF seal of approval, the world will once again trust us. It will help us to secure loan assistance as well as low-interest loans from other countries in the world," the Prime Minister said. The government is also holding discussions with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the United States, other friendly nations and heads of state to secure interim short-term loans till the country receives IMF support. "We will be able to lay the foundation to ensure economic stability following the successful completion of these tasks. But this by no means will be the end. In fact, it will be the beginning of our journey. A new journey toward a stronger economy. We will then have to forge ahead with our plans to strengthen and create a new Sri Lankan economy," he said. Underling that the government is also working towards introducing political reforms, he called on the country's two main opposition parties to attend parliament immediately and support the passing of the 21st amendment to the Constitution and agree to establish the new parliamentary committee system. Lawmakers of the country's two main opposition parties are boycotting Parliament this week to protest against Wickremesinghe, who became prime minister just over a month ago and is also finance minister, for not having delivered on his pledges to turn the economy around. "As I have mentioned before, the situation we face today is in no way normal. I have repeatedly stated that Sri Lanka has not faced a crisis of this magnitude in its recent past. Once we have established a firm economic foundation you can hand over power to any political party as per your wish at an election and elect 225 suitable representatives to Parliament," he said. He said currently, Sri Lanka is in need of USD 550 million to meet its monthly fuel needs. "However, in the face of the economic crisis, we are experiencing difficulties in securing the necessary funds for this purpose. As a result of this, we will take steps to import the maximum fuel stocks possible based on our dollar income. Resolving the fuel shortages will take more time. Therefore I request you to economise when using fuel," he said. Aerial onslaught comes as more western weapons are being delivered to help Ukraine fight Russian troops in east Ukraine's capital has been attacked for the first time in three weeks by Russian missile strikes - as G7 leaders gathered in Germany with the invasion high on the agenda. According to the authorities, the club in the coastal town of East London gathered a group of youths celebrating the end of winter school exams. Many people have praised all-rounder Hardik Pandya as he made his captaincy debut for India against Ireland at The Village in Dublin. Especially after his captaincy stint for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 and making sure his side wins the title on their debut season, many had expressed the desire to... We've got to show them our pecs, the prime minister told his fellow G7 leaders after suggesting their take their clothes off. The funeral of a British journalist murdered in the Amazon has taken place in Brazil. Monrovia (AFP) June 24, 2022 A former Liberian army commander accused of murdering civilians has been arrested in the United States and charged with immigration fraud over lying about his activities during the country's first civil war. The US Attorney's Office on Thursday said 69-year-old Moses Slanger Wright, a former commanding general of the Armed Forces of Liberia who has been residing in Philadelphia, had been cha Many of the papers lead on the summit of rich nations as leaders urge continued support for Ukraine. Thousands across the country took to the streets on Saturday, some to protest and others to celebrate, the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v. Wade. Millions of Americans are left to question how the Supreme Court's landmark decision will affect them. Here's what has happened and what's next. To attract and enhance the relationship with global markets, the Government of India and State Governments are working to improve the quality of honey and collaborating and focusing on beekeeper capacity-building through the use of scientific techniques To mark the occasion of World Bee Day, a national level function was held in Tent City-II, Ekta Nagar, Narmada, Gujarat on May 20, 2022. It was celebrated with great fervour. The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar mentioned that the Government is working hard under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership to bring about a Sweet Revolution in the country. He also stated that Modis goal is to empower small farmers and approximately 55 per cent of Indias population lives in rural areas and that the country will progress only when the rural population improvises. With virtually inaugurating honey testing laboratories and processing units at several places like Pulwama, Bandipur and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir; Tumkur in Karnataka; Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh; Pune in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand, he also opened an exhibition at the event venue. Under the centrally-funded National Beekeeping Honey Mission which aims to establish five large regional and 100 small honey and its byproducts testing laboratories, three world-class laboratories have already been established. 25 other small laboratories are on the verge of getting established. The Government is also assisting in the establishment of these processing units. In India, more than 1.25 lakh metric tonnes of honey is produced and more than 60,000 metric tonnes of natural honey is exported. To attract and enhance the global market relationship, the GoI and the State Governments are working to improve the quality of honey and are collaborating and focusing on beekeeper capacity building through the use of scientific techniques. Tomar also travelled back in time when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat to recall how he paved a new way for the States development. His administration remained committed to the development of Gujarat's poor and small farmers. The State performed well under his leadership in terms of reducing poverty, creating jobs, developing health facilities and making irrigation accessible for farmers. During the programme, farmers from various States interacted with Tomar and other dignitaries sharing their stories about how beekeeping has increased their income. Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Kailash Choudhary, stated that the Government has provided farmers with the necessary resources as well as new technology through various beekeeping schemes and is developing a mission mode to promote beekeeping in order to increase farmer income. According to Choudhary, Modi has worked tirelessly for the betterment of farmers. Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia Mateja Vodeb; Konda Reddy Chavva, FAO Representative in India; Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW); Dr AbhilakshLikhi, Additional Secretary, DA&FW; Dr Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner, DA&FW; Meenish Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board, senior officers of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Government of Gujarat and large number of farmers/beekeepers and stakeholders associated with honey production took part in the event. China and Pakistan, the iron bothers, are celebrating 72 years of their diplomatic relations this year. During all these years, the two countries helped each other and consolidated the friendship up to the mark of strategic partnership in diverse sectors of economy, investment, joint venture, industrialization, agriculture,... To no ones surprise, the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church denounced the declaration of independence by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as illegal, but it then took an action that will likely have the effect of making that declaration irreversible... Russia has said two Americans captured in Ukraine could face the death penalty. Can the U.S. or Ukraine win their release? What experts say. Domestic issues like abortion and guns have followed President Biden abroad, where he's meeting with G7 and NATO leaders. Tens of thousands of Poles blocked city streets in cars, on bicycles and on foot on Monday on the fifth day of protests against a.. Reuters - Politics 27 Oct 2020 Jennifer Rourke said she was attacked after speaking at the state house in Providence. Officer Jeann Lugo is under criminal.. Upworthy 25 Jun 2022 The former executive director of the Cherokee Nation Foundation who is now living in Poland has gone to federal court to have tribal embezzlement charges dismissed against her. Kimberlie Gilliland, 52, has filed a petition in Tulsa federal court that seeks to void an arrest warrant and related charges brought against her by Cherokee Nation authorities. The petition for a writ of habeas corpus, filed earlier this month, asks a federal judge to find that an arrest warrant issued in connection with an amended complaint naming Gilliland on embezzlement charges represents a sufficiently severe actual restraint on her liberty interests as to warrant habeas corpus review, according to the 426-page complaint. The petition asks a federal judge to determine that a 15-count amended complaint filed against her in 2019 in Cherokee Nation District Court is unconstitutional, illegal and should be dismissed. Former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith, who is now an attorney in private practice, is representing Gilliland. While Cherokee Nation officials contend Gilliland has absconded from the country to avoid prosecution, Smith said his client just wants the charges against her dismissed so she can return to the United States. He said she fears she could be arrested on the Cherokee Nation warrant if she tried to enter the country. After Cherokee Nation officials filed initial charges against Gilliland in 2016, Smith said she lost her new job and was unable to find another one. It pretty much destroyed her life and reputation, Smith said. If you are a professional executive director of a nonprofit and you are charged with embezzlement, you dont work in that industry again, and thats what happened, Smith said. In her petition, Gilliland cites the stigma of the Nations criminal charges as one reason for her familys move to Poland. The petition states that after she resigned from Cherokee Nation Foundation, she was later fired from her job in 2016 as Bacone Colleges foundation director and couldnt find meaningful employment afterward. The petition also states the family moved to Poland so Gillilands husband, a Polish native, could obtain more affordable health care for a health condition. Gilliland served as executive director for what was then called the Cherokee Nation Education Corporation beginning in 2009. Gilliland left the organization in 2013, even staying on for a few months after she intended to leave at the request of the agencys governing board, according to Smith. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute An independent audit completed in 2014 of the agencys financial condition was followed by the filing of charges. In 2016, Cherokee Nation prosecutors filed a nine-count complaint and information against Gilliland, alleging various fraudulent expenditures on her behalf while executive director. The bulk of the charges stem from travel expenses Gilliland paid for with Cherokee Nation Foundation funds between 2011 and 2013. Regarding the travel charges, Smith said the agencys governing board had authorized them all, never prompting any concerns about impropriety. Asked about expenses charged to the Cherokee Nation Foundation on behalf of family members, Smith said Gillilands family members took part in the programs that Gilliland was touting on behalf of the nonprofit organization. Those family members were part of the programs she was putting on and was approved by the board, Smith said. For example, Smith said two children she traveled with on occasion were participants in the tribes immersion school since they were fluent and literate in Cherokee so they would travel as part of the program and talk about the immersion school. Smith said Gillilands husband was also part of the immersion school and did some work on its behalf while traveling with his wife. So, theres a legitimate business purpose approved by the board for each of those people going, Smith said, adding that they werent extravagant expenses. Gilliland was released on her own recognizance after she appeared in Cherokee Nation District Court following the filing of the charges. Gilliland moved to Poland in 2018, according to court records. In March 2019, Cherokee Nation prosecutors added six more counts against Gilliland, charging her with illegally giving herself salary increases, paying a company owned by her husband with foundation funds and giving scholarships to individuals who did not qualify, or in at least one case, even apply for the scholarship. The lawsuit names as defendants Cherokee Nation District Court Presiding Judge T. Luke Barteaux, Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill and Cherokee Nation Special Prosecutor Ralph Keen II. The Cherokee Nation, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment on Gillilands petition, citing the pending litigation. The Cherokee Nation, for its part, has maintained in tribal court filings that the charges are proper and legal. DETROIT (AP) The state of Michigan has agreed to destroy more than 3 million dried blood spots taken from babies and kept in storage, a partial settlement in an ongoing lawsuit over consent and privacy in the digital age. At the state's direction, hospitals have routinely pricked the heels of newborns to draw blood to check for more than 50 rare diseases. That practice, which is widespread across the U.S., isn't being challenged. Rather, the dispute is over leftover samples. A blood spot from each child is stored in Lansing while five more are sent to the Michigan Neonatal Biobank in Detroit for safekeeping under climate-controlled conditions. Scientists can pay a fee to use the Detroit-stored samples for various research projects. Research with newborn blood spots occurs in other states, too, especially California, New York and Minnesota where they can be kept for decades. Texas in 2009 agreed to destroy millions of spots to settle a lawsuit over privacy. Since 2010, Michigan must have permission from parents to use spots for research. But attorney Philip Ellison argues that the program still violates constitutional protections against searches and seizures and might not be fully understood by parents who are presented with forms amid the fog of childbirth. Ellison claims the consent form and a related brochure are vague, making no reference, for example, to the state collecting fees for blood spots used by scientists. If moms and dads say, Use them. I dont care' that's their business, he told The Associated Press. But the state is not giving them enough information to make an informed decision. ... Most people have no recollection of signing anything. My wife had a C-section. She was still groggy 12 hours later from all the drugs pumped into her from giving birth." Ashley Kanuszewski acknowledged that she signed forms allowing blood spots from two babies to be added to the research bank but doesn't recall receiving an informational brochure at the hospital. I don't like not knowing where or what they're using it for, said Kanuszewski, one of four parents who sued in 2018. In May, after four years of litigation, the health department said it would destroy certain blood spots stored in Lansing over the next 18 months and stop adding to that inventory, according to an agreement filed in federal court in Bay City. Those spots number 3.4 million, spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said. Sutfin declined to explain why the state agreed to get rid of them, citing the ongoing litigation. But in 2021, U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington said the state had no specific permission from parents to keep a single leftover blood spot in Lansing. The state has described them as spots that could be used by parents in case future health questions arise. The agreement to destroy those spots doesn't end the case. Still in play: Millions that are under the state's control at Wayne State University in Detroit and available for research, including many that precede May 2010 when the health department began asking for parental consent. In the months ahead, Ludington will hold a trial to try to determine how many blood spots really are needed for newborn disease screening, including to calibrate critical testing equipment, among other issues. The health department is defending how it runs the program. It emphasizes that no spots are stored for research unless parents or guardians give permission. Spots also can be destroyed upon request, though the number of people who take that step each year is very small. A code not someone's name is attached to blood spots that are stored in Detroit, making privacy risk during research very low, the state said. We only allow activities which pertain to public health for benefit of all, for public good, for getting better testing in the future, for discovering more and so on, Sandip Shah, director of the state's public health laboratory, said in an interview with lawyers. The department publishes a list of approved research. The state last year, for example, signed off on scientists using 3,600 newborn blood spots to determine exposure to so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS in western Michigan. Other projects have involved for-profit companies. How this court resolves the issues presented by plaintiffs could dramatically impact the biomedical research environment, potentially chilling scientific progress critical to protecting public health, the Association of Public Health Laboratories said in a court filing. In 2009, Texas agreed to destroy millions of newborn blood spots that were kept without consent. Spots obtained since 2012 now are destroyed after two years unless Texas parents agree to have them stored longer for research. ___ Follow Ed White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/edwritez This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JOHANNESBURG (AP) South African police were investigating the deaths of at least 21 people at a nightclub in the coastal town of East London early Sunday and authorities said most of the victims were minors as young as 13 years old It is unclear what led to the deaths of the young people, who were reportedly attending a party to celebrate the end of winter school exams. Local newspaper Daily Dispatch reported that bodies were strewn across tables and chairs without any visible signs of injuries. At this point we cannot confirm the cause of death, said health department spokesperson Siyanda Manana. We are going to conduct autopsies as soon as possible to establish the probable cause of death." Police minister Bheki Cele said the victims ages ranged from 13 to 17, raising questions about why the underaged teenagers were being served alcohol. President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed condolences to the families of those who died. The President is, however, concerned about the reported circumstances under which such young people were gathered at a venue which, on the face of it, should be off limits to persons under the age of 18, Ramaphosa said in a statement. The death toll from the incident rose to 21. The owner of the club, Siyakhangela Ndevu, told local media he was called to the scene early Sunday morning. I am still uncertain about what really happened, but when I was called in the morning I was told the place was too full and that some people were trying to force their way into the tavern," he said. However, we will hear what the police say about the cause of death." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Gladwin area residents gathered for a Pride March and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community at the Gladwin City Park. The group met at a pavilion inside Gladwin City Park and then lined up for a march displaying solidarity, including signs with "Love Your Neighbor," through Downtown Gladwin. Co-organizer Julie Harrell-Dennis estimated around 100 people visited the community event with a theme of picnic in the park. Photo Provided "My whole goal is to educate people out there that we are human, she said. "We have all of the same rights as everyone else, and we are going to exercise them." With national conversations focusing on opposing those rights, such as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion with the majority opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, Harrell-Dennis said she hopes to focus on spreading awareness in her community. She said it's a goal for more sponsorships and volunteers to help make the event possible. However, the group and attendees have faced opposition. It received some hateful comments on Facebook and even a few middle fingers given to marchers. "People who disagree with pride need to know that we're here and we're not leaving because we are members of the Gladwin community, in addition to the LGBTQ+ community," Harrell-Dennis said. "We are equal, so we need to have our voices heard." The event featured a Saginaw based LGBTQ+ comic book creator and stories of gender roles, expectations and outcomes from the Mid-Michigan Area Storytellers, which are based in Mount Pleasant, were shared with the Gladwin area community members at the pride event for the first time. Harrell-Dennis said the three organizers, including Emily Olsen, who is also a pastor at Gladwins Christ the King Lutheran Church, and Cassie Simpson, are already looking forward to the next year of pride festivities. The group will begin planning in August. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MIDLAND Family and friends gathered to remember the life of Gilbert Rosin, a resident widely-known as "Mr. Gil," the beloved school crossing guard of Adams Elementary School. Hugs, tears and memories on Saturday were shared from Ware-Smith-Woolever Funeral Home to the Country Club in Midland to honor his life. "There was an outpour of warmth and affection for him that felt really good," said Steve Rosin, his son. "It was a really nice day." Gilbert Rosin, 86, died in early May. He worked at Dow Chemical Company until 1988. His family said it was in his role of a crossing guard where he truly blossomed. Since his death, Midland area families and the local school community have shared he provided them with relief and security, guiding children safely to and from school. The memorial service at 1 p.m. Saturday highlighted Gilbert's commitment of baptism with religious songs and moments of worship. More than 50 people gathered to listen to messages of love, mercy and hope. The funeral services, located at 1200 West Wheeler Street, were facilitated by Funeral Director Aaron Stiner. Adams Elementary School is working on plans to honor "Mr. Gil" on school grounds. The school has been collecting donations to both student assistance funds and a memorial dedication. Photo Provided Legacy.com Better known as "Mr. Gil" to students of Adams Elementary School, he believed his job was a hobby One of Midland's beloved crossing guards died His wife, former Charlene Kay Sorg (Burlew), survives him as well as their sons, Steven Rosin (Dana Draper) of Midland, Scott Rosin (Marcie Supinger) of Midland, and Chris Rosin with friend Kat Remedi of Arizona, siblings, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He served in the United States Army as a medic from 1959 to 1961. As a Veteran, Gilbert's service was honored by a traditional salute with the Veterans of Foreign War and an American flag was presented to his wife. He was born on March 5, 1936, in Bay City, son of the late William Albert and Kate (Henning) Rosin. Gilbert attended Bay City Public Schools and graduated from Bay City Junior College. He married Charlene on March 17, 1962 in Midland. He loved fishing, camping and sport teams of the University of Michigan. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Women of Michigan Action Network will hold a reproductive rights demonstration Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in front of the Midland County Courthouse. This is the first public and collective rally planned after The Supreme Courts 6-3 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Speakers will discuss reproductive rights after an introduction from organizer Allison Wilcox. She said Midland residents can help protect Michigan reproductive rights by signing Reproductive Freedom for All petitions by July 11. We have to have enough to get on the ballot and that's the most important thing we can do in Michigan right now, she said on Friday. While Michigan Democratic lawmakers have widely supported the repeal, Midland leaders in support of the pro-choice movement are hoping for a ballot initiative that would protect reproductive rights. The ballot initiative aims to repeal a 1931 state law that would ban abortions, triggered by The Supreme Court ruling on Friday. The decision sparked an intimate gathering at the Midland County Democratic Party Office. Wilcox spoke to a room of nearly 15 people, who asked questions and learned more about how to facilitate petition signatures and canvas. Jill Harrington/jill.harrington@hearst.com "We just need at least one on each sheet," she said, adding the goal is to collect more than 425,000 signatures to be on the November ballot. The Women of Michigan Action Network have been collecting signatures this spring. A group of Midlanders gathered early May, following a leaked draft from the Supreme Court that highlighted a majority opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade. Photo: (Photo : SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images) The dad of a young murder victim went ballistic in a courtroom in Ohio and relentlessly sucker-punched the man who was accused of killing his young son, according to the New York Post. According to reports, Desean Brown faces murder charges after he allegedly stabbed 29-year-old Nyteisha Lattimore to death and allegedly tossed her three-year-old son, Nylo, into the Ohio River while he was still alive. If convicted, the 22-year-old could face the death penalty. The boy's biological father, Antonio Hughes, could not wait to serve up some justice of his own, though, as he attacked Brown inside the courtroom. Hughes sneaked up to the defense table and hit Brown with a right hook Hughes can be seen in the footage obtained by Fox 19 in the back row of the Hamilton County courtroom. He then sneaked up to the defense table from behind and slugged Brown in the jaw with a right hook. Hughes kept pounding Brown as two sheriff's deputies rushed to restrain the aggrieved dad and tackle him to the floor. In another video clip from WCPO 9, Hughes continues his pursuit of the alleged killer by lunging toward him even after being handcuffed and surrounded by three deputies. Ultimately, the video shows that it took four police officers to wrestle the mad dad down to the floor again. Because of his actions in the courtroom, Hughes was hit with a contempt of court charge and will be jailed for seven days. Investigators said that Brown was accused of stabbing Lattimore in December 2020 after planning her murder for months. After killing her, Brown allegedly waited several days before putting the victim in a body bag and having an Uber drive him to the Ohio River. He told the Uber driver the bag he was carrying was just clothes. Read Also: Report Shows Systemic Failure in Child Protection System Puts New Brunswick Children at Risk Brown upset with Lattimore's miscarriage Lattimore's body was later found near the Purple People Bridge on December 12, 2020, the Cincinnati Inquirer reported. Detectives said that Nylo's blood was found on a Paw Patrol blanket with his mom's body, and a stroller was found nearby. Cincinnati police detectives told a judge earlier this month that Brown killed Lattimore because she had a miscarriage of a baby he thought was his. The new motive for the killings was revealed in court on Friday, June 17. Kimberly Kelley, a detective for the Cincinnati Police Department, told the judge it appears Nyteisha was pregnant with Brown's kid but then miscarried it. Brown was very upset with the miscarriage and thought Nyteisha killed his baby, so he decided to do something to her baby, Nylo. Brown's attorney asked the judge to prevent the use of his confession tape in the trial, claiming that the detective intimidated his client into waiving his right to an attorney. The judge refused to lower Brown's bond despite the defense's request. He will remain behind bars with no bond option. Related Article: Police Arrest Santa Rosa Couple After Fentanyl Allegedly Found Near Their Dead 15-month-old Toddler The Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in a landmark ruling on Friday morning (June 24). The historic decision, arriving a month after Politico published the Supreme Court abortion draft opinion, will eliminate womens constitutional right to safe abortion procedures after existing for half a century. Sparking outrage across the country in the aftermath of the ruling, former President Barack Obama offered his thoughts on the controversial decision, stating it attacks the essential freedoms of millions of Americans. Today, the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, Obama expressed in a statement. It relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologuesattacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans. Read Full Story .... vibe.com >>> : Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has fired back at the ruling government. The NDC MP, on Friday, claimed President Akufo-Addo ordered a top-of-the-range and most expensive aircraft the Airbus ACJ319, registered as D-Alex for his recent trip to Belgium and Rwanda; "at a conservative bill of 480,000.00. The 480,000 Euros which is derived from 21 hours of total flight time plus other industry charges works out to some 4.1million Ghana Cedis at current exchange rate". However, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin in a statement said these claims by the North Tongu MP are not accurate, and as a Member of Parliament, I was hoping he would have been factual and truthful in his claims and resisted the urge to engage in propaganda, Mr Arhin stated, adding the President travelled to Belgium onboard an Air France Commercial Flight (AF0584). But the NDC MP has another response. According to him: I have become aware of the Presidencys response to my unimpeachable revelations that President Akufo-Addo has for the umpteenth time chartered an ultra-luxury executive jet on his current two-nation tour of Belgium and Rwanda. It is absolutely noteworthy that the statement signed by Mr. Eugene Arhin confirms that indeed President Akufo-Addo chartered an executive jet. The Presidencys statement did not and could not have denied that they chartered the ostentatious 20,000 an hour ACJ319, registered D-Alex and operated by German-based K5-Aviation. It is important to highlight that nowhere in my Facebook post did I suggest that President Akufo-Addo left Accra with the extravagant chartered jet. Avid followers of my exposes know that I have in the recent past called out and condemned the Presidents profligacy when he has engaged in a similar meet-me-there. To reasonable patriotic Ghanaians, it is certainly immaterial at what point the President who promised to protect the public purse decides to unconscionably and cruelly raid the purse be it from Accra, Brussels, Kigali, London, Kabul, Nur-Sultan or Tbilisi the value is the same. Mr. Eugene Arhin ought to know that when you charter an aircraft, you are billed for the distance covered to arrive at the pick-up point, you are also billed for the waiting period which includes waiting time for the passenger, layover period for crew rest and the return leg (as this was not an empty leg or dead head charter). D-Alex flew 1hour and 19minutes from Germany to Belgium, 8hours and 40minutes from Brussels to Kigali, did a layover for some 5 hours before flying back to Germany at an 8hour and 15minutes flight duration. This is how we arrived at our rather generous 21-hour cost analysis. It should be noted that in addition to the hourly rates, other industry charges such as landing charges, ramp fees, reposition fees etc. always apply. It is terribly unacceptable and woefully undemocratic that the statement from the Presidency refused to disclose to Ghanaians the cost of the Presidents latest sybaritic adventure. In all sincerity, the over-elaborate waffle to blame the Presidents latest reckless conduct on a strike defies logic seeing that he could have comfortably and safely found his way to Kigali just how he entered Brussels via Paris or through the many busy transit routes. What is even more thoughtless and imprudent is the Presidents unhinged penchant to charter the most expensive aircraft in the fleet of companies he contacts. That has been his character and pattern from the ACJ320neo from Acropolis Aviation, the LX-DIO from Global Jet Luxembourg and now the D-Alex from A5-Aviation. No empathetic world leader who genuinely cares and feels for his people in this period of considerable excruciating economic crisis would do that. I also take note, that contrary to initial dubious claims that some unnamed shadowy experts had advised the President not to use Ghanas Presidential Jet to Europe and destinations outside Africa, the infamous statement in issue reveals that for the first time in a very long time, the President is scheduled to fly to Lisbon, Portugal using Ghanas Presidential Jet. One wonders what has changed. We must not be distracted Ghana has a functioning presidential jet in pristine condition. First Lady Mama Rebecca can confirm this as shes the latest VVIP passenger of the aircraft. Other less fortunate Presidents with even inferior and older presidential jets have kept faith with their presidential aircrafts, there can be no justification whatsoever for the grave insensitivity of President Akufo-Addo. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Senegalese comedian has officially become the most followed TikTok star in the world. 22-year-old Khabane Lame, who posts under the name @khaby.lame, surpassed American Charli D'Amelio who held the top spot until on Thursday, June 23. The 18-year-old dancer has 142.2 million followers, while Khaby, who lives in Italy, jumped to 142.5 million overnight after months of enduring a tight follower battle. Khaby joined the platform in March 2020 during the pandemic and his followers quickly grew thanks to his hilarious videos. After joining the platform in 2019, Charli had become the most followed account with her viral dance routines and by 2020 she had over 100 million fans. At the time she took to the platform to say that the achievement was 'like a dream'. In a video, she added: 'I can't believe there's 100 million supporters following me right now. That is insane, oh my goodness. 'Y'all can't grasp that this is real, I still feel like it's a dream, kind of waiting to wake up. Very insane. Oh my goodness, thank you!' The social media platform congratulated her on the news and said it was 'so proud' of her achievements. In a statement, TikTok said: 'In less than 18 months, Charli has grown into one of the most recognized and beloved TikTok creators in the world. 'While we're extremely proud of Charli and all that she has accomplished since she shared her first TikTok video in May 2019.' TikTok also announced it would be donating $100,000 in Charli's name to American Dance Movement, an organisation aimed at increasing access to dance education in the US. In March 2020, during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Khabane lost his job and moved back in with his parents. He capitalized on the lockdown and set up a TikTok account and quickly climbed his way to the top of the platform. Speaking to Forbes the star said: 'The pandemic had just started, and I was bored with a lot of time on my hands so I started making videos on TikTok.' Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Angelique Beauchemin looks at the erosion on her property on the shore of the St. Lawrence River, in Vercheres, Que., Monday, June 20, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz Lori Ann Mancheese is shown in this undated handout image. Mancheese always wanted a home but the Manitoba First Nations womans remains were found in a field outside Winnipeg earlier this month before that dream could be fulfilled. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Eugenia Houle **MANDATORY CREDIT** Industry Insiders: Get to Know Golden Nugget Graveyard Shift Manager Mike Godfrey June 25, 2022 Chad Holloway Executive Editor U.S. This weekend, the PokerNews Cup $1,100 buy-in, $1,000,000 GTD Main Event is playing out at at Golden Nugget Las Vegas. The PokerNews Cup is part of the Golden Nugget 14th Annual Grand Poker Series, which features 81 events and offers over $3 million in guaranteed prize money from May 31-July 3. The tournament, which runs June 24-28, will be live reported here on PokerNews, and there will also be a live streamed feature table on Day 2 as well as final table action on Tuesdays Day 3 finale. As part of PokerNews continuing Industry Insiders series, we caught up with Golden Nuggets graveyard poker shift manager Mike Godfrey, who this summer is serving as Tournament Manager and Administrator for Grand Poker Series under Andy Rich, who we previously featured in his own Industry Insiders profile here. More Than 13 Years in the Business Godfrey, 37, graduated from UNLV with a degree in American History and is a proud husband as well as a father of two children. I have worked in the poker industry for 13+ years and have been playing since I moved into town when I was 21, Godfrey told PokerNews. I was hired as a dealer for my first job at the Jokers Wild Casino. I quickly moved on to the Mirage where I learned that I would work more hours if I learned to be a supervisor and in return was mentored by one of the all-time greatest in Mark Gershof. From there he was hired as a tournament manager at the Golden Nugget in November 2014. I was lucky to be hired by the Golden Nugget as a tournament manager and from there I took over the graveyard shift and am lucky enough to still be manning that post for seven years. My mentor, Mark Getshof, knew the acting manager at the time and put in a good word for me. It must have been an incredible one because I was hired on the spot and have pushed myself every day to be worthy of that recommendation still. When he started, Godfrey oversaw little nightly tournament 5-6 days a week. The priority was simple turn a two-table tournament into a six-table tournament. Within three months, he did exactly that and their daily events soon became a popular attraction. After working my first Grand Poker Series with Andy Rich at the helm of operations we learned that the mission became even larger turn GPS into a tournament destination for pokers players of all buy in ranges and demographics, Godfrey shared. I was turned into a shift manager on graveyard where we were struggling, and the goal became to change the direction of how late night poker was handled at the Golden Nugget. With the help of my team of dealers we have made that shift into a thriving place for poker." He added: The theme for the goals across the goal was simple build. Make things better, keep things fun, and make the world of poker great for everybody involved. PokerNews Cup Golden Nugget When asked to share his favorite story from his time at Golden Nugget, Godfrey didnt hesitate. My favorite story of all time was when I attempted to train our supervisor Jarod Diaz. I say attempted, because an hour into the shift my wife called saying my daughter was about to be born. I thank Jarod to this day for being the natural talent and pillar of excellence that he is, because all I could think to do was tap him on the shoulder and say, My daughter is being born, good luck! and after notifying the casino manager was running out of that room like a flash. 5 Things to Know About the $1M GTD 2022 PokerNews Cup at Golden Nugget What Makes Golden Nugget Special For Godfrey, its the people, both on and off the felt, that make the Golden Nugget such a special place to work. The closeness that our staff has made it possible for one of the most comfortable and supportive atmospheres in the world. That in turn rubs off on our local customer base who appreciate how well taken care of they are by our staff. Godfrey is also proud of the fact that he and his colleagues were able to take care of their customers and workers after COVID-19 wreaked havoc on Vegas casinos. My point of pride was being one of the original rooms to open up after the pandemic. That point in time could have been the nail in the coffin for poker throughout the country. I told our staff that first night, and reminded them for months thereafter, that our hard work and determination would set up for the future openings of more rooms. Our success in turn would save the jobs of so many others throughout this city. Trust me when I say that the most miserable years of our lives, but our core strength has been to rally around each other as a staff like a family would. So, we kept pushing and grinding along until we finally saw the light out of that tunnel and now were back to having poker being fun again. Golden Nugget's Mike Godfrey The Golden Nugget has developed a reputation as a fun place to play thanks in no small part to several popular features including: Double high-hand jackpots. $3-$6 limit players who hit quads have a chance to win up to $1,198 bonus. No-limit cash games have no cap on the buy-in, which creates some fantastic action. Theyre the last poker room in Las Vegas where $100 bills still play on the table. They have a progressive Bad Beat Jackpot that pays out the entire table if somebody loses with 1uad deuces or better. The Bad Beat Jackpot starts at $10,000 and grows daily until it is hit and re-sets. For more information on Golden Nugget check out the PokerNews room review here. Check the BRAVO app or call the Poker Room direct for an up-to-date Bad Beat Jackpot amount at (702) 386-8383. As a 24K Select Member you will earn $2 an hour in comps while you play in our cash games. The comps can be used at any Golden Nugget Las Vegas restaurant, as well as any Landrys restaurant nationwide. More Industry Insider Profiles Here's a Brief History of the PokerNews Cup Sharelines Industry Insiders: Get to know Mike Godfrey, the graveyard shift manager at @GoldenNuggetLV. PN Podcast: Brian Hastings 17th Player to Win 6th Bracelet; Phil Ivey Makes Run at No. 11 June 24, 2022 Chad Holloway Executive Editor U.S. In the latest edition of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Jesse Fullen bring you all the latest from the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas. That includes highlighting all the recent bracelet winners and even interviews with the likes of Daniel Weinman, Ramsey Stovall, Ali Eslami, and Justin Pechie. They also talk about Brian Hastings becoming just the 17th player in WSOP history to capture six or more bracelets, as well as Phil Ivey getting everyone excited by making a serious run at his 11th gold bracelet. Additionally, there are highlights from the Wynn $2,200 Mystery Bounty, Neymar Jr. notching his first-ever WSOP cash, and Dan Zack winning his second bracelet of the summer (as well as taking the lead in the 2022 WSOP Player of the Year race). They also offer a preview of the PokerNews Cup at Golden Nugget June 24-28 and offer their picks after the final ten nominees were released for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Listen to those stories and more on the latest PokerNews Podcast! 2022 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2022 WSOP is here. Click here Time Stamps Tell us who you want to hear from. Let us know what you think of the show tweet about the podcast using #PNPod, and be sure to follow Sarah Herring, Chad Holloway, and Jesse Fullen on Twitter. Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! Check Out Past Episodes of the PN Podcast Here! Sharelines PN Podcast: Brian Hastings 17th Player to Win 6th Bracelet; Phil Ivey Makes Run at No. 11 Mike Landers opened from early position for 200. Valerii Lubenets made the call from the small blind before Kathy Liebert reraised to 680,000 in the big blind. Landers moved all in with about 2,000,000 behind. Lubenets folded before Liebert made the call with Landers covered. Mike Landers: Kathy Liebert: Liebert was out in front, and the runout did nothing to change that. While the dealer counted each players stack to make sure that Landers was indeed covered, Liebert told PokerNews that this was her fourth time getting pocket aces today. "I was running bad before. I know it's a bad time to say that," Liebert shared. "It's a very bad time to say that, as your stacking millions of chips," Carol Fuchs chimed in from across the table. "I was running bad," Liebert reiterated, "Last night, I lost with top set, with middle set, it's true!" Liebert's fortunes seem to have changed so far in Day 3, as she continues the pursuit of her second bracelet. An airsoft competition has created a stir in in Graniteville this weekend. The Aiken County Sheriffs Office posted on its Facebook page Saturday that an extreme influx of (911 phone) calls about the event had been received, but that people shouldnt be alarmed. Weve looked into it, and everything is fine, Capt. Eric Abdullah of the Sheriffs Office told the Aiken Standard. The Facebook post thanked callers for being observant in your community and staying alert. Participants in the Graniteville airsoft competition, which is known as Operation Firestorm 3, are dressed in military-style clothing. Their guns look like real weapons, but they are loaded with plastic pellets instead of bullets. Best of USA Marketing, which is based in California, is the organizer of Operation Firestorm 3. Around 220 people are at the event, said Best of USA Marketing President John Lu. Its kind of like an old paintball competition, but without the paint, he added. Many of the participants arrived Friday, and the battles began Saturday in Granitevilles Marshall Street area. Operation Firestorm 3 is scheduled to end Sunday at noon. Lu said Best of USA Marketing conducts similar events nationwide and has been doing so for many years. The company held an airsoft competition previously in Graniteville in 2014, he told the Aiken Standard. Aiken County Administrator Clay Killian and County Council member Phil Napier, whose district includes Graniteville, said they also had received phone calls about Firestorm 3. Its horrible, one upset Graniteville resident told the Aiken Standard. Its like being in a war zone. MOUNT PLEASANT Food banks have revamped how they distribute free food since the COVID-19 pandemic greatly increased the number of people in need. At a time when nearly 50 percent of people visiting food banks were doing so for the first time in their lives, COVID-19 forced organizations like East Cooper Community Outreach to reevaluate their processes and sharpen their swords, said Kathleen Forbes, director of programs. Prior to the pandemic, ECCOs wellness pantry clients could expect to spend hours waiting to get food. Now, they can log in to a website, choose the groceries they want and schedule a time to pick them up. It makes Mount Pleasant-based ECCO the first online client-choice pantry in South Carolina, Forbes said. Larger food providers like the Lowcountry Food Bank and the Upstates Harvest Hope also moved to drive-thru distributions during the pandemic "It's been quite a roller coaster," said Mia Thomas, Harvest Hopes director of advocacy and marketing. However, ECCOs drive-thru is the only model that allows clients to choose their own food. There are so many things when people are financially stressed they dont have a lot of choice, Forbes said. Being able to provide that choice is empowering to them. ECCO provides comprehensive help to people who live east of the Cooper River and limited services to people in the tri-county area. While food is its No. 1 priority, its services include clothing, medical, dental and financial help and focus on the whole person, Forbes said. Smart Choice is the website that qualifying residents can log in to each month. Each client gets a certain number of points, depending on the size of the household, to spend on groceries and personal items that food stamps might not cover, such as toilet paper, diapers, feminine products or laundry detergent. Its a real, in time, way that our clients can order food, Forbes said. Volunteers like Beverly Genez and Victor Genez, who have volunteered and donated to ECCO for the past decade, then pack orders so theyre ready for pickup. The Genezes enjoy volunteering because of the personal relationships they make and being able to volunteer as a couple. The same is true for Kenneth Albert and Debra Albert, who have volunteered at the Lowcountry Food Bank for more than two years. Sometimes its hard to go home and then go out to dinner, Kenneth Albert said. You go to any restaurant downtown and youre like, Wow. We just had to stuff rice and spaghetti noodles in a box. ... Its like (a reminder of) how fortunate we really are. And COVID-19 was also a reminder of how important it is to consume nutritious meals, Thomas said. "We're really being more strategic of the food that we put out there," Thomas said. "We don't just want to feed our neighbors we want to feed them well. We're putting more of a focus on nutrition." As part of this, food banks want to partner with as many local farmers as possible to get Certified SC produce into the hands of the community, Thomas said. ECCO partners with a local food market monthly as another way to get healthy food into the hands of its clients. This is important, since at least 20 percent of food that ECCO supplies is fresh fruits and vegetables, as part of its wellness pantry status. Not only were food banks and food pantries able to respond to their clients' needs by hosting drive-thru distributions and focusing on giving healthy food, but the pandemic also drew attention to food insecurity, Thomas said. "The pandemic really shed a light on the root causes of hunger, whether that be wages, transportation, access to broadband internet, things like that, that are affecting our neighbors, Thomas said. Both Harvest Hope and the Lowcountry Food Bank are working to add team members and better strategize how to feed anyone in need. I think we often say that our lives are incredibly complicated, CEO of Lowcountry Food Bank Nick Osborne said. The reality is, our lives are really simple. ... But if youre someone that is food insecure and is hungry, your life is incredibly complicated because you are juggling multiple different balls in the air at one time. To find or donate food resources, go to lowcountryfoodbank.org (Lowcountry Food Bank), eccocharleston.org (East Cooper Community Outreach) or harvesthope.org (Harvest Hope). Charleston, SC (29403) Today Mostly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. A North Carolina financial institution with a small-town foothold in South Carolina spelled out its acquisition strategy in its latest annual report. First Bank of Southern Pines told investors that it typically sets its sights on buyout targets within existing markets or in contiguous geographic areas. Occasionally, itll snap up a branch here or there or a business that offers products and services that it doesnt. We plan to continue to evaluate acquisition opportunities that could potentially benefit the company and its shareholders, the First Bancorp subsidiary said. These opportunities may include acquisitions that do not fit the categories discussed above. It appears to have seized on an out-of-the-box deal with its $181 million buyout of a small Greenville-based lender with a string of branches along the Interstate 26 corridor, from the Upstate to the Lowcountry. First Bank and GrandSouth Bank said June 21 that their boards had unanimously approved the all-stock sale. The deal is expected to close by early next year. "This transaction represents an opportunity to accelerate First Bank's South Carolina expansion," according to a written statement. The acquisitive buyer has been "fairly public" in recent years about its desire to make deeper inroads in the Palmetto State, CEO Mike Mayer said. "We have been saying we wanted to beef up our franchise in South Carolina," he said during a visit to GrandSouth's Charleston office Friday. Founded in 1935, First Bank first ventured below the Tar Heel State line about 20 years ago, when it bought the three-branch Latta-based Carolina Community Bank for $17.7 million. It followed up with another deal that was off the beaten path and not too far from the home office. First Bank purchased Great Pee Dee Bancshares, the Cheraw-based parent of Sentry Bank and Trust, for $41.8 million in 2008. Nearly 15 years on, the GrandSouth buyout represents a bolder growth play. It propels the First Bank brand into South Carolina's three biggest markets: the Upstate, Midlands and Lowcountry. GrandSouth, which is largely a business lender, has opened eight branches in Greenville, Fountain Inn, Anderson, Greer, Columbia, Orangeburg and Charleston described as "key towns and cities that match First Bank's desired areas for growth." In a research note last week, Raymond James analyst Daniel Tamayo described GrandSouth as "a solid-performing" bank with an established presence in "the desirable" Greenville, Charleston and Columbia areas. "With GrandSouth's large concentration of commercial lenders in these markets ... we expect First Bancorp to continue to grow commercial loans at a solid pace in these markets," he wrote. Mayer, who majored in finance at Clemson University, said the courtship began casually a few years ago he was introduced to JB Schwiers, his counterpart at GrandSouth and a graduate of The Citadel. They stayed in touch. "So we got to know each other a little bit, and when the time came we got the call and it worked," Mayer said. "The cultures are very similar. It was just a good fit." GrandSouth was formed in the Upstate in 1998 and is now the 10th largest among the 47 banks headquartered in South Carolina. It began extending its brick-and-mortar network toward the coast in 2016 by opening outposts in Columbia and Orangeburg. A downtown Charleston office followed in 2017. Late last year, the bank moved its Holy City branch from East Bay Street to the upper peninsula on Morrison Drive. As it grew, GrandSouth pondered the existential question that many U.S. banks face: Go it alone or become part of a larger operation with more financial firepower. "There comes a time when scale is important," Schwiers said, pointing to the big investments that financial institutions of all sizes must make in technology, cybersecurity and other modern-day necessities. "We've been very impressed with First Bank and what they've done," he said. "We like the culture, and when the time came I hoped they were interested and they were. One thing led to another, and here we are." First Bank brings some scale to the table. It operates about 110 branches, mostly in its home state. Seven are in South Carolina, from the Pee Dee region to Rock Hill to Gaffney in Cherokee County. "There's no overlap," Schwiers said. Once the sale closes, First Bank will have more than $12 billion in assets. Scwhiers and Mayer said customers likely won't notice many changes after the banks combine, other than the name change. They'll also have access to products and services GrandSouth doesn't offer right now, such as wealth management. Schwiers will be sticking around to oversee the South Carolina market. "His job is getting bigger," Mayer said. The two CEOs agreed it's premature to discuss First Bank's growth strategy once the GrandSouth deal is finalized. Any future South Carolina expansion plans "really would be his call," Mayer said, nodding at Schwiers, who replied "it's a matter of finding the right people" first. "The markets I've wanted to go into before are still on the table. ... If we find the right bankers, we're going to hire them," he said. COLUMBIA Several companies are betting that the Midlands likes its coffee to go. Several companies are looking to add drive-thru kiosks to offer coffee and a limited menu of other items at new sites across the Midlands. Most of the locations have no or limited indoor seating. Among the companies that are confirming plans to build drive-thru-only coffee shops: Scooters Coffee, a Nebraska-based chain that is preparing to build eight locations across Richland and Lexington counties. The Human Bean, a Oregon-based outlet that already operates three Midlands locations, is adding a fourth location in Lexington. PJ's Coffee, a small chain from Louisiana, that is adding a location on Spears Creek Church Road in Elgin. In addition, several other chains are looking at the market or hunting for places to build, according to those in the field, including: Black Rifle Coffee Company, the veteran-owned chain from Utah that has embraced guns and liberty as part of its brand. The company, which started in mail order coffee, did not confirm that South Carolina is part of its national expansion plans for cafes. Its coffee already is available through other chains locally such as Speedway and Murphy Express. 7Brew, an Arkansas-based chain, already has a location in Greenville. It did not respond to a request for comment on its Midlands plans. Biggby Coffee, a Michigan-based chain that already has four locations in the Charleston market. It did not reply to a request for comment on its plans. Clutch Coffee Bar, a small chain that began in North Carolina that has announced a Rock Hill location. It did not reply to a request for comment. All these drive-thru shops are arriving when businesses face a tightening labor market and rising real estate prices. Drive-thrus are cost efficient because, without the need to provide a significant indoor seating area, they require fewer workers and less land, said William Knapp, a University of South Carolina professor specializing in restaurant industry. "This sounds horrible, but it's like, 'I don't care where you drink the coffee. I just don't want to pay for you to drink it here,' " Knapp said. All this competition among the coffee drive-thrus is a sign that drive-thru coffee will be an increasingly popular option, said Joe Walker III, the Richland County Council member who is investing in Scooter's Coffee locally. Walker has plans to open four Scooter's locations in Richland County, part of 11 he plans to open in communities across South Carolina. His Richland locations, which he is not yet ready to identify, are likely to open in the last three months of this year, he said. Another franchise holder for Scooter's has plans for four locations in Lexington County. The franchise holders there are Tony and Portia-Jackson-Walker (no relation to Joe Walker). They say they still are looking for the sites for their drive-thru only locations, and it's likely to be 2023 before the Lexington County coffee kiosks open. The numerous competitors make it clear that the dominant national brand, Starbucks, is seen as vulnerable by competitors, Joe Walker said. Customers are frustrated with the service and the product quality there, according to Walker. "It speaks to the weakness of the existing national player," he said. Starbucks itself has been investing in more locations along high-traffic streets with drive-throughs. Starbucks has opened nine new stand-alone locations across Richland and Lexington counties since 2020, the same number as Charleston and Greenville combined, according to the unofficial website Starbucks Everywhere. Another two locations are being built, one on Longs Pond Road in Lexington County and on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia. All the new Starbucks have drive-thru lanes, even as the company has closed its Gervais Street cafe that has no drive-thru. Tony Walker said he believes coffee is a good business investment whatever the economy is doing or how many competitors get into the marketplace. "People drink coffee every day," he said. Andy Shain contributed from Columbia. COLUMBIA Columbia residents can expect not to pay extra rates or fees for the coming year. In Richland County, residents will pay more for curbside trash collection. The city and county recently passed their budgets for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1. The city and county's spending changed little compared to last year. Columbia The Columbia City Council unanimously passed the city's budget at its June 21 meeting. It includes no tax rate or fee increases, Missy Caughman, the city's budget director, told the council. Clint Shealy, Columbia Water assistant city manager, told the council this was because the department has received numerous grants and federal funds. The budget's general fund included $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, a portion of the total $27 million allocated to the city. Generally, the budget followed closely in line with last year. The total amount of money for city operations increased 6 percent to $164.8 million. The water and sewer operating fund changed only 1 percent to $185 million. Similarly, the stormwater operating fund increased 3 percent. The parking fund had a particularly fruitful year, with revenues growing 46.1 percent from last year, raising the total budget for the department 12.5 percent. Most of that money comes from garages and parking meters, Caughman told the council. One significant increase was for police. The police department received an additional almost $4 million, raising its budget from $43.4 million to nearly $47.3 million. Plus, the budget allotted $2.2 million for a police pay plan. The city had yet to determine how to award $3 million in hospitality tax funds and $2.5 million in accommodation taxes. The hospitality tax grants help fund local institutions and events that bring tourism to the city, such as the Columbia Music Festival Association and Columbia Museum of Art. Historically, 85 percent of the accommodations tax goes to the local Experience Columbia, and 15 percent goes to the Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board. The city also eliminated 56 positions with the idea of using more contractors, city manager Teresa Wilson told the council. Richland County Richland County's budget was also similar to last year's. The County Council passed its budget at its June 7 meeting, allocating over $1.06 billion an increase over the $1.02 billion from last year. The primary impact for residents will be in their trash pickup. The county's garbage curbside rate will increase from $323.70 annually to $350.57. The landfill millage rate will also increase slightly, amounting to about 76 cents a year per user, Abhijit Deshpande, budget and grants management director, told the council. Of the 35 new positions the county plans to create, nine will be part of the solid waste department, with six working as collection inspectors and three in customer service. The county also raised county workers' minimum wage to $32,210 a year beginning Aug. 5. Current employees will receive a 4 percent raise, excluding detention officers, who will have a 7.24 percent raise. All employees were switched to a new health insurance plan that is projected to save the county over $40 million in the next five years. The county also has hospitality tax and accommodation tax funds to dole out. The hospitality tax was expected to bring in $7.8 million in the coming year, while the accommodation tax had an anticipated $400,000. Council members received $906,675 total from the hospitality tax revenue to allocate. As a whole, the council funded several organizations, including nearly $800,000 for the Columbia Museum of Art, more than $500,000 to the Historic Columbia Foundation and more than $400,000 for EdVenture. Columbia, SC (29201) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. When True BBQ finally reopened its doors for lunch, dozens of customers waited for their barbecue fix. "Their food is really, really good. And they were so missed. I'm glad they're back open again," said Kay General, a devoted customer who's lived in Columbia her whole life. As she waited next to her family members, other customers joked with owner Milton Zanders. "Zanders, it's good to see you back here," one customer told the 61-year-old. "Don't I know it?" Milton responded. The lively scene was vastly different from the last nine months, when the longtime West Columbia barbecue joint its walls adorned with newspaper clippings and shelves full of Dallas Cowboy memorabilia, family photos and a Holy Bible sat empty. While the doors were locked, the family behind the restaurant experienced what seemed like misfortune after misfortune. In early October 2021, a close relative, Bryan Williams, died of a heart attack. "When he died, everything just came to a standstill," Milton said. "We had to mourn and grieve over that. And and with that being said, work was not on our mind." Milton then tried to reopen the spot the following month but a serious car accident on the way back from a family trip halted those plans. And again, after announcing plans to reopen at the start of 2022, Milton's wife suffered her fourth stroke right before Christmas and business was once again put on hold. "As family we have to come together and support one another and that's what our family did during October November, December," Milton said. "Our minds were not on opening up a restaurant... at one point it didn't matter if I opened up again or not because my focus was taking care of my family, especially my wife." The Zanders, namely Milton's brother Ernest, got into the barbecue business when Ernest decided to quit his job and pursue selling smoked meats on street corners and different events. When the recession hit in 2008, Milton decided to leave his job selling cars to pursue the venture with his brother. "I said, 'I got to make a decision here on what to do because you know people not buying cars now and I still got to take care of my family,' so I made the decision to stop selling cars and to help him on the street corners," Milton said. "I figured if we could go out and sell food every day, we could make money every day so, with that logic, I decided to help him sell food." Eventually the business gained enough popularity to move to a physical location in West Columbia. Since then, Milton's brother, Ernest, left Columbia to move to Winnsboro and Milton took over as the head cook. The spot garnered national attention when its hash was named the best in the state by Eater, a national online food publication. The restaurant wasn't hit as hard by the COVID-19 pandemic as it could've been, according to Milton. The brothers built their business on mostly take out while still allowing people to dine in. When the pandemic hit, they simply pivoted to take out only. The family's health tragedies would take a greater toll. But Milton, who grew up in church and whose wife pastors a local church, clung to his faith, finding solace in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Milton quoted from Ecclesiastes 3: "He has made everything beautiful in his time, talking about the Lord. And it also says in that same scripture ... He has set the world in their heart so that no man will know the work that God maketh from beginning to the end because if we knew, we wouldn't need him." When Milton announced in a Facebook livestream on June 17 that the barbecue restaurant would finally be reopening, comments of support and excitement poured in. The post has been shared more than 40 times and has nearly 100 comments. And each time Milton addressed the folks who love his restaurant through social media, he expressed his appreciation for their unwavering support. "I've been waiting for a long time. I passed by here every day for work and I'm like 'Ugh they're not open yet.' I mean, we missed them," said Kathy Garcia as she stood in line waiting on her take out order on the first day the restaurant had been open in nearly nine months. Milton doesn't plan to reintroduce dine in at this point. With the restaurant only being open two days a week, he's focusing on getting back into the grove of operating a restaurant. True BBQ is located at 1237 D Ave in West Columbia and will be open on Fridays and Saturdays for takeout only from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Greenville, SC (29601) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. GREENVILLE Wide patches in the ceiling reveal the support beams underneath. The observation rooms have fallen into disrepair. The windows are shattered and boarded up. The building's current condition belies its past as a premier medical facility that served Greenville's Black community when its residents couldn't find care anywhere else. Dr. Edward McClaren invested $15,000 of his own money to construct the brick building on Wardlaw Street in 1948 and open his medical office. The space filled an urgent need after the county shut down the Working Benevolent Society Hospital where McClaren worked while the area's major hospitals refused to take Black patients. It was a haven and beacon of Black excellence in the age of Jim Crow, said Urban League of the Upstate CEO Gail Wilson Awan. In the decades since the squat building, now dwarfed by an emerging residential development, stopped functioning as a doctor's office it's housed a barbershop, hair salon, spa and art gallery. Those were way-stops, Awan said, on its way back to being a health resource for people in need. The developers who own the land the McClaren Medical Shelter sits on and who are building the complex behind it are deeding the building to the Urban League, which plans to use it as an access point for Greenville residents seeking medical care. "A historic civil rights organization that's been around for a hundred years is the organization that is moving in and making sure that Dr. McClaren's legacy of caring for the health of people of color, African Americans and other underserved folks lives on," Awan said. The top floor of the two-story building will serve as the McClaren Institute for Health and Quality of Life, a nexus for the various health services the Urban League offers and partners with throughout the Upstate, including training programs for young people who want to work in the health care industry and screenings for prostate cancer. The bottom level will house a community room, as well as a museum of sorts honoring the life and work of Dr. McClaren. When the plan to officially transfer ownership of the building from New York-based developer Lighthouse Living to the Urban League was announced at a City Council meeting earlier this month, the news was greeted with a standing ovation from a room filled with city officials, community leaders and residents from the surrounding community. But until recently the salvation and restoration of the McClaren Medical Shelter was far from a sure thing. It took a concerted, yearslong effort by community members to save it, said Pamela Adams, one of the residents who led the charge. For a time, Adams had been a customer at the salon that operated out of the building. She knew very little about it, only that it had been in the community for decades and that it was Black-owned. At a Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast in 2019, her friend JD Harrison approached her and told her that the property had been sold, and the brick building would likely be gutted and transformed into an open pavilion. Sign up for our Greenville daily update newsletter. Sign up for daily roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Upstate. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Greenville news staff. Email Sign Up! "I said we have to do something right now," she said. "So during the breakfast when everyone was talking and walking about and visiting each other, I got up and started to talk with the Black elected officials there in the room and told them the little bit of information that JD had shared with me." The fight to save the building began at that breakfast. Over the next three years, Adams, Harrison and another resident named Yvonne Reeder worked with the developers, coordinated with local and state officials, and plumbed archives for more information on the building's past. What they learned about the structure's life as a medical site and Dr. McClaren's contributions to the city added a new urgency to their preservation efforts. "It was like going from black and white to color," Adams said. "It was adding texture and depth and layers to the story of this man." McClaren was born in Abbeville in 1902 and went on to attend medical school at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He returned to South Carolina to work at the Working Benevolent hospital after graduating in 1935. "He could have gone anywhere else," Adams said. "But he came back to the South." The 3,000-square-foot medical office he built, which housed nine patient rooms and an operating room, at one point employed 22 doctors 14 white and eight Black. It closed in 1954 after the desegregation of area hospitals. As the preservation group's work continued, Adams said they learned there are still many older residents in the community who had been patients at the McClaren Medical Shelter, including City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming. To preserve the building while making way for the new development, the structure had to be removed from its foundation and slowly moved to the nearby corner of Wardlaw and Academy Street. Awan said once her organization officially takes ownership of the building, there will be a capital campaign to raise the funds for the renovation. There is no firm cost projection, but Awan estimates it will take about $2 million to complete the project. She said she is hopeful to open the doors by February. About 68 years after the McClaren Medical Shelter closed, Awan said she will be honored to restore its role as an access point to medical care. "We are all in," she said. "We have made this our signature identity in Greenville County. We've realigned everything to focus on health and quality of life." GEORGETOWN When Raymond Moody moved back into his parents house in 2004, some neighbors stopped letting their children play on the street, and the county sheriffs office set up regular patrols of the area. Moody had just returned to the Kensington area from California, where he had been serving a 40-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a child. He was set free after a psychiatrist determined he was no longer a threat to society. But some of his new neighbors werent so sure. Moody told a reporter that he understood their fears but wished folks would just give him a chance and see that he had turned over a new leaf. He insisted he would never hurt another child. I dont even have a thought of doing something like that again, he told the Georgetown Times in June 2004. I wish people would have a little faith and not define others by what they have done in the past but by the type of person they are today. Five years after giving that interview, Moody allegedly abducted Brittanee Drexel, a 17-year-old from New York who was on spring break in Myrtle Beach, authorities said. He is accused of raping and strangling the teen before burying her body in a 4-foot grave in woods off Old Town Avenue near Georgetown. Moodys May arrest in Drexels killing brought an end to a mystery that had endured for 13 years since her disappearance from Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. But questions have swirled around Moodys murky past in the weeks since he reportedly confessed to the slaying and landed behind bars on murder, rape and kidnapping charges. He remained jailed on June 24, and Georgetown County authorities have not relayed any new developments in the case for several weeks. An attorney said to be representing Moody could not be reached for comment for this story. Little is known about Moody's movements in the months leading up to his arrest or how he supported himself in Georgetown County. His last known address in the South Carolina sex offender registry placed Moody, 62, in a mobile home on a tree-lined property he owns in a remote, sparsely populated corner of the county. A braided cable blocked access to the driveway on a recent afternoon. Several nearby signs warned trespassers to keep away. Two in particular stood out: 24 Hour Video Surveillance and No Stupid People. Their message was clear: The individual who lived there did not want to be disturbed. Chance to change? Moodys return to Georgetown County in 2004 drew headlines after neighbors raised concerns about the safety of their children. They questioned whether someone with his proclivities could ever truly be rehabilitated. And they noted that his parents home lay less than three blocks from a school. Moody, then 44, had been placed on house arrest and ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He had planned on staying elsewhere, but a landlord turned him away after running a background check. He told the Georgetown Times he would only be staying with his parents for a month, but hoped to prove to others that he had been rehabilitated. "I put myself in their shoes, he said of his neighbors. The things like I am being subjected to don't bother me. I was expecting it. What hurts me is what it's doing to my family. I understand the fears and concerns." His father, Doug Moody, told the newspaper he hoped his son would be given a chance to prove he has changed. "He was just 21 years old when all this happened and he's 44 now. He is not the same person he was then," he said. Tales from the past A 2017 memoir gives insight into Moodys life during and after his California prison sentence, through the eyes of a fellow inmate of Moodys who developed a relationship with him. In Lost and Found, author Ernest Merchant wrote about his and Moodys relationship in and out of prison. Merchant didnt use Moodys name in the book, calling the character Boone instead. He confirmed on June 24 that Boone was actually Moody. (K)nowing what I know now, I wish I had left him in that prison and never looked back, Merchant told The Post and Courier. I believe now I never really knew him. I think he is mentally ill, morally bankrupt and without a conscience. In the book, Merchant writes that Moody moved to California to join the military, married at a young age and had three children by the time he went to prison. Moody entered the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in December 1983 to serve a 40-year, four-month sentence for sodomy, rape and assault of a child under the age of 14. The CDCR did not note which facilities Merchant and Moody served time in, but Merchant writes in his book that the two met at a prison in Soledad, about 85 miles south of San Jose. Moody was released to parole supervision in June 2004, two years after Merchant, and a background check indicates Moody moved to the Georgetown area soon thereafter. Merchant would join him in 2005. Merchant wrote that Moody became an established cabinetmaker and craftsman with a small business, and the two settled into what Merchant described as an idyllic life in many ways. We had a modest but respectable lifestyle, Merchant wrote. The controversy over his past receded quickly. We had a nice home and good jobs. We had family ties, and my job opened doors to a social life. I have always been a social butterfly. The social life was awkward for (Moody). I understood and sympathized with his feelings of inadequacy on a social level, but felt like I was constantly balancing my own gregarious nature with his reticence. Georgetown City Administrator Sandra Yudice told The Post and Courier that she could not find a record of a business license under Moodys name, though Georgetown County does not require business licenses at all. Moody and Merchants relationship soured in 2008, according to WCIV-TV, the year before Drexel went missing. Finally off parole supervision, Moody started an affair with a woman, Merchant wrote. In the afterword to the book, Merchant notes that he was saddened, but not shocked when Moody was named a person of interest in the disappearance of an unnamed young girl. I am grateful to be free of the bondage of his past and future, Merchant wrote. My bitterness and anger is gone, and so is the passion I felt for him. Moody had been named a person of interest in Drexels case in 2012, and investigators searched his Georgetown-area apartment the year prior. Tenants of the complex said at the time that Moody was known around the complex by a nickname: Mr. Clean. Moody hung up on a reporter who called him for comment after the search, saying that was his only reaction to developments in the case. Drexels mother said at the time that she hoped the search would lead to some resolution in the case. But Moodys name soon faded from the headlines as investigators paid greater attention to the theory that Drexel had been killed by others and fed to alligators in the McClellanville area. To The Post and Courier, Merchant expressed his sympathy to Drexels family. My heart aches for the Drexel family and I hope they can find some solace in the knowledge that he will face justice and can never hurt anyone again, Merchant said. Over 200 protesters packed the sidewalks in front of Charleston City Hall for a second straight day as protests continued across the nation in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end federal abortion rights. Police blocked off one lane of traffic on Broad Street as the crowd that gathered at 3 p.m. June 25 began to spill into the street within half an hour, many of them holding signs with messages including "Bans off women's bodies," and "Guns have more rights than me." Organizers passed a bullhorn to anyone who wanted to speak: Many expressed a mixture of anger and sorrow. They encouraged people to help women who can't afford to travel out of state for an abortion and to vote. One said her father hid her keys to try to prevent her from attending because he supports ending abortion rights and views it as "God's choice." "I feel like it's a very dark day, that we've gone back to the '50s, said Carlin Timmons, 74, of Folly Beach, who watched from across Broad Street with one of her daughters. "I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg is turning over in her grave." Timmons said she decided against having an abortion when she was 18 and pregnant, but she never thought it was her right to tell anyone else not to. The rally did not appear to face any organized opposition. On June 24, the day the Supreme Court announced their decision, people celebrating the decision and those protesting it shouted at one another over megaphones at times on Broad Street. Abortion remains legal for now in South Carolina, but likely not for long. With Roe v. Wade no longer law of the land, Attorney General Alan Wilson is asking a judge to set aside the ruling blocking a South Carolina law passed last year that bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, which could be as early as six weeks into pregnancy. About 45 percent of abortions in South Carolina in 2020 came at or before six weeks, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. South Carolina legislators plan to return for a special session to decide where to draw the line on an abortion ban. The law Gov. Henry McMaster signed last year includes exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother, though he has said he would support a ban with no exceptions. South Carolina has three abortion clinics, in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville. The Columbia clinic announced plans to increase its hours while abortion remains legal in the state. In Charleston and Columbia, the clinics are continuing to operate but said they are temporarily turning away new patients. The Supreme Court's decision triggered protests and celebrations nationwide. In Phoenix, police fired tear gas from the windows of the Arizona Capitol building to disperse hundreds of people who had gathered to demonstrate for and against the court's ruling. And in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a truck hit two protesters who were in a crosswalk after an abortion rights rally. Pat Votava of Sullivan's Island was in Washington, D.C., when the news broke and immediately walked from her hotel toward the Supreme Court building. She felt called to witness history. By the time she arrived, she said, there were 1,500 to 2,000 people there. The next morning, when she walked by at 7:30, protesters were already back. She compared the mood at times to sitting shiva, mourning together. "It was, in a strange way, a bit hopeful because certainly one could see that the majority of people surrounding me were against the decision," Votava said. "I think the energy yesterday in front of the court was about unity and it was about grief." Among the rainbow colors and various pride flags, the Augusta Commons was filled with joy for the 13th annual Augusta Pride celebration. The celebration featured a parade and an outdoor festival with speakers, local small businesses and music as the LGBTQ+ community and its allies took to the streets to celebrate love. Earlier in the week, Beats on Broad, a presidents soiree and other events took place in the CSRA. We obviously are one community and it keeps getting larger every single year. When we expected 500 the first festival into somewhat over 14,000 now, Augusta Pride President Michael Barnard Jenkins said. Seeing the community come together and find the resources they need, meet a friend, make a friend, figure out who you are if you are questioning yourself, to me that is the biggest thing. Some attendees, like LGBTQ+ authors Yolanda Wallace and Ashley Moore, felt the pride celebration highlights the progress made in America by showcasing accessibility to queer resources and stories. Its great to bring (LGBTQ+ books) to people who dont know about it and show them that again, they can have happy endings, Moore of Charleston said. We just love seeing everyone out and proud, Wallace, of Sardis, Georgia, said. It just restores your heart a little bit. We still have work to do. Equality for everyone matters, Jenkins said. It doesnt matter their sexual orientation or their background, pride still matters. This is why we do what we do. Stonewall started with a riot, and we are still stonewalling to this day. Augusta Mayor-elect Garnett Johnson, who will take office in January 2023, made an appearance during the parade and festival supporting Augustans. This warms my heart that Augusta is a city of diversity and inclusion for everybody, Johnson said. "That means a lot. As your mayor, we are going to continue that, just know that I am always here and that I appreciate you. To learn more about Augusta Pride and its other events in the CSRA, visit prideaugusta.org. UNDER FIRE: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, speaks to the media after being subpoenaed by the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., May 12. Five Republican lawmakers including McCarthy were subpoenaed Thursday to testify in the House probe of last year's assault on the US Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images/Tribune News Service Wang Yi describes BRICS 'China Year' as fruitful CGTN) 15:48, June 26, 2022 Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that the BRICS "China Year" has been fruitful so far. Wang's comment came following the wrap-up of a series of BRICS-related meetings hosted by China, the chair of the mechanism in 2022. BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Throughout the year, China will host more than 170 BRICS events in various fields, with over 20 ministerial meetings held in the first half of the year alone, said Wang. He said, different "BRICS Plus" events have attracted the participation of more than 50 non-BRICS countries, showing the increasing global influence of BRICS. A total of 37 achievements are expected to be made by this year's BRICS activities, with a new height of BRICS cooperation in terms of quantity and quality, said the Chinese foreign minister. Wang said as a highlight of such cooperation, BRICS countries have sent a strong message of defending international fairness and justice, worked together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the building of an open world economy, and acted to combat corruption. The five countries have also strengthened the foundation for building a large integrated BRICS market, injected the momentum to maintain global food security, tapped the potential for innovative development, expanded cooperation on pioneering science and technology, seized the opportunities of developing digital economy, and created a future-oriented, high-quality technical talent pool, he said. At the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, China said it will upgrade the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and increase input to the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund. China will also set up a platform for experience and knowledge sharing on international development, a global development promotion center and a global knowledge network for development. All of these will be China's contribution to speeding up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said Wang. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) New Delhi: Hours before his departure to Germany on a two-day visit to attend the G7 Summit as a Special invitee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening said that during the sessions of the Summit he will "be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy." The PM is visiting Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27 for the summit of the G7, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations. Mr Modi is attending the G7 Summit following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by Germany in its capacity as the G7 chair. According to official sources, the PM will hold meetings with over 12 world leaders during his visit to Germany and the United Arab Emirates and will have over 15 hectic engagements during his around 60-hour stay in the two nations. He will be speaking at the Summit on Monday and is expected to hold bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden on both Sunday and Monday. In a statement ahead of his visit, Mr Modi said that he looked forward to meeting leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the summit. "It will be a pleasure to meet Chancellor Scholz again after the productive India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) last month. In an effort to strengthen international collaboration on important global issues impacting humanity, Germany has also invited other democracies such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the G7 Summit," Mr Modi said. He added, "During the sessions of the Summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as the environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy. I look forward to meeting the leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the Summit. While in Germany, I also look forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe, who are contributing immensely to their local economies and also enriching our relations with European countries." From Germany, Mr Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and ruler of Abu Dhabi. He said, "On my way back to India, I will make a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE for a meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, on June 28 to convey my personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi." The meeting is expected to further strengthen India-UAE strategic ties, especially in the fields of trade and investment. Ive followed the governments investigation of James OKeefe and Ashley Bidens diary since the New York Times broke the story with a little help from its friends in the national security establishment. What did OKeefe do wrong? What makes it a federal case? This much is clear to me: the Biden Justice Department is out to get James OKeefe. Pending before the court that signed off on the search warrants executed on OKeefe et al. is a motion to unseal the search warrant materials (i.e., the search warrant application, supporting affidavit, return, and any other related judicial documents filed in connection with the Search Warrant that was executed at the residence of James E. OKeefe, III, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Project Veritas, in connection with an ongoing federal grand jury investigation). The motion has been brought by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The ACLU supports the motion as an amicus. The RCFP has set up a page devoted to its efforts to unseal the records here. SDNY prosecutors resist it. Josh Gerstein has a good account of the proceedings in the December Politico story Judge declines to unseal records about raid on Project Veritas founder. Subhead: Magistrate cites privacy interests of Bidens daughter Ashley in probe about alleged theft of her diary. On a related note, Law & Crime has reported on OKeefes efforts to get his stuff back. Aaron Kellers May 7 story reports Citing Ongoing Probe, Feds Say They Dont Want to Return Electronic Devices and Data to Project Veritas: These Materials Will Have Evidentiary Value. OKeefe/Project Veritas attorney Paul Calli gave Keller this statement on the proceedings: Here, these DOJ prosecutors and FBI agents are hiding facts, ignoring law, and basically making stuff up. The FBI has proven that it is now little more than a domestic intelligence gathering service bent on undermining the First Amendment and a Free Press. The FBI is using the legal system to harass a media company and its journalists who are critical of the current administration and to collect evidence of a non-crime in order to amass a secret file on American journalists. J. Edgar Hoover would be proud. Keller followed up with a May 24 story on the governments response. My intention here is to do what we can to keep the proceedings against OKeefe/Project Veritas top of mind. On Friday the SDNY prosecutors filed its response to the RCFP motion. I have obtained a copy that I have embedded below. The RCFP and ACLU will file replies. It appears to me that the prosecutors have the better of the argument on the issue of unsealing, but they have something they really dont want anyone to see. 2022-06-24 [de 83] Gov Opposition to Motion to Unseal Search Warrant Materials by Scott Johnson on Scribd Movie Title: Glamour Girls Run-time: 2 hours and 5 minutes Date of release: June 24, 2022 Cast: Sharon Ooja, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Segilola Ogidan, Joselyn Dumas, Toke Makinwa, Taymesan Emmanuel, Lilian Afegbai, James Gardiner, Jammal Ibrahim and Chukie Lynxxx Edozien. Director: Bunmi Ajakaiye Nollywood films have continued to teach valuable life lessons over the years, and Netflixs latest original film, Glamour Girls, is no exception. After watching the remake of the 1994 classic, it is safe to say that Play Network Studios should abandon the idea of remaking or rebooting 90s series or films. Glamour Girls, as the title suggests, is a film about a group of escorts and how they deal with their relationships and problems. Unlike other Netflix originals Ive seen, I had little hope for this one because the trailer looked like something a first-year film student would make. However, I decided to give it a shot because it starred some of the industrys top actors. Confused and disappointed are two of the least accurate words to describe my feelings after watching Glamour Girls. The film was flat and uninteresting in every way. It felt like I was watching Chief Daddy 2 all over again, except this time the movie was about four ladies, it explored the theme of prostitution, and it was more boring. The Tea (Plot) In the first scene, we meet Emma (Sharon Ooja), a dancer accused of stealing a ring from a club client. Despite her pleas not to steal it, a bodyguard named Zeribe (James Gardiner) discovers the ring on her, and her boss fires her. Desperate, she and two other friends visit the establishment of Donna (Nse Ikpe-Etim), a woman well known for providing escorts to some of the countrys wealthiest men. Donna is immediately irritated by the three ladies appearance and unrefined mannerisms and asks them to leave. While the other girls storm out, Emma remains, pitching herself as a worthy candidate for the job. The narrative quickly shifts to the ladies who work for Donna. We meet Louise (Toke Makinwa), a beautiful escort who has a husband in America to whom she sends money regularly, Helion (Segilola Ogidan), a drug addict from a spoiled family, and Jemma (Joselyn Dumas), a former escort who found love but is returning to the business due to financial difficulties. Donna asks Emma to sleep with her husband to determine if she is the right girl for her establishment. Emma joins the group and attends her first party/job after impressing Donna. Sadly, the other escorts are paired up with men at the party, leaving Emma alone. She meets Zeribe while brooding at the bar, revealing that he framed her. As a proper apology, he introduces her to his boss, who initially dismisses Emmas existence but eventually comes to like her. Emmas life changes dramatically after the party when she is exposed to a lavish lifestyle thanks to Segun (Femi Branch). Louise receives shocking news about her husbands unexpected arrival in Nigeria. It causes several problems as she tries to conceal her prostitution. Unfortunately, he caught her with another man at her boutique store one night and decided to flee the country with their children. When Helions drug use appears out of control, especially after announcing her pregnancy, the girls become concerned. Despite Donnas repeated warnings, Helion continues using drugs, leading to a fatal overdose. Emmas situation quickly disintegrates after being visited by Seguns daughter publicly humiliates her. When she reports this to Segun, he reduces her even more, leading her to seek refuge in the arms of Zeribe. While the other ladies were dealing with various issues, Jemma was living a happy life with her boyfriend, Alexander, until she discovered the inhumane thing he did to her child. It drove her to murder him, and she enlisted the help of Donna and Tj (Taymesan Emmanuel) to cover it up. Alexanders death quickly becomes a big deal when it is revealed that he is an accountant in charge of money belonging to some powerful men in the country. Because Jemma was romantically involved with Alexander, the men believe she and Donna are to blame for his disappearance. To avoid being killed, the ladies searched for the moneys flash drive and planned exchange with the men. Zeribe, assisting them at the venue, decided to double-cross them and blame everything on Emma. Emma planted the flash drive on him, accused him of stealing it and failed. The film concludes with the revelation that Donna secretly duplicated the flash drive, which contained some of the money. The Good The film featured some of the best visual elements to grace Nigerian television screens. The cinematography was excellent, with the locations and camera movements carefully chosen. There was also an outstanding performance from the cast, particularly Nse Ikpe-Etim. Despite being given a lifeless script, the actors gave their all to deliver an incredible performance. Also noteworthy was the films homage to the 1992 classic. During Donnas search for assistance, we see her meet two of the original Glamour Girls. The producers did an excellent job including this because it gave old viewers a sense of nostalgia while also introducing new viewers to some of televisions most iconic characters. Finally, kudos to the costumes and design department for the glamorous wardrobe and expensive sets that genuinely reflected the films idea and concept. The bad Listing the negative aspects of this film would require ten pages. To avoid using the word terrible, about 80 per cent of this film is bad. Incoherent plot: If you find the above story confusing, you will understand how watching the film felt. Every scene seemed to make no sense for some strange but apparent reasons. This film left me with several unanswered questions: How did Donna come to have a third hard drive? How did Emma go through a major character transformation in six months? Why did Donna seek assistance from the woman who despised her guts? Why did Zeribe betray Emma when they appeared to be in love? How did Jemma and Donna resolve their initial disagreements? So many questions, so few answers. Unprofessional scripting: Writing a script isnt easy, so props to the scriptwriters for putting in the effort. The screenplay was nothing to write about, as it was cliche, bland, and lacked the makings of a blockbuster. The dialogue between characters felt off and forced, making a large portion of the film difficult to watch. Poor Line Delivery: While some actors gave excellent performances, others were forgettable. This makes me question the casting directors and producers decisions. The sound quality was the most problematic aspect of the film for me. The audio was simply repulsive. It was almost as if every crew member had forgotten to pay close attention to the audio quality, giving the impression that they recorded the film with a phone. Unnecessary background music: What is it with Nollywood films and distracting background music? Please, producers, music in the background frequIt felt like I was watching Chief Daddy 2 all over again, except this time the movie was about four ladies.ently distracts viewers like me from what the characters say. So either reduce it or eliminate it. Final Verdict We would give this a 4/10 based on the efforts of the cast and crew. There was so much more the producers could have done with the film because it has such a solid and intriguing concept. Glamour Girls is now streaming on Netflix. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the choice of Atiku Abubakar as his vice as a mistake. Mr Obasanjo spoke in Abeokuta on Saturday to students from selected secondary schools who participated in the final of the National Exhibition and Awards, organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE). The former president and Mr Abubakar were in office between 1999 and 2007. Mr Obasanjo said he had made several genuine mistakes in his life but God helped him overcome them. One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the president, said the former president. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me. Mr Obasanjo said another mistake he made was not leaving the country when he was told about the plans of the late military dictator, Sani Abacha, to arrest him. The second one was when Abacha wanted to arrest me. Abacha wanted to arrest me and I was told by the American ambassador that, they will arrest me and that America has asked that I should be given an asylum but, I said no. It could have been a mistake because I could have lost my life. I will say there are many things that could have been a mistake but God saved me from them all. READ ALSO: Mr Obasanjo charged the youth to take advantage of the Not Too Young To Run campaign and not allow 70- and 80-year-olds lead the country. Another thing inhibiting youth from running is the amount of money involved in going into politics. I hope that things should not continue like this, he said. I was 39 years old when I became the military head of state. 20 later, I came back as civilian president, but those there now do not want to allow the youths. If things continue like this, I do not know how you can come in. Earlier at the event, the Chairman of SAGE Nigeria, Agwu Amogu, said the programme was to celebrate the creative energy and commitments of teen entrepreneurs who see the challenges in the communities as their responsibilities. Mr Amogwu said since the introduction of the programme in Nigeria in 2006, it had shown that it is a potent strategy and model for educational reform, youth re-orientation, job creation, and poverty alleviation. According to him, Nigeria urgently need a new paradigm for education. The new paradigm must provide students with a chance to learn while solving community problems and immediately applying what they have learnt in the classroom by actually doing something great, he said. We now live in a world where any country can compete effectively with others based on the creative imagination of its human capital. There is no better place to stoke the fire of imagination than in the young people. And that is where SAGE comes in. About a week after gunmen attacked two churches in Kaduna, armed persons killed a Catholic priest in the state. The gunmen attacked a farm on Saturday and killed the Catholic priest, Vitus Borogo. The chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna, Christian Emmanuel, confirmed the incident in a statement to journalists. It is with a heavy heart, but with total submission to the will of God that we announce the death of Rev. Fr. Vitus Borogo, which sad event took place today, at Prison Farm, Kujama, along Kaduna-Kachia road, after a raid on the farm by terrorists, Mr Borogo said in a statement. Until his death, late Fr Vitus aged 50 years was the Chaplain of the Catholic Community of the Kaduna State Polytechnic, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Kaduna Chapter. Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, the Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna condoles with the immediate family, the NFCS Family of Kaduna Polytechnic, and indeed the entire Kaduna Polytechnic Community and assures them of his fraternal closeness and prayers. READ ALSO: Meanwhile, we commit his soul to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and call on all men and women of goodwill to continue to pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and for the consolation of his bereaved family, especially his mother, the statement said. Attacks by gunmen continue unabated in Kaduna State despite the presence of military barracks and security formations. Travellers, rural communities, and educational institutions have been targeted by these gunmen, commonly called bandits in the Nigerian press. Millions of people have either been abducted, killed, injured or displaced by the activities of the criminals. Recently, the bandits have targeted Christian communities in parts of the restive southern part of the state. Last Sunday, gunmen on motorcycles killed three people after attacking two churches and several villages in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday published the personal particulars of the 16 presidential candidates and their running mates who will be standing for the February 25, 2023 election. The publication is mandated by the Constitution to enable members of the public to verify the claims made by the candidates about themselves and qualification for election. The aspect of the publication that concerns the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has predictably attracted intense interest. The candidate did not provide information on his primary and secondary education. He also did not attach the certificates for his tertiary education. In an affidavit attached to the INEC form, Mr Tinubu claimed that his certificates were stolen after he was forced into exile by the military dictatorship of the late Sani Abacha. He wrote in the affidavit: I went on self-exile from October 1994 to October 1998. When I returned, I discovered that all my property, including all the documents relating to my qualifications and my certificates in respect of paragraph three above, were looted by unknown persons. My house was a target of series of searches by various security agents from the time the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was forced to adjourn following the military takeover of government of 17th November 1993. I was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, banking and finance. I was also a plaintiff in one of the two suits against the interim national government in 1993. I went on exile when it became clear to me that my life was in danger, Mr Tinubu said in his claim. He had made the same claim of loss of certificates in his filings with INEC in 1999 and 2003 when he ran for governor of Lagos State. However, he had stated in 1999 that he attended St Paul Childrens Home School, Ibadan, from 1958 to 1964 and Government College, Ibadan (GCI) from1965 to 1968 before proceeding to Richard Daley College, Chicago, from 1969 to 1971 and the University of Chicago. Old controversy reawaken But those claims landed him in a bruising controversy in 1999, a few months into his first governorship term, a controversy that has since dogged his heels. It began when some newspapers published a petition that Mr Tinubu had perjured and forged the credentials he submitted to INEC for the 1999 election. His chief press secretary at the time, Segun Ayobolu, comprehensively reviewed the controversy in an article he wrote in January this year, in response to an attack on the former governor after he declared his presidential bid. According to Mr Ayobolu: The kernel of their allegations were: (1) that there was a discrepancy in the age of the governor since the profile published during his inauguration stated that he was born in 1952 and the age on his transcript at the Chicago State University claimed that he was born in 1954; (2) that the governor did not attend Government College, Ibadan, as was stated in his profile and INEC FORM CF.001; and (3) the governor did not attend University of Chicago as claimed in INEC FORM CF and an affidavit sworn to at the Ikeja High Court of Justice on 29th December 1998. Following the publication of the petition in the newspapers, human rights lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, who died in 2009, pursued a case of certificate forgery and perjury against Mr Tinubu until the Supreme Court dismissed the suit on the technical grounds that the governor had immunity against prosecution in court. The court said only the state House of Assembly could investigate Mr Tinubu and punish him if found to have committed acts constituting gross misconduct. On September 21, 1999, the House set up a five-member ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations. The members of the committee were Babajide Omoworare (Chairman), Thomas Fadeyi, Adeniyi Akinmade, Ibrahim Gbabijo and Saliu Mustapha. House of Assembly probe The committee invited the petitioners and visited their address when they did not turn up. After discovering that the address was fake, the committee concluded that the petitioners names too were fictitious. Nevertheless, the probe committee said Mr Tinubu appeared before the committee on September 23, 1999, alongside his counsel, Femi Falana. According to the report of the committee, Mr Tinubu took full responsibility for some needless errors which he said formed the basis of the allegations against him. The governor told the Committee that as a result of the acrimonious primaries of the Alliance for Democracy in Lagos State and its attendant crisis, the information contained in both the INEC form and affidavit of loss of certificates was supplied by Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi. The governor then submitted to the Committee a copy of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) senatorial candidate form dated June 1, 1992, which he used to contest the 1992 senatorial election as candidate of the party for Lagos West. In the form, which he personally filled, the governor attached the certificates of Richard Daley College and Chicago State University. For his educational qualifications he filled B.Sc Accounting only. This according to him demonstrated that needless errors spotted in the 1999 INEC form were not consistent and that they were genuine errors. He further directed the attention of the committee to the INEC form CFO1 that bore a wrong date of twenty-eight December 1999 instead of twenty-eight December 1998. The error he said was made by INEC which printed the form. And not even the Commissioner of Oath detected the error. This in his view further confirmed that the hurried and confused manner under which the preparations for the governorship primaries of 1998 were gave room to error on all sides. Mr Tinubu also disowned, before the committee, the information in the INEC filings that he attended primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. The Governor spoke about his difficult and traumatic youth and how he scaled the hurdles of life as a self made man. After his primary education, the Governor said he was admitted into secondary school but he could not further his education because of his poverty. The Governor thus had to engage in menial jobs before he proceeded to the United States of America in search of the Golden Fleece. The Governor informed us that in America, he undertook various odd jobs and tried to improve himself academically. After five years of the most harrowing work experience, the Governor said he enrolled at Richard Daley College in Chicago, which among others offers basic, remedial and academic classes, preparatory to entering Chicago State University. He presented a photocopy of a certificate issued by Richard Daley College (City Colleges of Chicago), a copy of which is attached as herewith and marked as Annexure 5. Throughout the time he studied in Chicago, the Governor said he also had to fend for himself and that he actually paid his way through school by working extra hours as a tutor in the same university. He said he studied for extra hours especially during summer. The Governor said 27 (twenty seven) credit hours were transferred from Richard Daley College to Chicago State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business and Administration. His major was in Accounting. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm whether he amended his claims to reflect his disclosure to the state lawmakers in his filings with INEC when he sought reelection in 2003. But in his 2022 filings, Mr Tinubu did not claim to attend those lower schools. He left the columns for the information blank. He also merely gave his tertiary education qualifications but did not state the name of the institution where he got them. He also attached the old affidavit about the theft of his certificates. However, those discrepancies in his early education record from 1999 and the claim of loss of certificates have continued to feed the dispute over Mr Tinubus identity his real name, age, parentage and ancestry. Even though the late market union leader, Abibat Mogaji, never disputed her maternity of Mr Tinubu, and other members of the prominent Tinubu family of Lagos have not denied his membership of the family, his political opponents continue to insist that he is not who he claims to be. Like Buhari, like Tinubu The reactions of the media and some of the opposition parties so far indicate that the development may quickly shape up into another controversy, like the one that surrounded President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019. The then APC candidate had also submitted that the original copy of his secondary school certificate was with the Board of the Nigerian Army and that the other certificates were stolen when he was overthrown in the military coup of August 1985. Mr Buhari had made the same claims since he first stood for election in 2003. However, in 2015, it exposed him to the ridicule of his opponents and their supporters. They alleged he did not write the school certificate examination, insinuating that he was commissioned into the army without the requisite qualifications. Four years later in 2019, the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, took the issue further when he listed it as one of the grounds for his petition against the reelection of the president. The West African Examination Council (WAEC) issued an attestation certificate to the president, to confirm that he obtained a secondary school certificate from the examination body in 1961. Mr Tinubu can expect to come under a similar storm until at least after the poll. As the frontrunner by virtue of being the candidate of the ruling party, opponents will consider all means fair to bring him to heel. Already, his opponent of the Action Peoples Party, Osita Nnadi, has indicated he would be asking the court to disqualify Mr Tinubu, while a civil rights organisation, Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy, has urged the police to arrest him. Ground for disqualification Section 137 (1) of the constitution states that a candidate may be disqualified for presenting a forged certificate to INEC. In his own case and just like President Buhari, Mr Tinubu has since 1999 not presented any certificate to the electoral commission, swearing to an affidavit that they were all looted after he fled into exile. But the court appears to have drawn the line under the case of his alleged infraction of 1999 over which the late Mr Fawehinmi had filed his suit. Six years after Mr Tinubu left office as Lagos governor, one Dominic Adegbola, on June 4, 2013, asked the Federal High Court to reopen Mr Fawehinmis suit and to compel the Inspector-General of Police to investigate Mr Tinubu for alleged forgery. But the judge, Saliu Saidu, dismissed the case, saying it had become statute-barred. The judge further reprimanded the applicant for going to sleep since 2007 when Mr Tinubu lost his toga of immunity. The basic requirement stipulated by the 1999 Constitution for a Nigerian citizen to qualify for an electoral position is a school leaving certificate or its equivalent. Having graduated from the Chicago State University and worked in some well-known firms abroad and in Nigeria as an accountant and auditor, it is reasonable to argue that Mr Tinubu possesses that basic requirement to run for office. As in the instance of Mr Buhari, the Nigerian people at the poll, rather than INEC or the courts, may again be the judge to determine whether Mr Tinubu is qualified or not to be their president. Wike and Atiku Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike failed twice within a month in his bid to take or make the PDP presidential ticket. He was defeated in the primary by Atiku Abubakar and then overlooked by the same man in the choice of the partys vice-presidential candidate. But the governor is not retreating into the shadow, as his activities since Mr Abubakar named Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate have shown. It was a difficult choice for Mr Abubakar and he had tried to soften the blow on Mr Wike by personally informing him before the public announcement. But the governor left Abuja the night before the announcement, as soon as he realized he had lost again. Mr Wike has not concealed his anger since. He has not felicitated Mr Okowa on his nomination and has avoided direct communications with Mr Abubakar. The party was reported to have set up a committee to intercede between Mr Abubakar and Mr Wike but the governor is as angry with the party as with the presidential candidate. The party had earlier set up a committee to advise Mr Abubakar on the choice. Mr Wike appeared before the committee in good spirits and was even reported to be top on the list of three recommended by the committee. But Mr Abubakar picked who he originally had in mind, adding to Mr Wikes injuries. It would be recalled that Mr Wike had bitterly decried the decision of the party to allow Aminu Tambuwal to announce his withdrawal from the primary and endorse Mr Abubakar just before voting started at the convention. He suspected that happened because National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu was biased towards his friend, Mr Abubakar. That suspicion seemed to have been confirmed when Mr Ayu rushed over to Mr Tambuwals residence the morning after and declared the Sokoto governor hero of the convention for withdrawing for Mr Abubakar. Shop window Mr Wike has since put himself on the shop window. His first public event afterwards was to host a behind-closed-doors meeting with Ebonyi Governor David Umahi, a man with whom he repeatedly traded insults after the latters defection from the PDP to the APC. The media reported, obviously inaccurately, that Mr Wike was negotiating to join Mr Umahi in the ruling party. Then he played host to Peter Obi, whose defection and subsequent nomination as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party have been predicted to bring misery to the PDP, especially in the South-east, one of the partys fortresses. Mr Obi was at that point searching for a running mate but because the host and guest are from the same half of Nigeria, it did not look like Mr Wike was being offered that position. Mr Obi told journalists after the meeting that they discussed issues of national importance. Both men had rarely been seen together before, with Mr Wike even speculated to be the force that scared Mr Obi out of the PDP. Mr Wikes meetings with those two old adversaries could not just be to mend personal fences. And then on Friday, he received Rabiu Kwankwaso in Port Harcourt. The meeting too was private but it is known that the NNPP candidate is also looking for a more suitable running mate. And Mr Wike appears to fit the profile that Mr Kwankwaso is looking for an influential southern politician. This campaign started with southern governors agitating for the shift of the presidency to their region. Mr Wike was one of the most loyal to this agitation, essentially basing his own run for president on it. He vowed never to accept nomination as running mate to any candidate. But after he lost at the primary, he changed his mind and was warm to the prospect of being Mr Abubakars sidekick. So, it will be no surprise if he accepts to run with Mr Kwankwaso, who was in the PDP until his defection early this year. But what would that mean for the Rivers chapter of the PDP that is on his palm? Obi and Kwankwaso gordian knot Was Mr Wike merely trying to mediate in the talks between Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso? Both candidates had been talking about a merger or an alliance between their two minor parties. The sticking point up till now has been who would step down and be the running mate to the other. Did the two candidates just call on Mr Wike to help them untie the gordian knot? Whatever his motives for meeting the three opposition politicians, Mr Wike is not sending a warm message to Mr Abubakar and the PDP. Planning to defect or helping opponents to resolve conflict is not the kind of endeavour that the main opposition party would be expecting from one of its most influential leaders. However, it does not seem wise to think Mr Wike would want to undermine his own party because of disaffection with it. As the leader of the party in Rivers State, his hands were heavy in the choice of the partys candidates in the state. Should the party lose in the presidential election, which is on the first day of the general elections, the impact is likely to be felt in the subsequent state elections. Given the nature of the politics of Rivers State, Mr Wike cannot afford to have the state slip into the hands of another party, especially the ruling APC, which appears most likely to be the beneficiary of such a situation. The experience of Rotimi Amaechi in the state will be a warning. and his could be worse if he has no federal appointment to shield him after leaving office as governor. Some members of the PDP in the state had said Mr Wike would work for the partys victory in the state but may be aloof to its efforts outside it. However, with eight months still before the polls, there is time left for the PDP and Mr Abubakar to appease the sulking governor. About 22 people were found dead in a South African nightclub, early Sunday morning, South Africas Daily Dispatch is reporting. An official, however, told another South African medium that 17 bodies were found. According to Daily Dispatch, emergency services were called in the early hours of Sunday to the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, on the edge of East London, Eastern Cape province, where they witnessed bodies lying bizarrely as if they collapsed to the floor suddenly while dancing or in the middle of a conversation, some seemingly in the social circles they were engaging with. Other bodies are slumped across chairs and lying over tables. However, Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana told the Newzroom Afrika rolling news channel that The SAPS confirms that about 17 children were found dead inside a local tavern in Scenery Park, in the area of East London. We received this report in the early hours of Sunday. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation as we speak, he told Newzroom Afrika, adding that we do not want to make any speculations at this stage. Our investigation is continuing. According to the Daily Dispatch, initial speculation was that the patrons were either exposed to some form of poison or an incident resulted in a large number being killed in a stampede, but with a lack of any visible injuries and the positioning of the bodies, commentators have suggested that it could not have been a stampede. News24, another South African news service, reports the Eastern Cape Department of Health as saying the bodies have been taken to various state mortuaries, and post-mortem examinations would get underway as soon as possible. Families who have their wards missing were asked to go to the Woodbrook mortuary to confirm and identify if their wards were part of the incident. The MEC for Community of Safety in the Eastern Cape, Weziwe Gxothiwe, requested that families assist in identifying those killed. Chiamaka Okafor is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World British police have continued to hold on to a stolen Nigerian artefact as Nigerian officials and a Belgian antique dealer fail to reach an agreement on its return. The Ife Head is a bronze cast head from the old Ife kingdom which is believed to be about 700 years old. There are only about 20 of them still in existence, the BBC reports. According to a BBC report, a local Belgian antique dealer acquired the artefact on November 14, 2007, at an auction for confiscated art items organised by Belgian authorities. He did not know at that time that the artefact was stolen from Nigeria, especially as it was sold by the Belgian government. The antique dealer has refused to authorise the transfer of the bronze head back to Nigeria, insisting on being paid but Nigeria insists that she will not pay for what is originally hers. According to the BBC, in 2019, a Nigerian delegation met the dealer in a cordial atmosphere. I told him he could be an international hero. He said he wanted money, not people saying nice things about him, BBC quoted Babatunde Adebiyi, a National museum official as saying. The Nigerians say that at times the dealer has asked for 5m, but has brought his price down. British officials tell me he is now asking for 39,000 (33,500), the BBC reported. How did the artefact get to the British police? In 2017, the dealer tried to sell the head through Woolley and Wallis, who passed it on to the British police. In 2019, the police took the head to the British Museum, where curators confirmed its authenticity by comparing it with a cast that was made in the late 1940s. I feel confident its genuine, said an expert who saw it. Despite confirming its origin, the British police insist they are neutral. Whatever our private preference, we cant take property from an individual, BBC quoted an official as saying, adding that this has to be resolved between the Nigerian government and the dealer. Everyone agrees this piece was stolen, said another British official, but has the Belgian dealer, in legal terms, done anything wrong? He bought it at a government sale. The UK has suggested that the Belgian government, having made the error of selling the head in 2007, pays off the dealer. The Belgian government has yet to make any public comments. How did the bronze head leave Nigeria? Like some other missing artefacts, the Ife head was stolen from the Jos museum on January 14, 1987. Thieves broke into the museum, severely beat up the guard and carted away nine of the museums most precious treasures. Nigerias National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) instantly alerted UNESCO, providing photographs of everything stolen from Jos. In 1990 collectors in Switzerland were approached by a man trying to sell a beautiful Benin Bronze head for a half a million Swiss francs. The collectors were suspicious, and with the help of American, Swiss and Nigerian diplomats it was identified as having come from Jos and was returned to Nigeria, the BBC reported. Meanwhile, the other eight pieces had, apparently, vanished. Most of them, including the Ife Head, are listed in a 1994 publication by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), entitled One Hundred Missing Objects; Looting in Africa. The Ife Head would later reappear in Belgium in circumstances unknown to the public. Nigeria determined to retrieve all its stolen treasures The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) had earlier this year said no fewer than 1,500 Nigerian artefacts taken away will be retrieved from across the world in 2022. Abba Tijani, director-general, NCMM, said these were part of the over 5,000 artefacts carted away from different locations in Nigeria, decades ago. The director-general said the artefacts would be retrieved from Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other individual museums across the globe. He said that upon return of the artefacts, the NCMM would organise a series of exhibitions where they would be displayed for the general public to have a glimpse of them. Chiamaka Okafor is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), on Sunday, confirmed the age of the alleged victim of organ harvesting, David Nwamini, as 21; contradicting the claims of prosecutors in London. Isah Idris, the comptroller general of the NIS, in a Zoom briefing with journalists, said Mr Nwanini applied for his international passport which was issued after thorough checks by the passport issuing agency. He said the documents provided by Mr Nwamini from the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) gave his date of birth as October 12, 2000. He added that Mr Nwanini was captured for the international passport on November 2, 2021, at the Gwagwalada office of the agency. The London Metropolitan Police on Thursday charged former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and wife Beatrice Ekweremadu for allegedly trafficking Mr Nwanini with the aim of harvesting his kidney. On the same day, the Uxbridge Magistrates Court in London denied the couple bail. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the prosecutors said the Ekweremadus were being charged for bringing a 15-year-old boy from Nigeria to the UK with the claim that he was to be given a better life in the UK but was actually to harvest his organ. The prosecutors reportedly informed the court that Mr Ekweremadu procured a passport for the boy and claimed he was 21 years old but the prosecutors discovered that he was 15 years old. Pictures of Mr Nwaminis international passport later emerged on social media indicating his age as 21, contrary to what the prosecutors in London presented in court. The Ekweremadus are believed to have facilitated Mr Nwaminis trip after he agreed to donate a kidney to their sick daughter. However, upon arriving in the UK, the young man is believed to have told the police there that he is an underage and not 21 years old as stated in his passport. According to Mr Idris, neither the Met Police who charged the senator to court nor the senator himself has contacted the NIS since the case went public. Some lawyers have also argued that it is illegal for anyone to be procured to donate an organ in the UK, even if the person is an adult. The trial of the Ekweremadus continues on July 7 in the UK. Chiamaka Okafor is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over his failure to probe allegations that over N11 trillion meant to provide regular electricity supply since 1999 may have been stolen, mismanaged or diverted into private pockets. Nigerian cities have repeatedly been plunged into darkness as the electricity grid has reportedly collapsed at least three times in five months, and 130 times in 7 years. According to the World Bank, unstable power supply costs businesses in Nigeria about $29 billion yearly. In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1119/2022 filed last week at the Federal High Court, Lagos, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to investigate how over N11 trillion meant to provide regular electricity supply has been allegedly squandered by governments since 1999. SERAP is also seeking an order of mandamus to compel President Buhari to ensure the prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible for the missing electricity fund, as appropriate, and to ensure the tracing and full recovery of any missing public funds. SERAP is arguing that It is in the public interest to ensure justice and accountability for alleged corruption and mismanagement in the electricity sector, which has resulted in the failure of governments to solve Nigerias perennial power problem. According to SERAP, The staggering amounts of public funds alleged to have been stolen over the years in the sector have had catastrophic effects on the lives of millions of Nigerians, akin to crimes against humanity against the Nigerian people. READ ALSO: SERAP is arguing that The failure to trace, find and recover the missing electricity fund is antithetical to the public interest, the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and the countrys international obligations. SERAP is also arguing that Nigerians have for far too long been denied justice and the opportunity to get to the bottom of why they continue to pay the price for corruption in the electricity sectorstaying in darkness, but still made to pay crazy electricity bills. SERAP is also arguing that Investigating the allegations of missing N11 trillion electricity funds, prosecuting suspected perpetrators and recovering any missing public funds would end a culture of impunity. It would also address persistent collapse of the electricity grid, and improve access to and affordability of electricity in the country. SERAP is also arguing that Corruption in the electricity sector and the lack of transparency and accountability in the use of public funds to support the operations of DISCOS have resulted in regular blackouts, electricity grid collapse, and unlawful hike in electricity tariffs. SERAP is also seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to refer to the International Criminal Court all unimplemented reports of corruption in the electricity sector gathering dust on the shelves, and to arrest and surrender those named in the reports to the court for prosecution. Joined in the suit as Respondent is Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Adelanke Aremo, read in part: Nigeria has made legally binding commitments under the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure accountability in the management of public resources. These commitments ought to be fully upheld and respected. Corruption in the electricity sector has also continued to disproportionately affect the most disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors of the population who cannot readily afford expensive generators in order to have a reliable power supply. The failure of successive governments and high-ranking government officials to prevent corruption in the electricity sector and to bring suspected perpetrators to justice is the primary cause of the persistent crisis in the electricity sector, including the exploitation of electricity consumers, and collapse of the electricity grid. The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights has adjudged the failure of the States to provide basic services such as electricity as violating the right to health. Citizens are frustrated at persistent allegations of corruption in the sector, and the impacts on their human rights. Prosecuting perpetrators would address the grave travesty that has for many years occurred in the power sector. Impunity for corruption in the electricity sector has for many years forced ordinary Nigerians to stay in darkness, but still made to pay crazy electricity bills. Successive governments have failed to increase power generation and provide Nigerians with regular and uninterrupted electricity supply, with many electricity contracts shrouded in secrecy, and trillions of Naira going down the drain. Impunity for corruption in the electricity sector will continue as long as high-ranking public officials go largely unpunished for their alleged crimes. The Buhari administration has legal obligations under Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power, and article 26 of the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure effective prosecution of allegations of corruption. Alleged corruption and mismanagement in the electricity sector and the repeated collapse of the electricity grid have continued to deprive Nigerians of economic opportunities, subjecting them to cruel and degrading treatment. Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, the government has a responsibility to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity. Section 16(2) further provides that, the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good. The failure by successive governments to tell Nigerians the truth about allegations of corruption in the power sector amounts to a failure to ensure that electricity services are progressively made available, on the basis of equality and non-discrimination. The details of the missing N11 trillion electricity funds are contained in a SERAP report titled: From Darkness to Darkness: How Nigerians are paying the Price for Corruption in the Electricity Sector. According to the report, the total estimated financial loss to Nigeria from corruption in the electricity sector starting from the return to democracy in 1999 to date is over N11 trillion. This represents public funds, private equity and social investment (or divestments) in the power sector. It is estimated that the loss may reach over N20 trillion in the next decade given the rate of Government investment and funding in the power sector amidst dwindling fortune and recurrent revenue shortfalls. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit. NDLEA has arrested a Brazilian returnee with pellets of cocaine concealed in his private parts. This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by NDLEAs Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi. Mr Babafemi stated that the suspect was arrested at the arrival hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos. He stated that the suspect was nabbed on June 20 upon arrival on an Ethiopian Airline flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa. He added that the suspect had swallowed 50 wraps of cocaine before departing Brazil and excreted 48 pellets in Addis Ababa where he handed them over to another person. According to Mr Babafemi, the suspect was unable to excrete the remaining two wraps at the hotel room in Addis Ababa before boarding his flight. He later excreted them in the aircraft restroom during the flight from Ethiopia to Lagos, Mr Babafemi stated. Meanwhile, two drug kingpins behind the smuggling of two drug consignments from Canada concealed in vehicle containers through the Tin Can Port in Apapa, Lagos have been arrested by NDLEAs operatives. Mr Babafemi stated that one of them was arrested at his house in the Idi Araba area of Lagos on June 22. The suspect was arrested for importing a 40ft container carrying 33 parcels of Colorado weighing16.5kg. Mr Babafemi added that the second suspect, popularly called Otunba, was arrested on Thursday for his role in the smuggling of 290 parcels of Colorado weighing 145kg from Montreal, Canada. The drugs were concealed in four vehicles shipped into Nigeria in a 40ft container. He had been on the run since March and had in the course of investigation attempted to bribe NDLEA officers with N10million to influence the case, Mr Babafemi stated. (NAN) The polling percentage of 64.17 per cent came as a relief to YSR Congress leaders worried over the poor public response during the campaign period. (DC Image) Nellore: Other than some wordy duels between YSR Congress and BJP leaders in a few places, the polling for the by-election to Atmakur assembly constituency on Thursday was peaceful. The cloudy weather since morning helped raise the polling percentage to 64.17 by 6pm -- from the 11.56 per cent at 9am. The constituency has 2,13,400 voters-- 1,07,368 women 1,06,021 men, 11 third gender and 62 service voters. The polling percentage was 82.44 in Atmakur in the 2019 elections. Ruling party nominee Mekapati Vikramreddy cast his vote at a polling station in Brahmanapalli village. The polling percentage of 64.17 per cent came as a relief to YSR Congress leaders worried over the poor public response during the campaign period. Though there are 14 candidates in the fray including BJPs Bharat Kumar, Mekapati Vikram is believed to be in the forefront. The advantage for him was also the sympathy wave due to the demise of his brother and sitting MLA Goutham Reddy. Chief Minister Jagan Reddy posted a minister and a legislator as in-charges for the seven mandals and fixed a target of 1 lakh majority. All the ministers including Peddireddy Ramachandra, Balineni Srinivasa, Ambati Rambabu and Govardhan Reddy remained stationed in Atmakur for over two weeks and worked for the party. The BJP also deputed its star campaigners such as Satya Kumar, Purandeswari, GVL Narasimha and Somu Veerraju, they were no match to the ruling party leaders, who used all the resources at their disposal for the electioneering. Another weak point to the BJP was its nominee Bharat Kumar was seen as an outsider to the segment. There was a wordy duel between Mekapati Rajareddy, uncle of Vikram Reddy and BJP candidate Bharat Kumar at booth 9 in Batasinganapalli village when the latter found Raja inside the polling station. Bharat reminded Raja Reddy that he resides in Bengaluru where the BJP is in power. BJP and YSRC cadres locked horns at a polling booth in DC Palli of Marripadu Mandal. Police intervened and dispersed the crowd. Tension prevailed at Krishnapuram village of Marripadu Mandal when ruling party men allegedly kidnapped BJP agent Vishnu. Bharat saved him after noticing him being seated in a car at Timmanaidupeta. The polling started at 7am and continued up to 6pm. District Collector Chakradhar Babu visited various areas along with officials. Guntur IG Trivikram Varma and SP Vijaya Rao too visited various polling stations. More than 200 volunteers from the Indian Red Cross took part in election duty. Addressing media at Amaravati, chief electoral officer Mukhesh Meena said there were technical snags for nine EVMs after the conduct of the mock polling at 7am and they were rectified immediately. A reception centre and a strong room were set up at Andhra Engineering College in Atmakur to secure all the EVMs. The SEC received 38 complaints on C-vigil web portal about the conduct of the bypoll and attended to them. Some 1,339 polling personnel, 1,100 police personnel and three companies of central forces were deployed for the by-poll. Defence Headquarters says the troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have arrested four kidnappers, neutralised three bandits and rescued a kidnapped victim in recent operations in parts of Benue. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Bernard Onyeuko, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. Mr Onyeuko, a major general, said the troops had on June 24 arrested four suspected kidnappers at Igumale Council Ward of Ado Local Government Area of the state. He gave the identities of the suspects as Alhaji Abdullahi (18), Sale Hassan (22), Usman Abdullahi (20) and Ibrahim Iliyasu (23). According to him, all arrested criminals have been handed over to the police for necessary action. Mr Onyeuko said the troops also conducted a raid at a bandits hide out at Mbahuwuhe village in Utange council ward in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area. He said the operation led to the killing of three bandits and the rescue of a kidnapped victim who was under a blindfold in the hideout with injuries. According to him, the rescued victim is presently undergoing treatment. Several items including a motorcycle, two cell phones among others were recovered before the hideout was brought down. The military high command commends the troops and encourages the general public to avail troops with credible and timely information on criminal activities, he said. (NAN) The former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, says it was laughable to see people jubilate on social media over the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to publish his name as a senatorial candidate for the 2023 elections. Mr Akpabio, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), contested in the June 7 APC presidential primary but stepped down for the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, who emerged as the presidential candidate of the party. A few days after, the former minister went back to his Akwa Ibom North-West District to take part in a controversial APC senatorial primary which he won easily. It appeared the APC leadership conducted the rescheduled primary solely for Mr Akapbios interest to pave the way for his senatorial ambition. But INEC did not monitor the primary election as stipulated by law, and, therefore, refused to recognise Mr Akpabios emergence as a candidate. The names of the Senate President Ahmed Lawan and the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, are also missing in the list of the senatorial candidates published by INEC on Friday. Akpabios reaction The Senator Godswill Akpabio Senatorial Campaign Committee views as laughable the frenzy on the social media alleging that Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON, has been disqualified from the senatorial race of North West Senatorial District, Mr Akpabios campaign organisation said in a statement on Saturday. The statement said the jubilation on social media showed that Mr Akpabios political opponents were intimidated by his senatorial ambition. The statement said INECs decision on the matter is not final, and that Mr Akpabio has met all the electoral and constitutional requirements to contest the election as the APC candidate for the Akwa Ibom North-West. The campaign organisation described the removal of Mr Akpabios name from the INEC list as a dubiously guided manipulation orchestrated by forces from the axis of evil. It said the law clearly precludes INEC from rejecting names from parties which conduct its primaries in substantial compliance with guidelines. The matter on hand therefore shall soon be addressed in accordance with the law with assurance of (a) favourable outcome for Senator Akpabio, the statement said. Besides the controversy around the APC primary itself, the APC faction in Akwa Ibom that conducted the primary is also facing a legitimacy crisis. The chairman of the faction, Stephen Ntukekpo, had used forged documents to obtain a court judgment which removed from office Austin Ekanem, the man who was validly elected the chairman of the APC in Akwa Ibom State. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said though Monkeypox outbreak is spreading globally it does not currently constitute a global health emergency. It, however, agreed that it is clearly an evolving threat. This is the outcome of an emergency committee meeting conveyed by the global health body as contained in a statement published on the WHO website on Saturday. It added that the response to the outbreak requires collaborative international efforts. In his comment on the report, the WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said: The emergency committee shared serious concerns about the scale and speed of the current outbreak, noted many unknown gaps in current data and prepared a consensus report that reflects differing views amongst the committee. They advised me that at this moment the event does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), which is the highest level of alert WHO can issue but recognised that the convening of the committee itself reflects the increasing concern about the international spread of monkeypox. Mr Ghebreyesus said the outbreak was clearly an evolving health threat that needed immediate action to stop its further spread, using surveillance, contact-tracing, isolation and care of patients, and ensuring vaccines and treatments are available. What makes the current outbreak especially concerning is the rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children, he added. Committee conclusion, advice According to the report of the meeting with the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee, the current multi-country outbreak is unusual due to its circulation in non-endemic countries, and the fact that the majority of cases were confirmed in gay men who were not previously immunised against smallpox. Some members of the committee suggested that given the low level of population immunity against pox virus infection, there is a risk of further, sustained transmission into the wider population that should not be overlooked. The committee also stressed that Monkeypox virus activity has been neglected and not well controlled for years in countries within the WHO African region. While a few Members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO Director-General that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute a PHEIC. The Committee advised that the event should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks, once more information about the current unknowns becomes available, to determine if significant changes have occurred that may warrant a reconsideration of their advice, the report reads in parts. In his response, Mr Ghebreyesus urged all member states to take the recommendations of the committee for stepped-up surveillance, improved diagnostics, community engagement, vaccination and public health measures. WHO Monkeypox situation report At the committee meeting, WHO presented the global epidemiological situation on Monkeypox, highlighting that since the beginning of May 2022, 3,040 cases have been reported from 47 countries. It noted that while the transmission is occurring in many countries that have not previously reported cases of Monkeypox, the highest numbers of cases are currently reported from countries in the WHO European Region. The report further explained that the initial cases of Monkeypox, detected in several countries in different WHO Regions, had no epidemiological links to areas that have historically reported Monkeypox, suggesting that undetected transmission might have been ongoing for some time in those countries. The majority of confirmed cases of monkeypox are male and most of these cases occur among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in urban areas and are clustered social and sexual networks. It added that representatives of Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom updated the Committee on the epidemiological situation in their countries and the current response efforts. About Monkeypox According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name Monkeypox. The first human case of Monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. Since then, Monkeypox has been reported in people in several other central and western African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote dIvoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone. The initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, and then spreading to other parts of the body. The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off. ID4Africa paves the way for the responsible adoption of digital identity systems that not only empower millions of people who currently have no identity but also support state service delivery and promote the emergence of revenue generation. The minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mallam Isa Pantami has announced that Nigeria is making progress in building a digital economy through the implementation of the National Identification Number (NIN). The minister stated this at the ID4Africa 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Morocco. It is for this reason that Pantami urged fellow African countries attending the ID4Africa 2022 AGM to prioritise data privacy and protection in securing foundational identity systems toward achieving stable and thriving national digital economies across the continent. ID4Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), was founded in 2014 to accompany African countries on their journeys to develop robust and responsible identity ecosystems in the service of development and humanitarian aid. Annually, ID4Africa hosts an AGM in a different African country to bring all identity stakeholders under one roof and provide the continent with a long-term sustainable voice on identity issues. This is where African governments meet physically to jointly explore how digital identity and allied services can advance socio-economic development in their countries, and the international community is able to participate to advance the discussions. A key component of ID4Africas activities is the AGM, which is an important engagement tool that provides the community with the mechanisms for information dissemination, networking, and collaborations. ID4Africa paves the way for the responsible adoption of digital identity systems that not only empower millions of people who currently have no identity but also support state service delivery and promote the emergence of revenue generation. In Sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 494 million individuals lack formal identification. As a result, officials across Sub-Saharan Africa are rapidly investing in biometric digital identification (ID) systems and digital technology with transformative potentials. The organisation is an ID-4-All movement with representation from African governments, development agencies, and industries to develop robust digital ID ecosystems. It combines the two most powerful platforms, the physical annual meetings and virtual live feeds, to create the first-of-its-kind augmented conferencing experience, dubbed Augmented General Meeting by the ID4Africa community. The ID4Africa 2022 AGM, held over two days in Marrakesh, Morocco, on June 15 and 16, with two special summation and wrap-up live streams on June 28 and 30. In a nutshell, the AGM begins with a physical event and ends with a virtual one. ID4Africa 2022 was centred on the theme, Identity in Context: The Digital Transformation Journey Begins. The field of digital identity is one that is always evolving, with a lot of activity currently taking place and quick technology advancements in a complex sector that retains the capability to pose problems for both individuals and corporations. Because the advancement in this field is still in its early stages, there is a lack of universal standards or comprehensive solutions to satisfy every need. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend each entity participating in the value chain, their unique requirements, and the difficulties each user experience presents. What is evident is that practically all governmental and business organisations now prioritise digital identity at the top of their digital agendas. In order to interact with their residents, clients, and suppliers in the manner they want, they must have a defined plan for this sector. In Sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 494 million individuals lack formal identification. As a result, officials across Sub-Saharan Africa are rapidly investing in biometric digital identification (ID) systems and digital technology with transformative potentials. Digitising ID systems has the ability to expand access to universally valid proofs of identity, which are frequently required for citizens to gain access to basic government services and live a decent life. Digital IDs can have a wide range of transformative effects, but there is little solid research on how best to use them. Digital identity will probably develop in the context of several ecosystems. There are already a large number of service ecosystems that rely on digital identification, and they have shown to have compelling value propositions, which is encouraging for scaling up and sustainability. To mention a few, these include gig economies (short-term/freelance jobs), agritech, healthtech, Edtech, cleantech, and e-commerce ecosystems. The ecosystem, which embodies the diversity of digital identities, is present at one level (such as what one finds in the digital identity federation, distributed identity, or even the e-commerce of sector-specific digital identities operating in silos). There are ecosystems at a different level, which are made up of service delivery platforms supported by digital identities. These are the foundations on which several economies will be developed. There are already a large number of service ecosystems that rely on digital identification, and they have shown to have compelling value propositions, which is encouraging for scaling up and sustainability. To mention a few, these include gig economies (short-term/freelance jobs), agritech, healthtech, Edtech, cleantech, and e-commerce ecosystems. Consumers will find it difficult to access services online without these platforms, and service providers, whether in the public or private sectors. They will find it challenging to embrace new, more successful business models for providing reliable and affordable services. African nations agree that the ID4Africa Movement is playing a vital role in helping them to overcome these challenges. The Nigerian Ambassador at ID4Africa Movement, Godswill Chinemerem Ukauwa, summed up the current situation when he said, African countries identity management systems are characterised by lack of continuity in agenda, cynicism, inconsistency, technological backwardness, absence of digitalised identity registration, vulnerable class, and lack of access to some rural areas, the political instability that may derail existing agendas due to party interests, non-compliance to development agencies programme, and much more. Hopefully, by the end of the AGM, Nigeria and indeed the African continent will have a more unique role in coordinating activities that will benefit the whole of Africa and its citizens in other to have a more stable digital identity system. Fom Gyem writes from Abuja. With many of these constituents having undergone massive erosion before the recent rebound, the November conference would create a fundamental opportunity for conversation across policy makers and industry experts, with the benefit of global comparative experience, to enable the basis for leapfrogging economic recovery through the tourism and creative sectors. Gathering For a Rescue Mission One situation that unfortunately has remained definitive of the human experience in the past three years, and which stimulates a concert of responses, is the outbreak and onslaught of the coronavirus, that has negatively impacted our conditions of living, well-being and the economy of nations. It is without doubt that tourism was one of the sectors greatly disrupted in the wake of the COVID-19 advance, with adverse consequences for livelihoods, jobs, and the general global economy, seeing to a huge erosion of over 80 per cent of value across a chain of related industries from travel to hospitality, fashion, and others. Yet, it is a testimony to the human capacity to heal, and resilience, that the world has equally been on a positive trajectory of recovery in more than a year. This has led to major efforts being made to recoup lost grounds and create new value that drives sturdier economic growth, while motivating the demand that reflates fiscal activities, thereby resuscitating and expanding the jobs and income pool, etc. A significant aspect of the bouquet of responses that have been recognised as capable of deepening the ongoing exertions at recovery has been the identification of the vast capabilities of the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) and the huge promise they hold. This had earlier led to the declaration of 2021 as the International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development by the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations. Certainly, the creative and cultural industries and tourism belong to an analogous native space, in which they are interdependent, and with each feeding on the energies of the other. As the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) put it, in this bold strides towards recovery, the creative economy and creative industries could be part of the solution. They offer an immense potential for growth, innovation and product diversification within the tourism ecosystem. To further explore the potentials of the CCI, which are yet to be fully mined to the extent of their capabilities and promise, most of the key actors and stakeholders within the tourism ecosystem from across many notable parts of the world have agreed to converge in Nigeria for a thought-fest on how to take the present recovery to a deeper and more sustainable level. The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and United Nations World Tourism Organisation are organising a joint conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries: Pathways to Recovery and Inclusive Development to hold in Lagos from November 14 to 16, 2022. This conference will build on the UNWTO and UNESCO joint proclamations, with emphasis on the Kyoto Declaration on Tourism and Culture advocating for greater linkages between tourism, cultures and the creative industries, as a way of engaging with the current challenges that the world faces in the numerous endeavours at economic recovery. Crucial to its objectives, the conference will consider and outline the various dimensions of the potentials of the creative industries, how these can inspire business opportunities, enhance the offerings and products of cultural tourism, while equally promoting inclusion by assisting traditionally marginalised groups with entrepreneurial skills. It is quite safe to project that the culture and creative industries could become significant catalysts of recovery and growth in a resurgent global economy, steadily coming out of the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. This is not far-fetched with the strengthening of demand for tourism, hospitality and other related industries, as the world decisively breaks out of the pall of fear induced by an increasingly subdued pathogen. Also, the gathering will deliberate on how to enable collaboration across destinations, communities, academia and the private sector, as a way of improving training on the creative industries and cultural heritage. While a vital motivation for tourism and the various local and trans-continental pilgrimages around it is the desire to witness cultural experiences across different places and spaces, one can easily identify the unique trend-setting location of Nigeria and its cultural industry from the recent infectious enthusiasm of the Culture minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. In his declaration, The Whiz Kid of this world, the Burna Boy, Davido and Tiwa Savage have really shown the world that Nigeria is a hub of the creative industry. Hence for the Honourable Minister, as the countrys prime public policy lead in the cultural sector, hosting this conference is an affirmation of Nigerias huge contributions to the creative industry and the recognition that Nigeria is the hub of the creative industry in Africa. More so, in the work that we have done in the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), which I have led in over half a decade, we have given critical support to the countrys creative and culture industry assets, of whose virility and forward looking prominence, testimonies abound. Our music, film, art, dance, fashion, cuisine and festivals are all game-changers that accentuate the desire to witness and experience Nigeria, as such the creative sector and tourism have always been intimately engaged, and they affirm each other. The return and unique numbers of visits generated from interest as shown across many digital platforms that promote Nigeria reveal the great attention that the countrys culture-driven tourism has been engendering. And, our programming around domestic tourism continues to be affirmed, as expressed in the Tour Nigeria brand, which is posed to strongly complement international recovery efforts, by stimulating demand locally in a way that grows the confidence to inspire Nigerian destination marketing internationally. We are, therefore, thankful for the leadership of the Ministry of Culture and Information, alongside the UNWTO, in convoking this very timely gathering for thinking through much of the issues set to make the world economic recovery more enduring, by enabling the creative and culture industries as a crucial anchor. Nigerias Culture and Creative Industry Ecosystem Globally, the culture and creative industries constitute some of the huge drivers of economic activity that can be further purposed as greater stimuli for economic recovery. This is evident from their documented impact, seeing to the generation of an annual compound value of close to $2.3 trillion, as representation of 3 per cent of the worlds GDP, according to UNWTO estimates. Moreover, about 40 per cent of international tourists are observed as motivated primarily by culture-related experiences for embarking on destinations. It is quite safe to project that the culture and creative industries could become significant catalysts of recovery and growth in a resurgent global economy, steadily coming out of the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. This is not far-fetched with the strengthening of demand for tourism, hospitality and other related industries, as the world decisively breaks out of the pall of fear induced by an increasingly subdued pathogen. While the intent of the high-level conference is to bring researchers and experts together to consider the linkages and opportunities across tourism, culture and the creative industries, and offer an opportunity for industry actors to network, it would equally provide a platform for the exchange of information and ideas on the key resources of these contiguous industries. Prior to the offensive of the coronavirus and the unfortunate disruptions that it occasioned, as recently as 2018 tourism accounted for close to 7 per cent of world trade, over $8.9 trillion of the worlds total GDP, and more than 300 million direct and associated jobs globally. In Nigeria, some estimates put the entire spectrum of the tourism value chain as constituting as much as 30 per cent of the GDP and 20 per cent of jobs. Quite unfortunately, close to 80 per cent of all these was eroded in the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The creative and culture industries in Nigeria are an extended composite of a number of interconnected and linked sectors, cutting through a sizeable gamut of economic activities, and responsible for between 10 and 15 million jobs, from music to design, fashion, film, television, radio, photography, architecture, printing and performance arts. Also, hotel and hospitality, publishing, Information Technology, gaming, software development, advertising and digital marketing, etc. Being the largest employer of labour besides the agriculture sector, the culture and creative industries have been some of the priority sectors earmarked for intensive development in the Federal Governments stimulus strategy, as laid out in the Economic Renewal and Growth Plan (ERGP). And, in desegregating the vast and unfolding potentials of Nigerias tourism, culture and creative industries before the coming of the pandemic, the hospitality, events and tourism sector had a cumulative revenue of about N1.2 trillion annually, with the travel and tourism sub-sector accounting for 1.9 per cent of the countrys total GDP in 2017, alongside four million direct jobs across some 10,000 MSMEs. In addition, while the component sector of film-making had a yearly revenue of N140 billion, involved more than 250,000 businesses and saw to over 500,000 direct jobs, the music industry generated about N300 billion annually from the activities of some 5,000 businesses. Advertising, radio and television yielded turnovers in excess of N500 billion per year, from more than 10,000 businesses, engaging over 500,000 people directly, whereas the writing, printing and publishing industry witnessed annual revenues of about N1 trillion from 3,000 businesses and 15,000 active practitioners. For comedy, dance and the performing arts, this sub-sector earned about N17 billion in 2018, due to the efforts of over 6,000 companies and practitioners. Tourism, the Creative Industries and Sustainable Recovery With many of these constituents having undergone massive erosion before the recent rebound, the November conference would create a fundamental opportunity for conversation across policy makers and industry experts, with the benefit of global comparative experience, to enable the basis for leapfrogging economic recovery through the tourism and creative sectors. As described by UNWTO, the vast potentials of these industries to stimulate social entrepreneurship and MSMEs, empower communities, enhance competitiveness and help local economies bounce back better, still remains unexploited. As such, addressing this gap is fundamental to the design of the conference. While the intent of the high-level conference is to bring researchers and experts together to consider the linkages and opportunities across tourism, culture and the creative industries, and offer an opportunity for industry actors to network, it would equally provide a platform for the exchange of information and ideas on the key resources of these contiguous industries. Investment avenues will be identified and innovative policies will be promoted, alongside global best practices of the industries. It is hoped that at the end of the November conference in Lagos, there would be strategic guidelines on the link across the three primary industries, the leveraging of identified synergies to maximise the benefits of the event, coupled with key recommendations on the way forward for a globally sustainable economic growth and recovery. Folorunsho Coker is the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and the chief marketer of the Nigerian destination. Imagine reducing a human being a political leader carrying the hopes and aspirations of millions of people imagine reducing that person to just one tooth! One tooth thats all that remains to show that Patrice Emery Lumumba, a pan-Africanist and former Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo, ever trod this earth. After his political rivals led by President Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Chief-of-Staff Joseph-Desire Mobutu with the active support of the United States and Belgium succeeded in kidnapping, torturing, humiliating and executing him, they conspired to make him vaporise. The conspiracy of hate was so incendiary that they couldnt bear allowing him to have a corpse, much less a grave. They cut up his remains and soaked the lot in acid. Only two gold-capped teeth, kept as hunting trophies by one of the Belgian officers who participated in the murder, survived. Eventually, only one was found by the authorities who have now returned it to the Democratic Republic of Congo for burial. Sixty-one years later, Lumumbas golden tooth is being given a heros burial in the much-troubled Democratic Republic of Congo. After death, a persons teeth are the most durable part of the body. That explains why they are often found with ancient skeletons. In the horrendous circumstances of Lumumbas vaporisation, the survival of his tooth is a metaphor for the return of the native to his roots; the completion of a cycle of evil and the rebirth of hope. Those who masterminded Lumumbas killing expect Africans to be grateful that they have at least retrieved Lumumbas tooth from the trophy collection of Belgian police commissioner, Gerard Soete who participated in killing the African hero. I cannot for one minute lose sight of the symbolism of lumping a body part of an African with souvenirs from hunting expeditions. This is worse than racism. It betrays the sub-human texture of the psychological makeup of the West. I am not one to play racial games or indulge in race baiting. However, I cant help but note that the Black race is the most exploited and most dehumanised species of homo sapiens since the beginning of creation. From age to age, other races, especially the caucasian race, have visited untold horrors on black peoples, depopulated the African continent and shipped into slavery some of the strongest specimens of humanity that ever walked the earth. It is difficult to imagine if any other race white, brown or yellow would have been able to survive the multiple vicissitudes visited on black people over the ages. Congo had been particularly unfortunate to have the barbaric Belgians as colonial overlords, starting from the time of King Leopold II, the evil ruler who appropriated the Free State of Congo consisting of 3,000-square-mile, resource-rich interior jungle and Savannah to himself for 20 years. His private police force, the Force Publique, was the ultimate agent of terror used in maintaining the huge slave camp which the country had become. About 15 million people died during Leopolds reign of terror either directly through his police enforcers or through diseases that had ravaged the land At first, Leopold exploited ivory. But when the demand for rubber rose, he assigned a daily rubber quota. Congolese people were captured and forced into labor under torturous conditions. A mans family or relatives might be held hostage until he returned from the rubber forests. If the man did not return with enough rubber, his kin was often raped, tortured, or maimed. The hands of those who couldnt meet their quota were routinely chopped off. A Catholic priest was reported to have been shocked by it all. He interviewed a man named Tswambe, about the much despised state official Leon Fievez, who ran a district along the river. Tswambe gave him ear-popping details: All blacks saw this man as the devil of the Equator From all the bodies killed in the field, you had to cut off the hands. He wanted to see the number of hands cut off by each soldier, who had to bring them in baskets A village which refused to provide rubber would be completely swept clean. As a young man, I saw [Fievezs] soldier Molili, then guarding the village of Boyeka, take a net, put ten arrested natives in it, attach big stones to the net, and make it tumble into the river Rubber causes these torments; thats why we no longer want to hear its name spoken. Soldiers made young men kill or rape their own mothers and sisters In exchange for rubber and ivory that came out of Congo, the royal butcher, Leopold II sent in soldiers and guns. He was said to have made about 70 million Belgian francs in profit while his exploitation lasted. Even after the Belgian State bought off the Congo from Leopold, it continued with its own version of racism and bestial exploitation. To this day, Belgium has not changed. It is still a primitive, self-serving thieving entity that believes that the end justifies the means, no matter how odious. The other day, King Philippe of Belgium made his first visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he expressed his deepest regrets for the wounds of the past, characterised by unequal relations, paternalism, discrimination and racism that, led to violent acts and humiliations. He did not apologise for the crimes King Leopold II and his other ancestors committed against Congolese people. Apparently, he believes that it is beneath him to apologise to his ancestors slaves. I recall that the death of Lumumba took my neck of the woods by storm when it happened in 1961. Any pupil or student who grew up in the Western Region of Nigeria could not have missed the total grief that enveloped the region where Lumumba was considered a hero. The Action Group government of Chief Awolowo celebrated African leaders with socialist /welfarist leanings. Thus, people like Nkrumah of Ghana and Lumumba of the Congo were considered heroes. Lumumbas death was a region-wide loss; no less. Musician Hubert Ogunde cut it all out on vinyl for posterity: Awon odale ti won pa Lumumba, (All the conspirators who killed Lumumba) Ha! Aye ma re o, (Ha! Treacherous world), E o jiya lataye lo (Youll suffer here on earth) Ke to lo jiya lalujanna o. (Before suffering in the hereafter) Those were the days when political leaders earned their stripes by passing through the furnace of anti-colonial struggles amidst orchestrated conspiracies, betrayals and brutal repression. Those were the days of trail-blazers like Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal; Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria; Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana; Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea; Hubert Maga of Benin; Ahmadou Ahidjo of Cameroon; Sylvanus Olympio of Togo; Modibo Keita of Mali et al. The challenges facing the new generation of African leaders are enormous. Apparently, current and future generations of African leaders will still have to battle the same demons their forebears fought against in very brutal unequal battles and wars. The West is still replete with many Leopolds and the economic rat race has become even more vicious with the invention of new tools and stratagems for sabotaging uncooperative nations. France is still kneeling on the necks of Francophone African countries through its colonial debt overhang that allows it to continue to manage its former colonies as if they were boarding house students. With the African Union increasingly becoming a mere lounge for African leaders to fraternise and backslap each other a far cry from the combative pro-liberation OAU of the 70s and 80s, I fear that the task of reining in these racist oppressors all over the continent is becoming harder by the day. But I have hope that the millennials will rise up to their historic responsibility and liberate their space from the leeches which have over the years underdeveloped the continent. To each generation, its responsibilities! The formal burial of Lumumbas tooth will at least give his family some sort of closure. The consolation is that they have a tiny piece of him, minuscule as it is. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians described a mythical bird called the Phoenix, a magnificent creature that was a symbol of renewal and rebirth. The phoenix was a powerful being that appeared human. It possessed the ability to incinerate things through touch and was immune to conventional methods of killing; though the phoenix could technically die, it would resurrect soon after being killed. Like the Phoenix, the internment of Lumumbas tooth, dust to dust and ashes to ashes, will trigger a rebirth in the Congo and on the continent of his birth. Wole Olaoye is a public relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on wole.olaoye@gmail.com. Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021. When I first met Elechi Larry Igwe early in 1991, he was safely ensconced in the bowels of a mortuary in Lagos. Elechi, a resident of the United States of America, had flown into the Murtala Mohammed International Airport for the Christmas and New Year holidays in 1990 into 1991 on his way to his village in Abiriba, now in Abia State in south-east Nigeria. He never made it home nor did he return to the USA. His journey ended in the Surulere Police Station. On his way from the airport to his hotel layover, some police men waylaid Elechi, abducted him to the police station and, having tortured him to their hearts content, mercifully put a bullet to his mouth shattering his mandibles, his facial structure and the lives that depended on him. Elechi was one of a multitude of victims whose ordeals at the hands of the Nigeria Police Force and the security services defined my early life as a legal professional in Nigeria. All of them were either survivors of torture or relatives of victims of torture and extra-judicial killings. The advocacy group, Access to Justice, describes the practice of torture in Nigerias security services as institutional and routine, while Amnesty International complains that police and military personnel routinely use torture and other ill-treatment to extract information and confessions, and to punish and exhaust detainees. The methods and means of torture in the practice of policing Nigeria, for instance, are infinite. In many cases, security and law enforcement agents built their careers on torture and third degree policing. Indeed, the prevalence of torture, inhumane treatment, and even extrajudicial killings by law enforcement officers is rampant and very well documented, to the point of being the cause of a national uprising in October 2020 under the nomenclature of #EndSARS. A report jointly issued in 2010, the Open Society Justice Initiative and Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) alleged that torture facilities and personnel, including dedicated torture chambers, instruments, and an officer known as O/C (officer in charge of) Torture exist in every major police station. In most cases, the O/C Torture has a workshop or torture chamber entirely of his own, and a seemingly limitless number of options for dispensing suffering and eliciting the confessions that are the principal means of police investigation in Nigeria. Some of them achieve near-legendary status. One of such officers whose legend was built on his skill in the dreadful art of torture was Sunday Maicibi, who headed the anti-robbery section in the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, in Enugu, in south-east Nigeria at the beginning of the millennium. The torture chamber that he ran was known as the theatre. It was infamous for its dexterity in dismantling even the most hardened of suspects and detainees. One of the assets under his command was a police officer called Okpontumeaning the Nailer in Igbo languageafter he reportedly drove a nail through the palm of a detainee in 2006. Torture in Nigeria is a resilient atrocity, with deep origins in the institutional foundations of the police, army and security institutions in the country from the middle of the 19th century when blacks were not considered human beings. By the time the country became independent in 1960, these attitudes and practices had crystallised into institutional doctrine after a century of white supremacism, under which those institutions were established. Torture is the crime that prospers despite the being prohibited the world over. The constitutional prohibition of torture is as old as post-colonial Nigeria. It was contained in section 18 of the 1960 Constitution and section 31 of the 1979 constitution as well as in section 34 of the 1999 Constitution. Quite apart from these, Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights which is law in Nigeria also prohibits torture. There were two problems, however, with this prohibition. First, none of these constitutions ever defined torture. Second, torture was not a crime in Nigeria until 2017. While it was not a crime to torture human beings in Nigeria until 2017, it was criminal in many parts of the country to torture animals. For instance, s. 394(1)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, makes it a crime for any person to cruelly beat, kick, ill-treat, over-ride, over-drive, over-load, torture, infuriate, or terrify any animal, or cause or procure, or, being the owner, permit any animal to be so used. Impressively, the same law did not criminalize torture of humans. The Anti-Torture Act (ATA) of 2017 set out to rectify these anomalies in Nigeria through six steps. First, for the first time in Nigerian law, the Act defines torture which can be physical or psychological. The former includes such cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment which causes pain, exhaustion, disability or dysfunction of one or more parts of the body, while the latter covers such cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment calculated to affect or confuse the mind or undermine a persons dignity and morale. Second, the Act prescribes a state-actor requirement as inherent in the definition of torture. Thus, section 2(1) prescribes that for an act to constitute torture, it must be done by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity provided that it does not include pain or suffering in compliance with lawful sanctions. This requirement of state actor extends to abuses by militias or civilian task-forces maintained by governments and politicians. Third, there are no defences or exceptions to torture under the Act. For the avoidance of doubt, the ATA provides that [n]o exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war. Internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification for torture. It is no defence that we are fighting an insurgency or liquidating some people whom we do not like. Fourth, the Act makes torture a crime punishable on conviction with a minimum of 25 years in jail under section 9(1) of the Act. Section 9(2) provides that [t]orture resulting in the loss of life of a person is considered as murder and shall be tried and punished under the relevant laws. Fifth, with reference to possibilities for redress, the National Human Rights Commission and NGOs may help victims file complaints concerning violations of the ATA and the Attorney-General may make rules and regulations for the implementation of the Act respectively under sections 6 and 12. Sixth, the ATA is a federal piece of legislation enacted by the National Assembly in exercise of its powers to implement the Fundamental Rights under the Constitution. Being an exercise of powers exclusive to the National Assembly, the Act is applicable to all states of Nigeria and does not require any further act or acts by the states to make it applicable in their respective jurisdictions for purposes of enforcement. Citing the ATA, Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), claimedbefore a meeting in Abuja on 21 June, 2022, that Nigeria does not condone torture. However, five years after the passage of the ATA, the same Attorney-General cannot point to a single case prosecuted by him under the Act. Indeed, the National Committee against Torture established since 2009 continues to function as an appendage under his office, lacking independence or authority to fight the scourge. When it met with the United Nations in Geneva in November 2021, the National Committee toed the same line as the Attorney-General but got smacked down by the United Nations officials who told them pointedly that while it was good to pass laws, but it was better to act on them. The legal framework of Nigeria was not called into question; rather, the questions raised had been more about the implementation of those laws. Contrary to the protestations of the Attorney-General of the Federation, therefore, and to the express provisions of the Nigerian constitution, it seems clear that Nigeria does condone torture. On Sunday, 26 June 2022, the world marks the International day in Support of victims of Torture. The International Day was instituted by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 52/149 of 12 December, 1997, with a view to the total eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which entered into force on 26 June 1987. If Attorney-General Malami wants to be taken seriously in his protestations about torture in Nigeria, he can choose this day to announce how he will make the ATA work. That will be an auspicious start. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer and teacher, can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu. The Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Sokoto State Chapter, Babangida Saidu, has urged the Kaduna State Government to reverse its decision on the retrenchment of teachers. Mr Saidu made that call on behalf of NUT Northwest states executive members, at the end of their zonal workshop on Career Path Policy and the 2020- Presidential Approvals on Saturday in Sokoto. Mr Saidu said the executives were not happy with the development, stressing that regulating teachers performance was the absolute mandate of regulatory agencies established by the federal government. According to him, the agency in charge of such function is the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), noting that it is the only regulatory body that can set competency tests for teachers. He explained that the Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led administrations attitude was capable of destroying the education sector because qualified teachers were being allegedly witch-hunted and retrenched, without recourse to law. According to him, the tests must reflect three domains to be reliable and valid. How valid or reliable is the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) test? he said. Mr Saidu added that the NUT officials were in contact with ways to handle the situation, noting that democracy allowed persons to express their views on actions, especially as it concerned executives and the peoples interests. The Kaduna government recently announced that it had sacked 2,357 teachers for either refusing to write a competency test or failing the test. (NAN) The Kebbi government has allocated 200 hectares of land to a private investor to set up a 5,600 megawatts solar power plant in the state. Suleiman Muhammad-Argungu, former chief of staff to Governor Atiku Bagudu, told journalists in Birnin Kebbi that the company would soon begin work on the project. A team of 30 Canadian technicians are due in the state soon to begin work on the project. The project will be located at Fakon Sarki in Argungu and has been designed to improve and stabilise electricity supply to all communities in the state, as well as to create jobs, he said. He added that the state had already secured the consent of the Transmission Company of Nigeria to set up a transmission station to be sited between Argungu and Fakon Sarki. Mr Muhammad-Argungu is the National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He said that Kebbi had also facilitated private sector investment in air transportation with the opening of an aviation college in the state. He said that the aviation college sited at Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi, would train pilots and aeronautics engineers. This will pave way for daily commercial flights from the state to other parts of Nigeria and to African countries. Already, the college has begun the training of 60 persons, out of whom 80 per cent are indigenes, he said. Mr Muhammad-Argungu lauded the state government for interventions in the industrial sector which led to the setting up of rice mills in Argungu, Birnin Kebbi and Kamba, as well as a tomato processing factory at Ngaski. (NAN) The police in Anambra State said they have arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly killing a 45-year-old woman in the state. The incident happened on Saturday at Nkpor Agu in Ogidi, a community in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state. The suspect, Ebube Owa, was said to have hit the victim, Uzoamaka Ekpe, on the chest with a fist blow forcing her to collapse. The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this in a statement, said the suspect was arrested on Sunday. He said a preliminary investigation showed that the suspect had a disagreement with the victim which resulted in the scuffle, although it was not yet clear what caused the disagreement. Mr Ikenga said the victim, a mother of two, was rushed to the hospital after she collapsed but was later confirmed dead by a medical doctor on duty. The body has been deposited in the morgue and the suspect is in (police) custody, he said. The police spokesperson said the suspect would be arraigned in court at the end of the investigation. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Echeng Echeng, urged residents not to yield to uncontrollable anger, Mr Ikenga said. The latest incident comes less than two weeks after a 34-year-old man allegedly killed a 3-year-old baby boy in Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Oyi Local Government Area of the state. HYDERABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) national executive meeting is being held in the city on July 2 and 3 against the backdrop of a palpable desire among people of Telangana for a change in the government and to bring BJP to power in the state, according to its leaders. A galaxy of top BJP leaders, around 340 of them, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president JP Nadda, former BJP presidents, and a host of other party leaders and Chief Ministers, will be attending the event, Tarun Chugh, the partys state affairs in-charge, said on Saturday. The cream of the BJP will be in Hyderabad during the event, Chugh said, adding, This will be a historic event. Not just for Telangana, but it will have an impact on politics in the entire south India. This will be the first time since he became Prime Minister that Modi will be spending two days in the city. Chugh said Modi, who was the pradhan sevak of the country, would attend all the sessions of the national executive just as one of many party karyakartas. Chugh said the two-day event would be preceded by a meeting of the partys national general secretaries on July 1, the day on which a huge exhibition about the BJP would be inaugurated by Nadda. The national executive meeting on the next two days would be attended by 183 office-bearers of the party, state BJP heads, Chief Ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, former chief ministers, Union Cabinet members including home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari, among others. On the evening of July 3, Modi will address a massive public meeting at Parade Grounds in the city. BJP workers from 35,000 polling booth level committees will be attending the meeting, he said. Chugh said the national executive would debate and pass resolutions that would provide future direction for the party, and for building the nation further. Unlike in other parties, the resolutions will be decided by the delegates, the leadership will only provide general direction, he said, adding, There will be some Telangana specific resolutions. Five persons have been confirmed dead on Saturday while three others sustained injuries, in an accident in Ogun. The crash involved a Howo Sino truck and a Mazda car, at Day Waterman junction on the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway. Babatunde Akinbiyi, the spokesperson of the Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta. Mr Akinbiyi explained that the accident occurred at 3:45 p.m. at Day Waterman turning, on the expressway, in Obafemi Owode Local Government area of Ogun. The TRACE spokesman alleged that the accident was caused by reckless driving on the part of the driver of the truck, with registration number T-14214LA He said the truck driver made a dangerous U-turn, without observation, saying the Mazda car, marked KRD 975 HJ, rammed into it because of speed. He said that nine people, comprising four men and five women were involved in the accident, saying five persons died while three others sustained injuries. Unfortunately, the driver of the Howo truck who caused the crash ran away, he said. Mr Akinbiyi explained that the injured victims were taken to State Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta and Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta for treatment. READ ALSO: He said the bodies of the deceased persons were deposited at State Hospital, Ijaye morgue and Idera Hospital morgue, Sagamu. He commiserated with the families of the deceased, appealing to articulated vehicle drivers to observe safety rules and avoid an overbearing attitude while driving. Ahmed Umar, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, also confirmed the accident. (NAN) The Ondo State House of Assembly says it has commenced the process of amending the law that established the State Security Network Agency, code-named Amotekun, to deal with the rising insecurity in the state. Gbenga Omole, the assemblys spokesperson, said this on the sidelines of the Oka Security Summit organised by Oka community in Akoko South-West Local Government Area on Saturday. Mr Omole, who is a member of the House Committee on Security, said the law after the review, would give the Amotekun corps power to have access to improved technology and more sophisticated weapons to tackle security challenges. We (the Assembly), have been doing our best; of recent, we have to tinker with the Amotekun law. We are looking at the law to give more backings to Amotekun in terms of procurement of more sophisticated weapons and more technology to be deployed. So we are supporting the government (executive) in terms of security that law is under the process of being amended now to give more power to Amotekun, he said. The Olubaka of Oka Kingdom, Yusf Adeleye, thanked the sons and daughters of the community for organising the summit, saying security is a collective responsibility. This is not the first time we are having this summit, but it is important to have this summit now, considering the various security challenges that we have been having and it is important to do this because we have to be vigilant now. Security committees have been established at various quarters in Oka and each household has been levied certain amount as government cannot do it alone. We have to give kudos to the state government for establishing Amotekun corps and we give kudos to other security operatives. What happened in Owo on June 5 where unknown gunmen came to a church and killed over 40 people is an eye-opener that we have to be up and doing. We have to be vigilant; we have to know people around us; we have to take the issue of security serious more than ever because what happened in Owo could happen anywhere. We have to be proactive, the traditional ruler said. Speaking at the summit, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Adewole Ajakaiye, called for cooperation between the citizens and security agencies. According to Mr Ajakaye, people must take their security serious; so when someone is going out, you must be prepared for anything. It will be foolish for anybody to travel early in the morning and in the night. If you are travelling, arm yourself with a dress you can run with, he said. (NAN) "Companies need to authentically represent their brand to job-seekers," said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. "The employee experience needs to be on the mission-critical list. Leaders who embrace a people-first culture will benefit greatly. By giving employees a voice and showcasing your authentic culture through employer branding, organizations can attract those job seekers who complement their culture. Culture drives performance." About MIM Software Inc. MIM Software Inc. is a privately held company with a dynamic working environment. It is headquartered in Cleveland, OH, with international offices in Beijing, Chengdu, and Brussels. MIM Software sells its products globally to imaging centers, hospitals, specialty clinics, research organizations, and pharmaceutical companies. The company's products are used in over 3000 centers worldwide, with more than 500 of those centers located outside of the United States. MIM Software is used in 16 of the top 20 hospitals listed in the U.S. News & World Report Hospital Rankings & Ratings. MIM Software Inc. is committed to enhancing patient care by providing customer-centered and innovative imaging solutions in Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Neuroimaging, and Cardiac Imaging. To learn more, visit www.mimsoftware.com . SOURCE MIM Software Inc. MANAHAWKIN, N.J., June 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock and Roll Beauty are pleased to announce the release of their Def Leppard limited-edition beauty collection. Def Leppard helped define a true era in rock and roll, selling more than 110 million records worldwide. In celebration of their legacy, this product line reflects the days of anthemic guitars, soaring vocals, and stadium rock sound. With its shimmery pinks and metallic shades such as Rocket Blue, this 19-piece collection is highly pigmented and designed to give you a rock-star look! It's available exclusively in Ulta Beauty stores nationwide, www.ulta.com and www.rockandrollbeauty.com. ABOUT THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION: Through a unique collaboration with Def Leppard, the licensing agent Epic Rights, and the designers at Rock and Roll Beauty, comes this distinctive and nostalgic collection. From the one-of-a-kind iconic triangular artistry palette, with its 14 vibrant shades, to the Union Jack debossed peachy blushes, each product in the line was designed to reflect the rock and roll era that truly was a groundbreaking musical phenomena. ABOUT DEF LEPPARD With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Def Leppard - Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group's spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as the world's greatest live rock band. Def Leppard's influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albumsincluding two of the best-selling albums of all time, Pyromania and Hysteria, capturing the group's legendary tracks, bringing together classic Leppard hits such as "Rock of Ages," "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Foolin." For the first time, in January 2018 Def Leppard debuted their full recording catalog worldwide via streaming and download platforms. As they did with the original release of their records, Def Leppard dominated the worldwide charts again, which found their albums charting in the iTunes Top 10 in more than 30 countries, including Hysteria at #3 in the US, and #5 in the UK. Def Leppard also had the #1, #2 and #3 records on the US catalog albums chart. The band have gone on to amass a staggering 5.5 billion streams since 2018, reaching a younger 18-44 demographic that now represents 58% of their fanbase. Additionally, the band have garnered an impressive 15 million followers across their social media platforms. In May 2022, Def Leppard released their twelfth studio album Diamond Star Halos. The album debuted at #1 on the Apple and Amazon Music charts. The album also scored a Top 10 debut on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, marking the band's eighth Top 10 album of their career, and also making them one of just three groups with a newly charting top 10 title on the Billboard 200 albums chart in each decade since the '80s. Diamond Star Halos additionally garnered a #1 debut on Billboard's Hard Rock chart. Following the close of their historic 2018 co-headline stadium and arena run in North America, Def Leppard sold a staggering 1,000,000 tickets and the tour grossed over $100,000,000.00, a massive feat in today's touring world. Def Leppard will top that number yet again with another sold out North American stadium run in 2022 with Motley Crue. As always, the group keep pushing the boundaries with their electrifying live shows. ABOUT EPIC RIGHTS Epic Rights is a global merchandise company representing a diverse roster of iconic music artists and brands such as AC/DC, KISS, Aerosmith, David Bowie, John Lennon, Def Leppard, Britney Spears, *NSYNC, and many more. They offer a broad range of services, including Retail Licensing, E-commerce, Tour, VIP and Fan Clubs. Epic Rights is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. For more information, visit: www.epicrights.com. For more information, visit: www.epicrights.com. ABOUT ROCK AND ROLL BEAUTY: Rock and Roll Beauty marries nostalgia with the artistry of today's finest beauty products and accessories. Our talented designers create limited edition collections working with your favorite blasts from the past. Each collection is skillfully curated to encompass the uniqueness of each reminiscence and combine it with the latest in cruelty free cosmetics and accessories. From our unique one of kind collectible palettes, to the metallic shimmer shades and tattoo stamp eyeliner, Rock and Roll Beauty will rock your world! Contact: ***@rockandrollbeauty.com Photos: https://www.prlog.org/12921581 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Rock and Roll Beauty, LLC As a winner of iF award, Petal Search constantly strives to improve the user experience by continuously elevating its services so consumers can enjoy the convenience of a search journey tailored to them. Making the search experience intuitive and efficient With the vast number of apps used nowadays, switching between apps and attempting to find specific information can be a hassle. Seeking to address this pain point, Petal Search designed an all-in-one search experience to build better connections between users and the host of information available on their devices. Instead of having to open individual apps, users can simply fulfil all their tasks within a single app, thanks to Petal Search. Covering over 20 verticals, users can access services from a range of different providers to find whatever they need. With borders reopening, many also have their mind on traveling. With Petal Search, users can plan every aspect of their trip. Find interesting places to visit, book flights and hotels, and even check out the latest weather conditions, all within Petal Search. Understanding each individual with the aid of AI Petal Search is dedicated to continuously elevating its services so that consumers can enjoy the convenience of a search journey tailored to them. With the help of artificial intelligence technology, Petal Search is able to better understand the intentions of each user and provide them with an enhanced search experience. While saving users the trouble of toggling between pages to find what they are looking for, Petal Search combines local and online search results to optimise each search. As users continue to use Petal Search, the search engine starts to recognise individual habits, interests, and the context of each user's daily life. Petal Search then predicts what each individual is going to search for and offers recommendations specific to them, ranging from frequently used apps, websites, upcoming tasks. By displaying interactive and visual content, Petal Search allows users to locate the information they are looking for within the sea of results instantly. Encouraging exploration and discovery As Petal Search continues to understand it's users, the search engine encourages them to explore and discover results beyond their initial expectations. That might be providing useful suggestions such as related products to the items they are shopping for, or interesting content related to past searches. Petal Search is able to understand each user's unique language and offer results from different providers. Commenting on the win, Petal Search UX design team leader said, "We're honoured to receive this award which recognises the innovation we've brought to Petal Search, elevating the all-in-one search experience for consumers globally. The Petal Search team is committed to bringing further improvements and updates to the platform to enhance the experiences for our users, including new features, designs, and security measures." With the help of Huawei's 1+8+N all-scenario strategy and artificial intelligence technologies, Petal Search is forging an open and inclusive platform with a vast array of content and services. Looking forward, Petal Search will continue to go the extra mile to offer its users the most optimal and enjoyable search journey. To download and experience Petal Search, please visit: https://bit.ly/3rpGYGY SOURCE Petal Search, Huawei Informatics Medal awarded to the late Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah The 20 th anniversary celebration is sponsored by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Winners of the award's 20 th edition hail from the State of Kuwait , the Kingdom of Bahrain , the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah : The awards have recognized the innovation and achievements of hundreds of participants from Kuwait , the GCC and the Middle East KUWAIT CITY, June 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as well as winners of the 20th Edition of the His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award will be honored in a belated ceremony on Monday, June 27th, at Bayan Palace. The 2020 Informatics Medal was bestowed upon the late Amir of Kuwait in honor of his memory and in recognition of his philanthropic leadership and dedication to information technology and sciences among other significant fields. The awards ceremony had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which halted gatherings and large events. The nine winners of 2020 hail from the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman. The awarding ceremony will be sponsored by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and attended by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The Informatics Award was established in 2001, the first of its kind in region, and it has honored hundreds of participants, innovators and volunteers from the GCC and the Middle East in various fields such as information technology, human and community development and sciences. Speaking on the event, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Award, Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah said that in only 20 years, there have been hundreds of participants and winners. The COVID-19 pandemic has struck all walks of life but did not deter the work of the Informatics Award and its commitment to the world of digital and information technology. "The award is able to withstand global challenges, adapt to changes and developments and preserve community and culture. Therefore, the 20th Edition was entitled "Best Technical Projects", apart from the Informatics Medal. The Award further provided a training course through the Informatics Academy to children aged 11-17 years on the basics of digital manufacturing," she stated. The winners of the 20th Edition of Informatics Award are: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Communications and Information Technology Commission for its project Platform for Delivery Applications via Electronic Platforms - The Communications and Information Technology Commission for its project Platform for Delivery Applications via Electronic Platforms The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Saudi Red Crescent Authority for its project Asfeni The Saudi Red Crescent Authority for its project The State of Kuwait - Zain in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) for its project Shlonik - Zain in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) for its project The State of Kuwait - The Public Institution for Social Security for its project Insurances Thukher - The Public Institution for Social Security for its project Insurances The State of Kuwait - Jif Company for the design and management of websites for its project Jif . - Jif Company for the design and management of websites for its project . The State of Kuwait - Fanajeen General Trading Company for its project Fanajeen - Fanajeen General Trading Company for its project The Kingdom of Bahrain - the General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior for its project Traffic Services - the General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior for its project The Kingdom of Bahrain - the Ministry of Education for its project Electronic Educational Portal . - the Ministry of Education for its project . The Sultanate of Oman - the Ministry of Health for its project Trassod Plus Meanwhile, the event will also host an exhibition to showcase the Informatic Awards' most prominent achievements since its establishment in 2001, including the 332 winners from 12 Arab countries with information on their projects. It will also showcase the 14 winners of the Informatics Medal, winners of the "Shift Kuwait" competition throughout the years, as well as the 486 volunteers from the State of Kuwait and other global and Arab countries. Furthermore, the exhibition will showcase other cultural activities hosted by the award during its successful career, such as the World Informatics Forum, dialogue boards, informatics bureaus, blogging competitions, and the award pavilions held at the Kuwait International Book Fair for several years. For media inquiries, please contact: Salma Tayeh : [email protected] ; mobile: 002 0100 1111 674 Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847521/Informatics_Award.jpg SOURCE His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award, State of Kuwait Single Stock Futures (SSFs) is the second in a series of Derivatives products to be introduced in the Saudi Exchange 10 underlying stocks were selected for SSFs contracts based on certain criteria to ensure market interest and liquidity The launch of Single Stock Futures will enable the expansion of the Saudi Exchange's Derivatives Market to include additional derivatives products. SSFs contracts will be cleared and settled by Muqassa in line with international best practices. SSFs contracts will be live on the 4th of July 2022 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, June 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Saudi Exchange today announced its intention to launch Single Stock Futures (SSFs) contracts, the second derivatives product to be introduced in the Saudi Exchange. From the 4th of July 2022, the new contracts will be available to trade, that will commence on enabling local and international investors to hedge and manage portfolio risks more effectively as well as diversify products available for trading in the market. SSFs contracts are standard futures contracts with an individual stock as its underlying asset. The underlying stocks have been selected from the largest and most liquid companies listed on the Saudi Exchange. SSFs are traded on the Exchange, similar to other cash market products. SSFs contracts will be cleared and settled by Securities Clearing Center Company "Muqassa" in line with international best practices. Speaking on the occasion, Mohammed Al Rumaih, CEO of Saudi Exchange, said: "We are excited to introduce the second derivatives product to the Saudi Exchange, as we continue to deliver on our commitment to providing a sophisticated and innovative range of products and services to local and international investors. The launch of SSFs contracts further supports the advancement of the Saudi Capital Market by creating diversified offerings, complemented by hedging tools to manage risk and limit losses in adverse market conditions." All investors can trade SSFs through a registered Derivatives member. The 10 underlying assets of the SSFs contracts include: Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi Aramco, Saudi National Bank, Alinma Bank, SABIC, stc, Saudi Kayan, Saudi Electricity, Almarai and Ma'aden. The stocks are selected based on a list of criteria that aims to ensure liquidity to meet market demand, maintain market integrity, and enable effective portfolio management, trading, and hedging opportunities. The Saudi Exchange launched the Derivatives Market in 2020 and seeks to introduce additional derivatives products such as Single Stock Options. Learn more about trading Single Stock Futures on the Saudi Exchange here: https://www.saudiexchange.sa/wps/portal/tadawul/knowledge-center/about/derivatives?locale=en About Saudi Exchange The Saudi Exchange is the authorized entity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to act as the Kingdom's securities exchange (the Exchange), listing and trading in securities. The Saudi stock market is the 9th largest stock market among the 67 members of the World Federation of Exchanges and is the dominant market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Exchange is the 3rd largest stock market amongst its emerging market peers. For more information see: www.saudiexchange.sa Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847574/Saudi_Exchange_Logo.jpg SOURCE The Saudi Exchange The Fenix mine will be a run-of-mine heap leach operation, with no crushing or tailings storage facilities, which minimizes the overall impact of the project Rio2 Limited (TSX-V:RIO, OTCQX:RIOFF) has said that a decision regarding the environmental impact assessment process for its Fenix gold project in Chile should be coming in the next couple of weeks. The companys Chilean subsidiary Fenix Gold Limitada is currently engaged in the approvals process for the large-scale gold operation. Rio2 has already completed the Indigenous Consultation Process for the environmental impact assessment, successfully reaching a final agreement in April 2022. The Fenix mine will be a run-of-mine heap leach operation, with no crushing or tailings storage facilities, which minimizes the overall impact of the project, according to Rio2. However, a Consolidated Evaluation Report published this week by the Environmental Assessment Service has recommended to reject the environmental impact assessment for the project, citing not enough information during the evaluation process to eliminate adverse impacts over the chinchilla, guanaco and vicuna all local wildlife. The Consolidated Evaluation Report will be presented to the Comision de Evaluacion Regional which includes 11 governmental institutions with environmental competencies that will vote to approve or disapprove the environmental impact assessment. Fenix Gold has been working diligently throughout the environmental assessment process to provide all the required information, Rio2 said in a statement. Fenix Gold remains committed to continue working with the SEA and other governmental institutions to resolve and mitigate any potential impacts that need further consideration to secure approval for the project. The Fenix gold project is expected to generate employment for approximately 1,200 people during the construction phase and 550 people during the 17-year operation phase. Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas Mekapati Vikram Reddy greeting his supporters outside the counting centre in Atmakur after his victory on Sunday. (DC) Nellore: YSR Congress nominee Mekapati Vikram Reddy won the Atmakur assembly by-poll with a thumping majority of 82,888 votes. Vikram trounced his 13 rivals by polling 1,02,241 votes, while BJP nominee Bharat Kumar got 19,353 votes and BSP candidate Nanda Obulesu 4,904 votes. Independent Dr Sasidhar Reddy Tumati secured 2276 votes while the others ended up with 3-digit votes. NOTA took away as many as 4,182 votes. These were believed to be votes mostly of TD men who were against voting for the YSR Congress or the BJP. TD supporters had circulated messages to their friends to vote for NOTA to showcase their vote share, it is learnt. The counting commenced at 8am in an engineering college at Atmakur under the supervision of Collector Chakradhar Babu and joint collector Harendhira Prasad. Vikram Reddys lead started rising from the first round and there was no looking back for him till the 20th and last round. An alumnus of IIT Chennai, Vikram entered the fray to carry on the legacy of his brother and deceased Atmakur legislator Mekapati Goutham Reddy who functioned as a state minister. TD kept away from the election as per its policy not to field candidates when kin of a deceased member is in the fray. The margin high came as a big relief to YSR Congress leaders and ministers, who had toiled hard in the hot summer to ensure a 1 lakh vote majority to Vikram Reddy as per instructions from Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy. While the ruling party was short of 18,000 votes to meet the target, its leaders claim this was because the polling percentage was only 64.11 per cent. One of the key YSRC leaders who supervised the election, agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy, attributed the big victory to the transparent, impartial and unbiased approach of chief minister Jagan in implementing his welfare schemes and reaching them to every eligible beneficiary. Stressing that all welfare schemes are in saturation mode, he said the sympathy wave for Goutham Reddy also helped Vikram Reddy secure a lot of votes. Police had made elaborate security arrangements under the supervision of SP Vijaya Rao. Seoul, June 26 : North Korea's new suspected Covid-19 cases remained below 10,000 for the second consecutive day, according to its state media on Sunday. More than 8,920 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, Yonhap news agency reported. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.71 million as of 6 p.m. Saturday, of which more than 4.7 million have recovered, and at least 15,630 are being treated, it added. On May 12, North Korea disclosed its first COVID-19 case after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years. The country's daily fever tally has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Beirut, June 26 : The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health has warned that the country is facing a new wave of Covid-19, urging the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The warning was issued in a statement on Saturday by the ministry after its Vaccine Executive Committee held an emergency meeting on the latest epidemiological developments, Xinhua news agency reported, citing to the Lebanese national news agency. "We are facing a new wave of the coronavirus, which is expected to be more contagious and the fastest spreading, according to the infection figures in Lebanon and in the rest of the world, which are experiencing an alarming rise," the statement said. It stressed "the need to receive the vaccine as soon as possible, especially since the percentage of vaccinated people is still low and does not exceed 45 per cent in Lebanon." "The vaccine can be taken free of charge, regardless of the dose (the first, second, third, or fourth), at any of the vaccination centers distributed over all Lebanese territories without a prior appointment," the statement added. The ministry announced on Saturday the registration of 836 new infections, raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 1,107,602, while two deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 10,458. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Manali : , June 26 (IANS) Two tourists from Delhi were washed away in the Parvati river in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh while clicking a selfie on May 7, say police. A rescue team traced and fished out the body of one of them after 15 days. Likewise, on September 21, 2021, a woman tourist and her son from Delhi drowned in the Beas river at Bahang near Manali. They along with other family members were clicking pictures on the riverbank adjacent to their hotel when the duo slipped and fell into the river and drowned. Later their bodies were recovered about three to four km downstream. These are some of the several frequent tragedies being reported now more frequently from the riverside in the picturesque Kullu-Manali area, admit officials. Years later, the hair-raising tragedy of 24 students of Hyderabad's V.N.R. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, who were on a holiday trip to Manali, drowning in the Beas is still a gripping reminder of lurking dangers by nature. Unaware that they were minutes away from death, a video showed the students standing on the boulders in the riverbed for a picture-postcard shoot with the gurgling river in the background, and then a wall of water suddenly pushing the screaming and howling victims away. Local authorities admit to IANS that in every tourist season almost half a dozen such instances are reported from near the Beas or the Parvati Valley where tourists fall into the river while clicking selfies or taking pictures while venturing close to the river. Tourists in hordes trickling into hills of Himachal Pradesh during the vacation season continue to be vulnerable in the absence of a larger safety and security system. Official sources said that a large stretch of the Satluj, Beas, Yamuna, Chenab and Ravi rivers and their tributaries run parallel to national and state highways where fatal fall incidents involving tourists are not uncommon. But still there are no warning signs or any drive initiated by the state tourism department to educate the tourists about the threat perception. Besides these incidents, police admit minor incidents of injuries due to slipping often go unreported. These incidents and the lurking dangers of such misadventures by the riverside in the Parvati Valley and surrounding areas were highlighted by journalist-turned-author Aditya Kant in the International Literature Festival Shimla that was organised last week by Sahitya Akademi and the Union Ministry of Culture in the Gaiety Theatre of Shimla. Kant, who created a buzz with his widely acclaimed novel 'High on Kasol', cautioned the tourists against venturing near the riverside to take selfies, through his extracts from his widely acclaimed crime thriller during the lit festival. Kant, who read out a chapter named 'Frozen Selfie' from his debut crime thriller murder mystery book 'High on Kasol', narrated through one of his characters, Haizel, that the temptation of taking a selfie by climbing rocks near to river could prove fatal. During a story-reading session, he described through his fictional story, how a teenage girl Haizel from Delhi, slips into the Parvati river while taking a selfie after dangerously climbing a rock. Fortunately, she is saved by the timely arrival of the protagonist after she has a nearly fatal fall in the river. Both of them fall in love with each other. Chandigarh-based journalist Kant, who spent his early years of life in Kullu town, mentioned that the character Haizel could be considered an exception, as most of the tourists who slipped while taking pictures by the riverside could not be saved and had a fatal fall. In several instances, even the bodies could not be traced. "My story required the character to survive and keep the interest of readers alive, so I could not have afforded to kill her. But in reality, the survival rate in such instances in Kullu-Manali valley has been dismal and in every tourist season, people are losing their lives," Kant said. Speaking with IANS, he elaborated, "So through this particular episode of Haizel, I have tried to convey to the people in general and the tourists in particular that they should not get carried away by the picturesque sites and climb on dangerous rocks by the riverside." "There may not be any protagonist to save you if you slip into the river while taking a selfie," he cautioned. Kant's views in fact are corroborated by the local authorities who point out that lately the average number of youngsters getting washed away by the Parvati river has been about six to seven persons every season. On average, almost one person is losing life to the mighty rivers in Kullu and Manali in a month. Kant points out that the figure is alarming as the number is much larger than that of missing foreigners from the valley about which there has been a wide coverage and concerns have been raised in the national and international media from time to time. He also talks about instances in which youngsters fell into the river under the influence of drugs too are not uncommon and the visitors need to be cautious of indulging in drugs and venturing close to the riverside. "There is another sequence in my book which refers to an incident where a youngster falls into the river and dies while consuming drugs along with his friends close to Beas river," he recalls. Kant's novel revolves around the theme of the mysterious disappearance of foreigners and changing trends of drug trafficking in the Parvati valley. It was released in July, 2021. Local authorities, on their part, maintain they have been warning tourists and have also displayed warning sign boards along the dangerous stretches of the Beas and Parvati rivers along the Chandigarh-Manali national highway. On the ground, however, one sees such signs only at rare sites. Local adventure camp organisers caution that tourists should not get carried away by the charm and underestimate the might of rivers that look charming and harmless. Local adventure camp organiser Bebo Ram recalls the incident of July 14, 2015, when a tourist bus with 44 people on board from Punjab plunged into the Parvati river, killing seven. While five bodies were recovered from the spot, two fished out from eight km downstream. Eight years later, the shocking video of engineering students standing on a rock in the middle of a calm river being washed away with the sudden surge in the water level is still a reminder of natural or manmade disaster risks. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) New Delhi, June 26 : Indian students who returned home from Ukraine about three months ago, will sit on a hunger strike along with their parents at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Sunday so that the Prime Minister looks at their demands and problems. This demonstration will be for one day and 300 people have been allowed by the police. The Parents' Association of Ukraine Medical Students (PAUMS) has made it clear that the students and their families will be on hunger strike on Sunday. "The government is now forcing us to agitate. We have been protesting peacefully till now, but if the government does not pay attention to us, then the families will be forced to commit suicide," it said. Trisha Sagar, who arrived home from Venice, Ukraine, is studying in her second year. "We were brought home under Operation Ganga, we thank the Prime Minister. But if we were to be left like this, then we need not have been called back. If we go to the senior people of the National Medical Commission (NMC) with our demands, they talk inappropriately, we are humiliated," she said. "We were told, 'you don't deserve to study here, you can't become a doctor here. You didn't go to Ukraine asking us.' We would like to ask them whether their permission is needed while going abroad? Would they not know that we are going there for studies? Then why do they misbehave with us?," Trisha questioned. In Ukraine, medical studies are completed in six years. After this, the students have to do one year compulsory internship. Then one year supervised internship is also required to be eligible for Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE) to practice in India and obtain a license. After that one has to qualify the FMG exam. Ritvik Varshney, who was studying medicine in the fourth year in Kharkiv, Ukraine, told IANS that, "We are now forced to sit on a fast, we are in India for the last three months but so far no decision has been taken from the government's side about our studies. The ministers of the government who had come to receive us had promised that we would ensure your future too." "So far we have not received any kind of news about our future, if the government gives us a stipulated time, then we should feel a little satisfied. But this has not happened. One of our delegations also went to NMC, but there also we didn't get a satisfactory answer," he stated. He added, "Students who have just the last few months of study left suddenly had to return home, then they go into depression. We have already submitted our demands to MLAs, MPs and other officials; we have also protested. But now we are forced to sit on hunger strike." The students and their family members had protested outside the gates of the National Medical Commission central office in Delhi on Friday. Pankaj Dheeraj, national general secretary of PAUMS, said, "We all have been making a demand to the PM for the past two and a half months to provide them future medical education in the country itself, in a peaceful manner. Now the government should take our peaceful protest us seriously." "On Sunday, medical students from across the country are going to start a 'fast' at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. On the PIL in the Supreme Court also, the Central Government has to file a positive and humanitarian response on June 29," he said. He added, "Amidst the Ukraine-Russia war disaster, about three months ago, the students returned home after saving their lives, the government helped to bring them here, but now the government will have to think about their further studies. They will have to be provided medical studies in India itself." The number of students varies in different states of the country -- Delhi has 150 medical students who returned home due to the Ukraine war, Haryana 1,400, Himachal Pradesh 482, Odisha 570, Kerala 3,697, Maharashtra 1,200, Karnataka 760, Uttar Pradesh 2,400, Uttarakhand 280, Bihar 1,050, Gujarat 1,300, Punjab 549, Jharkhand 184 and West Bengal 392. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War New Delhi, June 26 : After three decades of hard work, the scientists at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have discovered a new "reliable and cost-effective" way to identify asymptomatic Kala Azar (leishmaniasis) patients. Visceral leishmaniasis is fatal and can cause death. It can also cause severe bleeding, infection, and facial disfigurement. People living in India, Ethiopia, Brazil, Sudan, and Bangladesh are vulnerable to it. The disease spreads easily as it remains asymptomatic in the early stage, and detecting it has so far been costly and very complex. However, the new research will make it much easier. This internationally acclaimed research by Indian scientists has been published in the latest issue of 'Clinical and Translational Immunology' research journal. In India, Kala Azar is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected 'Phlebotomus argentipes' sandfly. The size of these sandflies are a quarter of that of an average mosquito. Their body length is from 1.5 mm to 3.5 mm. Adult sandflies are hairy, with straight wings that are small and large in proportion. It takes birth from an egg and the larva grows into an adult through the stage of the pupa. This entire cycle takes about a month. However, its development depends on temperature and other geographical conditions. Relative humidity, hot temperature, high soil moisture and dense tree plants are beneficial for these sandflies. According to BHU scientist Dr Rajeev Kumar, the research team carried out transcriptomic study on blood samples collected from three groups of persons (asymptomatic Kala Azar patients, Kala Azar patients and healthy individuals) living in the area of influence of Kala Azar, and identified Amphiregulin -- a biomarker -- that helps in identifying asymptomatic individuals. Amphiregulin not only inhibits inflammation and tissue damage, but can also help in differentiating individuals with active disease. According to Dr Siddhartha Shankar, Kala Azar includes irregular fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anemia. Most cases occur in Brazil, East Africa and India. An estimated 50,000 to 90,000 new cases are reported annually worldwide, of which only 25 to 45 per cent are reported to the WHO. "Asymptomatic individuals do not show any symptoms of the disease but carry the parasite in their body which can help in the spread of Kala Azar. Therefore this research is a very interesting discovery in the field of Kala Azar research, especially in light of the eradication programme of the government. Sharing the information about this new and crucial research with IANS, the BHU said that a new way of identifying asymptomatic Kala Azar patients has been discovered by BHU scientists which could be globally acceptable, reliable and cost-effective. The study was led by Siddharth Shankar Singh - Senior Research Fellow, under the guidance of Prof. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS)-BHU, and Dr. Rajeev Kumar, CEMS, IMS-BHU. According to the BHU, the new research will help in better management of the disease in the endemic area. Prof. Shyam Sundar, the country's leading scientist who has been working in the field of Kala Azar research for the last three decades, said, "We are taking forward our research work keeping in mind the Kala Azar eradication programme of the government, and this discovery is a big step in that direction." Kabul, June 26 : The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan have appealed to the international community to unfreeze the assets of the central bank as the country is struggling in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Paktika province that killed at least 1,100 people last week. Addressing the media on Saturday, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the Taliban regime is "asking the world to give the Afghans their most basic right, which is their right to life, and that is through lifting the sanctions, unfreezing our assets, and also providing assistance", Khaama News reported. When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021, over $9 billion of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the country's central bank, assets were frozen by the US, as well as a halt of funds by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Balkhi's appeal came days after he had said that the Taliban government was "financially unable to assist the people to the extent that is needed" as Afghanistan is in the midst of an ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis. Despite help from "aid agencies, neighbouring countries and world powers", he said that "the assistance needs to be scaled up to a very large extent because this is a devastating earthquake which hasn't been experienced in decades". Since the quake struck on June 22, international aid have flown in to help the affected. So far, India, Pakistan, China, Iran, the UK, Norway, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, as well as international organisations like the Red Cross. On June 22, the 5.9-magnitude earthquake, deemed to be the deadliest in two decades, struck the districts of Gayan and Barmal. Some 1,600 people were also injured as a result. The epicentre was 44 km from Khost city and tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan and India. More than 1,600 homes were destroyed in the worst-hit Gayan district. Kiev, June 26 : The Mayor of Severodonetsk has confirmed that Russian forces have taken full control of the key Ukrainian city located in the separatist Luhansk region. "The Russians have fully occupied Severodonetsk, our military has retreated to more prepared positions," the BBC quoted Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk as saying to Ukrainian TV on Saturday. Capturing Severodonetsk means Russia now controls nearly all of Luhansk region and much of neighbouring Donetsk, the two Russian-backed separatists regions that form the industrial Donbas. Also confirming the development on Saturday, Head of Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, Serhiy Haidai said 90 per cent of the city has been destroyed. "Severodonetsk is occupied. After the withdrawal of units of our troops, the enemy has consolidated in the regional centre of Severodonetsk and satellite villages: Syrotyne, Voronove and Borivske. "The city is 90 per cent destroyed, it will be extremely difficult to survive there, the 'orcs' (Russian soldiers) will not be able to restore communications," he was quoted as saying by Ukrayinska Pravda. Haidai reiterated that it is now possible to leave the city only through Russian-held territory. "The Russians are also establishing their own order in the city, They have appointed a commandant and are filming propaganda stories with people emerging from shelters in Azot plant," he further claimed. Severodonetsk's fall comes days after Ukrainian forces in the city were asked to retreat as "remaining in positions that have been relentlessly shelled for months just doesn't make sense". Meanwhile, pro-Russian rebels allied with the Russian Army say they have moved into parts of Lysychansk, the city facing Severodonetsk across the Siversky Donets river, the BBC reported. But Ukrainian officials have not confirmed that. In his video address late Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to take back "all our cities" occupied by Russia. But he said the war with Russia had entered an emotionally difficult stage and he did not know how many more blows and losses there would be. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War New Delhi, June 26 : By fielding Draupadi Murmu, a tribal woman in the Presidential polls, the BJP is trying to make inroads into the community ahead of the next parliamentary election. The party is also hoping to win their support in this year's Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly polls. On June 21, The BJP announced the name of former Jharkhand Governor Murmu as the NDA presidential candidate. BJP chief J P Nadda made the announcement at a press conference. "Detailed discussion was held on 20 names and it was decided to have a candidate from the eastern part of the country. It was also discussed that someone from the tribal community must be made President of India. After discussion, the Parliamentary Board decided to name Draupadi Murmu as President candidate," Nadda had said while announcing her name. A senior party leader said that the message is clear that after making inroads among all sections of society, now the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership has decided to make inroads among the tribal communities across the country. "The decision to name Murmu as NDA candidate for the post of the President will benefit the party electorally in the upcoming polls which include assembly polls and the 2024 Parliamentary election," he said. In Gujarat the tribals traditionally vote for the Congress and they did the same in the last assembly polls in 2017. Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh they play a role in state politics. "Tribal communities have a decisive role in upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly polls. The community also holds political importance in other states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan in which assembly polls will be held next year and Jharkhand, Odisha and the Northeastern states. Murmu becoming President of India, will definitely benefit the party in the upcoming assembly polls and parliamentary elections. With her as our presidential candidate, we are hoping to strengthen our position among the tribal voters," he said. A functionary noted that it is a strategic move with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as there are 47 reserved Scheduled Tribes (ST) constituencies. Murmu is likely all set to become the first tribal woman President of the country next month. "By naming Murmu, BJP is wooing the tribal voters, which can play an important role in strengthening the party's position in the upcoming state and national polls. After making Ram Nath Kovind President of the country five years ago, the nomination of a tribal woman leader now is a big political message to the SC/ST communities," a party insider said. Recently, the BJP has shifted its focus to the tribals by holding events in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and New Delhi. Last year, the Union Government announced to celebrate Bhagwan Birsa Munda's birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. The party also feels that the move will help in gaining a foothold in Odisha from where Murmu hails. "Murmu's candidature will help the BJP to make inroads among the community in many areas where the party is still working hard," a senior leader said. New Delhi, June 26 : The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a consortium of 40-odd farmers organisations, held a nationwide protest against what they termed as "anti-military, anti-farmer and anti-national scheme" of Agnipath, the governments four-year army recruitment scheme. SKM also termed the Agnipath scheme as part of the "wider campaign of this government to establish company rule over agriculture", when nationwide protests were held and memoranda were submitted to DMs/DCs across India on Friday. IANS caught up with Rakesh Tikait of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), one of the top leaders in the SKM, to know what exactly is the farmers' angst against Agnipath. Excerpts from the interview: Q: Why are the farmers agitating against an army recruitment scheme? A: Very simple. Where do the army recruits come from? From the villages and it is the farmers and labourers who stay in the villages. The army jawans come from our families. Nobody retires in four years, that too this young. The government has not yet clarified so many aspects related to this scheme. For instance, what kind of training these recruits would get, would it be on par with the regular military training? Or for that matter, the government has not clarified which 25 per cent would be absorbed later. I see two problems with this 25 per cent matter. One, there is likelihood of financial and social corruption and there would be physical exploitation of these jawans. Second, the jawan who retires after four years, will he be going back to his village with a 'retired' label? We will face the consequences in the years to come. Q: Then what should the government do? A: There should be one year of compulsory military training for all who are 18 years and above. After that, the person would be free to go anywhere, be it a private job or even a journalist. Otherwise, these four years the officers will exploit these young boys physically and mentally. There needs to be a clear plan. We have submitted memoranda at each of the districts across India on Friday as part of our agitation against Agnipath, asking for clarity on the recruitment scheme. Q: What happens to the agitation which had turned violent earlier? A: Agitations do not turn violent on their own, it is the government that instigates. People who believe in violence (had) joined the protests. We told our people to hold an absolutely peaceful agitation. Then we submitted the memoranda to the DCs/DMs everywhere and now we plan to have a talk with the government. Q: Some of your team members said the government is punishing those districts/areas that had earlier witnessed widespread agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws. Why do you think it is so? A: Maximum jawans in the army come from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. All these jawans are farmers' sons only. These people are die-hard patriots and hence very sensitive about such issues. If you make attempts to bring the jawan's moral down, how will he fight? Q: So, where is this leading to? What do you think will happen now? A: They (the government) have already privatised the police in Gujarat. Now they want to privatise the military too. I guess China has privatised its military. Q: It is quite a big statement on your part to say the government is privatising the military. Why do you say so? A: What else is this? It is an attempt to privatise. The government wants to privatise the military. They have (already) brought in privatisation in the police; many of the departments are already privatised. In Gujarat, even the traffic police is privatised. Q: What happens to your agitation now? Just one day of memorandum submission and then over? A: Let us see how our agitation unfolds. Right now, I am in Himachal Pradesh. There are dam projects, railways and other similar big ticket infrastructure projects. The government is acquiring land left, right and centre. But the compensation paid is barely two times, as against the four times as it ought to be. Are the farmers of Himachal Pradesh not part of India? If the farmers here are peaceful, won't you give compensation? It means you won't give adequate compensation, prompting the farmer to agitate? (Nivedita Khandekar can be reached at nivedita.k@ians.in) Thiruvananthapuram, June 26 : The opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Congress will be taking up the attack on the office of Rahul Gandhi at Wayanad during the Kerala legislative Assembly session commencing on Monday. A group of SFI workers led by Wayanad district secretary of the organisation, Jishnu Sasi had ransacked the office of Rahul Gandhi, who is the Member of Parliament from Wayanad. The incident occurred on Thursday and the presence of a staffer of Kerala Health Minister Veena George, K.R. Avishith in the attacking team had led to the Congress alleging that the CPI-M state leadership and the Government of Kerala were behind the attack on Rahul Gandhi's office. While Veena George claimed that Avishith has been removed from the staff post with effect from June 15, the Congress has alleged that the incident had occurred with the total knowledge of the minister and the CPI-M state leadership. The Minister told mediapersons that Avishith was not coming to office since June 1 and that her office had given a letter to the General administration office on June 15 for his removal from service. Congress has also conducted state level protest marches, which turned violent in many places of the state, including the black flag demonstration held at Kottayam against health minister, Veena George. Meanwhile, CPI Kerala state secretary, Kanam Rajendran has come out strongly against the student wing of the SFI and said that attack on the office of Rahul Gandhi was totally unbecoming in a democratic system. CPI assistant secretary, Prakash Babu said, "If the SFI is not reined in, the ruling Left front would face major issues in the days to come." CPI-M state committee meeting on Saturday had come out strongly against the CPI-M Wayanad district committee. In another incident, Opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan has come out against the state government for not arresting the culprits behind the decapitating the head of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Payyannur in Kannur district of Kerala a couple of weeks ago. Satheeshan said that the CPI-M is no different from the RSS in insulting the Father of the Nation and said that even after the local people had pointed out the people behind the attack on the statue, no one has been arrested as they were all CPI-M workers and were being protected by the party. Seoul, June 26 : North Korea held an anti-American rally for the third day in a row to mark the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, with participants vowing to "mercilessly annihilate" the US if it provokes Pyongyang, state media reported on Sunday. The North has held anti-US rallies since Thursday to mark the war anniversary for the first time in five years, reports Yonhap News Agency. Pyongyang skipped such rallies in 2018 amid a thaw in relations with the US and had not resumed them amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "The speakers vehemently denounced the US imperialists for provoking the Korean War to nip in the bud the young DPRK less than two years after its foundation and perpetrating the most hideous massacre and barbaric destruction unprecedented in the world war history," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a report. "They stressed that if the US imperialists dare provoke the DPRK again, oblivious of their bitter defeat in the 1950s, the latter will mercilessly annihilate the imperialists by mobilizing all the invincible physical means it has so far bolstered up," the KCNA said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Saturday's rally was held in front of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, which was established to commemorate what Pyongyang calls its victory in the Korean War. Jaipur, June 26 : Have you ever seen warriors who sacrificed their lives for the motherland being treated as Gods? Do you remember if, at any time, you saw celebrations all around to honour the martyrdom of a warrior? If not, you should visit a small town in Rajasthan called Nimbahera where warrior Kallaji Rathod is treated like a God. There is a temple here where people worship the warrior and remember his bravery. The stories of his courage still echo across Mewar and people in their thousands take out a procession on the streets to honour the warrior on his birth anniversary. Tying saffron safas on their heads, youths raise slogans extolling patriotism, while girls participating in equal numbers, exhibit their unusual fighting tactics brandishing swords and spears on the streets, leaving the first time visitors to this town in awe of their courage. Unafraid and focussed, these girls amid a huge crowd shake their legs to a rhythmic sound emanating from dhols and nagaras while playing with their weapons. The celebration in memory of a warrior who sacrificed his life evokes a strong emotion -- of bonding with the motherland, of a celebration of sacrifice and celebration of defeating your enemy, said Shubham Kumawat, a local student, adding, "Mewar is known across the world for its tales of bravery. Maharana Pratap was born here and his stories of valour are known all over the world. Living up to the traditions set by the Mewar warrior, people here pay due respect to warriors who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their motherland and treat them as Gods," Kumawat told IANS. On the birth anniversary of Kallaji Rathore, thousands walk miles on the streets which look saffron as the youth tie saffron safas while girls raise slogans of patriotism, participating in equal numbers and exhibiting their bravery, he said. There is a DJ playing patriotic songs where thousands are seen dancing and swaying and playing musical instruments. Being a part of Mewar, our town recognises warriors differently and pays homage to them in a way that we live up to the traditions set by Maharana Pratap, said Shubham. The beauty of the celebration is that the town turns saffron on this occasion, with saffron flags being seen all across, saffron safas being tied on the heads of youths with DJs playing patriotic songs, said Shubham Kumawat. There is a university here being run in the name of Kallaji where Vedic studies, yoga, astrology are taught as Kallaji himself had a keen interest in yoga, meditation and the Vedas. "Girls studying here are called Veer Balika who are trained to ensure they cannot be attacked by anyone. In the present times, when girls' security has emerged as a major challenge, our girls can fight 10 persons at a time without being scared," said Ashok Sharma, assistant professor at the university. Kallaji Rathod was born in the Merta royal family. His father was Asa Singh, the younger brother of Rao Jaimal of Merta. Renowned Krishna follower Mirabai was his aunt. During his marriage, Kallaji received a message from Maharana Udai Singh that Akbar had attacked Chittor, and asking him to immediately reach there with the army. Kallaji completed the Aarti formalities and went to Chittor, telling his wife he will return soon. The Maharana appointed Rao Jaimal as the commander. Akbar's army surrounded Chittor from all sides. After several days of fighting, when the Kshatriya heroes' number dwindled, the commander Jaimal decided that the time had come for the last stand. He instructed all soldiers to wear a saffron bana. All the Kshatriya women present in the fort of Chittor committed Jauhar (death by fire) and the next day on February 24, the Mewar braves opened the gates of the fort and attacked the Mughal army. A fierce battle ensued. Rathod Jaimal was injured in the leg. He wanted to fight but was unable to stand up. Seeing this, Kallaji put swords in both hands of Jaimal and made him sit on his shoulders. After this Kallaji also took swords in both his hands. The four swords started moving at lightning speed. The earth was soon covered with Mughal corpses. When Akbar saw this, he felt that some God with two heads and four hands was fighting the battle. Kallaji tried to tend to Jaimal's injuries by putting him down, however, an enemy soldier attacked from behind and beheaded him. Even after being beheaded, he managed to fight for a long time and hence is treated as a God, said locals. Varanasi, June 26 : A helicopter carrying Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had to make an emergency landing at the police lines here, minutes after take-off. Sources said that the chopper was brought back to the base as a precautionary measure after a reported bird hit. The Chief Minister, who is in Varanasi, is now going to the airport by road and will return to Lucknow by a state aircraft. Further details were awaited Patna, June 26 : Asha Sen, a well-known freedom fighter and a member of the Rani Jhansi Regiment, the women's unit of the Indian National Army (INA), also known as the Azad Hind Fauj formed under the leadership of Subhash Chandra Bose, says that at that time there was patriotism among the youth and even in the elderly. "Today this patriotism is not seen." In an interaction with IANS, she recalled that she was dressed in uniform by her mother who said that 'now you are the daughter of Mother India, never think about us.' Born in Kobe (Japan) on February 2, 1932, freedom fighter Asha Choudhary alias Asha Sen is the daughter of Anand Mohan Sahay, resident of Bhagalpur and Sati Sen Sahai of Bengal. The name of Asha Sen of Purani Sarai village located in Nathnagar in Bhagalpur, Bihar is famous among freedom fighters of the country. After marriage in 1927, father Anand Mohan Sahai went to Japan. Asha was the eldest among their four children. She completed her education in 1943 and joined the Rani Jhansi Regiment in 1944 at the age of 17. Asha Choudhary, who completed her education in Japan itself, says, "At that time, there was a feeling of patriotism in us, even in the youth and the elderly. There was only one tune that our motherland should become independent as soon as possible." Anand Mohan was a close associate of Netaji and the Secretary General of the INA. Her mother Sati Sahai was the niece of Congress leader and barrister Chittaranjan Das of West Bengal. Asha says that after joining the regiment in 1944, she was given nine months of rigorous combat training in Bangkok. Training was given in rifle handling, anti-aircraft guns, methods of warfare, guerrilla warfare, etc. She was active in the battlefields of Singapore, Malaysia and Burma during the war with the British army for the country's independence. During this, she had to live in the dense forests of Burma for several weeks under the leadership of Colonel Lakshmi Sehgal, the hero of the regiment. "Leaving food and drink aside, there women soldiers used to fight even after getting injured by bombs," she said. Asha kept fighting with the soldiers of Jhansi camp. In the meantime the war ended. She could not reach India. Her father was imprisoned in Central Jail Singapore. He was later released and returned to Bhagalpur with his family in 1946. In the same year, he got Asha married to Patna resident Dr. LP Choudhary. Since then she came to be known as Asha Choudhary. Asha says that Netaji Subhas Bose had a plan that the soldiers of Azad Hind Fauj would defeat the British army in the battle and join the soldiers in the country's independence movement and liberate Mother India from the British. "Netaji used to say that the Azad Hind Fauj's and his responsibility is only to free India." Recalling, she says that in 1944 Netaji was in Bangkok where many patriots from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar lived. "They used to do milk business there. A cattle rancher sent his son to the Azad Hind Fauj and his daughter to the Rani Jhansi regiment. He raised a huge amount of money by selling his cowshed, cattle etc. and one day after selling everything he dedicated the entire amount to Netaji Bose," she said. New Delhi, June 26 : India on Sunday reported 11,739 new Covid-19 cases, a considerable decline against the 15,940 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said. In the same period, the country reported 25 more Covid fatalities, taking the nationwide death toll to 5,24,999. The active caseload has surged to 92,576, accounting for 0.21 per cent of the country's total positive cases. The recovery of 10,917 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,27,72,498. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.58 per cent. While the daily positivity rate also declined to 2.59 per cent, the weekly positivity rate stood at 3.25 per cent. Also in the same period, a total of 4,53,940 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 86.07 crore. As of Sunday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 197.08 crore, achieved via 2,55,80,569 sessions. Over 3.63 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) Kiev, June 26 : Since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Kiev on February 24, at least 339 children have been killed in Ukraine so far, the Prosecutors General Office said. In a statement on Saturday, the Office said: "According to official information from juvenile prosecutors, 339 children have died 611 have been injured. These numbers are not final as work is underway to establish them in places of active hostilities and in the temporarily occupied and liberated territories." According to the Prosecutor's General Office, majority of the children were injured in Donetsk (335), followed by Kharkiv (179), Kyiv (116), Chernihiv (68), Luhansk (55), Kherson (52), Mykolaiv (48), Zaporizhzhia (31) and Sumy (17). It also said that bombing and shelling by the Russian armed forces has so far damaged 2,061 educational institutions, 213 of which have been completely destroyed. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Islamabad, June 26 : Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife recently visited ailing former President Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, according to sources close to the former military rulers family. "Gen Qamar and his wife were accompanied by top physicians of Pakistan Army," one of the sources who was present at the meeting, told The Express Tribune. "Gen Musharraf and his family greeted the COAS and his wife with great delight," the source added. According to the sources, the visitors spent some time with Musharraf and his family at their apartment while the army doctors examined the 78-year-old former military ruler, who was diagnosed with the life-threatening health condition, called amyloidosis, in 2018. Amyloidosis is a group of rare, serious conditions that is caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein, called amyloid, in organs and tissues throughout the body. If left untreated, these protein deposits can lead to organ failure. The family of Musharraf, who has been living in self-exile in Dubai since 2016, has yet not made their mind to fly him back to Pakistan. Earlier this week, the family ruled out the possibility citing lack of proper treatment in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported. "An uninterrupted supply and administration of experimental drug Daratumumab needed alongside associated treatment of amyloidosis that are currently not available in Pakistan," the family wrote on Musharraf's Twitter handle on June 21. "It's not easy to take a call on Musharraf's return from Dubai where he is undergoing treatment." The family also revealed that they had been assured that the Pakistani government and the military establishment would facilitate the septuagenarian general's smooth return. "Communications have been received from official and unofficial channels that (Musharraf's) return home will be facilitated. We sincerely appreciate these overtures since Pakistan is home," they said. Los Angeles, June 26 : Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth bares it all in his latest release 'Thor: Love and Thunder' and said that showing off his derriere was a dream come true for him. "It was 10 years in the making that scene, kind of a dream of mine," Hemsworth told Variety during Thursday's 'Thor: Love and Thunder' premiere in Hollywood. "The first time I played Thor I took my shirt off and I thought, 'You know what's gonna sweeten this' a decade from now it's all gonna come off." Although it's still unclear what can be expected a decade from now, there's a lot to take in from the fourth 'Thor' movie, directed by Taika Waititi. When asked how the revealing moment came together, Waititi said it was important to him to highlight Hemsworth's physique. "I feel like we had all talked about it," Waititi told Variety. "We had talked about, 'Yeah, we gotta show off this body'/ My whole thing was like, Chris works so hard, you've gotta show it off. Don't cover it up with all these suits and the cape and stuff, it's not fair!" For Hemsworth's part, it wasn't the first time he had to bare it all on screen. But at the end of the day, he couldn't be too shocked by what he saw. "I had had that out in 'Rush' many years ago," Hemsworth said. "In a Marvel film, it was a very large screen, it was a very big pair of cheeks, and, I don't know, I had seen it before." The actor also revealed that it was "intimidating" seeing Natalie Portman as the Mighty Thor for the first time: "A little stab to the ego, but I quickly got over it and I was in awe of everything she had done." Los Angeles, June 26 : Producer Barbara Broccoli has quipped that Duke of Cambridge, Prince William is the "perfect candidate" to become the next James Bond. Broccoli and her sibling Michael Wilson were honored with CBEs from the Duke at the Buckingham Palace this week, reports aceshowbiz.com. When asked who she'd like to see replace Daniel Craig in the iconic spy role, she said the Duke of Cambridge "ticks all the boxes". According to The Mirror, she said" "Unfortunately, the person we just met isn't available. He's occupied, unfortunately, but he would be the perfect candidate. "(He) ticks all the boxes. But he's not available, sadly. So we're still on the hunt." It was recently claimed that Idris Elba is back in the running to play Bond. The 'Luther' actor was believed to have stepped back from replacing Craig as the suave spy and had instead spoken to producers about potentially appearing as the villain in the next movie, but he's once again under consideration for the role of 007 after scoring favourably in market research. A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column that "Idris has long been in talks to play a role in the next era of James Bond's story and last year was being considered for a role as an antagonist". "However, talks surrounding him playing the lead have started again as producers realised how popular he would be after carrying out secret market research," she continued. "He ranked highly among the diverse group of movie buffs invited to participate in it. They didn't want to see him as a nemesis - they want him as the hero." Earlier this year, Idris had been in the frame for the iconic role. "We know Idris, I'm friends with him. He's a magnificent actor," she said. "You know, he has been part of the conversation, but it's always difficult to have a conversation when you have somebody in the seat." Chennai, June 26 : The Greater Chennai Corporation will be increasing contact tracing among close and extended family members of Covid positive patients. Sources in the Corporation told IANS that presently around 6,000 samples are being traced and samples have been taken in Chennai city itself. A senior official with the Greater Chennai Corporation while speaking to IANS said, "The rise in Covid cases are mostly due to the travel to other states and countries. Attending public gatherings in weddings, meetings, workplaces and fish and vegetable markets are one of the reason for getting affected." He also, however, said that Tiruvottriyur and Tiruvika zones have traced lesser contacts and hence need to increase. The Tamil Nadu health department has directed the Greater Chennai Corporation to trace at least 10 contacts of a positive case and to ensure that all the positive cases are being contacted on a daily basis. The Greater Chennai Corporation has also directed the health officials to conduct a door to door vaccination campaign as 12 lakh people in the corporation are yet to take their second dose of vaccination. The corporation has also commenced an awareness drive among the 60 plus categories of people for taking the third dose of vaccine. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Health minister Ma Subramanian while speaking to IANS said, "The presence of Omicron subvariant BA4 and BA5 are spreading faster and if a person in a family gets infected then immediately the others also get affected." He called upon the people to ensure that they are adhering to Covid protocol and to wear masks and keep safe distance and regular sanitisation. Ma Subramanian said, "Most of the Covid cases are in home isolation and are getting cured fast and those admitted to the hospitals are having cold, fever, cough and mild infection. There are no ICU cases even though the hospitals of the state are equipped with Oxygen beds and other emergency facilities are available." Chennai, June 26 : More regulatory relaxations, consolidation of the regulations, corporatisation of Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIBI), formation of a common software platform for health claims are some the matters that will be discussed by the CEOs of the insurance companies with the sectoral regulator, said industry sources. Pushing for further regulatory relaxations in the insurance sector, the captains of life and non-life insurers will be meeting Debasish Panda, Chairman of Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI) on June 30 and July 1 at Hyderabad. The insurers will also discuss with the IRDAI on changing the regulations relating to expenses of the management, commission structure to the intermediaries, offering discount on premium to direct policyholders and the norms relating to benefit illustration to lure prospective customers. The meeting is part of Panda's earlier promise of meeting the industry captains every two months, a senior industry official not wanting to be quoted told IANS. The first meeting was held in Mumbai in April where Panda met the top officials of insurers like Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Chief Marketing Officers (CMO), Chief Technology Officers (CTO) and Chief Financial Officers (CFO). However, this time around Panda will be meeting only the CEOs of the insurance companies. Apart from the above the upcoming meeting will also discuss the introduction of a women driven channel on the lines of Business Correspondents in the banking sector. The meeting will also deliberate on the technology connectivity between the insurers and their bancassurance partners on the issues of policy servicing, claims settlement and others. The CEOs of insurance companies will also discuss rejigging their lobby bodies -- General Insurance Council of India and Life Insurance Council of India. The IRDAI under Panda has been reviewing various sectoral regulations and has started relaxing many of them. The IRDAI has slashed the number of offline returns submitted by the life insurers to four from 40 and the online returns to five from eight. Further the regulator has extended the 'Use and File' procedure for most of the life and non-life insurance products, reduced the solvency margin requirement for crop insurance and the capital requirement for the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyothi Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)/ the life insurance scheme backed by the Indian government. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in) Panaji, June 26 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that there was a need to talk to anti-government and anti-industries' NGOs as a lot of money and time has been wasted fighting litigations in Supreme court and NGT. Sawant on Saturday was speaking at the 114th AGM of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "If we (government) talk to them, then these NGO's will say that the government is criticising them. Hence, somebody needs to talk to them. I have only to say that if we want to develop (the state) then we have to speak to NGO's across the table. Industries should start talking to NGO's. Even we are ready to talk," Sawant said. He said that a few NGOs were filing cases on every project of the government, be it Mopa International airport, third bridge on Mandovi, second bridge on Zuari, electronic city, tourism building or any other project. "Not a single project they have spared. We have wasted a lot of time and a lot of money. We are fighting in the Supreme court, we are fighting in NGT," he said. "We want to take the state ahead. We have to go forward in tourism and other sectors like a Singapore model. We have to invite investors. Goa is a world known brand. Goa itself is a brand. Hence, we have to think in this direction," Sawant said. He said that to resume sustainable mining, the government has taken the steps. "Definitely, we will do it and we will resume sustainable mining," he said. He also urged industrialists to opt Solar power. "For new renewable energy, the government will give all the support," Sawant said. New Delhi, June 26 : While the BJP is engaged in mobilising support on 'Hindutva', senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid tried to counter the move by saying that the whole country has not come under the grip of 'Hindutva'. Salman Khurshid said, "It is not an issue which I can explain in a few words. I am not ready to accept that the whole country has come under the control of Hindutva. As per the figures or my understanding this has not happened, however, a good number of people have definitely stood with them and brought them to the power." "When a government comes with a new political thought, people also take advantage of it. Some have gone to the BJP due to grudge against the Congress, but it is not permanent," he stated. He further said, "If we can't put our points of view properly, definitely others' point of view will prevail. It does not mean that we have nothing to say. We should tell our story for sure and it should be told in the right way. We will definitely bring India back on the path on which it walked after Independence." On the issues of Assembly elections due in Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan, Khurshid said, "After Chintan Shivir in Udaipur, new appointments are being made in the party, work is being done to strengthen the organisation. Work is also going on to form teams for upcoming elections. Our media department is also being strengthened. Its result will be seen in the time to come." The BJP is using bulldozers, will it affect the Congress politically? To this question, he said, "If someone commits a crime, the punishment for that crime may be the same as under the law, you can't decide what punishment will be given. People have been building houses for 50 years, now they are finding out which house is legal and which is not. There should be a discussion in the Parliament on the legality of the bulldozer action. Right now people are so scared that they are not even talking about this issue openly." On Gyanvapi issue he said that, "Whatever should be done under the law, it should be done according to the law and there is a law on it. Now the court has to decide what to do under the 1991 Places of Worship Act. Moscow, June 26 : Russia is on the brink of its first debt default since 1998 as the Sunday deadline to make a $100 million interest payment seems certain to be missed, the media reported. Russia has the money and is willing to pay, but sanctions make it impossible to get the payments to international creditors, reports the BBC. The Kremlin has been determined to avoid a first default since 1998, and a major blow to the nation's prestige. Russia has seemed on an inevitable path to default since sanctions were first imposed by the US and EU following the invasion of Ukraine. These restricted the country's access to the international banking networks which would process payments from Russia to investors around the world. The Russian government has said it wants to make all of its payments on time, and so far it has succeeded. About $40 billion of Russia's debts are denominated in dollars or euros, with around half held outside the country. A default would be the first since 1998, at the chaotic end of Boris Yeltsin's regime, the BBC reported. The $100 million interest payment was due on May 27. Russia says the money was sent to Euroclear, a bank which would then distribute the payment to investors. But that payment has been stuck there, according to Bloomberg News, and creditors have not received it. Euroclear wouldn't say if the payment had been blocked, but said it adheres to all sanctions. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Pratapgarh : , June 26 (IANS) Samajwadi Party MLA R.K. Varma has been booked for damaging the government property. The SP MLA was inspecting an under-construction engineering college in Pratapgarh last week when he gave a push to a half-constructed wall which crumbled on the spot. The manager of Amarontrans Infotech Noida firm filed a case against R.K. Verma, SP MLA from Raniganj on Saturday night. Six named and 45 unknown supporters of the MLA have been booked in the case at Kadhai Kotwali. The case has been registered under several serious sections, including threats, abuse, rebellion, damage to government property. The manager of Amarontrans Infotech has alleged that the MLA reached Shivsat village of Raniganj Assembly in seven vehicles to inspect the under-construction engineering college, and demolished the wall of the newly constructed engineering college. A video of the incident was made viral on social media. The MLA accused that sub-standard construction material was being used. San Francisco, June 26 : Tech giant Google has clarified how its Googlebot ranks pages, saying it will crawl the first 15 MB of a webpage and anything after this cutoff will not be included in rankings calculations. Google specified in the help document that "any resources referenced in the HTML such as images, videos, CSS and JavaScript are fetched separately". "After the first 15 MB of the file, Googlebot stops crawling and only considers the first 15 MB of the file for indexing," Google said. "The file size limit is applied on the uncompressed data," it added. As per the report, this left some in the SEO community wondering if this meant Googlebot would completely disregard text that fell below images at the cutoff in HTML files. "It is specific to the HTML file itself like it's written," John Mueller, Google Search Advocate, clarified via Twitter. "Embedded resources/content pulled in with IMG tags is not a part of the HTML file," he added. To ensure it is weighted by Googlebot, important content must now be included near the top of web pages. This means code must be structured in a way that puts the SEO-relevant information with the first 15 MB in an HTML or supported text-based file. It also means images and videos should be compressed not be encoded directly into the HTML, whenever possible. Amaravati, June 26 : Andhra Pradesh's ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) retained Atmakur Assembly seat by a huge majority of over 82,000 votes. In the one-sided bypoll, YSRCP's M. Vikram Reddy defeated his nearest rival G. Bharat Kumar of the BJP by 82,742 votes. Bharat Kumar and all other candidates forfeited their deposit. Vikram reddy polled 1,02,074 votes while the BJP candidate finished distant second with 19,332 votes. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate secured 4,897 votes. About 65 per cent polling was recorded in the by-election to the Atmakur Assembly seat in Nellore district on Thursday and the counting was taken up on Sunday. A total of 2,13,327 voters were eligible to exercise franchise in the constituency. Vikram Reddy took the lead from the very first round and increased it with every round. The counting was completed in 20 rounds. The by-election was necessitated by the death of industries minister M. Goutham Reddy in February this year. The ruling party fielded Goutham Reddy's brother M. Vikram Reddy. A total of 14 candidates are in the fray. Main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has not fielded the candidate in line with its tradition of not contesting a by-election where a family member of deceased sitting legislator is seeking the public mandate. Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party (JSP), an ally of BJP, also stayed away from the bypoll. The BJP contested the bypoll in tune with its principled stand not to encourage politics of inheritance by leaving the elections uncontested when an incumbent passes away. In the 2019 elections, Goutham Reddy had defeated his nearest rival Bollineni Krishnayya of TDP by a margin of over 22,276 votes. Agartala, June 26 : The ruling BJP won two seats including that of Chief Minister Manik Saha who has been elected to the state assembly for the first time from Town Bordowali while the opposition Congress won one seat in Tripura, where the bypolls were held on June 23 in the four politically-crucial Assembly constituencies. The BJP is ahead in the fourth seat. According to the Election Commission, Saha, who secured 17,181 votes, won the Town Bordowali seat defeating Congress candidate Asish Kumar Saha by a margin of 6,104 votes. As per the EC, the BJP candidate Malina Debnath won the Jubarajnagar seat defeating her nearest CPI-M rival Sailendra Chandra Nath by a margin of 4,572 votes. BJP nominee Swapna Das (Paul) is leading in Surma (SC) seat over her independent rival Baburam Satnami. In a significant political development, BJP turned Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman retained his Agartala constituency defeating his BJP rival Ashok Sinha by a margin of 3,163 votes. With the victory of Roy Barman, Congress re-entered into the 60-member state assembly after several years. Over 78.58 per cent of the 1,89,032-strong electorate cast their votes on Thursday in the by-elections to four Assembly constituencies in Tripura amid some stray incidents of violence. In all 22 candidates including seven women fought the by-elections. The by-election is being termed by the political pundits as a "semi-final" before the 60-member Assembly's general elections, which is just eight months away. The focus of the by-elections was mainly on the Town Bordowali Assembly constituency where 69-year-old Congress-turned-BJP leader and Chief Minister Manik Saha contested against five other candidates. Saha, BJP's state president and a Rajya Sabha member who assumed office on May 15, a day after Biplab Kumar Deb's resignation from the post of chief minister, contested the election for the first time. To fulfil the constitutional binding, he has to become a member of the Assembly within six months. The bypolls were necessitated after the resignation of three BJP MLAs including former Minister Sudip Roy Barman following the open revolt against Biplab Deb and the death of CPI-M legislator Ramendra Chandra Debnath. Mumbai, June 26 : As an unsavoury political 'roganjosh' is being vigorously whipped up in Maharashtra for the sixth day, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi seems high on 'josh', the rebels group holed up in a Guwahati hotel is worried stiff and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party remains starkly wary. After the late Monday night scoot by 37 rebels (40, as per claims) to Gujarat and then Assam, with around 17 now left with the Shiv Sena in Mumbai, the MVA tottered on the brink. It almost appeared that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had decided to hang his boots by vacating his official residence 'Varsha' with family, bags and baggage, returning home to the familiar environs of 'Matoshri' on June 22. Sensing victory, the rebels camp was upbeat and their leader Minister Eknath Shinde patiently pepped up their cause -- and morale -- with daily meetings/speeches, as the Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress indicated they were resigned to their fate... It was only by Friday afternoon that the morose MVA suddenly became chirpy and confident, courtesy a heavy dose of 'Vitamin P' -- the NCP President Sharad Pawar -- probably scaring the living daylights of the rebels and the BJP. The next 48 hours saw the 56-year-old Sena's 'rebirth' -- from a potbellied, slumpy 'tiger' to a lean and mean cat, more of the latter -- as thousands of its activists, men, women youth, trooped onto the streets to support their besieged leader Thackeray and his three-party alliance. In full form, Thackeray giddy-yapped the new-born 'Tiger', and dared the "traitors group" to come to Mumbai, face him and take his resignation, warned them against 'misusing' the name of the Sena founder, the late Balasaheb Thackeray, and asked the rebels to use their own "baap's (father) name" to solicit votes, etc. Buoyed by the Vitamin 'P', Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut bounced back with vigor and declared how henceforth it would be difficult for the rebels to move around in their constituencies or face the electorate. While the rebels understood what lay in store for them and extended their Assam stay by a few more days, some over-eager Sainiks in the home-state misunderstood it... and almost like neanderthals, pounded the offices of the deserters in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Satara, Beed, Parbhani, Nagpur and other places. After sacking Shinde as the Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, the Sena also demanded the disqualification of 16 rebels and Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal served notices to them seeking detailed replies from all by Monday (June 27). They are: Shinde, Bharat Gogavale, Abdul Sattar, Sandipanrao Bhumre, Prakash Surve, Tanaji Sawant, Mahesh Shinde, Anil Babar, Yamini Jadhav, Sanjay Shirsat, Balaji Kalyankar, Lata Sonawane, Sada Sarvankar, Prakash Abitkar, Sanjay Raimulkar and Ramesh Bornare. With the breakaway faction's Spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar declaring that they would challenge it in the courts, the next battle is likely to be legal and procedural as both sides prepare for a long-haul. Surprisingly, the BJP -- against whom the needle of suspicion points for allegedly masterminding the political upheaval -- looks reluctant to come and grab the centre-stage with the help of the rebels, with no ear-shattering echoes of 'Mee Punha Yaeen', audible on the state political horizon, keeping the Shinde group on the edge. Optimistic of engineering a 'mutiny' among the mutineers group, Raut darkly suggested how "at least 20 MLAs" are in contact with the Sena here from the five-star hotel -- which he compared with the jail-like house of 'Bigg Boss'! The mild-mannered Minister Aditya Thackeray also thundered before a huge crowd late on Saturday slamming the quislings for their treachery to the party and Balasaheb Thackeray's ideals, and almost brought the roof down by promising "the Sena would give more representation to youth and women" in future. Now, under Pawar's sharp-shooter style -- aiming to 'kill' like 007 -- the legal-eagles of the MVA are sharpening their beaks and claws to wrestle it out in the courts or the legislature and save the unique 30-month-old political pilot called MVA at all costs. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) San Francisco, June 26 : After quietly raising the price of the Apple Music student plan in several countries, including India, the company is now adjusting the prices of the Apple Music student plan in the US, Canada, and the UK. According to 9to5Mac, users are now being charged $5.99 for the Apple Music student plan in the US. Previously, the same plan was available for $4.99 per month. In the UK, the price has been increased from 4.99 euros to 5.99 euros per month. A version of the Apple Music webpage archived on June 21 still shows the old prices on the US, Canada, and UK websites, which suggests that Apple has raised prices for the Apple Music student plan in the last 48 hours. Apple is yet to confirm the price increase with a statement. In the US, the Apple Music individual plan costs $9.99 per month -- and that remains unchanged for now. The family plan for up to six people costs $14.99 per month, while there's also the Apple Music Voice Plan, which costs $4.99 per month. Eligible students can subscribe to Apple Music at a discount through the UNiDAYS programme. Except for the Apple Music Voice Plan, which only works through Siri on Apple devices, all Apple Music plans offer full access to the platform's song catalogue on any device. The report noted that it is worth noting that the Apple Music student plan also comes with Apple TV+ bundled together at no additional cost, which the company says is a limited-time offer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a virtual conference to draw support from African leaders, which did not go as planned as he got snubbed by 55 African union members in his attempt to feed this narrative. Ukraine Seeks African Support Over Russia In an attempt to pull the African nations to the side of Ukraine, Zelensky claimed that Russia was holding the whole continent hostage, reported RT. It only backfires with a few of these African heads of state not listening to the Ukraine leader saying that Moscow is the cause of the ongoing food crisis. This is understood as what the West wants other countries to believe, but no one is buying it. The African Union met in the virtual meeting with Zelensky last Monday. It took two months for the virtual dialogue to be set up with the African Union (AU), which turned out different for Ukraine, with only four representatives for the 55 nations reportedly listening to Zelensky, with the rest as subordinates, said the BBC. Unlike other outlets, the Le Journal de l'Afrique said they were not bothered enough to send delegates, ignoring the Ukrainian leader. Zelensky acted as a voice for the West that Africa would not support, saying that Russia is pressuring the AU and its democracies, even mentioning the illegal sanctions should be supported. Later, he equated Africa to Ukraine, waging a proxy war on Washington's behalf left doubt in AU leaders. It had a reverse effect, and the President of Senegal and AU Chairperson, Macky Sall, stated that African leaders refuse to drop neutrality despite what Volodymyr Zelensky claimed. Read Also: Vladimir Putin Children: Does Russia's President Have Kids? Barely half of the countries acknowledged western imposition on the UN General Assembly to vilify Russia's action or choose to sanction, which seems a failure of Ukraine and western credibility. Africa To Maintain Neutrality Sall stressed Africa respects international and peaceful resolution of conflicts and freedom of trade as a response. He thanked Zelensky for the address and meeting of the AU Extended Bureau. President Sall asserted that the Western sanctions against Russia endanger Africa with such a food security crisis, as discussed throughout his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi earlier in the month. A week ago, he said, excluding Russian banks from the SWIFT payment systems makes it difficult for African states to pay for grain, cited the Press United. Ironically, Europeans have exempted oil and gas. Sall was part of the BRICS+ video conference, a platform where Vladimir Putin spoke against the western nation action that impacted the critical food supply of these developing nations. The EU bloc was alarmed that a food crisis would come if Ukrainian grain will not be delivered from the country. Last Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock mimicked the alleged claims of Zelensky that Russia is using food as a blackmail weapon that Russia called lies. Despite what experts say its sanctions compounding food security, foreign ministers of the West deny that wayward sanctions have made the world hungry. Inability to export Ukrainian grain because of Russia was claimed, but Kyiv's forces laying mines only worsened things. Volodymyr Zelensky found African leaders not receptive to him, which strengthened his resolve to support Russia and deny sanctions or support. Related Article: Medvedev Speculates That the EU Could Crumble Even Before Kyiv Becomes Part of the Bloc @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Chennai, June 26 : AIADMK senior leader and former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu O. Panneerselvam (OPS) will meet his supporters at Chennai on Sunday. Sources close to him told AIANS that the meeting is part of his move to understand the pulse of his close supporters from across the state on the incidents that took place during the AIADMK general council meeting where he was booed and heckled by the other faction. OPS is planning to undertake a statewide Yatra in which he will meet the party cadres and gauge the mood on the recent moves by the Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) faction to take over the party thereby bringing to an end the dual leadership of the party. The recent general council meeting held at Vanagaram in Chennai had led to AIADMK appointing A. Tamilmagan Hussain as the presidium chairman of the party after OPS and his associates walked out of the meeting. The party has also rejected all the 23 resolutions that were moved by the OPS faction as he was the party coordinator. The supporters of OPS are of the opinion that EPS was trying to run the party like a company and not as a democratic outfit and that they would oppose it. AIADMK senior leader and former MLA, Kovai K. Selvaraj while speaking to IANS said, "EPS is trying to take over the party by back-stabbing OPS and others close to him. He wanted OPS to save the party when 18 MLAs had switched localities to Sasikala and joined the AMMK. Now they want to push OPS out who saved the party. We will never allow that." Selvaraj also said that if the posts of coordinator and joint coordinator, which are held by OPs and EPS respectively ceased to exist, then all other posts that are in existence in the party, including general council members are also not there. OPS, according to insiders, will be chalking out the modalities of his statewide Yatra on Sunday after meeting his close associates and supporters. The AIADMK is facing an unprecedented scenario with the BJP also trying to wriggle into the space that will be vacated if AIADMK faces a split and is in a wait and watch condition. Seoul, June 26 : South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a trilateral meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Spain this week on the sidelines of a NATO summit, his office said on Sunday. The trilateral summit, set for Wednesday in Madrid, will be the first such gathering in four years and nine months since the last meeting was held in September 2017 on the margins of a UN General Assembly, reports Yonhap News Agency. No trilateral meeting has since taken place amid badly frayed relations between Seoul and Tokyo. The relations between the two countries have shown signs of a thaw since Yoon took office with a pledge to improve ties with the neighbouring nation, spurring speculation that the President and Kishida could hold a one-on-one summit in Spain. But no such meeting, whether it be an official bilateral summit or a pull-aside meeting, is likely to take place, officials said. A four-way summit between South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand is also unlikely to take place, officials said. Yoon plans to depart for Spain on Monday for the NATO summit set for Wednesday and Thursday. The trip will mark his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage since taking office last month. South Korea is not a member of the military alliance but has been invited as a partner nation, along with other countries that include Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Yoon is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from Canada, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark and the Czech Republic to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation, according to his office. New Delhi, June 26 : The Covid pandemic continues to haunt humanity for the last two years with the infection graphs going up and down after intervals across the globe. The vaccine against the infection has augmented the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and has saved lives and helped in taking human life back on track. However, a short menace accompanied the event of mass vaccination efforts and that is the menstrual disturbance in females being reported. In a recently published article in the world's first most cited open access journal in the field of immunology, 'Frontiers in Immunology', the Indian researchers have reported the menstrual troubles included delay or early menstruation, heavier bleeding pattern, painful sessions and breakthrough bleeding. The paper -- "Understanding the trauma of menstrual irregularity after Covid vaccination: a bird's-eye view of female immunology" -- has compiled data from the reports of three countries showing significant figures on this subject. A US cohort of 2,403 females showed that 55 per cent of females receiving the Pfizer vaccine, 35 per cent relating to Moderna and 7 per cent linking to Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine underwent changes in their cycle length. The Norwegian young adult cohort also informed heavier bleeding, increase in duration of menstruation and even shortening of interval between two cycles. In the UK cohort of 39,591 females, menstrual disturbances were also testified. The paper has been authored by researchers and doctors from the department of microbiology, Swami Shraddhanand college, University of Delhi; Munshi Singh College, BR Ambedkar Bihar University; department of biochemistry, Jan Nayak Chaudhary Devilal dental college, Sirsa and department of radiation oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India. Females during their reproductive age owing to their menstrual cycle show different immune response to various factors they are exposed to. For a 28-day menstrual cycle, the first 14 days are called follicular phase which starts with the bleeding days of the first 5-6 days. During these 14 days, females have higher antibodies in their body that nature has bestowed them to fight against potential infections. However, this also makes them prone to auto-immune disorders during this phase. The 14-16th day are ovulatory days, which is followed by rest 14- 12 days of luteal phase. During this phase, the immune system is suppressed and inflammation is low. At the time of menstruation (bleeding), females are more likely to experience debilitating symptoms of asthma or arthritis. All of this clearly points towards one important observation that the immune response in females is variable during her menstrual cycle, said the lead author of the article Dr Rinki Minakshi while talking to IANS. "The vaccine may act as a stressor for the body, which could have an impact on the pattern of menstruation. The time of vaccination with respect to the phases of the menstrual cycle could be a deciding factor when it comes to foreseeing the effect of vaccination in females," Dr Rinki Minakshi told IANS. "We have discussed previous incidences of menstrual disturbances post-vaccination that involved vaccines against typhoid, Human Papilloma Virus and Hepatitis B. So this is not for the first time, scientists have reported this issue. During the initial days of vaccine roll-out programme, myths were getting circulated that Covid-19 vaccine causes infertility. Our article emphasises that the future studies in this field would stem such rumours about the vaccine," said Dr. Rinki Minakshi. One of the co-authors Dr. Abhishek Shankar from AIIMS Patna said that although the matter of menstrual disturbance isn't universal, the fraction of female cohorts showing the issue is significant. He added that clinical trials must include criteria of the female's age as a major factor deciding the efficacy of drugs or vaccines. Dr. Archana Ayaggari, who also co-authored this article said that the marginalisation of females in clinical trials would ignore the well-being of females. "Any sort of menstrual disturbance becomes a cause of anxiety in females because their daily routine goes haywire," she said, adding that openness on this front would promote more and more female candidates to take vaccine shots without any element of scepticism. (Avinash Prabhakar can be reached at avinash.p@ians.in) Ranchi, June 26 : Whenever lightning strikes, the people of Bajarmara village, located in Namkum block of Ranchi, tremble with the fear that something untoward may have happened. Lightning has caused so much destruction in this village as the name Bajarmara suggests, that probably this is the only village in the country where lightning strikes more than 500 times a year. There is hardly any family in this village, which has not suffered loss of life or property due to lightning. Similarly, an ancient fort located in Pithoria village of Ranchi is also hit by lightning several times every year. This fort, which has collapsed and turned into ruins, belonged to Jagatpal Singh, who was the king of this area about 200 years ago. Jharkhand is also one of the six states of the country that have been identified as the most sensitive by the India Meteorological Department with regard to the dangers of thunder and lightning. According to the data of the Meteorological Department, there has been 4,39,828 incidents of lightning in Jharkhand in 2021, it was about 4.5 lakh in 2020. According to the data, Madhya Pradesh reports the highest number of lightning strikes in the entire country. Last year, there were more than 6.5 lakh lightning strikes in Madhya Pradesh, while Chhattisgarh had about 5.7 lakh, Maharashtra 5.4 lakh, Odisha 5.3 lakh and West Bengal more than 5.1 lakh. Report suggests that the maximum number of lightning occurs during the pre-monsoon period of May-June. This year, so far 28 people have died in Jharkhand due to lightning in the last 20 days. In the last 10 years, there have been more than 1700 deaths due to lightning here. The number of deaths due to lightning in any year since 2011 has not been less than 150. In 2017, the death toll due to lightning was recorded at 300. Similarly, there were 270 deaths in 2016 and 277 in 2018. Ranchi's environmentalist and geologist Nitish Priyadarshi points out that small hills, tall trees, swampy areas, high rise buildings in hills and forest make the area more vulnerable for lightning. "Due to being at a higher altitude, in forest and hill areas, especially where there is a sudden change in the height of the land, the vapour particles collide with each other to create a lot of energy, which is attracted towards the mineral land and takes the form of thunder and lightning," he said. The team of Jyotirmoy Ghosh (principal scientific advisor), Dr Rajan Choudhary (agricultural meteorologist) and Dr Nirmal Kumar from Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums (IINRG), Namkum, Ranchi, has developed a mobile app called 'Damini' for lightning alert. Ghosh says that if people are alerted about the incidents of lightning in advance, the loss of life and property can be reduced. The Jharkhand government has declared lightning as a natural calamity. In order to reduce the damage caused by this, the Disaster Management Department of the State Government has taken several steps. For example, in 2019, the department had made arrangements to alert people through SMS, but this has now failed. Due to the lack of proper network and people not activating location on their smartphones, there is a problem in delivery of SMS. The department has also installed devices called lightning arresters at places considered vulnerable. Four years ago, lightning conductors were installed at about two dozen places in the Namkum block area of Ranchi. Scientist Santosh Kumar explains that it is not at all safe to take shelter under a tree during lightning. If there is lightning and you are not able to go to a safe place, then dry things like wood, plastic and sack should be kept under your feet. At the same time, both the feet should be adjacent to each other. Keeping both hands on the knees, tilt your head towards the ground as much as possible, but do not touch the head with the ground or lie on the ground. By doing this you can protect yourself. Thiruvananthapuram, June 26 : Railway police in Kerala are on the hunt for five men who had allegedly molested a 16-year-old girl who was travelling on a train from Thrissur to Ernakulam. A case has been registered at the Thrissur Railway police in which the girl and her father alleged that five men had inappropriately touched her and when her father intervened, he was manhandled. Officials in Thrissur Railway police told IANS that a complaint of molestation was received against five men by a 16-year-old girl and they have registered a case under Section 354 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. According to Thrissur Railway Police, the complaint mentioned that the men touched the girl's leg in an inappropriate manner after the train crossed Kalamassery and she complained to her father who was traveling along with her. When he intervened the men attacked him. The girl and her father said that even though they complained to the Railway guard, he did not intervene and the father had to contact the Thrissur Railway police over the telephone. However, when the train reached Thrissur Railway station, the men dodged the police and made good their escape. Thrissur Railway Police said that as the train originated from Ernakulam, the case will be handed over to the Ernakulam police station. Police said that they are on the lookout for the offenders and have found out they are daily commuters. Surat, June 26 : Ahead of the Assembly polls in Gujarat, the BJP is on a membership drive in the state. On Sunday, BJP state president C.R. Patil joined his the party workers to enroll new members. In the Majura Assembly constituency, Patil reached out to the voters of booth number 113 and convinced them to join the BJP. At the end of the effort, 25 persons enrolled themselves with the BJP. Later speaking to the media, Patil said that there was a huge response to the party's membership drive. "If one member of each family is reached out and convinced to join the party, it will break all old records of membership of the party." BJP began its primary membership drive in the last week of May. "The members have already started enrolling new members. But when leaders join the membership drive, it gives a big boost," said Niranjan Zanjmera, City Committee president. Zanjmera said other leaders are also going to join the push for the membership drive. They will visit voters of the booths that they have adopted and this will increase the membership. Patil said as per his calculation if one member of each family joins, then the party will have at least 1,62,00,000 members. "It will add another 49 lakh members, and take the numbers from 1,13,00000 to 1,62,00,000. It will be the biggest achievement in the history of BJP," says Patil. New Delhi, June 26 : Denying money to buy liquor proved costly for an elderly couple who were killed by their grandson in Damri village of Budaun district in UP, police said on Sunday. The police have found the decomposed bodies of the elderly couple from two separate room of a house in Damri village. The police said that the grand son who is on the run allegedly killed the elderly couple after an argument over liquor. The deceased were identified as Prem Shankar (65) and Bhawan Devi (60). "The accused, Himesh (20) came here (UP village) to attend a wedding ceremony along with the grandparents. They had been living in Delhi. The family has lodged a complaint with us accusing Himesh killing his grandparents," said the police. The official said that the bodies were sent to a nearby government hospital for conducting post-mortem. An FIR of murder has been lodged in this connection. The official said that the murder took place on June 22, but it was reported to police on Sunday. Himesh, the accused, is an alcoholic. He often used to hurl abuses at his family members. He demanded money to buy liquor and was scolded by the family for this. "After this the accused allegedly killed his grandparents and hid their bodies in two separate rooms of the house," said the police adding that they were looking into the matter. St Petersburg, June 26 : Russia will transfer nuclear-capable Iskander-M missile systems to its ally Belarus over the coming months, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting in St. Petersburg the missile systems "can use both ballistic and cruise missiles, both in conventional and nuclear versions," according to the Kremlin, CNN reported. Russia launched its February 24 invasion in part from Belarusian territory, which borders Ukraine to the north. Throughout the war, Moscow has used Minsk as a satellite base including for many of Russia's air operations in Ukraine, according to intelligence collected by NATO surveillance planes. On Saturday, Ukraine claimed Russian forces had fired multiple missiles on the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions from Belarus. In a transcript of the meeting, Lukashenko expressed to Putin his "stress" over what he alleged are flights by United States and NATO planes "training to carry nuclear warheads" close to Belarus' border, CNN reported. He asked Putin to consider "a mirrored response" to the flights or to convert Russian fighter jets, which are currently deployed to Belarus, to "carry nuclear warheads." Putin replied that "there is no need" to match the US flights and suggested Belarus could modify its own Su-25 aircraft to be nuclear-capable instead. "This modernization should be carried out at aircraft factories in Russia, but we will agree with you on how to do this. And accordingly, start training the flight crew," Putin said, CNN reported. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War New Delhi, June 26 : One woman has been arrested while two others have been apprehended for allegedly impersonating themselves as executives of Bajaj Finance Limited and Bajaj Finserv and cheating people, the police said on Sunday. Manisha Ahirwal -- the prime accused of the fake call centre scam, was arrested while two others -- Kalpana (21) and Reema (23) were bound down. Furnishing details, DCP Sameer Sharma said a complaint was lodged by one Deepak Kumar stating that he received a call from an unknown number. The caller represented herself as an executive from Bajaj Finserv and called regarding issuing a credit card. For the same purpose, she sent him a link to a fake website of Bajaj Finance, and asked him to pay Re 1 online to confirm his details. But instead of one rupee, his account (Credit Card) was debited by an amount of Rs 24,745. Accordingly, based on the complaint, an FIR was registered under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code and an investigation was initiated. A police team was then constituted which first obtained and analysed the details of the alleged beneficiary account of the said transaction and the call detail records of phone numbers. During the detailed analysis of all the data received, it was found that the transaction had been done by Manisha Ahirwal. Further, during investigation and analysis of the data, a fake call centre was found running on a rented accommodation in Rohini area of the city. Subsequently, the police conducted a raid and the main accused Manisha Ahirwal was arrested while her two accomplices Kalpana and Reema were bound down. Three mobile phones and four SIM cards used in the commission of crime were also seized. Shimla, June 26 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday called upon people to ensure their participation in the campaign to end drug menace in the state. The CM said this during a programme in Shimla on the occasion of International Drug Prevention Day, 'Nasha Nahi Zindagi Chuno' campaign, which was started in collaboration with the Drug Prevention Board and State Tax and Excise Department. "Drug addiction has become a matter of grave concern in Himachal Pradesh too. The young generation is getting sucked into the quagmire of drug addiction, although the government is taking comprehensive steps for the prevention of drugs, but public participation is also very important for the eradication of drugs," Jai Ram Thakur said. The Chief Minister also announced the formation of a special task force for the prevention of drugs. It will be headed by DGP Sanjay Kundu. President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan federal gun safety bill into law, marking a landmark gun safety legislation in the United States for almost 30 years, following recent fatal mass shootings. After signing the bill at the White House, Biden remarked, "God willing, it's going to save a lot of lives." According to CNN, the landmark legislation was crafted after recent mass shootings at a store in a primarily Black area in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. On Tuesday, a group of negotiators from both Democrat and Republican parties introduced the legislation draft they had been working on in the Senate. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was introduced by Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, as well as Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. On Friday, the House approved the bill on Friday by a vote of 234 to 193, with 14 Republicans joining Democrats. In a late-night vote on Thursday, the Senate approved the measure. A Breakthrough That WIll Save Lives Though the law does not ban firearms, polls show that most Americans wanted to see the enactment of the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994, which already expired. Biden said that though the bill "doesn't do everything" that he and his party had advocated for, it has measures that are "going to save lives." "Today, we say more than 'enough.' We say more than enough. This time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential," he noted. At a time when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, bipartisan members of Congress and I did something. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will save lives. pic.twitter.com/XegBeK4vfS President Biden (@POTUS) June 25, 2022 Read Also: Biden Administration Officials Alarmed With Record Inflation, Looming Recession as Gas Prices Stunt Proves Ineffective The president added that the passage of the gun safety legislation implies that the federal government can "reach a compromise on other critical issues, from veterans' health care to cutting edge American innovation and so much more." "I know there's much more work to do, and I'm never going to give up, but this is a monumental day," Biden noted. What Is In The Latest Gun Control Law The legislation signed on Friday would strengthen background checks for anyone who purchases guns ages 18 to 21, per CNBC. After the shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, were both conducted by 18-year-olds using assault-style weapons, the ease with which young people can obtain firearms came under intense scrutiny. Democrats wanted to prohibit firearms for anybody under the age of 21. The law attempts to prohibit gun ownership for domestic violence perpetrators who are not married to their partners and eliminate the so-called boyfriend loophole. Additionally, it would provide funding for states to support red-flag measures, which permit law enforcement or friends and family to ask a court to order the seizure of a gun if the owner is considered dangerous. Under the law, mental health and school safety programs will receive funds. Republicans who support gun rights contend that these problems, not the widespread availability of weapons, are to blame for the epidemic of gun violence in the United States. Democrats have long decried the lack of financing for mental-health initiatives. Critics, however, say the scope of the measure is too small for a country with the highest gun ownership numbers worldwide and the largest yearly frequency of mass shootings among developed nations, as per an Al Jazeera report. Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a report that the gun deaths in the US have increased by 35% in 2020 to the highest level since 1994, with dangerous rates for young Black men. Related Artricle: Roe v. Wade Overturned; Which US States Are Now Banning Abortion? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mumbai, June 26 : In a major revelation, Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray on Sunday claimed that Maha Vikas Aghadi's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had offered the CM's post on a platter to his cabinet colleague Eknath Shinde on May 20. "However, at that time, Shinde had dilly-dallied, was evasive and did not give a proper response... I had heard of some murky goings-on... Exactly a month later on June 20, Shinde and his group started the rebellion in the party," said Thackeray Jr. He termed as "good riddance" that all the 'muck' has gone out of the party on its own, now leaving it clean, amid a thunderous round of applause. Thackeray added that the group of MLAs - currently camping in a five-star hotel in Guwahati - are 'traitors' who will not be taken back into the Shiv Sena. He also harked on his father and Chief Minister Thackeray's statement that the party's doors are always open for those who desire to leave or for those wanting to return to the party fold. Aditya's speech is significant as certain reports emerged from Guwahati that the rebels group now wants Shinde to be made the CM, and the Bharatiya Janata Party's central minister Raosaheb Danve-Patil claiming the will form a new government in the state within next 2-3 days. Issuing a veiled warning to the revolters, Thackeray Jr. also said that the route from Mumbai Airport (Santacruz) to the state Legislature (Nariman Point) goes via Worli. A traditional Sena bastion in south-central Mumbai, Worli is also the constituency which elected Aditya for the first time in 2019 and thousands had gathered there with tears in their eyes when Thackeray quit the CM's official residence 'Varsha' on June 22 and returned to his private home. Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut dared the breakaway faction to "quit your legislature seats and face the electorate again" if they had the guts. "If you are the son of 'one father', then show courage, resign your seats, come face us and fight elections against us. We shall defeat all of you," vowed Raut. He said that just because "the rebels have got Rs 50 crore" doesn't mean that the Shiv Sena is exterminated, vowing the party will fight out and emerge from the mega-crisis threatening to dislodge the MVA. He said that Shinde lost the post of CM because of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's machinations in 2019. "Shinde would have been made the CM if the BJP had not backtracked on its formula of sharing the top post for two-and-half years with the Sena after the 2019 elections. If BJP had honoured the understanding, Shinde could have become the CM then," said Raut. Later, the MVA was born with the three-party alliance - Sena- Nationalist Congress Party-Congress and it was at the insistence of NCP President Sharad Pawar and Congress Congress President Sonia Gandhi that Thackeray landed the CM's post. "Shinde forfeited the post of CM because of the same BJP he is now terming as a 'Maha-Shakti' and trying to destroy the Shiv Sena," said Raut as part of the Sena's mass-contact drive in the past three days in different parts of Mumbai. The Aditya-Raut duo also targeted several other MLAs and ministers -- who pretended to be very close to the Thackeray family and behaved like party loyalists -- but "suddenly backstabbed" to leave the same party now which did a lot for them in their lives and political careers. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) Hyderabad, June 26 : The second phase of T-Hub is all set for inauguration in Hyderabad on June 28. Spread over 370,000 square feet and designed to house more than 1,500 startups, this will be the world's largest technology startup incubator. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will inaugurate the facility, which has come up at Raidurg in Hitec City, the information technology cluster. Backed by the Telangana government, the facility for innovation and entrepreneurship is expected to give further boost to the startup and innovation culture in this technology hub. Information Technology Minister K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday took to Twitter to announce that the Chief Minister will be inaugurating the new facility. He said this would give a huge fillip to Hyderabad innovation ecosystem. The minister had stated earlier that the state government has invested more than Rs 276 crore on the facility. The building was originally scheduled to be ready in the second half of 2019 but the work was delayed due to various factors and Covid-19 led to delay of another two years. T-Hub, the startup catalyst, was established in November 2015. It is a public private partnership between the state government and three premier academic institutes - the International Institute of Information Technology-Hyderabad (IIIT-H), the Indian School of Business (ISB), and the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law. The first phase of T-Hub was launched in 2015 at IIT-H. Housed in a 70,000 square feet space called Catalyst within IIIT-H campus, it transformed as the largest and the best technology incubator in the country. The facility rents out office and meeting space, and offers services such as connections with mentors and investors, to startup companies. It hosts entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investors, mentors and advisors. Several people from top academic institutes have taken the mentor's role. According to officials, T-Hub has not remained just as an incubator, but through various initiatives became a key enabler of the innovation ecosystem of Hyderabad. T-Hub offers various programmes for start-ups and forged associations with a number of companies and like minded organisations globally. It is estimated that T-Hub has so impacted 1,100 startups and cohort start-ups raised Rs 1,860 crore. It also offered more than 100 exclusive programmes. Mumbai, June 26 : In another setback to the besieged Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant on Sunday went to join the party rebels in Guwahati. Samant, who was in Mumbai for the past few days and had taken part in all the Sena brainstormers, abruptly left for Surat and from there, took a flight to Guwahati. This makes him the 8th Minister who has shifted allegiance even as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Minister Aditya Thackeray warned that "traitors" will not be taken back to the party they have back-stabbed and left. The development came amid reports emanating from Guwahati that the rebels group now wants to make their leader, Minister Eknath Shinde the new Chief Minister, while Union Minister Raosaheb Danve-Patil claimed that his BJP will form a new government within next 2 to 3 days. Khost : , June 26 (IANS) Dozens of state schools, public universities, and vocational training centers have been turned by the Taliban into Islamic seminaries across Afghanistan. Equipped with a science laboratory, library, and computer lab, the Abdul Hai Habibi High School was considered one of the most modern and prestigious government schools in southeastern Afghanistan. But since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the secular school in the city of Khost has been converted into a madrasah, or religious seminary, forcing many of its 6,000 students and 130 teachers to leave, RFE/RL reported. Critics say the aim of the Islamist militant group is to root out all forms of the modern secular education that thrived in Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban's first regime. Transforming Afghanistan's education system has been one of the Taliban's main goals since it regained power. The militants have banned girls from attending high school, imposed gender segregation and a new dress code at public universities, and vowed to overhaul the national curriculum. The Taliban has also unveiled plans to build a vast network of madrasahs across the country's 34 provinces. Madrasahs have a special place in the Taliban's worldview. The word "taliban" means students of madrasahs. Many members of the Taliban, which first emerged in the 1990s, studied at radical Islamic seminaries in neighbouring Pakistan. A teacher in eastern Afghanistan said the Taliban was converting training centers for teachers into madrasahs. He said the centres, which follow the existing curriculum devised by the former government, provided training to new teachers. Each province has at least one training centre for teachers, RFE/RL reported. "In certain provinces, the [Taliban's] Education Ministry has already handed over training centres to be converted into jihadist madrasahs," he said. He said the Taliban has already converted training centres in the northern province of Baghlan and the eastern province of Kunar into madrasahs. Mohammad Mohiq, an Islamic scholar, accused the Taliban of employing "social engineering." He said the Taliban has a systematic plan to "brainwash" the next generation in madrasahs by undermining secular schools. "This way, they can keep recruiting [madrasah] students to be their soldiers and build a medieval theocratic system," he said, RFE/RL reported. Ahmedabad, June 26 : Gujarat Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Deputy Inspector General Dipan Bhadaran to probe allegations of forgery and conspiracy against former DGP R.B. Sreekumar, former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and activist Teesta Setalvad. After a criminal complaint was filed with the crime branch on Saturday evening, former DGP Sreekumar was arrested from Gandhinagar while Teesta was picked up from Mumbai and arrested on Sunday morning in Ahmedabad. Both were produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on Sunday, where the crime branch demanded 14 days of remand for them. Before producing them before the court, Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner Chaitainya Mandlik told the media, "Police will investigate conspiracy angle, it will check their bank transactions and other documents. Police will also investigate into who were behind them and instigating them for legal processes." When Teesta was picked up from her residence, no documents or any other things were seized or recovered. If she has any complaint with the police, she will have an opportunity to complain before the magistrate court, when she is produced, said the officer. "Police will investigate financial transactions, whether there is any foreign funding to the NGO run by Teesta Setalvad and it will even investigate whether any politicians were behind instigating Teesta and the two police officers. If any foreign funding issues are revealed during investigation, if required even the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will be informed about such transactions," the officer added. When Teesta was being taken to the Metro court in Ahmedabad, she said, "I am not a criminal." Mumbai, June 26 : Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday urged the Centre to make adequate provision for Central Security Forces to be readily deployed in case the situation warrants it to ensure the security of the rebel MLAs and their families. In a letter to the Union Home Secretary A.K. Bhalla, Koshyari said that he had received a representation on Saturday (June 25) from 38 Shiv Sena MLAs, 2 of Prahar Janshakti Party and 7 independents, that the police security to their families "has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn". He said the legislators -- currently in Guwahati -- had raised serious concerns about the safety of their homes and families in context of the 'provocative and threatening statements' being made by certain political leaders. The Governor added that he has already directed the state police to provide adequate cover to the MLAs, their families and homes on priority. "Despite this, offices and homes of some of the MLAs have been vandalised with the police being a mute spectator," said Koshyari to Bhalla. He also urged the central official to make adequate provision of central security forces, keep them ready in case required to address the situation. The Governor's letter came amid the backdrop of violent incidents by alleged political activists in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Satara, Beed, Parbhani and Nagpur, who carried out demonstrations, stone-pelting, attacking offices, burning of effigies, beating photos or posters of the rebels with 'chappals', etc. They were protesting against the turncoat legislators in the past couple of days and today there were retaliatory protests by supporters of some of the targetted MLAs in different parts of the state. Responding to a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray by the rebel group leader Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday, state Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil categorically denied that any MLAs' security cover was withdrawn and asked the police to provide security to their families also. New Delhi, June 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the bypoll wins in Azamgarh and Rampur are historic and indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the double engine governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh. The results of three Lok Sabha and seven Assembly constituencies spread in different states where bypolls were held on June 23 were declared on Sunday. Lok Sabha bypolls were held in two seats of Uttar Pradesh -- Rampur and Azamgarh -- and one seat of Punjab. Bypolls were held for one assembly seat each in Delhi, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, and four seats of Tripura. Referring to bypoll results in a series of tweets, Prime Minister said, "I thank the people of Tripura for reposing faith in @BJP4Tripura's development agenda and blessing our candidates, including CM @DrManikSaha2 Ji with wins in the by-polls. Our Government will continue fulfilling people's aspirations. I laud our Karyakartas for their hardwork." Referring to BJP victory in two Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh, Modi called it historic. "The by-poll wins in Azamgarh and Rampur are historic. It indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the double engine Governments at the Centre and in UP. Grateful to the people for their support. I appreciate the efforts of our Party Karyakartas," he said. Expressing gratitude to voters in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi and Punjab, the Prime Minister said that the BJP will keep working among the people and keep raising issues of public welfare." Gratitude to all those who voted for @BJP4India in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi and Punjab. We will keep working among the people and keep raising issues of public welfare," Prime Minister Modi added. Chennai, June 26 : A special team of Tamil Nadu police is on the hunt for a couple who had cheated several aspirants of around Rs 2 crore promising them government jobs. Police are on the lookout for Dhanya and her husband Karunanidhi from Coimbatore. Police sources told IANS that the woman posing as a doctor in a ESI hospital, promised job to several people and took money from them. The woman, Dhanya, got in touch with the job aspirants through her driver, Pradeep of Sulur who told aspirants that she would get them jobs. A person, P. Nufail (23) of SRS Nagar at Sulur, lodged a complaint with the police stating that he had paid Rs 3 lakh to Dhanya and her husband for a nursing job for his sister. He said that later the couple took another Rs 5 lakh after promising him a clerical job. He said that he transferred Rs 2 lakh into the account of the couple on September 20 and on the next day he gave Rs 3 lakh in cash to the couple. Nufail said that the couple later told him that there are more vacancies in the government sector and asked him to introduce his friends. Rs 50 lakh were collected from eight people through the reference of Nufail. Police have registered a case under Sections 120(B), 420, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code, and a special team is constituted to probe the case. Meanwhile another person, Murugan has raised a complaint with the police that the couple had taken Rs 15 lakh from him promising a job in ESI hospital. Police sources told IANS that around Rs 2 crore was collected from several people in Coimbatore and Madurai promising government jobs. Amaravati, June 26 : Andhra Pradesh's ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Sunday said that the massive victory by the party in Atmakur Assembly by-election shows that the people are extending their continuous support to its good governance. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that people have voted for the good work being done by his government, and also as a tribute to Mekapati Goutham Reddy, whose death had caused the vacancy. Industries Minister Goutham Reddy had died of cardiac arrest in February. The YSRCP fielded his brother Vikram Reddy, who won the by-election with a massive majority of over 83,000 votes. The chief minister thanked all men and women voters who voted for YSRCP. He tweeted that God's blessings and people's prayers for the government which is doing good works is the biggest protection. Meanwhile, Minister for Water Resources, Ambati Rambabu said that people have witnessed the good governance and welfare initiatives by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, which resulted in securing continuous victories, with increasing majority. He said YSRCP is continuing the track record of winning all the elections, including the by-polls for Tirupati Lok Sabha and Badvel Assembly constituency, and the party has now retained Atmakur with a huge majority. He said that Vikram Reddy won with a majority of 83,888 votes, surpassing the previous majority of 22,276 votes in 2019. He said that people always stood by YSRCP irrespective of the evil conspiracies of opposition parties, especially TDP leaders who had even worked as BJP poll agents. The minister recalled that YSRCP won Tirupati Lok Sabha by-poll with a huge majority of 2.7 lakh votes despite the massive campaigns done by the opposition TDP and Jana Sena. YSRCP had won Badvel Assembly by-election by a whopping majority of 90,228 votes. New Delhi, June 26 : Ahead of nomination of Yashwant Sinha, the opposition presidential candidate, the leaders of the Opposition parties will be meeting on Monday in Parliament. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar who is firefighting the Maharashtra crisis has landed in Delhi for the meet. The opposition has been put to test since the NDA announced its candidate. The big question is who all from the opposition will be present in Monday's meeting as Congress MLAs and MP are busy signing the nomination papers. Sinha will address a press conference on Monday at 4 p.m. and will then begin his campaign. Sinha on Wednesday had said that the Constitution is being throttled. "If elected," he said, "I shall not allow the independence and integrity of democratic institutions to be weaponised against political opponents, as is happening now." "The ongoing attacks on the federal structure of the Constitution, whereby the government is attempting to rob the state governments of their legitimate rights and powers, will be treated as totally unacceptable. I shall also use the authority of my office to check the menacing power of ill-gotten money that is killing the soul of Indian democracy and making a mockery of people's mandate in elections," Sinha told media here. A dozen-odd opposition parties declared Sinha as their candidate on Tuesday, the same day the BJP declared Draupadi Murmu as its candidate for the post of the President, elections for which are due on July 18. BSP Supremo Mayawati has already announced support to the NDA nominee while YSRCP and the BJD are on board from day one and the crisis in Maharashtra has put the NDA in a comfortable position in the contest while other political parties may come in support of Murmu. She has already spoken to JMM leader Hemant Soren. The development comes after JDS leader H.D. Deve Gowda praised the NDA candidate and termed her "suitable" and "non-controversial". June 26, 2022: Information Clearing House -- Biden administration officials treat Russia as an international pariah and push the global community to unite behind Washingtons leadership to compel the Kremlin to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. The administrations strategy has been just partially successful. Criticisms of Russias actions are relatively easy to find among foreign leaders, but when it comes to outright condemnationsmuch less endorsements of NATOs position that the war was unprovoked and entirely Moscows faultgovernments around the world demur. They are even less inclined to sign on to the U.S.-led campaign to impose extraordinarily severe sanctions on Russia. Indeed, outside of NATO and the string-of-pearls U.S. bilateral security alliances in East Asia, the support for sanctions is notable for its absence. That was true even during the first month of the war, and it has become even more pronounced since then. Hudson Institute scholar Walter Russell Mead provides an apt summary of Washingtons lack of success in broadening the anti-Russia coalition beyond the network of traditional U.S. allies. The West has never been more closely aligned. It has also rarely been more alone. Allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization plus Australia and Japan are united in revulsion against Vladimir Putins war and are cooperating with the most sweeping sanctions since World War II. The rest of the world, not so much. Signs of trouble surfaced almost immediately. On March 2, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine and calling for the immediate withdrawal of Russian military forces: 141 countries voted for the resolution, and as U.S. officials were fond of emphasizing, only five voted against. However, a surprising 35 countriesincluding 17 African nationsopted to abstain, even though a favorable vote to placate the United States would have been the easy choice. The resolution was purely symbolic, since it did not obligate U.N. members to take any substantive action, yet a significant number of countries in Asia, the greater Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa, opted to snub Washington. More than 20 percent of the General Assemblys membership refused to embrace a purely feel-good measure the Biden administration emphatically wanted passed. From the outset, the U.S.-sponsored global coalition against Russia looked fragile and unenthusiastic. It has become more so with the passage of time. African countries especially fail to see any advantage for themselves in supporting the Wests policy. Although Washington insists that repelling Russias aggression against Ukraine is essential to preserve the rules based, liberal international order, governments and populations in Africa see matters differently. To them, the war looks more like a mundane power struggle between Russia and a Western client state. As one African scholar put it: many in Africa and the rest of the Global South do not regardand never have regardedthe liberal international order as particularly liberal or international. Nor do they consider it to be particularly orderly, considering how much their countries were turned into spheres of influence and arenas for geostrategic competition. More tangible economic interests also push Africa toward neutrality. A June 3 New York Times analysis concluded succinctly: A meeting on Friday between the head of the African Union and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia highlighted the acute needs each one hopes the other can fill: Africa needs food, and the Kremlin needs allies. Indeed, the head of the African Union, President Macky Sall of Senegal, has explicitly called for the lifting of sanctions on Russia. Even portions of Latin America have balked at waging economic war against Russia. Most troubling for the U.S.-led anti-Russia strategy, both Brazil and Mexicothe regions two most important political and economic playerscontinue to dissent. Indeed, the tensions have broadened to negatively impact Washingtons overall relations with those two governments. Mexicos president even refused to attend the Biden administrations much ballyhooed Summit of the Americas in June. It was an ostentatious snub. It is especially ominous for U.S. objectives that both China and India have stayed on the sidelines with respect to the Wests showdown with Russia. True, Xi Jinpings government has also resisted Moscows calls for greater solidarity and tangible support. PRC leaders have instead sought to remain on the tightrope of trying to pursue a generally neutral course with a slight tilt toward Russias position. But most important, both Beijing and New Delhi have remained firm in their refusal to impose economic sanctions on Russia. The Biden administration has not reacted well to any countrys attempt to maintain a neutral posture. That annoyance even has been directed at major powers such as China and India. U.S. officials have exerted increasingly insistent pressure on both governments to embrace the Wests sanctions strategy. Some of Washingtons statements have amounted to outright threats. On multipleoccasions, the administration warned India that there would be consequences for failing to impose sanctions on Russia. The unsubtle message was that India itself could become a target for sanctions from the United States and its allies, if New Delhi failed to cooperate. Despite the much more extensive bilateral economic links to the PRC, Washington has even threatened Beijing with sanctions if it supported Moscows actions in Ukraine. Moreover, supporting increasingly became an implicit synonym for failing to oppose. Beijing did not respond passively to such pressure. Instead, the PRC warned that it would impose retaliatory sanctions against the United States and its allies. Washingtons bullying behavior is not playing well internationally. For example, the Biden administrations threats to sanction China over Beijings relations with Moscow immediately spooked Thailand, Indonesia, and other smaller powers in East Asia. However, the reaction was not one of capitulating to Washingtons demands. Instead, the abrasive U.S. approach seemed to harden the resolve of those nations to remain neutral with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war. South Africa and other countries in the Global South also complained loudly about heavy-handed U.S. pressure, and refused to alter their positions. The Biden administration clearly overestimated the extent of international outrage at Russias invasion of Ukraine. Given the track record of multiple Western military actions against sovereign countries, including Serbia, Iraq, and Libya, it is hardly surprising that other governments might view the Wests stance regarding Moscows behavior as the epitome of self-serving hypocrisy. U.S. leaders also overestimated the extent of U.S. leverage to compel nations not in Washingtons geopolitical orbit to participate in a punitive policy toward Russia. It should be a sobering experience, but the administration and the members of the U.S. foreign policy blob that populates it show no signs of learning anything worthwhile. Instead, U.S. arrogance and the inflated sense of Washingtons power continues undiminished. Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute and a contributing editor at The American Conservative, is the author of 12 books and more than 1,100 articles on international affairs. Agartala, June 26 : Tripura Congress President Birajit Sinha and 19 other Congress and BJP workers were injured in separate clashes in Tripura on Sunday on the day when bypoll results were announced. Police said that the clashes first took place at Rabindra Palli in Agartala, then in front of the state Congress headquarters in Post Office Chowmuhani in the heart of the city. Congress leader and newly elected Tripura assembly Member Sudip Roy Barman said that BJP goons have attacked the Congress Bhavan with lathis, injuring Sinha and six other party workers. A Congress worker was stabbed by BJP goons and he along with state party Chief were admitted to the hospital. At least ten motor bikes and few cars parked in front of Congress Bhavan were damaged by BJP workers, Roy Barman said. BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacherjee said that at least 13 party workers including Agartala Municipal Corporation Corporator Shilpi Sen and her daughter have been injured. The Congress goons hit a BJP worker in his head, seriously injuring him. He too was admitted to the hospital. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi strongly condemned the attack on the party leader and workers by the BJP workers. He tweeted: "I strongly condemn the vicious attack on our leaders and workers by BJP goons following INC's win in the Agartala by-poll. The people are with us. Shameful that the police stood as mute spectators instead of stopping the attack. These BJP goons must be brought to justice." After the clashes between the Congress and the BJP workers, serious tension prevailed in the capital city and its outskirts, forcing the authorities to deploy additional security forces in the area. Guwahati, June 26 : The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), home to more than 2,600 one-horned Indian rhinos, is faced with a major threat -- not from poachers but from several invasive plant species that are threatening to destroy the habitats of one-horned rhinos and other animals. Around 17 invasive plant species that have been found in different ranges of the national park are posing a grave threat to the habitats, including grasslands. KNPTR Director Jatindra Sarma, who discovered these invasive species growing profusely, said: "While venturing out in different areas and pockets of KNPTR falling under different ranges, I have come across certain species of plants of invasive nature, few of which are already reported (mostly annual herbs, perennial herbs), now identified to be weeds, posing grave threat to habitats of the herbivores in as much as impacting the grasslands severely with regeneration being alarming." Sarma, who is an expert on medicinal plants and mushrooms found in northeast India with more than 25 scientific papers published in national and international research journals and books to his credit, including 'Medicinal Plants and Mushrooms of India', told IANS that there are some plants having toxic impact once under water and dominating the small trees. The senior Indian Forest Service officer, who has been credited with discovery of rare and high value medicinal plants and rediscovery of plants considered to be long extinct, has come up with a comprehensive plan of action for dealing with the menace of expansion of the species as well as regeneration of the invasive species at an alarming rate. He, however, found out from his extensive field visits that some of the species he stumbled upon are not weeds but are highly economic species. In the wake of the new menace plaguing the world famous India's seventh UNESCO world heritage park, the KNPTR Director has sought the permission from the concerned authorities to go in for experimental culling, cutting, slashing, uprooting, and girdling of the invasive plant species. Sarma who took over as the Director of the national park earlier this year, has come across a poisonous plant of the Solanaceae family - Cestrum diurnum - growing luxuriantly in the chapories like Bhakte, Bamun, etc falling under the Bokakhat range headquarters. "Though it is a weed, it is of high medicinal value, being a source of Vitamin D-3, being smuggled out by unscrupulous traders from elsewhere of eastern Assam. I have already taken up the matter with a Delhi-based manufacturing company for commercial cultivation of the species through the Eco-Development Committees (EDCs). Once we finalise the modalities with the company which requires 10 tonnes of dry leaves per month, this particular weed could be turned into potential crop for the people living in the vicinity of the park to uplift their livelihood. "I have asked the company to furnish the rates for the raw material since the plant is not abundantly available nor cultivated obviously because of its toxicity, not even browsed by herbivores, cattle, etc and also the protocol, if any, for sustainable harvesting involving the marginal farmers, EDCs, etc." Looking into the burning issues at hand, Sarma said: "The KNPTR, the Wildlife Institute of India and the leading NGOs working for the park can collaborate for vibrant research to the burning issues at hand through a pilot project with focus on weeding out the invasive species which are seriously affecting the flora and fauna of the park. This will also help in better understanding and improved habitat management of KNPTR." Sarma has also taken up the matter with the higher-ups for developing and maintaining a nursery for indigenous grasses, fodder species of different species of grasses for all the herbivores inhabiting the KNPTR. In view of the critical nature of grasslands that are shrinking everywhere due to various factors coupled with the climate change happening fast, Sarma emphasised on the need for conservation and propagation of the members of the Poaceae family in a very holistic manner. "Not many of us accord much importance to the members of the Poaceae family and not much of scientific papers are available wherein we need to stress upon its need for conservation and propagation in a holistic manner," Sarma added. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) Thiruvananthapuram, June 26 : The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) has drawn flak from the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) for allowing actor and director Vijay Babu, who stands accused of rape by a junior woman actor, to attend its general body meeting on Sunday. WCC secretary and scriptwriter Deedi Damodaran said AMMA's action was unfortunate and highly deplorable. She said the actress had complained to the police that the actor had raped her several times while offering her roles in his new movies. Vijay Babu had gone into hiding in Dubai after the police complaint and came back to Kerala only after getting anticipatory bail. The actor raised the hackles of the WCC after he attended the general body meeting of the association, of which he is a member. In a related development, Malayalam actress Swetha Menon, who was an AMMA internal complaints committee (ICC) member, and who had resigned from the committee on the issue of Vijay Babu continuing as a member of the organisation after the police had registered a rape case against him, was also present throughout the general body meeting. Clarifying the association's stand, Edavela Babu, actor and AMMA general secretary, said Vijay Babu continues to be a member of the organisation as his case is subjudice and the court has not yet given a verdict against the actor. Meanwhile, Shammy Tilakan, who was expelled from the organisation, told mediapersons that he had not done anything wrong to merit the action taken against him. He said he had replied to the charges made against him in writing to the AMMA president, Malayalam super star Mohanlal, but he did not get any answer. He said he was expelled from AMMA because the organization still held a grudge against his father, the late legendary Malayalam actor, Tilakan. Shammy Tilakan added that he had information that Mammooty, the other Malayalam super star, had supported his continuation in the organisation during the general body meeting. Guwahati, June 26 : The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs on Sunday held a meeting with their leader Eknath Shinde here at Radisson Blu hotel to take a decision on their next action plan. The Sena rebels will stay in the Guwahati hotel for a few more days. Sources had earlier said their stay was booked up to June 28 which has now been extended up to June 30. Shine returned from Mumbai to the hotel on Friday Meanwhile, a video surfaced has where the rebel MLAs are seen celebrating the birthday of Sena legislator Narendra Bhondekar in the Radisson Blu. Shinde is seen feeding the cake and presenting a bouquet to Bhondekar. Meanwhile, president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Bhupen Borah told the reporters that he is discussing with the party's legal cell on filing a PIL against Assam government on this matter to the Court. He had earlier written a letter to Eknath Shinde to vacate the state soon, as their stay in Guwahati diverts the attention of the state government and media from the flood situation in Assam. He has questioned the state government about "the expenditure that is diverted for MLAs' stay instead of utilising the money for flood victims". It is an indescribably inspiring feeling to see a 'fauji' on the move - clad in his camouflage uniform at a railway platform with his oversized knapsack, or if it's a family moving, a seemingly endless number of trunks carrying their household items. The railways ferry our soldiers to every part of the country but the scene has been disrupted lately. The Central government on June 14 rolled out its 'Agnipath' scheme for short-term recruitment of other ranks in the armed forces, and the aspirants literally set the nation on fire. Starting with Bihar on June 16, protests raged across the country demanding the scheme's withdrawal and by June 17, 12 trains were set ablaze, movement of about 300 trains were hampered, 214 trains were cancelled, 11 were diverted, and 90 were terminated before their destination. In the wake of this mayhem, prohibitory orders were enforced in several places for extended periods. In less than a week, the protests have been neatly clamped and it is incumbent on the aspirants to produce a proof of non-involvement in the protests to qualify for the recruitment scheme. But why do Indians join the defence forces, the army in particular? As per the Indian Army's official homepage, as on June 22, it "promises both professional and personal growth at every stage of the career. Opportunities to upgrade through various courses are abundant... An opportunity is even provided to upgrade your civil qualification by availing two years paid study leave". Lists the perks and privileges, it goes on to say that "In fact you are paid to lead a healthy life in a healthy environment". How far will this claim hold true with the Agnipath scheme taking effect? Why young people feel insecure? The 'Agniveers", as those selected under the Agnipath scheme will be called, will be trained and engaged for a period of four years. Upon completion of these, the Aginveers will be returned to society. It is expected that by this time, they will have turned into a skilled workforce to be absorbed by other sectors and pursue careers of their choice. However, this four-year service period inclusive of training is a critical cut-down form the ten plus years of hardcore service of a seasoned soldier that is rendered until now. And with it comes the hack in most service-related aspects that drove one to become a soldier. "Our jawans come from rural areas. They are not city boys who could fend for themselves. Even for his wedding, the first question is 'pakka naukari hain na?' (is it a stable job?)," Lt. Gen. Bhopinder Singh (retd) told IANS, highlighting that job security is the cornerstone of pursuing a career in the military. "Today's generation is very aware, they understand everything. So, he gets most insecure... To 'die for the country' is rhetoric, but for an insecure person, what do you expect him to die for? For us, it is the regimental name, we die for that. It is one of those things and with insecurity prevailing, that's not possible." Talking to IANS, on the condition of anonymity, a retired senior official from the Defence Ministry, shared his civilian perspective: "I can't tell how this 'reform' will turn out in effect but I know for sure that if I tell a boy to climb a hill and he knows that he will find a gun-wielding person there who will kill him, there needs to be some motivation to get him to still climb that fatal hill. That can happen only when I have spent sufficient time developing camaraderie with him." "We civilians don't face military aggressions - nor do most officers. The ones facing maximum brunt of critical military situations are the boys from villages. He draws his motivation from his community, or regiment, or whatever else - our regiments are up to 200 years old - they have a sense of pride and belonging that they accomplished feats together. Four years cannot yield this manner of affinity and motivation," he contends. The age profile Lt. Gen. Singh (retd), who has seen combat in both the 1965 and 1971 wars, also says: "The sepoys in the Army are commanded by junior people- naiks, subedars are all over 30. In Kargil (war), all the officers and JCOs went up, all within age 30 to 40 and they performed fantastically. So, to say that 25 is a youthful profile, I don't know what is understood by it." Gen Singh was part of operations of both '65 and '71 wars. The retired bureaucrat says: "At present, the average age of a serving non-officer is 26. This 26-year-old will be replaced by a 23-year-old. So, for the age profile of the Army to actually change, it will take many years, likely more than a decade for any effects to show." "This age profile business is nonsense. If a jawan can perform at 35 to 40, then what is the problem?". Lt. Gen Singh goes a step further: "The government doesn't understand the age aspect but I don't blame them... If I ask for a youthful profile of politicians, then what happens?" The price of this experiment With the armed forces recruiting 46,000 Agniveers this year, Lt Gen Singh says: "It is simple, we need trained soldiers. If we train them and then tell them to go home, then what is the purpose of training them? What have you achieved?" On the prospect of close to 40,000 young unemployed trained soldiers turning into privately-hired security guards, he said: "It will be very shameful." Citing the Rwandan Civil War of the 1990s to warn of significant role of immobilised soldiers, the retired bureaucrat said: "So, you train a person in the technique of killing and then discard him in 4 years. He can become a ferocious creature. This aspect has not been given much thought..." "Considering the financial aspect... is the monetary gain justified against loss of camaraderie and fighting integrity? I don't think it is worth it." Given that this scheme has no scope of investing in the Agniveers in terms of education or any civil skill that could help them secure a peaceful future, these 20-somethings will be left stranded after a brief military service with no direction for a career. Their military training will not even give them a head start in aspiring for the officer level in the same field because of lack of basic education and preparation. Lt. Gen. Singh said: "This is out of question. CDS (Combined Defence Services) demands a lot of preparation. These (Agniveers) will not have time to prepare for anything else given the nature of military training." The Indian economy is less likely to have room for barely-educated, gun-trained youth. What should have been done instead Both the experts were of the view that there ought to have been deeper deliberation and a pilot project should have been launched first, conducting the experiment with paramilitary forces or the police. If it worked there, it may could then introduced in the armed forces suitably. The expenditure on an officer is 3-5 times more than a non-officer in the Army. "If officers are retired sooner (in 7-10 years), they are in a much better place to contribute constructively to society. He's educated and has a world view, and is still young enough to start a fresh career," opines the retired bureaucrat. "Ultimately, it is a political thing to ensure some recruitments before 2024. A better way to come out with it (Agnipath) would have been to explain that this is in response to China's aggression, or that the security apparatus needs an upgrade." As matters stand now It is nowhere indicated that the savings made from recruiting and retiring young soldiers without a pension will be invested in the defence sector or for the good of the personnel community. Reserving a portion for the Agniveers in central para military forces is "basically just substitution, not addition... when there's a lateral shift, there are no new vacancies generated. The catchment areas of the soldiers remain the same," said the former bureaucrat. The former bureaucrat highlights the fact that no strict action has been taken against these protestors despite arson and mayhem as "they are the core of the country. Jats, Gujjars, Rajputs, and Brahmins are largely the communities with which power rests and acting against them could become a reason for social unrest". These communities also contribute significantly to the armed forces. While the long-term impact of a lowered age profile in the forces is yet to be tested for impact on the organisation and efficacy, in the unemployment-stricken economy of a rising India, this may not the most ideal step to secure the frustrated youths' futures. New Delhi, June 26 : The Congress on Sunday condemned the attack on the party office and decided to send a three-member delegation of MPs, led by its Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to the state. The delegation, which also includes Gaurav Gogoi and Naseer Hussain, will visit Tripura on Monday to take stock of the situation and will submit a report. The Congress also demanded an apology from BJP President J.P. Nadda and an investigation by the Home Ministry. In a statement, party General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal said that the party "strongly condemns the mindless attack on Congress Bhawan and brutal assault on Tripura PCC President, Birajit Sinha and other Congress workers by BJP goons, after the thumping victory of Congress party candidate Sudip Roy Barman in the Agartala bypoll". "If the state government is unable to handle law and order then President's Rule will be necessary. We urge the authorities to take strict action against the culprits and ensure safety to Congress Party offices and office bearers," it added/ New Delhi, June 26 : Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has moved the Supreme Court challenging challenging the disqualification notices issued by Maharashtra Deputy Speaker to 16 party MLAs and also the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader. The matter is likely to be mentioned on Monday for urgent hearing before a vacation bench of the Supreme Court. Maharashtra has been facing political crisis after Shinde and rebel MLAs left the state, protesting against the alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. The rebel MLAs have been camping in a hotel in Assam's Guwahati for the past few days. The Deputy Speaker has issued notices to the 16 rebel MLAs on the disqualification plea by Thackeray's team. Shinde's plea said the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker is completely violative of Article 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, and also the illegal and unconstitutional action of the Deputy Speaker in recognising Choudhuri as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party (SSLP) despite the said request being admittedly made by a minority faction. The plea said the petitioner is aggrieved by the notice/summon dated June 25 which is grossly illegal, unconstitutional and in utter disregard of the judgment of this Court in the matter of Nabam Rebia & Bamang Felix VS Dy. Speaker, Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in (2016). "That the seat of Speaker is vacant since Nana Patole resigned from office in February 2021. Thus, there is no authority who can adjudicate upon the disqualification petition under which the impugned notice has been issued to the Petitioner," it added. "Issue a writ of prohibition/mandamus or any other appropriate writ, direction or order, directing Respondent No. 1 (Deputy Speaker) to not take any action in the disqualification petition under Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules seeking disqualification of the Petitioners under Para-2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India pending before Hon'ble Speaker of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly and not take any action on the same until the resolution for removal of Deputy Speaker is decided," said the plea. New Delhi, June 26 : The nomination of Draupadi Murmu as NDA's Presidential candidate has been seen as a tactical political outreach to the tribals, women and under privileged population and the decision is attributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's penchant for the surprising. On an impressionistic view, this may appear plausible. However, a deeper study of the way Modi has changed the architecture of BJP over the past 40 years brick by small brick, block by big block as his stature in the party grew, reveals that Murmu's nomination is but a natural outcome of the political values that the new BJP stands by. It fits in with the ethos of the BJP re-modelled by Modi with a much more inclusive and substantially altered social base. This kind of neutral and analytical study of BJP as an organization is now available, thanks to the painstaking efforts of Ajay Singh, the writer, who has put together a perspicacious yet in-depth work on organization building, growth and dynamics of BJP. He has located the analytical study amid the dramatically dynamic political eco-system in which Modi built the BJP as a formidable organization. The book titled 'The Architect of the New BJP: How Narendra Modi Transformed the Party' has an enduring academic weight to it without it being a dull and ponderous reading. Most importantly, it is not a hagiography, though Modi captures centrestage as the very subject of the study. It is a racy reading which recounts many defining political incidents that shaped India since the 1970s. That's when Modi began to contribute to the making of BJP at its grassroots. Concepts and words like design thinking, system building, organic growth, holistic approach and proactive strategies have become trite with overuse. But they make eminent sense when used in a case study or a context which is authentic. All these concepts, as Ajay Singh highlights in the book find vindication in the organisational journey of BJP guided by the single mindedness of Modi. This single mindedness is, however, multi-dimensional and multi-layered encompassing the government, the party apparatus from top to bottom, social and economic issues in the various regions of India, management of change, disaster management, social psychology, dealing with pressure groups and what have you. The erudite foreword of the book is written by the eminent author Walter Andersen, a former head of South Asia Studies at Johns Hopkins University, USA. Andersen mentions a weakness common to most of the writings in the space of practical politics and organisations. He says many scholars analyzing political parties either avoid the difficult task of developing a deep insight into its functioning or make do with a cursory analysis. Ajay Singh is an exception, Andersen says. Coming from a serious author like Andersen, that's a compliment which Singh's book totally justifies. Andersen's concluding lines in the foreword sum up the essence of the book. In fact, he quotes Singh to substantiate the point that the ideological vision behind Modi's organisation building and electoral projects has been to replace the Congress system conceived by a Western-educated elite with a BJP that is the sole contender for the claim of a wholly Indian, home-grown way of party building. Singh thinks that this project will continue after Modi because of the robust organisation he has built which is capable of throwing up new leadership options. The conclusion of the book is like an apotheosis after the reader goes through a very racy and interesting recounting of political incidents, many of which are likely to have skipped attention of even the alert political observers. The conclusion may well be a part of a book on political science or an academic political history as it relates the political incidents and Modi's organization-building-responses with concepts in seminal works like 'Party Building in a New Nation: The Indian National Congress' by Myron Weiner published in 1967 and 'Party Politics in India: The Development of Multi-Party System' (1957), Christophe Jaffrelot's 'The Hindu Nationalist Movement in India' (1996), Craig Baxter's 'The Jana Sangh: A Biography of an Indian Political Party' and several other major books. Ajay Singh has managed to weave in serious conceptual interludes without burdening the lightness of the reading experience. The book is full of information and nuggets that educate even those who justifiably feel that they are quite knowledgeable about the political affairs of India. "Often great political turns begin with apolitical events." This quote by Singh is followed by a brief account of the disastrous flood that inundated Morbi town in Saurashtra in August, 1979, claiming 25,000 lives. The relief operations organised by the young Narendra Modi stand out in bold relief. Modi's role in the success of the 'Khedu' protest by the farmers of Gujarat (the phonetic association with 'Kheda' is not irrelevant at all) is also among the less known events which are not less significant for that. Much later, his giving the call for a new green revolution in water starved regions in Gujarat was based on holistic thinking and organisational preparedness. Often, he makes ordinary citizens partners in the organisational endeavours of BJP. He does it through effective organisational communication using conventional and state-of-the-art methods and technologies. His political messaging is fully baked because of its being fully thought through. He decided to have Ambedkar's complete works translated into Gujarati. He launched a state government initiative to encourage inter caste marriages and named it after the second wife of Dr. Ambedkar, Savita Ambedkar, who was from a Brahmin family. He started yet another programme for large group-weddings of under privileged couples and named it after Ramabai, the first wife of Babasaheb. This integrated invoking of the Ambedkar symbol is unique in its sweep and effect. The writer Ajay Singh refers to K.M. Munshi, an iconic Gujarati political and literary figure who was one of the most prominent Congress leaders to switch over to Rajagopalachari's Swatantra Party. Ajay Singh narrates the invocation of Gujarati Asmita (which means pride and self-respect) by Modi in the context of the then Chief Election Commissioner's reluctance to declare State Assembly Elections as recommended by CM Modi. I don't want to rob the reader of the joy of discovering for himself the pleasures of reading one of the most interesting books on Indian politics, full of anecdotes, incidents and personalities, colourful and not-so-colourful, yet important. Insightful observations and conclusions are deftly woven with narrations of interesting political events. Modi has consistently increased the social base of the BJP making it far more inclusive and, in the process,he has almost totally transformed it compared to the days when it was seen as a party of the urban middle class and traders. That BJP would win majority of the SC and ST constituencies under Modi's watch as early as late 1980s and early 1990s may be news to many. Modi's approach of building alignment between the party and the government and also with other stakeholders right since his Gujarat days had laid the foundation of what is seen as a most formidable political juggernaut. Modi's approach at integrating the different stakeholder groups may be described by an analogy based on ultra-urban neighbourhoods. But it is in order for describing the organisational philosophy of someone who is equally committed to 'lab to land', 'plough to plate' as he is to smart cities and state-of-the-art digital infrastructure. Imagine a modern housing complex with several multi-storied towers, with no intermingling among the residents of the various towers. Now imagine that an innovative architect decides to build skyways linking all the towers in the complex whereby the residents on the different floors of the towers can freely move around to other towers. Not only that, the innovative architect also builds useful and fruitful meeting venues where residents of all the towers intermingle. While they remain occupants of their own flats and towers, they become one large community of the housing complex. In a much better way, Ajay Singh has described how Modi has built the new BJP as a party which has free interface and harmonious alignment with all the stakeholders including the government(s), the NGOs, the various political formations, pressure groups and above all, the different segments of Indian society. Modi is a weaver of a complex political fabric which is strong and represents different hues of our political and social spectrum. Ajay Singh writes like a knowledgeable art critic who regales the reader while educating him about the basics and the nuances. That he has remained an observer and has not become partisan, makes the book an intellectually rewarding reading. (The writer is OSD to the President of India) Paris, June 26 : Neymar is reportedly considering leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this summer after feeling targeted by clubs president Nasser Al-Khelaifi's criticism of the team's performance last season. In 2017, Brazilian superstar Neymar became the most expensive player on the planet when PSG snapped him from Barcelona for 222 million euros but he has failed to help PSG break their Champions League duck during this period. After five years at the club, Neymar is now weighing up a move away due to not feeling loved by the club, according to RMC Sport. According to a report, Juventus are considering and weighing up moves for Neymar as the maverick star has been linked with a move away from PSG this summer. The report said that PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi recently spoke out about the team's shortcomings last season, and refused to confirm that Neymar would still be at the club in 2022-23. "A possible departure of Neymar this summer? What I can tell you is that we expect all players to do a lot more than last season. A lot more!," Al Khelaifi told Le Parisien via RMC Sport. "They all have to be 100%. Obviously, we weren't good enough to go far. For next season, the objective is clear: to work every day at 200%. To give everything we have for this jersey, give the maximum and we will see the result. You have to become humble again. You have to change to avoid injuries, suspensions and fouls that change a game," he added. It is understood that Neymar felt targeted by the president's comments, and this could have moved him closer to the exit door. Ahmedabad, June 26 : An Ahmedabad court on Sunday sent former state DGP R.B. Sreekumar and activist Teesta Setalvad to five days police custody. While the two were to be produced again in court on Friday, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate granted permission to produce them on Saturday, as police requested the court that they are busy on July 1st due to Jagannath Yatra. Setalvad complained to the court that she was picked up from Mumbai without any arrest warrant, and also questioned whether it justified to arrest her on the basis of FIR. She also alleged that she was illegally kept in custody from 3 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. on Saturday, and for a forgery case, Gujarat Police sent an ATS team to arrest her. She also even submitted that she is cooperating with the investigation team. Setalvad was represented by advocate Somnath Vats and Sreekumar by advocate S.M. Vora. On the other hand, Special Public Prosecutor Mitesh Amin submitted that police need their custody for 14 days, because they need to investigate who was funding the Setalvad's NGO, and who was instigating to run a maliciousAcampaign against the state government. Police need their custody to investigate who helped them to forge documents, who hatched the conspiracy and why, he said, alleging they did all this to mislead the judicial process. By Pepe Escobar June 26, 2022: Information Clearing House -- Lets cut to the chase and roll in the Putin Top Ten of the New Era, announced by the Russian President live at the St. Petersburg forum for both the Global North and South. The era of the unipolar world is over. The rupture with the West is irreversible and definitive. No pressure from the West will change it. Russia has renewed its sovereignty. Reinforcement of political and economic sovereignty is an absolute priority. The EU has completely lost its political sovereignty. The current crisis shows the EU is not ready to play the role of an independent, sovereign actor. Its just en ensemble of American vassals deprived of any politico-military sovereignty. Sovereignty cannot be partial. Either youre a sovereign or a colony. Hunger in the poorest nations will be on the conscience of the West and euro-democracy. Russia will supply grains to the poorer nations in Africa and the Middle East. Russia will invest in internal economic development and reorientation of trade towards nations independent of the U.S. The future world order, already in progress, will be formed by strong sovereign states. The ship has sailed. Theres no turning back. How does it feel, for the collective West, to be caught in such a crossfire hurricane? Well, it gets more devastating when we add to the new roadmap the latest on the energy front. Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, in St. Petersburg, stressed that the global economic crisis is gaining momentum not because of sanctions, but exacerbated by them; Europe commits energy suicide by sanctioning Russia; sanctions against Russia have done away with the much lauded green transition, as that is no longer needed to manipulate markets; and Russia, with its vast energy potential, is the Noahs Ark of the world economy. For his part Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller could not be more scathing on the sharp decline in the gas flow to the EU due to Siemens refusal and/or incapacity to repair the Nord Stream 1 pumping engine: Well, of course, Gazprom was forced to reduce the volume of gas supplies to Europe by 20%+. But you know, prices have increased not by 20%+, but by several times! Therefore, Im sorry if I say that we dont feel offended by anyone, we are not particularly concerned by this situation. If this pain dial overdrive was not enough to hurl the collective West or NATOstan into Terminal Hysteria, then Putins sharp comment on possibly allowing Mr. Sarmat to present his business card to decision-making centers in Kiev, those that are ordering the current shelling and killing of civilians in Donetsk, definitely did the trick: As for the red lines, let me keep them to myself, because this will mean quite tough actions on the decision-making centers. But this is an area that shouldnt be disclosed to people outside the military-political leadership of the country. Those who deserve appropriate actions on our part should draw a conclusion for themselves what they may face if they cross the line. Baby please, stop breaking down Alastair Crooke has masterfully outlined how the collective Wests zugzwang leaves it lumbering around, dazed and confused. Now lets examine the state of play on the opposite side of the chessboard, focusing on the BRICS summit this Thursday in Beijing. As much as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and ASEAN, now its time for a reinvigorated BRICS to step up its game. In conjunction, these are the key organizations/instruments that will be carving the pathways towards the post-unipolar era. Both China and India (which between them were the largest economies in the world for centuries before the brief Western colonial interregnum) are already close and getting closer to the Noahs Ark of the world economy. The G20 hostages of the Michael Hudson-defined FIRE scam that is the core of the financialized neoliberal casino is slowly fading away, while a potential new G8 ramps up: and that is directly connected to BRICS expansion, one of the key themes of this weeks summit. An expanded BRICS with a parallel G8 configuration is bound to easily overtake the Western-centric one in importance as well as GDP by purchasing power parity (PPP). BRICS in 2021 already added Bangladesh, Egypt, the UAE and Uruguay to its New Development Bank (NDB). In May, at Foreign Ministry-level debates, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Thailand were added to the 5 BRICS members. Leaders of some of these nations will be connected to the Beijing summit. BRICS plays a completely different game from the G20. They aim for the grassroots, and its all about slowly building trust a very Chinese concept. They are creating an independent Credit Rating Agency away from the Anglo-American racket and deepening a Currency Reserves Arrangement. The NDB including its regional offices in India and South Africa has been involved in hundreds of projects. Time will tell: one day the NDB will make the World Bank superfluous. Comparisons between BRICS and the Quad, a U.S. concoction, are silly. Quad is just another crude mechanism to contain China. Yet theres no question India treads on tightrope walker territory, as its a member of both BRICS and Quad, and made a vastly misguided decision to walk out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) the largest free trade deal on the planet opting instead to adhere to the American pie-in-the-sky Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Yet India, long term, skillfully guided by Russia, is being steered to find essential common ground with China in several key issues. BRICS, especially in its expanded BRICS+ version, is bound to increase cooperation on building truly stable supply chains, and a settlement mechanism for resources and raw material trade, which inevitably has to be based in local currencies. Then the path will be open for the Holy Grail: a BRICS payment system as a credible alternative to the weaponized U.S. dollar and SWIFT. Meanwhile, a torrent of bilateral investments from both China and India in the manufacturing and services sector around their neighbors is bound to lift up smaller players in both Southeast Asia and South Asia: think Cambodia and Bangladesh as important cogs in a vast supply wheel. Yaroslav Lissovolik had already proposed a BEAMS concept as the core of this BRICS integration drive, uniting the key regional integration initiatives of BRICS economies such as BIMSTEC, EAEU, the ASEAN-China free trade agreement, Mercosur and SADC/SACU. Its only (BRICS) rockn roll Now Beijing seems eager to promote an inclusive format for dialogue spanning all the main regions of the Global South via aggregating the regional integration platforms in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America. Going forward this format may be further expanded to include other regional integration blocks from Eurasia, such as the GCC, EAEU and others. Lissovolik notes how the ideal path from now on should be the greater inclusivity of BRICS via the BRICS+ framework that allows smaller economies that are the regional partners of BRICS to have a say in the new global governance framework. Before he addressed the St. Petersburg forum on video, President Xi called Putin personally to say, among other things, that hes got Chinas back on all sovereignty and security themes. They also, inevitably, discussed the relevance of BRICS as a key platform towards the multipolar world. Meanwhile, the collective West plunges deeper into the maelstrom. A massive national demonstration of trade unions this past Monday paralyzed Brussels the capital of the EU and NATO as 80,000 people expressed their anger at the rising and rising cost of living; called for elites to spend money on salaries, not on weapons; and yelled in unison Stop NATO. Its zugzwang all over again. The EUs direct losses, as Putin stressed, provoked by the sanctions hysteria, could exceed $400 billion a year. Russias energy earnings have hit record levels. The ruble is at a 7-year high against the euro. Its a blast that arguably the most powerful cultural artifact of the entire Cold War and Western supremacy era, the perennial Rolling Stones, is currently on tour across a caught in a crossfire hurricane EU. On every show they play, for the first time live, one of their early classics: Out of Time. Sounds much like a requiem. So lets all sing, Baby baby baby / youre out of time, as one Vladimir its a gas, gas, gas Putin and his sidekick Dmitry Under My Thumb Medvedev seem to be the guys really getting their rocks off. Its only (BRICS) rockn roll, but we like it. Kolkata, June 26 : The poor performance by the Trinamool Congress in the by-polls in four assembly constituencies in Tripura, results of which were declared on Sunday, has left the party leadership clueless about their plan of action for the organisation's expansion in the country's northeastern region in the coming days. The question that is also haunting the party leadership is whether these results are signs of what the Trinamool Congress could be facing in the Tripura assembly polls next year. The by-polls were held in four assembly seats in Tripura -- Agartala, Jubarajnagar, Surma and Town Bordowali. Chief Minister Manik Saha contested from Town Bordowali and has won. As per the results, Trinamool Congress has finished fourth in all the four assembly constituencies where the by-polls were held. In Agartala and Town Bordowali constituencies, the votes secured by Trinamool Congress have not even crossed the 1,000-mark. In four constituencies, the deposits of Trinamool Congress candidates have been forfeited. A senior member of the West Bengal cabinet, on the condition of anonymity, told IANS that from the results "it is clear that in none of these four constituencies in Tripura, the voters considered us even as the main opposition". "If this is an early indication, our probable performance in the 2023 Tripura assembly polls is a foregone conclusion," he said. Trinamool Congress national general secretary and party MP, Abhishek Banerjee, while accepting the defeat said that this was not the real reflection of the people's mandate in Tripura by-polls. "There were massive election malpractices on the polling day. Our agents were beaten up and thrown out of the polling booths... but we accept the verdict of the people," he said. However, he was silent on why in all these four constituencies, his party finished in fourth position and the Trinamool Congress candidates got their deposits forfeited. Trinamool's West Bengal general secretary and party spokesman, Kunal Ghosh on Sunday, however, presented an unconventional analysis on the party's disastrous performance in the Tripura by-polls. "The growing popularity of Trinamool Congress in Tripura has not only left BJP worried but also the CPI-M and Congress. So, both CPI-M and Congress provided a clandestine cushion to BJP in the Tripura by-polls. But the results would be different in the 2023 assembly polls," Ghosh said. BJP's West Bengal unit president and party MP, Sukanta Majumdar said Trinamool Congress just went to play the role of cheerleader in Tripura. "The results have proved that. Now the Trinamool Congress leaders are posing weird logic of BJP- CPI-M - Congress understanding to conceal their own failures," Majumdar said. Kolkata, June 26 : The polls for the formation of the new board of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) witnessed lack of public response on Sunday with the polling percentage being recorded just around 57 per cent. As per the State Election Commission, this was the lowest polling percentage in any of the polls for formation of civic bodies in West Bengal. The polls for GTA were conducted on Sunday after a gap of 10 years. There were a lot of chaos since the State Election Commission announced the dates for elections for GTA. A number of hill-based parties boycotted the polls. Even the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) went to the extent of approaching the Calcutta High Court with the demand of postponing the elections, which was finally turned down by a single- judge bench of the court. However, the heat in the preparatory process in the polls was not evident on Sunday when the actual polling was taking place, as voters in general preferred enjoying the rain-soaked weather in the hills instead of travelling to the polling booths. There were reports of poll- related violence on Sunday and those who went for casting the votes did that in a rather festive mood. A total 277 candidates contested in the GTA polls on Sunday, out of whom 169 were independent candidates. Conclusion of the GTA polls was extremely crucial for West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, as political observers feel that formation of the new GTA board will push back the resurrection of agitation in the hills in demand for a separate Gorkhaland state or permanent political solution in the hills. According to political observers, barring this point, the state of West Bengal's ruling party in the GTA hills is almost nil as their leadership is also aware of the fact that they do not have that necessary organisational strength in the hills. Trinamool Congress' only aim is to keep the political forces divided on the issue of permanent political solution and formation of the new GTA board is absolutely necessary for that. Edgbaston, June 26 : The Indian team management, the selectors and even the BCCI are not in a hurry to name a stand-in captain in place of Rohit Sharma, who has tested positive for Covid and gone into isolation, before the Edgbaston Test against England, beginning here on July 1. All the concerned stakeholders seem to be biding time to assess how things pan out for the visitors in the next couple of days. Not only as a skipper, but Rohit also plays an important role as the opener of the team. So, understandably there were discussions at different levels on whether a replacement needs to be rushed to England, with only one opener in Shubman Gill currently available in the squad. According to a report in Cricbuzz, the final decision on Rohit's replacement has not yet been taken but there may be efforts to fly Mayank Agarwal to Birmingham to be with the side in time for the July 1-5 Test, in the next few days. The senior pro can always come back and play if he tests negative before the Test as there are no mandatory quarantine protocols in England for a Covid positive test result. It all depends on the team protocols and BCCI in its press release stated that Rohit is being monitored by the touring medical team. Despite the uncertainty, there is a feeling of optimism that Rohit may recover and be ready for the Edgbaston Test. Agarwal, if sent, will be there as a backup opener should there be any last-minute fitness issues with Rohit. As far as naming a stand-in captain at the last minute is concerned, India have plenty of options in R. Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant. The report further said that the decision on captaincy will be taken once chief selector Chetan Sharma reaches England. He is in Dublin, Ireland presently and will proceed to the UK after the second and final T20I against Ireland on June 28. By then the fitness status of Rohit is expected to be clear. The other three selectors -- Sunil Joshi, Debasis Mohanty and Harvinder Singh -- have been in Bengaluru for the Ranji Trophy final, which concluded on Sunday. New Delhi, June 26 : A senior scientific officer working at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory became the victim of chain snatching incident in the national capital while he was out for a walk, an official said on Sunday. The incident took place on the intervening night of June 25-26. "A PCR call regarding the snatching of gold chain at Sector 1, Pushp Vihar by two unknown persons on a motorcycle was received at 11.24 p.m. on Saturday after which the police rushed to the spot," Deputy Commissioner of Police Benita Mary Jaiker said. The police at the spot met the complainant who stated that when he was walking around with his family near Sector 1. All of sudden two persons on a motorcycle came behind them and snatched his 20 gram gold chain and fled the spot. Accordingly, based on his statement, the police have registered a case under section 379 (punishment for theft), 356 (assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft of property carried by a person) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. New York, June 26 : Americans are up in arms again, this time, on the Supreme Court 6-3 verdict on the Roe Vs Wade case that takes away a woman's legal right to abortion generally borne out of a decision to terminate pregnancy on grounds of rape, incest or deformities of the embryo in the womb. President Joe Biden on Friday took strong exception to the court's ruling to rescind federal abortion rights, while appealing to people, especially women, to remain calm as several of them have gone on nationwide protests against the apex court's ruling. Biden blamed the three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump. In the US, unlike India where supreme court judges have a fixed tenure, SC judges are appointed for a life term. Trump took the SC verdict as a personal triumph for appointing the judges who gave the verdict. President Joe Biden said on Friday that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade puts American women in danger, calling it a "sad day" for the judicial body and the country. "Now with Roe gone, let's be very clear. The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk," Biden said in a Friday afternoon speech at the White House. Biden said the landmark 1973 abortion rights case had not only protected a woman's right to make personal decisions in consultation with her doctor, it reaffirmed women's equality and reinforced privacy rights. Biden, who served as a former Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, said he had studied the case carefully and believes it was decided correctly by the Supreme Court nearly 50 years ago. Roe was the supreme court judge in 1973 who upheld the woman's right to abortion as a legal one that found resounding echo in state laws that made abortion rights legal. For decades, the conservative rights including Catholics, have been fighting Roe on grounds that it was murder but met with strong opposition from women's abortion rights activists. Biden said that three justices appointed by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, were responsible for the decision that leaves it to the states to determine their own abortion laws. "Make no mistake, this decision is a culmination of a deliberate effort over decades to upset the balance of our law," Biden said. "It's a realization of an extreme ideology, and a tragic error by the Supreme Court, in my view, " the newspaper USA today quoted him as saying. The president spoke in visceral terms about the consequences of the court's ruling on abortion rights across the country. He said state laws that restrict abortion that will go into effect could jeopardize the health of millions of women and force women who want abortions, but are no longer able to receive them, to bear their rapists' children. Biden said that the onus is now on Congress to restore federal abortion rights protections. "And if Congress, as it appears, lacks the votes to do that now, voters need to make their voices heard," he said, referencing the midterm elections. He supported democrats who wanted women's abortion rights put on the agenda for a referendum from the people in the mid-term polls of 2022 necessitated by reapportionment following the 2020 census. Biden did not take any questions from White House reporters and his press secretary cancelled all briefings as protesters lined up outside the Supreme Court protesting its judgement with placards saying "Hell hath known no fury than a woman pissed". An analogy from the Shakespearean quote from King Lear: "Hell hath known no greater fury than a woman scorned." The President asked protesters to stay calm and keep it peaceful as violence is never acceptable as we must stand against it in any form regardless of the rationale behind it. What is the Roe vs Wade case all about? The 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court judgement penned by the judge legalized abortion in the US finding resonance throughout the country with lower courts also endorsing the women's right to legally abort a child with doctors' consent if it was borne out of rape, incest or deformities or simply poverty for an upbringing if the fetal age was 28 weeks or seven months. With advances in medical science, it was brought down to 22 weeks or six months. The petitioner then was the 22-year-old plaintiff, Norma McCorvey. And 'Wade' was the defendant, Henry Wade, the Dallas County (Texas) district attorney at the time. 'Roe' struck down laws that made abortion illegal in several states, and ruled that abortion would be allowed up to the point of fetal viability, that is, the time after which a foetus can survive outside the womb. Fetal viability was around 28 weeks (7 months) at the time of the 'Roe' judgment nearly 50 years ago. Now brought down to 23 or 24 weeks (6 months or a little less), and newer studies show this could be further pegged at 22 weeks. An average pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, doctors say. The moral Question was Mothers right to have the baby or not vs an embryo or infants right to survive, making it a very complicated issue. What is the status of abortion in the US now? As no federal law now exists to protect abortion rights of women, the overturning of 'Roe' leaves abortion laws entirely up to the states to interpret and give a ruling. Conservative right-wing states are likely to return to laws that prohibit abortions before the Supreme Court set the fetal viability standard in 1973. Activists and progressive politicians have said that the availability of clinics, insurance payouts, are crucial issues that form part of the struggle of many women even with the backing of 'Roe'. With this legal backing gone, access could become even harder. Colombo, June 27 : As Sri Lanka's LGBTQ+ community held a 'pride march' in Colombo this week to win rights for one of the country's most marginalised sections, in the eastern city of Akkaraipattue, a pair of Indian and Sri Lankan women, who had developed a lesbian relationship, threatened to commit suicide after being arrested for having an "abnormal relationship". The couple had met on social media two years ago and the 24-year-old from Tamil Nadu had invited the Sri Lanka woman to India but due to the overwork in the Immigration Department with current economic crisis, she was not able to get her passport prepared. On Monday, the Indian woman, arriving in Sri Lanka on tourist visa, had gone to Akkaraipattu, 220 km from Colombo, and had stayed overnight at her friend's house. The father of 33-year-old local woman, who is married with one child, had objected to the relationship and complained to the local police station in Akkaraipattu. The police had arrested the two women and upon questioning, the Sri Lankan woman had said that she wanted to go to India with her friend and had threatened that both would commit suicide if they were not allowed to leave the country. The police had produced them before Akkaraipattu Magistrate who, in turn, had ordered that the two women be examined by a psychiatrist and a report of psychiatric evaluation be prepared on them. They had been admitted to near Kalmunai hospital under the protection of prison officials and were ordered to be produced before the court on Monday with examination reports. According to Sri Lanka's laws - which dates from the time of colonial British Ceylon, homosexuality is illegal and homosexual acts are punishable by a jail term of up to ten years. Rights groups have regularly complained that misusing the archaic law, police, government workers and others severely harass, intimidate, extort money and even carried out physical and sexual assault on members of the LGBTQ community. They had been demanding the immediate change of laws. New Delhi, June 27 : One person was arrested following a scuffle between two groups over some financial dispute in Jahangirpuri area of Delhi on Sunday night. The fight snowballed into stone-pelting, sorces said. However, the police have denied that it was a stone pleting as only one brick was hurled. A senior police official said that a PCR call was recieved regarding stone pelting at G-block in Jahangirpuri at around 7:48 p.m. After which a police team immediately reached to the spot and found that only one brick was hurled. "During local enquiry it was learnt that there was a small quarrel between one Krishna and Aman and his two other friends. When Krishna tried to run away, Aman threw one stone," the police said. The official said that Krishna was involved in an attempt to murder case in which Aman's cousin Sagar was a victim. The police said that a case under section 160 of IPC was registered in this regard. The police said that they have arrested Aman in the matter. "Further preventive action against both the parties has also been taken by arresting them u/s 107/151 CRPC," said the police official. New Delhi, June 27 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday conducted searches at two locations in Golabgunj and Sultangunj in West Bengal in a case linked to seizure of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) in Kolkata. In 2020, high quality FICN having face value of Rs 3,46,000 were seized from the possession of two accused who were identified as Senaul and Akramul. In connection with the seizure a case was initially registered on January 22, 2020, with Special Task Force, Kolkata, and re-registered by NIA on March 4, 2020. "During the searches conducted on Sunday, digital devices including mobile phone, SIMs and other incriminating materials, documents etc have been seized," said an official. Further investigation in the matter is on. Cape Town, June 27 : South Africa's Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality has said over 20 young people died in a tavern in East London, while the details of the cause is still being investigated by the police. Early on, Eastern Cape provincial police spokesperson Tembinkosi Kinana told a local television during a live broadcasting that 17 children were found dead in the early morning, refusing to make any speculations about the cause. He said the police are hoping to get the facts before the end of the day, Xinhua news agency reported. The incident is "disturbing" and is the "worst tragedy that has ever happened in our Metro," said mayor of Buffalo City Xola Pakati in a statement. The mayor called on law enforcement agencies to "leave no stones unturned" and ensure that those responsible "are made to pay for this calamitous incident". Minister of Police Bheki Cele led a national delegation to the scene, which consists of National Commissioner of South African police Fannie Masemola, crime scene experts and bomb disposal technicians. Cairo, June 27 : Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has met with visiting Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral ties and regional security. The Egyptian President on Sunday expressed appreciation of the UAE support for Egypt on several critical occasions, highlighting the unique ties and "close coordination" between the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by Egyptian Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady. For his part, the UAE foreign minister valued "Egypt's pivotal role" as a pillar of security and stability in the Arab world, praising Egypt's keenness to strengthen solidarity among Arab states and advance joint Arab action, according to the statement. He also affirmed his country's keenness to strengthen and consolidate its "strategic relations" with Egypt in a way that achieves common interests and enhances security and stability in the region. The meeting also addressed ways of boosting economic cooperation and increasing the UAE investments in Egypt in various fields including energy, transport and tourism, according to the statement. Over the past few days, leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council states made official visits to Egypt and vowed further investment in the North African country, including Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Political advisors discuss protection of excellent culture, art of ethnic minorities Xinhua) 15:55, June 26, 2022 Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), presides over a video conference to discuss the protection and inheritance of the excellent culture and art of ethnic minorities and delivers a speech in Beijing, capital of China, June 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, held a video conference on Friday to discuss the protection and inheritance of the excellent culture and art of ethnic minorities. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. The excellent culture and art of ethnic minorities are treasures of the Chinese culture, Wang said, calling for the coordinated efforts of the government, market and society to strengthen their protection and inheritance. Political advisors called for the correct concept of the history of the Chinese nation to be laid out, and for content that is in line with national unity, ethnic solidarity, and the exchanges and interactions among different ethnic groups to be highlighted. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), presides over a video conference to discuss the protection and inheritance of the excellent culture and art of ethnic minorities and delivers a speech in Beijing, capital of China, June 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) By Finian Cunningham June 26, 2022: Information Clearing House -- A recent surge in deadly terrorist attacks on Chinas strategic partnership projects in Pakistan has raised concerns that a foreign sponsor may be orchestrating the violence. Three Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide bombing at the Confucius Institute in Karachi on April 26. The group that claimed responsibility, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), warned that there would be more such attacks on Chinas investments in Pakistan. Beijing has expressed concern over the growing threat to its strategic interests and angrily denounced the spilling of Chinese blood. Chinese security officials last week conferred with Pakistani counterparts to draw up tougher protection safeguards for Chinas infrastructure projects and personnel. Pakistan is a key link in Beijings global Belt and Road Initiative as it hosts the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that connects the worlds second-biggest economy with vital energy and trade routes to the Persian Gulf. The BLA and other separatist militant groups have increased the targeting of Chinas projects in Pakistan as a way to undermine the Pakistani government in Islamabad. The Balochi guerrillas are the most prominent and threatening. They have carried out a spate of attacks across Balochistan province, Pakistans largest region located in its southwest where much of Chinas trade projects are centered, including the Gwadar port. The BLA has targeted Chinese engineers at Gwadar as well as consular officials and the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Balochistan has had a long-running separatist cause that goes back to the foundation of Pakistan in 1948 from British decolonization in the Indian subcontinent. The province is rich in natural resources but the Balochi population has historic grievances about underdevelopment and alleged exploitation by the central government in Islamabad. In recent years, the BLAs viewpoint has coupled China as an accomplice in Pakistani oppression. Islamabad and Beijing would argue that overall national development is the best way to secure prosperity for all of Pakistans regions. It is notable that the BLA militant campaign has become more sophisticated and deadly with a focus on Beijings $60 billion investments in its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The Chinese government has not accused any specific foreign actor of orchestrating the BLA, but security analysts have indicated external forces are behind the uptick in attacks. A prime suspect is U.S. covert involvement through its CIA and other military intelligence networks, including the closely aligned British agency MI6. Washington has designated the BLA as a terror group. But that doesnt count for much. The U.S. similarly blacklisted Islamic State and Nusra Front but the CIA (and MI6) colluded with these terror organizations in Washingtons covert war for regime change in Syria. As is well documented, the United States is embroiled in a titanic geopolitical struggle against Chinas ascent as an economic power. The U.S. openly declares China as a threat to its own hegemonic interests as expressed in a recent keynote speech by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. To that end, disrupting Beijings plans for global economic development under its Belt and Road Initiative is a top priority for Washington. The BRI projects in Pakistan would fit into any American covert sabotage operations. The BLA makes for a ready-made proxy for U.S. interests. Nevertheless, there is scant information in open-source media on a putative link between U.S. and Pakistani militant groups. To be sure, there is ample historical links between the CIA and radical Islamist networks since the Americans fomented jihadist proxies in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. But on the BLA and other Pakistani militants there seems to be little evidence pointing to active U.S. sponsorship. There are, however, credible signals that India is involved in supporting militants in Pakistan. The two countries have been at war three times since independence from Britain. New Delhi and Islamabad have long accused each other of sponsoring terror groups to destabilize the other. Pakistan has leveled new accusations that Indian military intelligence is working with separatist militants, including the BLA, to target its mega-projects funded by China. Last year, nine Chinese nationals were killed in a bomb attack at the Dasu Hydropower Dam. Pakistans then-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi explicitly named Indian military intelligence as being behind the sabotage. Islamabad claims to have irrefutable evidence of India orchestrating the BLA and other anti-government militants. India-based media have reported on injured BLA fighters being given medical treatment in India. For such aid, the New Delhi government would have to authorize it. On one hand, the involvement of India in disrupting Chinas BRI projects in Pakistan would seem to be implausible. The two economic giants are principal members of the BRICS nations along with Brazil, Russia and South Africa which are all advocating a multipolar world of trade partnerships. In many ways that coalition is seen as a challenge to the U.S.-led economic order. The BRICS are holding their 14th summit in China on June 22-24, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Indian premier Narendra Modi will be among the honored delegates. On the other hand, India and China have an uneasy relationship. Beijing has historically been closer to Pakistan, Indias perceived foe. New Delhi has also border disputes with China in the Himalayan region where recent deadly military clashes have threatened to escalate into a war. One conspicuous contradiction is Indias embrace of the U.S.-led Quad group of nations along with Australia and Japan. At the Quad summit held last month in Tokyo, U.S. President Joe Biden was seen glad-handing Modi and sharing an obvious bonhomie rapport. Washington has mobilized the four-member bloc for militarily confronting China for control of the Indo-Pacific region as Washington now refers to the Asia-Pacific. India is a willing member of the Quad in a way that jars with its touted advocacy of multipolarism as part of the BRICS forum. The question looms: is India doing Washingtons bidding by disrupting Chinas strategic interests in Pakistan? The spike in more lethal terrorist attacks on Chinese infrastructure projects and nationals suggests an external force. Pakistani officials have indicted Indias covert involvement. India has its own hemispheric ambitions of expansion. It is not going to simply play second fiddle to China. New Delhi has several trade routes under development that link its economic interests in Central Asia through Afghanistan and Iran to the Persian Gulf. These routes can be seen as competitors to Chinas BRI via Pakistan. Indias bilateral trade with the United States is worth $146 billion a year which is significantly larger than the $125 billion with China. It would not be in New Delhis interest to alienate either. But playing a furtive double game might be deemed as accruing strategic advantages for India. Sekakes Airport, Sekakes, Lesotho [ SKQ / FXSK ] If you are planning to travel to Sekakes or any other city in Lesotho, this airport locator will be a very useful tool. This page gives complete information about the Sekakes Airport along with the airport location map, Time Zone, lattitude and longitude, Current time and date, hotels near the airport etc... Sekakes Airport Map showing the location of this airport in Lesotho. Sekakes Airport IATA Code, ICAO Code, exchange rate etc... is also provided. Sekakes Airport Info: Sekakes Airport IATA Code: SKQ Sekakes Airport ICAO Code: FXSK Latitude : -30.0389 Longitude : 28.3703 City : Sekakes Country : Lesotho World Area Code : 536 Airport Type : Small Timezone : Africa/Maseru Sekakes Airport Timezone : GMT +02:00 hours Current time and date at Sekakes Airport is 05:28:27 AM (SAST) on Monday, Jul 4, 2022 Looking for information on Sekakes Airport, Sekakes, Lesotho? Know about Sekakes Airport in detail. Find out the location of Sekakes Airport on Lesotho map and also find out airports near to Sekakes. This airport locator is a very useful tool for travelers to know where is Sekakes Airport located and also provide information like hotels near Sekakes Airport, airlines operating to Sekakes Airport etc... IATA Code and ICAO Code of all airports in Lesotho. Scroll down to know more about Sekakes Airport or Sekakes Airport, Lesotho. Sekakes Airport Map - Location of Sekakes Airport Load Map Lesotho - General Information Country Formal Name Kingdom of Lesotho Country Code LS Capital Maseru Currency Loti (LSL) 1 LSL = 0.061 USD 1 USD = 16.363 LSL 1 LSL = 0.059 EUR 1 EUR = 17.073 LSL More LSL convertion rates Tel Code +266 Top Level Domain .ls This page provides all the information you need to know about Sekakes Airport, Lesotho. This page is created with the aim of helping travelers and tourists visiting Lesotho or traveling to Sekakes Airport. Details about Sekakes Airport given here include Sekakes Airport Code - IATA Code (3 letter airport codes) and ICAO Code (4 letter airport codes) Coordinates of Sekakes Airport - Latitude and Longitude (Lat and Long) of Sekakes Airport Location of Sekakes Airport - City Name, Country, Country Codes etc... Sekakes Airport Time Zone and Current time at Sekakes Airport Address and contact details of Sekakes Airport along with website address of the airport Clickable Location Map of Sekakes Airport on Google Map. General information about Lesotho where Sekakes Airport is located in the city of Sekakes. General information include capital of Lesotho, currency and conversion rate of Lesotho currency, Telephone Country code, exchange rate against US Dollar and Euro in case of major world currencies etc... SKQ - Sekakes Airport IATA Code and FXSK - Sekakes Airport ICAO code TacticalGear.com has pledged $10,000 to the Boots For Troops Care Package Program, which is designed to send custom personalized care packages to deployed U.S. military service members. Being deployed and so far away from the ones you love is very emotionally draining, said Boots For Troops Founder and U.S. Navy veteran Jimmy Rogers, There is comfort in knowing that someone back home is thinking about you. Each Boots For Troops care package includes a new pair of boots hand-selected by the recipient. In addition to the monetary pledge, TacticalGear.com will be the exclusive provider of military boots for Boots For Troops. TacticalGear.coms retail offering includes more than a hundred styles of footwear engineered to meet strict military regulation and combat standards. This partnership will allow Boots For Troops access to compliant boots from globally renowned footwear brands such as 5.11, Oakley, Nike, Under Armour and more. We are excited to partner with this incredible nonprofit to support our armed forces, said TacticalGear.com CEO Andrew Hoefener, Our company is in the position to offer the industrys best combat boots, and Boots For Troops can help get them directly on the feet of deployed service members. About TacticalGear.com Founded in 2004, TacticalGear.com was built from the ground up to serve law enforcement officers, military personnel, first responders and other members of the public safety community from its base in Chesterfield, Mo. About Boots For Troops Boots For Troops is a nonprofit organization that aims to uplift the morale and mental well-being of deployed U.S. military through custom care packages, travel assistance, military spouse scholarships and more. Every care package is built personalized for each individual and includes a pair of new boots. Mr. Christmas Animated Tabletop Angel or Tree Topper is rated 4.2 out of 5 by 11 . Rated 5 out of 5 by sparklefish from Most beautiful angel ever! I agree with some of the other reviewers that her mounting method with the pole and velcro is a bit strange. Would have been better if they had used a large clip (like some other tree toppers use) on the bottom of the pole rather than the velcro straps to attach her to the center of the tree. But, if you can get past that (or if you plan on using her on a tabletop rather than as a tree topper), she is truly the most beautiful and stunning angel I have ever seen. I was disappointed that by the time I discovered her in the fall, she was already sold out. But then in December I was lucky enough to snag one that showed up in the "as-is" category. She arrived in absolutely perfect condition. Her soft lighting, beautifully painted facial features and moving wings make her really special. She gets a lot of "oohs" and "ahhhs" when people see her and notice that her colors change and her wings move. She is the best piece of Christmas decor that I have bought in a long time. I can't recommend her enough! Rated 1 out of 5 by ScottHann from What a piece of trash! Save your money on this cheap-looking product. Whoever thought of strapping an angel to a tree? It's impossible to make it sit atop a tree, and must be attached to the pole of the tree using Velcro. What an idiotic idea! Rated 5 out of 5 by KellyLoves2Cook from Beautiful Tree Topper I snatched this beauty up during Christmas in July to replace the one Id had for years that burned out last year. There was a bit of a learning curve to getting her settled and I wont lie when I say there were a few tense moments when hubby was getting her placed while attached to the top section of our Santas Best tree but she made it and is stunning. Steady, not a hint of a wobble at the top of the tree, silent as the night. ;) So pleased with the purchase. Rated 5 out of 5 by Iowa_Irish from Absolutely Stunning! I wish I had ordered more than one. It has to be seen in person to fully appreciate how beautiful this angel is. Rated 3 out of 5 by MoCoffee from Not thrilled The angel is beautiful and very whimsical. I gave it three stars because her dress is no cut properly. The front of her dress is shorter and shows the base. Also, the the is no fiber optic lights on one of her wings petals. Rated 5 out of 5 by christmasman30 from OMG STUNNING I saw this on HSN and had to get it in African American and she was sold out I was a little disappointed but hey Angels come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. But I checked out the Caucasian Angel and she was sold out I got a call from HSN telling me she was gone Bummer yet again. Then BOOM I check out QVC and there she was in my original color choice would have been happy with either but boy when I tell you she is absolutely beautiful and elegant and so mesmerizing! My Goddaughter loves her and so does my husband. The only con I have is that I wished she was a slight bit taller but 12 is perfect for my living room corner table. Rated 5 out of 5 by yellowkitty from Beautiful! This Angel is just beautiful ! Just perfect ! Like that I can have it on the tree and off, so I can keep all year out !! The lights are just so pretty on and she even looks pretty with lights off !! By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/25/2022 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. couple Emily Bieberly and Kobe Blaise have reportedly welcomed a second baby together.According to Instagrammer, @FraudedMedia, Emily gave birth to another baby following the birth of her son Koban, who has made multiple appearances on 's currently-airing ninth season.Emily, Kobe, and their infant daughter were spotted at the Tell-All taping in New York City recently.The @Fraudedmedia Instagram account posted a video last week claiming Emily did not "hit it and quit it" with Kobe."Emily in fact got pregnant, again," the Instagram account wrote. "They had a baby girl. She was at the Tell All. She could be about 3-4 months [old]."The account also obtained photos from the Tell-All taping in New York City.An anonymous source taken or obtained photos showing Emily and Kobe with a little girl, as they appeared to walk on a New York City sidewalk with Kara Bass and Guillermo Rojer.Kobe from Cameroon, Africa and Emily from Salina, Kansas, met in Xi'an, China during a fun night out, which ended with the couple conceiving a baby.Emily gave birth to her first child, Koban, 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 life.However 's ninth season showed Kobe moving to the United States and finally reuniting with his family.Kobe has been featured trying to prove to Emily that he can be a good father all the while planning a wedding and hoping to win the approval of Emily's skeptical parents.In an extended trailer for Season 9, Kobe and Emily are shown visiting a doctor's office."I can't even believe we are doing a pregnancy test right now," Emily tells Kobe in the clip as she opens a test kit.Although the results were not revealed in the preview clip, Kobe responds, "Oh my God."When Kobe met his son for the first time, Koban was 17-months-old."I don't know if her parents or her family are going to accept me," Kobe noted to the cameras. "And I started thinking about, like, 'What if my son doesn't accept me either?'"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.And Kobe wasn't onboard with some of Emily's parenting choices. He didn't approve of her breastfeeding out in the open and also criticized how Emily was still breastfeeding her son nearly two years into his life."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.Kobe also got angry when Emily forced him to sleep in another bedroom as to not disrupt Koban's sleeping schedule, and Emily didn't appreciate her fiance trying to tell her what to do.In addition, Emily didn't allow Kobe to drive in the United States with Koban in the car, which Kobe found insulting, and Kobe didn't exactly ease right into farm life."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 found the bickering "exhausting" and worried her chemistry with Kobe wasn't going to be enough to make their relationship work. While Emily called Kobe rude, he thought she was too controlling.Emily, who wanted a big wedding and diamond wedding ring, and Kobe also recognized finances were going to be a problem since Kobe only entered the U.S. with $4,000 of savings."I don't feel like I'm high maintenance. I just like what I like and I don't want anything less than that," Emily said in a confessional.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage! Author, podcaster and Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell announced on Instagram that his 18-year-old brother Christian was killed in Chicago this weekend. ADVERTISEMENT "Devastating news: Yesterday was legitimately the worst day of my existence. I received a call informing me that my teenage baby brother Christian was murdered on the south side of Chicago yesterday morning," Caldwell, 36, posted Saturday. "After all the things my family has been through never could I have imagined my baby brother's life would be stolen from him. Please keep my family in your prayers." The post included a group family photo and a snapshot of Gianno smiling with Christian, who is wearing a graduation cap and gown. Christian was the youngest of nine siblings. CBS Chicago reported that shots were fired early Friday morning in Morgan Park, leaving Caldwell dead, a 31-year-old man in critical condition and a 25-year-old woman in fair condition. No arrests have been made yet in the case. "What I'm looking for right now is details from the police to discover who it was that murdered my brother. [M]y baby brother never had a chance," Caldwell told Fox News Saturday. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "I would never want to see any street justice or violence against the people who even murdered my little brother. But I do want them brought to justice." Gianni Caldwell joined Fox News in 2017, and is the host of the iHeart podcast Outloud with Gianno Caldwell and the founder of Caldwell Strategic Consulting, a bipartisan public affairs and government relations firm in Washington, D.C. By Caitlin Johnstone June 26, 2022: Information Clearing House -- The New York Times reports that Ukraine is crawling with special forces and spies from the US and its allies, which would seem to contradict earlier reports that the US intelligence cartel is having trouble getting intel about whats happening on the ground in Ukraine. This would also, obviously, put the final nail in the coffin of the claim that this is not a US proxy war. In an article titled Commando Network Coordinates Flow of Weapons in Ukraine, Officials Say, anonymous western officials inform us of the following through their stenographers at The New York Times: As Russian troops press ahead with a grinding campaign to seize eastern Ukraine, the nations ability to resist the onslaught depends more than ever on help from the United States and its allies including a stealthy network of commandos and spies rushing to provide weapons, intelligence and training, according to U.S. and European officials. Much of this work happens outside Ukraine, at bases in Germany, France and Britain, for example. But even as the Biden administration has declared it will not deploy American troops to Ukraine, some C.I.A. personnel have continued to operate in the country secretly, mostly in the capital, Kyiv, directing much of the massive amounts of intelligence the United States is sharing with Ukrainian forces, according to current and former officials. At the same time, a few dozen commandos from other NATO countries, including Britain, France, Canada and Lithuania, also have been working inside Ukraine. Some CIA personnel have continued to operate in Ukraine secretly, mostly in Kyiv, directing much of the intelligence the U.S. is sharing with Ukrainian forces, according to current and former officials. https://t.co/4VWdybmome The New York Times (@nytimes) June 25, 2022 The revelation that the CIA and US special forces are conducting military operations in Ukraine does indeed make a lie of the Biden administrations insistence at the start of the war that there would be no American boots on the ground in Ukraine, and the admission that NATO powers are so involved in operations against a nuclear superpower means we are closer to seeing a nuclear exchange than anyone should be comfortable with. This news should surprise no one who knows anything about the usual behavior of the US intelligence cartel, but interestingly it contradicts something we were told by the same New York Times not three weeks ago. American intelligence agencies have less information than they would like about Ukraines operations and possess a far better picture of Russias military, its planned operations and its successes and failures, NYT told us earlier this month. U.S. officials said the Ukrainian government gave them few classified briefings or details about their operational plans, and Ukrainian officials acknowledged that they did not tell the Americans everything. It seems a bit unlikely that US intelligence agencies would have a hard time getting information about whats happening in a country where they themselves are physically located. Moon of Alabama theorized at the time that this ridiculous We dont know whats happening in our own proxy war line was being pushed to give the US plausible deniability about Ukraines failures on the battlefield, which have only gotten worse since then. So why are they telling us all this now? Well, it could be that were being paced into accepting an increasingly direct role of the US and its allies in Ukraine. Hawks in April: Don't call it a proxy war! Hawks in May: Of course it's a proxy war! Hawks in June: It's not their war, it's our war! Daniel Larison (@DanielLarison) June 20, 2022 The other day Antiwars Daniel Larison tweeted, Hawks in April: Dont call it a proxy war! Hawks in May: Of course its a proxy war! Hawks in June: Its not their war, its our war! This is indeed exactly how it happened. Back in April President Biden told the press the idea that this is a proxy war between the US and Russia was not true and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Its not, this is clearly Ukraines fight when asked if this is a proxy war. The mainstream media were still framing this claim as merely an accusation by the Russian government, and empire spinmeisters were regularly admonishing anyone who used that term on the grounds that it deprives Ukrainians of their agency. Then May rolled around and all of a sudden we had The New Yorker unequivocally telling us that the US is in a full proxy war with Russia and hawks like US congressman Seth Moulton saying things like, Were not just at war to support the Ukrainians. Were fundamentally at war, although somewhat through a proxy, with Russia, and its important that we win. And now here in June weve got war hawks like Max Boot coming right out and saying that this is actually Americas war, and it is therefore important for the US to drastically escalate the war in order to hand the Russians devastating losses. https://twitter.com/MaxBoot/status/1538849455348359170 So the previously unthinkable idea that the US is at war with Russia has been gradually normalized, with the heat turned up so slowly that the frog doesnt notice its being boiled alive. If that idea can be sufficiently normalized, public consent for greater escalations will likely be forthcoming, even if those escalations are extremely psychotic. Back in March when I said the only agency Ukraine has in this conflict is the Central Intelligence kind, empire loyalists jumped down my throat. They couldnt believe I was saying something so evil and wrong. Now theyve been told that the Central Intelligence Agency is indeed conducting operations and directing intelligence on the ground in Ukraine, but I somehow doubt that this will stir any self-reflection on their part. Caitlin's articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. https://caitlinjohnstone.com The former Lawton Dry Cleaners on Elliot Street is the proposed site of a cannabis grow facility. 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) South Dakotas Republican governor pledged on Sunday to bar mail-order abortion pills but said women should not face prosecution for seeking them. In apparent defiance of legal guidance by the Justice Department after the Supreme Court last week stripped away women's constitutional protections for abortion, Kristi Noem indicated in national television interviews that she would put in place a plan approved by state lawmakers to restrict the pills. The majority ruling Friday by the court's conservative justices triggered abortion bans in South Dakota and elsewhere. But Noem said doctors, not their patients, would likely be prosecuted for knowing violations of what would be one of the strictest laws on abortion pills in the United States. I dont believe women should ever be prosecuted," she said. I dont believe there should be any punishment for women, ever, that are in a crisis situation or have an unplanned pregnancy." At issue is mail-order or so-called telemedicine abortion pills, which have been on the rise in the country since 2000 when the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone the main drug used in medication abortions. More than 90% of abortions take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, and more than half are now done with pills, not surgery, according to data compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Abortion pills are expected to become in higher demand as over half the states are likely to move to ban abortions following the Supreme Court's decision. Noem, a strong opponent of abortion rights who faces reelection in November and is mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential contender, cast the distribution of abortion pills as unsafe and has called a special session to craft new laws. These are very dangerous medical procedures, said Noem, referring to abortion pills. We dont believe it should be available, because it is a dangerous situation for those individuals without being medically supervised by a physician. In a state where Republicans hold super-majorities in both statehouse chambers, South Dakota lawmakers have been floating proposals that also would make it more difficult for women to seek an abortion out of state. South Dakota voters rejected outright bans in 2006 and 2008, and abortion rights advocates are preparing for a similar referendum on abortion access. In a statement Friday, President Joe Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, said the Justice Department will protect abortion providers and those seeking abortions in states where it is legal and will work with other arms of the federal government that seek to use their lawful authorities to protect and preserve access to reproductive care. "In particular, the FDA has approved the use of the medication mifepristone," he added. States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDAs expert judgment about its safety and efficacy. The South Dakota law, passed in March, requires women seeking an abortion to make three separate trips to a doctor in order to take abortion pills and makes it clear that women in the state cannot get the pills through a telemedicine consultation. The law has been on hold after a federal judge in February ruled it likely imposes an undue burden on a persons right to seek an abortion." Two drugs are required. The first, mifepristone, blocks a hormone needed to maintain a pregnancy. A second drug, misoprostol, taken one to two days later, empties the uterus. Both drugs are available as generics and are also used to treat other conditions. The FDA last year lifted a long-standing requirement that women pick up abortion pills in person. Federal regulations now also allow mail delivery nationwide. Even so, roughly 19 states have passed laws requiring a medical clinician to be physically present when abortion pills are administered to a patient. South Dakota is among them, joining several states, including Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee and Oklahoma, where Republicans have moved to further restrict access to abortion pills in recent months. One portion of the South Dakota law, which will take effect in July, contains a section that does not hinge on the federal courts: increasing to a felony the punishment for anyone who prescribes medication for an abortion without a license from the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners. A broader court decision is pending in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. Noem spoke on ABC's This Week and CBS' Face the Nation. ___ Associated Press writer Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, contributed to this report. ___ For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion Pinterest must face a lawsuit from a digital marketing strategist who says she helped conceive the social media platform, Judge Richard Seabolt of Alameda County Superior Court ruled on Thursday. Plaintiff's Claims Citing a Bloomberg news report, Engadget said that a former friend of one of Pinterest's founders has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming she was involved in the platform's development. Christine Martinez filed a lawsuit against the company in September, alleging that Ben Silbermann and Sciarra, the platform's founders, never paid her for her important contributions. Martinez claimed that Silbermann requested her to "salvage a failed shopping app" that eventually became Pinterest. The digital market strategist claims, among other things, to have created a marketing strategy to recruit bloggers to promote the platform and features connected to Pinterest's Boards. Martinez, according to the Engadget report (via New York Times), never had a formal contract or agreement in place with Pinterest. Martinez counters that based on her conversations with Sciarra and Silbermann, the agreement was implied. She claimed that the co-founders of Pinterest lacked any marketing or product development experience with women. Former lifestyle blogger and founder of an e-commerce firm Martinez said she was willing to assist friends. Pinterst Filed a Motion To Dismiss the Case Martinez sued the company in September, and in December, Pinterest submitted a motion to dismiss the case. Martinez's claims, according to Pinterest, are past their statute of limitations because they are too old. However, Seabolt ruled that Martinez "sufficiently alleges" that the parties' deferred pay agreement and her claims are related to the company's 2019 IPO. However, the judge rejected claims of conversion and unfair business practices while describing the IPO as a "transformative event" that would result in the duty to pay her, as per Bloomberg report. Read More: Apple Music Raises Its Student Plan Price in US, UK & Canada - How Much Is It? Latest Update About Pinterest's Business According to a news story by TechCrunch, The Yes, an AI-powered fashion shopping service founded by e-commerce veteran and former Stitch Fix COO Julie Bornstein and technical co-founder Amit Aggarwal, was acquired by Pinterest as the company aims to enhance the online shopping experience on its platform. The Yes, a company founded in 2018, developed a customized daily shopping feed that recognizes a user's style while they browse hundreds of fashion retailers. Terms of the deal were not made public, but according to the company, the acquisition would help Pinterest create a new strategic organization to assist drive its shopping efforts, including the creation of services for both consumers and retailers. All of this might be related to Pinterest's expanding efforts to draw creators to its platform, who now post videos and livestreams intended to persuade Pinterest users to buy the items they're recommending, as per the report of TechCrunch. Users may find more things when they surf Pinterest's feed after watching content, and the algorithm would get smarter as users browsed. Related Article: Twitter's Closed Caption Toggle is Now Accessible on Android and iOS Veteran British politician Chris Patten served as the last governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997, overseeing the final years of British rule over the colony and helping arrange for its transfer to China in 1997. He was vilified by the Chinese Communist Party for introducing democratic reforms in the city, many of which have been rolled back by Beijing in recent years in a crackdown in response to protests demanding more freedoms. Patten, 78, who holds the title Baron Patten of Barnes and serves as chancellor of the University of Oxford, spoke the Amelia Loi of RFA Cantonese about the changes in Hong Kong as the July 1 25th anniversary of the handover approaches. RFA: How do you assess the changes in Hong Kong in the 25 years since the handover? Patten: Hong Kong when we left was like a Rolls Royce. The economy was doing very well. It was stable and the system of government worked very well. The civil service was terrific. All you really needed to do as the Chinese Communist regime was to turn on the ignition and off it would pop. Hong Kong was an exceptionally successful community the eighth largest trading community in the world and we never had the sort of demonstrations which have affected Hong Kong in the last few years. I had very much hoped it would continue as long as possible and the Chinese had promised that it would continue for 50 years. Theyve broken their word, as Im afraid they do regularly. They break their word. They break international treaties whenever it suits them. And I think thats happening again this time. RFA: What do you say to those who say Britain should not have trusted China and returned Hong Kong? Patten: We had no choice but to hand Hong Kong over because all the New Territories where there seven large cities were held on a 99-year lease. And we would have been in breach of international law if wed tried to hold onto them. So we had no choice and its sad but true. We could have held onto the part of Hong Kong which was held under a grant but it would have been impossible to hold onto the island. What would you have done for water? You would have to be bringing in water in container ships I suppose, but it would have been absolutely impossible and unreasonable. I dont think we had any alternative but to do that. RFA: What do think of voices calling for Hong Kong independence? Patten: I have never been an advocate of independence of Hong Kong because I was part of a diplomatic effort to ensure Hong Kong could return to China, retaining its way of life for 50 years after 1997. The fact that the independence movement has grown in Hong Kong is an indication of how badly China has behaved and how little people actually trust China today. Its an extraordinary thing that so few people are actually proud of Hong Kong being part of China now. Theres a great sense of Hong Kong citizenship, and theres a great sense that people are Hong Kongers but only a small number think of themselves as Chinese. RFA: Would a different leadership of the Chinese Communist Party make a difference for Hong Kong? Patten: It would help Hong Kong and China if the leadership in Chinawas a little more like that of Jiang Zemin or Hu Jintao. What of course Deng Xiaoping had hoped for is that they wouldnt again have a return to sort of Maoism, which is whats happened, and wouldnt again have a return to personality cults, which is again whats happened. I think thats all particularly sad, but I am not sure if there is anything we can do at the moment. Chinas growing appetite for discounted Russian oil has made it the leading financier of the Kremlins war in Ukraine by giving Moscow a reliable revenue source that blunts the impact of tough Western sanctions against its economy. Four months after Moscows invasion of Ukraine, China has overtaken Germany as the biggest single buyer of Russian energy, with oil sales to China -- and India, another energy-hungry Asian nation -- helping to fill a gap left by Europe, Russias biggest export market. China and India have together bought an estimated 2.4 million barrels of Russian crude oil a day in May, half of Russia's total exports. Despite being sold at a steep discount, the purchases -- along with climbing oil prices -- have allowed Russian revenues to grow in the face of Western pressure and given Moscow a crucial financial lifeline to keep funding its war effort. Buying cheap Russian oil has allowed China to diversify its own reserves and given India a lucrative revenue stream by reexporting refined products like gasoline and diesel from the Russian crude. For the moment, the purchases dont risk triggering secondary sanctions while the European Unions current oil ban remains partial, but Beijing and New Delhis willingness to buy Russian oil will be put to the test later this year once stricter measures come into effect. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted a virtual summit on June 22-23 for leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, known collectively as BRICS, where he decried Western sanctions as weaponizing the global economy and called for the grouping to work closer together. During his remarks at the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that BRICS countries were developing reliable alternative mechanisms for international settlements and exploring the possibility of creating an international reserve currency based on the basket of BRICS currencies. But how much can Moscow count on non-Western markets and partners, like China and India, to help it deal with the fallout of sanctions? To find out more, RFE/RL spoke with Maria Shagina, a fellow at Britain's International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). RFE/RL: Over the course of the war in Ukraine, China has now become the largest buyer of Russian oil. What does this mean for China and Russias relationship moving forward and is this a sign of their deepening partnership or Beijing simply making an opportunistic move to buy discounted energy? Maria Shagina: Weve heard on multiple occasions that Russia and China have established a no-limits partnership, and recently [on June 15], Xi reiterated support for mutual cooperation with Russia. But we know that Chinas rhetoric and deeds diverge quite a lot and that has been clear since 2014 [when Beijing and Moscow deepened their ties at a faster pace]. China is eager to capitalize on Russia's isolation, including purchasing Russian cheap crude oil. But when it comes to violating Western sanctions, the Chinese private sector is usually quite cautious. In this case, we still don't have [Western] sanctions on Russian oil and the oil embargo from the European Union will start on December 5. So there is still this phase-out period before sanctions are triggered, and this is the time for China -- and also India -- to capitalize on very cheap oil that they can purchase from Russia. RFE/RL: Apart from buying oil, China has shown itself to be very cautious when it comes to avoiding triggering secondary sanctions imposed on Russia by the West. Should we expect Beijing to give more overt support to Russia in the future, especially when it comes to advanced technology like semiconductors? Shagina: China's balancing act is very delicate and, as the war progresses, it will be more difficult for Beijing to keep this position of so-called "pro-Russian neutrality," where theyre officially neutral but lean toward Russia. Since 2014, Russia has had rather high expectations of Beijing to step in to help out [with] this very difficult [financial] situation for Moscow. The Kremlin has since had a more sober assessment in terms of how much help can realistically be expected from China, but even now Russia is rather disappointed by the lack of support from China. We know that there was some discontent from the Russian side when it came to the lack of Chinese support in terms of financial assistance and technology transfers after sanctions hit [following the February 24 invasion]. Those are the two areas that Russia is now highly dependent on China and other nonaligned countries for their support, and China will be one of the main countries to watch when it comes to helping alleviate the impact of sanctions. Thats not only whether Beijing will provide any financial assistance, but also whether it will provide any technology that is now under sanctions, like chips and semiconductors. Lessons from 2014 tell us that the Chinese private sector is very risk-averse because it's so dependent on the U.S. dollar for transactions and tends to stay away from sanctioned Russian entities and even does overcompliance with sanctions to be extra careful. So in the current situation where we have an unprecedented number of sanctions in terms of their scope and their severity, I would say that there will be even more risk-averse behavior from the Chinese private sector. But we should know that government-backed institutions behave differently. In 2014, Chinese banks like the Export-Import Bank of China and the China Development Bank worked with [Russian] companies like Novatek, which is Russias second-largest natural gas producer, to finance projects. So there is room to support sanctioned entities and people, but we should be cautious of the limited scope of this support. RFE/RL: Xi Jinping hosted a BRICS summit and spoke about the grouping being important for the global economy, while Russian commentators have said repeatedly that the grouping is crucial for blunting Western sanctions. Does the war in Ukraine give an opportunity for it to finally deliver on its potential and play a more prominent role? Shagina: I think that rhetorically there is a very strong narrative to push back against the West, in particular the United States and EU, over their use of unilateral sanctions that haven't been supported by the UN. India is another example [within BRICS] where Russia is also keen to expand collaboration, but we haven't seen a lot of progress beyond buying oil. For example, Russia floated the idea to use different mechanisms for payment systems and alternatives to SWIFT, which it has been blocked from using under sanctions. But none of those initiatives has taken off and they remain largely dormant. I think rhetorically the summit [was] an opportunity to resist U.S. hegemony, but whether that will materialize into something bigger remains to be seen. RFE/RL: Is there anything that you're expecting to happen in regard to Chinese economic involvement with Russia that perhaps you think is coming or is worth watching out for? Shagina: One area is semiconductors and technology transfers more broadly. This is something worth watching to see whether China will help. So far, as U.S. officials have said, there has been no systematic support on the side of China, but whether China will be willing to supply them to alleviate this pressure from technology sanctions on Russia is not implausible given the level of partnership both countries have. The other area that is worth watching is whether Chinese companies will help provide energy equipment that the EU ban on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and on LNG equipment has cut off and that Russia cant substitute for on its own. Since 2014, Chinese engineering companies supplied up to 80 percent of this equipment, so there is room for China to step in to solidify its positions and potentially to provide additional financing for Chinese-backed [energy] projects in the Arctic. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Russian forces stepped up their onslaught on Ukraines Donetsk region on July 3, shelling the key city of Slovyansk after claiming earlier in the day to have taken the entire territory of the neighboring Luhansk region. Slovyansk Mayor Vadim Lyakh reported in a Facebook post that his city had been hit by "shelling from multiple rocket launchersthe heaviest for a long time. There are 15 fires. Many dead and wounded, he added. After failing to take the capital, Kyiv, Russia revised its military focus on Ukraine's east with the goal of capturing the Donbas, which is composed of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. 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. Slovyansk, which had a pre-war population of about 107,000, has long been a focal point of Moscows territorial ambitions in the Donetsk region. It was captured by Russia-backed separatists in April 2014 but retaken by Ukrainian forces three months later. Parts of both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions have been under the control of pro-Russia separatists since 2014, when Russia also invaded and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, a move not recognized by the rest of the world. Early on July 3, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that the Russian military had taken the entire territory of Ukraines eastern Luhansk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to TASS. Russian state media quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying, Russian troopsare fighting inside Lysychansk, completing the defeat of the encircled enemy. Late on July 3, Ukraines military command acknowledged that its forces had withdrawn from Lysychansk, saying they had decided to pull back. In the face of Russian occupation troops multiple advantage in troops in artillery, aviation, multiple launch rocket systems, ammunition and personnel, the continuation of the defense of the city would lead to fatal consequences. In order to save the lives of Ukrainian defenders, it was decided to withdraw, it said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his nightly national address, also confirmed the withdrawal from Lysychansk but vowed his forces would eventually regain the territory. "If the commanders of our army withdraw people from certain points at the front, where the enemy has the greatest advantage in fire power, and this also applies to Lysychansk, it means only one thing -- that we will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons, he said. Russian troops blasted Lysychansk with rocket and missile attacks over the past several days, and the latest fighting comes a week after the fall of its sister city, Syevyerodonetsk, just across the Siverskiy Donets River. That city had been reduced to rubble by Russian forces prior to the takeover. Also on July 3, the governor of Russias Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine near the city of Kharkiv, said at least three people were killed and numerous buildings damaged overnight in the regional capital in what a senior Russian lawmaker called a direct act of aggression on the part of Ukraine. In a post on Telegram on July 3, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported numerous explosions in Belgorod, a city of some 400,000 people about 40 kilometers north of the border with Ukraine. He said at least 11 apartment buildings and 39 detached houses were damaged or destroyed in the overnight incident. At least four people, including a 10-year-old child, were injured, Gladkov claimed. Russian Federation Council lawmaker Andrei Klishas directly blamed Ukraine for the purported incident. The death of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Belgorod are a direct act of aggression on the part of Ukraine and require the most severe -- including a military -- response, Klishas wrote on Telegram. The claims of the Russian officials could not be independently verified, and Ukraine made no immediate response. Videos posted on social media purported to show explosions and fires in the city. The same day, the governor of Russias neighboring Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine, wrote on Telegram that our air defenses shot down two Ukrainian Strizh drones during the night, adding that there were no casualties in the incident. Unverifiable video posted on social media purported to show a large plume of smoke near the city of Kursk. There have been numerous reported incidents of fires and explosions in Belgorod and other regions since Russias invasion of Ukraine in February, but Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any of them. The report from Belgorod comes as the Russian military has stepped up missile attacks across Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed and millions displaced since the war began, although Russian officials have denied targeting civilians. Ukraine on July 3 claimed it carried out dozens of missile strikes against a Russian military base in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol. Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov posted on Telegram from Ukrainian-controlled territory that the base had been taken out of action. He added that partisan action had derailed a Russian military train carrying ammunition outside Melitopol on July 2. Russian media quoted a Russian-appointed local occupation official as saying two missile strikes had been recorded in the city overnight and that there were no casualties. With reporting by Reuters, AP, TASS, and dpa BUCHAREST -- Romania is considering a bill that would ban minors from being exposed to so-called "gay propaganda" in schools and in public life, despite warnings from rights groups that it would "fuel Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns" and reinstate censorship in the former communist country. Seven lawmakers from the ethnic Hungarian UDMR, a junior ruling coalition party, initiated the bill under the guise of preventing child abuse and promoting child rights. The Senate tacitly approved the bill on April 27 and parliament's lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, which has the final say, is due to vote this month. The parliamentarians supporting the bill have said Romania was under threat from gender theories that have "taken Western Europe by storm" and are "endangering Christian values and the traditional Christian family." But activists say the bill harms the very people it claims to want to protect. "If censorship becomes acceptable in Romania, we will all suffer. If children's right to information and education can be censored in this brutal way, all youngsters will suffer," Teodora Ion-Rotaru, executive director of the LGBT advocacy group Accept, told RFE/RL. Similar legislation in neighboring Hungary that passed in June 2021 drew sharp criticism from the European Commission, which began legal steps against Budapest. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a "shame." Many in Romania share similar feelings of disgust and outrage. "This is an absolutely inhumane draft law against a community that has the same rights as the majority," said Catalin Tenita, a lawmaker from the liberal Save Romania Union party and a member of the Human Rights Commission who voted against it. "It is an illiberal policy following in the steps of [Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orban," he said, claiming that the law would be "used as an instrument against the LGBT community, which will become a scapegoat. [If] there are cases of pedophilia, [the law] will be used against them." RFE/RL contacted the bill's co-initiator, Zakarias Zoltan, but at time of publication, the lawmaker had not responded. Botond Csoma, another lawmaker from UDMR, told RFE/RL that the bill wasn't specifically backed by the ethnic Hungarian party, although he declined to comment further. Rights activists also say the proposed law is unconstitutional and could have wide-ranging effects. "If a child is on the street and sees a Pride march, or if he or she sees a story about gay issues on television, or watches a film approved by the Romanian authorities that has LGBT issues," these would all be illegal under the law, Ion-Rotarau said. "This kind of censorship affects our community, of course, but also it affects journalists, people in the advertising industry, medics, mental health experts. LGBT people are everywhere," she added. Activists worry that the bill, which amends a 2004 child protection law, is too vague and could be used by zealots to crack down on the LGBT community. One article of the proposed law says that a child "has the right to be protected against the spreading of content through any means about the deviation from sex which is established at birth (by a doctor) or the popularization of sex change or homosexuality." Octavian Cristea, an IT project manager from Bucharest who has an 8-month-old son, is also opposed. "It is completely idiotic. I don't see any point in it. The LGBT community is part of our community. You can't wipe them out," he told RFE/RL. "For a European country in the 21st century, it's too much. "It's like forbidding the color blue -- as if you can't tell children about blue. It's ridiculous." Some activists and lawmakers have said that the proposed law is a weapon from the Russian propaganda arsenal. "This level of [Russian] interference has been going on for six or seven years, fueling fears about the traditional family," Tenita said. "I can't prove the [ethnic Hungarian lawmakers] are on the Russian payroll, but their interests dovetail with Russian interests." In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law against the "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" among minors. As a result of the law, films and advertisements have been censored, activists targeted, and groups offering support to the LGBT community shut down. Russian rights activists and international watchdogs have said that the law has encouraged discrimination and abuse against Russia's LGBT community. Hungary's Orban has had a close relationship with Putin in recent years. Orban's battles with the European Union have made the Hungarian prime minister a useful ally for Putin. The two leaders have found common ground on hot-button social and cultural issues such as the role of the media or LGBT rights. While Orban has criticized Putin's attack on Ukraine, he has not backed energy sanctions on Russia and has refused to allow the delivery of arms to Ukraine via Hungary. We are treated like we don't have traditional values and the family doesn't count for us. But the family counts for us in the same way as it does for everyone else." Florin Buhuceanu, the advocacy director of Accept, says the bill comes "in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which makes us become vulnerable. It's not the moment to mutilate laws which were adopted to protect rights." "LGBT people face hostility. It is easy to deliberately use this instrument of hatredin a society which is changing, but changing slowly," he said. Despite the hostility -- often among the over-50s and from those in rural communities -- a 2018 referendum on amending the constitution with regards to same-sex marriage did not pass due to low turnout. In Romania, marriage and civil partnerships for same-sex couples are already banned, but supporters of the referendum hoped that by changing the wording of the constitution to say that marriage could only be between a man and a woman rather than "partners," as it currently stands, they would prevent gay marriage from ever becoming enshrined in law. Buhuceanu sees the bill currently being considered as a drive to weaken support for the types of values promoted by EU bodies. "It's an anti-EU agenda, and I refer to all the legislative attempts to modify human rights laws. It is using children to attack. It is the same type of illiberal philosophy which intends to break up ideas and values which we consider essential for Europe and for Romanian democracy." "Russian soft foreign policy has an agenda of promoting traditional family values through Central and Eastern Europe," Ion-Rotaru added. "It aims to polarize and stir up society that serves certain aims: to create an illiberal and authoritarian society. It also weakens the relationship between ordinary people and the government and creates distrustand promotes ideas which run counter to the needs of Romanian society." Socially conservative Romania decriminalized homosexuality in 2001, decades later than in some European Union countries. The last person to be imprisoned for being gay was released in 1998. The Romanian Orthodox Church, which backed the 2018 referendum, and to which more than 85 percent of Romanians belong, is a driving force with its support for the "traditional" family. Forty-four members of the European Parliament's LGBTI Intergroup on June 16 signed a letter to Romanian officials slamming the "shameful" bill and urging parliament's lower house to kill it. "We view this bill as a particularly worrying development, given its resemblance to the Hungarian billand to the Russian 'anti-LGBTQ' propaganda law," the letter said. The bill isn't even compliant with the Romanian Constitution, the signatories and activists argued, stating that it goes against articles that give civilians the right to equality and to access information without restriction. They added: "It is not compliant with European human rights standards, does not seek to further extend protection, but rather to reverse already secured rights, and further seeks to ostracize LGBTIQ people by seeking to relegate them to the shadows." But the bill doesn't just roll back rights, it marginalizes and discriminates against a community that has fought long and hard for small gains -- and is often met with vitriol. An opinion poll carried out by the Avangarde pollster in 2021 found that only 12 percent of people in Romania thought that the LGBT community should have more rights, and 57 percent said they shouldn't. Sixty-two percent said that the role of the traditional family should be strengthened with a special law. Another poll, taken in 2017 by the Pew Research Center, found that some 74 percent of Romanians were opposed to same-sex marriage, with 26 percent in favor. And in 2020, a poll carried out by the LGBT advocacy group Accept found that 53 percent of young transgender people had considered suicide at least once. "We are treated like we don't have traditional values and the family doesn't count for us. But the family counts for us in the same way as it does for everyone else," Ion-Rotaru said. Heavy rain accompanied by strong wind pounded Pyongyang and western parts of North Korea overnight, prompting the authorities to prepare for the upcoming rainy season, state media reported Sunday. Pyongyang's central district received 58 millimeters of rain per hour, while areas around the Taedong River, which runs through the capital city, had 67 mm of rain per hour Saturday night, the North's weather agency was quoted as saying by Korean Central Television. The western port city of Nampo was hit by strong winds of more than 20 meters per second. Video footage showed uprooted and broken trees in downtown Pyongyang, while the water level of the Taedong River had risen to near warning level. The State Hydro-Meteorological Administration said this year's rainy season is expected to begin Monday, forecasting up to 300 mm of rain in western parts of the nation from Tuesday to Thursday. Authorities called for thorough preparations to prevent flood damage to farmlands and households, reminding residents of Typhoon Bolaven that battered the nation in 2012. (Yonhap) Faced with a deepening personnel crisis within its military, Russia is scrambling to find fighters for its war in Ukraine and recruiting heavily from its North Caucasus region to form new units along ethnic lines who are then deployed with minimal training. Regional officials from Daghestan, Ingushetia, and Kalmykia have announced plans to form rifle companies that are each made up of soldiers from a particular Russian republic. According to reporting by Caucasus.Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RLs North Caucasus Service, these national units are formed primarily of contract soldiers who have previous military training and have been targeted by local recruitment drives aimed at pressuring and enticing men of military age to join the war in Ukraine. It seems that the governors [of these North Caucasus republics] were instructed to form extra forces in addition to official recruitment through the military registration and enlistment offices, Sergei Krivenko, director of the Citizen. Army. Law human rights group, told RFE/RL. Krivenko says that Citizen. Army. Law is monitoring the formation of these units closely but says that much is still not clear about the conditions and circumstances they will all face, including pay and whether they will be officially classified as military personnel within the Defense Ministry or be designated as paramilitary or mercenary units, which could leave them in a legal gray area. He adds that while the formation of such units is happening across all of Russia at the moment, the North Caucasus is a particular target, with the region home to some of the lowest living standards and salaries in the entire country. Conscripts and those who have signed a contract have the status of servicemen within the Russian armed forces, Krivenko said. But there is also a second category -- so-called 'volunteers' -- and it is still unclear who guarantees the contract and what legal obligations exist under it. Russian human rights groups and lawyers working on military issues have reported that enlistment offices have been calling in reservists for checks and updates of personal information, and then offering them contracts to go to war in Ukraine. But such matters are not always so clear-cut, with Citizen. Army. Law saying that some reservists, especially those in the newly formed national units, believed they were signing a contract to serve in the armed forces but were actually classified differently and did not receive the same social benefits and guarantees of pay that are spelled out by law for military personnel. The creation of these national units is legal. There are no acts that prohibit their formation if its under the purview of the Ministry of Defense, Krivenko said. But if these units are being assembled by the authorities to assist the Ministry of Defense, then this is illegal, although it appears everyone is turning a blind eye to [the law] now. 'Shadow Mobilization' After four months of war, the Kremlin has suffered heavy losses in its invasion of Ukraine but has so far declined to order a general mobilization of draft-age soldiers. Instead, recruiters across Russia have been calling eligible men to promote contract military service and reactivate reservists. These efforts represent a form of shadow mobilization. These are piecemeal efforts that allow the Russian military to sustain itself in the war but do not address the fundamental deficit in manpower, Michael Kofman, director of Russia studies at CNA, a think tank in Virginia, wrote in an analysis at the beginning of June. Russia is also conducting its spring draft, which seeks to conscript about 130,000 men between the ages of 18-27 by the middle of July. Legally, conscripts cant be sent to battle unless they have at least four months of training, and Moscow has said repeatedly it wont deploy conscripts to Ukraine, but there have been several confirmed cases of inexperienced soldiers being sent into combat since the Kremlins February 24 invasion. Mikhail Savva, a Russian human rights activist who is part of the official group documenting war crimes in Ukraine, told RFE/RL that the creation of units along ethnic lines is a symptom of the broader personnel crisis facing Russias military and that their use could lead to poorly disciplined units in Ukraine, which could cause greater civilian casualties in the war. Such formations are poorly controlled and poorly disciplined, Savva said. They pose a threat not only to the civilian population of Ukraine but also to other units of the Russian Army. Russia has already used military units formed along ethnic lines in the war in Ukraine, with Chechen brigades under the authority of Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, being part of the Russian invasion. The units have been dogged by mounting evidence of war crimes against Ukrainians, and some analysts have noted incidents of infighting between Chechen paramilitaries and standard Russian personnel. But the units have also played significant roles in some of the fighting, with Chechen fighters taking up a prominent position within the brutal and costly Russian effort to take the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Denis Sokolov, an expert on the North Caucasus at the Free Russia Foundation, told RFE/RL that the move to create more units along ethnic lines is, in part, an effort to motivate soldiers. This is an attempt to tie reputation to the effectiveness of military operations because [many within the Russian forces] do not have the motivation to fight right now, Sokolov said. WATCH: Liberated Ukrainians have told the truth behind a propaganda video they were forced to take part in while their village was occupied by pro-Kremlin Chechen fighters. Daghestan, a Russian republic in the North Caucasus with a population of nearly 3 million people, has been a growing source of contract soldiers throughout the war in Ukraine. Magomed Magomedov, the deputy editor in chief of Chernovik, an independent newspaper based in Daghestan, told RFE/RL that military service has long been seen as a serious social lift for many people in the region, providing better salaries and economic mobility than otherwise available. Among Daghestani contract servicemen, a very large percentage have a higher education, but after studying they could not find relevant work, Magomedov said. In the contract service, the income is slightly above average [for Daghestan]. Of course, [until February], many of these contractors didnt expect that they would have to participate in a serious military operation. In Chechnya, such recruitment efforts have faced some opposition, with human rights groups and bloggers saying that they have received multiple appeals from men of fighting age and their relatives who say that they have been threatened into joining paramilitary groups in the region in order to replenish the ranks. In one public case, four men who returned from Ukraine complained that they had not been paid their promised salaries and had been thrown into battle without proper equipment or supplies. Magomed Daudov, the speaker of the Chechen parliament, held a televised meeting with the men, where he reprimanded them on camera. Shortly afterward, the four men abandoned their claims. Uncertainty Ahead While both Russian and Ukrainian forces are facing high casualties in the intense fighting under way in Ukraines eastern Donbas region, Moscow has so far managed to sustain its offensive capabilities in the grinding war. According to Ukrainian officials, the Kremlins aggressive recruitment of contract soldiers and reservists has helped bring in 40,000 to 50,000 troops to replenish those killed or incapacitated since Russias invasion began. Still, Western intelligence assessments say that the Russian military may soon exhaust its combat capabilities and be forced to bring its Donbas offensive to a halt. Russia could come to a point when there is no longer any forward momentum because it has exhausted its resources, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung in an interview, citing his countrys intelligence services. Despite mounting uncertainty over Russian manpower and military equipment, the offers of comparatively high salaries and benefits have been fairly successful in recruiting contract soldiers. Speaking to RFE/RLs Tatar-Bashkir Service, Aigul -- who is identified only by her first name in order to protect against persecution for speaking openly -- said that her husband signed up as a contract soldier and was sent to Ukraine, despite being fully aware of the absurdity of this particular conflict. A native of Tatarstan, Aigul did not disclose the exact salary that her husband was being paid but said that it was above 100,000 rubles, or nearly $2,000 a month, well beyond the average Russian salary. Her husband asked that his name be withheld and declined to be interviewed, but he did say that he remains disillusioned by the war and asked for a warning to be published to other men contemplating signing a contract to be sent to Ukraine. Don't go there if they don't force you, he said. Ukrainian authorities say one person was killed and four were injured in Kyiv's Shevchenko district in an explosion blamed on Russian missile strikes early on June 26. Firefighters rushed to rescue residents trapped inside an apartment building. According to Ukrainian police, a Russian citizen was among the wounded. Also on June 26, one person was reported killed in Russian missile strikes on the central city of Cherkasy. Ukraines strike earlier this month against a natural-gas platform in the Black Sea may be part of a wider campaign by Kyiv to weaken Russian capabilities in the strategic waters and free up shipping lanes for grain exports. Ukraine on June 20 struck one of several offshore structures used by Russia to produce and deliver natural gas to Kremlin-controlled Crimea, where it is largely used for heating purposes in the winter. The strike caused a major fire that online sleuths say is still burning. Three people were injured, while seven are missing, Crimean officials said. However, Ukraines ultimate goal may have been to destroy Russian intelligence equipment believed to be installed on platforms and rigs in the waters, rather than the interruption of gas flows, analysts said. The attack was at least the third against Russian targets in the Black Sea within the span of a few days and may reflect the deployment in Ukraine of recently arrived, high-tech Western missile systems. The United States and NATO allies have sent Ukraine advanced Harpoon anti-ship missiles systems, though it is unclear what weapon struck the platform. WATCH: Satellite images bolster accusations that Russia is transporting huge quantities of stolen Ukrainian grain to Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service has documented a series of shipments through the largest grain terminal in Russian-occupied Crimea. The West is seeking to help Ukraine ensure the safe export of millions of tons of grain trapped in its Black Sea ports due to what they say is a Russian military blockade. The Kremlin denies the accusation. Ukraine is one of the worlds largest exporters of wheat, and the blockade has caused grain prices to spike and driven fears of a global food shortage. The grain exports are also a key source of revenue for Ukraine, whose economy has been destroyed by Russias invasion. The grain is at risk of rotting if not shipped soon, experts say. The attack on the offshore platform came amid two strikes in the vicinity of Snake Island, a small but strategic outpost in the Black Sea captured by Russia in the early days of its invasion. Russia has been supplying anti-ship and antiaircraft missiles as well as radar systems to its forces on Snake Island, located about 40 kilometers from Ukraines coast. Control of Snake Island enables Russia to threaten the sea lanes leading to and from Odesa, Ukraines main port for shipping grain to the world. Ukraines military on June 17 claimed it sunk a Russian supply tug it said was delivering ammunition, weapons, and personnel to Snake Island. Four days later, it announced strikes against Russian targets on the island, including an antiaircraft defense system, a radar system, and other equipment. Russia claimed it shot down the missiles fired by Ukraine. Satellite images of Snake Island before and after June 21 show three scorched areas, indications of possible missile strikes, but it was unclear what, aside from a tower, was damaged. The gas platform attack must be seen in light of strikes on Snake Island to prevent the Russians from turning it into an [area denial] zone, said Glen Howard, a military expert and president of the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation. If the grain ships can get out of Odesathen these efforts could be part of a campaign to clear the sea lanes to enable the Ukrainian ships to leave Odesa and hug the coast," he said. Radars, Jamming Devices Russia seized Ukraines Black Sea offshore gas fields and equipment in 2014, following its forcible annexation of Crimea, and placed at least three radar systems on its platforms and rigs, according to a report by Ukrainian military and energy experts. An investigation by RFE/RL showed that in 2019 Chyornomorneftegaz, the Russian state-owned company producing gas in the Black Sea, ordered spare components for the same radar systems identified in the report. Depending on where the mobile drilling rigs are located, they can monitor almost the entire northern waters of the Black Sea, including the movements of ships entering or leaving Ukrainian ports. The platform struck by the missile was located about 70 kilometers from Odesa, according to Crimean news outlets. The radar systems believed to be installed on the rigs and platforms would provide real-time information to Russias Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, as well as the border division of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The report by the Ukrainian experts did not identify the platform damaged on June 20 as one of the structures installed with a radar system. However, Mikhailo Honchar, one of the authors of the report, told RFE/RL that Russia has been installing more equipment on the offshore gas structures after the April sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of Russias Black Sea fleet. The Moskva served as the command-and-control ship for Russias Black Sea Fleet and was equipped with critical communications infrastructure. Russia has sought to make Snake Island the stationary location for radar systems, but the attacks by Ukraine have made that difficult, so additional intelligence-gathering equipment has been added to the platforms, Honchar said. Unlike rigs, which are mobile, platforms are permanent structures. Honchar said he did not think gas production was the priority of the strike. The missile damaged the platform but may not have damaged the underwater infrastructure, where gas is pumped into pipelines. Even if the integrity of the undersea infrastructure is impacted and needs to be repaired, Russia can ship gas to Crimea via a pipeline from its southern region of Krasnodar, Honchar said. Andriy Ryzhenko, a former Ukrainian Navy captain, said the platforms and rigs also contain Russian electronic-jamming devices aimed at impairing Ukrainian defenses. He agreed the main reason for attacking the platform was to blunt Russian intelligence capabilities. With reporting by RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service 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 Lee Rae-jin, right, the elder brother of the South Korean fisheries official shot dead by North Korea armed forces two years ago, speaks during a press conference with ruling People Power Party leaders at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Newsis Family of official shot dead by North Korea to meet UN rights expert By Jung Min-ho The National Security Council (NSC) under the previous government is accused of having told the Ministry of National Defense to change its official position on the death of a South Korean official two years ago so as to obfuscate the facts behind the incident with North Korea. The ministry's documents, which were obtained by Rep. Ha Tae-keung, head of the ruling People Power Party's special committee on the issue, show that it shifted its position from "(North Korea's) brutality of burning the body confirmed" to "a joint probe needed for what is speculated as the burning of the body" after the presidential advisory body's request to review it on Sept. 27, 2020. Only three days ago, the ministry said it confirmed via military surveillance equipment that North Korean soldiers wearing protective clothing burned the official's body; it also noted that the soldiers appeared to have shot him dead after receiving orders. The documents show that the NSC issued the instruction two days after North Korea's letter that did not corroborate the South Korean military's findings. The accusations may prompt the family of the deceased official to file a complaint with the prosecution against former President Moon Jae-in, then chairman of the NSC. The family said last week that they would do so if Moon's involvement in the decision-making becomes clear, after filing a complaint against Moon's former aides Kim Jong-ho and Lee Kwang-cheol and former National Security Adviser Suh Hoon. "It was a day of infamy, the day that the public lost trust in the defense ministry Cheong Wa Dae agreed to release the ministry's announcement initially; but after the North's letter followed by the NSC's instruction, the ministry changed its position," Ha said in a statement. Former NSC Deputy Director Suh Choo-suk, who is accused of being directly involved in the move, has denied the allegations, saying there was no "instruction" and a joint investigation was needed given the different findings between the South and the North. Ha said it was wrong for Suh to accept North Korea's unilateral claims without any evidence. The lawmaker vowed to collect more evidence in regards to the Moon administration's ploy to cover up the truth and frame the incident as the official's attempt to defect to the North. In this April 26 file photo, North Korean military guard posts, background, and South Korean guard posts, foreground, are seen in Paju near the border with North Korea, South Korea. AP-Yonhap President Vladimir Putin said at last weeks BRICS Business Forum that Russia was in the process of rerouting its trade and oil exports towards countries from the BRICS group of emerging economies in the wake of Western sanctions over Ukraine. The BRICS countries comprise Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on imports of its oil. In order to weather these, Russia is forging closer ties with Asia, seeking to supplant the markets it lost in the row with the European Union and the United States. In a video address to the BRICS Business Forum participants, Putin said Russia was discussing increasing the presence of Chinese cars on the Russian market as well as the opening of Indian supermarket chains. In its turn, Russias presence in the BRICS countries is growing. There has been a noticeable increase in exports of Russian oil to China and India, Putin said. According to data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs, Chinas crude oil imports from Russia were up 55% from a year earlier to a record level in May, displacing Saudi Arabia as Chinas top supplier, as refiners cashed in on discounted supplies. Putin also said Russia was developing alternative mechanisms for international financial settlements jointly with its BRICS partners. The Russian Financial Messaging System is open for connection with the banks of the BRICS countries. The Russian MIR payment system is expanding its presence. We are exploring the possibility of creating an international reserve currency based on the basket of BRICS currencies, he said. Related Reading A couple of local beer icons are the new stewards of the only spot to eat in the park Sung-yull Koo, right, the man who initiated the Korean War memorial event Liberty Walk, poses with Korean War veteran Chuck Gaiotti in this photo taken recently. Courtesy of Sung-yull Koo Hundreds of Koreans, dozens of US military servicemen and women walk 4 kilometers in Seoul in memory of US soldiers who died during Korean War By Kang Hyun-kyung While visiting many different U.S. cities over the past five decades since he arrived in the country in 1967 as a Korean immigrant, Sung-yull Koo, 79, was surprised to learn that Korean War Monuments are almost everywhere. Even small cities and counties, with which Koreans are not familiar, have war memorials in remembrance of the bloodiest war since World War II. As a Korean, Koo said he felt indebted because so many young Americans were killed or wounded while fighting for the freedom of South Korea against the invasion of the communist North. Nearly 5 million people were killed during the war, and 37,000 of them were U.S. troops. Over 9,000 Americans were also wounded. Koo tried to figure out if there was anything he could do to give back to America. The "Liberty Walk," launched in 2018, is the brainchild of his years of soul-searching to find his role to recognize the young American soldiers whose lives were tragically cut short because of the war. Under the Korean War memorial event held every year on June 25, the day when the war broke out, Koo and like-minded people walk nearly five kilometers to remember the Korean War and fallen American soldiers. The memorial program is his version of "Thanks America" campaign. Each participant donated a certain amount of money and the money raised through the event has gone to elementary schools located in the hometowns of the chosen soldiers each year. The donated money was spent to renovate their libraries or reading rooms named after Korean War soldiers. Readsboro Elementary School in Vermont is the first U.S. school that received a donation from funds raised through Liberty Walk. It is the alma mater of Sergeant Richard Bolognani who died on Aug. 18, 1952, in Korea's mountainous eastern county of Inje. He was just 22. To date, 11 elementary school libraries in 11 different U.S. states have benefitted from donations raised through the Liberty Walk memorial program. "Our collective memory of the help we received and the sacrifices of the American soldiers have faded away," Koo said in an email interview with The Korea Times. "Every time we think about those who perished, we are humbled by it. Teenage soldiers from the South who never saw any snow surrounded by 120,000 fresh Chinese troops along the shores of the Changjin in minus 30 degrees Celsius. Unimaginable hardship. We wish to shine a light on their sacrifice and honor them. We do this by supporting small elementary school libraries in the soldiers' hometowns, and we keep their spirits alive with the Liberty Walk." Every year, Koo himself chooses U.S. soldiers to honor and commemorate. This year, four people were chosen to be recognized for their sacrifices: Private Jackie Lee Murdock of Indiana; Private Wilbur Barlett Colford of Maine; PFC Robert Dewayne of Kansas; and Sergeant George T Brower of North Carolina. The 625 Foundation hosts the Liberty Walk. The three-digit name of the foundation refers to the date when North Korea invaded the South and started the war. Koo founded the non-profit group in 2019. His idea to establish the foundation started with his realization that the younger Koreans know little about the war, not to mention about the sacrifices of some 37,000 U.S. soldiers, during his conversation with two Korean students he met in Kathmandu, Nepal. After the trip, he prepared to establish a foundation that can educate the young Koreans about the war and its legacy. This year's Liberty Walk took place in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Las Vegas and Rupert, Vermont. "Here in Rupert, we have 4H Club children walking with us. They are our previous notable guests. They'll learn about the war, about the 94 Vermonters who gave their lives in the Korean War," said Koo. He is currently living in Bennington County, Vermont with his wife. Participants of Liberty Walk Seoul gesture in a group photo taken on Saturday in front of the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul. Courtesy of Association of Republic of Korea Army Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, a Samsung Electronics executive-turned-lawmaker, said Sunday she had decided to accept an offer from the ruling People Power Party to chair an envisioned special National Assembly committee on semiconductors. The decision drew attention because Yang is considered an opposition figure though she left the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and became an independent last year amid allegations one of her aides sexually harassed a colleague. "Semiconductors represent the economy and national security," Yang said on Facebook announcing her decision to accept the PPP's proposal, adding there is "no opposition or ruling party or ideology" when it comes to semiconductors. "Our country's semiconductor industry stands at a crossroads between leaping forward or declining," she said. "We are in a situation so critical that an opposition figure has been offered the chairmanship of a special committee of the ruling party for the first time." Yang is known for rising to the rank of an executive at Samsung Electronics in 2014 after joining the company as a vocational high school graduate with no college degree in 1985. She was elected to the National Assembly in 2020. (Yonhap) Minky, wearing a black bag filled with mountain herb seeds, stands in front of a burnt pine tree in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, June 17. She is one of the 50 dogs that spread seeds to help reforest the mountains that were burnt in the April 2020 forest fires. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Lee Hae-rin ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province For Kim Dong-seob, an Andong native who has lived all his life in the small mountainous village of Mureun-ri, the nightmare of the giant forest fire two years ago feels like yesterday. "It was pure horror," Kim, who is head of the village, told The Korea Times Friday, pointing at the devastated region. "More than dozens of these mountains were under scorching fire and the entire city was covered with smoke and ash." The forest fire swept away not only 1,900 hectares of the mountains that generously gave the villagers firewood and medicinal herbs, but also burnt down the homes and livelihoods of these agricultural communities. The fire continued for three days until it was finally brought under control. When 50 villagers from Kim's town returned from a shelter in the community center that was housing 2,000 evacuated residents, they discovered that the region had not been designated as a disaster area, thus they were not subject to any government subsidies, Kim said. Two years have passed, and the mountains still remain bald and barren. Amid frustration, the locals were able to find some comfort recently due to helping hands and paws from all across the country. Pet owners brought their dogs to help the Andong residents. Upon arrival, each dog owner was given a small bag that would be tied around their companion animal's neck. Inside the bag were seeds and a small amount of soil, so wherever the dogs run around in the burnt forest they would spread those seeds. The domestic animal advocacy group Action for Homeless Animals (AHA) gathered pet parents and their companion animals from across the country to volunteer to help rebuild the devastated area. The project is titled "Santa Dog," which in Korean sounds similar to "mountain-climbing dog." In this picture taken by a drone, activists from the local animal advocacy group Action for Homeless Animals (AHA) with volunteers and their dogs are spotted on the top of a mountain in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, June 17. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul AHA's leader Hwang Sung-jin said the group was inspired by a 2017 project in Chile, where the Torres sisters and their three border collies gained international recognition for voluntarily planting seeds in areas scorched by wildfire using dog backpacks. Followed by a series of giant forest fires in the eastern mountainous parts of the peninsula over the past few years, AHA first held a trial event similar to that of Chile in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, in May. Hwang and his colleagues were surprised to find how quickly the campaign went viral on social media and how warmly the locals welcomed their visit. "Hundreds of pet parents were enthusiastic to reach out and give help. The applications had to be closed after just 12 minutes," Hwang said. In Gangneung, 40 early applicants and their trained pet dogs ran playfully across the burnt region with small bags full of seeds on their back, releasing native plant seeds on faraway fields and steep hills that are difficult for humans to reach. So Hwang planned a series of successive events, next time coming to Andong. On Friday morning, canine volunteers of various sizes, breeds and backgrounds from all across the country gathered in the small town. Dogs of different breeds and sizes gather on a mountain in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, June 17, to spread seeds on steep hills and faraway fields that are difficult for people to reach. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Many, though not all, of these dogs were adopted from rescue shelters. But their owners all share the common goal of not only bringing life back to the broken town and the damaged ecosystem but also to improving public awareness of companion animals. Lee Seung-mi, 24, who came from Daegu with her dog Bao, said she and Bao have experienced prejudice and aggression in her neighborhood over his appearance. "Bao is such a sweet and gentle friend, with a warm heart," Lee said, rubbing Bao's head. "But because he is black-haired and has a big body, people often find him scary. Some people even say it to Bao's face, that 'the dog is so big and black that it scares me.'" Lee Soo-yeon, 48, said she started caring about animal welfare only after adopting her dog from a rescue shelter. "Ever since I started living with my dog Yang-soon, I feel as if the story of any abandoned or abused animal was my own business," Lee said, hoping for more such events where dogs and people can contribute to the community while having a good time together. She and her furry friend left Seoul at 5:30 a.m. to get to the event on time, but still said she would highly recommend for others to join the campaign. Dogs wearing bags of seeds run across the steep hills in a mountain area damaged by the April 2020 forest fires in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, June 17. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul The participants expressed unanimous regrets on how the media focuses on dog bite attacks and fosters negative images of certain breeds or sizes of animals. They also agreed that pet owners should be well-educated and responsible for their animals' behavior, but the animals shouldn't be judged or held accountable for their owners' wrongdoings. The latest statistics by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs show that over 15 million, or one out of four Koreans, live with companion animals as of 2021. However, the general understanding of animals seems to fall far behind their growing presence, they said. On Friday and Saturday, a total of 50 dogs crisscrossed the burnt tree stumps in the hills and fields of Andong. Some played fetch with their owners, while others explored the barren forest, sniffing trees and soil in excitement, spreading seeds from the seed bags they were carrying. Deodeok and doraji seeds, varieties of native mountain herbs, fall from the bags attached to a participating dog's leash, June 17. The seeds will sprout and become harvestable in three to four years to supplement the villagers' income. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul The seeds they sowed were "deodeok," and "doraji," mountain herbs with roots known to have restorative properties. AHA and villagers chose the seeds together after consultation with an ecologist. Although it may not be enough to restore the forest, they will supplement aging villagers' income when they sprout and become ready to harvest in a few years. "We are so grateful they came from far away to this tiny town," Kim said. "I mean, who would come this far, spending their own money and time? We are so thankful." The event was also joined by Andong-based pet startup companies, a community service center and a team of professors and students majoring in companion animal studies at Catholic Sangji College in the city. They sympathized with the event's aims as well. Hwang said the organization's ultimate goal is to make the world a better place for animals, where people no longer abandon or abuse them. For that, he believes in helping others more in need and spreading the message of joy. Guny's owner holds up a certificate issued by AHA after the dog accomplished his mission to spread seeds across burnt forestland in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. All 25 dogs that participated in the voluntary work received a certificate of participation bearing their face and name. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul California could open its first national park in almost a decade under a recently revived plan to commemorate labor leader Cesar Chavez and the saga of farmworkers. The proposed Cesar E. Chavez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, based outside Bakersfield and possibly extending to the Bay Area, would offer the public a chance to visit a constellation of landmarks central to the civil rights story of Mexican Americans. The success of the proposal is uncertain given the sharply politicized climate in Washington, but if it comes to fruition, it would be the first national park to honor this chapter of American history. Among the sites proposed for inclusion in the new park is Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in the rural Kern County town of Keene. Also included, if a deal can be reached with the current property owner, would be McDonnell Hall in San Jose, where Chavez and other activists once famously organized. Additionally, a historic trail following the 300-mile labor march by farmworkers from Kern County to Sacramento in 1966 would be established. While supporters of the park have been pushing the idea for two decades, the plan gained new life this month with the introduction of a federal bill to create the park. The legislation was authored by two California Democrats, Sen. Alex Padilla and Congressman Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert. The national park status is a proper tribute to an icon whos not just known as an organizer for labor rights but civil rights and social justice more broadly, Padilla told The Chronicle. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle While the National Park Service is often associated with preserving natural environments, such as mountains and canyons, about 60 of the roughly 425 properties managed by the agency are designated as national historical parks and commemorate people or events. These include the birthplaces of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. and battlefields of the Civil and Revolutionary wars. Padilla, who met Chavez in Cambridge, Mass., as a sophomore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said adding the labor leader to the park service mix would help address the nations gap in representing the full culture and diverse legacy of all Americans. Chavez was born in Yuma, Ariz., in 1927. He moved to California with his family during the Great Depression, where his activism took hold. He started as a community organizer in San Jose and evolved into a labor rights force in the San Joaquin Valley, co-founding the powerful National Farm Workers Association, which later became United Farm Workers of America. Hes known for helping field workers, many of whom were Mexican immigrants, get higher pay, health care and better working conditions. He died in 1993. The idea of dedicating a national park to Chavez has been supported by a broad coalition of Latino rights groups, labor organizations and park advocates since at least 2002. His family also backs the proposal. Its important to us that people understand my dad wasnt so different than the people who will visit these (future park) sites, said Paul Chavez, 65, the son of Cesar. He didnt come from a lot of money. He didnt have the opportunity to get a higher education. But with all that said, he showed that if you go out and live a principled life, we can make a difference. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle The planning of the park officially began with bipartisan legislation in 2007. A bill authored by former Democratic Congresswoman Hilda Solis of California and late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona called for studying what sites should be included. As the results of the study began trickling in, President Barack Obama in 2012 used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument. The monument, which is managed by the park service but doesnt have the same prestige as a park, includes part of a property known as Nuestra Senora Reina de la Paz in Keene. This site was the home and workplace of the Chavez family. It is proposed as the headquarters of the national park. The other sites to be included in the park, under the pending legislation, are among those that were studied per the Congressional order and ultimately found worthy of national park status. They include the birthplace of the farmworkers union at a spot known as The Forty Acres in the Kern County community of Delano, the site of a famous farmworker fast at a place called Santa Rita Center in Phoenix and potentially McDonnell Hall in San Jose. McDonnell Hall, located behind Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in the Mayfair neighborhood, is where Chavez planned voter registration drives, plotted lawsuits and organized legislative campaigns. This hall was a place where many civic initiatives were launched, said Paul Chavez, who was among six of eight of Cesars children born in San Jose. The modest building, already designated as a National Historic Landmark, would likely receive funding for upgrades and educational displays if it became part of the new national park. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle Several other sites studied under the Congressional directive were also found to be fit for the park, though theyre not included in the legislation because they posed logistical challenges. Sometimes, the owners of the property were not interested in welcoming the public. These areas, however, could be added to the park in the future. 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. While the legislation includes only the most workable sites, its success is uncertain given the divisiveness in Congress. Many in Washington, particularly Republicans, have been hesitant to create new parks when existing parks are already short of funds. The legislation establishing the Cesar Chavez park does not come with money. The park would depend on Congress increasing the budget of the National Park Service for funding in future years. The last new park established by Congress in California was Pinnacles National Park, which was upgraded from a national monument to a national park in 2013. The proposal for the Cesar Chavez park, which is cosponsored by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Ruben Gallego, has no Republican sponsors. Jon Jarvis, former director of the National Park Service who helped establish the Cesar Chavez monument before retiring in 2017, said he thinks broader support for the new legislation could come if it were bundled into a package of park and conservation proposals, providing more for lawmakers to like. If theres anything left in our political world that is bipartisan, its generally parks, Jarvis said. That said, on a given Congressional calendar, there are hundreds of pieces of legislation introduced and few of them are passed. It all depends on what else is going on. Padilla and the supporters are hopeful that there will be enough votes to push the legislation through. There has been such ongoing support for Cesar Chavez, said Sally Garcia, an outreach manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. This would be a really great representation of the incredible Latino population in California that needs to be highlighted. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KurtisAlexander A small vegetation fire prompted limited evacuations in Marin County on Saturday afternoon, authorities said. The fire was blazing in the area of Mount Shasta Drive and Lucas Valley Road, Marin County sheriffs officials said on Twitter shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sheriffs officials announced at 3:45 p.m. that forward progress of the fire which scorched about a quarter of an acre had stopped, but noted that fire officials would remain at the scene. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 15 minutes, said Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Jeremey Pierce. It was a small fire, Pierce said. One small building was threatened, and that was it. No one was injured, Pierce said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Deputies assisted with limited evacuations in the area of the blaze, sheriffs officials said. Firefighters with Marinwood Fire Department, Marin County Fire Department and San Rafael Fire Department responded to the fire. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California Cal Fire initially launched aircraft and a dozer, but those resources were cancelled after the fire was quickly placed under control, Pierce said. Authorities asked people to avoid the area. Lauren Hernandez (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle 2015 A man was shot or grazed during gunfire aboard a Daly City-bound BART train at the West Oakland BART Station Saturday on afternoon, transit officials said. The shooting which sent the victim to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries was the second shooting aboard public transportation in the Bay Area in a matter of days. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The youngest Americans children 6 months to 4 years old became eligible for COVID-19 shots this week, marking the start of the final leg of COVID vaccinations. Federal regulators authorized two vaccines for kids under 5, made by Pfizer and Moderna, the same manufacturers whose products have been used to vaccinate the vast majority of U.S. adults and older children. Here are answers to some of the most common vaccine questions health officials and pediatricians are hearing from parents of young children. Q: What are the differences between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines? A: Dosage, the amount of time to complete the full series and, potentially, the likelihood of side effects. The Pfizer vaccine is delivered in three doses, spread across a longer period of time. The second shot is three weeks after the first, and the third shot is eight weeks after the second. So it would take about 2 months from start to finish. The Moderna vaccine is two doses, four weeks apart. So it would take about a month to complete. The Pfizer shot is lower dosage (3 micrograms, or one-tenth the adult dose) than Moderna (25 micrograms, or one-fourth the adult dose). For that reason, side effects may be felt more with the Moderna vaccine. Q: Which vaccine should my child get and when? A: Both vaccines are safe and effective at reducing severe disease in children, multiple regulatory reviews have found, and doctors say you should get whichever one is available at your provider or in your area. The vaccine I want is the first one I can get her, said Santa Clara County assistant health officer Dr. Sarah Rudman of her 2-year-old daughter. Knowing both of these went through vigorous testing processes, I feel very comfortable getting either one. For the initial rollout this week, providers generally have both Pfizer and Moderna. If you do have the choice to get one or the other, you should consider a few things. Side effects for both vaccines are considered mild in children under 5, and are similar to those reported in older children and adults, including fever, soreness at the injection site and fatigue. There were no cases of myocarditis inflammation of the heart and surrounding tissue, which was reported in a small number of older children after vaccination in children under 5 in either vaccine trial. Since Moderna is a higher dosage, consider Pfizer if youre worried about side effects, said Dr. Stephanie Chiang, COVID vaccine lead and pediatrician at Sutter Health in Fremont. Timing is another factor. Some parents who got their kids their first shot this week, for instance, chose Moderna because they want their kids to complete their shots before school starts, or before the family takes a summer trip. Both vaccines are likely to include an additional booster later. That may eventually become annual boosters tailored to variants, similar to the flu shot. Q: Most young children who get COVID will not get severe disease or die. Do I need to vaccinate my child? 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. A: Hundreds of children have died from COVID and thousands have been hospitalized. It is still killing children. Any deaths in a young child in our eyes is unacceptable and if we have the chance to prevent one death, thats important, Chiang said. Kids also get long COVID, and being able to prevent long COVID in young children is also important. Though data is not definitive, some studies show vaccination may reduce the incidence of long COVID. Vaccinating young children also benefits adults they come into contact with frequently, such as daycare employees and teachers. This is especially true if they are around people who are vulnerable due to age or medical conditions, like grandparents. Being vaccinated does not totally stop you from getting infected or spreading the virus, but it does blunt the worst consequences of it. Q: My child has already gotten COVID. Whats the upside of vaccinating them now? A: Studies show hybrid immunity from natural infection, plus vaccination provides the best protection, Chiang said. Theres no reason not to choose added peace of mind. Q: Can my child get the COVID vaccine at the same time as other childhood vaccinations (like MMR, polio, chicken pox and DTAP)? A: Yes. Catherine Ho (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance is not shy about his fascination with authoritarianism in the mold of Hungarian President Viktor Orban. His campaign materials and public statements reflect these views, with their emphasis on the takeover of U.S. institutions, including universities and public media outlets. We should seize the institutions of the left, and turn them against the left, Vance has proclaimed. Such a strategy would have seemed implausible to me only a few years ago. Especially if attempted in California. But Im not skeptical anymore; Ive already seen it work at my local PBS station, KVPT in the Central Valley. Conservatives, as former Corporation for Public Broadcasting ombudsman Joel Kaplan has noted, have long complained that public broadcasting is very liberal and they dont take the conservative point of view on anything. As a consequence, it has traditionally been conservatives who have tried to eliminate funding for public broadcasting. Here in the Central Valley, chronic underfunding of PBS stations was the Trojan Horse that allowed the takeover of Fresno-based KVPT by wealthy conservative interests. Locally produced programming produced by KVPT most notably station CEO Jeff Aiellos American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag has been underwritten, in large part, by a foundation and company controlled by the stations board chair, Karen Musson, and her family. Other underwriters include the Gar and Esther Tootelian Charitable Foundation, headed by Musson, and GAR Bennett, an agricultural services company headed by Musson and her family and intertwined with the foundation. Other prominent underwriters include Harris Farms (a large agribusiness concern), Brandt Inc. (another agriculture services company) and James G. Parker Insurance Associates (a big agribusiness insurer). News reports sourced to KVPT insiders note that Musson was directly involved with Aiello in producing American Grown, a violation of Corporation for Public Broadcasting standards. Yet questions of self-dealing and biased programming dont seem to matter to the current station management. On PBS in California and nationwide, there are perfectly legitimate agriculture-themed shows like Americas Heartland and California Bountiful. Aiellos series, however, are horses of a different color. My Job Depends on Ag began as an agribusiness advocacy page on Facebook. And Aiellos series Tapped Out is about as close to pure propaganda on behalf of big agricultural water interests as anyone might want to see. Within minutes of the first episode of Tapped Out, pictures of 2017 flooding are juxtaposed with then-Gov. Jerry Brown signing emergency executive orders to restrict water use and pass new laws to regulate Californias dwindling groundwater reserves. The voice-over complains about the waste of millions of acre feet of high-quality fresh water allowed to wash right out to sea ... right into Californias sprawling Delta and under the Golden Gate Bridge. This water wasted out to sea myth has long been debunked by research scientists and water managers. But it persists on my PBS station. There are many such nuggets in the series, but my favorite moment is when one of the expert interviewees argues that we should cut down the trees of the Sierra because they waste water that should be put to growing crops. The KVPT situation can only truly be understood in light of a 1984 Supreme Court decision and its interpretation of Section 399 of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 specifically the prohibition on editorializing intended by Congress to protect noncommercial educational broadcasting from becoming a vehicle of government propagandizing or a convenient target for local private interest groups. In its decision, the court found that the prohibition on editorializing was a violation of the First Amendment. The court also held, among other things, that the fairness doctrine which required broadcasters to present fair and balanced coverage of controversial issues of community interest, and equal airtime to candidates for public office was sufficient in itself. A prohibition on editorializing was thus unnecessary. In 1987, however, the Reagan-era Federal Communications Commission largely abolished the fairness doctrine. By 2011 that abolition was complete. Despite this, the Congressional safeguards put in place by the Act of 1967 seem to have succeeded in protecting public broadcasting from becoming a vehicle for government propaganda. However, there is a spectacular dearth of safeguards for protecting noncommercial educational broadcasting from takeover by local private interest groups. Phyllis Brotherton, KVPTs former longtime chief financial officer and two-time interim CEO, has contended that the whole station has been hijacked by ultra-conservative people with an agenda. Longtime community advisory board member Doug Morris has spoken openly on the apparent slide of KVPTs editorial objectivity. It now appears that the station largely serves commercial agribusiness interests. Former public broadcasting ombudsman Kaplan, remarking on the stations new editorial agenda, called it very close to being propaganda as opposed to journalism. Undeterred by swirling questions, KVPT has taken to calling itself Californias Ag Station. Vance, Orban and all who seek to render the press acquiescent rather than free would be proud. Howard V. Hendrix is the author of six novels as well as many essays, poems, and short stories. California has set itself up to be an abortion haven, a place where patients from anywhere in the country can legally obtain the procedure, even though the Supreme Court overturned killed Roe v. Wade. California is a haven for now, at least. That could change. Quicker than youd think. And it could happen on a lot of other issues that Californians take for granted, too. There is a foreboding warning in Fridays dissent from Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer. Most threatening of all, no language in todays decision stops the Federal Government from prohibiting abortions nationwide from the moment of conception and without exceptions for rape or incest, the trio of justices appointed by Democratic presidents wrote. If that happens, the views of [an individual States] citizens will not matter. ... The challenge for a woman will be to finance ... a trip not to New York [or] California but to Toronto. If theres a federal ban, not even California would be a haven. No place in this country would be. Republicans, aided by a Supreme Court filled with three Donald Trump appointees, could undo all those protections. That wouldnt happen immediately. If Republicans take back Congress in November, as is almost universally predicted (even privately from some Democrats), then win the White House in 2024, a federal ban could be coming. Have you seen President Bidens approval rating lately? It is 40% about where Trumps was at a similar point. Banning abortion is on the top of the wish list for religious conservatives now that, as former vice president Mike Pence said Friday, Roe v. Wade has been consigned to the ash heap of history. Having been given this second chance for Life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land, Pence, a hero to religious conservatives, tweeted. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield the leading candidate to become speaker should Republicans retake the House said Friday that he would back a national 15-week ban on abortion. Id support that, he told CNN. It would take overcoming a Senate filibuster. But who knows, Republicans might be willing to do what Democrats werent kill the filibuster. California abortion rights activists are confident that residents and visitors coming here for reproductive services will be protected by a proposed constitutional amendment that is likely to come before voters in November. We believe we will maintain the right to protect the right to abortion here, said Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, who helped craft some of the dozen-plus pieces of legislation moving through the Legislature that are aimed at further bolstering the states abortion protections. But legal scholars arent so sure that amendment will protect California from a federal ban. If this kind of ban were to pass, Californias sanctuary status would indeed be in peril, said Luke Boso, a professor of law at University of San Francisco School of Law. Under the supremacy clause of the Constitution, federal laws are supreme over conflicting state laws, Boso said. If a state law expressly or implicitly conflicts with federal law, or interferes with Congress objective under the relevant federal law, that state law is pre-empted and therefore void. California losing its haven status would depend on the wording of a federal ban, Boso said. The bigger and more restrictive the federal framework, the more likely Californias law would be struck down. UC Hastings law Professor Rory Litte said the high courts opinion says the Constitution says nothing about abortion. States do what you want. Presumably, it would say, Federal government, you could do what you want, too. Even Gov. Gavin Newsom conceded that hes worried about a national ban. Im very worried about it and the only thing thats gonna stop us is us, Newsom said. If people dont wake up, we can be living in that reality. Newsom said that McCarthys support of a 15-week abortion ban should scare the hell out every single one of you. The only way to stop Congress from enacting one Newsom said, is a wake-up call. Here is where Newsom seems eager and ready to emerge as a national leader. Because now the legal fight over abortion becomes a political one, fought state by state. The side that responds to that wake-up call more forcefully will win. Top Democratic donors and Newsom advisers told me he would never challenge Biden for re-election. But if for some reason that Biden decided not to run in 2024, Newsom would not hesitate to take on Vice President Kamala Harris. (Nor would a dozen other Democrats, given that Harris poll numbers are worse than Bidens.) He told my Chronicle colleague Sophia Bollag last month that he has subzero interest in running for president. Its not even on my radar. But earth-shifting historical moments like this have a way of thawing sub-zero interests. In recent weeks, Newsom has spoken out more forcefully, not just against Republicans but against the sleepier corners of his own party for not stopping the GOP during its slow, steady march to overturn Roe over the past 50 years. Newsom said Democrats have done a poor job of responding to how the GOP and the conservative-dominated Supreme Court are leading a rights revolution when it comes to abortion and gun safety. We took a little bit for granted over the last 50 years, Newsom said. Theres no top-down message thats particularly coherent, from my perspective, across a spectrum of issues as it relates to the rights revolution thats being rolled back in real time ... this wrecking ball to the progress of the 21st century that has occurred in the last 15 or so months. So who is going to deliver that top-down message? Who will lead the counterrevolution? Newsom is making the case that it should be the governor of the most populous, most prosperous Democratic state. The one that is an abortion haven for now. This month, he joined Trumps Twitteresque social media platform Truth Social, saying he was doing so to rebut Republican lies. Its largely a troll, but it is typical of how Newsom has long been on the leading edge of new digital ventures successful and not, whether it was Twitter or cryptocurrency or the Al Gore-led Current TV. Im resolved to wake all of us up to what is going on in this country, Newsom said. To what is happening in real time that is not getting the attention it deserves in red states across America. (Conservatives are) are aggressively and successfully rolling back rights that all of us have come to take for granted. On Friday, he joined fellow West Coast Democratic Govs. Jay Inslee of Washington and Kate Brown of Oregon in a video message saying all three states would be abortion havens. Newsom said hes going to reach out to Democratic governors across the country to do the same thing. The challenge that Newsom and Democrats face is that it all may be for naught unless enough of them get out and vote in November. And then again in two years when Biden is up for re-election. Polls say that Democratic enthusiasm is far lower than that of the GOP going into the election. To those Democrats still slumbering, Newsom offered a challenge. He pointed to Justice Clarence Thomas concurring opinion Friday that said the court should reconsider its previous decisions on same sex-marriage and access to contraception. Theyre coming after you next, Newsom said. This is not just about women. This is not just about choice. This is not just about reproductive freedom. Theyre coming after you next. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Among the thousands who converged in the streets around San Franciscos Civic Center to kick off Pride, some were gay, others trans, a smattering were straight and more than a few were fully naked. One was likely sweating inside in a large Pikachu costume, which seemed among the more ho-hum options in the crowds. Some came, at least in part, to take selfies with corn dogs shaped like male genitalia or to buy crystals, sunglasses, Henna tattoos or T-shirts from among the variety of vendors. Rainbows were everywhere in the form of boas, capes, braids, shoelaces, face paint and pasties. They danced, they laughed, they hugged. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle But when asked what Pride meant to them, some started to tear up. To me, it means you can be somewhere and not give two hoots what people think, said David Guevara, 43, who has been coming to the citys Pride celebration every year from Houston since 2013, when he took the opportunity to get married at City Hall not long after it became legal for him to do so. I dont feel like people are looking at me and judging me, said his husband, Brian Ware, 42. Pride, Guevara said, means a lot. Rochell Franklin took her rainbows more seriously than most, her braids dyed rainbow, her clothes, her COVID mask and streamers off her arms all the colors of the rainbow. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle Its celebrating our own kind, the 40-year-old said, adding she and her wife are at Pride every year. Theres no judgment, no looking you up and down like youre so different from the rest of the world. In one case, Pride was overwhelming. Kate, 60, traveled from Florida to visit friends and attend her first Pride event. She had spent nearly three decades in the military as a closeted lesbian. She was still getting used to life in the open, declining to give her last name. What did Pride mean to her? I dont even know, she said. Im kind of in awe. I would have been terrified to even be seen in a place like this before. Jason Ewbank, 27, did not hesitate in describing what Pride means to him. Queer joy, he said. You get to be joyful. This years Pride was smaller than in years past, many said, likely because of the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic still hanging over the world. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle And it was perhaps a bit more subdued, some said, given the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade Friday and the implications that could have on gay marriage and other rights. And theres the war in Ukraine and soaring gas prices and the list goes on. And yet, there was a sense of hope in being surrounded by people who would not be silenced. Pride means love and Pride means history and first and foremost, Pride is a protest, said Jessica Linde-Goodfellow, from Fremont. And Pride means family. The 22-year-old noted she was a lesbian, like her parents. Freedom, said one of her moms, Wendy Goodfellow, offering her feelings about Pride. Just freedom for everybody to express themselves and feel safe. 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. Nearby, a group of straight women from Dixon walked through the crowd offering mom hugs. For them, Pride meant making sure kids were loved. Im so proud of you and so glad youre here, Peggy Harte told many of the hundreds of people who took the women up on the offer, leaning in and lingering as mom arms wrapped around them. As the afternoon wore on, the list of what Pride meant to people grew. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle Acceptance. Love without judgment. Self-love. Being who you are. Rylie Hanson, 28, who uses they/their pronouns, stood in the middle of the street, the gold-domed City Hall in the background, music blaring, people dancing and laughing around them. Protect trans kids was written in marker across their chest and stomach. They looked around at the crowd and at their friends and they smiled. What did Pride mean to them? To be unapologetically us, they said. And its not only accepted, its celebrated. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker By Shlomo Ben-Ami TEL AVIV In the 55 years Israel has been occupying Palestinian lands, there have been two intifadas, four wars in Gaza, and a long series of failed efforts to negotiate a two-state solution roughly adhering to Israel's pre-1967 borders. The situation may truly be as hopeless as it seems. Intransigence on both sides which no U.S. president has managed to overcome, though virtually every one since the Six-Day War has tried has gotten us to this point. While the Palestinians have sometimes embraced international diplomacy, they have also engaged in periods of obdurate resistance. It was the Palestinians who thwarted two promising peace initiatives, led by the forward-looking Israeli governments of Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert. Given sentiment in Israel today, they might not get another chance. With each failed peace process, the promise of peace has lost its potency as a mobilizing cause in Israel. Meanwhile, Israel has gradually tightened its control over the occupied territories, with virtually no international pushback. Even the Arab states six of which have normalized ties with Israel seem to have grown indifferent to the agony of the Palestinians. All of this has driven Israeli voters radically to the right, leaving Israel's peace camp demoralized and weak. The religious-nationalist bloc that former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu leads now represents the majority of Israelis. And as far-right as Netanyahu may be, he is practically a leftist compared to the tens of thousands of radical Jewish nationalists who marched through Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter on Jerusalem Day last month waving Israeli flags, repeating violent and Islamophobic chants like "death to Arabs," and attacking Palestinians. When Algerians rebelled against their French occupiers in one of the most brutal anti-colonial wars of the post-1945 era, the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, "It is not their violence, but ours, which turns back on itself." In fact, the French found the violence being enacted in their name so abhorrent that 75% of them voted to grant Algeria independence in the 1961 referendum. A similar sentiment is difficult to discern in Israel. On the contrary, popular support for the military's fight against "Palestinian terrorism" is overwhelming. To be sure, Israel has known its share of mass demonstrations in support of a peace deal, with protest movements like Women in Black still going strong. Israeli NGOs such as B'Tselem, Peace Now, and Breaking the Silence work hard to alert Israeli society of the sins of occupation. Joint Israeli-Palestinian organizations, like those bringing together family members of those lost to the ongoing conflict, do similarly admirable work. But none of these efforts has had a transformative impact on the peace process. This stands in stark contrast to the experience in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, when checkpoints, home searches, abusive language, blackmail, beatings, and arbitrary arrests were once standard practice, just as they are today in the occupied Palestinian territories. In Northern Ireland, pressure from civil-society groups and NGOs eventually drove the security forces to curb abusive practices, improve their recruitment processes, and introduce training for dealing with inter-community tensions. The path to peace in Northern Ireland was paved largely by a mobilized civil society. In Israel, however, only the Supreme Court stands between the military and worse behavior. The reason seems to lie in the nature of the conflict. Algeria's war of independence was an anti-colonial struggle taking place far away from France's shores. And the Troubles came down to an inter-community cleavage, which could be resolved through disarmament and power sharing. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by contrast, is existential. The question of where to draw borders is not merely practical; it has deep religious and cultural significance. For the Palestinians, Israel is the occupying power, impinging on their right to self-determination; but it is also their homeland. And for the now-dominant Israeli right, the occupied territories are the cradle of Jewish Biblical civilization. By fighting for the same lands, the two sides are effectively calling for the unconditional exclusion, even destruction, of the other. That goes a long way toward explaining their eagerness to alter the demographic balance Israel through Jewish immigration and the expansion of settlements, and the Palestinians by demanding the "right of return" for all refugees. Yasser Arafat, the late founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization, once called the womb of the Palestinian woman his "strongest weapon" against Israel, as it would give the Palestinians a demographic advantage in the occupied territories. Even if Israel did accede to the creation of a Palestinian state, it might continue to face threats to its survival. After all, Palestine would not be located far from its borders, like Algeria was from France. What if a radical Islamist group rose to power in Palestine and challenged the peace agreement? What if state-building faltered or failed, generating rising instability on Israel's doorstep? Or what if Palestine became a frontline outpost of a hostile foreign power? Already, Hamas and Hezbollah with robust assistance from Iran have turned Gaza and southern Lebanon, respectively, into launching pads for missiles targeting Israeli territory. Fifty-five years after Israel began occupying Palestinian lands, it is more difficult than ever to imagine a way out. The seeds of the two-state solution that were planted by visionary leaders on both sides have failed to take root. All that remains is a fatalistic acceptance of the conflict's insolubility. For both the occupied and the occupier, the future is bleak. Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Israeli foreign minister, is author of "Prophets Without Honor: The 2000 Camp David Summit and the End of the Two-State Solution" (Oxford University Press, 2022). This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org) Jennifer Oliva is a professor of law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where she specializes in health care law and policy and is affiliated with the UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy. Valena Beety is author of the forthcoming book Manifesting Justice: Wrongly Convicted Women Reclaim Their Rights. She is deputy director of the Academy for Justice and a professor of law at the Arizona State University Sandra Day OConnor College of Law. The West Oakland BART station closed temporarily shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday due to shooting on a Daly City-bound train, officials said. BART spokesperson Jim Allison said in a message issued on the agency's media line that one man was injured in the incident and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. By 2 p.m., BART reopened the West Oakland station with full service on both tracks between San Francisco and the East Bay on both tracks. "The incident train has been moved to a maintenance yard for further investigation," Alison said. ABC 7 spoke with witnesses who told the TV station that the shooting occurred when two men on the train started arguing. "The train approached the station," Ivan Rodriguez told ABC 7. "They got into a physical altercation. That's when a firearm was produced. Someone was hit in the head with it. The shot rang off. Can't really tell you what happened after that cause as soon as that happened we hit the floor." This is the second shooting in a week on public transit in the San Francisco Bay Area. A 27-year-old man was shot and killed and a 70-year-old man injured on Wednesday morning aboard a San Francisco Muni train traveling between the Forest Hill and Castro stations. The San Francisco Police Department said Friday morning that it arrested a suspect. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Senior U.S. officials were in Sri Lanka seeking ways to help the island nation cope with an unprecedented economic crisis and severe shortages of essential supplies, as the energy minister warned that new fuel shipments would be delayed. The U.S. over the past two weeks has announced millions of dollars in assistance to the South Asian island nation, which has been surviving on $4 billion in credit lines from neighboring India. It also has received pledges of $300 million to $600 million from the World Bank to buy medicine and other items. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last week announced the economy had collapsed due to dwindling foreign exchange reserves and a mounting debt, worsened by the pandemic and other longer term troubles. The U.S. delegation was led by Robert Kaproth, deputy assistant secretary of Treasury for Asia, and Kelly Keiderling, deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia. During their four-day stay, they are meeting with a wide range of political representatives, economists, and international organizations to explore the most effective ways for the U.S. to support Sri Lankans in need, Sri Lankans working to resolve the current economic crisis, and Sri Lankans planning for a sustainable and inclusive economy for the future, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. This visit underscores our ongoing commitment to the security and prosperity of the Sri Lankan people, said Julie Chung, U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka. As Sri Lankans endure some of the greatest economic challenges in their history, our efforts to support economic growth and strengthen democratic institutions have never been more critical, she said. The U.S. has announced $120 million in new financing for small and medium-sized businesses, a $27 million contribution to Sri Lankas dairy industry and $5.75 million in humanitarian assistance to help those hit hardest by the economic crisis. Another $6 million was committed in new grants for livelihoods and technical assistance on financial reform. Sri Lanka says it's unable to repay $7 billion in foreign debt due this year, pending the outcome of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund on a rescue package. It must pay $5 billion on average annually until 2026. Authorities have asked the IMF to lead a conference to unite Sri Lankas lenders. Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera in a tweet on Saturday evening urged people not to line up for fuel, saying new shipments would be delayed due to banking and logistics reasons. He said limited stocks of fuel will be distributed to limited stations throughout next week. He said until the next shipments arrive, public transport, power generations and industries will be given a priority. Residents have had to queue for hours and sometimes days to get fuel, sometimes resorting to burning charcoal or palm fronds for cooking. Wickremesinghe said last week that the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation was $700 million in debt and as a result, no country or organization was willing to provide fuel. Protesters have occupied the entrance to President Gotabaya Rajapaksas office for more than two months demanding his resignation, saying the primary responsibility for the crisis rests with him and his family, whom they accuse of corruption and mismanagement. Editor's note: This article originally appeared on KCRA. PARADISE, Calif. As the town of Paradise continues the long rebuilding process following the deadly Camp Fire, residents are focused on coming back stronger. From the very beginning, as we were moving to rebuild the town of Paradise, the goal was to rebuild back as an example, homeowner Casey Taylor said. Earlier on Wednesday, Taylor's home became the first in the country to receive a new designation as a "wildfire-prepared home." The designation was developed by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety as a way for homeowners to prove that they have taken scientifically proven steps to mitigate the risk of total home loss in a wildfire. In order to receive a designation, homeowners must meet a list of requirements that fall under three main categories. Heather Waldman/KCRA The first is having a "Class A" roof. A roof with this rating is made from material that is resistant to catching fire from embers. The second major category includes a list of materials and standards that should be used around attic spaces including an eighth-inch mesh screen over vents and maintaining clear gutters. The third and most notable requirement is maintaining at least 5 feet of space between the home and any combustible materials for the entire perimeter of the building. That includes things like mulch, vegetation and wood fencing. All of these ideas are things that we have looked at in the laboratory and in post-event," said IBHS Chief Engineer Anne Cope. "So weve seen ok this home had gravel and the embers landed, but they didnt ignite the house.' Engineers and scientists with IBHS have been researching wildfires for more than a decade, looking for building methods and materials that are most resistant to fire damage. Heather Waldman/KCRA IBHS CEO Roy Wright says that the town of Paradise was the ideal place to debut the Wildfire Prepared Home program. The town had already been working with IBHS during its reconstruction. In fact, the Paradise town council is working to add requirements for the new designation to town ordinances for future construction. Wright himself has family ties to the town. "My parents and my brother live in Paradise and lost their homes on this ridge," he said. "It is really satisfying to come back into the town knowing that the town leaders here are saying 'we understand what climate change has done,' 'we understand that the severity of these wildfires is not something we can ignore.'" Representatives from the insurance industry applauded the Wildfire Prepared Home program. They said that following a standardized list of proven wildfire mitigation steps can help homeowners acquire insurance and help make that insurance more affordable. Achieving the designation takes some investments and some time but in the end, it can provide some peace of mind, whether a homeowner has been touched by wildfire or not. "The effort was totally worth it," Taylor said. Anyone interested in receiving a wildfire-prepared home designation can start the application process by filling out a free self-assessment at wildfireprepared.org. A Hawaii grand jury indicted a convicted murderer in the brutal slaying of a Bay Area woman Wednesday, finally bringing a long-cold case closer to justice. Valerie Ann Warshay was 26 years old when she arrived on the Big Island for a solo vacation in March 1978. She was living in El Granada near Half Moon Bay and working for California State Parks when she decided to take an extended hiking trip to Hawaii. "She was a crazy fanatic hiker, a very physical sort of person," her boyfriend told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald at the time. "We hiked the entire coast from where we are in Santa Cruz and god knows how many miles through the mountains." Warshay, a social butterfly, soon made many friends as she journeyed around Hilo. During the day, she would take hikes up Mauna Loa and other beauty spots, and at night she would return to her campsite at Harry K. Brown Park in Kalapana; park rangers noted she was always careful to have the proper permits. On the night of April 22, Warshay spent the evening with some newfound friends at Kamoamoa, where they partook in a "jam session for music lovers," as the Tribune-Herald put it. Around 10 p.m., she headed back to her campsite. In the morning, a young girl picnicking with her family discovered Warshay's unclothed body at her coconut grove campsite. Warshay was dead from severe blows to the head; her belongings were found nearby, suggesting robbery was not the motive. In 1980, Hawaii media reported police were "certain" they'd solved the murder. "Police feel certain they know who killed Warshay," the Tribune-Herald reported. "Their suspect has since been convicted in another murder of a young woman and is serving a life sentence in Oahu Prison." That suspect was Stephen Ray Simpson, who lived in Fern Forest at the time of two 1978 murders on the Big Island. Simpson was found guilty of strangling Hilo College student Mary Catherine Drapp in 1979 and has been serving a life sentence ever since. On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted Simpson, now 72, for second-degree murder of Valerie Warshay. He is currently incarcerated at Oahu Community Correctional Center in Honolulu. Sabrina Hodak grew up in a Modern Jewish Orthodox family but only truly embraced Judaism at age 16, around the same time she understood she was bisexual. It was an upsetting and confusing time, because the same religious mentors who helped her strengthen her beliefs kept saying her sexuality would conflict with her faith. That was very frustrating, because I also knew that a lot of other religious people believed that," said Hodak, now a 19-year-old psychology major at Florida International University. In her journal, she kept asking, Can I please just find someone whos like me who wants to be religious and is able to embrace their queer identity? Hodak found the support she needed by joining Beloved Arise, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and empowering LGBTQ youth of faith. It's one of a number of online groups whose members are sharing their stories during Pride Month as part of a campaign aimed at encouraging others who have been shunned by religious communities. In video and written testimonies, the young advocates' message to their peers also comes at a crucial moment for LGBTQ youth as states like Florida and Texas are adopting legislation or policies that critics say marginalize them. I want to show that these identities arent a contradiction and for younger people to know that theres hope, said Hodak who in addition to Beloved Arise belongs to another group, Jewish Queer Youth. Florida's legislation, dubbed the Dont Say Gay law by critics, bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade. Supporters say parents, not teachers, should broach these subjects with children; opponents say the law demonizes LGBTQ people by excluding them from classroom lessons and recently sued to block it. In Texas, meanwhile, the state child welfare agency has been ordered to investigate reports of gender-confirming care for minors as abuse, a directive that opponents say is a first of its kind by any governor amid widespread GOP efforts to restrict transgender rights. Texas is definitely one of the hot spots for anti-LGBTQ rights and that has definitely been really hard, especially given that my faith can also be similar not the most accepting, said Roswell Grey, a 16-year-old from Sherman, Texas who identifies as queer and nonbinary and was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Utah-based religion, also known as the Mormon church, has tried in the last decade or so to create a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ members. Still, some church stances remain painful for many LGBTQ members, such as its teaching that while being gay is not a sin, engaging in same-sex relationships is against Gods commandments. Its really difficult to not act upon who I am and not to be who I am, Grey said. He was recently named a Beloved Arise youth ambassador and has shared his story as part of the campaign through interviews and social media, in hopes of inspiring other young queer people of faith and remind religions that reject them that they should be welcoming. The original church that Christ created on Earth was really diverse. He taught sex workers and he taught disabled people, anyone and everyone, said Grey, who is also a member of the Rainbow Connection, a group that focuses on queer young people in his faith. Across the U.S., circumstances vary widely for LGBTQ youth seeking religious engagement. Some major Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, condemn same-sex unions and say all sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman is sinful. But thousands of houses of worship, including many mainline Protestant churches and synagogues, have LGBTQ-inclusive policies. Another who has been telling her story publicly is 21-year-old Lily Clifford, also a youth ambassador for Beloved Arise, who was raised Southern Baptist in Missouri in what she called a very fundamentalist, very homophobic environment where she often heard that gay people would end up in hell. Last year Clifford, who identifies as pansexual, came out while attending Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon, and began a club on campus with other queer youth of faith. Meetings are private because they fear reprisals from other students at the Christian college. If you have everyone telling you that God hates you and youre going to hell and your family disowned you, or you get fired from a religious job ... it causes a lot of depression and you feel isolated, Clifford said. So just one person telling you God does love you ... listening to you, can make all the difference. Christine Wehner, 22, grew up in northern Virginia and attended a Presbyterian church with her family until she came out as gay in 2019, during college. As a child she never questioned her church's teachings that homosexuality was a sin, she said. Once I realized I was gay, two core identities my sexuality and my faith felt like they were in deep conflict. I felt like I had to choose one or the other, she said via email. But I couldnt; they were both too deeply ingrained in who I am. The result was feelings of guilt, shame and cognitive dissonance that took years to overcome through prayer, therapy and guidance from mentors that helped her reconcile her queerness. She is not involved with the awareness campaign but spoke to The Associated Press with a similar aim of inspiring others. Seeing someone in a happy, healthy, God-honoring queer relationship may help relieve that shame for someone watching, Wehner said. Similarly, queer people who arent Christians might be able to have a more positive experience of Christianity. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. After two missed years due to the pandemic, San Francisco Pride returned this weekend with their first in-person parade since 2019. The jubilant event began on at the Embarcadero, with the SF Dykes on Bikes leading the way down Market Street. Reminiscent of the previous weekend's Golden State Warriors championship parade, Market Street was flooded with San Franciscans ready to celebrate the city's LGBTQ+ community. The crowds spilled out into the area surrounding Civic Center, where vendors and food stalls served the thousands of attendees. As the weekend sets in, reactions continue to emerge from news of the revocation of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court on Friday. In Laredo, there have been people claiming they are happy with the decision and others who are completely against it. The reactions have sparked big debates between locals and what they believe, and that is something that may continue for the coming days, weeks and months, and could play a part in the upcoming November election. For those who celebrated the decision, they stated it was a joyous thing to consider as the Court made the correct decision. It is joy as abortion is murder, said Michelle Marie Romani. We cannot codify sin. What I find hypocritical about the Left is that they feign moral outrage at the murders in Uvalde and then turn a blind eye to the millions of innocent unborn children who have been slaughtered in the womb. The death of a child, whether by abortion or gun violence, is a reprehensible evil. Others who celebrated the decision said it was something that needed to be done. Good, abortion is not a constitutional right, Steve Moreno said. Still, this sentiment wasn't held by everyone. Many around the city voiced outrage as they believe current restrictions were sufficient to ensure abortion was not an abused procedure but rather something used for women undergoing an unwanted pregnancy. It is a sad day in America when people care more about unborn children than living people and children, Maria Castro said. They care about stopping women from having unwanted pregnancies, but they also do not do anything to make sure poverty levels improve, to make sure that children have a better access to education and that children can be shielded from gun violence. Another opponent of the decision, Virginia Palacios, organized a small protest on Friday evening. This is a frightening decision from the Supreme Court, asserting the state's power to control our bodies, Palacios said. This disregard for bodily autonomy is the same set of values that condones slavery, genocide and incarceration of children. Men also were in support of women's autonomy and against the decision by the Supreme Court. One said the decision was politically motivated and was not something done to change an incorrect policy. Stupid decision, Christopher Moore said. Politically motivated. Unwanted children will now suffer abuse, abandonment, lack of support. Republicans that forced this issue will now b---- because they will end up supporting these unwanted children. As people were upset regarding the decision, those in favor did say people in the state of Texas do not have to worry about abortion being gone altogether, as several provisions to protect those women who were forced to become pregnant do still have options. Moreno said Texan women shouldn't worry about the decision, as it will still protect women who get pregnant because of rape or because of incest. He also says the state still allows for abortions to occur legally if they do detect their pregnancies within the first six weeks of pregnancy. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended his state's strict new abortion law, saying that it doesn't force victims of rape and incest to carry their pregnancy to term because it provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion, Moreno said. Proponents of abortion say the Texas law on abortion can even change further now given the Supreme Court decision. They say this allows the state to become even stricter with abortion policy than before. Those exceptions were only guaranteed under Roe v Wade, Jesus Perez said. Now that it's been overturned, states can choose whether or not they want any exceptions at all. Some red states are already talking about no exceptions whatsoever. Perez, however, said he feels the current legislature in the state and governor's administration might not want to change the policy any further and leave those protections, but he says he is worried a more far-right agenda might make these protections become obsolete later in the future. Despite the current Texan protection for women up to six weeks, some women argue such policies are really not enough for them to find out they are even pregnant. Most women dont know theyre pregnant at six weeks, Rosa Estrada-Ordonez said. I know because Im a woman. I didnt know I was pregnant twice, and I was 12 weeks along. MANILA, Philippines (AP) An inter-island ferry with 165 passengers and crew caught fire off a central Philippine province Sunday, leaving one dead and another missing while the rest were safely rescued, the coast guard said. The fire hit the vessel Mama Mary Chloe shortly after noon near two island villages in Bohol province, coast guard officials said. A search backed by fishing boats was underway for one missing person. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, front row eighth from left, poses with participants in a special reception co-hosted by the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) and the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of KGCCI By Park Jae-hyuk Prime Minister Han Duck-soo promised German and French businesspeople in Korea that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will improve the foreign investment environment significantly over the next five years, communicating closely with foreign entrepreneurs here in Korea in order to help solve operational difficulties that they face. He made the promise in his keynote speech delivered during a special reception co-hosted on Thursday evening by the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) and the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI). Emphasizing that the most important means for economic development is increased investment, Han said the government is targeting investment-oriented growth as its main policy goal. He also asked foreign businesspeople here to pay more attention to the government's efforts to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan. "We express our gratitude to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo for his meaningful speech," KGCCI Chairperson Park Hyun-Nam said. "Today is a great start for a fruitful collaboration between the Korean government and the German and French as well as the whole European business community. We look forward to a valuable and reliable partnership in the years to come." FKCCI Chairman David-Pierre Jalicon said, "We are much honored to co-organize the event with you Mr. Han Duck-Soo, prime minister of Korea, especially as it is the first time you address a business foreign community since your nomination." Jalicon, however, pointed out that there are still issues that French companies are facing, regarding market access, trade or simply doing business in Korea. Maria Castillo Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union to Korea, commended Korea's gesture of re-selling five LNG ships to Europe, considering that the green and digital transition has become a key pillar of the post-pandemic recovery, for both the EU and Korea, but also as a response to Russia's war in Ukraine. "The EU welcomes very much Korea's plan to become a 'global pivotal state' focusing on values and freedom, and shouldering responsibilities commensurate with Korea's economic might," she said. Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann, co-chairperson of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry / Courtesy of Porsche Korea PHOENIX (AP) Two men were fatally shot in west Phoenix early Sunday after an alleged home invasion, according to authorities. Phoenix police said officers were called to the scene around 7:45 a.m. and found two men who were wounded. LAS VEGAS (AP) Las Vegas Historic Westside community is paving the way for an African American Museum and Cultural Arts Center, as part of its road map to revitalization. The center is one of many implementation strategies under the communitys HUNDRED Plan a comprehensive agenda, developed in 2016, to breathe new life into the Historic Westside. The city of Las Vegas issued a request for proposals on June 6 from interested parties to develop a master plan for the museum. The application deadline is July 7. Las Vegas Councilman Cedric Crear refers to it as changing the course of the river. If you look at the Historic Westside and you look at what all has taken place throughout the city, the growth of the city, everything has been sort of built up around it, said Crear. Then youll see that a lot hasnt happened within the Historic Westside for decades. The center will serve as an educational opportunity for museum goers to experience and celebrate the contributions of African Americans. A timeline or cost of the project could not be confirmed by Crear, but he hopes the museum will materialize by within the next five to ten years. The idea of a cultural epicenter for African Americans to celebrate their culture has been in talks since 2016. This is talking about the cultural not only locally, but around the state as well as nationally the contributions that African Americans have made to our society, said Crear. With the Historic Westside having a minority-majority population, Crear and other city councilmembers thought it important to have the museum there. And community members have been overwhelmingly supportive of the new initiative, according to Crear. If you look at the Historic Westside, it is one of the most historic areas of the city. It helped build this entire city, he said. Youd be hard pressed outside of downtown, maybe the Strip and some other areas, to find a trade area that has played such a definitive role congruence of (the African American) community. Specific details about the museum are slim, but the city has outlined some expectations on its website. One of them includes connecting the Walker African-American Museum and Research Center, on West Van Buren Avenue and H Street, to a new facility or possibly repurposing Ethel Pearson Park for the museum. It also hopes to incorporate standing and rotating collections from African American art and artists of all varieties, according to the website. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said much of the progress made against crime was erased by the COVID-19 pandemic, but believes the citys police department has made improvements. In his first State of the City address of his second term, Keller also announced Saturday that the Albuquerque Police Department is seeking release from at least some of the federal oversight it has been under since 2015. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) When the couple awoke to the rumble of war on Feb. 24, they'd been dating for just over a year. Russia was invading and Ihor Zakvatskyi knew there was no more time to lose. He fished out the engagement ring he'd bought but, until then, not yet been ready to give to Kateryna Lytvynenko and proposed. If death do us part, he figured, then let it be as husband and wife. I did not want to waste a single minute without Katya knowing that I wanted to spend my life with her, Zakvatskyi, 24, said as he and his 25-year-old bride exchanged vows and wedding rings this month in the capital, Kyiv. The newlyweds joined a growing army of Ukrainian couples who are speedily turning love into matrimony because of the war. Some are soldiers, marrying just before they head off to fight. Others are simply united in determination that living and loving to the full are more important than ever in the face of so much death and destruction. Ukraine's wartime martial laws include a provision allowing Ukrainians, both soldiers and civilians, to apply and marry on the same day. In Kyiv alone, more than 4,000 couples have jumped at the expedited opportunity . Before the war, a one-month wait was the norm. After a three-month interruption in normal service, Kyiv's Central Civil Registry Office is fully open again and working almost at a prewar pace. Since Russia withdrew its badly bloodied invasion forces from around Kyiv in April, redirecting them to front lines east and south, many people who'd fled the fighting have returned. Weddings have increased accordingly. The returnees include Daria Ponomarenko, 22, who fled to Poland. Her boyfriend, Yevhen Nalyvaiko, 23, had to stay, because of rules preventing men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Reunited, they quickly wed because "we dont know what will happen tomorrow, she said. Jealously guarding their intimacy after their painful months apart, it was just the two of them, without friends and family. Rather than a puffy bridal gown, she wore a Ukrainian embroidered shirt, the traditional Vyshyvanka chosen now by many brides to stress their Ukrainian identity. In peacetime, they would have opted for a traditional wedding with many guests. But that seemed frivolous in war. Everything is perceived more sharply, people become real during such events, he said. Anna Karpenko, 30, refused to let the invasion crimp her wedding she arrived in a white limousine. Life must go on, she said. She and her new husband dated for seven years, often talking about marriage, before the war turned the plan into action. Pavlo and Oksana Savryha already had 18 years of civil marriage under their belts before the invasion prompted them to renew their vows this time in a small 12th-century church in the war-damaged northern city of Chernihiv. Our souls told us to do so. Before the invasion, we were constantly running somewhere, in a hurry, and the war forced us to stop and not postpone the important decisions until tomorrow, Pavlo said. With Oksana sheltering in the basement of their home, her husband took up arms, joining a territorial defense force, when Russian forces surrounded and bombarded Chernihiv in the initial failed stage of the invasion. He subsequently joined the regular army. They celebrated their love in church this month. The next day, he was sent to the front. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Larry Harwood is one of the regulars who takes a spot on the benche in front of Port Hopes The Chill Zone ice cream shop every Thursday evening. Harwood and others have been spending every Thursday night for the past few weeks enjoying ice cream and live music during open mic night, when anyone is welcome to play an instrument and sing a song or two. A retired truck driver and lifelong resident of Port Hope, Harwood recalled how the building now serving as home to The Chill Zone once housed the barbershop where he would get his hair cut as a child. The vacant building next door was home to the telephone company, he said, and the buildings up the street were once a pool hall and a store. Harwood said his mother worked cleaning one of the offices on that stretch of Main Street and that his barber was fond of taking a nip out behind his shop. As the evening progressed, a steady stream of customers lined up in front of The Chill Zones order window, and most stayed for a while to listen to the musicians performing between the ice cream shop and the post office. One of those musicians was Cliff Stuehmer, who serves as the organizer of open mic night. Stuehmer said his setlist can feature artists like Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran. He plays electric and acoustic guitar and the ukulele and is sometimes accompanied by his wife, Rosemary. Stuehmer said he has been taking part in open mic night for the past nine years. He and his wife moved to northeastern Huron County about 11 years ago after retiring from Ford Motor Co. as a powertrain engineer. He was one of the many young Americans inspired by the British invasion in the early 1960s. His musical tastes are wide-ranging, and he doesnt like to limit himself to one era. When the Beatles came to town, everybody had a band, and I did, too, Stuehmer said. On Thursday night, Stuehmer was one of four musicians who performed. Ron, Larry and Greg rounded out the lineup, friends Stuehmer said he had made performing during open mic nights. Kayla Lloyd, owner of The Chill Zone, bought the ice cream shop in 2018 after working for the previous owner, Gene Schuett, who was looking to sell his business at the time. It was the perfect time for me to buy it, Lloyd said. Lloyd said business has been great so far this summer, and Thursday night's music is a highlight of the week, with people clapping along and dancing on the sidewalk. Its a great opportunity to bring the community together for a fun evening, she said. They have a good old time. The Chill Zone is open Monday-Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. until Labor Day, then weekends through the end of September. GRANT, Fla. (AP) A suspect believed to be holding two women hostage was fatally shot by deputies along Florida's Space Coast following a chase that spanned three counties. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that a woman on Saturday night was shot and kidnapped in Osceola County, located south of Orlando. The suspect was pursued into Indian River County and then Brevard County with the wounded woman and another woman in his car. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) When the ground heaved from last weeks earthquake in Afghanistan, Nahim Guls stone-and-mud house collapsed on top of him. He clawed through the rubble in the predawn darkness, choking on dust as he searched for his father and two sisters. He doesn't know how many hours of digging passed before he caught a glimpse of their bodies under the ruins. They were dead. Now, days after a 6 magnitude quake that devastated a remote southeast region of Afghanistan and killed at least 1,150 people by authorities' estimates, Gul sees destruction everywhere and help in short supply. His niece and nephew were also killed in the quake, crushed by the walls of their house. The United Nations has put the death toll at 770 people but warned it could rise further. Either toll would make the quake Afghanistans deadliest in two decades. I dont know what will happen to us or how we should restart our lives, Gul told The Associated Press on Sunday, his hands bruised and his shoulder injured. We dont have any money to rebuild. Its a fear shared among thousands in the impoverished villages where the fury of the quake has fallen most heavily in Paktika and Khost provinces, along the jagged mountains that straddle the countrys border with Pakistan. Those who were barely scraping by have lost everything. Many have yet to be visited by aid groups and authorities, which are struggling to reach the afflicted area on rutted roads some made impassable by landslides and damage. Aware of its constraints, the cash-strapped Taliban have called for foreign assistance and on Saturday appealed to Washington to unfreeze billions of dollars in Afghanistans currency reserves. The United Nations and an array of international aid groups and countries have mobilized to send help. China pledged Saturday nearly $7.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid, joining nations including Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in dispatching a planeload of tents, towels, beds and other badly needed supplies to the quake-hit area. U.N. Deputy Special Representative Ramiz Alakbarov toured the hard-hit Paktika province on Saturday to assess the damage and distribute food, medicine and tents. U.N. helicopters and trucks laden with bread, flour, rice and blankets have trickled into the stricken areas. Yesterdays visit reaffirmed to me both the extreme suffering of people in Afghanistan and their tremendous resolve in the face of great adversity, Alakbarov said, appealing for the repair of damaged water pipes, roads and communication lines in the area. Without support, he added, Afghans "will continue to endure unnecessary and unimaginable hardship. But the relief effort remains patchy and limited due to funding and access constraints. The Taliban, which seized power last August from a government sustained for 20 years by a U.S.-led military coalition, appears overwhelmed by the logistical complexities of issues like debris removal in what is shaping up to be a major test of its capacity to govern. Villagers have dug out their dead loved ones with their bare hands, buried them in mass graves and slept in the woods despite the rain. Nearly 800 families are living out in the open, according to the U.N.s humanitarian coordination organization OCHA. Gul received a tent and blankets from a local charity in the Gayan district, but he and his surviving relatives have had to fend for themselves. Terrified as the earth still rumbles from aftershocks like one on Friday that claimed five more lives, he said his children in Gayan refuse to go indoors. The earthquake was the latest calamity to convulse Afghanistan, which has been reeling from a dire economic crisis since the Taliban took control of the country as the U.S. and its NATO allies were withdrawing their forces. Foreign aid a mainstay of Afghanistan's economy for decades stopped practically overnight. World governments piled on sanctions, halted bank transfers and paralyzed trade, refusing to recognize the Taliban government. The Biden administration cut off the Taliban's access to $7 billion in foreign currency reserves held in the United States. As he toured the disaster site, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi urged the White House to release the funds at a time when Afghanistan is in the grips of earthquakes and floods" and to lift banking restrictions so charities can more easily provide aid. Western donors have withheld longer-term assistance as they demand the Taliban allow a more inclusive rule and respect human rights. The former insurgents have resisted the pressure, imposing restrictions on the freedoms of women and girls that recall their first time in power in the late 1990s. Now, around half the countrys 39 million people are facing life-threatening levels of food insecurity because of poverty. Most civil servants, including doctors, nurses and teachers, have not been paid for months. U.N. agencies and other remaining organizations have scrambled to keep Afghanistan from the brink of starvation with a humanitarian program that has fed millions and kept the medical system afloat. But with international donors lagging, U.N. agencies face a $3 billion funding shortfall this year. On Sunday, the World Health Organization said it was stepping up surveillance of infectious diseases in Afghanistans earthquake-hit areas. Afghanistan is one of the two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world. Reeling from war and impoverished long before the Taliban takeover, the far-flung areas hit by last Wednesdays earthquake are particularly ill-equipped to cope. Some local businessmen have swung into action. The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment said on Sunday it had raised over $1.5 million for Pakitka and Khost provinces. Still, for those whose homes have been obliterated, the help may not be enough. We have nothing left, Gul said. ___ Faiez reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report. ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) The Roswell incident has been one of the most thoroughly researched and debated mysteries in the history of the UFO phenomenon and among the most enduring. Barring a major revelation between now and July, Roswell will mark the 75th anniversary of the alleged 1947 UFO crash with the debate over what occurred here far from settled. That hasnt been for a lack of digging. For decades now, journalists, authors, documentary film crews and others fascinated by the incident have unearthed and publicized countless bits of information and artifacts of that time. Along the way, theyve brought attention to many pieces of Roswell history, such as the July 1947 front pages of the Roswell Daily Record that recorded initial reports of the incident along with a follow-up version of events presented by the military that some now view as one of historys greatest cover-ups. The intensity of focus placed on the Roswell incident for three-quarters of a century has led some to posit that most contemporaneous records have already been scrutinized. But one piece of local history recently uncovered provides an interesting companion to those iconic 1947 headlines the public has become familiar with while adding yet more pages to a still-growing historical record. The Roswell Morning Dispatch, a long-defunct sister newspaper of the Roswell Daily Record, was published in the mornings from 1928-1950. The Dispatch covered the news of the day, and as such, it carried accounts in July 1947 of the unfolding events related to the alleged recovery of a crashed Flying Disk outside Roswell, along with the militarys explanations for what had occurred. Its historical headlines were discovered among archived editions of the newspaper, the Daily Record reported. Of interest to UFO research enthusiasts: The July 9, 1947 headline in the Morning Dispatch read, Army Debunks Roswell Flying Disk As World Simmers With Excitement, followed by a sub-head bearing a familiar assertion that would help fuel future accusations of a cover-up: Officers Say Disk Is A Weather Balloon. A sidebar describes then-sheriff George Wilcox fielding calls from media around the world as journalists sought information on what would come to be known as the Roswell incident. Nick Pope, who investigated UFOs for the UK Ministry of Defense, said discovery of the old headlines holds significance for researchers and others interested in the phenomenon. Its a fascinating piece of history that time had forgotten, Pope said. It just shows that 75 years after the Roswell incident, there are still discoveries to be made in the archives. He added, Any historian will tell you that going back to the original sources is priceless when it comes to getting an insight into what happened and how those people involved were reacting and perceiving things, and what the feeling was in the local community. This is just an amazing glimpse into Roswell in 1947 which was ground zero for this mystery that still endures to this day. Barbara Beck, publisher of the Roswell Daily Record, said that bringing a new resource to light for researchers is something the papers staff is excited about. It has taken over 70 years for the Roswell Morning Dispatch with its unique articles and headlines to be discovered while looking through our newspapers archives, she said. The Dispatch was originally owned by my family and its very exciting that we now have a new primary resource to further understand the history of New Mexico and its undiscovered stories. The Roswell Daily Record headlines related to the 1947 UFO incident have, for some time, been federally trademarked. Beck added that the Roswell Morning Dispatch accounts have also now been trademarked, meaning they cant be reproduced without permission. Theres much to be discovered in the archives. A look at the Dispatch records provide a reminder, for instance, of the degree to which a public fascination with UFOs had taken hold here and across the country at that time. The Roswell incident is one of four UFO-related accounts that appear just on the front page of the July 9, 1947 Morning Dispatch. The other items: Carrizozo Man Sees Flying Disk, Joe Massey Spots Disk Over Roswell, and an image of an unknown object in the sky over Seattle, Washington, with a caption that asks the question, Is this a flying disc? Further research into the archives has uncovered many more mentions of sightings. Readers might also notice that the Dispatch front page contains instances of language that reflect the less culturally sensitive times during which the paper was being published. Daily Record management thought it was important to present the archival front page, a piece of local history, to the public unedited and unaltered. Pope, who will travel to Roswell in July to participate in the Daily Records Roswell Incident event, part of the citys UFO Festival, said he hopes discovery of the old Dispatch headlines reminds people that historical records could still be out there, waiting to be discovered. Such a discovery could, as the much anticipated 75th anniversary of the incident nears, help shed new light on what happened in 1947. The fact that Roswell will be the focus of world attention again, is almost like ... a sort of final chance to maybe solve the mystery, one way or the other, for good, he said. Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. While there is a possibility that some magic could occur" and Russia gets the money through financial institutions to bondholders despite sanctions, nobodys making that bet," said Jay S. Auslander, a top sovereign debt lawyer at the firm of Wilk Auslander in New York. The overwhelming probability is they wont be able to because no bank is going to move the money. Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department ended Russia's ability to pay its billions in debt back to international investors through American banks. In response, the Russian Finance Ministry said it would pay dollar-denominated debts in rubles and offer the opportunity for subsequent conversion into the original currency. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad. There is money and there is also the readiness to pay," Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said last month. This situation, artificially created by an unfriendly country, will not have any effect on Russians quality of life. Tim Ash, senior emerging market sovereign analyst at BlueBay Asset Management, tweeted that the default is clearly not" beyond Russia's control and that sanctions are preventing it from paying its debts because it invaded Ukraine. Here are key things to know about a Russian default: HOW MUCH DOES RUSSIA OWE? About $40 billion in foreign bonds, about half of that to foreigners. Before the start of the war, Russia had around $640 billion in foreign currency and gold reserves, much of which was held overseas and is now frozen. Russia has not defaulted on its international debts since the Bolshevik Revolution more than a century ago, when the Russian Empire collapsed and the Soviet Union was created. Russia defaulted on its domestic debts in the late 1990s but was able to recover from that default with the help of international aid. Investors have expected Russia to default for months. Insurance contracts that cover Russian debt have priced a 80% likelihood of default for weeks, and rating agencies like Standard & Poors and Moodys have placed the countrys debt deep into junk territory. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A COUNTRY IS IN DEFAULT? Ratings agencies can lower the rating to default or a court can decide the issue. Bondholders who have credit default swaps contracts that act like insurance policies against default can ask a committee of financial firm representatives to decide whether a failure to pay debt should trigger a payout, which still isnt a formal declaration of default. The Credit Default Determination Committee an industry group of banks and investment funds ruled June 7 that Russia had failed to pay required additional interest after making a payment on a bond after the April 4 due date. But the committee put off taking further action due to uncertainty over how sanctions might affect any settlement. WHAT CAN INVESTORS DO? The formal way to declare default is if 25% or more of bondholders say they didnt get their money. Once that happens, provisions say all Russias other foreign bonds are also in default, and bondholders could then seek a court judgment to enforce payment. In normal circumstances, investors and the defaulting government typically negotiate a settlement in which bondholders are given new bonds that are worth less but that at least give them some partial compensation. But sanctions bar dealings with Russias finance ministry. And no one knows when the war will end or how much defaulted bonds could wind up being worth. In this case, declaring default and suing might not be the wisest choice, Auslander said. It's not possible to negotiate with Russia and there are so many unknowns, so creditors may decide to hang tight for now. Investors who wanted out of Russian debt have probably already headed for the exits, leaving those who may have bought bonds at knocked-down prices in hopes of profiting from a settlement in the long run. And they might want to keep a low profile for a while to avoid being associated with the war. Once a country defaults, it can be cut off from bond-market borrowing until the default is sorted out and investors regain confidence in the governments ability and willingness to pay. But Russia has already been cut off from Western capital markets, so any return to borrowing is a long way off anyway. The Kremlin can still borrow rubles at home, where it mostly relies on Russian banks to buy its bonds. WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT OF RUSSIA'S DEFAULT? Western sanctions over the war have sent foreign companies fleeing from Russia and interrupted the country's trade and financial ties with the rest of the world. Default would be one more symptom of that isolation and disruption. Investment analysts are cautiously reckoning that a Russia default would not have the kind of impact on global financial markets and institutions that came from an earlier default in 1998. Back then, Russias default on domestic ruble bonds led the U.S. government to step in and get banks to bail out Long-Term Capital Management, a large U.S. hedge fund whose collapse, it was feared, could have shaken the wider financial and banking system. Holders of the bonds for instance, funds that invest in emerging market bonds could take serious losses. Russia, however, played only a small role in emerging market bond indexes, limiting the losses to fund investors. While the war itself is having devastating consequences in terms of human suffering and higher food and energy prices worldwide, default on government bonds would be definitely not systemically relevant, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has said. An Australian law professor who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 30 years says the booming Chinese economy has contributed to the development of the city. He also highlighted the improvement of democracy in Hong Kong after the handover in 1997. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Lee Chang-yang, left, minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, speaks during the Energy Commission meeting at the Plaza Hotel Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy By Baek Byung-yeul Korea has gone all-out to revive its nuclear power generation industry under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration as Lee Chang-yang, minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, will visit the Czech Republic and Poland from June 28 to July 1 in order to win new power plant contracts, the ministry said Sunday. The two European countries are undergoing a process to build new nuclear power plants for their own energy security and to achieve carbon neutrality goals. Once an industry leader in the sector before the previous administration's nuclear phase out policy Korea is expected to revamp its nuclear power generation-related businesses through such overseas deals. "Minister Lee plans to visit the Czech Republic and Poland for his first overseas business meetings since taking the office to discuss industrial and energy cooperation with the Central European Countries," the ministry said. During his visit, Lee will meet his counterparts Jozef Sikela, minister of Industry and Trade, and Milos Vystrcil, senate head, in the Czech Republic while he is scheduled to meet Anna Moskwa, minister of Climate and Environment, and Waldemar Buda, minister of Economic Development and Technology, in Poland. "The minister will promote Korea to the Czech Republic and Poland as the best partner for nuclear power plant cooperation, thanks to its excellent capabilities in construction and equipment manufacturing, and discuss specific measures for nuclear power plant cooperation," the ministry added. The industry minister will also discuss ways to strengthen cooperation with the two European countries in high-tech industries such as electric vehicles, hydrogen and batteries, which are of common interests for all three countries. The move apparently came after President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to make all-out efforts to support Korea's nuclear power generation-related companies and industry because the previous Moon Jae-in administration's radical plan to abolish nuclear power plants drove the related industrial ecosystem into dire straits. As Europe acknowledged, early this year, that nuclear power is essential for carbon neutrality to overcome the climate crisis, the previous Moon administration's nuclear power phase-out policy that didn't come with any detailed backup plan and drew criticism. In line with the Yoon administration's policy to revamp the country's nuclear power industry, the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has been inviting journalists from the Czech Republic and Poland to Korea, from June 20 to July 1, to promote the superiority of the country's nuclear power technology. In the first week of the two-week-long event, Czech journalists took a look around KHNP's headquarters and nuclear power generation facilities here in Korea while the second week of the event featured Polish journalists. The journalists also met the industry minister on June 24 and had a question and answer session. "We are pleased to promote our nuclear power plants to opinion leaders in target export countries. We hope it will be a good opportunity to discover Korea's various charms as well as excellent technologies," KHNP CEO Chung Jae-hoon said. HOUSTON (AP) A Houston man has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting four men, including three who were killed, in the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad, according to prosecutors. A jury in Harris County last week found Joshua Kelsey, 37, guilty of three counts of murder before sentencing him. LOS ANGELES As his wife stood behind him and held back tears, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday called the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sickening and beckoned women in other states to California, their sanctuary for free abortion care. In Texas, where performing an abortion will soon be a felony, Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the ruling and promised he will always fight to save every child from the ravages of abortion. The disparate responses from the governors of the two most populous states in the nation highlighted the stark political divide in America, deepened by radically different approaches to health care, gun control, the COVID-19 pandemic, LGBTQ rights, immigration and now, once again, reproductive rights. This is a serious moment in American history, Newsom said. This great divergence: Red states versus blue states. Newsom clearly embraces his rise as a dominant, resonating voice for Democratic states nationwide and as a foil of governors such as Abbott and Ron DeSantis of Florida, whom he condemns as disciples of the hard-right, Donald Trump wing of the Republican Party. This month, Newsom joined Trumps fledgling social media network, Truth Social, he said, to call out Republican lies. While launching his own offensive, Newsom also has criticized the national Democratic Party for failing to step up to the fight with conservatives. The governor joined with Govs. Kate Brown of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington on Friday in announcing a multistate commitment to defend access to reproductive health services and contraceptives. The states vowed to protect patients from GOP states that have threatened to ban their residents from seeking abortions elsewhere in response to the high court ruling. I want folks to know around the rest of the country, many parts of the globe, that I hope were your antidote to your fear, or anxiety, perhaps to the cynicism that many of you are feeling about the fate and future, Newsom said. The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not protect the right to abortion, leaving that decision up to states. Twenty states, mostly along the West Coast and in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, have policies designed to protect the right to end a pregnancy. Another 20, primarily in the South and the interior West, are moving quickly to ban or severely restrict that right. In the remaining 10 states, abortion remains hotly contested. The gulf between red and blue states has widened significantly in recent years. That reversed a long trend that started just after World War II of growing uniformity across the country, as legal racial segregation ended in the South and the federal government and courts expanded rights for all American citizens. The split on abortion closely reflects public opinion in the states. In California, Oregon and Washington, for example, roughly 60% of residents said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a 50-state survey by the Public Religion Research Institute in 2018. By contrast, only about 40% of people took that position in the most strongly antiabortion states, including Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Utah and Idaho. The responses to the Roe decision also revealed the divide. DeSantis said that Florida, which previously passed a law banning abortions after 15 weeks that will take effect next week, would seek to expand its abortion restrictions. Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told WBEZ, the public radio station in Chicago, that he planned to call the state legislature into a special session to consider ways to further protect abortion rights. I think broadly, we need to expand and assist in expanding the number of healthcare providers who can help uphold reproductive rights, perform abortions and other procedures, he said. The state is predicting a large influx of patients from Missouri, Indiana and other nearby states with strict abortion limits. By positioning California as a beacon for abortion rights, Newsom has drawn a sharp contrast with Texas, Californias perennial rival. On abortion, the two states occupy the polar opposites of the spectrum, said Ken Miller, author of Texas vs. California: A History of Their Struggle for the Future of America. Texas passed a trigger law to go into effect 30 days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. The law bans nearly all abortions at the time of fertilization. That puts Texas among the 13 most restrictive states in the country. California, meanwhile, is as affirming of abortion rights and reproductive rights as any state could be, said Miller, a professor of state and local politics at Claremont McKenna College. Newsom on Friday also touted an effort to enshrine Californias abortion protections in the states Constitution, saying doing so will codify our values. He also used the U.S. Supreme Courts decision as an impetus for signing a bill that protects abortion providers in California from liability when caring for patients traveling from areas where the procedure is now banned or access is narrowed. Newsom said the law counters one passed in Texas last year allowing private citizens to sue anyone who aids or abets an abortion in the state after about six weeks of pregnancy. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, said that while the right to travel, including to get an abortion, is protected, he expects conservative states will pass laws that try to prohibit women from leaving in order to get an abortion. That should be unconstitutional, but well see what the court does, Chemerinsky said. The two states have also taken wildly divergent paths when it comes to guns and healthcare. The day after the May 24 elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Newsom announced that he would back more than a dozen additional bills to further tighten Californias extensive gun control laws. They include allowing the state Department of Justice, local governments and gun violence survivors to sue gun industry members for violating a firearm industry standard of conduct. After the Uvalde shooting, Abbott argued that gun laws hadnt stopped shootings in states such as California and said Texas should work on mental health. Theyve become representations of our national political division and polarization, Miller said. California envisions itself as leading the way in representing progressive values in these issues in the same way that Texas sees itself as the defender of the conservative views on the right. Last year, as the response to the COVID-19 pandemic became highly partisan, mask and vaccine mandates became political battlegrounds. California was the first state to announce that it would require all public employees and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or be tested weekly. In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law last year banning employers from firing workers who refuse a COVID-19 vaccination if those employees claim a medical or religious exemption. DeSantis fought mask mandates in Florida, submitting a budget this year that initially rewarded schools that did not enact universal mandates for students. Newsom is no stranger to taking political risks, even if it means stepping out in front of his party. In 2004, as the newly elected mayor of San Francisco, he decided to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of state law. More than 4,000 couples wed before the California Supreme Court put a halt to the issuances; those unions were later nullified. The young mayor instantly became the national face for the gay marriage movement, much to the chagrin of both social conservatives and some gay rights activists, who worried his action would set back their cause. National Democrats chastised Newsom at the time and he was put on the defensive when John Kerry lost the presidential election that year. But with Democrats eventually embracing same-sex marriage, which was made legal nationwide after a 2015 Supreme Court decision, Newsom is now seen as an early leader on that issue. Gavin Newsom is a really bold leader who follows his north star, said Joyce Newstat, who served as Newsoms policy director when he was mayor. He did it back in 2004 with marriage equality, and hes doing it again. (L.A. Times senior editor David Lauter and staff writer Hannah Wiley contributed to this report.) TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iraqs caretaker prime minister met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday, state TV reported, on a visit aimed at reactivating Baghdad-mediated talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi officially received Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who was slated to meet with other officials in Tehran, according to the report. Al-Kadhimi flew to Tehran from Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, where he held meetings with Saudi officials in the port city of Jeddah. Although the leaders made no mention of the Sunni powerhouse during their joint press conference in Tehran, it was clear that al-Kadhimi had come to Tehran with messages from the kingdom in a bid to resume suspended political talks between the adversaries that have been held secretly in Baghdad. Al-Kadhimi said he discussed regional challenges with Raisi and agreed on restoring stability in the region." Raisi similarly made vague remarks about the importance of calming tensions in a Mideast riven with political and religious rivalries. We persisted on negotiations among regional nations for solving problems of the region," he said, in pursuit of peace and calmness. Iran, the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world, and Sunni kingdom Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranians protesting the execution stormed two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, fueling years of animosity between the nations. The Saudi-Iran talks aimed at defusing yearslong tensions between the regional foes began quietly in Iraqs capital last year. Saudi Arabia was seeking a way to wind down its disastrous war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The conflict has spawned one of the worlds worst humanitarian disasters and brought bombs from rebel drones and missiles raining down on Saudi airports and oil facilities. Beyond Yemen, Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposite sides in conflicts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Iraq borders both Iran and Saudi Arabia and is often caught in the middle of the two nations proxy wars. A fifth and last round of talks was held in Baghdad in April before they were suspended again amid heightened regional tensions. Al-Kadhimi has stressed he seeks balanced relations with the two neighbors. Improving relations with wealthy petrostate Saudi Arabia was a key policy of his administration when he took office. LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) Police in Virginia are investigating vandalism at a pregnancy center that discourages women from having an abortion. Lynchburg Police on Saturday said the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center was spray painted with graffiti. The words If abortion ain't safe, you ain't safe were written on the walkway leading up to the center, and anarchist symbols were painted on the exterior brick wall. NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) A man was fatally shot by police following a domestic disturbance in a North Little Rock home, authorities said Sunday. North Little Rock police say they were dispatched to a domestic disturbance call with a weapon around 10:40 p.m. Saturday. NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP) A class of officers in training at the New Castle County Police Department knelt on mats set up on the gym floor early one morning. Focu(s) in on your breathing, Jennifer Boileau instructed. The early morning yoga lesson was part of the new federal grant-funded holistic officer wellness program aimed at addressing the mental health needs of those serving on the force. Officers experience tremendous levels of stress on a daily basis, said Boileau, a trauma-informed yoga instructor. Continual stress wreaks havoc on the body. It affects the brain. It affects the nervous system. And it affects their overall sense of well-being. A 2020 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that 26% of police officers experienced mental health symptoms, compared with 21% of the general population that year. However, mental illness often comes with a lot of stigma especially in the police force. Sgt. Eugene Reid said he hopes this program will change that. We realize that by providing resources we can provide a better service to the citizens of New Castle County, Reid said. These resources are available from hiring to retiring, Reid said. Officers in training, active and retired officers, paramedics and 911 dispatchers, as well as their families, now have access to personal trainers, financial advisors and, of course, trauma-informed yoga sessions with Boileau. Prior to the introduction of the holistic officer wellness program, Reid said officers had access only to certified counselors through the departments employee assistance program. Now, Boileau said shes already seen the benefits of these expanded resources in action. Officers in training have come to her lessons from very high-stress incidents, but practicing yoga and meditation has allow(ed) them to feel a much deeper sense of peace and kind of get back to that baseline of feeling calm and ready for the rest of their day. Applying these calming techniques out in the field may also help officers responding to mental health crises, which are a growing area of concern nationwide. Proposed legislation in the U.S. Senate aimed at training police in de-escalation tactics also seeks to address the issue. The New Castle County Police Department said it plans to expand the holistic officer wellness program to officers in training at other facilities when it has the resources potentially in the form of more government grants for it. BERLIN (AP) Police in Germany said Sunday they discovered more than 110 dangerous snakes on a farm after a woman who lived there sought medical treatment for a poisonous bite. The 35-year-old woman drove to a hospital in Salzgitter, near Hannover, early Sunday and told doctors there that one of her rattlesnakes bit her finger. WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polands conservative ruling party leader pushed back Sunday against what he described as Western views on LGBTQ rights. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the Law and Justice party, described a theoretical situation in which a person named Wladyslaw, which is traditionally a male name, comes to work asking to be called Zosia, a traditionally female name. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 AP Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) A weekend fire at a Christian pregnancy center in north-central Colorado is being investigated as a possible arson, police in Longmont said. The fire at Life Choices was reported at 3:17 a.m. Saturday, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and said abortion laws would be decided by the states. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate What started over 50 years ago with a group of LGBTQ+ activists taking a stand continues today with people embracing the month of June as a time to usher in authenticity. Pride Month occurs in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact gay people have had in the world. Pride Month is not recognized internationally as pride celebrations take place in many other places at different times, including February, August and September. Increasingly, June is being recognized as Pride Month outside the United States. Pride acknowledges our LGBTQ+ community members and highlights the diversity we have in the Great Lakes Bay Region," said Great Lakes Bay Pride Executive Director Scott Ellis. For Ellis, seeing Pride opportunities in the region makes him feel like the community is working toward being a more welcoming and inclusive place where people can be their authentic selves. In 2001, the Triangle Foundation established the first chapter of their organization, Triangle Foundation Saginaw Valley Chapter. About a year later, that chapter spun off to incorporate an independent nonprofit organization called Saginaw Valley GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trangender) Group, doing business as Perceptions. The organization operated as Perceptions until 2020 when they became Great Lakes Bay Pride as part of a multi-year strategic plan. The Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival is becoming a formidable event in the state and it's my goal to keep it going and growing, Ellis said. We've already seen tremendous growth over the past few years, and I look forward to keeping that momentum going in the years to come." Aside from the festival, taking place Saturday, June 25 in Bay City, Ellis said Great Lakes Bay Pride has several important goals to pursue over the coming months and years. Pride Month has evolved over the years and grown as has the state. However, the Michigan Senate recently shot down a bill to recognize June as Pride Month. "I'm always disappointed when elected officials refuse to acknowledge or omit the community that I'm not only a part of but also serve in my position as executive director of Great Lakes Bay Pride, Ellis said. We still have work to do to ensure our LGBTQ+ Michiganders are protected. "I am extremely proud of the fact that for the first time ever all four major cities (Saginaw, Midland, Mount Pleasant and Bay City) in our Great Lakes Bay Region issued Pride Month proclamations this year. It is that kind of local support that helps empower the local LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month has an unwavering impact on people, said Trina Stewart. Her own journey has been filled challenges. Stewart came out as a lesbian during the 2019 Pride, but retreated to the closet until a few months ago. Stewart said she felt liberated when she came out and she doesnt want to feel the isolation and shame of hiding who she is anymore. Her goal is to make this years Pride celebration an opportunity to show the world who she is. Ive come to terms that Im gay, said Stewart, of Midland. It isnt a choice; it's who I am. The 37-year-old said her identity is difficult for some of her family and friends to accept, but she needs to be who she is. I told my parents, and my mom knew. To my dad it was a shock, or so he says, Stewart said. Im not ashamed of who I am; I was ashamed that I was trying to hide it. For Dominic Zelinski, Pride Month is an event like Christmas. The 24-year-old Detroit native who moved to Midland about a year ago said he was surprised by the openness of people in the area to him being gay, something he doesnt hide. I feared moving here because I thought as a whole people around here hated gay people, Zelinski said. Ive found many who embrace me and that their attitudes as a whole is accepting." Julie Harrell-Dennis of Gladwin said Pride Month is a time to celebrate so she is co-organizing the Gladwin County Pride event on June 25. It means that we shouldnt be afraid to be who we are, Harrell-Dennis said. Harrell-Dennis came out as bisexual three years ago after her husband revealed to her that he was transgender. The two separated, but remain friends. She gave me the courage I needed, Harrell-Dennis said. Jenny Bell said Pride Month offers a chance for the community to get together, socialize and not hide who they are. It is a time of authenticity. Pride is a concept of self-expression and freedom and to create a open and safe environment, said Bell, a transgender person who shed her male persona 10 years ago. Weve been suppressed for decades and subject to ridicule and violence." Pride Month, Bell said, is also a chance for the LGBTQ+ community to showcase who they are as much as who they arent stereotypes such as sexual deviants. Bell is active in the LGBTQ+ community, often volunteering and taking part in events. Were out there showing the world were just people, she said. Theyre so many misconceptions about who we are. Were not like that. Pride gives us the opportunity to dispel those preconceived notions about us. Many pride events, such as today's event in Bay City, help recognize the contributions of the LBGTQ+ community. With education and recognition as part of the public discourse, acceptance can follow. Pride Month and Pride events give us a time and space to celebrate who we are and all the things we've struggled to overcome to express our authentic self, said Shelterhouse Director of Counseling Amy McDonald. I see Pride evolving to include more people, more families celebrating. More parents celebrating with their children as they support them and all that they are. President Joe Biden signs into law S. 2938, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gun safety bill, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, June 25. AP-Yonhap U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the first major federal gun reform in three decades Saturday, days after he condemned a decision by the Supreme Court that expanded firearm owners' rights. "God willing, it's going to save a lot of lives," Biden said at the White House after signing the bill with his wife Jill by his side. The bipartisan bill came together just weeks after mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo that killed more than 30 people, including 19 children at an elementary school. The law includes provisions to help states keep guns out of the hands of those deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. The reform came the same week as the Supreme Court expanded gun owners' rights, saying Thursday for the first time that the U.S. Constitution protected an individual's right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense. "The Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions," Biden told reporters after that ruling, and another on Friday that eliminated the right to abortion nationwide. Gun control has long been a divisive issue in the nation with several attempts to put new controls on gun sales failing time after time. Biden, who is looking to improve sagging public approval ratings ahead of Nov. 8 midterm elections for control of Congress, made securing victories on gun control a part of his campaign pitch to voters. The new law blocks gun sales to those convicted of abusing unmarried intimate partners and cracks down on gun sales to purchasers convicted of domestic violence. It also provides new federal funding to states that administer "red flag" laws intended to remove guns from people deemed dangerous to themselves and others. It does not ban sales of assault-style rifles or high-capacity magazines. But it does take some steps on background checks by allowing access, for the first time, to information on significant crimes committed by juveniles. "At this time when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential: If we can reach compromise on guns, we oughta be able to reach compromise on other critical issues," Biden said before traveling to Germany for the Group of Seven summit. "I know there's much more work to do, and I'm never gonna give up. But this is a monumental day." He said he would host families of gun violence victims and lawmakers at a White House event July 11 to mark the passage of the gun safety law. (Reuters) OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Gun deaths in Oklahoma have increased since a permitless carry law allowing people over the age of 21 to carry a gun without a permit or training went into effect in 2019, according to a newspapers review of data. The Oklahoman analyzed state medical examiner data and found that Oklahoma has recorded some of its deadliest months in history since the law took effect. In the decade before permitless carry, only 10 months had 70 or more firearm deaths. From November 2019 until January, a 15-month span, 10 months had more than 70 gun-related deaths, the newspaper reported. That included 95 deaths in June 2020, the deadliest month in the 12 years of data examined. The average number of gun deaths per month increased nearly 20% compared with the 10 years before the law took effect, a period in which the population grew just over 6%, according to the newspapers analysis. The newspaper reported Sunday that it's hard to determine if the permitless carry law directly contributed to a rise in gun violence. At least some of the increase occurred even as homicides rose nationally in the U.S. in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But as Oklahoma lawmakers have increased access to firearms over the past decade, firearm-caused suicides, accidents and homicides in the state have increased, The Oklahoman reported. The debate over gun control measures and efforts to expand gun rights comes following recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas, and in Tulsa. When Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the permitless carry bill into law, he said it would expand the rights of Oklahoma residents while also making the state safer. There shouldnt be any uptick in violence, he said. Kate Vesper, a spokesperson for Stitt, said the governor would continue to fight to protect Oklahomans constitutional right to keep and bear arms. In recent weeks, Vesper said, "Stitt has held school safety meetings ... to examine what policies, laws, and procedures are already in place and which of those the state can and should better enforce, as well as examining any additional steps the state may need to take to keep our kids and schools safe. Since 2010, more than 8,600 Oklahomans have been killed by gun violence. In 2010, Oklahomas gun-caused death rate was 14.3 per 100,000 residents, based on data from the state medical examiner and U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. In 2020, the gun death rate was 21.2, one of the highest in the nation. The narrative of saying we need more guns is only creating a situation where more people are dying from guns, said Joshua Harris-Till, an Oklahoma City-based gun control advocate who lost his sister to gun violence nine years ago. But Republican leaders in Oklahoma have not shown an interest in any gun control measures. We are serious about public safety. We are also serious about protecting the Second Amendment, Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, told reporters this month. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The South Carolina General Assembly is returning to Columbia on Tuesday to consider nearly $53 million in local projects that Gov. Henry McMaster wants out of the $13.8 billion state budget. All the money went toward items put in by lawmakers for local concerns, like $25 million to help pay for a quantum computer facility in Columbia, $7 million for a cultural welcome center in Orangeburg and $500,000 to improve the stadium at Summerville High School. McMaster allowed projects where lawmakers detailed exactly who got the money and where it was going. Without sufficient context, description, justification or information regarding the project and how the recipient intends to spend the funds, the public cannot evaluate the earmarks merit, McMaster wrote in his vetoes on Wednesday. Some other items McMaster also struck from the budget, which goes into effect July 1, were $5 million for a park in Myrtle Beach, $2 million for a community center in west Orangeburg and $750,000 for a library in Turbeville, In all, McMaster issued 73 vetoes. Ten were policies that did not involve money and 29 were budget lines that spent $1 procedural moves so the House and Senate can negotiate a final spending plan. Th General Assembly meets Tuesday. To override any of the governor's vetoes, a two-thirds vote is needed in the House and Senate. There were only a few votes against the budget when the Legislature approved it earlier this month. McMaster again said instead of giving lawmakers the power to control money for local projects, it should be put into one pot for a public grant process and awarded by merit, with the entire system open for transparency. The state's $13.8 billion budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 sets aside $1 billion to send hundreds of dollars of rebates to many South Carolina taxpayers. It also spends $600 million to cut the state's top income tax rate from 7% to 6.5% and combine other rates to 3%. Lawmakers eventually plan to cut the top rate to 6%. The spending plan also raises the minimum salary for teachers from $36,000 to $40,000, puts $1 billion extra into road repair and expansion and gives state employees a 3% raise and $1,500 bonus. The budget also raises a number of state law enforcement salaries and sets aside about $1 billion in case this is the year the economy craters. McMaster praised lawmakers for most of the budget and thanked them for putting more than 250 of his proposals into the final spending plan. ___ Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP. Amy Martin was 14 years old when Roe v. Wade was decided, establishing a right to abortion that she took for granted for nearly five decades. Martin was 56 when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, a right she took advantage of when she married her partner of 30 years last year. And when the court overturned that first decision on Friday, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing in his opinion that the court should next reexamine cases granting LGBTQ rights, Martin found herself seized with new terror that the second one could also fall. "What if gay marriage is the next thing?" said Martin, 63, who recently retired from her job at a Cleveland law office, and whose health-care benefits come from her wife's policy. "The fabric of our country and what it's been based on, it's fraying." As the implications of the court's abortion decision continued to reverberate across a divided country on Saturday, many of whose who decried the ruling expressed mounting worry that it would not simply restrict abortion access. Instead, they said they saw in the ruling a watershed that could trigger the repeal of a host of other protections -- for racial and ethnic minorities, gay people and others -- that were established on similar legal grounds as Roe. That possibility was not just paranoid speculation, they noted: It was spelled out by several Supreme Court justices on Friday. In interviews, many Americans described alarm that a nation proud of its hard-won expansion of protections for people never acknowledged by its White, male founders had begun to feel more like an unfamiliar land where established rights may melt away in its highest court. The prospect was all the more disturbing, some said, because polls have found a majority of Americans support abortion rights and same-sex marriage. "It's like we've woken up in the 1950s," said Madison David, 26, a massage therapist who on Saturday morning was perusing the stalls at a farmers market outside the capitol building in Madison, Wis. For weeks, she said, she had been riding high on Lizzo's anthem "About Damn Time," which David said she views as an ode to the progress women and other historically oppressed groups have made. Now, she said, the ruling had reaffirmed for her the need to prepare to fight for rights -- even ones that seemed to have been secured by previous generations. "We can't be naive and think that this is where this stops," said David's friend, 27-year-old yoga teacher Aurora Guppy Weil. The majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, rested on the view that the individual liberties guaranteed by the 14th Amendment protect only rights that had "deep roots" in states when it was ratified in 1868 -- a time when abortion was prohibited in many states. Alito took pains to say the ruling would not jeopardize precedents unrelated to abortion, which he wrote is distinct because it destroys an "unborn human being," which the state also has an interest in protecting. But other justices plainly dismissed his contention. In a concurring opinion, fellow conservative Thomas said precedents establishing rights to contraception, same-sex marriage and same-sex intimacy should be reconsidered. And the dissenting opinion, penned by the court's three liberals, excoriated Alito's reassurances as false promises. Those other rights, the dissenters wrote, are "all part of the same constitutional fabric," noting that 19th century laws also did not protect the Supreme Court-recognized rights to interracial marriage or to not be sterilized without consent. They wrote that they "cannot understand how anyone can be confident that today's opinion will be the last of its kind." That concern has been echoed by legal experts, who said the decision could threaten other past rulings that rest on individual liberty protections and related privacy rights recognized by the court. "The court has for a long, long time said: Look, if we define liberty only in terms of what was permitted at the time of ratification of the Bill of Rights or the 14th Amendment, then we're stuck in time," said Scott Skinner-Thompson, an associate professor of law at the University of Colorado Boulder. "Because in the 18th and 19th centuries, this country was not very free for many, many people -- particularly women, particularly people of color." Although Thomas's concurring opinion did not mention it, the ruling could even imperil the right to interracial marriage, which the Supreme Court recognized in its 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia, Skinner-Thompson said. (Thomas, who is Black, is married to a White woman.) Thomas's "potential retort would be that that violates the Equal Protection clause, because it's race-based discrimination," Skinner-Thompson said. "The problem is that if you take the originalists' interpretation at face value and say: 'What were the practices of this country at the time of the ratification of the 14th Amendment after the Civil War?' Guess what? There was race discrimination all over the place. Separate but equal -- it continued apace for over a century." The first post-Roe morning dawned sunny in Pittsburgh, where residents of the Bloomfield neighborhood were completing their typical Saturday morning shopping at an outdoor market. But some filling their bags with cucumbers, jars of sauerkraut and clutches of pink peonies mused that nothing seemed regular or normal about the past 24 hours. "I didn't think this would happen in my lifetime or anyone's lifetime, really," said Kathleen McHugh, 28, a White management consultant who was with her partner, Alex Klinestiver, 30, who is Black. "The people deciding this are completely unaffected by the effects of this," she said she told Klinestiver when she heard about the ruling Friday. "And now Thomas is licking his chops to change other things that we've come to expect, to know." That prospect has already prompted Rachel Christian, 29, and her wife, Vania Christian, 36, to discuss their own next steps. After learning about Thomas's explicit references to same sex marriage and intimacy as potential targets, the Baltimore couple agreed they would go forward with formally adopting their 11-month-old daughter, Liesel, who rested in her stroller at the city's pride parade Saturday afternoon while 4-year-old sister, Athena, relaxed in a wagon. Should their marriage be invalidated, they decided, they need the strongest possible evidence that they are both Liesel's parents - despite the fact that Vania provided the embryo and Rachel gave birth to Liesel. "After yesterday, we're like, maybe now we need to rethink. Because nobody thought this was going to happen, and it did," Vania said. Rainbow flags and dance music erupted in joyful celebration around the family. But a sense of seriousness and urgency was reflected in signs reading, "Bans off our bodies." "It's a beautiful thing to do today. But in the back if your mind you're thinking like, what's the future going to look like?" Rachel Christian said. In New York City, Kyle Fowler, a lawyer at the Legal Aid Society who specializes in housing, ate lunch in a public plaza straddling the Theater District and Hell's Kitchen and said he feared the ruling could eventually cost him the right to marry another man. While he and other attorneys he knows had long feared the implications of such a ruling, it has been "an epiphany for a lot of people," Fowler said. "With every appointment [former president Donald] Trump made to the Supreme Court, I felt like all of these things are under threat," Fowler said, adding that the appointments constructed "a slippery slope" and overturning Roe "felt like an inevitability." Julie Taylor, 55, describes herself as a Christian and supports abortion in limited circumstances, such as rape, incest and the safety of the mother. But Taylor, who was at Jack London Square near the waterfront in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, said she wants abortion to remain available to women, "because it's their bodies." The overturning of Roe v. Wade sets the country on the wrong path, said Taylor. "We're going back in time. It's never good to go back. It's like we're going back to slavery. Women are now second-class citizens. We fought so hard to get to this point, and now, you're taking us back." And Taylor, who is Black, said she fears other rights are also at risk. "Here's the deal: You're taking their freedom. My freedom is next," she said. "You never know when they're coming after you." Martin, the Ohio retiree, said the ruling -- and the political and legal head winds she perceives -- had so dismayed her that she felt glad she was "at this stage in my life, because I wouldn't want to live another 20 or 30 years -- I'll be long gone before we see change in the right direction . . . I think it's going to be a lot worse before it gets better." But others said the decision was galvanizing. Mary Kay Watson, who works in the automotive industry and lives north of Detroit, said she long assessed political candidates' views on abortion as one consideration among many. The right to the procedure seemed firm, she said. But Friday's ruling -- which she said she worries could affect her two daughters' ability to receive medical care if, for example, one miscarried in a state where abortion is banned -- changed that. "For me personally, now, I'm done. I'm doing away with the, 'Let's take a view on what the person is as a whole'" said Watson, 56. "If you are anti-choice, you are not my choice. Period." - - - Emmanuel Felton in Madison, Wis.; Silvia Foster-Frau in Baltimore; Shayna Jacobs in New York; Katherine Kam in Oakland, Calif.; Dan Simmons in St. Paul, Minn.; and Christine Spolar in Pittsburgh contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Brooke Alexander turned off her breast pump at 6:04 p.m. and brought two fresh bottles of milk over to the bed, where her 3-month-old twins lay flat on their backs, red-faced and crying. Running on four hours of sleep, the 18-year-old tried to feed both babies at once, holding Kendall in her arms while she tried to get Olivia to feed herself, her bottle propped up by a pillow. But the bottle kept slipping and the baby kept wailing. And Brooke's boyfriend, Billy High, wouldn't be home for another five hours. "Please, fussy girl," Brooke whispered. She peeked outside the room, just big enough for a full-size mattress, and realized she had barely seen the sun all day. The windows were covered by blankets, pinned up with thumbtacks to keep the room cool. Brooke rarely ventured into the rest of the house. Billy's dad had taken them in when her mom kicked them out, and she didn't want to get in his way. The hours without Billy were always the hardest. She knew he had to go - they relied entirely on the $9.75 an hour he made working the line at Freebirds World Burrito - but she tortured herself imagining all the girls he might be meeting. And she wished she had somewhere to go, too. Brooke found out she was pregnant late on the night of Aug. 29, two days before the Texas Heartbeat Act banned abortions once an ultrasound can detect cardiac activity, around six weeks of pregnancy. It was the most restrictive abortion law to take effect in the United States in nearly 50 years. For many Texans who have needed abortions since September, the law has been a major inconvenience, forcing them to drive hundreds of miles - and pay hundreds of dollars - for a legal procedure they once could have had at home. But not everyone has been able to leave the state. Some people couldn't take time away from work or afford gas, while others, faced with a long journey, decided to stay pregnant. Nearly 10 months into the Texas law, they have started having the babies they never planned to carry to term. Texas offers a glimpse of what much of the country faces with the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Roughly half the states in the country are expected to dramatically restrict abortion or ban it altogether, creating vast abortion deserts that will push many into parenthood. Sometimes Brooke imagined her life if she hadn't gotten pregnant, if Texas hadn't banned abortion just days after she decided that she wanted one. She would have been in school, rushing from class to her shift at Texas Roadhouse, eyes on a real estate license that would finally get her out of Corpus Christi. She'd pictured an apartment in Austin and enough money for a trip to Hawaii, where she'd swim with dolphins in water so clear she could see her toes. When both babies finally started eating, Brooke took out her phone and restarted the timer that had been running almost continuously since the day they were born. She had 2 1/2 hours until they'd have to eat again. - - - Brooke and Billy first met at the downtown skatepark with a big group of friends, one clear-skied night in May of last year. They didn't talk that first day - but Brooke noticed how effortlessly Billy dropped into the quarter-pipe, the way his blond hair flipped out from underneath his red beanie. She followed him on Instagram, and her stomach did a little dance when she saw that he followed her back. Soon, they were spending almost every day together: throwing themselves into the Gulf of Mexico waves on Padre Island and watching the sun set over the pier. At the skatepark, he'd help her do the tricks she'd been scared to try alone. "Pinkie promise me you'll do it," he'd say, all blue eyes and dimples, as she peeked over the edge of the ramp. Once he hooked her little finger, there was no backing down. Billy was different from the other guys Brooke knew. He held her hand in public and introduced her to his dad. When she took him to the mall, he grinned each time she stepped out of the dressing room, telling her how good she looked in each new crop top she tried on. He made her feel pretty. "I wasn't used to feeling like that," Brooke said. Brooke took the pregnancy test at 11 o'clock on a hot night at the tail end of the summer. When the two pink lines appeared, she looked over at Billy, then slid onto the bathroom floor, finally connecting the signs she'd ignored for weeks. The nausea she'd chalked up to food poisoning. The two missed periods. That moment a few weeks back, when Billy put a hand on her stomach and asked if she was sure she wasn't pregnant. Leaving Billy in her bedroom with the pregnancy test, Brooke grabbed her keys and drove to her best friend's house, where they sat on his bed and examined her options. She could always get an abortion, she told him. Then he reminded her of something she vaguely remembered seeing on Twitter: A new law was scheduled to take effect Sept. 1. Brooke had 48 hours. The abortion clinic in South Texas - two and a half hours from Corpus Christi - had no open slots in the next two days, with patients across the state racing to get into clinics before the law came down. When Brooke called, the woman on the end of the line offered the names and addresses of clinics in New Mexico, a 13-hour drive from Corpus Christi. In the meantime, the woman said, Brooke could get an ultrasound somewhere nearby: If she was under six weeks, they could still see her. "We're gonna see how far along it is," Brooke texted her dad, Jeremy Alexander, later that night. "See if abortion is an option." "What's the cut off date," he asked. "They just passed a law today!!" she responded in the early hours of Sept. 1, referring to the ban that had just taken effect. "What are the f---ing odds I believe it's 6 weeks." "Fingers crossed????" her dad said. Brooke found a place that would perform an ultrasound on short notice - and scheduled an appointment for 9 a.m. - - - Whenever a new client walks into the Pregnancy Center of the Coastal Bend, they are asked to fill out a form. After all the usual questions - name, date of birth, marital status - comes the one that most interests the staff: "If you are pregnant, what are your intentions?" From there, the team sorts each client into one of three groups: If they're planning to have the baby: "LTC," likely to carry. If they're on the fence: "AV," abortion vulnerable. If they're planning to get an abortion: "AM," abortion minded. The Pregnancy Center of the Coastal Bend - which advertises itself as the region's "#1 Source of Abortion Information" - is one of thousands of crisis pregnancy centers across the United States, antiabortion organizations that are often religiously affiliated. When Brooke showed up with her mom for her appointment, she had no idea she'd walked into a facility designed to dissuade people from getting abortions. She also didn't know how much significance her form held for the staff: By signaling that she wanted an abortion, she became their first "AM" of the Texas Heartbeat Act. Brooke heard about the pregnancy center from her mom's friend, who knew she needed an ultrasound. This place offered them free. Brooke felt a sense of calm, sitting in the waiting room, lulled by its decorative throw pillows and soft watercolors of ocean scenes. The advocate assigned to her case, Angie Arnholt, had been counseling abortion-minded clients at the pregnancy center for a year. While many of the center's volunteers signed up only to talk to "LTCs" - happy conversations about babies their clients couldn't wait to have - Arnholt, a 61-year-old who wears a gold cross around her neck, felt called to do what she could to help women "make a good decision," she later told The Washington Post. Back in a consultation room, Brooke told Arnholt all the reasons she wanted to get an abortion. She'd just enrolled in real estate classes at community college, which would be her first time back in a classroom since she dropped out of high school three years earlier at 15. She and Billy had been dating only three months. Sitting across from Brooke and her mom, Arnholt opened "A Woman's Right to Know," an antiabortion booklet distributed by the state of Texas, flipping to a page titled "Abortion risks." The first risk listed was "death." As Brooke listened to Arnholt's warnings - of depression, nausea, cramping, breast cancer, infertility - she tried to stay calm, reminding herself that women get abortions all the time. Still, Brooke couldn't help fixating on some of the words Arnholt used: Vacuum suction. Heavy bleeding. Punctured uterus. (Serious complications from abortion are rare. Abortion does not increase the risk of mental illness, breast cancer or infertility, according to leading medical organizations.) Starting to panic, Brooke looked over at her mom. When she found out Brooke was pregnant, Terri Thomas told her daughter to get an abortion. While she was a devout Christian - going to church a few times a week, twice on Sundays - she had her own views on this particular issue. Thomas had her first kid at 20, she said, just as she was transferring out of community college with hopes of starting law school. If the timing had been different, she said, she might have been a prosecutor. Instead, she hopped from one retail job to another: Bath & Body Works to Walgreens to Home Depot. Growing up, Brooke said, she bounced back and forth between her mom's house and her dad's, depending on who was the more stable parent at the time. Her happiest years as a kid were spent with her dad, she said, on a tree-lined street with a ping-pong table in the garage and a trampoline in the backyard. But then Brooke's dad started using cocaine. While Alexander has been sober for a few years now, he said, back then he couldn't kick the habit. Around the time he stopped paying all the rent, and sewage started backing up in their toilets, Brooke moved back in with her mom. With her mom, Brooke always felt like she was tiptoeing. If Brooke forgot to turn off the lights or do the dishes, Thomas would start yelling. Thomas felt she had every right to respond that way, she said: She was the "hen" in her henhouse. Arnholt ushered Brooke into the ultrasound room, where Brooke undressed from the waist down and lay back onto an examination table, looking up at a large flat-screen TV. As the ultrasound technician pressed the probe into her stomach, slathered with gel, Brooke willed the screen to show a fetus without a heartbeat. The technician gasped. It was twins. And they were 12 weeks along. "Are you sure?" Brooke said. "Oh, my God, oh, my God," Thomas recalled saying as she jumped up and down. "This is a miracle from the Lord. We are having these babies." Brooke felt like she was floating above herself, watching the scene below. Her mom was calling the twins "my babies," promising Brooke she would take care of everything, as the ultrasound technician told her how much she loved being a twin. If she really tried, Brooke thought she could make it to New Mexico. Her older brother would probably lend her the money to get there. But she couldn't stop staring at the pulsing yellow line on the ultrasound screen. She wondered: If her babies had heartbeats, as these women said they did, was aborting them murder? Eventually, Arnholt turned to Brooke and asked whether she'd be keeping them. Brooke heard herself saying "yes." - - - Brooke walked out of the pregnancy center that day with an ultrasound photo and a handful of lollipops that Arnholt promised would help with her morning sickness. Arnholt and the ultrasound technician each followed up with Brooke a few times over text. Brooke scheduled what the pregnancy center called a "pre-natal appointment," where she sat through another ultrasound, then dropped by for a parenting class, earning "points" she redeemed for a package of diapers. After that, Brooke didn't go back to the pregnancy center. She said the class felt like a waste of time. Instead, she turned to Billy. Within a few weeks, Brooke and Billy had a plan. He would join the Air Force as soon as he graduated from high school; Brooke would wait for him to finish basic training, then follow him wherever he got assigned. Soon they were debating baby names. Surrounded by their friends and families one afternoon in October, Brooke and Billy fired gender-reveal cannons into Thomas's backyard, unleashing two giant puffs of pink smoke. "I'm so happy I met you billy," Brooke wrote in an Instagram post announcing her pregnancy. "Starting a family with you is gonna be one of the hardest things I'm ever gonna experience, but I'm glad I get to do it with you." Brooke started her real estate classes in early November - and she loved everything about going to school. When she showed up the first day in her favorite crop top and jeans, the cinder-block building "felt like an opportunity," she said. Most days, she'd buy a Frappuccino from the vending machine and sit down in the chair she'd claimed as her own, opening her textbook to a page she'd already covered in yellow highlighter. Brooke got an 83 on the final exam, the highest grade in the class. She texted everyone she could think of who might want to hear the news: Billy, her brother, her mom, her dad, her grandpa. After three years out of school, she couldn't believe she'd done so well. "I felt like, man, I must be really smart," she said. Throughout the fall, Billy was her biggest worry. He'd stayed pretty quiet back when she was deciding what to do about the babies. Just once, he told her he'd prefer to get an abortion, but would support her completely in whatever she chose. He'd thought about adoption, but Brooke wouldn't even consider it. "I don't think I'm ready for this," he'd told her. Billy was scared to lose what he described as "the freedom of being a teenager." After he graduated, he'd planned to keep working at Freebirds - just enough hours to get by - so he could maximize his skate time and "just chill." People respected Billy at the skate park: Whenever he geared up to film some tricks, everyone else cleared out of the bowl. By November, Billy was paying all of Brooke's bills. She'd stopped working at Texas Roadhouse; the smell of the meat and grease had been making her sick to her stomach. To swing Brooke's $330 car payment, they applied for a WIC card and ate ramen or pancakes for dinner. When they overdrafted Brooke's credit card, Billy worked double shifts until he could pay it off. Brooke wanted to work, but she couldn't hack a waitressing job. At seven months pregnant, she struggled to stay on her feet for too long and felt utterly exhausted by even the simplest tasks. She started falling asleep while doing her homework. Then she missed a class. Then another. When she decided to drop out of real estate school, she couldn't bring herself to tell her teacher. She convinced herself it wasn't that big of a deal - they'd be moving away soon anyway, and the Air Force would pay Billy enough to support them both. Brooke wedged her real estate textbook in a line of books on her dresser, between "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and the fourth Harry Potter. Maybe she'd come back to it one day. Anytime Brooke went out with the babies in public, she knew that people were staring. She was 18 and she looked 18, with rosy cheeks and curly blond ringlets tied together with a ribbon. As she struggled to maneuver her double stroller through the doors at Freebirds, she imagined everyone was judging her, writing her off as a clueless kid and a bad mom. She was determined to prove them wrong. Somehow, mothering came naturally to Brooke. Whenever one of the babies started crying, Brooke would tick through her mental checklist: Was her daughter hungry? Tired? Did she need to be changed? If it was none of those things, Brooke would pick up her daughter and hold her close, swaying from side to side, kissing the silky brown strands on the top of her head. Almost always, her baby would stop crying. "I think they can smell me," she said. "And that makes me feel so special." Brooke knew the little things about her daughters that no one else would notice. Olivia had a higher-pitched cry. Kendall was harder to soothe. You could always tell when they were about to wake up, because they'd start to smile. Looking at her daughters, Brooke struggled to articulate her feelings on abortion. On one hand, she said, she absolutely believed that women should have the right to choose what's best for their own lives. On the other, she knew that, without the Texas law, her babies might not be here. "Who's to say what I would have done if the law wasn't in effect?" she said. "I don't want to think about it." Brooke considered all that she'd lost: Long nights at the skate park, trips to the mall, dropping $30 on a crab dinner just because she felt like it. "I can't just really be free," she said. "I guess that really sums it up. That's a big thing that I really miss." She sat silently for a while, Olivia's hand wrapped around her finger. "It's really scary thinking that I wouldn't have them," she said. There was only one way she could make sense of it, she said: Losing them now - as fully formed human beings - would be different from losing them back then. All through the pregnancy, Brooke had planned to bring the babies home to her mom's house, where they'd all live together until Billy made enough money to pay for a home. Brooke's mom had promised to be there for them, back in the ultrasound room, and Brooke had believed her. But after a couple of weeks, Brooke started to feel like her mom could turn on her at any moment. Thomas would remind Brooke that she was staying in her house rent-free, running the TV and AC all night without paying for electric. After Brooke left dirty dishes in the sink one night in mid-May, she woke up to her mom yelling at her from the kitchen. "You don't get a prize for getting yourself knocked up and pregnant," Thomas remembered saying. "I don't know what you think I owe you, but you don't get a prize for that." "You treat me like some random chick off the street," Brooke said. "I'm your daughter." Thomas said she told her to find another place to live. Brooke packed up a few things and drove the babies to Billy's dad's house. Billy's room wasn't exactly where she'd imagined raising her daughters, with its stash of skateboard magazines and a giant Freebirds billboard behind the bed, advertising fountain drinks for 95 cents. But it was a place she was welcome. The next morning, Brooke woke up to a text from her mother. "I am by no means a perfect human or a perfect mom, but I love you no matter what," she wrote. "You don't have to stay over there." Brooke would rather rely on Billy than her mom, she decided - though in her most anxious moments, she worried he might kick her out, too. She often relived an argument they'd had one Saturday night in April, when they got a little too drunk and Billy finally talked about all the things he'd been avoiding: He didn't really like the way his life was turning out, he told her. He didn't want to join the Air Force; he just wanted to skate. "That's not my fault," she'd told him. "I didn't get myself pregnant." At one point, he recalled, he suggested they try living apart. They were over that now, Brooke reminded herself as she hung up her clothes in Billy's closet. She placed a bouquet of flowers on his desk and lit a candle, filling the room with a scent called "Forever Love." Bit by bit, she would make Billy's room a home. - - - Twenty minutes across town, a woman Brooke had never met would soon be sharing her story, holding up the twins as an antiabortion triumph, just two weeks after the leaked draft decision revealed a Supreme Court on the brink of overturning Roe. The Coastal Bend Republican Coalition gathered on May 19 for its weekly meeting at a local barbecue joint. Over brisket and coleslaw, members listened to the speaker they'd invited for the evening: Jana Pinson, the executive director of the Pregnancy Center of the Coastal Bend. To explain the center's work, Pinson told a story about a girl who showed up with her mom on the morning the Heartbeat Act took effect, asking for an abortion. The mother and daughter "were so furious with us," Pinson said, "so angry." But as soon as they saw the ultrasound, she said, everything changed. "The moment we put that wand on her sweet belly and two babies popped up . . . it absolutely melted them." Last year, Pinson said, 583 abortion-minded and abortion-vulnerable women chose to continue their pregnancies after visiting their facility. At their banquet in March - with over 2,800 attendees from across the region - Pinson and her staff lit 583 candles. One of those was for Brooke. - - - Three weeks later, the babies stayed home while Brooke and Billy drove to the courthouse. Billy was about to leave for a five-month stint in basic training and technical school. For Brooke to qualify for military benefits, they had to get married. At 11 o'clock on a Monday morning, they walked into a courtroom with an American flag behind the bench, Brooke in a flowery sundress, Billy in jeans. She'd looked around for white dresses on Amazon but couldn't justify the $30: She was terrified she'd run out of money while Billy was away. The loneliness scared her, too. She kept imagining the long nights alone in Billy's house, trying to calm two crying babies without him. He wouldn't have his phone at basic training; she would hear from him mostly through letters. She knew she'd have to manage that little voice in the back of her head: What if he changed his mind about their life together? Standing with Billy in front of the justice of the peace, Brooke told herself that, one day, they would have their "love story moment." She would walk down the aisle in a wedding gown. Their friends and family would cry and cheer as she and Billy publicly declared how much they meant to each other. "I, Brooke Alexander, take thee, Billy High, to be my wedded husband," she repeated. If it wasn't for the Texas law, Brooke knew she might not be standing here. She'd probably be studying for her next exam, while Billy mastered some new trick on the quarter-pipe. She liked to think they'd still be together - spending their money on movie tickets and Whataburger, instead of diapers and baby wipes. She told herself that alternate life didn't matter anymore. She had two babies she loved more than anything else in the world. "I do," she said, tears in her eyes. Brooke pulled out her phone once they finished the ceremony: 1 hour, 15 minutes. Time to grab some lunch and head home; the babies would be hungry. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Alabamas Republican Party has declared a tie in the primary race for a state Senate seat and says the winner will be chosen by lot. A state party news release says the partys Candidate Committee held a hearing Saturday and said the District 27 primary race between Auburn City Councilman Jay Hovey and incumbent Tom Whatley was officially a tie. It said the winner would be determined in accordance with the state election code. News outlets reported that the committee held the hearing after provisional ballots were counted in the already close primary race and Hovey appeared to be ahead by only a single vote. The party did not release a reason for its decision. Hovey in a message to The Montgomery Advertiser on Saturday night accused the party of counting an unregistered voter to bring the race to a tie. Certainly every vote is important and its unfortunate if anyone is mistaken that they are registered to vote, Hovey wrote. It was unclear if he would challenge the decision. The state election code says that in the event of a tie in a legislative race, the Secretary of State shall decide the winner by lot. The district covers Tallapoosa, Lee and Russell counties. The GOP news release did not provide details on when the winner would be selected or the method to be used. The Opelika-Auburn News reports that one method of deciding a tie by lot is to have the candidates draw slips of paper with one of them being marked as the winner. It could be a roll of a dice, high card, or rock-paper-scissors, Secretary of State John Merrill told AL.com. Whoever is declared the winner of the primary will run against Democrat candidate Sherri Reese of Opelika in the general election in November. Reese was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden rarely mentions his predecessor by name. But as he spoke to a nation processing a seismic shift in the rights of women, he couldn't ignore Donald Trump's legacy. It was three justices named by one president Donald Trump who were the core of today's decision to upend the scales of justice and eliminate a fundamental right for women in this country, Biden said Friday after the Supreme Court's conservative majority voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling from 1973 that provided constitutional protections for women seeking abortions. The abortion decision marked the apex in a week that reinforced the former president's ongoing impact in Washington more than a year and a half after he exited the White House. A court that includes three Trump-appointed conservatives also decided to weaken restrictions on gun ownership. And across the street at the Capitol, which was ravaged by a mob of Trump supporters in the final days of his presidency in 2021, new details surfaced of his gross violations of democratic norms. The House's Jan. 6 committee used a public hearing last week to spotlight the intense pressure that Trump put on top Justice Department officials to overturn the 2020 election, along with discussions of blanket pardons for cooperative members of Congress. The developments were a reminder of the awkward political bargain social conservatives embraced to achieve their grandest ambitions. In refusing to consider Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee during the final year of his presidency, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., ensured that the next president would be able to make his mark on the court. As Trump pledged to transform the Supreme Court's ideological leanings - even providing a list of the judges he would choose from reluctant conservative Republicans and evangelical Christians rallied behind Trump, a thrice-married man who had previously described himself as very pro-choice." When he ran in 2016, he promised that he would appoint conservative and pro-life judges to the federal courts starting with the U.S. Supreme Court. And he kept his word," said Ralph Reed, an evangelical leader and chair of the The Faith and Freedom Coalition, who was criticized in some corners for his embrace of Trump. Those in the faith community that felt it was worth taking a chance on Donald Trump in 2016 have been vindicated. The GOP is now at something of a turning point in its relationship with a man who has fundamentally transformed the party with his populist, Make America Great Again agenda and his fight against the establishment Republicans who used to control the party. There's a growing debate within the party about whether Trump's resonance is beginning to fade as he lays the groundwork for a third presidential run in 2024. Other leading Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, and Trump's former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, are taking increasingly bold steps toward White House bids of their own. And many of Trump's own supporters are eagerly embracing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Trump's natural successor as they look to the future. Pence, Pompeo and DeSantis are among those who have made clear that a Trump candidacy would not influence their own decisions about whether to run. If they do run, they will all be competing for support from the same conservatives who fueled Trump's rise. Trump himself seems somewhat uncertain about how to navigate the political fallout from the past week, particularly the abortion ruling. He has privately expressed concern to aides that the decision could energize Democrats going into the November elections, The New York Times first reported. Indeed, in a Fox News interview after the abortion opinion was released, Trump said that, in the end, this is something that will work out for everybody. Asked about his own role in the eventual decision, Trump responded that, God made the decision." Trump grew more emboldened as Friday unfolded, raising money off the decision and issuing a statement in which he took full credit for what he called the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation. He said that it and other decisions that have been announced recently, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. It was my great honor to do so! At a Saturday night rally, Trump took another victory lap to cheers from the crowd. Yesterday the court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law, and above all, a victory for life, he told supporters, who broke into a chant of Thank you Trump!. While Democrats are hoping the decision will galvanize its voters heading into November's midterm elections, Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign and White House adviser, argued the decision would be beneficial to Trump's future political prospects, helping to cement his standing with conservative voters if he runs again. President Trump has been accepting his share of the credit for the Trump Courts decision, as he should," Caputo said. This is yet another confirmation of his transformational presidency. Suburban Republican angst is a progressive myth; real suburban Republicans know their handwringing is performative: This decision simply moves the abortion issue to the states where it has always belonged. Meanwhile, the Jan. 6 committee and related investigations, including a special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, looking at whether Trump and others illegally meddled in the 2020 election, continue to loom. As the committee has held a series of public hearings, few Republicans have surfaced to defend Trump's actions, which increasingly drew comparisons to President Richard Nixon's actions during the Watergate scandal 50 years ago. The committee last week showed how a defeated Trump tried to use the Justice Department for his own political ends, much the way Nixon fired his top ranks in the Saturday Night Massacre before his resignation. John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon and famously testified against Nixon in hearings about the scandal, said that watching the three Trump-era Justice Department officials recount how Trump pressured them to investigate baseless allegations and threaten mass resignations brought him back to conversations he had had with Nixon. I did fall back and was reminiscent of my March 21 Cancer on the presidency conversation with Nixon where I kept pushing and escalating the problems. And he clearly had made up his mind," he recounted. Nothing I could say seemed to get through. He said he hoped the Jan. 6 hearings would help the public understand the seriousness of what Trump tried to do, that he is a threat to democracy and those who support him are a threat to democracy. Authoritarianism and democracy just dont work together." CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) A West Virginia aviator who trained more than 40,000 pilots has been honored at a memorial service, officials said. The Kanawha County Commission said the flag at the courthouse in Charleston was lowered to half-staff Saturday in honor of Benny Mallory, who was described by officials as a local aviation pioneer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin Democrats looking to unseat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson focused their attacks on him Sunday, and not each other, as the eight candidates made their case to party activists at the state convention held six weeks before the primary. The Democratic Senate candidates blasted Johnson for his attempt to deliver fake Republican Electoral College ballots to then-Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6, 2021, his skepticism over COVID-19 vaccines, his voting for a tax law that benefited him, and his support for overturning Roe v. Wade. The race in Wisconsin, which Donald Trump carried in 2016 but President Joe Biden won in 2020, could determine which party control the Senate. Polls show a tight Democratic primary between Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Alex Lasry, who is on leave from his job as an executive for the Milwaukee Bucks. Barnes highlighted his upbringing in a hard working union household in Milwaukee and contrasted that with Johnson, who is a millionaire and former owner of a plastics company. It feels like the deck is stacked against us, Barnes said at the convention in La Crosse. We dont want a hand out, we just want a fair shot. And we know we will never get that fair shot as long as Ron Johnson is in the Senate. Lasry, a millionaire, touted his union support, his work to build the Fiserv Forum where the Bucks play and his role getting the Democratic National Convention to be in Milwaukee in 2020. He also contrasted himself with Johnson and blasted him for not fighting to persuade Oshkosh Defense to locate 1,000 jobs in Wisconsin rather than South Carolina. Hes attacked organized labor, Lasry said. Spread lies about COVID. Tried to overthrow the government. And hes even advocating to ship Wisconsin jobs to South Carolina. Other candidates include state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, political organizer Steven Olikara, restaurant owner Kou Lee, state emergency management administrator Darrell Williams and attorney Peter Peckarsky. Godlewski, the only woman in the race, said she would work to pass a law legalizing abortion now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. If we had more Democratic women at that U.S. Senate table, we would have gotten this done a long time ago, Godlewski said. Nelson, who has tried to run a humor-infused, folksy campaign similar to former Sen. Russ Feingolds first bid for office 30 years ago, had some of the strongest words for Johnson, calling him a lying, treason-loving, woman-hating, Putin stooge. He likened his own candidacy to a strong Wisconsin beer, holding up a bottle of Spotted Cow from New Glarus Brewing Co. and compared the other Democratic candidates to a bottle of Bud Light. Olikara, running his first campaign for office, emphasized his work leading the Millennial Action Project, which lobbied Congress to enact bipartisan legislation. He said the best ideas in Congress should be coming from regular people, not the big money special interests. The candidate were largely united on the issues, voicing support not for abortion rights, also gun control, ending the Senate filibuster, expanding voter rights and fighting climate change. The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will advance to face Johnson, who is seeking a third term after previously promising to not run again. Johnson is also one of Trumps loudest backers and has been endorsed by the former president. He has espoused conspiracy theories related to the Jan. 6 insurrection and attempted to shift blame for what happened away from Trump supporters. ___ This version corrects that Nelson compared some of the other Democrats, not Johnson, to Bud Light. On Friday, Planned Parenthood of New Englands website carried two sentences in large white letters: Our doors are open. Abortion is still safe and legal in Connecticut and Rhode Island. They expect even hope the message will be read as an invitation by those who lost their access to reproductive services Friday when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years. Following the announcement of the courts ruling, nine states immediately banned abortion, and seven more have trigger bans that will take effect in the coming days. Medical providers with Planned Parenthood of New England said they are planning accordingly and expect a surge of patients from out of state over the coming months. Abortion remains legal in Connecticut and Rhode Island. We are anticipating that we will see a continued surge in patients here in Connecticut, as abortion is legal, as we have the ability to provide abortion services at all of our health centers in Connecticut, said Amanda Skinner, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. We are accessible by airports; at a number of our health centers, we have airports within 20 or 30 minutes. We are working furiously with our colleagues across the country to make sure we have as seamless a system as possible for patients who need access to care. Skinner was quick to point out that not everyone will be able to afford this option, however, and that the Supreme Courts action will land most squarely on low income people and communities of color. The ability to travel thousands of miles is not something thats available to all people. These bans cause disproportionate harm to people who live in poverty, people who live in rural areas, Black and brown communities any communities that are already disenfranchised from the health care delivery system and marginalized in this country. It is devastating to think that where somebody lives is going to determine whether or not they have access to care, she said. Skinner said Planned Parenthood already has seen an influx of patients traveling from Texas since that state adopted Senate Bill 8 last year, banning abortions after six weeks except in cases where there is a medical emergency. We have already seen patients having to travel thousands of miles from Texas to receive safe legal abortion care in Connecticut and we have every reason to believe that as abortion bans are passed across the country, this will continue, she said. Dr. Nancy Stanwood, the organizations chief medical officer, said Planned Parenthood will expand its workforce and begin training advanced-practice clinicians to provide first-trimester abortions. The Connecticut General Assembly in April passed a sweeping bill strengthening the states existing abortion laws. In addition to providing a legal safe harbor to women from places with restrictive laws who get abortions in Connecticut and the clinicians who perform them the measure expands who can perform first-trimester abortions. Beginning July 1, advanced-practice clinicians such as APRNs and physician assistants are allowed to perform abortions by suction, also known as vacuum aspiration. Suction is the most common method of in-clinic abortions and can be performed by clinicians other than doctors in 14 other states. Our advanced-practice clinicians will now be able to train in first-trimester aspiration procedures, and were preparing to make that training happen, Stanwood said. Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, a key supporter of the recently passed legislation, said she was saddened by the Supreme Court decision Friday. My hope is, if it hasnt already started, that training will be underway for the expanded provider types who are able to perform aspiration abortion and that Connecticut can provide women across this country with the reproductive health care that they need and deserve, she said. My daughter and I are in Washington, D.C., today. Shes 10 years old, and I cant help but look at her and think about the future for her and her generation and what this means to so many women who will not be able to access the reproductive health care they so desperately need. Several organizations focusing on health disparities criticized the Supreme Court ruling Friday, saying it would exacerbate existing inequities and further harm communities of color, low-income women and people living in rural areas. People of color have historically experienced disproportionately poor health outcomes and poor treatment in the health care system, and todays ruling will likely have an outsized effect on people of color who will find their health care choices further constrained, said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. Already, women of color have worse outcomes in maternal health, regardless of socioeconomic status. In Connecticut, Black women are 2.6 times as likely as white women to die within six weeks of childbirth, according to the state Department of Public Health. Changes that make it more difficult for people of color to make decisions about their reproductive health only stand to worsen inequities. We are fortunate that Connecticut has taken steps to preserve the right to abortion in the state. It will be critical to monitor access in the coming years. Outside of access to health care, the ruling will have other implications as well, advocates noted. The inability to choose whether or when to have children undermines a womans ability to finish high school or college. Educational attainment and earnings are linked, said Janee Woods Weber, executive director of the Connecticut Womens Education and Legal Fund. So the decision of whether or not to have children affects lifetime economic stability and security. Those are the kinds of decisions that can have generational impacts as well, especially when considered in the context of the income gaps and wealth gaps that already exist for women of color. Let me be clear that this decision to criminalize access to a safe abortion will cause more harm to Black, brown and low-income women across our nation and their loved ones, added Frances G. Padilla, president of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut. Women have the wisdom to decide for themselves. Political barriers to care are harmful and discriminatory. Even as many decried the ruling Friday, others celebrated. Several anti-abortion groups in Connecticut said they were galvanized by the decision, despite abortion remaining legal in the state. Were overjoyed, said Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut. Regardless of the fact that it doesnt immediately change anything for Connecticut, the overturning of Roe v. Wade is what pro-lifers have prayed for, marched for, worked for, voted for, for 49 years. And now were going to do the same thing in Connecticut to hopefully overturn the 1990 law that still keeps abortion legal here. The Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, which represents the states Catholic Bishops, issued a statement praising the decision. Today, with the U.S. Supreme Court reversing the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision on the right to abortion, we enter a new era of opportunity and responsibility to safeguard life and protect the most innocent among us, officials with the group said. We welcome this historic reversal, which affirms the right to life of an unborn child and we pledge to do all that is possible to support pregnant women who face serious challenges. As medical providers and pro-choice advocates contemplate a future without the protections of Roe v. Wade, some are calling for more action from Connecticuts lawmakers. Claudine Constant, public policy and advocacy director for the ACLU of Connecticut, urged state leaders to increase support and funding to address the Black maternal health crisis. Over and over again, we see the intersections of harm that happen in our systems. And the most impacted people are poor, marginalized, often Black and brown people, she said. Liz Gustafson, state director of Pro-Choice Connecticut, called for an expansion of the Medicaid program to include all people who meet the qualifying income limit, regardless of immigration status. The legislature so far has broadened the program to include all children 12 and younger, regardless of their immigration status. Constant also asked legislators and others to fight efforts to undermine reproductive care in their communities. Abortion care is one part of reproductive care and has honestly become synonymous with reproductive care, she said. When you start to see shutdowns on one thing, you can see shutdowns across the board. And thats happening right here in our state. Its important for our legislators to pay attention to whats happening locally so we can build up our defenses on a statewide level. The latest massacre of innocent children in Uvalde, Texas, was gut-wrenching for most Americans. Personally, I was traumatized by the event. It brought back vivid memories of Aug. 23, 2008, when my daughter, Alexa Olga, died by suicide at 14 years of age. I suffer from PTSD as a result of her death. It doesnt matter how you lose a child. The excruciating pain is the same. Viewing and burying your child in a small casket is shocking, so I can truly relate to all of the grieving parents in Uvalde. For me, there are so many troubling issues to tackle in preventing these occurrences from continuing, that it is difficult to process them all. First and foremost, I am utterly baffled by the inability of our government officials to enact laws that would prohibit youngsters from purchasing assault-style weapons. Sandy Hook was one unimaginable tragedy that drew a lot of national attention. It seemed that change would be imminent, but that was not to be the case. Parkland followed and there were many other school killings after that. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has said all that needs to be said. What will it take to have the nays in the Senate decry the slaughter of our most vulnerable in the population? Dont the children matter? Passing reasonable gun legislation is logical and morally right. Next, the red flag laws are essential. The argument has been voiced that focus should be paid solely to the purchase and purchaser of the guns, because they are what kills. There is a mental health aspect to the events that seems to be secondary. This thinking is wrong. Only seriously mentally disturbed individuals would plan a mass shooting and buy military weapons to carry it out. Mental health and the guns are intertwined. Red flag laws are not an indulgence, but a necessity. Salvador Ramos showed signs of a mental disorder and it was evident right before the shooting. He wrote about his gruesome plans, even on that tragic day. For whatever reason, steps were not taken to stop it. In my daughters case, unbeknownst to us, she had been sending messages that she was contemplating suicide. She did this on-line, in person and in a written conversation. Not one person took heed and relayed this information to me or my husband. It should be noted that the number of children that die by suicide far outweighs the number of those killed in the horrific shootings. Both are national crises that should be of tremendous concern. Alexa had been diagnosed with clinical depression and attachment disorder stemming from trauma she suffered as a very little girl whom we adopted from Russia when she was 3-1/2. Her birth mother was just 19, but wanted to keep her. Alexa was abruptly taken from her when she was 18 months old because mom was deemed unfit to care for her properly. During her young childhood she was content, happy and showed no visible signs of attachment disorder, as many adopted children do. Adolescence, coupled with cruel, targeted bullying in eighth-grade by former close friends, changed that. Bullying is another serious problem that must be factored into the mental wellness of children. The pressing items of priority must be put on the U.S. agenda to ensure the well-being of the country and its citizens. The development of an action plan is necessary, that both our leaders and the populace are willing to work for. Soon after Alexa died, I created a presentation using her story to raise awareness about suicide, bullying and mental health. The motto for the program is: You Have the Power to Change the Outcome It is just as suitable for what we must convey to our legislators and the public. Debbie Zegas Berman is a Brookfield resident. A healthcare worker prepares a syringe at a monkeypox vaccination clinic run by the CIUSSS public health authorities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 6. Reuters-Yonhap Monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) ruled Saturday, although WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was deeply concerned about the outbreak. "I am deeply concerned about the monkeypox outbreak, this is clearly an evolving health threat that my colleagues and I in the WHO Secretariat are following extremely closely," Tedros said in a statement. The WHO said in a separate statement that although there were some differing views within the committee, they ultimately agreed by consensus that at this stage the outbreak is not a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The "global emergency" label currently only applies to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio, and the U.N. agency has stepped back from applying it to the monkeypox outbreak after advice from a meeting of international experts. There have been more than 3,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox and one death reported in the last six weeks from 48 countries where it does not usually spread, according to the WHO. So far this year almost 1,500 cases and 70 deaths in central Africa, where the disease is more common, have also been reported, chiefly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Monkeypox, a viral illness causing flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, has been spreading largely in men who have sex with men outside the countries where it is endemic. There are vaccines and treatments available for monkeypox, although they are in limited supply. Some global health experts said the WHO may be have been hesitant to make a declaration because its January 2020 declaration that the new coronavirus represented a public health emergency was largely met with skepticism around the world. But others said the outbreak met the criteria to be called an emergency. Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University who advised the committee but who is not a member of the WHO, told Reuters by email Saturday that he thought the decision was "misguided." "It met all the criteria but they decided to punt on this momentous decision," he said. (Reuters) If youre headed to Mexico anytime soon, generally people will warn you about something you already know, like, for instance, not to drink the tap water. Or maybe theyll add in a bonus tip like, And dont get ice in your drinks! Others might advise you not to trip on the sinking sidewalks, which, it turns out, is worth keeping in mind. But something no one mentions but can be a legitimate pain during your travels in Mexico concerns the currency you receive while there. Because if it is torn, taped or slightly mutilated, this can become a real issue. As in, no one will take it. As an inexperienced traveler, I had no idea about this when I landed in Mexico City. People recommended I get $100 in pesos at the airport. So I dutifully headed straight to the money exchange across from the baggage claim. With four men in matching uniforms worked diligently under an official-looking sign, it seemed to be a trustworthy operation. Granted, the exchange rate was not good, but everything is overpriced in airports, so why wouldnt the money be? But what I did not expect was that close to half of the money they handed me would turn out to be utterly useless. I found this out almost immediately. The next morning, I attempted to pay a cab driver a 250 peso fare with a 500 peso note. The bill was quickly inspected and rejected as the driver pointed to a small rip. Once I could actually see what he was talking about since I couldnt understand what he was saying I then pulled out a 200 peso note along with some coins. It too was rejected. Was this driver just a finicky but isolated pain? Apparently not, because a half hour later I tried to pay for some tacos with the same slightly torn 200 peso note. It was quickly tossed right back at me, along with a serious glare, by the server. Such close inspection was anything but an exception; every single restaurant, store, taxi or museum I did business with in Mexico closely checked each bill I handed them. PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images The website Mexperience describes the money situation like a card game: A damaged banknote becomes like the joker in the card game where the object is to avoid taking the joker from another player, and if you do get it, surreptitiously hand it off to another. True enough. And what better target for sloughing off the bad money than the unwitting tourist. This is what happened to at the Leon Trotsky House Museum where the cashier tried to slough off a 200-peso note off on me. But I, now a wizened traveler, handed it back and requested an untorn note. Instead, she stuck a piece of scotch tape on the torn note and handed it back to me. My move. Unfortunately, its tough to argue when you cant speak the language. I took the useless bill and entered the museum. What is good to know is that banks in Mexico do accept torn or taped bills and will let you exchange them for usable money. So then why are people so adamant about not accepting these bills? Because perhaps no one wants to be bothered. Including me, apparently. I never turned in any of my torn or taped bills. Instead theyre just living in my dresser, reminding me of my rookie tourist mistakes every time I pull out a pair of socks. WFO LOS ANGELES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, June 27, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA 312 AM PDT Sun Jun 26 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 95 to 105 degrees. * WHERE...Santa Clarita Valley, Los Angeles County San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County Mountains and Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley. * WHEN...From 10 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures 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. * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 90 to 100 degrees. Low temperatures ranging from 70 to 80 degrees. * WHERE...Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains and Ventura County Mountains. * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 95 to 107 expected. * WHERE...Cuyama Valley, San Luis Obispo County Mountains, San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys and Southern Salinas Valley. ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 90 to 105 degrees. * WHERE...Lake Casitas and Ojai Valley. Warmest inland areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 85 to 105 degrees. * WHERE...Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range and Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range. Warmest inland areas. ...HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 88 to 103 degrees. * WHERE...Central Ventura County Valleys and Southeastern Ventura County Valleys. * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 90 to 102 degrees. * WHERE...Santa Monica Mountains. Warmest inland areas. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO MEDFORD Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, June 26, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Medford OR 355 AM PDT Sun Jun 26 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Hot temperatures of 95 to 105 in the valleys this afternoon and 85 to 95 at usually cooler hilly locations. Overnight lows will be warm, generally in the 60s. * WHERE...In California, the valleys and hills of western Siskiyou County, including the Klamath and Scott River valleys. In Oregon, the eastern Douglas County foothills including Toketee Falls and Steamboat. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures could cause heat illness. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The hottest day of this heat wave is expected to be today. This heat wave is likely to feel unusually hot to most due to fairly cool temperatures, thus far, this warm season. * View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr 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. ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT MONDAY... afternoon and 85 to 95 at usually cooler, hilly locations. Overnight lows will be warm, generally in the 60s. Temperatures on Monday are expected to be about 5 degrees cooler than they will be today. * WHERE...In California, the Klamath and Shasta valleys. In Oregon, Central Douglas County including Roseburg, Tri-City, Tiller, Azalea, Glendale, Camas Valley, Sutherlin, Elkton, Drain, and Scottsburg. Also in Oregon, all of Jackson County, Eastern Curry County and Josephine County including the Illinois Valley, Grants Pass, and Agness. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Monday. expected to be today. On Monday the Heat Advisory area will be smaller as temperatures cool slightly. This heat wave is likely to feel unusually hot to most due to fairly cool temperatures, thus far, this warm season. * WHAT...Hot temperatures of 95 to 105 in the valleys during the afternoons and 85 to 95 at usually cooler mid-elevation locations. Overnight lows will also be much warmer than normal, generally in the mid 50s to lower 60s. * WHERE...In California, Dunsmuir, Mount Shasta City, Tennant, Macdoel, Dorris, and Tulelake. In Oregon, portions of the South Central Oregon Cascades, Siskiyou Mountains, and Southern Oregon Cascades including Crescent Lake, Union Creek, and Howard Prairie. Also, much of the Upper Klamath Basin including Keno, Klamath Falls, Bonanza, and Chiloquin. expected to be today, but temperatures on Monday are expected to be only about 3 degrees cooler. On Monday the Heat Advisory area is likely to be smaller due to the slight cooling. This heat wave is likely to feel unusually hot to most due to fairly cool temperatures, thus far, this warm season. ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 11 PM PDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Hot temperatures from the upper 80s to upper 90s in the valleys during the afternoons. Overnight lows will also be much warmer than normal, generally in the 50s. * WHERE...In California, all except the higher mountains of Modoc County. In Oregon, Northern and Eastern Klamath County and Western Lake County and Central and Eastern Lake County including Lakeview, Adel, Bly, Beatty, Sprague River, Silver Lake, Summer Lake, Chemult, and Crescent. * WHEN...From 11 AM Sunday to 11 PM PDT Monday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...This heat wave is likely to feel unusually hot to most due to fairly cool temperatures, thus far, this warm season. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO PHOENIX Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ DUST STORM WARNING BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED Dust Storm Warning National Weather Service Phoenix AZ 720 PM MST Sat Jun 25 2022 The National Weather Service in Phoenix has issued a * Dust Storm Warning for... Southern La Paz County in west central Arizona... Central Yuma County in southwestern Arizona... East central Imperial County in southeastern California... * Until 800 PM MST/800 PM PDT/. * At 720 PM MST/720 PM PDT/, a wall of dust was along a line extending from near Tacna to near Wellton to 10 miles northeast of Ligurta to 14 miles southeast of Yuma Proving Ground, moving southwest at 20 mph. HAZARD...Less than a quarter mile visibility with strong wind in excess of 50 mph. SOURCE...Trained weather spotters. IMPACT...Dangerous life-threatening travel. * This includes the following highways... AZ Interstate 8 between mile markers 11 and 46. AZ Route 95 between mile markers 32 and 60. Locations impacted include... Martinez Lake, Fortuna Foothills, Wellton, Blaisdell, Tacna, Kinter, Ligurta and Roll. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Dust storms lead to dangerous driving conditions with visibility reduced to near zero. If driving, avoid dust storms if possible. If caught in one, pull off the road, turn off your lights and keep your foot off the brake. Strong to severe thunderstorms are also possible behind this wall of dust. Keep updated with this quickly evolving situation. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO RENO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... The Dixie East Burn Scar in... Western Lassen County in northern California... * Until 845 PM PDT. * At 544 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain over the Dixie East Burn Scar. Up to 1 inch of rain has fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will result in debris flow moving through the Dixie East Burn Scar. The debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms in and around the Dixie East Burn Scar. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Flooding of areas in and around the Dixie East Burn Scar. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... mainly rural areas of Western Lassen County PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Flash Flood Warning for a recent burn area means that flooding and/or debris flows are imminent or occurring. Residents living in or immediately downstream should take immediate precautions to protect life. Quickly move away from the burn area only if it is safe to do so, otherwise shelter in place and move to a second story or the highest location in your home to stay out of the path of fast-moving water and debris flows. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO SACRAMENTO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Sacramento has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... The Dixie West Burn Scar in... Southwestern Lassen County in northern California... Northwestern Plumas County in northern California... * Until 900 PM PDT. * At 505 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain over the Dixie West Burn Scar north of Greenville. Up to 1 inch of rain has fallen in past hour. The expected rainfall rate is 1 inch in 1 hour. Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will result in debris flow moving through the Dixie West Burn Scar, possibly along highway 89 near Greenville. The debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials. HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding in and around the Dixie West Burn Scar. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of areas in and around the Dixie West Burn Scar. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Crescent Mills and Greenville including Highway 89. Hauns creek drainage has received the heaviest rainfall. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... This is a life threatening situation. Heavy rainfall will cause extensive and severe flash flooding of creeks...streams...and ditches in the Dixie West Burn Scar. Severe debris flows can also be anticipated across roads. Roads and driveways may be washed away in places. If you encounter flood waters...climb to safety. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, June 26, 2022 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Northern Lewis County in central New York... * Until 745 PM EDT. * At 651 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Lowville, or 22 miles southeast of Fort Drum, moving northeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Expect damage to trees and power lines. * Locations impacted include... Lowville, Whetstone Gulf State Park, New Bremen, Watson, Martinsburg, Greig, Croghan, Castorland, Turin and Belfort. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO AMARILLO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service Amarillo TX 651 PM CDT Sat Jun 25 2022 ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN GRAY COUNTY IS CANCELLED... The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has changed directions and is no longer forecast to impact southwestern Gray County. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR NORTHWESTERN DONLEY COUNTY... At 650 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Howardwick, or 8 miles north of Clarendon, moving east at 10 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible. Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Locations impacted include... Howardwick and Greenbelt Lake. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. To report severe weather contact your nearest law enforcement agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo. Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. ...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of southwestern Wheeler, southeastern Gray and northwestern Collingsworth Counties through 730 PM CDT... At 654 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 6 miles southeast of Kellerville to Mclean. Movement was south at 15 mph. HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and nickel size hail. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Shamrock, Mclean, Lela and Kellerville. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. LAT...LON 3510 10054 3518 10054 3518 10068 3530 10071 3548 10030 3514 10019 TIME...MOT...LOC 2354Z 352DEG 11KT 3532 10042 3523 10057 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, June 26, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Shreveport LA 857 PM CDT Sat Jun 25 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 7 PM CDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...The combination of high humidity and air temperatures around the century mark, will result in maximum heat index values between 105 and 109 degrees. * WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, south central and southwest Arkansas and east and northeast Texas. * WHEN...For the first Heat Advisory, until 7 PM CDT this evening. For the second Heat Advisory, from 11 AM to 7 PM CDT Sunday. * 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. ...FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues. * WHERE...Rural areas of Hall County between Memphis and Lakeview * WHEN...Until 1000 PM CDT. * IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Water over roadways. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 857 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the advisory area. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain have fallen. Rain has generally come to an end, though run off may cause continued flooding of rural roadways. - Some locations that will experience flooding include... mainly rural areas of North Central Hall County - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Heavy rains had forced to switch the qualifiers to duathlons, once dry the heat was hellish, and nonstop action left the qualifying racing up and down. After the first two of three final races on Saturday, the field was whittled down to 10 starters Alex Yee found the energy at the blue carpet to pull away from Hayden Wilde to break the tape. Unwilling to give in to a chain mishap on the bike, Wilde took the silver, finishing 3 seconds behind Yee and 4 seconds behind Leo Bergere of France, That one meant a lot, Yee told World Triathlon media. After a [recent] crash you can lose a bit of belief and the last two weeks have been hard but I came in here more fired up than ever. That may have played against me my first few races [back in action] but after the last race I only just made it through so I just wanted to enjoy it. I found my flow at the end. Id been struggling through the rounds and my run has almost been a weakness but that last 100m I felt amazing and the crowd roaring me on was amazing. Races recap In Race One, Tyler Mislawchuk was lacking in energy due to an exhausting hot day at Huatulco a week ago and an accident preparing for this race had taken a toll. While running up the hill to transition, Mislawchuk found himself off the back and fading well past the 20th mark needed to qualify for the final race. Fellow Canadian Charles Paquet filled in nicely as made the cut for race two in 20th position. Two other notables Aussie Jacob Birtwhistle and Huatulco winner Genis Grau - also missed the cut. Twenty men toed the sand for Race Two and Miguel Hidalgo, Kenji Nener, and Vincent Luis led out of the water, with Wilde and Yee 15 and 20 seconds back. In increasing heat, Richard Murray of South Africa and Tayler Reid of New Zealand faded out of contention but Jawad Abdelmoula of Morocco looked on track to qualify for the top 10 in his inaugural WTCS race. Miguel Hidalgo also faded out of the top 10, on the final lap of the run. Marten Van Riel of Belgium found himself in a heated battle with Brandon Copeland of Australia for the 10th and last qualifying slot for the final race with the Belgian edging the Australian. Final race Vincent Luis and fellow Frenchmen Pierre Le Corre and Leo Bergere led the men out of the water, with Van Riel, Abdelmoula and Yee next up and Wilde and Geens readying for a surge back to the front. Then Wildes chain came loose! He dropped off, but didnt dismount, almost catching his finger reattaching the errant chain but finally it clicked and he was suddenly at full speed again. Lucky for the Kiwi, the leaders failed to go for the kill and Wilde was soon back among the top nine men arriving at T2. Le Corre was first on the run, but stumbled with the bike. Messias hung in with the three Frenchmen, Wilde and Yee. Then Wilde rolled the dice and surged to the front and only Yee hung on. The duo charged ahead shoulder to shoulder until they entered the grandstands, the crowd roaring as they battled towards the blue carpet. Finally, Yee found his old explosive kick and Wilde crossed for what looked an unlikely second place, Bergere with bronze ahead of Geens, and a career-best fifth for Messias. I was so gutted (about the chain), said Wilde. Coming into the third round I felt really good but I had to bridge the gap again. I thought, Should I get off or keep going? I almost got my finger caught. I know I dont have the kick against those boys, so I just tried to hook it. I must say I like the atmosphere here in Montreal and I also like that type of format - there is no room for mistakes, Bergere told World Triathlon media. I burnt myself too early in the race to hope for a better spot, but still, I am happy. My goal this year is to win the Series but I know it will be really tough with the two guys sitting next to me, Montreal Super Sprint Eliminator Montreal, Canada June 25, 2022 S 1.5k / B 7.2 k / R 2 k Pro Men 1. Alex Yee GBR S 03:55 T1 01:30 B 10:22 T2 00:30 R 05:39 TOT 21:55 2. Hayden Wilde (NZL) S 04:00 T1 01:26 B 10:22 T2 00:31 R 05:40 TOT 21:58 3. Leo Bergere (FRA) S 03:48 T1 01:37 B 10:21 T2 00:30 R 05:45 TOT 21:59 4. Jelle Geens (BEL) S 04:04 T1 01:27 B 10:16 T2 00:29 R 05:48 TOT 22:02 5. Manoel Messias (BRA) S 04:04 T1 01:27 B 10:16 T2 00:31 R 05:49 TOT 22:05 6. Vincent Luis (FRA) S 03:46 T1 01:38 B 10:23 T2 00:31 R 05:53 TOT 22:08 Angry Arthur Moses SC has been attracting attention for his, ahem, robust approach to representing his client Ben Roberts-Smith in his high-profile defamation case against the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, with one participant likening the silks cross-examination style to a rabid dog. Arthur Moses and Kerry Stokes. Credit:Joe Benke But Moses, who is stepping out with former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, was showing his softer side last week, having a go at the Vinnies CEO Sleepout event in Sydney as he has done each year since 2015 to help raise money for the citys homeless. All up, hes raised more than $22,182, smashing his target of $15,000. And the list of donors to Mosess fundraising effort is intriguing: billionaire Kerry Stokes, who is underwriting Roberts-Smiths very expensive litigation, chucked in a couple of grand. The US Supreme Courts ruling on abortion is abhorrent, but it also serves as a timely reminder that the 2019 passing of laws to remove abortion from the Crimes Act in NSW must never be amended or worse still, reversed. Alex Greenwichs bill to decriminalise abortion in NSW was passed, but there was fierce resistance. Credit:Brook Mitchell As the Leader of the House when this conscience vote occurred, I can assure you there are people in parliament today who would take any opportunity to do so. You only need to go back and read the speeches, see the vote count and look at some of the media commentary. When Sydney MP Alex Greenwichs Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 was passed, I hoped its key tenets would be enshrined forever. That said, it is important on matters of conscience, that future parliaments respect our community and the decision that was made. Decriminalising abortion was one of the most important decisions in the history of NSW, and it must be safeguarded forever. The legislation must never be amended unless in the interests of women, and it is for this reason the community must forever understand and know the viewpoints of its political leaders. That also means knowing your local candidates view on conscience issues. Albanese heads to NATO summit Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss As a watcher of a variety of cooking shows, Anne Robin of St Ives aches for at least one cook/chef to taste the creation and declare it a failure, which any number of grinds, pinches and squeezes wont make edible. After many photographic shots, the food surely must have lost its texture, structure and temperature, making it totally inedible or at least unappetising. Has any more vigilant watcher ever seen a failed taste test? Prior to having a knee replacement operation last year, Margaret Grove of Abbotsford says a doctor suggested that she replace her manual car with an automatic. I said no. In his referral to the specialist who performed my knee replacement, this doctor stated that I was very attached to my 86 Toyota. During rehab, whenever I asked the physios about going back to using a clutch, they had no advice since they knew nothing about driving a manual car. Six weeks after my operation I tried driving again and had no problems. Many years ago Pat Brinley of Stockton was described on a note back to his GP from a specialist as a very nice man albeit a bit dishevelled. I was probably due for a haircut but have always been curious as to how my appearance related to the bulging disc in my neck. Col Begg of Orange is one who cant wait for a digital electricity meter conversion. It might be my geriatric meters, but can any C8er please explain logically why the five dials on the counters rotate differently, firstly turning clockwise, then the next one turns counter-clockwise? Growing up at Little Bay, Michael McFadyen of Kareela remembers when Mum could not put out our washing to dry if a norwester was blowing, as the clothes would end up covered in coal ash from Bunnerong Power Station (C8). One good thing was that the warm water outlet was the best place in Sydney to catch prawns. Albanese, who is travelling to Europe ahead of a NATO summit, told reporters on Sunday the independents staff allocations were being wound back for fairness and equity and crossbenchers should not have more advisers than his backbenchers. He said the government had also cut $1.5 million from its own staffing budget, but did not specify whether this would result in fewer advisers. Sacrifices have been made across the board, Albanese said. Between 2007 and 2015 under prime ministers Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, federal crossbench senators were allocated two advisers. Independent lower house MPs had just one adviser from 2007 to 2010 under Rudd and Gillard. Gillard increased their allocation to three in 2011, then Abbott reduced it to one in 2014. In 2016, Malcolm Turnbull gave independents in both houses three advisers and in 2020 Scott Morrison raised it to four, along with the usual electorate office staff. Under Albaneses new staffing proposal, the crossbench members will all retain four lower-paid and less specialised electorate advisers, who deal with constituency matters, rather than legislation, media and stakeholders, meaning they will still have one more staff member than a government backbencher. Loading Treasurer Jim Chalmers said this was a common sense approach intended to correct the situation where crossbench MPs had twice as many staff as a backbench MP in the electorate next door. I dont think [thats] reasonable or fair, Chalmers told ABC Insiders on Sunday morning. Education Minister Jason Clare said independent and minor party MPs should get on with the job and make use of the Parliamentary Library, which Albanese was granting extra resources. I think most Australians would say: Well, youve been elected, now knuckle down and do the job, Clare told Sky News. But Patrick said it was quite unreasonable to compare the staffing needs of independent MPs with government backbenchers, who did not ordinarily draft private members bills or receive telephone calls from journalists asking for their position on legislation. Independents do a lot more than backbenchers, who simply follow the party in terms of voting and are gagged from talking to the media, he said. Patrick rejected the governments claim that the Parliamentary Library would be able to compensate for the lost advisers as a ridiculous suggestion given the service was only reachable during business hours and did not provide real-time advice on media, legislative or procedural issues. Two key federal Senate crossbenchers, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, have threatened to vote against the governments legislation in response to the cuts. Albanese said public threats by crossbenchers to veto legislation have not been echoed by the ones that Ive spoken to and his conversations with independents would continue to be constructive and courteous. Independents in the NSW parliament operate with three electorate staff and one parliamentary staffer. Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said while staffing at a state level was appropriate, federal electorates are three times the size and their staffing should reflect it. In Victoria, where independents hold the balance of power in the states upper house, crossbenchers are allocated 2.5 electoral office staff and parliamentary advisers are allocated depending on how many members the party has. State upper house independent Rod Barton, who only has one parliamentary adviser, said it was extremely challenging to deliver for constituents without an extra adviser and his federal counterparts were rightly angry. It will be extremely difficult for crossbenchers to get across multiple and complex pieces of legislation in the timeframes required, he said. Loading A spokesperson for Derryn Hinchs Justice Party said independent and minor party MPs should have adequate staff to allow our laws to be adequately scrutinised. Parliamentary advisers do work that electorate officers often cannot, the spokesman said. Patients have been kept in seclusion rooms for more than 20 hours in NSWs mental health units, which are struggling to balance the care and safety of both patients and nurses amid COVID-19 infections and staff shortages. Cumberland Hospital in Sydneys west had an average seclusion time of 22 hours and 20 minutes from January to March, Bureau of Health information showed. Cumberland Hospital secluded patients for 22 hours and 20 minutes on average in January to March 2022. Credit:Edwina Pickles Overall, the states average length of a seclusion episode blew out to 11 hours and 18 minutes in that period during the Omicron wave almost five hours longer than the average seclusion time one year earlier, the report showed. NSW Health set a seclusion benchmark of less than four hours following a parliamentary inquiry prompted by leaked footage of the 2014 death of 46-year-old Miriam Merten in a seclusion room at Lismore Base Hospital. Kigali: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has backed Prince Charles to remain head of the Commonwealth and said the heir to the throne was not referring to Australia when he said it was up to countries wanting to become republics to make that choice. Wrapping up the Commonwealth summit in Rwandas capital, Kigali, Marles said the government was not focused on Australia severing ties with the monarchy, despite the appointment of Matt Thistlethwaite as the countrys first-ever minister for a republic. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales at the CHOGM opening ceremony in Kigali. Credit:Getty Images I want to emphasise that this is not the focus now, Marles told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. These are questions for Australia to consider in the fullness of time and Australia will consider them in the fullness of time. Prosecutors have said Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison, citing her utter lack of remorse. Maxwell wants a term shorter than 20 years. The sentence will be imposed by US Circuit Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan federal court. Maxwell has been held in the Brooklyn jail since shortly after her July 2020 arrest. Her lawyers objected multiple times before trial about the confinement conditions there, including last November when Sternheim likened them to Hannibal Lecters from the 1991 Oscar-winning film The Silence of the Lambs. Seven women who were Maxwells accusers have asked a judge to consider their pain as she decides what prison sentence she will dispense. Their statements were put in the public case file late on Friday by Manhattan prosecutors. Loading In a statement, Annie Farmer, who testified at trial and spoke at Epsteins bail hearing before he killed himself, said Maxwells lack of remorse and her repeated lies about victims forced a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy and wellbeing. Defence lawyer Bobbi Sternheim included the victim statements in a submission to the judge Friday after the defence asked for a sentence of no more than five years, but she heavily redacted portions in asking the judge to disregard some entirely because they were not directly a part of the case that resulted in Maxwells conviction. Prosecutors, though, said no redactions were required or necessary because any privacy interests belonged to victims and none asked for their statements to be sealed. They added that no due process interest is protected by withholding victim impact statements from the public. Three victims may speak at sentencing. Included were nine graphic pictures of Sarah Ransome taken in a hospital bed after two suicide attempts she blames on the trauma of over a half year spent as a sex toy for Epstein and Maxwell and others that left her so distressed that she once considered jumping from a cliff into shark-infested waters off Epsteins sprawling Virgin Islands estate. Loading Ransome, who wrote a book Silenced No More and travelled from her England home to observe Maxwells trial, said she was stopped from taking the plunge by Maxwell and company moments before jumping but that at the time, that extremely risky escape seemed more appealing than being raped one more time. One woman, Kate, a former British model who testified at trial, spoke of the silent screams inside the minds of girls who were not yet adults when Maxwell and Epstein flashed wealth and ties to famous and powerful people before subjecting them to sex abuse and then fear so they would never disobey their prurient quests. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prosecutors Office OM SXM, together with the Police Force of Sint Maarten KPSM, has delivered its report on the March 2022 ransomware attack (in Dutch: Bestuurlijk rapportage ransomwareaanval) on utility company N.V. GEBE to the Government of Sint Maarten, the shareholder of this public-owned entity. The report is based on findings from the Freya investigation, which includes the report and interviews with GEBE staff members and other relevant information from the Kingdom Cooperation Team RST. The purpose of submitting the Freya investigation report to the St. Maarten government centers on the security risks that have occurred at GEBE due to the March 17 incident. The report is also intended to enable the authorities (read government and its related entities) to take appropriate measures. During the investigation, OM SXM and KPSM were unable to establish sufficiently the actual danger to Sint Maarten due to the hack. Due to NV GEBE's non-cooperative attitude, there had been no access to the hacked computer system at any time. Therefore, the Freya investigation could not establish what were the exact risks for the country and clients of GEBE; who was behind the attack, and the dangers for the future. On 17 March 2022, a cyber-attack was discovered on GEBE. A message in the computer system indicated that the company had been hacked by Black Byte, an organization that focuses on stealing and encrypting data, mainly from companies (ransomware). As a result of the hack, the entire customer database, financial data, and other business data were encrypted. Sint Maarten's vital infrastructure is the foundation of society. The interconnectivity, small scale, and dependence on the countrys infrastructure mean that the failure of vital infrastructures, such as the only energy company, has an immediate social impact. Recently, two major cyber-attacks have hit the vital infrastructure of Sint Maarten. In September 2021, there was a cyber-attack on the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) and on GEBE. In the past (2018), the Government of Sint Maarten suffered a ransomware attack whereby the public tasks could not be performed temporarily. Ransomware or hostage software is the most common and lucrative form of cybercrime worldwide. Attacks occur daily and the ransoms demanded regularly run into millions of dollars. The extortion of organizations earns criminal groups hundreds of millions of dollars. It causes great damage to the victims and has a socially disruptive effect. KPSM Press Release. PHILIPSBURG:--- In an effort to promote proper hygiene among children, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset donated hygiene kits to students of the Prins Willem Alexander Primary School (PWAS) on June 23rd, 2022. This would be the clubs second year making this much-needed donation to the school. Rotary Sunset received a sponsorship request from the school to assist with providing hygiene essentials for 13 students who will be moving on to secondary school. The school has also embarked on several hygiene sessions to combat the concern of lack of hygiene care among the students. The presentation took place at Rotary Sunsets board meeting in the presence of Rotarians and the donation was accepted by Jina Mamtani-Mahbubani, who is the schools counselor at PWAS. The hygiene kits will be distributed to the students during their school-leaving exercise on June 27th, 2022. The kits include body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, comb, brush, toothpaste, mouth wash, body mist, lotion, hand sanitizer, face wipe, sanitary pads, lip balm, razors, shaving cream, and a washcloth. Forming good hygiene practice from a young age can have a positive effect on a childs growth and development. A child will also learn to be independent and boost their confidence and self-esteem. Rotary Sunset is elated to be able to assist in this area as we strive to play a proactive role in the early education and personal hygiene of children, Rotary Sunset President, Norrisa Anatol stated. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset would like to commend the management and staff of the Prins Willem Alexander Primary School for contacting the club and their continued efforts in promoting proper hygiene practices among their student population. The club would also like to congratulate the graduating class of PWAS for their exceptional achievements and wishes them much success in their future endeavors. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at Carl N Sons Unique Inn and Conference Facilities in Cole Bay at 7:30 pm. The club can be contacted via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the official Facebook page at facebook.com/rotarysxmsunset. PHILIPSBURG:--- Within an atmosphere of visible racism internationally and strained relations within the Dutch Kingdom, I continue to ponder on the origin of the contentions among the partners within the realm. Doing the math, I realize that on both sides of the ocean we - the descendants of the enslaved Africans and the descendants of the imperial masters/the colonists - fail to acknowledge and have open discussions about the remnants of our shared history, which after all is not as distant as we pretend it to be. Considering that my sisters five grandchildren all had the privilege to sit on my mothers lap, their great-grandmother, I realize that even if I was privileged enough to be born before my great-grandparents transitioned, I most probably would not have been able to enjoy the same privilege. They were all born before 1863 when Suriname and Curacao (and its dependencies) were still subject to slavery. Even my grandparents were born just a few years after the abolition of slavery. Have you ever done this math within your family? Considering myself a victor, a descendant of the strongest among the strong, who survived slavery, I do not ignore the trauma, stigma, and deprivation many of the people that look like me in the West had and still have to endure. Refusing to embrace the victim role, I however consider it high time to widely and honestly discuss the stigma, which turned us against ourselves. Inviting the descendants of the imperial masters to join the conversation is a must. It is important to look each other in the eyes, while discussing the consequences of divide and conquer still visible and alive today. We need to understand that defining ourselves among each other by color codes ranging from lighter shades of being colored to the darkest shades of coffee and mahogany is an invention designed and structurally maintained by the imperial masters, to keep the diaspora African (as a race) divided. Honest and open discussions of institutionalized racism since the Willy Lynch letter of 1712 (hence the well-known term lynching) should provide both Afro-Caribbean and Caucasian people insight and awareness concerning the brutal and inhumane psychology behind the Transatlantic slave trade. Concepts which I am sure many fellow citizens in the European part of the Dutch Kingdom have never heard of, and are certainly not aware of their impact on todays institutions and societies. Recognizing and addressing systemic structural flaws, which became the norm, require mindfulness. Avoiding such conversations by brushing them off as being the past, I remind the reader that the Jewish Passover is commemorated yearly for over 3000 years to celebrate the Hebrews' liberation from slavery in Egypt. It is time that we look at ourselves and acknowledge the traumas supported and inflicted upon our own with references to our sisters and brothers with a darker complexion as tar babies, and subsequently favoring those among us with lighter skin. This too is a remnant of our collective dark history and is considered the norm in our societies without further questioning. Breaking the silence and having these conversations openly is required to travel the path of rediscovery, recovery, and healing. A path certainly not meant to dwell in the past and stay there but to enable understanding and meaningful cooperation as we move forward within the realm. Do the math and note that compared to approximately three hundred years of Transatlantic slave trade, anno 2022 barely marks half the time that all citizens in the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom are free since the Abolition of slavery in 1863. Though equal citizenship with voting rights for the Afro-Dutch only exists since 1948 in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. To consider discussions surrounding slavery and its consequences in our times as a Black thing is therefore a gross misconception, which only perpetuates racial discrimination and conflicts within the realm. Considering that a European Dutch citizen is able to trace his or her roots far back to most probably the Middle Ages and beyond, while the Afro-Dutch citizen - the baby boomers-, can hardly identify his or her great-grandparents by name, should tell that the shared history within the Dutch Kingdom is not as far as we pretend. Consider the following actions and discussion points: - Have we sufficiently heeded and acted upon the lyrics of the Redemption Song by Bob Marley, a repetition of the call issued by Marcus Garvey in the 1930s to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery? - Invite some friends to watch a few documentaries about the contemporary slave trade. Subsequently, identify and discuss ways to deal with the socio-economic and psychological impact of the Transatlantic slave trade on our societies today. This included not only free labor but huge profits for the imperial home countries. (This article is the first in a series of essays written by Dr. Nilda Arduin to commemorate 1 July 1863, the Abolition of slavery within the Dutch Kingdom) - July 2022 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) The leader of Bosnia's Serbs said Sunday he hoped former U.S. President Donald Trump would return to power and that the Serbs would wait for appropriate global circumstances to reach for their goal of seceding from Bosnia, which he called an unsustainable state. Milorad Dodik, who was a rare European official to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the war in Ukraine started in late February, made the comments at a gathering marking the start of a bloody breakup of Bosnia 30 years ago. Bosnia went through a devastating 1992-95 war in which over 100,000 people died before a U.S.-brokered peace deal ended the conflict. The peace deal, also known as the Dayton Accords, created Bosnian Serb and Bosniak-Croat entities tied together by joint Bosnian institutions and a triparate presidency of which Dodik is a member. Russia's war in Ukraine has aroused fears that the turmoil could spill over to the volatile Balkans, where Russia has maintained strong influence among fellow-Slavic Serbs. Dodik, who has led a Bosnian Serb secessionist drive, said he was convinced that Serbs would soon make important decisions about their fate in Bosnia. He also expressed expectation that Trump would again lead the United States. For the first time in history, Serbs are waiting for time, Dodik said. We must be patient, understand time. Europe is inevitably confused, with its internal problems. I pray to God that Donald Trump comes to power in America again. During his presidency, Trump rarely spoke against the continuous attempts by Bosnian Serbs to destabilize Bosnia. After Joe Biden became president, Dodik was slapped with the U.S. and British sanctions over his proclaimed goal to split about half of Bosnia and join it with neighboring Serbia. Dodik met Putin in Russia earlier this month, saying Sunday he was proud of the meeting. He told me only one thing, and that was, We are not leaving our friends. It is the Russians who have not done us any harm, Dodik said. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine TAMPA, Fla. (AP) In the late 1960s, the rumor spread throughout the school the beloved English teacher and yearbook advisor was once the baby whose image still covered glass jars of baby food. Ann Turner Cook was the Gerber baby. Turner Cooks role as the sparkling-eyed, pillow-cheeked mascot was officially confirmed by the company itself in a 1950s court case (after much controversy involving, somehow, Humphrey Bogart, who was rumored to have been the baby) and to the public in 1978. And while the original Gerber baby enjoyed the bit of celebrity that came with the role, she hoped to be remembered for something else. She used to say shed hate to think she peaked at age 8 months, said daughter Jan Cook. She always said What I want to be known as is a great teacher, said Lenora Lake-Guidry, who spent three years as Turner Cooks student in the late 60s. Turner Cook was a great teacher, her children and former students agree. Later, she became a mystery writer whose work showed her love for Florida. While her face at its youngest remains fixed in our culture, Turner Cook did the thing babies are supposed to do she grew up and lived a good and interesting life. She died June 3 at 95 of natural causes. Baby face Eventually, Turner Cook learned that she needed to devote the first 15 minutes of each new school year at Tampas Hillsborough High School to telling her students the story of how she became the face of baby food. It went something like this: In 1928, her family lived in Connecticut. The Gerber company was in search of a babys face for its product. Artist and family friend Dorothy Hope-Smith used Turner Cook as a model for a charcoal sketch. Gerber picked it. The Gerber baby grew up, and in 1947, she married James Cook, a Navy veteran. According to news clippings, she later received her only compensation for being the Gerber baby. It couldnt have come at a better time, she told the St. Petersburg Times in 1997. We paid for college and bought our first car with the money. According to Gerber, The identity of the baby, however, was kept secret for 40 years, until 1978. Teacher, creature keeper What mattered to Turner Cook was her legacy as a teacher, said her son, Cliff Cook. She taught Shakespeare probably as good as anybody ever did, he said. Turner Cook played records of the Bards work in her classroom while her students read along. She said thats the only way you really get a feeling for the drama of his plays. The Cooks had four children and always a collection of odd pets, said Jan Cook, including horned toads, sea horses, a rattlesnake, turtles and mice. And she welcomed anything the kids brought in through the door. Jan Cook remembers her mother outside under the porch light one night, catching bugs in a jar for one of the creatures. She was game for anything. Turner Cook worked long days and spent her evenings grading papers and tests. And when she worried that an exchange student wasnt writing home, Turner Cook took up corresponding with his family with updates. She was the person who influenced me the most other than my parents, former student Lake-Guidry wrote on Facebook after learning of her teachers death. I am so lucky to have known her. Late edition In 1989, after 26 years as a teacher, Turner Cook retired and did the thing shed always meant to do she started writing. Along with her husband, whod retired as a criminologist with the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, Turner Cook traveled to small Florida towns where the settings of her mysteries unfolded. The lead character in several books, Brandy OBannon, was a newspaper reporter. Her adventures took her to Micanopy, Cedar Key and Homosassa. Each book included references and quotes from the great literature Turner Cook taught and loved. Shed discovered, in her 70s, another way to top her early fame. Though I feel like queen for a day in my role as the Gerber baby, she told the Times in 2003, my greatest satisfaction has been to create a story that others want to read. ___ Poynter news researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story. The March to Kigali, a campaign led by a group of like-minded civil society organizations from across Africa and supported by Speak Up Africa has garnered the engagement of over 300 signatories. The campaign urges global leaders to prioritize the elimination of malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) at the Kigali summit, which takes place today, alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). With these diseases disproportionately affecting the vulnerable members of society and adversely impacting Africas economic and social development, the March to Kigali campaign garners global attention to accelerate action to end malaria and NTDs on the continent. Every two minutes, an African child dies from malaria. The continent accounts for over 90% of global malaria deaths and over 40 per cent of the global burden of NTDs is in Africa. Efforts to eliminate these diseases are stifled by inadequate health systems and limited programme funding coupled with less attention and prioritization on the global and regional stage. This Kigali Summit presents a historic opportunity for world leaders to reaffirm commitments to end these diseases and their untold suffering and misery on billions of people. Through the March to Kigali campaign, we call for domestic resource mobilization for increased and sustained resources aligned with the co-financing requirements of The Global Fund amounting to US$18 billion required to get the world back on track toward building resilient and sustainable systems for health. The March to Kigali campaign acknowledges the strength of the Kigali Summit in convening key decision-makers to bring united global attention to malaria and NTDs. These diseases are entirely treatable and preventable but are still a major obstacle to economic and social development in Africa, affecting the most marginalized populations, says Yacine Djibo, Founder and Executive Director of Speak Up Africa. The campaign also calls for a renewed focus on integrating malaria and NTDs control and elimination. Multi-disease solutions can potentially improve healthcare system financing efficiencies with existing integration opportunities to benchmark on. For example, Senegals National Malaria and Control Program rationalize efforts and costs by using its platform to collect data on both diseases. The March to Kigali campaign builds on the existing partnerships and platforms of the No to NTDs, and Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaigns and aims to secure commitments from national and sub-national stakeholders to end these epidemics by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It includes political engagement, private sector engagement, civil society, and youth engagement. Civil society organizations (CSOs) from across Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, and Niger are leading the charge by increasing public awareness and political engagement in eliminating malaria and NTDs. In Sierra Leone, twelve leading recording artists released Malaria e Don Wan Dae Na Mi Han, a music video about malaria prevention and treatment. Community health workers in Sierra Leone also received training to be the first line of defense against these diseases, and over 100,000 malaria rapid testing kits were distributed in Burkina Faso. Additionally, the through Lines of Impact initiative, the campaign works with African journalists from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo to develop quality articles on NTDs and malaria Neglected tropical diseases received little attention in the media. Mass media can play a huge role in disseminating information, influencing public behavior, to ultimately curtail the spread of disease, says Dr Charity Binka, The Executive Secretary of the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) and country lead of the March to Kigali campaign in Ghana. More than 300 civil society and local organizations, media outlets, and individuals across the continent have signed the March to Kigali call to action, demonstrating the incredible commitment at the country and continental level to ending these diseases. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Sam Crothers has been supplying pool owners in the Lehigh Valley for decades, but there have been recent tensions with customers who have been anxious to swim as the weather warms up. The owner of Advance Pool Services in Allentown has had to deal with shortages of basic supplies, such as chlorine, and higher prices. Its hurting a little, but its hurting more with customer relations, Crothers said. They take their frustrations out on the first person in the line that they see. They dont take it out on my distributors, they take it out on me. So its more than that. But the bottom line: Yeah, it hurts a bit. Because certain things, we just cant get it. The last couple of years have been a perfect storm for the pool industry. People forced to stay at home during the COVID pandemic had pools installed. According to the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, a trade organization, installations went up a record 21% in 2020. The booming business has made it harder for suppliers to keep up with demand. Thats especially true with chlorine also known as shocks when used in high dosages which keeps the water germ free. A popular product, Trichlor, a chlorine tablet, has either been hard to find or is more expensive. Amy Willer, associate director of marketing and communications for the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, said Hurricane Laura and a resulting fire that hit a production plant in Louisiana in 2020 affected about 40% of the national chlorine tablet supply. Then another fire at a New Jersey facility in January led to the loss of 100,000 more pounds of tablets. BioGuard, which manufactures the tablets, says a new plant is expected to be finished this year. The start of production should help ease supply issues. The chlorine shortage has been an issue since a few months into the pandemic, and it has been a nationwide issue, Willer said. Crothers said he paid $52 for 25 pounds of dichlor, another type of chlorine, three years ago, and is paying $135 this year. Its unbelievable, he said. I cant charge much more than ($52), so Im charging them $70 and they look at me like Im a villain. Advance Pool Services has been fortunate enough to keep supplies in stock because of long-term relationships with suppliers. Though, logistical issues such as a shortage of warehouse workers and truck drivers have also affected supply. Last year was tough for tablets, Crothers said. Fortunately, I have a 34-year relationship with my chemical supplier. So I got them. [Suppliers] never ran out, but a lot of people ran out. It was being sold on eBay for absurd amounts of money. I saw a 150-pound container for 800 bucks. Thats four times what it normally is. In the meantime, Crothers is recommending pool owners not use their supplies willy-nilly and to consider other options such as liquid chlorine. The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance says consumers can consider using other EPA-registered pool sanitizers such as calcium hypochlorite or dichlor. It also recommends: Dont use your pool as a bathtub. Shower before swimming and keep your pets out of the pool. Shock the pool only when the combined chlorine levels are above 0.4 ppm and use either liquid chlorine, calcium hypochlorite or a monosulfate product to shock the pool. Run the pool filter daily. Test the water frequently and keep the water balanced. Install a UV or ozone system, though a small amount of chlorine is still needed. Convert to a salt pool. Install a mineral system. Installation woes For those who are looking to shell out between $35,000 and $100,000 to have an in-ground pool installed, patience will be a virtue. The record-high increase in installations has brought longer wait times, Willer said. Pool buyers should now anticipate between six to nine months for completion of their project due to high demand and a backlog of supplies and materials, Willer said. In some regions, this can extend to 12 months. While demand is higher than ever, it is worth waiting the extra few months to avoid the risks of hiring a potentially unqualified company. Crothers said hes heard that some installations wont be completed until at least 2024. Tom Casey, vice president of sales of Doylestown-based Anthony & Sylvan Pools, said the timing is dependent on several factors, such as obtaining municipal permits. The length can vary depending on where the customer is located. Once thats out of the way, Casey said, a bigger company could complete installation in eight to 12 weeks, depending on the complexity of the project. Demand overburdened the industry in 2020 and into 2021, Casey said. Thus far in 2022 the industry is starting to return to more normalized levels. People are getting back to normal lives, the lockdowns are behind us. I think well see that this year and next year. He said installers may face their own labor issues and difficult obtaining equipment such as PVC pipes and pumps. Willer said despite potential delays, consumers should still be careful in choosing a contractor. The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance encourages consumers to look for and work with certified industry professionals, she said. As for Crothers, he will continue to navigate through strange times. Everybody is stressed, he said. The consumer, distributors, me and my employees. Its crazy. And its just right across the board. The World Circular Economy Forum will, for the first time, take place on African soil in 2022, bringing together participants from around the world to absorb lessons from the continent and the wider global south toward building a more resilient and greener global economy. The Forum will be held from December 6-8, in Kigali, Rwanda. The 2022 World Circular Economy Forum 2022 (WCEF2022) will present some of the worlds best circular economy solutions as well as examine how businesses from Africa and elsewhere can seize new opportunities and gain a competitive advantage in the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies. Business leaders, policymakers and experts from around the world are expected to participate. The first Forum was held in 2017. Under the theme From Africa to the World, the hybrid-format event will have proceedings livestreamed on big screens in several African cities to drive broad-based engagement with the forum. The format will enable remote participation in discussions about local models and examples of the circular economy. With the youngest population in the world, the African continent can take a crucial role in the global transition towards circularity. Rwanda is proud to host the World Circular Economy Forum 2022, showing African leadership and commitment, said Rwandas Minister of Environment, Jeanne dArc Mujawamariya. Rwanda is a founding member of the African Circular Economy Alliance and serves as co-chair. The government of Rwanda, the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) , the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) (www.ACEN.africa), and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, will jointly host the event with international partners. The global south is expected to face among the most severe impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss as a result of the take-make-waste economic paradigm. This is particularly true in Africa. At the same time, the continent has vast natural resources, and a young, vibrant and entrepreneurial population. As such, it is seen as having both incentive and potential to play a lead role in driving the circular economy model and building greater resilience across the globe. As a growing continent, Africa plays a key role in advancing circularity. The WCEF2022 presents an ideal platform to showcase cutting-edge circular solutions to support the Paris climate goals and the Sustainable Development Goals. The African Development Bank together with its partners, the government of Finland and the Nordic Development Fund, recently launched the Africa Circular Economy Facility to support this transformation as part of Africas Agenda 2063, said Dr Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank. Sitras President Jyrki Katainen said: According to Sitras recent study, circular economy interventions can halt global biodiversity loss and help the worlds biodiversity recover. Circularity is crucial not only to keep valuable materials in use, but also to ease the pressure on extracting virgin natural resources. A website for the 2022 World Circular Economy Forum will be launched in June 2022. The Forums agenda will be made public in October 2022. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (135) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (348) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (442) Jan 2014 (547) Feb 2014 (476) Mar 2014 (526) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (471) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (443) Oct 2014 (472) Nov 2014 (497) Dec 2014 (536) Jan 2015 (539) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (582) Apr 2015 (658) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (924) Nov 2015 (802) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (866) May 2016 (947) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (967) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (935) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (849) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (789) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (812) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (68) The Border Police Inspectorate General (IGPF) informs that 132,550 persons entered Romania through the border check points on Saturday, of whom 12,570 were Ukrainian citizens (down 2.6 percent from the previous day). According to a press release sent to AGERPRES, 7,583 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania through the border with Ukraine (down 4.1pct), and 1,265 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania through the border with the Republic of Moldova (down 5pct).Since the onset of the crisis, on February 24, 2022, until Saturday at midnight, 1,324,823 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania nationwide. Also, since February 10, 2022, pre-conflict period, a number of 1,359,352 Ukrainians have entered Romania."Border surveillance strengthening measures have been set in place on the land border as well, with additional crews conducting missions in the covered areas. There is an integrated action with the other institutions relevant in the area, aimed at an operative exchange of data and information, as well as at jointly adapting the necessary measures for managing the emerged cases," the release reads. Dmitri Medvedev's statements, subsequent to the European Council decision of June 23 - 24 on granting the status of candidate state for joining the EU to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, are part of Kremlin's "false rhetoric" "disseminated in the Republic of Moldova," the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) says in a Sunday's press release. "Dmitri Medvedev's statements, subsequent to the historic decision of the European Council on June 23 - 24 on granting the status of candidate for joining the EU to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, are part of Kremlin's false rhetoric, which we have already gotten used to, disseminated in the Republic of Moldova, both before and after the illegal, unjustified and unprovoked aggression of Russia against Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry maintains.According to MAE, the aforementioned reaction shows, besides "a high level of frustration," a certain thing - the European Council decision to grant the status of candidate state to the Republic of Moldova is "a fair decision and represents a truly historic achievement, a reconfirmation of the European vocation and orientation" of the Republic of Moldova and its citizens."This decision represents, on the one side, the inception of the irreversible path towards the full integration of the Republic of Moldova in the European Union, where it belongs, and, on the other hand, a new confirmation of the strategic value of the Union's enlargement policy," the release also reads. The coat of arms and anthem represent the national symbols of respect, dignity and honour and the respect for history, for the present, but especially for the future, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Sunday, in the Tricolour Square in Capital at the public ceremony of Hoisting the Flag of Romania. "The national coat of arms and the national anthem represent the national symbols of respect, dignity and honor, they represent the respect for history, for the present and especially for the future. I want to thank all those who participated and especially the organisers of this activity. We were able to see, together with the state institutions, the civil society, a very beautiful and emotional gesture and I thank the children that this morning they were with us to celebrate the Flag Day. Many happy returns!," said the Prime Minister.The ceremony was organised by the Institution of the Prefect of Bucharest, the City Hall of Bucharest and the Command of the Bucharest Garrison.The event was attended by Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu, Capital General Mayor Nicusor Dan, Bucharest Prefect Toni Grebla, Capital's District 1 Mayor Clotilde Armand. Those inviting folks from Downton Abbey have figured a way to make more money and work less: Movies. Their latest, Downton Abbey: A New Era, lets everyone weigh in without doing a lot of heavy lifting. Its the perfect answer for fans wanting to see the British artistocracy. In these big-screen outings, theres a chance to stretch in ways the television series didnt allow. Here, they can be funny, they can have a quick moment of reflection and they can tell a story that doesnt take six hours to unfold. In the new Roaring 20s Mary (Michelle Dockery) agrees to let filmmakers shoot in the familys home. The actors are an odd breed, to be sure, but they also represent opportunity: downstairs folks see celebrity; upstairs folk get new fodder for their biting wit. The feistiest of them all the Dowager (Maggie Smith) gets to unleash her best lines on the actors (Dominic West and Laura Haddock) and their profession. While half the family is busy investigating the interlopers, another half is in the south of France, checking out a villa that, mysteriously, has been willed to the Dowager. How did she get it? Who is this man? And what, pray tell, could they have had in common? It all swirls like an Agatha Christie potboiler, particularly since the woman in question isnt talking. That film, meanwhile, is the source of more intrigue. Talkies threaten to shut things down until the director (Hugh Dancy) makes an offer to Mary to help them out. Its all too Singin in the Rain for its own good, but it does show how inheritance isnt the only way to gain wealth. (Could it be coincidence that Ralph Lauren was a big fan of Downton Abbey? Or do those French scenes look like his spring line come to life?) There are other questions that pop to mind, even though seams of the show are beginning to show. Writer Julian Fellowes loves to make viewers think its headed in one direction before taking a sharp left turn. He does this several times in New Era and never stops to apologize. Suffice it to say, there are crowd-pleasing moments for everyone. A same-sex relationship moves from a back burner to a front one; an exit looms for one of the regulars. Three weddings and funeral? Its definitely in the cards this time out. While actors like Joanne Froggatt and Laura Carmichael barely get screen time, theyre there when it matters. A New Era builds to those group scenes and makes sure they represent what fans want most. Downton, in fact, has become more user-friendly in its big-screen incarnation. British royalty visited in the last film; now its Americas turn. West and Haddock suggest big stars of the era but their behavior is less obvious. West, in particular, moves Downton closer to Bridgerton than anyone might have thought. Newcomers get a nudge every now and then when director Simon Curtis drops in key information about characters. Its all meant to keep the home fires burning and, yes, they do. A New Era may not be as progressive as it seems but it moves quickly and positions its characters for even more drama in the 1930s. Q. Thank you for warning that wasp stings could trigger a life-threatening reaction. I have had an anaphylactic reaction to a food preservative, so I know how scary that is. After I experienced three wasp stings over several years, with each reaction faster and more severe, my allergist prescribed an epinephrine injector. He instructed me to call 911 immediately following an injection and to wait for help, using the second injector if help has not arrived within 20 minutes. I am NOT to drive myself or be driven to the ER, because I might pass out in the car. Please alert your readers. A. An epinephrine injection can be lifesaving during a severe allergic reaction! Make sure your epinephrine auto-injector has not expired. Q. After several years on prednisone for osteoarthritis, my doctor insists that I get off this drug. No one gave me guidance on how to stop, and the withdrawal is unbearable. My joints are screaming, and I can barely walk. I am tempted to go back on the prednisone to get a little relief. The NSAIDs that most people use are not an option for me. Can you recommend anything else? A. Prednisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory drug with a great many serious side effects. That is likely the reason your doctor discourages long-term use. But discontinuing this drug safely requires that your doctor supervise a very slow taper over many months. We have written more about the dangers of steroids for arthritis in The Graedons Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis. This 104-page publication is available in the books section of the store at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. It describes options for easing arthritis pain, including ashwagandha, boswellia, curcumin, ginger and stinging nettle. Some people find that home remedies such as tart cherries, gin-soaked raisins and plant pectin in grape juice also may be helpful. Q. I am wondering if you have any information about the possibility of COVID-19 vaccinations causing tinnitus. My son developed a mild case after his first injection, which was exacerbated considerably by his second injection. Several other people I know had the same reaction. After my second booster, I developed mild hearing loss. I have had acupuncture, which has been somewhat helpful. Are there other avenues to pursue for relief? I worry about young children developing hearing losses. A. Researchers have reported that tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can occur as an adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccines (Audiology Research, June 2022). It is considered a rare side effect, though it is not clear how scientists determine the frequency. As the authors note, There is a lack of systematization and standardization in the collection of clinical information, as well as in patient management. To translate that into English, studies have not been well organized to evaluate such complications. People who were infected with the virus and are now experiencing long COVID-19 often count tinnitus among their symptoms (Frontiers in Neurology, April 25, 2022). A German survey of people nearly a year after infection found that 30% reported tinnitus as part of their clinical picture, along with dizziness. Treatment is tricky, though. Some clinicians offer repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, June 7, 2022). Egyptian researchers report that a simple breathing technique bee humming can be effective (Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, June 3, 2022). This is a pranayama yoga approach thats described online. Write to Joe and Teresa Graedon in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: PeoplesPharmacy.com. For copyright information, please check with the distributor of this item, King. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv early Sunday, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings, and President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his 7-year-old daughter and wife injured. Associated Press journalists saw emergency workers battling flames and rescuing civilians. The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks barbarism after he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit. Later Sunday, a local official reported a second death, telling the Unian news agency that a railroad worker was killed and several others were injured in the attacks while servicing rail infrastructure. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the first air-launched weapons successfully to target the capital since June 5 were Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away. Kyiv's mayor told journalists he thought the airstrikes were maybe a symbolic attack ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid that starts Tuesday. A former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said the strikes also were a signal to the leaders of G-7 nations meeting Sunday in Germany. Russia is saying, We can do this all day long. You guys are powerless to stop us, retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said. The Russians are humiliating the leaders of the West. The G-7 leaders were set to announce the latest in a long series of international economic steps to pressure and isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine: new bans on imports of Russian gold. Standing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the three-day meeting's host, Biden said of the missile strikes on Kyiv: Its more of their barbarism. Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, appealed to the G-7 leaders for more help, saying stopping Russian aggression is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and in the time we need it - weapons, financial support and sanctions against Russia. A Ukrainian parliament member, Oleksiy Goncharenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that preliminary information indicated that Russia launched 14 missiles toward the capital region and Kyiv itself. Zelenskyy said some were intercepted, and he vowed revenge against all pilots, dispatchers, technicians and other people who ensure the launch of missiles in Ukraine. We will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these blows, Zelenskyy vowed. And if someone thinks he will evade responsibility by saying that this was an order, you are wrong. When your missiles hit homes, its a war crime. The court is what awaits you all. And you will not hide anywhere - neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus ... Nowhere. In a phone interview, retired U.S. general Hodges told The Associated Press that Russia has a limited stock of precision missiles and if they are using them, its going to be for a special purpose, Russia has denied targeting civilians during the 4-month-old war, and Hodges said it was hard to know if the missiles launched Sunday were intended to strike the apartments buildings. Russian forces tried to seize control of Kyiv early in the war. After Ukrainian troops repelled them, the Kremlin largely shifted its focus to southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian rocket strikes in the city of Cherkasy, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kyiv, killed one person and injured five, regional governor Ihor Taburets said Sunday. In the east, Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains by battling to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge. Theres very much destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognizable, he wrote on Facebook. For weeks, Lysychansk and the nearby city of Sievierodonetsk have been subject to a bloody and destructive offensive by Russian forces and their separatist allies aimed at capturing all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. They have made steady and slow progress, with Haidai confirming Saturday that Sievierodonetsk, including a chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were holed up, had fallen. Commenting on the battle for Sievierodonetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control not only the city but the villages surrounding it. He said the Russian military had thwarted Ukrainian forces' attempt to turn the Azot chemical plant into a stubborn center of resistance. Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian and separatist forces control of every major settlement in Luhansk. At last report, they controlled about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. On Saturday, Russia launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraines air command said. Reacting to the shelling from the Russian bombers, Zelenskyy appealed to the people of Belarus to resist cooperation with the Russian military. The Russian leadership wants to draw you - all Belarusians - into the war, wants to sow hatred between us, he said in his video address Sunday. You can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin. Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. In a meeting Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. On the economic front, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said banning imports of Russian gold would represent a significant escalation of sanctions. That is the second-most lucrative export that Russia has after energy. Blinken told American news channel CNN. Its about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G-7 countries. So cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, thats significant. Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following international sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad. Follow APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. BELLEVILLE Nationwide protests against the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to eliminate a federal constitutional right to abortion reached the Metro East Saturday as dozens gathered to commiserate and sound off. For more than an hour in the early evening, people held signs reading Mind your own uterus and Abortion is a human right and shouted out chants like My body, my choice. Liz Hageman-Hughes, 34, drove over from Creve Coeur and said she was still stunned by the courts reversal of the 49-year-old Roe v. Wade decision Friday. Its been there all my life, she said. I never thought it would go backwards. Thousands of people across the country were grappling with the same feelings Saturday. Protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, around City Hall in Cleveland, at the state capitol in Texas and on the streets of Los Angeles. Advocacy groups called out for help jump-starting campaigns against the decision. In Belleville, Planned Parenthoods political arm asked attendees to sign a petition calling on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to bolster support for abortion by allowing nurse practitioners and physician assistants to perform the procedure. Doing that, the petition said, would ease the burden on providers preparing for a significant increase in patients coming from conservative states like Missouri that are outlawing the procedure. Illinois already has some of the most expansive abortion rights law in the country. Bills signed in recent years have allowed state health insurance and Medicaid to pay for abortions, repealed parental notice requirements for patients under 18, and declared access to the procedure a fundamental right. Pritzker said Friday he would call the Legislature into special session this summer to respond to the high courts decision. The Democratic leadership in Illinois is committed to taking swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care, he told reporters. Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WAUCONDA, Ill. The race to be Illinois next governor is also a battle among billionaires, including two whose names wont appear on Tuesdays primary ballot. Republican candidates Darren Bailey, who as a state lawmaker fought pandemic measures such as mask mandates, and former prosecutor Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Chicagos largest suburb, each has a benefactor who has pushed a different vision for the GOP and put their money behind it. Billionaire businessmen Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein among the countrys biggest Republican donors have combined to pour more than $60 million into the race. Griffin backs Irvin, and Uihlein supports Bailey. Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, meanwhile, along with the Democratic Governors Association, has spent millions trying to ensure Irvin, an Army veteran and Aurora mayor, isnt the GOP nominee. The Democrats money has funded a monthslong barrage of ads that have attacked Irvin and propped up Bailey, the opponent Pritzker would rather face in November. The ads note Baileys strident far-right positions, including being 100% pro-life, and his allegiance to former President Donald Trump qualities that may help Bailey in a Republican primary but would be a liability for a general election in a state Trump twice lost by double digits. Trump endorsed him at a rally Saturday night in Mendon. Although rich men in politics certainly arent rare, there may never have been a battle of the billions to match this one in a state election, particularly in a primary. Its left Irvin, once considered the front-runner, scrambling to convince GOP primary voters that hes the only one who can beat Pritzker. J.B. Pritzker is telling you that every time he takes out an ad. Hes telling you that: This is the guy Im the most most afraid of, Irvin said during a stop at an Illinois manufacturing plant. Irvins downfall may be a record that is considerably more moderate than that of his GOP rivals. Unlike Bailey and the four other men in the race, Irvin avoids saying if he voted for Trump or talking much about issues such as abortion, focusing instead on steps he would take to reduce crime and taxes. He has been criticized for saying Black lives matter during protests over police brutality that turned destructive in his hometown, then filming a TV ad where he said all lives matter. Bailey has built a reputation during three years in the Legislature as an uncompromising conservative unafraid to take people on. People say J.B. Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he believes that Im the easiest opponent to beat, Bailey said during a campaign stop at a restaurant. Well, Ive got news for J.B. Pritzker: Be careful what you wish for because its coming. Friends, were going to win on Nov. 8. Bailey, a farmer from rural Xenia, jumped onto the statewide scene in summer 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued to slow transmission of the virus. Bailey was seen by supporters as a maverick when he was escorted from the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask in defiance of Democratic leaders. His backers like that he speaks often of his faith. Bailey, who speaks with a prairie twang, ends his nearly daily online video messages with prayer. Hes a godly man. He isnt afraid to put his faith out there, said supporter Ruth Bast, 63, of Springfield. The three billionaires Pritzker, Griffin and Uihlein have a long history of clashing politically in Illinois and elsewhere. Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund company Citadel, has been a vocal critic of Pritzkers administration, particularly over the issue of crime in Chicago. In addition to the $50 million he gave Irvin this cycle, he also spent millions to help get former Gov. Bruce Rauner elected in 2014 and on Rauners loss to Pritzker in 2018. He bankrolled a successful campaign to block Pritzker and other Democrats from changing Illinois tax structure to levy more on the highest earners. In 2020, Griffin gave $37 million to the GOPs Senate campaign arm, making him the PACs second-largest individual donor, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending. Asked at a forum last year if he would support Trump should he run for president in 2024, Griffin replied, I think its time for America to move on, adding that Trump had been pointlessly divisive. In a statement to The Associated Press, Griffin criticized Pritzker for interfering in the GOP primary, saying spending tens of millions of dollars in cahoots with his cronies attacking the most successful Black political leader in Illinois is despicable. Pritzker has defended his actions, saying an ad attacking Irvin is telling the truth. Uihlein, a founder of the office supply company Uline Inc., is a major Trump supporter who has a long record of donating to far-right candidates and groups. That includes PACs and people strongly opposed to abortion as well as the House Freedom Fund, which backs the most conservative candidates and strongest Trump backers. The other candidates seeking the GOP nomination are businessman Gary Rabine, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon. Pritzkers only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles. OConnor reported from Athens, Illinois. Posted at 7:45 a.m. Sunday, June 26.(tncms-asset)0041499a-f547-11ec-8191-00163ec2aa77[0](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)f1011d4e-f324-11ec-8fbd-00163ec2aa77[1](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)405be074-efc7-11ec-b6bf-00163ec2aa77[2](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)48bf95dc-dc1f-11ec-a917-00163ec2aa77[3](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)4c03095e-c720-11ec-9d0a-00163ec2aa77[4](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)82951be6-b524-11ec-a90d-00163ec2aa77[5](/tncms-asset) CHICAGO Billionaire Ken Griffins decision to move his Citadel hedge fund to Florida just days before a Tuesday Republican primary hes heavily invested in could become a major turning point in the future of the Illinois GOP and especially the fate of Republican campaigns and fundraising. Griffins departure from Chicago also could radically shift the balance in the battle of the billionaires thats been waged between himself and his political nemesis, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, as each has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to affect the outcome of elections. Pat Brady, a former state GOP chairman, acknowledged that if Griffin departs the Illinois political scene, it will create difficulties for Republicans in the short term. But, he said, it also could force the party to be less reliant on a few wealthy donors and go back to a more traditional, broad-based fundraising effort. Weve got to get back to the fundamentals, and one of the fundamentals of politics is raising money. And I think theres a whole generation, new generation of donors that Republicans havent tapped into that maybe dont like the way things are going on in this state, Brady said. I think probably in the long run, its a good development if were not relying on one guy, not that we wouldnt welcome Ken Griffins money and are appreciative of it, he said. But what happens is you get lazy, and thats why I think the Democrats are in that trick bag with Gov. Pritzker. Theyve got a guy whos going to write all the checks, and thats not good. Parties are supposed to be bottom-up organizations. Thats how you get people out to vote. Griffin, who is worth $25.2 billion, according to Forbes, has spent nearly $180 million on state and local candidates and groups largely aligned with Republicans since 2002. He spent $129 million of that in just the past four years, including $50 million on his current slate of GOP primary candidates headed up by Aurora Mayor Richard Irvins bid for governor. Pritzker, an entrepreneur and heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, is worth $3.6 billion, according to Forbes. He spent more than $170 million to win the governors office in 2018 over Griffin-backed, single-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Pritzker also has pumped millions more into Democratic campaigns and organizations. A new rival Griffins stunning timing so close to primary day of Citadels move to Miami suggests he could be ceding not only the electoral outcome of his slated candidates but also his billionaire battle to Pritzker. An Irvin loss would represent a spectacular political flameout. Griffins decision also points to a renewed financial emergence of a third billionaire, Richard Uihlein, the ultraconservative megadonor who founded the privately held Uline office supply company. Uihlein is backing state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia in the GOP primary for governor and has contributed $9 million to Baileys campaign Uihleins largest-ever personal donation to a candidate. Uihlein also has given an independent expenditure political action committee allied with Bailey nearly $8.1 million. Industry spending figures showed Griffins investment with Irvin paid for more than $28.5 million in TV ads since the Aurora mayor announced his candidacy in January. But the effect of those Griffin-funded Irvin ads was offset by an onslaught of commercials that backed Bailey and attacked Irvin. That included nearly $8 million in ads run by Baileys campaign, $5.5 million in commercials attacking Irvin and paid for by the Bailey-affiliated independent expenditure PAC, $24.6 million in ads from Pritzker, including many that attacked Irvin, and $16.1 million in ads from the Pritzker-supported Democratic Governors Association. Pritzker and the Democrats think Bailey will be easier to defeat in the general election in November, so their ads criticized Irvin and offered backhanded support for Bailey with the GOP base by calling the downstate senator too conservative for Illinois. The effect of the Uihlein-Pritzker tag team might have been too much to overcome, said one person knowledgeable about the Aurora mayors campaign who was not authorized to speak publicly. In addition, the person said, if Irvin wins the nomination following a bruising primary, it could cost Griffin another $100 million to try to repair the damage and keep Irvin competitive with Pritzker. Now, the question becomes, if Bailey wins the Republican nomination to face Pritzker in November, how much money would Uihlein give the Downstate farmer and state senator to counter the incumbents self-funding? Uihlein did not respond to a request for comment. Future in Illinois Griffin aides also did not respond to questions about his future involvement in funding Republican candidates and causes in Illinois. But if Griffin gives up funding politicians, one prominent Illinois Republican said, Its going to be tough, for fundraising in the future. I think its going to be more difficult to make the case to Ken Griffin that Illinois is a good place to invest in for politics when hes leaving because its a bad state for his business, said the Republican, who asked not to be identified so as to not jeopardize his relationship with Griffin. Weve all wondered whether or not Ken Griffins going to just toss his hands up and say, Ive tried and now Im going to move on to better, greener pastures. But Ronald Gidwitz, a major Republican fundraiser, including for former President Donald Trump, said it is premature to write off future support from Griffin for Illinois Republicans. He noted Griffin has contributed $40 million to groups involved in congressional races across the country. Just because hes relocating to Florida doesnt mean that he wont have an interest in certain candidates in Illinois or in Chicago, said Gidwitz, who was Trumps ambassador to Belgium. But in the future, it seems to me that if weve got candidates that deserve support, hell give it. Gidwitz called Griffins departure a tragic loss for Chicago because of his leadership and philanthropy. 2022 primary spending The money from Griffin, Pritzker and Uihlein means Illinois will be holding its second consecutive $100 million governor primary election, even though only the Republican race is contested. Nearly half that money is coming from Democrats trying to help Bailey. Four years ago, a combined $124.5 million was spent as Rauner narrowly won renomination against former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, while Pritzker won a six-way battle for the Democratic nomination. Pritzker spent $68 million and Rauner spent $37 million, according to campaign records assembled by Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert and a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. This time around, television and radio ad spending from the start of 2022 through Tuesdays primaries show $90.4 million has been spent as six men compete for the Republican primary nomination, according to industry records. Pritzker, facing nominal opposition, and the Democratic Governors Association have spent at least $40.7 million on TV ads that are largely trying to influence the GOP outcome. At least another $30 million has been spent on social media advertising, such as YouTube and Facebook, based on routine campaign spending practices, with even millions more spent on mailings to voters. Only a dozen years ago, with competitive primary races for governor in both parties, total spending was $25 million, according to Redfields research. In addition to the billionaires spending, other factors included that the primary was moved from March to June, which provides more time for spending, and the Democratic involvement in the GOP primary, Redfield said. For this primary, industry records from the first of the year show, nearly $59 million was spent on TV ads in the governors race on Chicago broadcast and cable stations. The spending was led by Pritzkers $15.1 million, Irvins $15 million and the DGAs $7.45 million. But the spending has been so pervasive that even in Rockford, the nations 139th-largest media market, nearly $8 million was spent on ads, led by $2.8 million by Irvin, $1.9 million by Pritzker and $1.75 million by the DGA. Redfield said the increased spending represents the shift from what had been a patronage-led, party-organized effort to get the faithful to the polls to a more technology-driven, product-selling-style model in which you can substitute capital for labor to get people to vote. With a disparity of wealth, Redfield said he expected a few wealthy individuals to continue to be the basis for political fundraising in the future, regardless of Griffins departure. Youve got a huge concentration of wealth and wealth disparities and we know theyre becoming intensified, Redfield said. I dont know whose line it was but essentially, everybodys got to have a hobby. Rich people can take up all kinds of things, but one of them they take up is politics. MENDON, Ill. Former President Donald Trump used a rural west-central Illinois fairgrounds rally Saturday night to endorse Darren Bailey for the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesdays primary as he also restated his backing for U.S. Rep. Mary Miller and took a victory lap for the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Darren is a farmer and hes a fighter and he has been an outstanding warrior in the Illinois state Senate, where hes totally, totally respected by all of them, Trump told a crowd of thousands at the Adams County Fairgrounds near Quincy. He will crack down on the violent crime that is devouring our Democrat-run cities and restore the state of Illinois to greatness. Darren has my complete and total endorsement, Trump said, labeling first-term, reelection seeking Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker one of the worst governors in America. Bailey, an ardent Trump supporter who has actively sought the former presidents endorsement as the capstone for success in a six-way GOP primary race, said he will work to have Illinois welcome a new White House bid by Trump in 2024. Heres the deal: I will not lie to anyone, and I will not let anything go unnoticed. And when I see it, I will name it, Bailey said after Trump told the story of Bailey plucking a misplaced hair out of the former presidents head during pre-rally picture taking. We have our work cut out for us here in Illinois, friends, Bailey said. Ive made a promise to President Trump that in 2024, Illinois will roll the red carpet out for him because Illinois will be ready for President Trump. Trump lost Illinois by 17 percentage points in his winning bid for the presidency in 2016 and his losing reelection run in 2020. Trump, who has often delayed endorsements unless he was sure of a candidates victory, predicted Bailey would win the primary very big and youre going to go on and win the election. Bailey, a 2020 Trump presidential nominating delegate, comes from a downstate region of Illinois where voters have solidly supported the former president, and he has sought to cultivate their backing in his bid for governor as a base of support that has gradually grown across the state. Hes also been the most demonstrably outspoken critic of Pritzker, starting with lawsuits ultimately unsuccessful that sought to block the Democratic governors pandemic mitigation orders while promoting an evangelical rural populist candidacy that decries the cultural policies of urban Chicago. Bailey is in a field of candidates that includes Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, investor Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, businessman Gary Rabine of Bull Valley, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo and Hazel Crest attorney Max Solomon. Trumps visit also was aimed at bolstering turnout for Miller, whose freshman term has been buffeted by controversy, in a contest against five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis in the newly drawn 15th Congressional District. The match up between Miller and Davis, an offshoot of Democratic redistricting following the 2020 Census, is the only one between Republican congressional incumbents in the states primary election on Tuesday. Trump endorsed Miller on Jan. 1 and held a subsequent fundraiser for her at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But Davis has support from much of the local GOP establishment, including 31 of the districts 35 county GOP chairmen as well as neighboring GOP Congressmen Darin LaHood of Peoria and Mike Bost of Murphysboro. With Mary, you get to elect a fearless America First patriot, Trump said. Shes an incredible woman, somebody Ive gotten to know very well. Shes been with me from day one. No bad back statements, you know, saying bad things about me two years ago, three years ago, one year ago, Trump said, adding she is a warrior for our movement. Going on to attack the two Republicans on the House select committee investigating Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, the former president told the crowd, If you want to send a message to (Wyoming U.S. Rep.) Liz Cheney, (Illinois) U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger and (Democratic U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and the fake news media, then this Tuesday you need to cast your vote for a truly wonderful person, Mary Miller. Miller said that on behalf of the MAGA patriots in America, she wanted to thank Trump for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court but did not elaborate on what she meant. A campaign spokesperson said after the rally that Miller meant to say right to life but misspoke. U.S. Rep. Mary Millers white life comment latest in a string of questionable comments. The courts decision, Miller said, would never have been possible if the Never-Trump RINOs had gotten their way, using the term to label Davis a Republican in Name Only. After Trumps speech, Davis predicted hed win on Tuesday even as he sought to stress his support of the former presidents policies while in the White House. Ive always said Im proud of my conservative record of working with Trump when he was in office. Together we protected the unborn, defended the Second Amendment, cut taxes, secured our border, supported our police and farmers, and so much more, Davis said in a statement. Trump sought to take credit for the appointment of three conservative justices during his presidency and their role in the 6-3 decision Friday that overturned the courts 1973 ruling that gave women the right to seek an abortion without undue government interference. The court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law and above all, a victory for life, Trump said. Citing generations of the anti-abortion movement as well as constitutional conservatives, your boundless love, sacrifice and devotion has finally been rewarded in full. The crowd chanted, Thank you, Trump. Trump, as is usual at his post-White House rallies, continued to try to push his unproven claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election while also attacking the House select committees investigation into his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Thousands of Trump supporters gathered inside and on the periphery of the fairgrounds, not far from the Mississippi River bluffs across from Missouri. Many sported red Make America Great Again hats, while some others wore shirts proclaiming Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president and God, Guns and Trump. Clad in a shirt declaring hes a Free American, Andres Rios, who said he grew up in Chicagos Humboldt Park neighborhood before moving to Florida several years ago, maintained his belief in Trumps unproven claims that his reelection was stolen due to widespread vote fraud, saying his belief was based on a cynical attitude toward Chicago politics. I just got tired of that stuff, you know? Rios said. Symbolizing the sway Trump still holds over Republican voters, Rhonda Goodwin of nearby Quincy, admitted to not knowing much about Millers two years in Congress but said the former presidents endorsement was good enough for her. Anybody Trump endorses is probably going to be the winner, Goodwin said. I didnt do a whole lot of my own research. I figured his people have vetted her way more than I ever could and if hes endorsing her, thats all I need. Miller, who was born and raised in suburban Naperville, has aligned herself with the far-right extremes of the national GOP, a factor in winning Trumps endorsement, and the former president and their allies were prominently featured at the rally. Freshman U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who voted against state Electoral College vote certification, and has criticized the Jan. 6 investigation, told the crowd, My girlfriend, Mary Miller, is the bomb. Illinois, if you want a fighter, Mary is your girl. Boebert, like Miller an opponent to gun regulation, attempted to criticize Davis as a Republican in Name Only in calling herself a professional political RINO-hunter, but ended up instead delivering a criticism of her colleague, MiIller. Now if you really want someone whos just going to go to Washington, D.C., and play these political games and eat fancy steak dinners I heard the beef is better, in Illinois, is that right? Its better here, than it is in D.C.? you want Mary Miller, Boebert told the crowd. Pearson reported from Chicago and Gorner reported from Mendon. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) Denmark's Queen Margrethe opened a new museum Saturday that tells the story of the generations of refugees who have shaped Danish society, starting with Germans who fled the Soviet advance during World War II. Flugt Refugee Museum of Denmark was created on the site of a camp in Oksboel, a town in southwestern Denmark, that housed up to 100,000 refugees from Germany in the postwar years. Flugt which means escape in Danish also tells the story of immigrants from Iran, Lebanon, Hungary, Vietnam and elsewhere who fled their homelands and found shelter in the Scandinavian country. They tell their stories in their own words on large video screens. "Being a refugee is not something one decides. It is not ones personal choice, it is something that happens, Sawsan Gharib Dall, a stateless Palestinian who was born in a refugee camp in Lebanon and lived there until she fled and arrived in Denmark in 1985, says in one video. Curator Claus Kjeld Jensen explained that the aim of the museum is to turn numbers into people and convey the completely universal issues, emotions and many nuances associated with being a person on the run. The museum was designed by prominent Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and consists of a curved modern building of wood and glass that links two older brick annexes that were hospital buildings in the postwar years. Ingels has said that the new museum has become more relevant as Denmark has recently accepted refugees fleeing Russia's war in Ukraine. Outside the museum, a path guides visitors past plaques describing the fates of the Germans who sought shelter in the camp, called Oksboellejren, between 1945 and 1949. Most of them eventually settled in West Germany but a cemetery on the site has become the final resting place for those who died there. The museum, which opens to the public June 29, was financed by private donations and the German government, and German vice chancellor, Robert Habeck, represented his country at Saturday's opening ceremony. It is located 275 kilometers (170 miles) west of Copenhagen but just 95 kilometers (60 miles) from the border with Germany. Denmark was a haven for refugees in the past. Of Denmarks 5.8 million people, more than 650,000 are immigrants, while 208,000 are listed in the state statistics as descendants of immigrants. However, the country in recent years, with large-scale migration a source of angst in the Western world, has sought to place limits on the number of newcomers that it accepts. It has at times attracted international criticism for the way it has tried to discourage them from trying to settle there. Wedged between Germany and Sweden, Denmark only took in a small part of the more than 1 million people who arrived from Africa and the Middle East in the migration crisis year of 2015. More than 11,500 people applied for asylum in Denmark, while 1.1 million did so in Germany and 163,000 in Sweden. Many saw Denmark only as a transit point because of the tough Danish stance. In 2016, a law was passed allowing authorities to seize jewelry and other assets from refugees to help finance their housing and other services. In practice, it has been implemented only a handful of times. Denmark also revoked the residency permits of some Syrian refugees by declaring parts of Syria safe, and toyed with the idea of opening camps for asylum-seekers in Rwanda. Denmark still has no deal in place for sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda. However, Britain, which had similar plans, had to abort its first planned flight of asylum-seekers after the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights, which cited a real risk of irreversible harm. According to official statistics, 2,717 people have sought asylum in Denmark this year. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. President Joe Biden and Western allies at a three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps say they're intent on keeping economic fallout from the war in Ukraine from fracturing the global coalition working to punish Russias aggression. Britains Boris Johnson warned the leaders not to give in to fatigue even as Russia lobbed new missiles at Kyiv. Biden says the coalition of countries can't let Russian President Vladimir Putin play the countries off of one another and break down their resolve. Leaders of the Group of Seven top economies opened their annual summit in Germany on Sunday. Biden also announced that G-7 nations will ban imports of Russian gold. Gold is a top Russian export. GAYAN, Afghanistan When the ground heaved from last weeks earthquake in Afghanistan, Nahim Guls stone-and-mud house collapsed on top of him. He clawed through the rubble in the pre-dawn darkness, choking on dust as he searched for his father and two sisters. He doesnt know how many hours of digging passed before he caught a glimpse of their bodies under the ruins. They were dead. Now, days after a 6 magnitude quake that devastated a remote southeast region of Afghanistan and killed at least 1,150 people by authorities estimates, Gul sees destruction everywhere and help in short supply. His niece and nephew were also killed in the quake, crushed by the walls of their house. The United Nations has put the death toll at 770 people but warned it could rise further. Either toll would make the quake Afghanistans deadliest in two decades. I dont know what will happen to us or how we should restart our lives, Gul told The Associated Press on Sunday, his hands bruised and his shoulder injured. We dont have any money to rebuild. Its a fear shared among thousands in the impoverished villages where the fury of the quake has fallen most heavily in Paktika and Khost provinces, along the jagged mountains that straddle the countrys border with Pakistan. Those who were barely scraping by have lost everything. Many have yet to be visited by aid groups and authorities, which are struggling to reach the afflicted area on rutted roads some made impassable by landslides and damage. Aware of its constraints, the cash-strapped Taliban have called for foreign assistance and on Saturday appealed to Washington to unfreeze billions of dollars in Afghanistans currency reserves. The United Nations and an array of international aid groups and countries have mobilized to send help. China pledged Saturday nearly $7.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid, joining nations including Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in dispatching a planeload of tents, towels, beds and other badly needed supplies to the quake-hit area. U.N. Deputy Special Representative Ramiz Alakbarov toured the hard-hit Paktika province on Saturday to assess the damage and distribute food, medicine and tents. U.N. helicopters and trucks laden with bread, flour, rice and blankets have trickled into the stricken areas. Yesterdays visit reaffirmed to me both the extreme suffering of people in Afghanistan and their tremendous resolve in the face of great adversity, Alakbarov said, appealing for the repair of damaged water pipes, roads and communication lines in the area. Without support, he added, Afghans "will continue to endure unnecessary and unimaginable hardship. But the relief effort remains patchy and limited due to funding and access constraints. The Taliban, which seized power last August from a government sustained for 20 years by a U.S.-led military coalition, appears overwhelmed by the logistical complexities of issues like debris removal in what is shaping up to be a major test of its capacity to govern. Villagers have dug out their dead loved ones with their bare hands, buried them in mass graves and slept in the woods despite the rain. Nearly 800 families are living out in the open, according to the U.N.s humanitarian coordination organization OCHA. Gul received a tent and blankets from a local charity in the Gayan district, but he and his surviving relatives have had to fend for themselves. Terrified as the earth still rumbles from aftershocks like one on Friday that claimed five more lives, he said his children in Gayan refuse to go indoors. The earthquake was the latest calamity to convulse Afghanistan, which has been reeling from a dire economic crisis since the Taliban took control of the country as the U.S. and its NATO allies were withdrawing their forces. Foreign aid a mainstay of Afghanistans economy for decades stopped practically overnight. World governments piled on sanctions, halted bank transfers and paralyzed trade, refusing to recognize the Taliban government. The Biden administration cut off the Talibans access to $7 billion in foreign currency reserves held in the United States. As he toured the disaster site, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi urged the White House to release the funds at a time when Afghanistan is in the grips of earthquakes and floods and to lift banking restrictions so charities can more easily provide aid. Western donors have withheld longer-term assistance as they demand the Taliban allow a more inclusive rule and respect human rights. The former insurgents have resisted the pressure, imposing restrictions on the freedoms of women and girls that recall their first time in power in the late 1990s. Now, around half the countrys 39 million people are facing life-threatening levels of food insecurity because of poverty. Most civil servants, including doctors, nurses and teachers, have not been paid for months. U.N. agencies and other remaining organizations have scrambled to keep Afghanistan from the brink of starvation with a humanitarian program that has fed millions and kept the medical system afloat. But with international donors lagging, U.N. agencies face a $3 billion funding shortfall this year. On Sunday, the World Health Organization said it was stepping up surveillance of infections diseases in Afghanistans earthquake-hit areas. Afghanistan is one of the two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world. Reeling from war and impoverished long before the Taliban takeover, the far-flung areas hit by last Wednesdays earthquake are particularly ill-equipped to cope. Some local businessmen have swung into action. The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment said on Sunday it had raised over $1.5 million for Pakitka and Khost provinces. Still, for those whose homes have been obliterated, the help may not be enough. We have nothing left, Gul said. Faiez reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report. Regarding the letter Vote conservative to clean up mess Biden has made (June 22): This letter demonstrates the wrong-headed thinking many use today to justify their politics. The letter writer could use a lesson in capitalism and the economic principles of supply and demand. The price of gas has little to do with any president, Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Gas was cheap during the pandemic because few people were driving or flying. Oil companies shuttered wells. Now demand is soaring as are oil company profits. Supply hasnt caught up with demand. Prices are high worldwide. The proposed XL extension of the Keystone Pipeline would not have helped since most of that tar sand oil would have been exported. -- Study meets primary endpoint with secondary and exploratory endpoints showing consistency with primary endpoint -- -- Data reinforces previously observed safety profile for Givinostat; treatment in boys with DMD continues to show a good tolerability profile -- -- The company is planning to discuss the potential for marketing application submission with regulatory authorities for Givinostat in DMD -- -- Results were presented at the Annual PPMD Conference on June 25, 2022 -- MILAN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Italfarmaco Group announced today positive topline data from its completed Phase 3 EPIDYS trial with Givinostat, the companys proprietary histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, in boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of Givinostat on slowing disease progression in ambulant DMD boys aged 6 years and above on chronic steroids. The study compared Givinostat to placebo and met the primary endpoint (change from baseline in the time to climb 4 stairs) following 18 months of treatment in the target population1 with key secondary endpoints consistent with the functional primary endpoint. Givinostat continued to demonstrate a tolerability profile in line with previous studies. The topline data were presented by Italfarmaco Groups Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Paolo Bettica on June 25, 2022, at the hybrid Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) Annual Conference. In October 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a Rare Pediatric Disease designation to Givinostat for the treatment of DMD. Earlier, the company also received an Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA and EMA, and a Fast Track designation from the FDA. Based on the study results, which show that the addition of Givinostat to steroid treatment leads to clinical benefits for the individuals in the study, the company plans to meet with US and EU regulators to discuss the potential for marketing application submission and seek input on a future submission of the application for regulatory approval. The company intends to submit the complete results of the EPIDYS study for publication in a peer-reviewed journal in due course. These topline Phase 3 results in DMD add to the growing dataset we have collected over the last years which have shown positive outcomes with our investigational therapeutic candidate, Givinostat, when taken together with steroids in patients with DMD, providing new hope for boys with DMD, their families and the medical community, said Paolo Bettica, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at the Italfarmaco Group. There is a tremendous unmet medical need for additional drugs to treat this debilitating rare disease and with these positive results, we intend to meet with regulatory agencies to share these findings and discuss a path forward to submit the complete dataset in a marketing application for potential approval. We are extremely excited to share these new positive analyses from the EPIDYS trial with the community and would like to thank all the stakeholders involved. The EPIDYS Phase 3 clinical trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Givinostat in individuals with DMD (Cinicaltrials.gov: NCT02851797). The trial enrolled 179 male ambulant individuals with a mean age of 9 years and on stable steroids for at least 6 months. Boys were randomized 2:1 and treated chronically with an oral suspension of Givinostat or placebo for a period of 18 months. Of these, 120 boys formed the target population1. Overview of Clinical Results Primary Endpoint: The mean change from baseline to climb 4 stairs was selected as the primary endpoint to assess the efficacy of Givinostat compared to placebo. The results demonstrated a slower decline to perform this functional task in the Givinostat-treated group (difference vs Placebo of 1.78 seconds, p=0.0345). Key Secondary Endpoints: A variety of secondary endpoints were analyzed that showed results consistent with the functional primary endpoint. These included functional tests such as the North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) and the time to rise (TTR) test along with muscle strength analyses. Fat infiltration in the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle of the thigh is a characteristic of disease progression in DMD patients and was measured using a non-invasive objective imaging method called Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to assess the efficacy of Givinostat. The data indicated that treatment with Givinostat delayed fat infiltration by approximately 30% (difference vs Placebo, -2.9%, nominal p=0.035). Additional exploratory endpoints were also analyzed in the clinical study. These results further support the potential of Givinostat in providing a clinical benefit for boys with DMD. Safety and Tolerability: The majority of Adverse Events (AE) were mild to moderate in severity (95%). Three (2.5%) boys treated with Givinostat withdrew from the trial because of an AE. Similar to what had been previously observed, the AE occurring in at least 1/10 subjects were diarrhea, abdominal pain, thrombocytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, platelet decrease and triglyceride increase. Givinostat tolerability was managed with appropriate monitoring and dose adjustments. No other safety concerns were observed. Prof. Eugenio Mercuri, Professor of Paediatric Neurology at the Catholic University, Rome, Italy, commented, These results show Givinostats beneficial effect in DMD boys providing evidence of its ability to slow down disease progression. I believe the EPIDYS study results are clinically meaningful, are consistent with previous findings and further demonstrate that Givinostat can slow down muscle deterioration leading to a reduction in the decline of muscle function, added Prof. Craig McDonald, Professor at the Department of Pediatrics and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of California Davis. About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe neuromuscular genetic disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness and degeneration and is the most common type of muscular dystrophy globally. DMD is caused by mutations in the DMD gene that results in an absence of a functional dystrophin protein, which plays a crucial role in maintaining the structural and membrane stability of muscle fibers. The disease primarily affects boys with symptoms usually seen between two and five years of age that worsen over time with individuals losing their ability to walk. Eventually, heart and respiratory muscles get affected leading to premature death. DMD incidence is approximately 1 in every 3500 - 6000 male births worldwide. About Givinostat Givinostat is an investigational drug discovered through Italfarmaco Groups internal research and development efforts in collaboration with Lorenzo Puri (Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute, San Diego, formerly Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome) and his team, and partnerships with Telethon and Parent Project aps. It is being evaluated for safety and efficacy for the treatment of Duchenne- and Becker- Muscular Dystrophy. Givinostat inhibits histone deacetylases (HDACs). HDACs are enzymes that prevent gene translation by changing the three-dimensional folding of DNA in the cell. Studies show that higher than normal HDAC activity in individuals with DMD may prevent muscle regeneration and also trigger inflammation. In the companys clinical study in DMD, boys aged 7 to less than 11 years, Givinostat was observed to slow disease progression, significantly increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of fibrotic tissue. In this study, Givinostat treatment also significantly reduced muscle tissue necrosis and fatty replacement, two additional parameters related to disease progression (Bettica et al., Neuromuscular Disorders 2016). About Italfarmaco Group Italfarmaco Group is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of branded prescription and nonprescription products in more than 60 countries on 5 continents. Italfarmaco Groups research and development expertise is best demonstrated through its HDAC inhibitor development programs, addressing new therapeutic treatments of specialty and rare diseases. Through both marketed drugs and compounds in development, Italfarmaco Group is dedicated to serving patients whose needs remain largely unmet. 1 Target population: Individuals with a baseline vastus lateralis muscle fat fraction (VL MFF) assessed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the range >5% and 30% View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220625005001/en/ For media enquiries: Trophic Communications Jacob Verghese, PhD or Laura Mittmann, PhD +49 (0) 89 2070 89831 or +49 (0) 151 5798 4222 [email protected] Source: Italfarmaco Group WASHINGTON, June 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The following is an open letter from ReFi organizations KlimaDAO, MOSS Earth, C3, and SCB Group: Global warming is the most urgent challenge facing our planeta crisis so severe that the United Nations declared in April that it is "now or never" to act to accomplish the 1.5-degree pathway necessary to avert the worst effects of climate change. One of the most promising innovations to combat global warming is carbon markets that provide market incentives for entities to reduce their carbon footprint, while funding projects that decrease emissions or remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. We believe the existing market to buy and sell carbon offsets - called the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) - can greatly benefit from the transparency and efficiency improvements which blockchain technology affords, including accelerating the flow of finance to high-impact carbon reduction and mitigation projects The good news is that through blockchain technology, open, liquid markets have been built by a growing group of Regenerative Finance (ReFi) organizations that bring price transparency and access to the exchange of carbon creditsa major breakthrough that can place the VCM at the forefront of the fight to save our planet. To date, over $200 million has flowed into ReFi protocols - a substantial amount of capital and corresponding carbon offsets, with an active community of supporters, developers, and investors helping pave the way for continued growth. In May, Verraa major carbon credit standards certifierannounced it was suspending blockchain and crypto tokenization and suggested that they would be focusing on a "closed, proprietary system" for the exchange of credits, rather than working with the ReFi community on the solutions provided by open, transparent, blockchain-enabled markets. While Verra pledged to open a public consultation process within 7-10 days of May 26, it has now been 29 days and the consultation process is still yet to begin. The ReFi community is disappointed that Verra has not opened their consultation process. It is imperative that this public consultation process be opened immediately and that collaboration with the ReFi industry is prioritized, as we have no time to waste in saving our planet. We stand ready to participate in this public consultation process and call on Verra to give ReFi projects an opportunity to showcase the numerous and proven advantages of climate-positive public blockchains for hosting the carbon market. ### Media ContactNatacha Rousseau[email protected](323) 352-6417 About KlimaDAO KlimaDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) designed to bring the innovations, efficiency, transparency, and global reach of decentralized finance (DeFi) to the carbon market. KlimaDAO has created tooling for tokenized carbon offset retirements, on-chain carbon liquidity incentivization, and on-chain carbon market insights. To learn more, visit KlimaDAO.finance. About MOSS Earth MOSS is a climate tech company focused on environmental services with global operations. In 2020, it created the first carbon credit-backed token, MCO2, used to offset greenhouse gases, having already sent more than $30 million USD to the Amazon, which has helped to preserve approximately 800 million trees. The MCO2 token is listed on platforms including Coinbase, Gemini, Mercado Bitcoin, and others. For more information, visit moss.earth. About C3 C3 was formed by the leading DeFi carbon market players to catalyze the carbon market's expansion, increase bandwidth between the traditional and DeFi carbon markets, and develop innovative means for delivering finance toward high-impact carbon mitigation and removal projects. You can learn more about C3 here: https://www.c3.app/ About SCB SCB Group is a world-leading, low-carbon commodity group relentlessly pursuing a low-carbon future. They work with the whole value chain of the voluntary carbon space, helping to fund projects in the least developed and developing countries. SCB helps corporates and end users to shape their sustainability strategy while sourcing carbon solutions in line with their goals and requirements. For more information, visit https://starcb.com/. Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Featured Image for KlimaDAO Featured Image for KlimaDAO Source: KlimaDAO The second edition of the MetaWeek conference will take place on September 11-14, 2022 in Dubai. The week-long event will showcase large corporations that embrace the Metaverse and bet big on virtual realm development. Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - June 20, 2022) - After huge success in launching the first MetaWeek in early March 2022, NexChange Group presents the second edition of the large-scale international event, taking place September 11 to 14, 2022 in Dubai, the biggest and busiest hub for emerging technologies in the Middle East. The Metaverse season is in full swing for global tech and business communities. Source one: Image one To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8653/128308_metaweek.jpg. For MetaWeek, world known brands from various sectors, along with digital artists, musicians, investors, gaming leaders and DeFi trailblazers will convene to Dubai to discuss the hottest trends in building infrastructure for Metaverse and Web 3.0. Experts will observe and showcase how speed and immutability of digital networks help brands to support social causes, pursue Sustainable Development Goals and give them the power to make the Metaverse an inclusive environment and a strong force for social impact. Web 3.0 is also a strong source for inspiration and advancement of female empowerment. During MetaWeek, women in business, technology, influencers and artists will share their experiences and perspectives on how to put a spotlight on female leadership in the Metaverse. A week-long event will culminate in a 2-day core event, MetaWeek Summit, which will take place in Dubai. Giants of global business and local community will represent locomotive Metaverse development, while discussing current trajectories of Web 2.0 movement towards Web 3.0 with thought leaders and experts from around the world on stage. Speakers featured on the Summit's agenda will include: Yat Siu, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Animoca Brands, Founder & CEO, Outblaze Daniela Barbosa, Executive Director, Hyperledger Foundation; General Manager Blockchain, Healthcare and Identity, Linux Foundation Nick Spanos, Bitcoin Pioneer Mihaela Ulieru, Strategic Impact Leader, IOHK Dr. Mohamed Al Hemairy, Head, Technology Transfer Office, University of Sharjah Juwan Lee, Founder and Chairman of NexChange Group, host of MetaWeek: "With such a vibrant, dynamic community as the one we're seeing in Dubai, we're happy to catch the momentum for the Metaverse development. There are already dozens of companies that literally everyone around the world knows that are embracing development of blockchain technology, AR/VR, and at MetaWeek we will address big brands' interest in the world of Metaverse." Themes that will be covered include: Corporate Structure for Smooth Metaverse Transition Digital Currencies Flow in Metaverse & Role of AltCoins Web 3.0 Unicorns Sustainable Development Goals for Metaverse Social Impact: Setting Pace for Better Future Gaming and GameFi Trends Phygitalism: How Artists Thrive in Metaverse DAOs and Successful Governance Models Commercial Opportunities: E-commerce and Shopping Experience in Metaverse NFTsation for Brands: From Collectibles to Marketing Tools Data Privacy and Management of Big Data: How Will Data be Managed in Metaverses NexChange Group is a venture builder and media platform specializing in Blockchain, Metaverse, FinTech, HealthTech, AI, and Smart Cities. For more information on the registration, speakers, agenda and partnerships, please visit https://www.themetaweek.com or contact: [email protected]. Contact: Lunapr.io [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/128308 BEACHWOOD, Ohio, June 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MIM Software, Inc has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2022 honor by the cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer Top Workplaces. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few. "Companies need to authentically represent their brand to job-seekers," said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. "The employee experience needs to be on the mission-critical list. Leaders who embrace a people-first culture will benefit greatly. By giving employees a voice and showcasing your authentic culture through employer branding, organizations can attract those job seekers who complement their culture. Culture drives performance." About MIM Software Inc. MIM Software Inc. is a privately held company with a dynamic working environment. It is headquartered in Cleveland, OH, with international offices in Beijing, Chengdu, and Brussels. MIM Software sells its products globally to imaging centers, hospitals, specialty clinics, research organizations, and pharmaceutical companies. The company's products are used in over 3000 centers worldwide, with more than 500 of those centers located outside of the United States. MIM Software is used in 16 of the top 20 hospitals listed in the U.S. News & World Report Hospital Rankings & Ratings. MIM Software Inc. is committed to enhancing patient care by providing customer-centered and innovative imaging solutions in Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Neuroimaging, and Cardiac Imaging. To learn more, visit www.mimsoftware.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clevelandcom-and-the-plain-dealer-names-mim-software-inc-a-winner-of-the-northeast-ohio-top-workplaces-2022-award-301575054.html SOURCE MIM Software Inc. U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California orders immediate re-start of EB-5 regional center program; enjoins USCIS from deauthorization of EB-5 regional centers, enabling Behring to accept new EB-5 investors BLACKHAWK, Calif., June 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Behring Co., a vertically integrated real estate developer and the operator of Behring Regional Center ("BRC"), praised the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California's decision to issue a preliminary injunction, setting aside the deauthorization of EB-5 regional centers by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS"). Today's decision by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria held that USCIS almost certainly committed legal error when it unilaterally deauthorized designated EB-5 regional centers existing at the time that the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 ("RIA") was enacted into law and required regional centers to apply and receive approval for new designation before allowing them to operate and accept new EB-5 investors. Read the decision here. "Behring has made an exceedingly strong showing that the agency violated the APA." The court's decision means that EB-5 investors can file new I-526 petitions now. The court's order enables Behring Regional Center, and all pre-authorized Regional Centers, to sponsor EB-5 projects. USCIS is required to accept I-526 petitions filed by new EB-5 investors that make qualified EB-5 investments through BRC. BRC attorneys at Greenberg Traurig welcomed the decision: "We are so pleased that the court recognized the true congressional intent," said Laura Reiff, shareholder at GT. "Existing regional centers can now operate and accept new investors. This is a program that should be embraced by the agency and the country as it brings much-needed revenue into the US and helps with job creation." Behring will be hosting a webinar discussing the EB-5 program and the current updates in detail on June 27, 2022 at 4:00 PM PST. View Webinar Registration When challenging USCIS's unilateral cancelation of EB-5 regional centers in April, BRC asserted that USCIS actions were contrary to the plain meaning of the RIA. BRC further asserted that USCIS's creation of new Forms I-956 and redesignation requirements violated the Administrative Procedure Act because USCIS did not go through notice-and-comment rulemaking. In granting BRC's preliminary injunction, the court stated that "Behring has made an exceedingly strong showing that the agency violated the APA. USCIS was almost certainly wrong in assuming that the Integrity Act affirmatively deauthorized existing regional centers, so the agency was almost certainly wrong to announce that the centers are no longer authorized." It agreed that BRC was likely to succeed on the merits of its case and that USCIS was wrong to assume that the RIA de-authorized existing regional centers. In recent weeks, Congress also had signaled its support when sending letters informing USCIS that its actions were against Congress's intent to restart the EB-5 Regional Center Program as quickly as possible after a 9-month lapse. "It is an amazing victory for EB-5 investors, and we look forward to having the opportunity to go back to work creating jobs and promoting economic growth," said Colin Behring, CEO of Behring Regional Center LLC. With an active EB-5 project that is already I-924 exemplar approved, Behring investors will have the first opportunity to be eligible for the new 2,000 visas set aside for high unemployment (Target Employment Area) investments. Behring's EB-5 investment options include lower risk debt-style investments and higher earning preferred equity and common equity, all of which are open to investors immediately. About Behring Co. Behring Co. is a vertically integrated real estate developer, private equity fund manager, and EB-5 regional center serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Behring owns and operates the Behring Regional Center, a USCIS accredited EB-5 regional center with 100-percent investor approval history serving hundreds of investors since 2013. For more information, please visit www.behringEB5.com. Contacts Colin Behring[email protected] +1 925-575-9634 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eb-5-investments-restart-after-behrings-major-legal-victory-301575276.html SOURCE Behring Companies Informatics Medal awarded to the late Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah The 20th anniversary celebration is sponsored by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Winners of the award's 20th edition hail from the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah: The awards have recognized the innovation and achievements of hundreds of participants from Kuwait, the GCC and the Middle East KUWAIT CITY, June 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as well as winners of the 20th Edition of the His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award will be honored in a belated ceremony on Monday, June 27th, at Bayan Palace. The 2020 Informatics Medal was bestowed upon the late Amir of Kuwait in honor of his memory and in recognition of his philanthropic leadership and dedication to information technology and sciences among other significant fields. The awards ceremony had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which halted gatherings and large events. The nine winners of 2020 hail from the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman. The awarding ceremony will be sponsored by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and attended by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The Informatics Award was established in 2001, the first of its kind in region, and it has honored hundreds of participants, innovators and volunteers from the GCC and the Middle East in various fields such as information technology, human and community development and sciences. Speaking on the event, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Award, Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah said that in only 20 years, there have been hundreds of participants and winners. The COVID-19 pandemic has struck all walks of life but did not deter the work of the Informatics Award and its commitment to the world of digital and information technology. "The award is able to withstand global challenges, adapt to changes and developments and preserve community and culture. Therefore, the 20th Edition was entitled "Best Technical Projects", apart from the Informatics Medal. The Award further provided a training course through the Informatics Academy to children aged 11-17 years on the basics of digital manufacturing," she stated. The winners of the 20th Edition of Informatics Award are: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Communications and Information Technology Commission for its project Platform for Delivery Applications via Electronic Platforms - The Communications and Information Technology Commission for its project Platform for Delivery Applications via Electronic Platforms The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Saudi Red Crescent Authority for its project Asfeni The Saudi Red Crescent Authority for its project The State of Kuwait - Zain in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) for its project Shlonik - Zain in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) for its project The State of Kuwait - The Public Institution for Social Security for its project Insurances Thukher - The Public Institution for Social Security for its project Insurances The State of Kuwait - Jif Company for the design and management of websites for its project Jif . - Jif Company for the design and management of websites for its project . The State of Kuwait - Fanajeen General Trading Company for its project Fanajeen - Fanajeen General Trading Company for its project The Kingdom of Bahrain - the General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior for its project Traffic Services - the General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior for its project The Kingdom of Bahrain - the Ministry of Education for its project Electronic Educational Portal . - the Ministry of Education for its project . The Sultanate of Oman - the Ministry of Health for its project Trassod Plus Meanwhile, the event will also host an exhibition to showcase the Informatic Awards' most prominent achievements since its establishment in 2001, including the 332 winners from 12 Arab countries with information on their projects. It will also showcase the 14 winners of the Informatics Medal, winners of the "Shift Kuwait" competition throughout the years, as well as the 486 volunteers from the State of Kuwait and other global and Arab countries. Furthermore, the exhibition will showcase other cultural activities hosted by the award during its successful career, such as the World Informatics Forum, dialogue boards, informatics bureaus, blogging competitions, and the award pavilions held at the Kuwait International Book Fair for several years. For media inquiries, please contact: Salma Tayeh: [email protected] ; mobile: 002 0100 1111 674 Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847521/Informatics_Award.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/royal-dignitaries-to-hold-informatics-award-celebration-in-honor-of-the-late-amir-of-kuwait-301575261.html SOURCE His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award, State of Kuwait KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany Around 250 peace activists demonstrated outside Ramstein Air Base on Saturday to protest Western support of the war in Ukraine, German rearmament and the NATO summit in Madrid. Event organizers called on participants to show up wearing all black, make-up, and skeleton or ghost masks for a dance of the dead. The costumes were intended to create a macabre and eye-catching form of protest, organizers said online, calling the event a satirical homage to those who advocate and profiteer from the war. The event culminated a weeklong protest organized by German grassroots organization Stop Air Base Ramstein, which has organized an annual protest since 2015. The anti-fascist activist group said it aims to raise public awareness of the central role of Ramstein in NATO warfare and overseas military operations. There are few places that stand for war like Ramstein, said Pascal Luig, an organizer of the event. It is the largest air base outside the U.S. Its a seat for NATO. Weapons, ammunitions and soldiers are flown from here into combat zones all from German soil. Wed like to see that end. During the campaign, which started June 19, activists stayed at a peace camp in Steinwende, north of Ramstein, for a week of speeches, music, seminars and workshops supporting peace and an end to military proliferation. One of the events was called Presence of the US military: Wealth or poverty accelerator in the region, examining the impact of Ramstein on the surrounding economy of Kaiserslautern. Around noon Saturday, a small caravan set out to march the three miles toward Ramstein Air Base to set up a truck-bed stage in sight of the installations main gate. For nearly three hours, musicians played anti-war songs, activists gave speeches and protesters wearing giant masks lambasted prominent politicians, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for their role in recent global conflicts. The keynote speaker was Eugen Drewermann, a former Catholic priest and theologian turned church critic, writer and peace activist. In his speech, Drewermann called out Western governments for hypocrisy in claiming crimes and violations of international law by Russia, while purportedly committing years of their own extrajudicial drone attacks on suspected terrorists and militants, he said. Drewermann recounted the case of Brandon Bryant, a former U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator sensor operator turned whistleblower, who went public in 2015 about his regret over participating in drone operations and his resulting post-traumatic stress disorder. These wars are making people into mental cripples, he said of the mental consequences of post-traumatic stress. We have to make an end to war, or we will perish under its burden. To protest against Ramstein is an appeal to protect humanity from a future of inhumanity, Drewermann said. The protest temporarily blocked one access road to the neighboring town of Ramstein-Miesenbach and slowed traffic to the installations main gate. While previous years saw human chains, civil disobedience and temporary roadblocks, organizers asked this years participants to clear the area according to a pre-approved schedule. First Police Commissioner Siegfried Ranzinger, a spokesman on site, said the protest was peaceful and conducted as planned. Event organizers, who estimated attendance higher than police with up to 500 attendants, acknowledged that the event drew far fewer visitors than previous protests, which have drawn four-digit participant counts. The event comes after the German public broadcaster ARD released survey results showing that Russias monthslong war in Ukraine has swayed a change of public opinion toward supporting U.S. nuclear weapons in their country. The fear of making Germany a nuclear target with the presence of U.S. nuclear weapons continues to be a matter of concern for protesters. If it comes to a conflict between NATO and Russia, Ramstein is one of the first targets in Germany, and we should be conscious of that, event organizer Luig said. We want to prevent that. Instead of a military base, Luig said his group would prefer a local airport to support the economy or to turn base real estate into a recreational space for city dwellers. Luig said that the protest is not aimed at U.S. soldiers and their families and invited service members to meet activists for conversations during future visits to the peace camp and protests. During the Vietnam War, we saw tremendous support for the peace movement coming from veterans because soldiers dont want to have to go to war, Luig said. We have nothing against and are not protesting against U.S. soldiers. We protest against the German and American defense policies that send people to war. LEXINGTON, Ky. (Tribune News Service) For some, flying is a hobby. For Ensign Lincoln Kilgore, it is a way of life. Kilgore, a Kentucky native, was honored at the most recent aviation summer camp held at Lexingtons nonprofit Aviation Museum of Kentucky for his contributions to the camp and museum. While attending Eastern Kentucky Universitys aviation program, he worked as an instructor for the camp each summer. After graduating from EKU in 2021, Kilgore enrolled in Officer Candidate School and graduated in December. Now, the Lawrence County native is stationed at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., but he came back to the Bluegrass to visit the camp where he developed his love for flying. The camp, a two-day introduction to aviation and piloting, is offered for several weeks each summer across Kentucky. Campers aged 10 to 17 learn about flying from professional instructors, and many bring along a family member with a background in aviation. While working at the camp, Kilgore said his favorite thing was teaching a flight simulation course, which he said was a blast. On the flight sim, we teach (the kids) to fly from Lexington to Frankfort, Georgetown and back, Kilgore said. Watching young adults get that love and that enjoyment ... its wonderful. It means the world. The camp has been running for 27 years, and each summer, a two-day session is named in honor of an individual to commemorate their work for the museum. June 23-24 is the final Lexington session for the summer, and it has been named the ENS Lincoln Kilgore Aviation Camp. Hunter Moore, the operations manager for the aviation museum, said Kilgore epitomizes the camps vision of teaching youth about aviation and educating future generations of pilots, which is the museums main mission. It was this dedication that inspired the museum to name a camp after him. He is just such an outstanding young man, Moore said. Hes an ideal representative of the military. Jerry Landreth, a trustee on the museums board, said the camp provides an introduction to the many career options in aviation, such as administration and piloting, and many students have gone on to work in the field. Kilgore said he still keeps in contact with campers he taught while at that museum, and at least 20 of them started careers in aviation. There have been a couple of students (who) have messaged me and been like, Mr. Kilgore ... you helped me really understand, like, this is what I wanted to do with my life. And for me, that means everything, he said. Kilgore said he choked up a little bit when he was told of the plan to name a camp after him. Its a terrific honor. I love the museum, I love Kentucky, I love Kentucky aviation, he said. Its been the highlight of my young professional career. 2022 Lexington Herald-Leader. Visit kentucky.com . (Tribune News Service) While Petty Officer 2nd Class Dmitri Rivera was on duty some 4,500 miles from his newborn son, Omari, he was one of the USS Gravely crew who organized a games day for refugee Ukrainian children during the Norfolk-based destroyers deployment. Now Omari, held tightly in dads arms on pier 6 at Naval Station Norfolk on Friday, tugged on his dads black kerchief for a welcome home. It was the first time Rivera saw his son. The Gravely was deployed for nearly seven months as part of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. The groups mission was to offer support to NATO allies. For the Gravely, that meant operating in the Mediterranean for a time as Trumans air wing conducted air policing operations over NATO members airspace in southeastern Europe. The Gravely then scrambled to bolster allies in the north, along the Baltic Sea, Cmdr. Hunter Washburn said. That included operating with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group in exercises with the Estonian Army a new experience for the crew, although Washburn and many Gravely sailors are familiar with the narrow waters of the Baltic. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Norfolk-based ships efforts to support NATO allies have become even more important for the Gravely, that meant an extended deployment. It got a bit tough about three months out, Rivera said thats when Omari would have been about a month old. When we got extended, thats when it really hit home, he said. But on a sunny June day in Norfolk, with time to spend with family, it was time to focus on new things. Its good to be home, he said. dress@dailypress.com 2022 Daily Press. Visit dailypress.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. President Joe Bidens May trip to Northeast Asia rightly received extensive media coverage. By contrast, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austins June journey to Southeast Asia has received much less. Too bad. Asia has enormous strategic importance. President Richard Nixon deserves special credit for achieving direct U.S. ties with China. Singapore, a main Austin stop, hosted the nineteenth in a series of conferences there sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Established in 1958 by the Ford Foundation, IISS is respected for providing reliable information on military developments worldwide, plus in-depth analyses of international security and strategic challenges Chinas defense minister also attended the conference, along with leaders from the Indo-Pacific region. Early this month, President Biden hosted a U.S. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Nations) meeting in Washington D.C. In Singapore, Austin met with Indonesia Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. A fortunate meeting, because that nation provides powerful evidence regarding Asias future course. Indonesia held the largest one-day free elections in the world in April 2019. President Joko Widodo enjoyed reelection for a second term by a majority. In 2018, a Gallup Poll found that an unprecedented 75% of Indonesians believed elections are honest. This is the highest percentage ever, in a long-term upward trend in public confidence, following a troubled national history. Gruesome earlier events provide graphic, important context. In May 2018, the Islamic State conducted bloody terrorist attacks in Surabaya, Indonesias second largest city. Terrorism is persistent though not frequent in Indonesia. A 2016 attack killed four people. A 2002 attack killed 202 people on Bali, including many foreign tourists. Indonesias election took place in the worlds largest nation with a Muslim majority. Trade routes and commodities provide Indonesia with great strategic significance. Washington has the opportunity to highlight Indonesia, and neighboring nations, as success stories of expanding political stability, modernization and the rule of law. In 1998, opponents forced Indonesias long-time autocratic president and former general Muhammad Suharto from power. Since then, the nation has had a representative government. Indonesias international conflicts today are largely technical and legal, notably the maritime disputes that involve the nations of East and Southeast Asia. Dictatorship has ended, though corruption remains a problem. During the height of the Cold War, Indonesia enjoyed status as a pivotal power among Third World nations. Flamboyant nationalist President Sukarno played the Soviet Union and the United States off against one another. CIA efforts to bring Sukarno down were frustrated, and boomeranged, especially in providing important impetus for Indonesia-Soviet cooperation. During the 1960s, cooperation between Indonesia and the Soviet Union expanded exponentially. The Soviet and Indonesian navies were integrating their crews, and other close cooperation was taking place. This development, vital in the massive U.S. military intervention in Vietnam in 1965, is rarely mentioned today. British forces, with Australian and New Zealand allies, defeated Indonesian attacks on Malaysia. Earlier, Britain defeated an aggressive, virulent Communist insurgency in Malaya, which today is part of Malaysia. Britains military avoided massive firepower, in contrast to the U.S. in Vietnam, especially from 1965. To be sure, the British military employed air strikes and artillery, but relatively selectively. Officials rightly regarded heavy bombing as counterproductive. Given American preferences for firepower and technology, we should keep this fundamental lesson always in mind. With todays firm foundation, the United States has promising opportunities. Stronger Indonesia ties can leverage influence and investment throughout the enormous Asia regions. Meanwhile, our veterans, especially of the Vietnam War, should feel pride in this long-term success. We can continue that success if we demonstrate discipline and maturity. Arthur I. Cyr is the author of After the Cold War. BAMAKO, Mali Moussa Tolofidie didn't think twice when nearly 100 jihadis on motorbikes gathered in his village in central Mali last week. A peace agreement signed last year between some armed groups and the community in the Bankass area had largely held, even if the gunmen would sometimes enter the town to preach Shariah to the villagers. But on this Sunday in June, everything changed the jihadis began killing people. "They started with an old man about 100 years old then the sounds of the weapons began to intensify around me and then at one moment I heard a bullet whistling behind my ear. I felt the earth spinning, I lost consciousness and fell to the ground," Tolofidie, a 28-year-old farmer told The Associated Press by phone Friday in Mopti town, where he was receiving medical care. "When I woke up it was dark, around midnight. There were bodies of other people on top of me. I smelled blood and smelled burnt things and heard the sounds of some people still moaning," he said. At least 132 people were killed in several villages in the Bankass area of central Mali during two days of attacks last weekend, according to the government, which blames the Group to Support Islam and Muslim jihadi rebels linked to al-Qaida. The attack the deadliest since mutinous soldiers toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita nearly two years ago shows that Islamic extremist violence is spreading from Mali's north to more central areas, analysts have said. The conflict-riddled country has been battling extremist violence for a decade since jihadis seized control of key northern cities in 2012 and tried to take over the capital. They were pushed back by a French-led military operation the following year but have since regained ground. The Associated Press spoke to several survivors on Friday who had sought treatment at a hospital in Mopti and were from the villages of Diallassagou, Dianweli and Dessagou. People described hearing gunfire and jihadis shouting, "Allahu akbar", Arabic for "God is great," as they ran into the forest to save their lives. Mali's government blamed the attacks on the Group to Support Islam and Muslims, or JNIM, which is backed by al-Qaida, although the group denied responsibility in a statement on Friday. The United States and France condemned the attacks and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) issued a statement on Twitter saying the violence has caused casualties and displaced the population. Conflict analysts say the fact that the attacks happened in an area where local peace agreements were signed could signify the end of the fragile accords. "The resurgence of tension is perhaps linked to the expiration of these local agreements but also can be linked to the intensification of military operations by the defense forces," said Baba Dakono, director of the Citizen Observatory on Governance and Security, a local civil society group. Ene Damango, a mechanic from Dialassagou, fled his village when the shooting started, but he said his uncle was shot in the leg and severely wounded. "When I returned to the village, I discovered the carnage." KYIV, Ukraine Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv early Sunday, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings, and President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a 37-year-old man was killed and his 7-year-old daughter and wife injured. Associated Press journalists saw emergency workers battling flames and rescuing civilians. The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks "barbarism" after he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit. Later Sunday, a local official reported a second death, telling the Unian news agency that a railroad worker was killed and several others were injured in the attacks while servicing rail infrastructure. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the first air-launched weapons successfully to target the capital since June 5 were Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 932 miles away. Kyiv's mayor told journalists he thought the airstrikes were "maybe a symbolic attack" ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid that starts Tuesday. A former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said the strikes also were a signal to the leaders of G-7 nations meeting Sunday in Germany. "Russia is saying, 'We can do this all day long. You guys are powerless to stop us,'" retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said. "The Russians are humiliating the leaders of the West." The G-7 leaders were set to announce the latest in a long series of international economic steps to pressure and isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine: new bans on imports of Russian gold. Standing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the three-day meeting's host, Biden said of the missile strikes on Kyiv: "It's more of their barbarism." Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, appealed to the G-7 leaders for more help, saying stopping Russian aggression "is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and in the time we need it weapons, financial support and sanctions against Russia." A Ukrainian parliament member, Oleksiy Goncharenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that preliminary information indicated that Russia launched 14 missiles toward the capital region and Kyiv itself. Zelenskyy said some were intercepted, and he vowed revenge against "all pilots, dispatchers, technicians and other people who ensure the launch of missiles in Ukraine." "We will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these blows," Zelenskyy vowed. "And if someone thinks he will evade responsibility by saying that this was an order, you are wrong. When your missiles hit homes, it's a war crime. The court is what awaits you all. And you will not hide anywhere neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus. Nowhere." In a phone interview, Hodges told The Associated Press that Russia has a limited stock of precision missiles and "if they are using them, it's going to be for a special purpose," Russia has denied targeting civilians during the 4-month-old war, and Hodges said it was hard to know if the missiles launched Sunday were intended to strike the apartments buildings. Russian forces tried to seize control of Kyiv early in the war. After Ukrainian troops repelled them, the Kremlin largely shifted its focus to southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian rocket strikes in the city of Cherkasy, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kyiv, killed one person and injured five, regional governor Ihor Taburets said Sunday. In the east, Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains by battling to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that Russia was conducting intense airstrikes on the city of Lysychansk, destroying its television tower and seriously damaging a road bridge. "There's very much destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognizable," he wrote on Facebook. For weeks, Lysychansk and the nearby city of Sievierodonetsk have been subject to a bloody and destructive offensive by Russian forces and their separatist allies aimed at capturing all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. They have made steady and slow progress, with Haidai confirming Saturday that Sievierodonetsk, including a chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were holed up, had fallen. Commenting on the battle for Sievierodonetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control not only the city but the villages surrounding it. He said the Russian military had thwarted Ukrainian forces' attempt to turn the Azot chemical plant into a "stubborn center of resistance." Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian and separatist forces control of every major settlement in Luhansk. At last report, they controlled about half of Donetsk, the second province in the Donbas. On Saturday, Russia launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraine's air command said. Reacting to the shelling from the Russian bombers, Zelenskyy appealed to the people of Belarus to resist cooperation with the Russian military. "The Russian leadership wants to draw you all Belarusians into the war, wants to sow hatred between us," he said in his video address Sunday. "You can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin." Belarus hosts Russian military units and was used as a staging ground before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its own troops have not crossed the border. In a meeting Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. On the economic front, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said banning imports of Russian gold would represent a significant escalation of sanctions. "That is the second-most lucrative export that Russia has after energy," Blinken told American news channel CNN. "It's about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G-7 countries. So cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, that's significant." Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, further alienating the country from the global financial system following international sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The country faces a Sunday night deadline to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments originally due May 27. But it could take time to confirm a default. Russia calls any default artificial because it has the money to pay its debts but says sanctions have frozen its foreign currency reserves held abroad. OUTSIDE OF LYSYCHANSK, Ukraine The Ukrainian Airborne unit was relieved to be pulling back from the front Sunday morning, riding a column of armored personnel carriers away from the embattled city of Sievierodonetsk, which had already fallen to the Russians, and Lysychansk, which was on the brink. Nothing happened to us to when we were at the front, the unit commander said. It was while we were retreating that we got hit. They were hit, and hit badly. As the convoy moved into the farm village of Verkhniokamianske, with many of the soldiers riding on the outside of the vehicles, the first blast struck right by them. It was a cluster bomb, they would later surmise, something that tore through the contingent of men clinging to that side of one truck. Several men were wounded, with blood pouring from limbs and, in one case, a soldiers head. But there was no time to treat them while the convoy remained in the crosshairs of Russian artillery. The uninjured applied tourniquets where they could, dragged the hurt back onto the vehicles and raced out of the village, across rutted farm lanes to a line of trees across a golden wheat field about a kilometer away. It was just one of the many chaotic scenes that keep unfolding as Ukrainians give up ground to Russias relentless push to control the eastern Donbas region. Some soldiers pushed their units vehicles into the tree cover, piling on branches to keep them hidden from drones used for targeting. The others did what they could for the injured, making do with their personal first aid supplies because they had become separated from the units big field medical kit. There were eight wounded, at least two of them seriously. The soldier with the head injury was drifting in and out of consciousness. The commander had just radioed their location and requested medical evacuation teams when several Washington Post journalists covering the retreat came upon the group. The soldiers yelled for the journalists to get out of the area: Its not safe! But The Washington Post teams security escort, a former combat medic, had a well-equipped trauma kit in the car. Come, come, the soldiers said. For the next harrowing half-hour, the security escort worked with the units medic to stabilize the most serious cases. It was a purely humanitarian impulse, he would explain later. Combat medics are trained to treat the injured, no matter the flag on their uniform. The convoys medic removed the one mans helmet to show a heavy bandage. He was hit in the head, he explained as a Ukrainian interpreter helped with communication. But I dont find an exit wound. The shrapnel is still in there. The pair administered IV fluids and considered the soldiers breathing, which was labored. A nasal tube was inserted and oxygen levels checked. Nearby, another soldier was lying in a pool of his own blood on a canvas stretcher, his thigh heavily bandaged. Where is Cat? the man asked, his eyes opening. Is Cat all right? The others assured him his buddy was fine. Hes up walking around. Across the field, a Ukrainian artillery battery fired a series of shells, barrels belching smoke and flame into the sky. We need to need to get these men going, said the commander, who asked that he and the soldiers not be named for security reasons. Then we need to move on. The Posts security escort administered a shot of morphine and handed the units medic a bottle of four antibiotic pills. Give him one now, and tape the bottle to his body so the doctor knows what hes had, he said. The soldier needed to be kept awake, he added, so that his condition could be monitored. With that, another soldier squatted by the stretcher and said something to the injured man. They both laughed. Here they come, the commander said a short time later, eying two plumes of dust racing along the edge of the field. The road out of Lysychansk had been filled with ambulances all morning. In minutes, the military ambulance rolled up. The medics jumped out, but the soldiers were ready to load their own men. Give them room, give them room, the commander said. Take these two first. The World Health Organization has decided not to declare monkeypox a global emergency despite a rapid rise in cases in Europe, electing instead to describe it as an evolving health threat. The announcement Saturday comes after the WHOs International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met last week to discuss whether the monkeypox outbreak should be labeled a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, or PHEIC, which would have marshaled new funding and spurred governments into action. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the committee shared serious concerns about the scale and speed of the current outbreak, which, he said, now spans more than 50 countries, with some 3,000 cases since early May. The committee agreed the outbreak requires coordinated action to stop the further spread of the monkeypox virus using public health measures, including surveillance, contact-tracing, isolation and care of patients. But there were differing views among committee members about whether the event yet constituted a health emergency of international concern which is the highest level of alert WHO can issue. The coronavirus which causes COVID-19 was labeled a PHEIC following a similar meeting in January 2020. Everybodys tired of the COVID pandemic and nobody wants to hear about another sort of infectious disease outbreak. But the point is, is that were sort of on the cusp of containment among men who have sex with men or whatnot. And to get us to where we need to go, we need global coordination and a global commitment, said Gregg Gonsalves, an infectious diseases expert at Yale School of Public Health, who is a non-voting member of the WHO committee and believes moneypox should be declared a global The committee noted monkeypox has been circulating in a number of African countries for decades and has been neglected in terms of research, attention and funding a point that has previously led some experts to suggest a double standard in the response to the outbreak in Europe. This must change not just for monkeypox but for other neglected diseases in low-income countries as the world is reminded yet again that health is an interconnected proposition, Tedros said in a statement Saturday. What makes the current outbreak especially concerning is the rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children, he added. Tedros said Thursday that nearly 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox, and some 70 deaths, have been reported in central Africa this year. Monkeypox is spread through close contact and has so far primarily affected men who have sex with men. It begins with flu-like symptoms before fluid-filled lumps or lesions appear on the skin, which can leave behind permanent scarring. Health officials say that the latest outbreak has frequently brought genital rashes, and while most cases are mild and patients recover in three weeks, the virus can be fatal and is more of a risk to pregnant people or those with weakened immune systems. In a separate statement Saturday, the WHO committee noted that many aspects of the current multi-country outbreak are unusual, including cases being recorded in countries where the virus had not been previously documented, and the fact that the vast majority of cases is observed among men who have sex with men, of young age, not previously immunized against smallpox. The first case of monkeypox in the United States was detected May 17. Over the past five weeks, more than 100 cases have been added, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California, New York and Illinois are listed as the states with the highest level of infection. Some experts in the United States are calling on the White House to implement thorough testing to avoid the failures of the pandemic. Britain has the highest reported number of infections outside Central and West Africa, with almost 800 cases of the virus recorded in the past month. The Washington Posts Jennifer Hassan in London contributed to this report. DAMASCUS, Syria Hundreds of Syrian paratroopers took part in a joint drill with their Russian counterparts in the war-torn country in the second joint maneuver this month, state media reported. The agency did not give further details in its Saturday night report about the drill or say where they took place. It said the aim was to train Syrian paratroopers how to respond in varied circumstances. Russia is a main backer of President Bashar Assad and has a broad presence in Syria where an 11-year conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country's pre-war population. Russia became involved militarily in Syria in September 2015 helping to tip the balance of power in favor of Assad's forces. Earlier this month, the Syrian and Russian air forces conducted drills over different parts of the country, including on the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Four months ago, the two countries conducted a drill a week before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. In mid-February, the Russian military deployed long-range nuclear-capable bombers and fighter jets carrying state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles to Syria for massive naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea. MIAMI The U.S. Supreme Courts ruling on abortion has raised alarms in Florida that same-sex marriage could be struck down next in a state where the constitution still has language defining marriage as between a man and a woman. A lot of people out there are saying theyre coming for us next, said Orlando Gonzales, executive director of the Miami-based SAVE , an LGBTQ-rights advocacy group. We see marriage equality as being threatened. For now, worries about the endurance of same-sex marriage in Florida stem from legal what-ifs, since theres no case pending before the Supreme Court that challenges the right of same-sex couples to marry. Legal experts say even a Supreme Court reversal wouldnt lead directly to a ban on same-sex marriage in Florida, despite language that voters added to the state constitution in 2008 defining marriage as between a man and woman. Civil-rights lawyers challenging that definition scored landmark wins in state and federal courts in 2014, leading judges to declare same-sex marriages legal in Florida in January 2015. That was five months before a narrow majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices legalized same-sex marriage nationwide on June 26, 2015 , in the Obergefell vs. Hodges decision. Obergefell didnt give us marriage equality in Florida, said Elizabeth Schwartz, a Miami attorney who represented same-sex couples in Miami-Dade who successfully sued to overturn Floridas ban on same-sex marriage in 2015. While it would be disastrous if Obergefell was overturned, I dont think it would have an impact on marriage equality in the state of Florida. Schwartz said she thinks support is now so strong for marriage equality that she doubts Florida would roll back the right if given the chance from the Supreme Court. I dont think there would be support for that endeavor, she said. Public opinion has really shifted in Florida. Same-sex marriage was already allowed in 36 states when the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell. That case was one of several cited by Justice Clarence Thomas in a lone concurring opinion Friday as precedents the Supreme Court should also overturn after ruling Roe v. Wade was flawed. Anthony Verdugo, head of an organization that led the charge for the 2008 ban on same-sex marriages, said he didnt think overturning Obergefell would put those restrictions into effect in Florida since state and federal courts had already struck down the amendment. My position is the states should decide, said Verdugo, executive director of the Christian Family Coalition Florida, a Miami-based advocacy group. Honestly, the voters have already spoken. I think the position of the state constitution should be the policy. Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco, was also a lawyer in the Miami-Dade suit that overturned Floridas ban on same-sex marriage. That 2014 ruling by a Miami-Dade County judge went into effect in 2015, as did similar decisions across the state. After the abortion ruling, he said he could see the Roe decision leading to Florida losing its protections on same-sex marriage. The decisions striking down Floridas marriage ban were based on the federal constitution, so if Obergefell were struck down, those decisions would no longer be a barrier to Florida enforcing its prior ban, Minter said. It would not invalidate existing marriages, but couples would be unable to marry going forward. We must face the reality that no constitutionally protected rights no matter how important are safe from this court, he said. (Tribune News Service) It was an emotional time for Herb Sennett as he squatted and used a pencil and paper to make an impression of his buddys name from the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall on Saturday. Im visiting my best friend from college, the West Palm Beach resident said. Sennett, who served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army infantry from 1968-75, said his friend and fraternity brother, PFC Kenneth A. Prejean, died in Vietnam in 1969 in a night ambush. About 2,000 people have been to the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport since its arrival Thursday in conjunction with the American Gold Star Mothers 2022 National Convention. The wall is permanently housed in Brevard County but travels the nation, mostly from Texas eastward, between April and November making about 18 stops per year. When Sennett learned the Wall would be nearby, he decided to make a visit. Its something I felt I needed to do, he said. Its not just veterans that see the stirring display. Its been a really interesting mix, said wall manager Rick Doc Russo. Many visitors to the exhibit are Vietnam veterans, but many are also Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. And theres another growing group of visitors. Theres a whole lot of the younger generation moms, Russo said, referring to mothers of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Sennett wasnt alone in experiencing an emotional moment at the exhibit. Robert Maverick Anderson, a 75-year-old Jupiter resident and Marine who served two tours in Vietnam as a door gunner on a Huey gunship from 1965-67, was remembering a friend, Clarence A. Kimm, who died while preparing for an exam to become a crew chief. Part of the requirement was swimming 200 yards parallel to the beach. He just happened to hit a bad rip current and it took him out to sea, said Anderson, a Chicago native and chaplain for American Legion Post 271 in Tequesta, Florida. Anderson, who said he saw lots of combat, said one of the things he remembers most was what happened when he came home. Ill never erase that scar, he said. Nothing will erase that, the way we were treated. It was a shame. Anderson said when he landed at Chicagos OHare Airport some people called the soldiers baby killers and were spitting on them. I was almost ready to just go back, he said. I felt like our country had abandoned us. By the time we got to Iraq and Afghanistan, servicemen were honored. Army Maj. Michael Manali, a reservist with the 87th training division, was visiting the exhibit with about 15 fellow reservists. Manali is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, but his military roots run deep. Ive had uncles who fought in the Vietnam War so its really personal for me, he said. Its also a reminder of his responsibility moving forward. Manali has been promoted to Lt. Col. He said he recently took a class that taught whats supposed to happen the right way. He said the exhibit serves as what can happen when things go badly. As a leader, I have to do this right, he said. It has to be done right because a lot of lives are on the line. The emotional responses at the wall vary greatly. Russo said one veteran told him he carries guilt because he sustained a non-combat injury and a fellow soldier told him to stay on the ground while he took the injured mans helicopter shift. The helicopter went down that day and all five aboard died. This guy has been carrying that guilt for 50 years, Russo said. Sennett understands, but in a different way. I came that close to dying four or five times, he said, holding his index finger and thumb about an inch apart. Every time I hit the ground I kept wondering, Why am I alive? But unlike Anderson and many other Vietnam veterans, Sennett had a good homecoming. I came home to a loving wife, he said, holding back tears. She was my anchor. A lawsuit is seeking to block a Charlottesville, Va., museum from altering a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, even though that monument has already been cut into pieces, according to court documents. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center wrote in a legal filing this month that it had "disassembled" the bronze sculpture of Lee on horseback, which had stood in a Charlottesville park and been the focal point of the deadly Unite the Right rally in 2017. What the Jefferson School owns, it wrote in the filing, "is no longer the statue that stood in Market Street Park." After the sculpture was taken down last year, city lawmakers voted in December to donate it to the Jefferson School, a Black-led museum that planned to melt down the metal and turn it into a new piece of public artwork. But Andrea Douglas, the museum's executive director, said those plans are on hold amid the lawsuit, a feat that underscores how the Lee statue and its fate have continued to draw stubborn backlash. The four-year legal battle over whether the statue could be toppled has now given way to a new fight in the courts over what form the bronze sculpture can take, even now that it is off its granite pedestal. The lawsuit was filed in December against the museum and the city of Charlottesville by the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation and the Ratcliffe Foundation, which manages a museum in Russell County in Virginia, the "ancestral homeland" of Confederate Gen. James Ewell Brown Stuart. A judge removed the museum as a defendant, but it remains a party to the suit. The plaintiffs' request for a temporary injunction to preserve the statue, which is being held in storage in an undisclosed location, has not been granted by a judge. "We're being accused of trying to erase history when what we're really trying to do is help our city to heal," Douglas said. "It feels like these people are trying to dictate the ways in which Charlottesville responds." David Dillehunt, a city spokesman, said in an email that Charlottesville generally does not comment on pending litigation. Buddy Weber, a spokesman for the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation, and Ralph E. Main, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, did not respond to requests for comment. The Ratcliffe Foundation was one of several groups or individuals that had filed bids to the city to take ownership of the Lee statue as well as one of Stonewall Jackson that had also been taken down last summer. Lawmakers voted to send the Jackson statue to a contemporary art museum in Los Angeles, which has said it plans to include it in an exhibit next year on the Lost Cause and Confederate monuments. The two foundations filed a protest letter to the city, claiming that the process for bidding on the statues was "disastrously arbitrary" and that it resulted in a "capricious, illegal award." Their lawsuit, filed in Charlottesville Circuit Court, alleges that the city violated the Freedom of Information Act, Virginia Public Procurement Act and state code in donating the Lee statue to the Jefferson School. The plaintiffs have asked a judge to issue a permanent injunction that would force the city to pay to restore and repair the Lee statue to its original state as a sculpture. If it cannot be repaired and restored, they wrote in the lawsuit, the bronze ingots from the statue should be repurposed into a Civil War cannon that will be donated to display on a Civil War battlefield. But Douglas said filing such a lawsuit was akin to a neighbor trying to stop her from cutting down a tree in her backyard. "It's my tree," she said. "I have the right to chop it down." The Jefferson Center earlier this year launched a public engagement process to consult Charlottesville residents on what form the bronze should take, including an online survey and a forum in March attended by more than 130 people. It will use the feedback collected through that process, Douglas said, to create guidelines for artists who could then submit their own ideas. But the museum will not be melting the statue downc, at least not yet. "We are going to see how this plays out before deciding where we go next," she said. "We feel confident that we will be able to do what we intended to do." Both plaintiffs are connected to the Monument Fund, a Charlottesville group that fought to keep the statue from coming down in the first place after a vote from city lawmakers. When city lawmakers first voted in 2017 to take down the Confederate general from his perch at Market Street Park, a group of local residents associated with the Monument Fund sued, citing a state law passed in 1997 that prohibited localities from removing Confederate war memorials. The plaintiffs in the ongoing case cited the same law, although the Virginia Supreme Court ruled in the first lawsuit that the 1997 statute applies only to monuments erected after the law was adopted. It was amid the first legal fight that white supremacists descended on Charlottesville in violent protest of the statue's removal in August 2017. One man drove his car through a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. LOS ANGELES Two years ago, Leili Ghazi quit studying biomedical engineering in Iran and seized the chance to travel to the United States to build a new life for herself and her parents. Now, the 22-year-old is separated indefinitely from her family because her father performed required military service more than two decades ago as a conscript for a branch of the Iranian armed forces that the U.S. government years later declared a foreign terrorist organization. The designation bars anyone associated with the group from traveling to the United States, including her dad. "He had to do office work and work on plans of buildings," said Ghazi, who has been anxious and depressed since moving to Southern California. She expected her parents to eventually join her but later learned her father would be forced to stay behind. "He hasn't done any activity of going to war or anything. It was not anything like that." It has long been a challenge for Iranians to travel to the United States and visa applicants often wait months or years for background checks to clear. But since the Trump administration designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization in 2019, it has become all but impossible for anyone who served in the branch, even as a conscript and in a non-combat role, to obtain a visa to travel to the United States. Many Iranian Americans and their families hoped the Biden administration would reverse course on the designation so those who served as conscripts could still travel. They note Iranian men are compelled to serve if they want to obtain passports to leave the country, have no say over what branch they're assigned to and largely perform basic tasks such as painting or office jobs. But their hopes were dashed when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in late April that barring changes in Iran there was no plan to remove the designation. He acknowledged in remarks before U.S. lawmakers that those most affected are the conscripts while "the people who are the real bad guys have no intention of travel." "There should be exceptions, and right now we don't have exceptions," said Ally Bolour, a Los Angeles immigration attorney whose firm has sued over how the designation is applied. "It is unfair for the U.S. government to just throw a towel over everything and just lump everybody together. That's lazy." The U.S. has designated a lengthy list of foreign terror organizations dating back to the 1990s, including Hamas and Peru's Shining Path. But the groups are almost entirely private militias, not state-run entities, like IRGC, that enlist conscripts under the law. The secretary of state designates the groups in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary, and with congressional review, and can also revoke designations. For example, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia was listed as a foreign terror organization in 1997 and delisted in 2021. People who provide support or resources to foreign terror organizations and who aren't U.S. citizens can't legally enter the country and can face deportation. In addition, financial institutions that control funds for these groups must retain possession of the funds and report them to U.S. authorities. A U.S. State Department spokesperson could not immediately say how many former Iranian conscripts have had visa applications affected by the designation. The spokesperson said applications are reviewed on an individual basis and in some cases waivers can be applied. The designations "play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business," the spokesperson said. Immigration attorneys, however, said they're fielding tons of calls from former conscripts dealing with the issue and don't see exceptions being made. Attorney Scott Emerick, who works with Bolour, said he has received hundreds of calls and believes the government can make exceptions for conscripts who didn't serve voluntarily. Taher Kameli, an attorney in Chicago who has also sued, said he fields calls daily from people asking how the designation affects them. He said he doesn't believe the U.S. government can list another country's military as a foreign terrorist organization and notes past administrations also had issues with the branch and refrained from making the designation due to the consequences it would bring. "We are not here to say the IRGC is doing something right or wrong. We are just saying the way the designation is done is wrong," said Kameli, who represents an Iranian-born U.S.-educated doctor affected by the rule. The fallout from the designation stretches far beyond the United States. Iranians said the U.S. shares data on travelers with countries in Europe and Canada, and they fear they'll be blocked from traveling there as well. Several Iranian-born Canadian citizens said they've faced additional scrutiny during what were previously quick and easy trips across the border. Amir Abolhassani, a 41-year-old engineer, said he had traveled many times to the United States without a problem as a Canadian citizen, but he was recently stopped by authorities on a trip to North Carolina where his company planned to transfer him for a new job. Abolhassani was told he couldn't go because of his conscription more than a decade ago, which he said consisted of two months of basic training and designing water pipelines for the branch. He said he was assigned at random and the service was necessary so he could obtain a passport and leave the country to continue his education. Now, he and his wife are in limbo because they have already sold their home to make the move but can't get visas. "The worst part is that they tell you you are a terrorist," Abolhassani said. "We have come out of that country because we were against their policies, because we were against their behavior, and now saying, 'You belong to that system, you belong to that regime, you are part of the organization we have listed as a terrorist organization' that is very unjust. That is unbearable." The designation also weighs heavily on Iranian citizens who have lived in the U.S. with green cards for years and want to become American citizens. Paris Etemadi Scott is legal director of PARS Equality Center in San Jose, Calif., which provides legal and social services to immigrants from Persian-speaking and other countries. She said she now tells most clients who have served in the contested branch or those whose spouses did to think twice about applying to naturalize because when they go to an interview they'll face a barrage of additional questions and be forced to sign a detailed statement under oath about their long-ago military service. "We thought this was a Trump thing but obviously nothing has changed," she said. "I tell them, 'I don't have the stamina anymore to go through this ordeal. We advise you to wait and see.'" Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, meets with delegates at a meeting with CPC members of Taiwan origin in Beijing, capital of China, June 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang has urged Communist Party of China (CPC) delegates of Taiwan origin to earnestly perform their duties and make due contributions to the Party's 20th national congress. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks at a meeting with CPC members of Taiwan origin on Sunday. At the meeting, Wang said that CPC members of Taiwan origin should fully comprehend the Party's overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, implement the central Party leadership's decisions regarding Taiwan, and remain highly consistent with the central Party leadership on major issues concerning principles. Wang also encouraged them to set a good example in opposing so-called "Taiwan independence" and facilitating reunification. They should also work to secure the interests of Taiwan compatriots, and do their part in enhancing cross-Strait exchanges and communication, Wang said. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden rarely mentions his predecessor by name. But as he spoke to a nation processing a seismic shift in the rights of women, he couldn't ignore Donald Trump's legacy. "It was three justices named by one president Donald Trump who were the core of today's decision to upend the scales of justice and eliminate a fundamental right for women in this country," Biden said Friday after the Supreme Court's conservative majority voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling from 1973 that provided constitutional protections for women seeking abortions. The abortion decision marked the apex in a week that reinforced the former president's ongoing impact in Washington more than a year and a half after he exited the White House. A court that includes three Trump-appointed conservatives also decided to weaken restrictions on gun ownership. And across the street at the Capitol, which was ravaged by a mob of Trump supporters in the final days of his presidency in 2021, new details surfaced of his gross violations of democratic norms. The House's Jan. 6 committee used a public hearing last week to spotlight the intense pressure that Trump put on top Justice Department officials to overturn the 2020 election, along with discussions of blanket pardons for cooperative members of Congress. The developments were a reminder of the awkward political bargain social conservatives embraced to achieve their grandest ambitions. In refusing to consider Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee during the final year of his presidency, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., ensured that the next president would be able to make his mark on the court. As Trump pledged to transform the Supreme Court's ideological leanings even providing a list of the judges he would choose from reluctant conservatives, Republicans and evangelical Christians rallied behind Trump, a thrice-married man who had previously described himself as "very pro-choice." "When he ran in 2016, he promised that he would appoint conservative and pro-life judges to the federal courts starting with the U.S. Supreme Court. And he kept his word," said Ralph Reed, an evangelical leader and chair of the The Faith and Freedom Coalition, who was criticized in some corners for his embrace of Trump. "Those in the faith community that felt it was worth taking a chance on Donald Trump in 2016 have been vindicated." The GOP is now at something of a turning point in its relationship with a man who has fundamentally transformed the party with his populist, "Make America Great Again" agenda and his fight against the establishment Republicans who used to control the party. There's a growing debate within the party about whether Trump's resonance is beginning to fade as lays the groundwork for a third presidential run in 2024. Other leading Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, and Trump's former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, are taking increasingly bold steps toward White House bids of their own. And many of Trump's own supporters are eagerly embracing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Trump's natural successor as they look to the future. Pence, Pompeo and DeSantis are among those who have made clear that a Trump candidacy would not influence their own decisions about whether to run. If they do run, they will all be competing for support from the same conservatives who fueled Trump's rise. Trump himself seems somewhat uncertain about how to navigate the political fallout from the past week, particularly the abortion ruling. He has privately expressed concern to aides that the decision could energize Democrats going into the November elections, The New York Times first reported. Indeed, in a Fox News interview after the abortion opinion was released, Trump said that, "in the end, this is something that will work out for everybody." Asked about his own role in the eventual decision, Trump responded that, "God made the decision." Trump grew more emboldened as Friday unfolded, raising money off the decision and issuing a statement in which he took full credit for what he called "the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation." He said that it and "other decisions that have been announced recently, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. It was my great honor to do so!" At a Saturday night rally, Trump took another victory lap to cheers from the crowd. "Yesterday the court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law, and above all, a victory for life," he told supporters, who broke into a chant of "Thank you Trump!" While Democrats are hoping the decision will galvanize its voters heading into November's midterm elections, Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign and White House adviser, agued the decision would be beneficial to Trump's future political prospects, helping to cement his standing with conservative voters if he runs again. "President Trump has been accepting his share of the credit for the Trump Court's decision, as he should," Caputo said "This is yet another confirmation of his transformational presidency. Suburban Republican angst is a progressive myth; real suburban Republicans know their handwringing is performative: This decision simply moves the abortion issue to the states where it has always belonged." Meanwhile, the Jan. 6 committee and related investigations, including a special grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., looking at whether Trump and others illegally meddled in the 2020 election, continue to loom. As the committee has held a series of public hearings, few Republicans have surfaced to defend Trump's actions, which increasingly drew comparisons to President Richard Nixon's actions during the Watergate scandal 50 years ago. The committee last week showed how a defeated Trump tried to use the Justice Department for his own political ends, much the way Nixon fired his top ranks in the "Saturday Night Massacre" before his resignation. John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon and famously testified against Nixon in hearings about the scandal, said that watching the three Trump-era Justice Department officials recount how Trump pressured them to investigate baseless allegations and threaten mass resignations brought him back to conversations he had had with Nixon. "I did fall back and was reminiscent of my March 21 'Cancer on the presidency' conversation with Nixon where I kept pushing and escalating the problems. And he clearly had made up his mind," he recounted. "Nothing I could say seemed to get through." He said he hoped the Jan. 6 hearings would help the public "understand the seriousness of what Trump tried to do, that he is a threat to democracy and those who support him are a threat to democracy. Authoritarianism and democracy just don't work together." (Tribune News Service) Operating weapon systems to defend his ship against tactical air attacks from hostile targets was among the duties of United States Navy veteran Albert Potter. He had a job he was determined to do during the biggest and deadliest war in history. Involving more than 30 countries and sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, World War II raged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated Nazi Germany and Japan in 1945. Potter, who will turn 97 in September, served as a seaman before ultimately becoming a fire controlman in the U.S. Navy, participating in the wars Pacific campaign. I learned to grow up I went in the Navy as a seaman and I got recommended from my skipper on my ship to be sent to college to be prepared to be an officer. I had gone to college some while I was in the Navy, Potter said. A North Carolina native who has lived in Orangeburg for the past 27 years, Potter was raised in a Masonic orphanage in Oxford, North Carolina, and drafted into the military at age 18. I was 18 years old right at the beginning of World War II. Of course, everybody either went in if they were in good health or got drafted one or the other, he said, noting that his father was also a Mason who died when he was a young boy. He spent his basic training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he learned more of the discipline he had already used to in his orphanage. I was in the Navy, but it didnt make any difference when you were in basic training, it was military. Learning how to obey orders, I guess ... Basic training was more physical activity than anything else. Get up and run and march. Just learning how to live in close quarters with everybody else and get along. You knew exactly what do in every situation when you got out of basic training, Potter said. He also recalled his training at the U.S. Naval Training Center Bainbridge, a U.S. Navy training center at Port Deposit, Maryland, on the bluffs of the northeast bank of the Susquehanna River. It was active from 1942 to 1976. You went and learned some of the basics of things you did on a ship and how to handle those big guns and things like that. After that, I went to fire control school. Fire control means the fire from those big guns. Youre learning more than just aiming a rifle. You had to hit a target a half a mile away, he said. Potter continued, When I went in, I spent a long time in the Navy in training and was assigned to a ship finally. I was a fire controlman. He spent his 30 months of service in the U.S. Navy aboard a few ships, but specifically recalled his time on the USS Pittsburgh, a heavy cruiser that had worked Along the East Coast and in the Caribbean before departing from Boston in 1945 for duty in the Pacific. I served on a heavy cruiser. A battleship is a big main force of the Navy. A battleship had probably 2,500 people on one ship. Big guns, torpedoes, Potter said. He continued, You slept on a bunk. The bunks were just a thing to hold a mattress on it. In the daytime, it folded up against the wall and made room for other things. You got in at night. ... One on top of the other. Thats the way you lived. You lived in close quarters. You learned how to stay out of everybody elses way and get along, I guess. Potter said he also had a little locker in which he kept everything he owned. Everybody was just alike. You had maybe two pairs of shoes, uniforms. You went to bed a certain time and got up a certain time. Everybody at the same time all the time, everywhere you went and everything you did. Of course, it was a wartime situation. We were training to be in war. Although very little of my time was actually spent in battle, you were trained to be in battle. Thats the whole purpose of the ships existence, he said. He recalled setting up operations on the ships conning tower. Youve seen a ship with a big mast going up in the middle. Right on the top of it was a little tower with a room for a couple of seats, binoculars or instruments that you could see a way out and tell where all the enemy was, where the targets were, Potter said. You had an instrument that you could measure how far out your target was from you. I was in air fire control, defending against aircraft planes attacking. I was in battle, but as far as anybody shooting and almost hitting me or anything like that, they never did, he said. I was in battle a few times, but the ship never got hit when I was on it. Potter said he was 100% grateful he survived his military service and prayed constantly. I was raised a Christian. I learned to pray when I was a child. I did it continually, he said, noting that he also learned a few lessons from his military service. Well, I learned to grow up, I reckon, more than anything else. I was raised in an orphanage. I was taught how to obey orders. I was taught to keep yourself clean. I had an advantage over a lot of the other kids that werent in an orphanage. Youd be surprised how some of them were raised, Potter said. He recalled having attended Princeton University during his time in the military, the same time at which Albert Einstein was also on campus, Potters wife Carolyn, said. After leaving the military, Potter worked for a while before going back to college. The government provided a program to send you to college. You could get so many months of college for every month you had in the military. So basically what I did when I got out is I worked for a while. ... Other people said, You need to go to college. You can do it. So I went to school, Potter said. They paid me, paid all my tuition and all my books and gave me $75 a month to live on. You couldnt do that now, he said. Ive had a good life Potter said he didnt mind the militarys discipline, but said the lack of privacy could be unsettling at times. I dont know that I really disliked any of it. Reason being I had been raised in a group of people. Twenty-eight boys in one cottage. You got along ... I learned to live in discipline from the very beginning, he said. He continued, I dont know that I would have any particular love as far as going back in the military is concerned. You were never lonesome. No privacy. Theres a mixture there. Theres some enjoyment of privacy, theres some enjoyment with fellowship, too. Potter, whose jobs have included working as a salesman for Goodyear, said he can say that he has lived a good and blessed life. He and Carolyn have been married for 67 years. They share two children, three granddaughters, a great-grandson and are now awaiting the birth of a great-granddaughter. I dont know of anything that I would change except be about 10 years less old than I am now. The Lord has been good. He has blessed me in every way that I can think of. I couldnt ask to be any more blessed than I am right now. Ive had a good life, he said. Follow Good News with Gleaton on Twitter at @DionneTandD ___ (c)2022 The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, S.C.) Visit The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, S.C.) at thetandd.com Steep plunges on global sharemarkets has led to a flurry of calls from anxious investors to the country's biggest KiwiSaver provider. ANZ funds management head Fiona Mackenzie says the heightened concerns were understandable but investors needed to keep calm and take a long-term view. "The queries we are getting are focused around similar themes: market fluctuation, the value of individual investments and whether to switch funds." "But it is important investors remember that financial markets do go up and down ... history tells us that markets recover - some faster than others, but they do recover," says Fiona. She says investors needed to remember that KiwiSaver was a long-term retirement investment, although she saw a positive side to the increase in calls.. "I think it's a positive sign that so many customers are reaching out to us. We've had a lot of engagement with people over the past two-and-a-half years that switching during volatility is not a good thing particularly for KiwiSaver, which is a long-term investment, so it's sign that the engagement is working, and Kiwis are maturing as investors." And Fiona says investors should keep up contributions during the current volatility which would allow them to add to their investments at a lower cost. Meanwhile, the ANZ chief investment officer Paul Huxford says the falls had to be put into perspective and the major US indices were still ahead of where they were before the pandemic hit. "People remember market sell-offs, but it's even more important to remember that each bear market has been followed by a recovery and new highs over the long-term." He says ANZ had not changed its long-term investment approach. "Our team typically focuses on what we believe are high-quality companies with robust balance sheets run by people with strong leadership qualities; companies which, over time, should become more valuable, and therefore help to grow the wealth of our members,"says Paul. Today the Ministry of Health is reporting 4,429 new community cases of Covid-19, 332 current hospitalisations, and six deaths. There are 86 imported cases, and seven people in ICU. There are 129 new community cases in Bay of Plenty and 65 in Lakes. There are two people in Bay of Plenty hospitals and 14 in Lakes hospitals. The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 4,911 last Sunday it was 4,991. Covid-19 deaths Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 6 people with Covid-19, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson. All of todays reported deaths have been in the past two days. They take the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 1,461 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 12. Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today; three were from the Auckland region, two were from Canterbury, and one was from Waikato. One person was in their 50s, one was in their 60s, two were in their 70s, and two were aged over 90. Of these people, 5 were male and 1 was female. This is a very sad time for whanau and friends and our thoughts and condolences are with them. Out of respect, we will be making no further comment on these deaths. Vaccinations administered in New Zealand Vaccines administered to date: 4,028,364 first doses; 3,980,636 second doses; 32,944 third primary doses; 2,679,104 booster doses: 264,031 paediatric first doses and 132,332 paediatric second doses Vaccines administered yesterday: 35 first doses; 33 second doses; 6 third primary doses; 891 booster doses; 63 paediatric first doses and 613 paediatric second doses People vaccinated All ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,054,314 first dose (96.3%); 4,005,849 second dose (95.2%), 2,655,600 boosted (of the 18+ population) (72.9% of those eligible) Maori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 521,710 first dose (91.4%); 504,989 second dose (88.4%), 239,695 boosted (of the 18+ population) (55.9% of those eligible) Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 282,340 first dose (98.5%); 277,585 second dose (96.8%), 144,514 boosted (of the 18+ population) (60% of those eligible) 16 to 17 year old booster uptake (all ethnicities): 12,905 boosted (12.9% of those eligible) 16 to 17 year old booster uptake (Maori): 1,222 boosted (6.2% of those eligible) 16 to 17 year old booster uptake (Pacific Peoples): 811 boosted (8% of those eligible) 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 260,478 first dose (54.7%); 128,775 second dose (27%) 5 to 11-year-olds - Maori: 41,135 first dose (35.6%); 15,063 second dose (13%) 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 23,833 first dose (48.2%); 8,368 second dose (16.9%) Note that the number for People vaccinated differs slightly from Vaccines administered as it includes those that have been vaccinated overseas. Vaccination rates for all DHBs* Northland DHB: first dose (90%); second dose (88%); boosted (69%) Auckland DHB: first dose (99%); second dose (98.1%); boosted (75.4%) Counties Manukau DHB: first dose (96.2%); second dose (95%); boosted (68.6%) Waitemata DHB: first dose (96.5%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (73.3%) Waikato DHB: first dose (95%); second dose (93.6%); boosted (68.3%) Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.1%); second dose (93.4%); boosted (67.2%) Lakes DHB: first dose (92.9%); second dose (91.1%); boosted (67.4%) MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.3%); second dose (95%); boosted (73.6%) Tairawhiti DHB: first dose (92.7%); second dose (90.6%); boosted (67.4%) Whanganui DHB: first dose (91.8%); second dose (90.3%); boosted (72.6%) Hawkes Bay DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (71.2%) Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.6%); second dose (93.2%); boosted (69.4%) Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95%); boosted (74.3%) Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.4%); second dose (97.8%); boosted (81.3%) Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (96.5%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (76.6%) Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (74.8%) West Coast DHB: first dose (92.4%); second dose (91%); boosted (72.3%) Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.8%); second dose (99%); boosted (76%) South Canterbury DHB: first dose (94.5%); second dose (93.5%); boosted (75.5%) Southern DHB: first dose (98.5%); second dose (97.5%); boosted (74.6%) *Partially and second doses percentages are for those 12+. Boosted percentages are for 18+ who have become eligible 3 months after having their second dose or 16 and 17 year olds who have become eligible 6 months after having their second dose. Hospitalisations Cases in hospital: total number 332: Northland: 3; Waitemata: 52*; Counties Manukau: 36; Auckland: 41; Waikato: 29; Bay of Plenty: 2; Lakes: 14; Tairawhiti: 0; Hawkes Bay: 7; Taranaki: 9; Whanganui: 1; MidCentral: 22; Wairarapa: 7; Hutt Valley: 12; Capital and Coast: 21; Nelson Marlborough: 6; Canterbury: 37; South Canterbury: 10; West Coast: 0; Southern: 23. Average age of current hospitalisations: 61 Cases in ICU or HDU: 7 **Vaccination status of new admissions to hospital: Unvaccinated or not eligible (31 cases / 14%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (3 case / 1%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (44 cases / 20%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (141 cases / 64%). *Waitemata DHB hospitalisation figure is from Friday and will be updated on Monday. **We are now using data from DHBs with tertiary hospitals. These are Auckland, Canterbury, Southern, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Capital & Coast, Waitemata and Northland. Previously we only used the vaccination status of patients in Northern Region hospitals. Cases Seven day rolling average of community cases: 4,911 Seven day rolling average (as at same day last week): 4,991 Number of new community cases over past 24 hours: 4,429 Number of new community cases (PCR) over past 24 hours: 110 Number of new community cases (RAT) over past 24 hours: 4,319 Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT) over past 24 hours: Northland (91), Auckland (409), Waikato (274), Bay of Plenty (129), Lakes (65), Hawkes Bay (121), MidCentral (122), Whanganui (39), Taranaki (105), Tairawhiti (20), Wairarapa (48), Capital and Coast (413), Hutt Valley (169), Nelson Marlborough (185), Canterbury (741), South Canterbury (76), Southern (356), West Coast (29), Unknown (4). Number of new imported cases: 86 Number of active community cases (total): 34,357 (cases identified in the past seven days and not yet classified as recovered) Confirmed cases (total): 1,301,319. Please note, the Ministry of Healths daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO. Tests Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 2,087 Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 7,935 PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 2,334 Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last seven days as of 24 June 2022): 1 million A fire that has consumed a house on Friday night in Welcome Bay also enveloped four cars parked nearby. Four cars are totally written off, says a SunLive reporter at the scene on Sunday. Police and fire emergency services were advised at 9.20pm on Friday that a house was on fire on Keam Way in Welcome Bay. 3.35pm Update: Police are at the scene of a serious crash on State Highway 29A, near Baypark, Te Maunga. "Emergency services were alerted to the multi vehicle crash at around 3pm," says a Police spokesperson. "An update on injuries will be provided when able." SH29A between Te Maunga and Maungatapu is closed and there are significant traffic delays. Motorists travelling from Mount Manganui are being diverted. NZTA advise that due to the crash, SH29A is closed between SH2 Baypark and Taipari St, Westbound. A SunLive reader who lives nearby has phoned in to report on an update on the crash scene and situation. "Traffic from Maungatapu is being turned around and sent back to Maungatapu," says the SunLive reader. "The traffic can't get through the Te Maunga roundabout. That traffic is being directed either back towards Te Puke or down towards the Mount along Maunganui Road. "The ambulances and fire trucks have all gone. There are still Police cars there, and the two vehicles involved in the accident are still in place. The other vehicle involved in the nose-to-tail is blocking one lane of the route from Maungatapyu to Te Mainga. "Before they open the road they will need to shift three vehicles," says the SunLive reader. "A lot of Police are looking at the two damaged vehicles." "Please follow directions of emergency services and allow extra time for your journey," says an NZTA spokesperson.. Earlier, 3.05pm: There has been a serious crash on State Highway 29A near Baypark. Emergency services are responding to the crash on SH29A between Truman Lane and the Maungatapu Road onramp. Police were advised of the crash at 3pm. It is unknown at this stage whether there are any injuries. Police report that two lanes west and one lane east are blocked on SH29A. Motorists are advised to avoid SH29A between Maungatapu and Te Maunga and significant delays in traffic are expected. At the scene? Phone 0800SUNLIVE or email newsroom@thesun.co.nz. Bay of Plenty We are needing someone who is hard working and reliable to join a weed spraying team based in Papamoa. You must be able to... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. ZIMBABWES bid to be re-admitted into the Commonwealth group of nations appears to have flopped after the economic bloc snubbed the Southern African country. The Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting ended in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday with deafening silence on Zimbabwes re-admission bid. The Commonwealth, however, admitted two former French colonies, Gabon and Togo as its 55th and 56th members. At the just-ended Commonwealth summit, Zimbabwe had a heavy presence as it continued to lobby for readmission 18 years after the late former President Robert Mugabe withdrew the country from the group in 2003. President Emmerson Mnangagwas government applied on May 15, 2018, to re-join the grouping, a year after toppling Mugabe through a military coup. But there was no movement by the group, which has perennially cited human rights abuses and lack of rule of law as stumbling blocks for Zimbabwes re-admission. Togo and Gabons admission was based on the assessment of several standards such as the democratic process, good governance and rule of law. Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said the Commonwealth snub was a direct indication that the second republic was reminiscent of the Mugabe regime. Its a confirmation of the obvious, that the Mnangagwa regime has not changed. Its a mere extension of Mugabes regime, albeit with more brazen human rights violations, lack of political sophistry and obscene looting of resources and corruption, Saungweme said. So whatever the Commonwealth stands for and whatever standards that saw Zimbabwe being kicked out, nothing has changed for the better to warrant a rethink. So the failure of readmission pours cold water on Mnangagwas re-engagement efforts. Commonwealth is a free association of sovereign States comprising the United Kingdom and a number of its former colonies and interested parties who chose to have ties based on friendship and practical cooperation and acknowledge the British monarch as the symbolic head of their association. Last month, a United Nations report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Zimbabwe said the country had failed to explain alleged human rights abuses and enforced disappearances during the January 20, 2022 review in Geneva, Switzerland. Political analyst Methuseli Moyo said the decision spotlighted Zimbabwe negatively on the global stage. Diplomatically, it is a setback for President Mnangagwas administration, which has sought to portray itself as new and different from former President Mugabes regime. Once more, it spotlights Zimbabwe negatively in the international relations arena. Domestically, opposition forces will feel vindicated on their stance that Zimbabwe is undemocratic and poorly governed, Moyo said. Last week, Foreign Affairs and International Trade deputy minister David Musabayana said government would not be fazed if their bid for readmission was turned down. We are not worried whether we are going to be taken back to Commonwealth because we acted on our own resolution and because the President has said that we are open for business and want to partake on a table where global players, thats why we have chosen our interests, he said. So whatever that comes, whether its positive or negative, we are not worried. But the position of the government is that we wanted to be part of the global village and thats our interest only. Despite clear signs of rejection by Commonwealth, Foreign Affairs ministry spokesperson Livit Mugejo said government had not yet failed as their application was still in the first phase of readmission. There are processes and consultations that the Commonwealth undertakes before a decision is taken. These are currently underway. We did not fail anything. Our application is still in the first stage of the re-admission process, Mugejo said. Newsday Bottom line: Microsoft claims it detected network intrusions from Russian hackers on systems belonging to government agencies, think tanks, humanitarian groups, as well as telecommunications, energy, and defense companies. Organizations from over 40 countries have allegedly been affected by these attacks since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. According to a new report by Microsoft, Russian intelligence agencies have significantly increased the frequency of their cyberattacks against countries allied with Ukraine. Russian hackers are not only targeting government systems but also other sectors that might have valuable information related to the war, such as think tanks, businesses, and aid groups. The company has identified over 100 organizations from 42 countries outside Ukraine affected by these attacks. Over 60 percent of this activity reportedly involves NATO members, with the US being the primary target for Russian network intrusions. Cybercriminals are also focusing on Poland due to being a hub for delivering most of the military and humanitarian aid. Interestingly, Estonia was an exception among Baltic states, as Microsoft didn't detect any Russian cyber intrusions since the invasion of Ukraine. The company says this is due to Estonia's adoption of cloud services, where it's allegedly easier to detect intruders. Microsoft found that Russian hacks are successful 29 percent of the time, with a quarter of these successful attacks resulting in actors stealing data from an organization's networks. Finally, Microsoft praised Ukraine's efforts in data safeguarding. Before the war, the country's public-sector digital infrastructure was running on servers physically located within its borders, making them vulnerable to missile attacks. The Ukrainian government quickly realized this was a massive vulnerability and worked to transfer its vital digital operations and data to the cloud, hosted in data centers across Europe. Microsoft recently announced it's laying off hundreds of employees in Russia as it's winding down its business there. The company also recently blocked users in the country from downloading Windows from its servers. A senior Central Intelligence Organisation officer Leonard Mutandwa appeared in court on Friday charged with fraud and extortion. Mutandwa (48), the Divisional Intelligence Officer, was arrested alongside Charles Benjamin Chari (57) while another operative, Godknows Ganyani is allegedly on the run. The complainant is a co-director of Welli-Will Industries Wilbert Makonese. According to the police investigations, sometime in 2021, the complainant supplied goods worth US$392 000 to the Primary and Secondary Education ministry and received no payment. Makonese was in dire need of the payment to enable him to repay a loan his company took from the Industrial Development Bank of Zimbabwe. It is alleged that Mutandwa got wind of Makoneses predicament, and hatched a plan to defraud and extort money from him. Mutandwa and his co-accused offered to assist in the processing of the payment from the relevant ministry, but demanded kickbacks for their efforts. Makonese succumbed to the pressure and gave the accused US$1 500. On November 22, the trio duped Makonese again after misrepresenting that the Office of the President wanted him to donate US$10 000 to an unnamed charity organisation. The complainant gave the trio US$4 000 towards the donation. The trio further demanded another US$500 claiming it was a facilitation fee. Makonese was also forced to pay for Ganyanis travel expenses from Chiredzi, including hotel bills totalling US$4 000 and US$450 to buy new clothes. It was also alleged that on June 21 this year, the trio demanded US$30 000 from Makonese, claiming that it was a payment for having facilitated prompt payment of the money which he was owed by the ministry. But Makonese had not received payment from the ministry. The trio started threatening Makonese, saying he would face unspecified action if he failed to pay them the money. Makonese became suspicious of the the trios claims and threats and realised that he had been duped. He filed a police report and a trap was set, leading to the arrest of Mutandwa on June 22 at Makoneses business premises where he had gone to collect some money. Mutandwa then implicated Chari. Standard Modified Pfizer Omicron-based COVID-19 vaccine is claimed to boost the defense of the human body against the contagious variant. (Photo : Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images) This illustration picture taken on November 23, 2020 shows a bottle reading "Vaccine Covid-19" and a syringe next to the Pfizer and Biontech logo. - The European Commission has signed five contracts to pre-order vaccines, among which with the U.S.-German company Pfizer-BioNTech (up to 300 million doses). Pfizer and BioNTech revealed this detail on Saturday, June 25, after they conducted some tests to check the efficiency of the updated COVID-19 medicine. These health firms claimed that their modified vaccine actually generated a higher immune response against Omicron. Because of this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would meet Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday, June 28, to discuss their latest findings. Modified Pfizer Omicron-Based Vaccine Boosts Defense Against Variant? According to Reuters' latest report, Pfizer and BioNTech used their new modified Omicron-based vaccine on around 1,200 participants aged 56 and older. (Photo : Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Vials of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine are seen during a vaccination clinic at the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing Centre on December 15, 2020 in Stratford, England. After rolling out the vaccine to dozens of "hub" hospitals last week, the NHS is now enlisting several hundred primary care practices in its covid-19 vaccination campaign. Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine Can Now Be Administered For Young Children, FDA Says Based on their findings, the updated version of the COVID-19 medicine neutralizes the latest Omicron subvariants; BA.4 and BA.5. As of writing, researchers said they are still collecting more data to see how well the modified vaccine boosters perform against these contagious COVID-19 variants. "Based on these data, we believe we have two very strong omicron-adapted candidates," said Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer. Two Modification Methods During the latest Pfizer vaccine tests, Pfizer and BioNTech studied two different modification methods to enhance their COVID-19 medicine further. Time Magazine reported that the first method focused on making the vaccine target the Omicron variant. The second modification technique relied on a combination of the COVID-19 booster and the original version of the vaccine. They claim that their Omicron-based COVID-19 vaccine booster has the strongest immune response against the variant. But, FDA still needs to discuss the results before the new version of the vaccine can be approved. If you want to see further details about the new modified Pfizer vaccine, you can click this link. On the other hand, the first North Korea COVID-19 lockdown has been confirmed. Meanwhile, experts claimed that new COVID-19 variants would continue circulating this summer of 2022. For more news updates about the COVID-19 vaccine and other health topics, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: CanSinoBIO COVID-19 Vaccine Receives WHO Authorization After Meeting Health Standards; How Efficient Is Convidecia? This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. According to research from Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), a complex spyware operation uses internet service providers (ISPs) to lure people into downloading malicious apps. The Verge noted that this finding supports earlier research from the security research team Lookout, which connected the spyware Hermit to the Italian spyware producer RCS Labs. All About the Hermit Spyware Lookout claims that RCS Labs sells commercial spyware to numerous government agencies and works in the same industry as NSO Group, which created the Pegasus spyware. Hermit, according to researchers at Lookout, has already been used by the governments of Italy and Kazakhstan. Google said it has determined victims from these countries and will inform the affected individuals. According to Lookout's research, Hermit can download advanced capabilities from a command and control (C2) server that can access sensitive information such as pictures, text messages, location, and many more. Hermit can also make and receive phone calls, capture audio, and break an Android device to gain complete access to its operating system. By posing as a trusted source, such as a messaging app, the spyware can spread to both Android and iPhone devices. Read also: Google Finds New Spyware Designed to Attack iOS and Android Devices Google's Findings Google discovered that several attackers collaborated with ISPs to disable a victim's mobile data in order to progress with their plan. The malicious program download would lead consumers to believe that their internet connectivity would be restored. The company claims that if attackers failed to communicate with an ISP properly, they pretended to be legitimate chat apps and tricked consumers into downloading them. According to Google's report, the TAG has uncovered nine zero-day vulnerabilities since 2021, and seven of them were created by commercial suppliers and marketed to and leveraged by government-supported attackers. TAG has been monitoring more than 30 vendors with several degrees of visibility and sophistication who provide vulnerabilities or surveillance tools to government-backed actors. The results of Google's research highlight the degree to which commercial surveillance vendors have disseminated capabilities previously solely employed by governments with the technical know-how to create and implement exploits. According to the tech company, this compromises the security of the Internet and jeopardizes user confidence. Hermit-containing apps, according to researchers from Lookout and TAG, were never made available through Google Play or Apple's App Store. However, by signing up for Apple's Developer Enterprise Program, attackers were able to spread compromised programs on iOS. This made it possible for malicious users to obtain a certificate that "satisfies all of the iOS code signing requirements on any iOS devices" without going through the App Store's usual verification process. Related Article: Apple, Google has to be Investigated for Selling User Data, According to US Lawmakers This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The five planets that can be seen with the bare eyes will align on Sunday, June 26, and you can view it for free on a livestream, according to a report by Space.com. How to Watch the Rare Event? In order of their orbital distance from the Sun - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will line up in a straight line in the southeast sky throughout June. If you happen to be situated in a place where the skies are blocking this incredible view, don't worry because you can watch the spectacle for free online! The live web broadcast will be provided by the Virtual Telescope Project, which commences at 10:30 p.m. EDT Sunday (0230 GMT Monday, June 27), with the view hailing all the way from Rome. Just head over to their website, and you don't need to register or do anything other than enjoy the livestream! You can also watch the live event on the Virtual Telescope Project's Youtube Channel. Read also: 4 Planets In Our Solar System Will Be In Rare Alignment and Visible To The Naked Eye In June 2022 Once-in-a-lifetime Chance Gianluca Masi, the telescope project's founder, said that it is unusual to be able to view the solar system at once, especially when the planets are aligned by how far away they are from our star. Masi also stated that while the aforementioned planets visible to the naked eye are the most obvious, there are other objects to keep a watch out for as well. She said that the Moon would be joining the spectacle, and with quality binoculars, skywatchers could also gaze upon the planets Uranus and Neptune, which is considered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness all eight planets at once. The alignment is occurring because the Earth and the other major planets of our solar system revolve around the ecliptic, which is the plane of our solar system, according to Space.com. Although they are millions of kilometers apart, the Moon, Sun, and major planets are all located in a band that spans our planet's sky and occasionally lines up inside our field of vision. Masi added that while it is frequently interesting to view all five planets in their natural state at once, it is relatively uncommon to see them aligned to the Sun's rising distance from the Earth. The last time this happened was in December 2004, and the rare alignment is returning now after 18 years. In 2041, a similar alignment will occur, with the planets appearing in the same order from Mercury to Saturn based on their distance from the Sun. Therefore, don't wait nearly two decades to see another unique occurrence like this! Related Article: Planetary Alignment 2022: How To Watch This Rare 1000-Year Space Event? Best Place and Other Details This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Explorers just discovered the deepest shipwreck on Wednesday, June 22. However, this wreck was no ordinary one. Instead, it is a historical artifact symbolizing a piece of what transpired during World War II. Some additional photos from the Sammy B. The bow, the fallen mast, the gap between fore and aft where she was hit by a battleship round, and the aft turret . . . where the brave and mortally wounded GM3 Paul H. Carr died trying to place a final round into the broken breech. pic.twitter.com/3VcZoZyPo3 Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) June 25, 2022 According to the AP, the discovery is a U.S. Navy destroyer that fought a stronger Japanese fleet in the greatest naval battle of the Second World War in the Philippines. Deepest Shipwreck Discovery Ever On Wednesday, the USS Samuel B. Roberts, often known as the "Sammy B," was found in two parts on a slope at a depth of 6,985 meters or 22,916 feet. This means the wreck is 1,440 feet deeper than the USS Johnson, which formerly held the deepest wreck discovery. The ship was also uncovered by American explorer Victor Vescovo, head of the Dallas-based Caladan Oceanic Expeditions, last 2021 in the Philippine Sea. Another video from the survey dive on the Sammy B. This one is from the starboard side near the bridge and forward gun mounts. We kept our distance because we spotted potentially live shells in the 40mm gun, and later towards the stern, depth charges still in their racks. pic.twitter.com/DY54o6Prpx Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) June 26, 2022 Collaborating with the UK-based EYOS Expeditions, both explorers successfully uncovered the deepest shipwreck discovery. Vescovo, a retired Navy commander, said that he is honored to discover this ship in hopes of conveying its narrative of "heroism and duty" to those who might not be aware of the ship and its crew's sacrifice. Read also: US Military's New Nuclear Rocket To Monitor Earth-Moon Space Region; DARPA Explains Why It's Important Sammy B's Heroism and Sacrifice Sammy B fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, which included the Battle off Samar, the decisive fight in which the Imperial Japanese Navy experienced its greatest loss of ships and was unable to drive American forces out of Leyte - an island in the Philippines that they had earlier invaded for their liberation of the country. According to the AP, records claim that the destroyer used a torpedo to paralyze a Japanese battlecruiser and severely damaged another. Sammy B was devastated by the leading battleship Yamato and sank after using nearly all of its ammunition. The ship's captain Lt. Cmdr. Robert W. Copeland was among the 120 crew members who were saved out of a total of 224. Navy historian and retired admiral Samuel J. Cox noted that Copeland said there was no greater honor than to have guided the troops who showed such tremendous bravery entering battle against insurmountable forces, where survival could not be expected. Cox added that the location is a "hallowed war grave" and shows all Americans the heavy price paid by earlier generations for the freedom they are now enjoying. What Technology Did the Explorers Use? The explorers claimed that before the discovery, historical accounts about the ship's location were not very reliable. According to EYOS, the search required the utilization of the deepest side-scan sonar ever mounted and used on a submersible, which is much beyond the typical commercial restrictions of 6,000 meters or 19,685 ft. Related Article: Japan to Drop World's Largest Turbine Into The Ocean to Harvest Energy This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Living Will for the First Time Entering the Law: It is up to the patient to decide on the rescue at the end of life Federal authorities shift away from separating immigrant families caught in the U.S. illegally now means that many parents and children are quickly released, only to be fitted with electronic monitoring devices a practice which both the government and advocacy groups oppose for different reasons. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission January 1 is no time to be making money related resolutions. Most of us are busy enjoying our longest extended break of the year; our bodies and credit cards hungover from the December party period. Who wants to think about budgets at the beach? Credit:Matt Davidson However, its winter now, and a bit of cosying up with your personal finances is in order as we approach the new financial year, beginning Friday. For any new financial year resolutions to be successful, they need to be S.M.A.R.T, that is: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Work your way through this list and see which ones you might like to try. If in doubt, pick one to focus on this financial year. Author Frank Moorhouse died early on Sunday morning at a hospital in Sydney, his publisher Penguin Random House has confirmed. He was 83. One of Australias most celebrated but also most controversial writers, Moorhouse lived and wrote about the good life in both senses of the phrase, sometimes paradoxically. With a passion for fine food, cocktails and justice, he fearlessly wrote about the things essential to him. Frank Moorhouse relaxes at his Potts Point home. Credit:Marco Del Grande His publisher Meredith Curnow at Penguin Random House told the Herald she felt privileged to have worked with him. Renowned for his use of the discontinuous narrative in works such as The Americans, Baby and Forty-Seventeen, Frank Moorhouse has been an active participant in Australian literature for nearly 50 years, she said. When Beven Davey was 5 years old, his great-grandmother Myra gave him two toy action figures the characters Mantenna and Leech from the Masters of the Universe TV series. I remember thinking, these are incredible, he says. And saying, I want to collect the whole set, Gran. And she said, yes that will keep you out of trouble. To buy, or not to buy: toy collector Beven Davey and his daughter Izzy. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Collecting turned out to be not just a phase but a lifelong passion for Davey, 41, who now owns thousands of action figures I havent counted them and shares them with his seven-year-old daughter, Izzy. On Sunday, the pair happily hunted for new pieces at the Vintage and Modern Toy Fair at Malvern Town Hall. Cabinet ministers have defended Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses move to cut the staffing budgets of independent and minor party MPs, criticised by teals as an attack on democracy. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the commonsense approach was intended to correct the situation where crossbench MPs had twice as many staff as a backbench MP in the electorate next door. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the PMs move to cut funding for independent staffers is common sense. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen I dont think [thats] reasonable or fair, Chalmers told ABC Insiders on Sunday morning. Albanese informed the crossbench on Friday that he had cut their staffing allocation to a quarter of what it was in the previous parliament, leaving them with only one adviser each to work through reams of legislation. Premier Daniel Andrews has cemented his position as Australias highest paid state leader after an independent tribunal awarded Victorian politicians a 2.75 per cent pay rise. Andrews will be paid $464,918, including up to $58,435 in expenses and allowances, from July 1, after the tribunal determined MPs salaries will rise to $192,000 a $5000 increase on the year before. Premier Daniel Andrews (second from right) pictured with (from left) Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, NSW leader Dominic Perrottet, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and West Australian Premier Mark McGowan this month. Credit:Rhett Wyman We dont set our own pay thats a change [the government] made, the premier said on Sunday. It was appropriate for us to make some special arrangements these last couple of years [to donate the pay rise to charity] because the state was doing it so tough. But it is independent and Ill leave it to individuals to make up their own minds on these things. London: Anthony Albaneses presence at this weeks NATO summit, along with several other Indo-Pacific leaders, is likely to force the powerful alliance to harden its stance towards China over its position on Russias war in Ukraine. The worlds largest defence pact is expected to identify China for the first time in a new strategic concept, a key document charting the 30-member blocs future security trail and military development to be adopted at the summit in Madrid. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Credit:Rhett Wyman The Australian prime minister, who is travelling to Europe for the first time since forming government in May, said the Russian invasion of Ukraine had upset the norms. The people of Ukraine are doing the democratic world an enormous service. But its important that democratic nations stand with Ukraine. And thats the context of this NATO summit, he said ahead of boarding a plane on Sunday evening. Schloss Elamau, Germany: Group of Seven (G7) leaders have pledged to raise $US600 billion ($846 billion) to finance infrastructure in developing countries and counter Chinas multitrillion-dollar Belt and Road project, as the US prepared to announce the supply of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv. At the start of the meeting in the Bavarian Alps, four of the Group of Seven rich nations moved to ban imports of Russian gold to tighten the sanctions squeeze on Moscow and cut off its means of financing the invasion of Ukraine. The G7 are also set to commit themselves to supporting Ukraine in the long haul, as leaders confer by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from the annual gathering. US President Joe Biden speaks at the G7 summit in Bavaria on Sunday as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looks on. Credit:AP President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been counting on, from the beginning, that somehow NATO and the G7 would splinter, but we havent and were not going to. Britains Boris Johnson warned the leaders not to give in to fatigue. Biden is set to announce that the US is providing an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine, as well as additional artillery support, according to a person familiar with the matter, in the latest assistance meant to help the country defend against Russias bloody invasion. Kyiv: Russia shattered weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital with long-range missiles fired toward Kyiv, an apparent Kremlin show-of-force as Western leaders meet in Europe to strengthen their military and economic support of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missiles hit at least two residential buildings on Sunday local time, killing one person and injuring six others, including a seven-year-old girl and her mother. The strikes also damaged a nearby kindergarten, where a crater pocked the courtyard. US President Joe Biden called the attacks barbarism as he arrived in Germany for a Group of Seven summit. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the missiles the first air-launched weapons to successfully target the capital since June 5 were fired from warplanes over the Caspian Sea, more than 1,500 kilometres away. The decision last week by the US Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 judgment known as Roe v Wade is a worrying sign on many levels, including that Australia and its closest ally may be heading on divergent political and social paths. Since the 1960s, the US has often served as an example to democracies, including Australia, of progressive change. The civil rights movement in the US inspired the campaign that led to recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution in 1967. Australian feminists and supporters of gay rights in the 1970s looked to the US for inspiration and ideas. An abortion rights protester outside the US Supreme Court on Saturday. Credit:Bloomberg Yet that sense of shared values seems to be fraying in a number of areas as the US sinks deeper into division and intractable culture wars. The Supreme Court, which found by a majority of 5-4 that the US Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion, is one sign of that divergence. The decision allows individual states to ban abortion. Nine states with a total population of 40 million triggered legislation that banned the procedure as soon as the judgment was handed down, and 16 more could bring in bans. New York: US Republican Mary Miller, speaking at a rally with former President Donald Trump, called the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v Wade a victory for white life. Millers spokesman said the Illinois Republican had intended to say the decision was a victory for a right to life. The line as delivered was out of step with the disproportionate impact the repeal of abortion rights will have on women of colour. Congresswoman Mary Miller speaks as former president Donald Trump stands behind her on stage at a rally at in Mendon, Illinois. Credit:AP Miller is running for re-election in the states newly redrawn 15th Congressional District against GOP Rep. Rodney Davis with the former presidents blessing. She had been invited on stage to speak by Trump, who held the rally in Mendon, Illinois, to turn out the vote ahead of the states Tuesday primary. President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday, she said on Saturday night (US time), drawing cheers from the crowd. Pork chops are for sale at a Whole Foods Market in Burbank, Calif., on June 20, 2018. Dania Maxwell/Bloomberg remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Should you take your consumer gripe to the Better Business Bureau or Twitter? Plastic bags of Fentanyl are displayed on a table at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection area at the International Mail Facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 29, 2017. (Joshua Lott/File Photo via Reuters) 12 People Hospitalized in New Zealand After Consuming Powdered Fentanyl Twelve people have been hospitalized, with some in serious condition, as New Zealand police investigate the discovery of powdered fentanyl that was sold as cocaine or methamphetamine. The people were hospitalized over the past 48 hours in Wairarapa, a region lying in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, with six of the twelve found unconscious. This is the first time powdered fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been discovered in the country. High Alert, a government drug alert service, issued a June 25 notification that the cases are believed to be linked to the consumption of a white powder, with preliminary testing indicating the presence of fentanyl, or a fentanyl-type substance. The Institute of Environmental Science and Research is conducting further analysis. Those hospitalized displayed the same symptoms as an opioid overdose, and all responded well to naloxonea drug that reverses an opioid overdose, said the notification. High Alert strongly urged people to keep away from intaking any white powder at this time and make use of fentanyl test strips to check whether a substance contains fentanyl. One gram of pure powdered fentanyl is equivalent to 20,000 safe doses of the drug, said National Drug Intelligence Bureau manager Detective Inspector Blair Macdonald. Macdonald said to Newshub that the discovery was of significant concern, referring to the harm caused by the opioid crisis in America. For example in North America last year alone, over 60,000 people lost their lives due to fentanyl overdose, Macdonald said. We are very mindful we dont want to see that type of harm occurring in our community here in New Zealand. Symptoms of Consuming Powdered Fentanyl Fentanyl, an opioid painkiller 50 times stronger than heroin, drives addiction faster than other drugs and is extremely easy to overdose on. The powdered substance is mis-sold as different substances like cocaine, methamphetamine, or other recreational drugs. When taken, it causes the user to become unresponsive and may result in a loss of consciousness. Some of the reported symptoms include breathing difficulties and a weak pulse. Based on the number of hospitalisations and geographic spread of incidents, it is likely this substance is widely available in the Wairarapa region and possibly further, said High Alert. Furthermore, the organization suggested contacting authorities immediately if the users face is extremely pale or feels clammy to the touch, the body goes limp, the fingernails or lips have a purple or blue color, and the user starts vomiting or making gurgling sounds. Police officers are attempting to discover the source of the powdered fentanyl, and the locations it has been spread. If its widely prevalent thats an incredibly dangerous place for us to be, said Macdonald. Most fentanyl was produced in China until 2019, when the Chinese communist regime, under pressure from the West, officially banned it. Since then, the precursors to the drug continue to be made in China and are then sent around the world to customers who assemble them into the deadly drug. Chicago police work the scene where a 5-month-old girl was shot and killed in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago on June 24, 2022. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) 18 Hurt, 5-Month-Old Girl Among 4 Dead in Shootings Across Chicago: Police Officials in Chicago said that at least 18 people were shot, including four deaths, across the city over the weekend. A 5-month-old girl was among those who were fatally shot, authorities confirmed on June 26 to local media. The infant, whose name wasnt released, was shot while in the back seat of a car on Chicagos South Side on June 24, police said. An unknown vehicle approached the car the infant was in, and someone inside the second vehicle opened fire as the father, who was driving, pulled the car over to the side of the road after the infant started crying, a witness said. The infant, who was struck in the head, was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, authorities told ABC7. I spoke with this mother. Yes, shes very distraught, crisis responder Andrew Holmes told the outlet. Thats a 5-month-old baby. Nine months she carried that baby, nourished that baby. And it take a [expletive] fool to discharge that weapon and take babys life. I hope you dont have no children yourself, Holmes continued, speaking to the suspect or suspects. Because if you do, you shouldnt sleep at night, you should just turn yourself here knowing you got to look at your child every night. And you done take this ladys child. The baby rested right now, but aint gonna be no peace with that family the rest of their life. No suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made. Were not going to stand for this in this city, Holmes told FOX32. We need this city to do what we got to do to put eyes on this young lady, on this driver until both of them have been arrested because this is disgusting, this is a disgrace, this is as low as you can get. On June 26, a 32-year-old male was fatally shot as he exited his car in the Little Italy neighborhood at around 4:30 a.m., police told ABC7. He was shot twice in the chest, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to officials. On June 24, a 21-year-old man was fatally shot in Longwood Manor, authorities said. He was found shot in the 9600 block of South Princeton Avenue at around 11:35 p.m.; he was transported to a hospital, where he died, police said. About an hour earlier, a 45-year-old male was found dead of a gunshot wound along South Champlain Avenue, police said. Abortion-rights demonstrators protest in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington following the announcement to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling on June 25, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) 3 Arrested Following Protests Against Supreme Court Abortion Ruling Two people have been arrested following protests at the Supreme Court and another for disrupting traffic by protesting atop a nearby bridge over the courts majority decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which has sent legislative powers for abortion access back to the states. The two were arrested for the destruction of property, U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said on Twitter on June 25. They allegedly threw paint over the fence outside the Supreme Court building. On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a seminal 1973 ruling that largely legalized abortion nationwide, following a 5-4 vote. The court also ruled 6-3 to uphold a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his opinion. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives, Alito added. The ruling also reversed Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed Roe. The Casey decision had prohibited laws imposing an undue burden on a womans access to obtain an abortion. Now, laws pertaining to abortion return to states, following the Supreme Courts decisions. Soon afterward, pro-abortion protesters began to gather in multiple cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington. Some decided to take their protests outside of the homes of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices. The USCP also announced that it provided assistance to protesters. The USCP and our local partners worked together to bring in cooling buses & additional people to help demonstrators with heat issues. Roughly 12 people have been helped so far, the police agency said. On Friday, the USCP issued a warning after noticing that demonstrators had began gathering on Capitol Grounds near the Supreme Court. Protesters are allowed to peacefully demonstrate, however they must follow the officers instructions so that everyone stays safe, the USCP wrote on Twitter. Bridge Protest Separately, Guido Reichstadter, a pro-choice activist who climbed to the top of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., is in police custody, the Metropolitan Police Department told WJLA. According to the police, he faces charges of unlawful entry, crowding, obstructing or incommoding, and failure to obey. Reichstadter began climbing the bridge at around 10 a.m. on Friday, according to FOX 5 DC, bringing traffic to a halt as police tried to reach out to him. He stayed on top of the bridge for more than a day before coming down on Saturday to be arrested. The bridge reopened at around 2 p.m. local time on June 25. While he was atop the bridge, he took to Twitter to explain his action. I came to DC to organize civil resistance against the assault on abortion rights. Im looking for folks who want to join in civil disobedience, as well as people who want to help organize & support, he wrote. Leaders Respond The Supreme Court ruling has since drawn different reactions, particularly from the Democrats and Republicans. Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton took to Twitter to denounce the Supreme Court ruling. Todays Supreme Court opinion will live in infamy as a step backward for womens rights and human rights, she wrote. Former Vice President Mike Pence said that the Supreme Court has righted a historic wrong with its ruling. Today, Life Won. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States has given the American people a new beginning for life, he wrote. By returning the question of abortion to the states and the people, this Supreme Court has righted a historic wrong, and reaffirmed to right of the American people to govern themselves at the state level in a manner consistent with their values and aspirations, he added. From Italian affogato to an Indonesian avocado-coffee shake, the world is your coffee cup Iced coffee. Like avocado toast, do we really need a recipe? Brew coffee. Add ice. Maybe sugar. Drink. True enough, but much like the toast, there can be so many other ways of putting it together. Here are just a few takes on the cool cup of joe from other parts of the world. The Portuguese took the name mazagran and turned it into an iced mix of espresso, lemon, mint, and perhaps a bit of rum. (Ekrem Yigit/Shutterstock) The Original? The first iced coffee was said to be mazagran, a blend of coffee syrup and water served to French troops in colonized Algeria and named for a fortress or battle there. Its not really so common in either France or Algeria now, but the Portuguese took the name and turned it into an iced mix of espresso, lemon, mint, and perhaps a bit of rum. The Greek frappe is made with instant coffee, sugar, and fresh or evaporated milk. (barmalini/Shutterstock) Greek Frappe My first time in the Greek Isles, I stepped into a dark taverna seeking shelter from the relentless sun, and asked for something cold to drink. Frappe? A sweet, cold coffee sounded pretty good. But when I saw it being made, I was shocked. Spoonfuls of Nescafe powder? That instant stuff I cringe at? The word frappe derived from French and referred to ice-chilled beverages, and coffee found its way onto the list in the 1800s. But the Greek cafe frappe was first made with instant coffee in 1957 by a representative fromunsurprisinglyNescafe. Its simple, fast, and delicious, made with coffee powder, sugar, water, and milk (fresh or evaporated). Mix it in the glass if youre in a hurry or use a shaker with ice and get some foam on it for the visual appeal. Affogato drowns a scoop of gelato al fior di latte with a double shot of espresso. (akegooseberry/Shutterstock) Affogato From the Italian word for drowned, an affogato is a dessert coffee that drowns a scoop of gelato al fior di latte with a double shot of espresso. If you have no gelato, vanilla ice cream is the typical substitution. Make Sicilian granita at home with strong coffee or espresso, sugar, and coffee liqueur. (Salvatore Chiariello/Shutterstock) Granita Originally from Sicily, this icy treat comes in a variety of flavors: Almond or lemon are quite popular, but so is coffee. You can make it at home with 2 cups of strong coffee or espresso with 1/2 cup sugar dissolved into it, plus an ounce of coffee liqueur. Pour that mixture into a 9-by-13-inch cake pan and place it in the freezer. After about half an hour, take it out and flake through it with a fork to stir up any ice crystals attaching to the pan, then return it to the freezer. Repeat this process every 20 minutes or so until you end up with a perfect coffee-flavored slush to be served in a cup and eaten with a spoon. Thai iced coffee is a strong brew of Robusta beans roasted along with grains or seeds and brown sugar, sweetened with condensed milk and often evaporated milk. (Bai Tong Restaurant/Shutterstock) Thai Iced Coffee Oliang, or strong black coffee, is easy to find at street carts in Thailand. Its an unusual blend, incorporating Robusta coffee beans (as opposed to the popular Arabica) roasted along with added grains or seeds and brown sugar. Its sold coarsely ground. The method involves a cloth sock filter holding the grounds while hot water is poured through into a large vessel, and that in turn is poured through again a couple times. The final strong brew is poured over a glass of ice and sweetened with sugar or condensed milk and often a splash of evaporated milk. The practice of adding grains at the roasting process dates back to tough times when vendors needed to stretch the beans. However, this added flavor became the norm. A special phin filter is used to make Vietnamese iced coffee: first brewed over condensed milk, then poured over ice. (Alexey Borodin/Shutterstock) Vietnamese Iced Coffee Vietnamese iced coffee (ca phe sua da) is as much a drink as a process, which calls for a phin filter: a little metal cup with a filtered bottom and a loose metal filter inside as well. The whole thing sits on top of a glass. Condensed milk is spooned into the glass. The grounds are added to the filter and that in turn is set upon the glass for hot water to be slowly poured through. Stir up the result and pour that over a glass of ice. Brazilian Mocha Cola Tracking your calories or caffeine intake? You might want to skip this one. This magical mix of coffee, chocolate, and cola isnt pulling any punches. This recipe makes almost a quart, so bring friends: Take 1 cup of double-strength coffeeespresso, filtered, instant, as you prefer, but a blend with Robusta is suggestedand mix it with a 12-ounce can of your preferred cola, and 3 cups of chocolate milk (3 cups milk plus 4 ounces chocolate syrup). Serve over ice, adding whip cream or ice cream on top in case the drink itself werent already rich enough. Coffee and avocado? Indonesian jus alpukat blends both with condensed milk and ice into a creamy treat. (Aris Setya/Shutterstock) Indonesian Iced Coffee In Indonesia, es kopi susuiced milk coffeevaries depending on where you find it. But the basic recipe puts condensed milk in an iced glass of cold-brew coffee, espresso, or tubrukjust boiled water poured into a cup of coffee grounds with sugar, stirred, and then allowing the grounds to settle to the bottom a la Turkish coffee. But heres a twistjus alpukat. Take a full cup of strong coffee, add condensed milk to taste (1/4 cup to start), and half of a medium-sized ripe avocado. Put it all in a blender with ice and a teaspoon of vanilla, and blend until smooth. You can stretch this with extra milk or add a sprinkle of cinnamon, or even swap coconut milk in for the dairy, and sweeten with sugar if needed. After Supreme Court Win, Christian Students Accept Monetary Settlement From College That Violated Their Free Speech Rights Two Christian former college students whose Supreme Court victory allowed them to pursue nominal damages after their right to share their faith on campus was infringed settled their lawsuit in exchange for a payment of more than $800,000 by the college. As The Epoch Times previously reported, the case goes back to 2016 when Chike Uzuegbunamthen a student at Georgia Gwinnett College, a public college in Lawrenceville, Georgiawas on campus handing out religious literature and sharing his Christian beliefs. A college official stopped him, saying he was breaking school rules by not speaking within the boundaries of an approved speech zone. Uzuegbunam was unaware he wasnt standing inside one of the two tiny speech zones where students were allowed to express themselves on campus. To use the zones, students had to seek preclearance and submit any leaflets in advance, after which officials would decide on their application. To speak publicly outside the zones, students also had to first obtain a permit from the school. Uzuegbunam obtained a permit and spoke publicly a second time, making a good-faith effort to follow rules, but someone complained to campus security after he began speaking and college officials accused him of disorderly conduct. Student Joseph Bradford also wanted to speak publicly, but the policy led him to back off. Both students are evangelical Christians who believe they have a duty to share their faith. The college eventually changed its student speech policies after the students filed suit each seeking $1 in nominal damages to make the point that they had been wronged without seeking further damages. Nominal damages means a trivial sum to reflect the fact that a tort, or civil wrong, has been committed. After the lawsuit was initiated, the college changed its policy and allowed speech anywhere outdoors on campus. This policy change, and the fact that the two students went on to graduate from the college, led a federal district court to dismiss the case, finding that the case was moot, meaning that any ruling would have no practical impact because there was no longer an actual dispute between the parties. The claim for nominal damages by itself could not serve as a sufficient basis for the case to proceed. The ruling was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. They appealed to the Supreme Court, which, on March 8, 2021, ruled 81 in their favor (pdf), reversing the 11th Circuit and remanding the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. This case asks whether an award of nominal damages by itself can redress a past injury, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court. We hold that it can. The sole dissenter, Chief Justice John Roberts, agreed with the district court, noting the two men were no longer students at the college, the restrictions were lifted, and the men have not alleged actual damages. The majority sees no problem with turning judges into advice columnists by deciding cases in the rarefied atmosphere of a debating society, Roberts wrote, quoting an earlier precedent. The case returned to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. On Dec. 22, 2021, the judge ruled (pdf)contrary to the wishes of the collegethat for the college to pay out a total of just $2 for violating the former students constitutional right to communicate about their religious faith free from interference seemed unfair. The court found the students could seek damages if they desired a larger, more fitting payout. But instead of continuing to litigate, Georgia Gwinnett College agreed to pay nominal damages and attorneys fees totaling more than $800,000, the students lawyers at the public interest law firm known as the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) announced. The parties filed a stipulated dismissal (pdf) with the court on June 22, formally ending the lawsuit. This settlement represents a victory not only for Chike and Joseph but also for many other students who wish to exercise their constitutionally protected freedoms on the campuses of Georgias public colleges and universities, ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham said in a statement. For five years, Georgia Gwinnett College officials have tried again and again to dodge accountability for their illegal actions in violating Chikes and Josephs rights, even after the U.S. Supreme Court rebuked them. But after the district court put a stop to that, the college has finally decided to stop fighting the Constitution. This case should also remind other colleges and universities nationwide of the need to respect their students liberties. If they do not, they can and will be held accountable. The Epoch Times reached out repeatedly to Georgia Gwinnett College for comment but didnt received a reply by press time. Mark Tapscott contributed to this report. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (L) walking towards her car at the Henderson International Airport in Solomon Islands capital city Honiara on June 17, 2022. (JULIA WHITWELL/Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs/AFP via Getty Images) Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong Heads to Vietnam, Malaysia Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong will embark on a visit to Vietnam and Malaysia, her second trip to Southeast Asia since being sworn in. Senator Wong will fly out on Sunday as the federal government continues strengthening ties with Australias Asia-Pacific neighbours. Its more than geography that binds uswe have genuine links in Vietnam and Malaysiafamily, business, education and tourism, Wong said in a statement. My visit seeks to deepen these ties, building on our existing partnerships for the benefit of our countries and the region. In Vietnam, Senator Wong will meet with Vietnams president, prime minister and foreign minister ahead of next years 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Discussions will focus on climate change cooperation, trade and investment, and Australias continued support for Vietnams COVID-19 recovery. She will then meet Malaysian ministers on economic recovery, climate action, education ties and health security issues. The Malaysian-born senator will return to her former home of Sabah, on Borneo island. Having spent my early years in Kota Kinabalu, I look forward to the great honour of returning to the city as Australias Foreign Minister. Wheat grains in a grain storage facility on a farm near Izmail, in the Odessa region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on June 14, 2022. (Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images) Boris Johnson Says Plan B Needed to Export Food out of Ukraine The United Nations plan to negotiate a safe corridor for Ukraines grain exports to get past the Russian blockade is probably a non-starter, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on June 25. He urged world leaders to think about a plan B, and offered the UKs expertise on remote de-mining and maritime insurance for commercial vessels to get at least 23 million tons of grain out through the Black Sea. Ukraine and Russia are two of the biggest food exporters in the world. According to the U.N., the two countries used to provide around 30 percent of the worlds wheat and barley, 20 percent of its maize, and 75 percent of its sunflower oil. But harvested grain has been stuck in Ukraines silos since Russia blocked Ukraines ports in the Black Sea, pushing up global food prices. Turkey has been trying to broker a deal between Russia and the U.N. to get Ukrainian food exports out. Johnson said the UK was helping with the talks, but Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to use the food as leverage to get some sanctions lifted. Now the problem is that Putin is going to use that as a pretext, as a way to try and get sanctions relaxed, Johnson said on June 25 ahead of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Germany. Putin would say hed only let the grain out if youll go easy on this, this, and this, Johnson told reporters, adding, I dont think thats a runner. De-mining and Insurance At some stage, the world is going to have to move from plan A, which is the U.N. plan with Russian help, which I think is probably going to be a non-starter, to a plan B, he said. He also said the plan B would be to find ways of empowering the Ukrainians to control the sea lanes from the shore with various bits of kit. The British prime minister offered the UKs expertise on two things in particular, namely remote de-mining and insurance of commercial vessels in contested waters and how to make it possible for people to take on that job. The Joint War Committee, a group of representatives from Londons insurance markets, added the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea, and Ukraine and Russias inland sea waters to its high-risk-areas list in March and April, driving up the cost of maritime insurance in the area. Asked on June 23 whether the UK could provide sovereign guarantees for shipping insurance, Johnson told Reuters that the ministers were considering all options. What the UK possibly has to offer, most of all, is expertise when it comes to maritime insurance, and a lot of expertise in moving goods through should we say contested areas of the sea, he said. He also told the news agency that the UK was talking to the Ukrainians at a technical level to help de-mine Odesa. On July 18, 2021, a large number of Hong Kong people moved to the United Kingdom before the deadline for Leave Outside the Rules (LOTR). The airport departure lobby was crowded with people saying goodbye to each other, and to friends and relatives. (Adrian Yu/The Epoch Times) Hong Kong Experiences Wave of Emigration City's financial secretary says 'many people will return' Due to the worsening political landscape and to strict Zero-COVID anti-COVID measures, there has been a wave of emigration out of Hong Kong in recent years. According to the Hong Kong Governments figures, approximately 140,000 citizens departed from Hong Kong in the first three months of 2022. Even the vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Federation of Educators, a pro-Chinese Communist Party trade union, at a recent press conference pointed to an unanticipated wave of emigration. A current affairs commentator analyzed that this year the Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong issued 300,000 less Tax Returns than last year, indicating an emigration trend. It is expected that 99 percent will not return to Hong Kong because the Government does not have any plan for retaining talents. CY Leung, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, mentioned that I dont think that those Hongkongers emigrate. I think they just departed from Hong Kong because they have never returned their Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports. I believe that as long as political issues are handled well, they will return to Hong Kong as there is still huge room for Hong Kongs development. Designated-Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu did not answer questions directly about the wave of emigration and how to retain talents at the election forum on April 30, 2022. He just responded that Hong Kong has the rule of law to protect human rights and welcomes overseas Hongkongers to return to Hong Kong to build the city. In response to questions from members of the Legislative Council on June 6, the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Paul Chan Mo-po said that the Government seems to lose the tax revenue from those who leave Hong Kong, but their jobs in fact will be replaced by another person, who will also pay the tax, so they have little impact on the tax revenue. He also said, those who leave Hong Kong temporarily, even if they move overseas, when they see Hong Kongs rapid development, I believe many people will return to Hong Kong. Over 140,000 People Net Outflow in Q1 According to figures from the Immigration Department of Hong Kong, the net outflow of Hong Kongs population in the first three months of this year rose to over 140,000. In addition, according to statistics from the Census and Statistics Department, the number of people in the Hong Kong labor force fell. From March to May this year (2022), the number of employed persons was about 3.745 million, down 3.8 percent year-on-year, which was the largest decline since records began in 1982. Compared with June to August 2018, from the peak of about 4 million, the labor force decreased by about 250,000. In the same 3-month period, the number of of people employment in the retail sector was about 256,000, and the number of employment in the financial and insurance industry was about 270,000. The drop in numbers is equivalent to the people working in one of these two industries. Tim Lui Tim-leung, chairman of the Security and Future Commission (SFC), and Ashley Alder, Chief Executive Officer, also revealed in the Legislative Council in February, that SFCs staff turnover rate increased from 5.1 percent in 2020 to 12 percent in 2021, and for junior professionals, it was as high as 25 percent. Stephen Yiu Kin-Wah, chairman of the Insurance Authority of Hong Kong, revealed in May 2022 that their employee turnover rate last year hit 16 percent, in particular the loss of law enforcement, investigation and actuarial personnel was relatively large. Eddie Yue Wai-man, head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), was interviewed by the Hong Kong Economic Times in June 2022, and said that the staff turnover rate of the HKMA last year was 7 percent, which was higher than the previous 3 to 4 percent. Most of the personnel leaving are from technology sector. Statistics for March 2022 from the Census and Statistics Department showed that the number of employed persons in the sector of information technology and communications in was 107,200, a decrease of about 2,100, or 1.9 percent from the same period last year. Trade Union: Unanticipated Massive Emigration Wave On June 20, the pro-CCP trade union Hong Kong Federation of Educators (HKFEW) announced the results of a survey of the early childhood education sector, and its vice-chairperson expressed at the press conference, we didnt anticipate that the wave of emigration would be so massive. The survey found that since the start of the fifth wave of the epidemic, the kindergartens that responded had lost an average of 16 half-day students, accounting for about 13 percent of the enrolled number at the school; and for full-day classes, an average of 9 students had been lost, accounting for about 14 percent of the school. For preschool students, an average of 19 students had been lost which accounts for about 27 percent of the school. A member of council of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, said that the continuous suspension of school and online classes under COVID had increased the determination of families to emigrate. Figures from the Education Bureau of Hong Kong show that in the 2021/22 school year, the loss of teachers in public schools and direct subsidy scheme schools reached a five-year high of between 7.5 and 8.4 percent, respectively. The loss of teachers this year school year (2021/2022) in public sector schools reached 3,580, and 470 in direct subsidy scheme schools. The loss of teachers in public sector schools last year was 2,100, while in direct subsidy scheme schools 280 teachers were lost. Tax Clearance Cases Soar by Nearly 80 Percent The Inland Revenue Department announced on June 2 that in tax-year 2020/21, the number of tax clearance cases processed for taxpayers who were about to leave Hong Kong, was 31,000, and the relevant figure in year 2021/22 had soared to 56,000, a surge of nearly 80 percent. Additionally, 2.47 million tax returns were issued by the Inland Revenue Department for year 2021/22, showing a drop of 300,000 from 2.77 million figure, recording a drop of 150,000 from 2.62 million total the previous year. According to the latest figures from the Home Office of the United Kingdoms, around 19,500 people applied for BNO visas in the Q1 2022, up from 15,600 in the Q4 the previous year. Since the visa was launched in January 2021, about 110,000 people have been granted the visa. The market research company VOTEE conducted interviews with 993 Hong Kong citizens from April 12 to 24 2022. They were asked if they would emigrate after the incoming Chief Executive takes charge. About 10 percent of the respondents said the whole family will,where as 9 percent said part of their family members will,, and 34 percent said I have the idea of emigration, but will not leave Hong Kong in the short term. While 29 percent of the respondents said that they will not leave Hong Kong. Scholars Criticize No Plan to Retain Talent Victor Ng Ming-tak, senior banker and current affairs commentator, analyzed that the number of tax returns distributed this year (April 2022) has decreased by 300,000 compared with the previous year, which means that 300,000 people have left Hong Kong, of which about 200,000 families who are the pillars of the society are involved. The families who are leaving Hong Kong are taxpayers, which are strong, middle-class or above. He predicted that 99 percent of those who leave Hong Kong will not return because the Government has no plans to retain talent. He also pointed out that foreign capital is gradually withdrawing from Hong Kong, while the Government is focused on the Greater Bay Area in Mainland China, which conflicts with Hong Kongs role as an international financial center. He questioned how the government will support high-value-added industries; without those sectors, how can the income of talent be stable and not drop lower than in previous years. Benson Wong Wai-kwok, a former assistant professor of politics and international relations at Hong Kong Baptist University, told the Epoch Times that the biggest failure of John Lees election manifesto was his complete avoidance of the current catastrophic crisis in Hong Kongthe wave of emigration of Hongkongers. Regarding Hong Kongs political system, economy, education, youth, and housing issues in the past five years, Lee was just talking about himself, or just copying from the current Chief Executives ideas of Integration into the Greater Bay Area and Focusing on the Opportunities from the Belt and Road Initiative. Benson Wong believed that the Government deliberately downplayed the wave of emigration because it did not want people to know how many people had emigrated. Chinas Head of Police Replaced by Xi Jinpings Close Ally Zhao Kezhi, Chinas highest-ranking official in charge of the police forces, has been officially replaced as minister of public security by Wang Xiaohong, a close ally of Xi Jinping, who is seeking to hold on to his position as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) head in the upcoming 20th National Congress. The announcement came on June 24. The same day, the website of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC)one of the CCPs domestic security apparatuses that maintains control across different levels of central, provincial, and municipal government officesadded Wang as the second deputy chief. This is unusual because of two reasons. Chinas new minister of public security, Wang Xiaohong (L) accompanies Xi Jinping on the 20th anniversary of Macaus return to China in December 2019. (CCTV/Screenshot by The Epoch Times) First, the PLACs management structure had been following the one-chief-one-deputy-chief pattern for years. But now, both Zhao and Wang are deputy chiefs of the PLAC. Secondly, the position of the PLAC deputy chief is traditionally the minister of public security. However, the previous three ministers of public security waited for months before they became the deputy chief of the PLAC. Wang, instead, became the deputy chief of PLAC on the same day he was appointed the minister of public security. Wang Xiaohong Wang Xiaohong, 65, was Xi Jinpings direct subordinate in Fujian Province years ago. He was in charge of Xis personal safety when Xi was the Party secretary of Fuzhou city, the deputy Party secretary of Fujian Province, and the governor of Fujian Province. After Xi became the CCP head in 2012, Wang was moved to Beijing in 2015 as the deputy mayor and head of Beijings Public Security Bureau. Zhao Kezhi, on the other hand, does not have a history of working for Xi. Zhao was appointed as Party secretary and minister of public security in November 2017. Previously, he was the Party secretary of Hebei Province. He waited for almost seven months before he became the deputy chief of PLAC. Last November, Zhao lost his Party secretary position to Wang. Chinese State Councilor Zhao Kezhi, also minister of public security, attends the closing session of the Communist Partys rubber-stamp legislatures conference in Beijing, China, on March 15, 2019. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images) Zhaos other title is deputy head of Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs. But two Hong Kong-based pro-CCP papers, Ming Pao and Sing Tao Daily, published reports on June 25 saying that Wang has replaced Zhao as the deputy head of Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs. Political analyst Yueshan said that Zhaos future has a lot of uncertainty. For one, the Ministry of Public Security is investigating gangsters in Hebei Province, where a lot of Zhaos allies are located. They could be purged. Secondly, now-purged deputy minister of Public Security Sun Lijun has been accused of political ambitions and gang activities that seriously endangered political security. Zhao, as Suns boss, could be implicated, according to Yueshan. Xis Planned Visit to Hong Kong Official CCP media Xinhua reported that Xi will visit Hong Kong on July 1, marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to CCP rule. Yueshan said that this will be the first time Xi visits Hong Kong after the anti-extradition bill protests and that Xi is likely worried about his own safety, so he needs someone reliable to be in charge. This could be the reason for Wang Xiaohongs appointment. In December 2019, when Xi attended the 20th-anniversary event of Macaus return to China, Wang Xiaohong went along and was in charge of Xis safety. In July 2021, when Xi visited Tibet, Wang was again in charge of Xis personal safety. The fact that Wang was only a ministry-level official shows that there arent many high-ranking officials around that Xi can trust, said Yueshan. Xis Knife Handle The Chinese public has long considered the police forces as the CCPs knife and the military as the CCPs gun, both serving the Party and suppressing the people. The head of the police forces is thus Xis knife handle. Wang Xiaohongs other title is head of the Special Service Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security. Its task is to ensure the personal safety of the highest-ranking CCP officials. Because of the nature of their work, they have special access to weaponry. Yueshan said Wangs real mission, as head of the Special Service Bureau, is to control, instead of to protect, the high-ranking officials on Xis behalf. This signifies the heightened intensity of the CCPs in-fighting, Yueshan said. Wenzhao, another analyst, said that having control of the knife and the gun does not guarantee someones ruling status, because the guns and knives cannot fix the failing economy. An Airbus A321-211 aircraft of Russian airline Aeroflot with registration VP-BOE is seen in the long term parking for planes of Geneva Airport on March 25, 2022. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images) Chinese Diplomat Says China Is Ready to Supply Aircraft Parts to Russia A Chinese diplomat reportedly said that China is prepared to supply Russia with aircraft parts through certain channels that can bypass U.S. and European sanctions. We are ready to supply components to Russia; we are organizing such cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui told Russian news agency TASS. [Airlines] are currently addressing [it], they have certain channels, there are no restrictions from the Chinese side, the diplomat added. Zhang didnt provide further information on those certain channels. Its noteworthy that Zhangs remarks werent published on any Chinese official media. Chinese news portal NetEase was the only media that covered the story, but it was removed soon after it was published. Earlier in March, Washington warned Beijing not to use the business opportunities created by Western sanctions against Moscow to help Russia circumvent export controls and financial restrictions. Since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in February, Western countries banned the export, lease, and supply of aircraft and components to Russia as part of a raft of sanctions. In response, Russia seized the foreign aircraft leased by airlines. Moscow passed a law allowing Russian airlines to re-register leased aircraft in Russia, in contravention of international rules. A March 29 report by Cirium, a data source for the aviation and travel industry, revealed that Russia has 980 passenger aircraft in operation, 777 of which are leased from foreign countries. That means that those aircraft, which had no access to spare parts and were not properly maintained, have been operating under such poor condition for nearly four months. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded its aviation safety rating of Russia in April. Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, expressed concern about the safety of Western-made aircraft continuing to fly in Russia. This is very unsafe, he told reporters at a conference on June 14, according to Reuters. Russias President Vladimir Putin (C) reviews a military honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) during a welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 8, 2018. (Greg Baker/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) China and Russia Deepen Mutual Cooperation Zhangs remarks were made in an exclusive interview with TASS during an international economic forum that Russia hosted on June 1518 in St. Petersburg. China was a vital guest of Russias annual forum but the regimes head, Xi Jinping, attended the conference via video conference. During the Sino-Russian business dialogue held on June 16, Zhang said that both sides have deepened strategic supports and mutual interests in the fields of energy, nuclear energy, aviation, aerospace, and infrastructure, Taiwan-based China Times reported on June 16. Zhang also cited official figures, saying that in 2021, Sino-Russian bilateral trade reached a record high of more than $140 billion, and in the first five months of this year alone, it surpassed $65 billion, an increase of 28.9 percent from the same period of last year. A day earlier, Xi said in a call with Putin that the two sides will further develop military and military-technical ties, VOA reported on June 17. In the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Xis ambition to unify Taiwan by force has drawn even more public attention. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to questions during the closing news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, June 25, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson) Commonwealth Falls Short of Condemning Russia as Trudeau Prepares for G7 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headed to the G7 summit in Germany on Saturday without a consensus from the Commonwealth to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but with a chorus of countries calling for help to overcome the fallout of the war. Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly arrived in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, on Wednesday for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which has been dominated by the concerns of nations that are suffering from food scarcity. Trudeau departed for the G7 talkslater in the day. In the final communique from the Commonwealth summit, the 54 participating countries said they discussed the conflict in Ukraine, underscored the need to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, and emphasized that all countries must seek peaceful resolution to all disputes in accordance with international law. The countries stopped short of condemning Russia, as Trudeau and United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson have done throughout the summit. I can assure you that the topic of standing up for Ukraine was much discussed, Trudeau said at a press conference following the conclusion of the summit, referencing strong language in the communique. Most Commonwealth Nations condemned Russias actions at a United Nations vote in March, but 10 abstained. Among them was India, whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi opted not to attend the Commonwealth summit and instead spoke virtually with the leaders of Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa. Trudeau said Russian President Vladimir Putin has run a disinformation campaign and has even been telling outright lies, including blaming the food security crisis on Western sanctions against Russia. He said food shortage stems from Russias illegal actions, including blockade at key ports, as well as the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian grain storage facilities through cruise missile strikes. I was very clear with our friends and partners around the table, and not just clear on Russias responsibility, but on how Canada and the West are stepping up, Trudeau said. Canada will be raising the growing threat of famine at the G7 in Schloss Elmau Germany, Joly said. She said Canada was in listening mode at the Commonwealth meetings, where leaders of smaller nations were able to speak without the dominating presence of the United States, Russia and China. What is clear to us is that Russia is weaponizing food and putting a toll on many countries around the world, and putting 50 million lives at risk, Joly told reporters Friday in Rwanda. Trudeau had attempted to meet with the chair of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, for several days during the Commonwealth summit but the sit-down was repeatedly postponed and eventually cancelled. Shortly after Trudeau arrived in Rwanda, the government announced Canada would dedicate a new ambassador to the African Union, which has suffered from the food shortages inflicted on the continent as a result of the warin Ukraine. Both Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin have met with representatives of the African Union, with Russia blaming sanctions against its government for stopping the flow of grain. At the conclusion of the Commonwealth summit, Trudeau announced $94 million in funding for various education initiatives and $120 million to support gender equality and womens rights in Commonwealth countries. Some of the other voices the prime minister has promised to centre at his international meetings, including the G7 summit, belong to youth leaders who spoke at a Saturday-morning event focused on issues facing young people around the world. Some of the delegates spoke about the devastating effects of climate change, particularly around remote island nations where infrastructure cannot withstand natural disasters and rebuilding efforts take years. The onslaught takes a toll on education and health services, one delegate told the forum. By Laura Osman U.S. Military Academy cadets attend the 2020 graduation ceremony at West Point, New York, on June 13, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images) Concerned Graduates of West Point Challenge Leadership of Military Academy: Letter Three retired U.S. military officersLTG Thomas McInerney, USAF; MG Paul Vallely, U.S. Army; and Colonel Andrew OMeara Jr., U.S. Armysigned a letter authored by Concerned Graduates of West Point and The Long Gray Line, protesting against mandatory vaccinations, CRT classes, sanitary conditions, progressive political activism, and other woke actions, in the military academy. The Long Gray Line refers to the continuum of graduates United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. We wanted to challenge the leadership of the Academy and the Defense Dept on their WOKE actions, CRT, Diversity training and the other discrepancies in the Academy. We found it pervasive at the Naval and Air Force Academies so we knew it was directed from the highest levels of our Military Leadership, Vallely told The Epoch Times. Paul E Vallely MG US Army (Ret) (Courtesy of Paul E Vallely) We all want the Military to get back on track to training and leading our Armed Forces to secure America and its Citizens, Vallely, who has been sounding the alarm against a socialist takeover of the United States, added. The letter, titled Declaration of Betrayal of West Point And the Long Gray Line, asks for the following information: An explanation for the irregularities in the enforcement of the Honor Code. A justification for the mandatory vaccinations of cadets with the COVID Virus despite widespread adverse reactions to the inoculation, as well as provisions for exceptions for cadets with religious objections. An explanation for teaching Critical Race Theory at the Academy that constitutes an attack upon the Constitution and our constitutional Republic. This is behavior that constitutes unconstitutional conduct, if not sedition. An explanation of reported mismanagement of the cadet dining facility resulting in unsanitary conditions, inadequate food prepared for the meal, and food served that was reportedly unfit for consumption. Political activism on the part of civilian faculty members constituting political activity violating the long-standing policy of the Academy and Army Regulations. The practice of exclusive reliance upon radical progressive guest speakers to address the Corps of Cadets. This practice results in prejudiced political activism on the part of the Staff and Faculty in violation of Army Regulations. An explanation for the failure of the Superintendent to respond to correspondence inquiring about problems identified at the Academy. Endangering the Mission They believe that there is a rejection of the principles of the military academy which could endanger its original mission to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army. They sent the letter in the hopes that authorities take heed of their advice regarding the problems that they have spotted. The letter was sent to the Superintendent of the Academy as well as the President and Directors of the Association of Graduates (AOG), alleging that the West Point Academy is conducting business in a manner that ignores time-honored principles of the Academy, Constitutional Law, and our sworn oath of office. When you take away to teach a critical race theory and communist ideology, youre taking away from the time that could be used for learning how to shoot better, how to operate airplanes better, take care of airplanes through maintenance; and even within the medical corps of the armed forces, it has affected many the doctors and nurses. So its a terrible thing. They need to stop it right now. They need to stop enforcing the mandates, Vallely recently told The Epoch Times. Vaccine Mandate Deadline As the June 30 deadline nears for compliance with the U.S. militarys COVID-19 vaccine mandate, U.S. Army officials publicly claim a very small percentage of its members are unvaccinated, reporting 96 percent or more of its members are fully vaccinated. However, the Armys vaccination rate could be far lower than 96 percent, an anonymous active-duty senior Army official told The Defender. The Epoch Times reached out to West Point Public Affairs for comment. Shoppers walk out with full carts from a Costco store in Washington on May 5, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) Costco Pulls 400,000 Solar Umbrellas From Shelves Over Dangerous Defect US agency announces recall of Chinese-made solar umbrella that can catch on fire About 400,000 patio umbrellas sold at retailer Costco are being recalled because of a malfunction that can cause the items to catch on fire, according to a federal agency. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that its recalling SunVilla Solar LED Market Umbrellas after six reported incidents where the products malfunctioned. One of the incidents resulted in a person being sent to the hospital because of smoke inhalation. The umbrellas were manufactured in China, according to the CPSC. They were imported into the United States via SunVilla Corp., a firm based in California. The lithium-ion batteries in the umbrellas solar panels can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards, the agency said in the announcement. The recalled 10-foot Solar LED Market Umbrella with a round back solar puck at the top of the umbrella (US CPSC) It also states that SunVilla received six reports of the lithium-ion batteries overheating, noting that it includes three reports of solar panels catching fire while charging via the AC adapter indoors and two reports of umbrellas catching fire when the solar panel puck overheated and caught fire while attached to the umbrella and one smoke inhalation injury. The CPSC recommended that consumers stop using the products immediately and remove the solar panel puck that contains the lithium-ion battery from the top of the umbrella. The puck should then be stored away from the sun and away from material that can catch on fire. Consumers also shouldnt charge it with the AC adapter. The umbrellas were only sold at Costco stores across the United States and Canada, the agency stated. They were sold between December 2020 and May 2022 for $130 to $160. More than 400,000 were sold in the United States, and 33,000 were sold in Canada, according to the notice. Consumers can return the umbrellas and solar puck to any Costco Warehouse nationwide for a full refund. Consumers unable to return the product to Costco can contact the firm for instructions on how to receive a refund. SunVilla and Costco are contacting all known purchasers, the announcement reads. Consumers can call SunVilla toll-free at 866-600-3133 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. West Coast time Mondays through Fridays. They can also contact the company by email at LEDRecall@sunvilla.com or on its website. Earlier this month, Ford Motor Co. announced that its recalling 50,000 electric vehicles because of a litany of issues relating to its lithium-ion battery. It told dealers to stop selling Mustang Mach-Es produced between May 27, 2020, and May 24, 2022. In the affected vehicles, it is possible that the high voltage battery main contactors may overheat, which can result in an open contactor or welding condition. Should the contactors weld closed while driving, a powertrain malfunction warning light will be illuminated on the next drive cycle, along with a no-start condition, the company wrote in a letter. STORY AT-A-GLANCE mRNA vaccines created by Moderna and Pfizer are gene therapies. They fulfill all the definitions of gene therapy and none of the definitions for a vaccine. This matters because you cannot mandate a gene therapy against COVID-19 any more than you can force entire populations to undergo gene therapy for a cancer they do not have and may never be at risk for mRNA contain genetic instructions for making various proteins. mRNA vaccines deliver a synthetic version of mRNA into your cells that carry the instruction to produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the antigen, that then activates your immune system to produce antibodies The only one benefiting from an mRNA vaccine is the vaccinated individual, since all they are designed to do is lessen clinical symptoms associated with the S-1 spike protein. Since youre the only one who will reap a benefit, it makes no sense to demand you accept the risks of the therapy for the greater good of your community Since mRNA vaccines do not meet the medical and/or legal definition of a vaccine at least not until the CDC redefined vaccine marketing them as such is a deceptive practice that violates the law that governs advertising of medical practices SARS-CoV-2 has not even been proven to be the cause of COVID-19. So, a gene therapy that instructs your body to produce a SARS-CoV-2 antigen the viral spike protein cannot be said to be preventive against COVID-19, as the two have not been shown to be causally linked mRNA Vaccines Fulfill None of the Criteria for a Vaccine To start, lets take a look at some basic definitions of words. When these gene therapies were introduced, the definition of vaccine according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was:[1] A product that stimulates a persons immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease. Immunity, in turn, was defined as: Protection from an infectious disease, meaning that If you are immune to a disease, you can be exposed to it without becoming infected. Thats the CDCs medical definition, which was effective until September 1, 2021 a detail Ill go into in the next section. The legal definition, in the few cases where it has been detailed, is equally unequivocal: Iowa code[2] Vaccine means a specially prepared antigen administered to a person for the purpose of providing immunity. Washington state code[3][4] Vaccine means a preparation of a killed or attenuated living microorganism, or fraction thereof The statute also specifies that a vaccine upon immunization stimulates immunity that protects us against disease These definitions, both medical and legal, present problems for mRNA vaccines, since: mRNA injections do not impart immunity. Moderna and Pfizer both admit that their clinical trials arent even looking at immunity. As such they did not fulfill the CDCs medical and/or legal definition of a vaccine. They do not inhibit transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection. As such they do not fulfill the medical and/or legal definition of a vaccine that is, until the CDC changed its definition of vaccine. Dictionaries and the CDC Attempt to Rewrite Medical Terms We should not be fooled by attempts to condition the public to accept redefined terms. As of February 2019, Merriam-Webster defined[5] vaccine as a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease. By February 26, 2021, they had updated the definition of vaccine to:[6] A preparation that is administered (as by injection) to stimulate the bodys immune response against a specific infectious disease: a: an antigenic preparation of a typically inactivated or attenuated pathogenic agent (such as a bacterium or virus) or one of its components or products (such as a protein or toxin) b: a preparation of genetic material (such as a strand of synthesized messenger RNA) that is used by the cells of the body to produce an antigenic substance (such as a fragment of virus spike protein) Lets be clear. Merriam-Webster does not dictate medical terminology. It can be used, however, to confuse people. For now, all medical dictionaries still show the traditional definition of vaccine,[7] as Merriam-Webster did up until this year. That said, I would not be surprised if changes are made there as well, eventually, if the misrepresentation of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines is allowed to stand. On the other hand, months after Merriam-Websters change, the CDC decided to change its definition of vaccine[8] in such a way that it better matches what mRNA gene therapies do. Coincidentally, the CDC made that revision just a week after the FDA gave full approval for Pfizers gene therapy, now called Comirnaty.[9] Now the CDCs definition of a vaccine is a preparation that is used to stimulate the bodys immune response against diseases. The differences in the definitions are subtle but distinct: The first one defined a vaccine as something that will produce immunity. But, since the COVID-19 vaccines are not designed to stop infection but, rather, to only lessen the degree of infection, it becomes obvious that the new definition was created specifically to cover the COVID gene therapies. mRNA Therapy Doesnt Satisfy Public Health Measure Directive Theres also the issue of whether a gene therapy can be mandated, and this may hinge on it being accepted as a vaccine. The 1905 Supreme Court ruling in Jacobson v. Massachusetts[10] essentially established that collective benefit supersedes individual benefit. Since mRNA therapies do not render person immune, and do not inhibit transmission of the virus, they cannot qualify as a public health measure capable of providing collective benefit that supersedes individual risk, and therefore cannot be mandated. Put another way, the ruling argues (although legal experts diverge on some of the finer details of its interpretation) that its acceptable for some individuals to be harmed by a public health directive as long as it benefits the collective. However, if vaccination is a public health measure meant to protect and benefit the collective, then it would need to accomplish two things: Ensure that the vaccinated person is rendered immune from the disease. Inhibit transmission of the disease from the vaccinated person to other individuals. Were now back to the original problem that mRNA therapies for COVID-19 do not accomplish either of these things. Since these gene therapies do not render the person immune, and do not inhibit transmission of the virus, they cannot qualify as a public health measure capable of providing collective benefit that supersedes individual risk. On the contrary, the only one benefiting from an mRNA vaccine is the individual receiving the gene therapy, since all they are designed to do is lessen clinical symptoms associated with the S-1 spike protein. In other words, they wont keep you from getting sick with SARS-CoV-2; they are only supposed to lessen your infection symptoms if or when you do get infected. So, getting vaccinated protects no one but yourself. Since youre the only one who will reap a benefit (less severe COVID-19 symptoms upon infection), the justification to accept the risks of the therapy for the greater good of your community is blatantly irrational. Marketing mRNA Therapy as Vaccine Violates Federal Law Since mRNA vaccines do not meet the medical and/or legal definition of a vaccine that imparts immunity, referring to them as vaccines, and marketing them as such, is a deceptive practice that violates[11] 15 U.S. Code Section 41 of the Federal Trade Commission Act,[12] the law that governs advertising of medical practices. The lack of completed human trials also puts these mRNA products at odds with 15 U.S. Code Section 41. Per this law,[13][14] it is unlawful to advertise that a product or service can prevent, treat, or cure human disease unless you possess competent and reliable scientific evidence, including, when appropriate, well-controlled human clinical studies, substantiating that the claims are true at the time they are made. Heres the problem: The primary end point in the COVID-19 vaccine trials is not an actual vaccine trial end point because, again, vaccine trial end points have to do with immunity and transmission reduction. Neither of those was measured. Whats more, key secondary end points in Modernas trial include prevention of severe COVID-19 disease (defined as need for hospitalization) and prevention of infection by SARS-CoV-2, regardless of symptoms.[15[16] However, Moderna did not actually measure rate of infection, stating that it was too impractical to do so. That means theres no evidence of this gene therapy having an impact on infection, for better or worse. And, if you have no evidence, you cannot fulfill the U.S. Code requirement that states you must have competent and reliable scientific evidence substantiating that the claims are true. Making matters worse, both Pfizer and Moderna eliminated their control groups by offering the real vaccine to any and all placebo recipients who want it.[17] The studies are supposed to go on for a full two years, but by eliminating the control group, determining effectiveness and risks is going to be near impossible. What Makes COVID Vaccines Gene Therapy? Alright. Lets move on to the definition of gene therapy. As detailed on MedlinePlus.govs What Is Gene Therapy page:[18] Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease Researchers are testing several approaches to gene therapy, including: Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight a disease Although gene therapy is a promising treatment option for a number of diseases (including inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections), the technique remains risky and is still under study to make sure that it will be safe and effective. Gene therapy is currently being tested only for diseases that have no other cures. Here, its worth noting that there are many different treatments that have been shown to be very effective against COVID-19, so it certainly does not qualify as a disease that has no cure. For example, research shows the antiparasitic ivermectin impairs the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins ability to attach to the ACE2 receptor on human cell membranes.[19] It also can help prevent blood clots by binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This prevents the spike protein from binding to CD147 on red blood cells and triggering clumping.[20] It makes sense, then, that gene therapy should be restricted to incurable diseases, as this is the only time that taking drastic risks might be warranted. That said, heres how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines gene therapy:[21] Human gene therapy seeks to modify or manipulate the expression of a gene or to alter the biological properties of living cells for therapeutic use. Gene therapy is a technique that modifies a persons genes to treat or cure disease. Gene therapies can work by several mechanisms: Replacing a disease-causing gene with a healthy copy of the gene Inactivating a disease-causing gene that is not functioning properly Introducing a new or modified gene into the body to help treat a disease November 17, 2020, the American Society of Gene + Cell Therapy (ASGCT) announced COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates Show Gene Therapy Is a Viable Strategy, noting that:[22] Two COVID-19 vaccine trials, both of which use messenger RNA (or mRNA) technology to teach the body to fight the virus, have reported efficacy over 90 percent. These findings, announced by Moderna on Nov. 16 and by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech on Nov. 9 demonstrate that gene therapy is a viable strategy for developing vaccines to combat COVID-19. Both vaccine candidates use mRNA to program a persons cells to produce many copies of a fragment of the virus. The fragment then stimulates the immune system to attack if the real virus tries to invade the body. mRNA Deliver New Genetic Instructions As explained in the ASGCTs video above, mRNA are molecules that contain genetic instructions for making various proteins. mRNA vaccines deliver a synthetic version of mRNA into your cells that carry the instruction to produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the antigen, that then activates your immune system to produce antibodies. Then theres Modernas trial website,[23] where they describe their technology thus: Typical vaccines for viruses are made from a weakened or inactive virus, but mRNA-1273 is not made from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is made from messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), a genetic code that tells cells how to make protein, which help the bodys immune system make antibodies to fight the virus. November 18, 2020, Wired magazine made a big deal about COVID-19 vaccines being genetic vaccines, noting:[24] The active ingredient inside their shot is mRNA mobile strings of genetic code that contain the blueprints for proteins. Cells use mRNA to get those specs out of hard DNA storage and into their protein-making factories. The mRNA inside Pfizer and BioNTechs vaccine directs any cells it reaches to run a coronavirus spike-building program. Importantly, as reported by David Martin, Ph.D.,[25][26] Moderna describes its product not as a vaccine, but as gene therapy technology in SEC filings. This is because neither Moderna nor Pfizer make any claims about their products creating immunity or preventing transmission. Additionally, Modernas SEC filings specifically state that Currently, mRNA is considered a gene therapy product by the FDA, as well.[27] mRNA Is Proven Form of Gene Therapy In a February 2021 article, MIT Technology Review reviewed the history of mRNA technology in general, and Modernas in particular, stating:[28] Vaccines were not their focus. At the companys founding in 2010, its leaders imagined they might be able to use RNA to replace the injected proteins that make up most of the biotech pharmacopoeia, essentially producing drugs inside the patients own cells from an RNA blueprint. We were asking, could we turn a human into a bioreactor? says Noubar Afeyan, the companys cofounder Bloomberg, in August 2020, reported[29] that the Moderna vaccine would seek to transform your body into a vaccine-making machine. The New York Times was more to the point. In May 2020, they reported[30] that Researchers at two Harvard-affiliated hospitals are adapting a proven form of gene therapy to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Read it again A proven form of gene therapy. So, to summarize: The definition of genetic is something relating to genes, and the definition of therapy is the medical treatment of a disease. The definition of gene therapy is the process of modifying or manipulating the expression of a gene, or altering the biological properties of living cells. mRNA are snippets of genetic code that instruct cells to produce proteins. mRNA COVID-19 therapies deliver genetic instructions into your cells, thereby triggering your body to produce a fragment of the virus (the spike protein). So, mRNA vaccines ARE gene therapy. Theres simply no way around this. They fulfill all the definitions of gene therapy and none of the definitions for a vaccine. Defining COVID-19 Theres yet one more potential problem with the COVID-19 vaccine narrative as a whole, which Martin unpacked in a January 25, 2021, interview on the Wise Traditions podcast (above).[31] In it, he explains: COVID-19 is not a disease. It is a series of clinical symptoms. It is a giant umbrella of things associated with what used to be associated with influenza and with other febrile diseases. The problem that we have is that in February [2020], the World Health Organization was clear in stating that there should not be a conflation between [SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19]. One is a virus, in their definition, and one is a set of clinical symptoms. The illusion in February was that SARS-CoV-2 caused COVID-19. The problem with that definition, and with the expectation, is that the majority of people who test positive using the RT-PCR method for testing, for fragments of what is associated with SARS-CoV-2, are not ill at all. The illusion that the virus causes a disease fell apart. Thats the reason why they invented the term asymptomatic carrier. In short, SARS-CoV-2 has yet to be definitively proven to be the actual cause of COVID-19. So, a gene therapy that instructs your body to produce a SARS-CoV-2 antigen the viral spike protein cannot even be touted as a preventative against COVID-19, as the two have not been shown to be causally linked. They have been willfully lying since the inception of this, Martin says in the interview. There is not a causal link between these things It has never even been close to established. We have a situation where the illusion of the problem is that people say, I dont want to get COVID-19. What they mean is they dont want to get infected with a virus. The problem is those two things are not related to each other. A viral infection hasnt been documented in the majority of what is called cases. There is no basis for that conflation other than the manipulation of the public. Thats the first half of the problem. The second half of the problem is that what is being touted as a vaccination is not a vaccine. This is gene therapy What is this doing? Its sending a strand of synthetic RNA into the human being and is invoking within the human being, the creation of the S1 spike protein, which is a pathogen A vaccine is supposed to trigger immunity. Its not supposed to trigger you to make a toxin Its not somewhat different. Its not the same at all Its not a prohibiting infection. Its not a prohibiting transmission device. Its a means by which your body is conscripted to make the toxin that then, allegedly, your body somehow gets used to dealing with, but unlike a vaccine which is to trigger the immune response this is to trigger the creation of the toxin. Why the Misrepresentation? As for why drug companies are misrepresenting this technology, Martin suspects its done exclusively so that they can get themselves under the umbrella of public health laws that exploit vaccination. Experimental gene therapies do not have financial liability shielding from the government, but pandemic vaccines do, even in the experimental stage, as long as the emergency use authorization is in effect. This is indeed a major incentive to make sure this technology is perceived as a vaccine and nothing else, particularly after the FDA grants final approval. So, by maintaining the illusion that COVID-19 is a state of emergency, when in reality it is not, government leaders are providing cover for these gene therapy companies so that they are insulated from any liability until that final approval is made. Experimental Gene Therapy Is a Bad Idea Ive written many articles detailing the potential and expected side effects of these gene therapy vaccines. The take-home message here is that these injections are not vaccines. They do not prevent infection, they do not render you immune and they do not prevent transmission of the disease. Instead, they alter your genetic coding, turning you into a viral protein factory that has no off-switch. Whats happening here is a medical fraud of unprecedented magnitude, and it really needs to be stopped before its too late for a majority of people. If you already got the vaccine and now regret it, you may be able to address your symptoms using the same strategies youd use to treat actual SARS-CoV-2 infection. And, last but not least, if you got the vaccine and are having side effects, please help raise public awareness by reporting it. The Childrens Health Defense is calling on all who have suffered a side effect from a COVID-19 vaccine to do these three things:[32] Originally published Sep 13, 2021 on Mercola.com References A message written on the wall of a pro-life pregnancy resource center that was set on fire in Longmont, Colorado, on June 25, 2022. (Longmont Police Department) Far-Left Groups Use Map Created by University Professors to Target Pregnancy Centers, Report Says Radical pro-abortion activists are reportedly using an interactive map developed by two University of Georgia professors to plan their violent attacks on pregnancy resource centers. These centers, which typically offer pregnancy tests and counseling services from a pro-life perspective, have been vandalized, smashed, and set on fire in growing numbers across the country in the weeks leading up to the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. While these centers locations are public knowledge, perpetrators have been using online tools that collect and organize this information in a way that makes it easier for them to find the next target. One of such tools is the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map, a project led by Andrea Swartzendruber and Danielle Lambert, both professors at the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department at the University of Georgia. The interactive map identifies the exact street addresses of over 2,500 pro-life clinics. The stated purpose of the map is to provide location information about all of the crisis pregnancy centers operating in the U.S. The website also refers to these centers as fake womens health centers primarily aimed to prevent people from having abortions. Theres reason to think that people seeking health services may not know exactly what these centers are and the services they offer, Swartzendruber said in 2018 when the CPC map first went online. According to Fox News, far-left extremists are using the map to mark their next targets while trying to refrain from explicitly calling for violence. Puget Sound Anarchists, an Antifa-affiliated group operating out of Washington state, included the CPC map in a post celebrating the vandalism of a pro-life clinic in the state by another radical group. The group itself in May publicly claimed responsibility for vandalizing four different churches in Olympia, Washington, because of their supposed ties to pregnancy resource centers. You can find your nearest fake abortion clinic on the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map, the post read. In Minnesota, left-wing anti-police group Twin Cities Encampment Responders posted a link to the map shortly after the release of the Supreme Courts ruling. A map of anti-abortion fake clinics, including dozens around the Twin Cities area you know, just because information is power, the group wrote in the post, which has since been shared hundreds of times. Colorado Springs Antifa, a group known for doxxing people affiliated with right-wing groups, shared a Twitter post containing a link to the CPC map alongside the message, For the night owls. A graphic accompanying the original post reads, Your local crisis pregnancy center tonight. Mask up. Stay dangerous. One of the latest attacks on pregnancy resource centers took place on Saturday morning in Longmont, a northern suburb of Denver. According to the police, the building was set ablaze and covered with graffiti messages such as Bans off our bodies and If abortions arent safe, neither are you. The facility is run by Life Choices, a Christian non-profit organization that offers free services related to pregnancy and sexual health. In a statement, Life Choices Executive Director Kathy Roberts said the center is devastated and stunned by this frightening act of vandalism. What we hope the perpetrators of this act understand is that an attack on Life Choices is ultimately not an attack on a political party or act of, Roberts said. It is an attack on those who walk through our doors every day in need of diapers, pregnancy tests, limited ultrasounds, clothing, financial and parenting classes, support, and so much more. It is an attack on a place that is supposed to be safe for women, men, and their families. Feds Sue Sacramento Councilman for Allegedly Threatening to Deport Employees Helping Investigators By Theresa Clift From The Sacramento Bee SACRAMENTO, Calif.The federal government has sued Sacramento City Councilman Sean Loloee, alleging he threatened to deport employees who cooperated with a federal investigation into his grocery stores. The lawsuit, filed April 1 in federal court in Sacramento by the U.S. Department of Labor, also claims Loloee underpaid employees, employed minors in hazardous occupations, and interfered with multiple federal investigations spanning over a decade. After each investigation, Defendant Loloee agreed to future compliance and to pay back wages owed (to employees), the lawsuit reads. Despite these promises, the Secretarys third and most recent investigation not only revealed flagrant ongoing violations of the (Fair Labor Standards Act), but that Defendant Loloee sought kickbacks from his employees who had received back wage payments in resolution of (the federal governments) prior investigations. Labor officials sought the new suit against the business and Loloee, who is the sole shareholder, after having determined in other cases he had violated labor law. Officials made clear they were concerned past actions werent deterrents for the businessman, who also represents portions of North Sacramento on the council: The Secretary brings this case to recover the wages owed to Defendants employees, to enjoin future violations, and to protect the significant public interest at stake. The lawsuit names 66 employees, and alleges violations at four stores: Rancho Cordova, Dixon and the two locations in the low-income North Sacramento district he representsone in Del Paso Heights and one on Norwood Avenue. In a filing to dismiss the suit this month, Loloees attorneys called the lawsuit a politically-motivated campaign against him, because parts of the investigation occurred in 2020 when Loloee was running for council. The overreaching complaint includes claims barred by statutes of limitations and past settlement agreements, attempts to impose individual liability without pleading specific factual allegations, and seeks to require defendants simultaneously litigate the same claims in two forums, the document, filed June 10, states. These meritless claims should be dismissed. Loloee declined comment for this story. A spokesperson for a public relations firm hired by Loloee emailed the following statement: As a general rule, we do not comment on active litigation, but we do look forward to the matter being fully resolved in the court process. Federal Probes Began in 2009 In 2018, two former grocery store employees filed a lawsuit against Loloees companies in Sacramento Superior Court claiming they were not paid overtime, were not given meal or rest periods, were never reimbursed for paying for their uniforms and other allegations, which The Bee reported in 2020. Loloee paid a settlement that year in that case, court records show. But the federal government started investigating Loloee nearly a decade before that lawsuit was filed, the new lawsuit reveals. Federal investigators in 2009 determined that Loloee and his companies violated federal laws regarding minimum wage, overtime compensation, recordkeeping and child labor, according to the lawsuit. He signed a settlement agreement to pay $4,658 in back wages to employees and child labor civil fines for violations at the Norwood Avenue location, the lawsuit says. In 2020, a follow-up federal investigation found Loloee again violated overtime and recordkeeping requirements, ordering him to pay $35,423 in back wages, which he did, the complaint says. The lawsuit alleges, however, Loewe later coerced employees to return the back wages, prompting a third investigation. It found that Loloee in 2020 directed grocery store workers to lie to federal investigators, the lawsuit alleges. Defendants directed agents to impersonate (federal) investigators in order to gather information from their employees and identify employees who cooperated with the Secretarys investigation; threatened employees with immigration consequences, including deportation, if they cooperated with the Secretarys investigation; ordered employees to sign unknown documents that they were not permitted to read prior to signing; directed employees to lie about aspects of their employment with Defendants, including, but not limited to, when employees began working for Defendants, the total number of employees working for Defendants, and the hours worked by employees; directed employees to work in secluded areas of its business to prevent employees contact and discussion with (federal) Investigators; directed workers to take off their store uniforms to look like store customers when (federal) investigators presented themselves to interview employees, to prevent employees contact and discussion with (federal) investigators; instructed employees not to speak with (federal) investigators. Loloee Violated Child Labor Laws, Feds Say Loloee has employed at least five workers under the age of 18 to load and operate an industrial cardboard baler, and to clean meat slicers and meat grinders, which are considered hazardous pieces of equipment, the lawsuit alleges. Hes also employed children under 16 and had them work more than three hours a day when school was in session, and in excess of 18 hours a weekanother violation of federal labor laws, the lawsuit alleges. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, Loloee failed to provide paid sick leave to employees who were experiencing COVID-19 symptomsa violation of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, the lawsuit alleges. The city of Sacramento in April 2020 granted Loloee a $25,000 forgivable economic relief loan using coronavirus federal grant money. At the time, Loloee had advanced to the runoff but had not yet won the seat. The new federal lawsuit seeks a court order to prohibit Loloee from continuing to violate federal labor laws, and to require him to send the federal officials a list of employees he coerced to return the back pay. It also seeks to disgorge Loloee of ill-gotten gains reaped from workers who were not paid for their work a required by the FLSAs minimum wage and overtime provisions. The complaint also names Karla Montoya, general manager of Loloees companies, as a defendant. Loloee is facing a separate controversy for not living in the Hagginwood house he says is his residence and where he is registered to vote, The Sacramento Bee has reported. Ramona Landeros, longtime Del Paso Heights resident, said the council should vote to vacate the seatan option under California lawdue to him living outside the district and also the allegations in the lawsuit. She has spoken to many employees who have told her similar stories to what federal investigators found, she said. When people who have been threatened or have worked in fear see a person like that at City Council, I think that creates a real sense of insecurity, said Landeros, who lost the election for the seat in 2020. Many families who come from Latin American countries where the system is so corrupt, this only further creates a loss of what America is supposed to be about. I think its the councils responsibility to make sure that they remove anyone who has this type of background he does not represent what the city of Sacramento is about. We are better than that. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has asked Loloee to provide a public report of his residency at an upcoming council meeting. Its unclear when that will take place, but it could be Tuesday at 5 p.m. 2022 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference at the Miami Dade Colleges North Campus in Miami on Jan. 26, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Florida Vows to Enhance Pro-Life Protections After Supreme Court Ruling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Friday the state would enhance its pro-life protections, while applauding the high courts overturn of Roe v. Wade. By properly interpreting the Constitution, the prayers of millions have been answered, DeSantis said in a June 24 Twitter post in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to undo Roe v. Wade, following a leaked draft majority opinion in May. The landmark 1973 ruling decriminalized abortion nationwide for the past 50 years. Florida will continue to defend its recently enacted pro-life reforms against state court challenges, will work to expand pro-life protections, and will stand for life by promoting adoption, foster care, and child welfare, the statement continues, providing no further details on how the state will act in response. A new Florida abortion law was scheduled to take effect on July 1 in a bid to protect fetal rights, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or human trafficking. DeSantis signed House Bill 5, the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act, into law in mid-April, banning most abortions after 15 weeks unless such procedures are to save a mothers life or out of medical necessity, or the fetus has a fatal abnormality. Democrats and pro-abortion activists have fired back at the ruling, seeing it as an attack on reproductive rights. A Boynton Beach congregation and affiliates of Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers have filed lawsuits to challenge Floridas new law. The governors office said in a statement that it is confident that this law will ultimately withstand all legal challenges. Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said on Twitter that such attempts are an additional hurdle for the 15-week ban. Meanwhile, the states Senate President Wilton Simpson praised the reversal of Roe v. Wade. As an adopted child myself, I am grateful for this decision. The court is finally righting a grievous wrong, Simpson said. A woman who puts her newborn up for adoption has little reason to fear that the baby will not find a suitable home, he posted on June 24, citing the courts opinion. In Florida, we value pro-life, pro-family policies that protect unborn babies & support kids, parents, & caring adults willing to raise a child who is not their own. Recording the third-highest rate nationwide, Florida now allows legal abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. According to Politico, an increasing number of more than 4,800 people came to the state to receive abortions last year, as neighboring Alabama legislated tougher measures in 2019. Ghislaine Maxwell, the Jeffrey Epstein associate accused of sex trafficking, attends her trial near an image of Epstein on a screen in a courtroom sketch in New York City, N.Y., on Dec. 2, 2021. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Ghislaine Maxwell Placed on Suicide Watch NEW YORKIn a June 25 letter to Judge Alison Nathan, one of Ghislaine Maxwells defense attorneys, Bobbi Sternheim, informed the court that Maxwell was placed on suicide watch yesterday by the Manhattan Detention Center (MDC), and that this recent development may require postponement of Tuesdays sentencing proceeding. Sternheim went on to write, [Maxwell] is not permitted to possess and review legal documents and is not permitted paper or pen. This has prevented her from preparing for sentencing. The attorney stated that this was done without having conducted a psychological evaluation and without justification. She went on to say, Ms. Maxwell was abruptly removed from general population and returned to solitary confinement, this time without any clothing, toothpaste, soap, legal papers, etc. She was provided a suicide smock and is given a few sheets of toilet paper on request. This morning, a psychologist evaluated Ms. Maxwell and determined she is not suicidal. Sternheim wrote she met with Maxwell today and has determined herself that Maxwell is not suicidal. She ended the letter with, Currently, she is unable to prepare for sentencing. If Ms. Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment. On June 15, the defense filed a 36-page memorandum that essentially asks Nathan to go easy on their client. For much of the 36 pages, the defense puts the blame on the now-deceased Jeffrey Epstein, who was Maxwells employer and romantic partner, referring to him as the central figure, mastermind, and principal abuser. Epstein died in his jail cell with the official cause of death being suicide by hanging. Over the past week and a half, attorneys on both sides have been petitioning Nathan regarding the impact statements that some of Maxwells alleged victims may read at the June 28 sentencing. The Crime Victims Rights Act allows such statements to be delivered to the court on sentencing days. In another recent development, Virginia Giuffre, one of the alleged victims who did not testify in the trial but intends to speak at the sentencing, is involved in a civil lawsuit against Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitzs lawyers also sent letters to Nathan this week asking to have the civil lawsuit unsealed if Giuffre is to speak. Maxwell was found guilty of five of six counts of sex trafficking in connection with Epstein on Dec. 29, after a month-long trial in federal court in New York. Luke Coffee holds up a crutch as he stands in the breach between police and the crowd at the Lower West Terrace tunnel. "In the name of Jesus, please stop!" he said. (U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) Infamous Jan. 6 Crutches Were Stolen from Injured 18-Year-Old at Capitol The now-infamous crutches that appeared multiple times at the mouth of the tunnel entrance to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were stolen from a young man with a broken ankle, according to podcaster Steve Baker. Baker, who blogs and podcasts as the Pragmatic Constitutionalist, learned the story of the stolen crutches while on a speaking tour in Texas. At one particular meet-up, and in casual discussion after one of those meetings, Baker told The Epoch Times, a young lady mentioned to me that it was her own brothers crutches that had become a central feature at the Capitols west side tunnel skirmish. The crutches were at various times on Jan. 6 used as a weapon and a shield. They were memorialized most vividly in photos of protester Luke Coffee holding up one crutch over his head as he stood between police and the raucous crowd. Prosecutors allege Coffee used the crutch to attack officers, but he says his only intention was to be a buffer between the groups after protesters became trapped in a pile after a stampede out of the tunnel. A rioter uses two stolen crutches to assault police inside the Lower West Terrace tunnel on January 6, 2021. (Special to The Epoch Times) The crutches belonged to an 18-year-old Texas man who came to Washington D.C. to hear then-President Donald J. Trump speak at the Stop the Steal rally at the Ellipse. He and a buddy drove from Texas and got to D.C. in time to hear Trump speak, Baker said. Early on the morning of the 6th, they managed to find street parking about a mile away from the Ellipse, and together made the difficult hike to the rally site, he said. Difficult for the kid walking on a pair of crutches. The young man with the broken ankle is a big Trump fan from a conservative Christian family. His friend had little interest in politics, but jumped at the chance for an adventurous early January road trip, Baker said. The trip from the Ellipse to the Capitol took the duo a long time. When they arrived at the edge of the Capitol grounds, there had already been violence outside the Lower West Terrace tunnel, and Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt had been shot and mortally wounded by U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd in the hallway outside the Speakers Lobby. When the men arrived, a tunnel skirmish was underway amidst thousands of protesters outside the tunnel entryway. They pressed ahead until they were on the edge of the trouble. A protester suddenly swiped the crutches from the man. That was the last time he had control of them. Theft of the crutches took place almost immediately after the men arrived at the tunnel entrance, Baker said. He verified the stories by reviewing CCTV security video from inside the tunnel. In my subsequent review of videos, I was able to identify both from their descriptions at various times during the approximately two hours they were in that area, Baker said. Interestingly, in the available videos I pored over, at no time was either of their faces clearly revealed. I was able to pick them out of the crowd in the specific locations and times they shared. A protester hands off two stolen crutches outside the Lower West Terrace tunnel at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Special to The Epoch Times) The first couple of times, the crutches were used like a javelin, thrown at the police line at the mouth of the tunnel. On other occasions, a rioter used both crutches to smash at officers on the front line. A protester can be seen leaning over the handrail, picking up one of the crutches, Baker said of the security video. He immediately used it as a spear, tossing it toward the tunnel entrance. His aim was off and it hit another protester standing on the right side of the tunnel entrance. That knocked off the mans ballcap. He then leaned over the rail again, retrieved the second crutch, and tried again. This time his aim was better, and the crutch sailed over the line of protesters and into the police line, bouncing off, back into the crowd. At the time that Coffee picked up a crutch and held it over his head, the second crutch was inside the tunnel along the right wall, video footage shows. While Coffee held the crutch aloft, bystanders crept up and pulled an unconscious Rosanne Boyland away from the tunnel entrance. Boyland had just been beaten in the ribs and head by Metropolitan Police Department officer Lila Morris, according to bodycam video obtained by The Epoch Times. Boyland was pronounced dead some 90 minutes later. There is disagreement on the time and cause of Boylands death. She collapsed at the entrance during a stampede out of the tunnel. As police cleared the Lower West Terrace, the Texas men began the arduous trek back to their vehicle. It was slow going without the crutches, and they didnt reach the car until nearly 10 p.m. After returning to Texas, the young men watched with concern as dozens of Texans were rounded up by the FBI, some for simply being on the Capitol grounds at the wrong time. Baker said they worry about somehow being tied to the violence at the tunnel entrance. Baker said his stumbling on the story was a fortuitous fluke. He changed a few of the key details in order to shield the men from being dragged into a criminal case for being witnesses to a slice of Jan. 6. U.S. millionaire John McAfee gestures during an interview with AFP on his yacht anchored at the Marina Hemingway in Havana, on June 26, 2019. (Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images) John McAfees Corpse Still Being Held by Government 1 Year After His Death The body of antivirus software pioneer John McAfee still remains in a Spanish morgue about a year after he was found dead, his lawyer and authorities confirmed late last week. A spokesperson for the regional governments justice department told Reuters on Thursday that his corpse is still at the same Barcelona morgue where the autopsy was carried out. The official said it was not common for identified bodies that were reclaimed by family members to be stored for such a long time. This has been one of the longest years of my life. I would not wish this journey on anyone, Jen McAfee, Johns daughter, told MarketWatch last week, confirming that his body remains in the morgue. The elder McAfee, who founded the first antivirus software bearing his namesake in 1987, was found dead in a Spanish prison cell on June 23, 2021, while he was awaiting extradition back to the United States on tax evasion, fraud, and other charges. An initial autopsy report released by Spanish officials said his death was a suicide, and a court later upheld that ruling amid controversy. His cause of death has not been released. Its been an unfathomable delay, Joy Athanasiou, Jen McAfees attorney, told MarketWatch before saying that she hasnt communicated with the Spanish court since February. And McAfees family, including his wife Janice, said the software entrepreneur wasnt suicidal. Janice McAfee told news outlets last year that his last words to me were I love you and I will call you in the evening. Those words are not words of somebody who is suicidal, she added at the time. In 2019, John McAfee, while posting a photo on Twitter of his arm tattoo, said that hes not suicidal. Getting subtle messages from U.S. officials saying, in effect: Were coming for you McAfee! Were going to kill yourself, McAfee wrote at the time. I got a tattoo today just in case. If I suicide myself, I didnt. I was whackd, he wrote. Regarding the delay in releasing his remains, Its infuriating it makes absolutely no sense it is inexcusable There is no reason there should be so many delays, Janice McAfee said during a podcast interview with Rice TVx last month. I mean, it could be just incompetence on behalf of the Spanish [authorities], but I just feel that there may be something more sinister thats happened here, she said. If there were any credibility to that suicide story, then why are they not allowing us to have an independent autopsy? Why cant we get their autopsy report? Janice McAfee also said during the interview. When she viewed her husbands corpse at the Spanish morgue last year, Jancie McAfee said that she saw only his head. The rest of his body was covered with a sheet, she said, adding that she believes her husband was killed. Jen McAfee, however, told Marketwatch she believes her father indeed killed himself. Lost Personal Details of Japanese City Residents Recovered Storage devices believed to have been lost in the Japanese city of Amagasaki have been found, according to local authorities, hours after the incident triggered worries about the safety of private data of 460,000 citizens stored on the devices. The USB storage devices were in the possession of an employee working for a company that was subcontracted by the Kansai regional branch of BIPROGY Inc. The company was subcontracted to pay COVID-19 pandemic relief subsidies on behalf of the Amagasaki city government to households exempt from residence tax. The devices contained personal information of around 460,000 citizens from the city, including names, birth dates, postal addresses, bank account details of households receiving livelihood protection benefits or child benefits, and how much they paid in residence tax. The Loss On June 21, the employee took the devices from the municipalitys administration information center to transfer the data. Once the data transfer was completed, he went to a restaurant and drank alcohol for about three hours. On the way back home, he fell asleep. When he woke up, the employee realized that the bag containing the USBs was missing, and the next day, he reported the loss to the police. At a press conference, an Amagasaki official said that they deeply regret having profoundly harmed peoples trust in the city administration, according to Sky News. The data in the devices were encrypted and protected with a password, city authorities said, while adding that there was no evidence of data being leaked. We will thoroughly ensure security management when handling electronic data We will work to regain our residents trust by heightening awareness of the importance of protecting personal information, city officials said in a statement, according to the media outlet. On June 24, the employee and around 30 police officers searched the route he might have taken after leaving the restaurant, looking for the missing bag. By noon, they found the bag in an apartment compound located roughly a kilometer from the restaurant. The city government said that they will investigate if any information on the devices was leaked. Mistaken Transfer A similar mishap with COVID-19 relief funds took place in Japan last month when 46.3 million yen ($343,000) that was earmarked for 463 households in the town of Abu was sent to the bank account of a single individual. The funds were mistakenly transferred to the account of Sho Taguchi who then transferred the money to three domestic online payment services. He then claimed to have spent all the money on overseas casino websites. Authorities later recovered the money by seizing bank accounts of the three online payment services under the National Tax Collection Law. NH Democrats Sue Republicans Over COVID Risks at House Hearings The New Hampshire Democratic Party has filed a federal lawsuit against the New Hampshire House of Representatives as well as the state of New Hampshire alleging that the Republican state House leaders refusal to hold hearings online put the lives of legislators at risk. The lawsuit, filed on June 15, cites the recent deaths of former House Minority Speaker Robert Renny Cushing and State Rep. Katherine Rogers, both Democrats, with strong implications that in-person hearings held by the House were to blame for their deaths. Specific to Cushings death, the lawsuit states that the 69-year-old was battling advanced prostate cancer when he reluctantly attended a House session on Jan. 6 and in doing was exposed to multiple potentially lethal interactions with others. In-person attendance presented a clear life-threatening danger to Plaintiff Cushing from the filing of this petition until his death, the suit states. Specific to Rogers, who had also been waging a battle with cancer prior to her death, the suit states that just prior to her death the 67-year-old talked about the immense dangers of attending in-person legislative hearings and that she was scared when she learned that a House member she sat near had recently tested positive for COVID-19. Regardless of the direct causation, it is clear that defendants refusal to allow for an accommodation of remote attendance placed her in a position where she unfairly had to choose between her life and her obligations to her constituents. Cushing and Rogers, who died in March and April respectively, were among six Democrats who filed a similar lawsuit last year against House Speaker Sherman Packard. They asked for an emergency injunction against in-person attendance of House hearings, but a federal court denied the request. State Rep. David Cote, a Democrat, led the filing of the new suit, which seeks a temporary injunction that would permit legislators with health problems to attend future House hearings remotely. Cote, who replaced Cushing as House minority leader after Cushings death on Mar. 7, was also a party to the original suit. He suffers from cerebral palsy and recently told The Epoch Times that he has coronary artery disease, which combined, make his health too fragile to risk attending House hearings. Cote told The Epoch Times that the suit is not meant to hold anyone accountable for Cushing and Rogers death, but to stop dangerous in-person hearings. He places most of the blame on Packard for refusing to hold full House hearings remotely. Cote pointed out that the NH Senate held remote hearings and that several legislative committees held and continue to offer hearings live online. Under the previous speaker, a Democrat speaker, The House had asked for and gotten an advisory from the New Hampshire Supreme Court that it was constitutionally possible for the house to meet remotely, said Cote, then then came the November elections and we lost the majority. Democrat Steve Shurtleff was speaker of the House until the 2020 elections handed control of the 400-member NH House over to the Republicans. Republican Dick Hinch was named Speaker of the House but died only nine days later from COVID-19. Packard replaced him and refused to institute mask mandates and any social distancing requirements. He also denied Democrats request for House members to attend hearings remotely, saying it would be unconstitutional. Packard did not respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment about the pending suit. In response to last years lawsuit, Packard released a statement saying he had legislative immunity. In response to comment from the state, Michael Garrity, director of communications and legislative affairs for the NH Department of Justice, released a statement to The Epoch Times saying the state of NH disputes many of the allegations and characterizations in the complaint and is preparing its response to the court action. In contrast, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice filed a 29-page brief in support of the complaint, siding with the Democrats and accusing the House Republicans of violating disability laws. The DOJ also argues in its brief that Packards legislative immunity doesnt apply, because the State, which is the real party in interest, cannot claim it. In addition to Cote and the NH Democratic Party, House Democrats Kendall Snow, Paul Berch, Diane Langley, and Charlotte DiLorenzo are also named as plaintiffs in the complaint. The suit outlines varying ailments each have ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to severe kidney disease. According to the suit, for example, Snow is 81 years old, lives in a senior citizen facility, and suffers from respiratory problems due to a 2017 bout with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. DiLorenzo, 71, is identified in the suit as an African American and is thus at a substantially increased risk of being infected by COVID. It notes that she suffers from such severe asthma that due to the car fumes produced by the vast number of vehicles in the parking lot outside a House session, she suffered an asthma attack and had to leave early. The suit also names NH House Clerk Paul Smith as a defendant, claiming he is liable because he played a role in the adoption of the Houses pandemic policies. Panelists at the Citizens' Hearingan independent inquiry into Canada's pandemic responselisten to stories of Canadians adversely affected by COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, in Toronto on June 23, 2022. (LR) Former Reform Party leader Preston Manning, retired Ontario pediatrician Dr. Susan Natsheh, and David Ross, president of the Canadian Covid Care Alliance. (Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times) Preston Manning: Toward a National Inquiry Into Canadas Management of the COVID Crisis Commentary Increasing numbers of Canadians are demanding a national, independent investigation into government mismanagement of the COVID outbreak. Because governments themselves would be the subject of such an investigation, its conduct would need to be assigned to a non-governmental commission whose commissioners possess the experience, expertise, and personal integrity necessary to render their findings credible with the general public. To illustrate what such an investigation might be like, the Canadian Covid Care Alliance (CCCA) recently coordinated a three day in-person and online Citizens Hearing into Canadas response to the COVID outbreak. Some 60 people testified to a three-person panel as to the effects on their personal lives of the health protection measures adopted or to offer alternative medical and scientific perspectives on which the response to the COVID outbreak might have been based. I was one of the panelists who received this testimony. Information about the hearing is available for public scrutiny at CitizensHearing.ca Most of the testimony consisted of personal stories as to the impact of federal and provincial health protection measures on the personal well-being, rights, freedoms, jobs, and incomes of those affected. These impacts included: Negative effects on personal physical and mental health due to adverse reactions to social distancing, lockdowns, and vaccines. Violations of virtually every right and freedom supposedly guaranteed by the Constitution. Negative economic impacts ranging from loss of employment and personal income, to business closures and bankruptcies, to supply chain disruptions. What was most inexplicable was the absence of evidence that the governments conducted and published any in-depth assessments of the negative impacts of the health protection measures adopted on personal health, rights, freedoms, jobs, incomes, and supply chains. What was most disturbing and worrisome was testimony as to the widespread negative impacts on children of the health protection measures adoptedimpacts with serious long-term developmental implications for the one group of Canadians least susceptible to the coronavirus. What was most heart-wrenching were the stories of those who faithfully obeyed governmental instructions to be vaccinated only to suffer unpredicted adverse effects followed by misunderstandings and denunciations when those afflicted shared their experience with others. What was most disheartening was that the vast majority of those testifying at the Citizens Hearing reported receiving no reply when their concerns and questions were posed to health system officials and political decision-makers. On the other hand, what was most inspiring was the courage displayed by so many in the face of physical and economic adversity, bureaucratic insensitivity, political arrogance, and mainstream media hostility, coupled with a growing determination to ensure that lessons learned from the mismanagement of the COVID crisis are rigorously applied to the management of any future crises. What was also encouraging was the testimony of experts offering different perspectives, interpretations, and conclusions than those which have informed or misinformed health officials and governments over the past two years: The expert in respiratory technologies and protections who explained the ineffectiveness of masks in halting the spread of the coronavirus. The critique of COVID management policies by a doctor with academic and experiential credentials superior to those of most of the public health officers currently advising the provincial and federal governments. The testimony of a former chief medical officer of health for Ontario as to the inadvisability of any public health policy which employs fear to motivate compliance and which denies the necessity of informed consent for any medical procedure. Hopefully, more of these Citizens Hearings will be held in future in which ever-increasing numbers of Canadians will participateall contributing to public demand for a national, independent investigation into government mismanagement of the COVID outbreak and measures to ensure that future crises are managed more responsibly, effectively, and democratically. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Protesters gather outside Supreme Court in a rally against the June 24 decision that repealed the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling in Washington on June 25, 2022. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times) Protests Against Roe v. Wade Decision Continue in Washington Just one day after the U.S. Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade, handing the power to make abortion laws back to the states, protests continued on June 25 outside the Supreme Court building and, later in the evening, outside the homes of Republican-appointed justices. Two people were arrested at the Supreme Court building by U.S. Capitol Police for the destruction of property after they allegedly threw paint over the fence around the building. In the sweltering afternoon weather, demonstrators who opposed the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization held handmade signs and voiced shock and outrage in a series of interviews with The Epoch Times. It feels like being treated as not a full citizen, said Dina, a protester who held a sign reading Alito and Thomas Revel in Their Cruelty, referring to Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Sam Goldman, a 35-year-old kindergarten teacher from Philadelphia, called the ruling and the Supreme Court illegitimate. She suggested that any abortion bans were akin to forced motherhood. Goldman said she was a co-initiator with riseup4abortionrights.org, which lobbies for Abortion On Demand & Without Apology! She addressed the crowd at the rally and expressed outrage over the decision while saying that President Joe Biden hadnt said the word abortion in 400 days. Protesters Call to Pack the Court Numerous protesters encountered by The Epoch Times explicitly advocated for packing the Supreme Court with additional justices. Zoe Warren, 19, a student organizer at the University of Washington from Bethesda, Maryland, said she believes that the court should have four more justices to match the 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals that now exist. Ben, a protester who wore a mask while speaking with The Epoch Times, said he believes that the Supreme Court doesnt fully represent the people. He held a sign reading Expand the Court and another sign reading We Demand Bodily Autonomy. We have a responsibility as a country to make sure that our Supreme Court actually is representative of the people, and right now thats not the case. Theres like six Supreme Court justices right now that represent a minority of the American people, he said. He also said he had been to Black Lives Matter protests and abortion protests in the past, as well as the 2016 Womens March. Ben was accompanied by his 3-month-old son: His first protest. The Supreme Court voted 63 on June 24 to uphold a Mississippi law that bans abortion 15 weeks after pregnancy. The vote strikes down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, as well as a 1992 decision known as Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The Roe v. Wade ruling had, for decades, enabled abortions for up to 24 weeks of pregnancy nationwide. The Casey decision had reaffirmed the Roe ruling and prohibited laws that place an undue burden on a womans ability to obtain an abortion. With the repealing of Roe and Casey, lawmaking powers pertaining to abortion return to states. The Guttmacher Institute, a research group that started as a subsidiary of Planned Parenthood, stated that 26 of 50 U.S. states are likely or certain to ban most abortions after the June 24 decision. Small, Vocal Protest Outside Chief Justice Robertss House An hour before dark on June 24, in the affluent Maryland suburbs of Washington, a mixture of Montgomery County Police and U.S. Marshals stood guard near the home of Chief Justice John Roberts. The leafy street was silent. The protesters, as it turned out, were protesting near Justice Brett Kavanaughs house, located about a half-mile away through a sea of mostly Democratic or left-leaning yard signs, flags, and other political signifiers. Roberts and Kavanaugh are among the six originalist justices to uphold Mississippis abortion law in Dobbs v. Jackson. Kavanaugh also joined four of his colleagues in overturning Roe v. Wade altogether. Although Roberts took the position that Roe should be upheld, he was still among the targets of Ruth Sent Us, a pro-abortion group leading protests outside those six justices homes in the greater Washington area. In a June 24 post on Twitter, the group asked protesters to start at all #SCOTUS6 on June 25, listing the names and slightly anonymized physical addresses of Justices Alito, Roberts, Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Kavanaugh. Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photograph at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Erin Schaff/Pool/Getty Images) Protesters say their rallying near justices houses is fully protected under the First Amendment, although critics have said such protests violate a federal statute against the intimidation of judges through picketing or parading. The protests started in May, after a draft of the Dobbs decision was leaked and before the ruling had formally been made. The leaker of that draft opinion still hasnt been identified. By dusk, 15 or so demonstrators had reached Roberts houseenough to briefly swell a crosswalk. Im very upset with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, one of the protesters, Zelda MacFarland, told The Epoch Times. Another protester, Cassandra Mendell, told The Epoch Times that she was inspired to protest by her AFAB [assigned female at birth] child. As my child, who has a uterus, stated to me, What if I were raped? she said, as the nearby shouts of [Expletive] you, Roberts! intensified. Mendell suggested that concerns about judicial intimidation were overblown. Pro-abortion protesters demonstrate near Chief Justice Robertss house after a protest at Justice Brett Kavanaughs house near Washington on June 25, 2022. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times) People are just walking up and down the street making their opinion known. I mean, people walk down the street and talk all the time, she said. Obviously, it hasnt done anything to intimidate them. After a few minutes of chanting, the group prepared to dispersebut not before reacting in vulgar language to a vulgar gesture that they said a man had made while walking past. Protests Turn Edgier By 10 p.m., the demonstration outside the Supreme Court was smaller, but edgier. Multiple men could be seen in all black, wearing balaclavasthe signature garments of Antifas Black Bloc and other militant left-wing groups known for stoking violence at protests. Classical music was either being played live or piped in via speakers from the Courtthe same tactic that 7-Eleven gas stations in high-crime areas use to deter loitering. Chaos erupted over an interaction by law enforcement with at least one male protester. Some people said they heard that the protester had been arrested or detained, while another man told The Epoch Times that he had been released. They just escorted him out, the man said. A small group of protesters, including the men in all black, were seen chasing law enforcement who they said had ejected a protester. The group of protesters shouted, Let him go! over and over again. A few minutes later, they ran off again, shouting that their friend had, in fact, been released. They soon discovered that it was the wrong person. The Epoch Times reached out to the D.C. Metro Police for comment on the claims regarding the ejection of a protester, but didnt receive a response by press time. I would like to believe that the police are here to help protect us, one female speaker holding a microphone said, only to be interrupted by boos and laughs from the crowd. They just protected the white man, another protester cut in. The woman responded, Thats also what I think. At one point, a grizzled anti-circumcision protester also jumped into the fray, only to be roundly shouted down by the crowd. Update: This article has been updated with the latest details. Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report. Rioters Smash Windows, Write Graffiti Threats During Roe v. Wade Protests in Portland Rioters in Portland, Oregon, were seen smashing windows and committing numerous acts of vandalism downtown on Saturday night and early Sunday in connection to the Supreme Courts ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. The group can be seen in photos and videos scrawling numerous messages on the sides of buildings, targeting the Supreme Court and making pro-abortion comments. Footage also showed the individuals partaking in the riots wearing all black, a color thats often employed during Antifa riots. According to a flyer that was obtained by KOIN-TV, they were encouraged to wear all black, a term often used during the 2020 riots in Portland that went on for more than 100 days and nights. In a news release on Sunday morning, the Portland Police Bureau said that officers were monitoring the crowd, but did not have resources to intervene in the moment. At the time of this event, there was an injury shooting and a stabbing in East Precinct, and a felony assault in Central Precinct, the release continued. Additionally, a community festival in North Precinct was underway, an impromptu dance party drew approximately 1,000 people to Irving Park, and they held a march and blocked traffic. There were also calls about speed racers doing stunts in various parts of Portland. No arrests were made during riots, according to the Portland Police Bureau in a Sunday morning update, but it added that just because arrests are not made at the scene, when tensions are high, does not mean that people are not being charged with crimes later. As the group left the area on Saturday night, officers confirmed that windows were broken at several banks and coffee shops. A pregnancy resource center was vandalized, the police department said. Officers are working to contact affected business owners and assist with arrangements to secure the buildings. Efforts are already underway to get graffiti removed. Individuals who engage in violent activity or property destruction will be investigated and are subject to arrest and prosecution. That does not always happen in the moment. We will continue to conduct follow-up investigations, make arrests, and forward cases to the Multnomah County District Attorney for prosecution, said the bureau in its release. Elsewhere in Oregon, police in Eugene, in the central part of the state, arrested 10 people in connection to riots over Fridays ruling, according to a news release. Nine people were charged with disorderly conduct, while one person was charged with resisting arrest. The department said that as a large crowd gathered, some rioters who were wearing all black started throwing rocks, smoke bombs, and other objects at police. Despite the ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, access to abortion will be maintained in Oregon. The Supreme Courts ruling, written by Justice Samuel Alito, argued primarily that states should choose whether they want to pass laws to legalize or criminalize abortions. Alison Gash, an associate professor of political science at the University of Oregon, told OPB earlier this month that she believes the states Supreme Court would likely argue that their understanding of the state constitutional mandate is that it would protect a persons right to choose to have an abortion but that becomes largely unnecessary if the state legislative commitments continue to remain on the books. Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai is a senior Hong Kong politician, she was the first president of the Hong Kong Legislative Council from 1998 to 2008 and a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the CCP. (Adrian Yu/The Epoch Times) Rita Fan Embarrasses the Communists Over the Textbook Issue Commentary Hong Kong has never been a colony, as claimed by all the four Citizenship and Social Development (CSD) textbooks submitted for approval, is a blatant distortion of history, on which I have been interviewed by five media up to now. Since there are no alternative voices left under the National Security Law, we no longer have any professional bodies like the defunct Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union to question the government on this matter. Hence the pro-establishment people who now feel safe to elaborate this false history, such as legislator Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, who said in a Legislative Council meeting that China never lost the sovereignty of Hong Kong. She probably does not know about Deng Xiaopings 1982 policy on Hong Kong, that is, return of sovereignty, long-lasting prosperity, [Hong Kongs] system remaining unchanged, and Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong. Among the commentaries made by the pro-establishment people, the one by Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai is exceptionalnot that it is more ethical and less distorting, but it conveys messages not seen in other comments. First, it unambiguously tells why history needs to be rewritten. The media hype about the new textbooks claiming Hong Kong has never been a colony, she said, aims at promoting a political narrative that Hong Kong had been a colony, hence its right to seek self-determination and independence, with a purpose to sow the seeds of unrest in Hong Kong. In other words, Rita Fan told us about the regimes fears that Hong Kongs ex-colonial status would remind students of the possibility of Hong Kong going independent. Thus, history needs to be rewritten. Second, if we assume that the communists are rational, such a fear should have a reason. Theoretically, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Basic Law and China Constitution should have clearly defined the constitutional status of Hong Kong and leave the communists worry free. Such a fear may reflect a deeper worry that even given all the current constitutional definitions, the communists seem to be deeply concerned that Hong Kongs ex-colonial status will renew controversies and make its current political status undetermined. Moreover, when Russia is no longer required to return the vast Chinese soil in the northeastVladivostok includedthat was ceded to it through unequal treaties during the Qing rule, the communists are now less confident that the concept of unequal treaty suffices to make Hong Kongs historical narrative unquestionable. They need additional safety. With this comes the murder of Hong Kongs ex-colonial status. Third, the following is the most interesting part of the interview. Fan said, It is a pity that no foreign press has come to me for that. If I were interviewed by any of them, I would ask them to look up what happened at the United Nations in 1972. So what happened then? There were two noteworthy issues surrounding Hong Kong. First, in accordance with the PRCs request, Hong Kong and Macao were removed from the list of non-self-governing territories so as to remove the possibility that they would become independent. However, this did not change their political status and relationship with their master countries at the time. Second, and the most important, is about the letter from Huang Hua, the PRC representative to the U.N. The following is the key sentence, The settlement of the questions of Hong Kong and Macau is entirely within Chinas sovereign right and does not at all fall under the ordinary category of colonial territories. So, does not fall under the ordinary category of colonial territories, certainly does not mean does not fall under the category of colonial territories. Such phrasing, though diplomatic, actually recognises Hong Kongs colonial status. In other words, back in 1972 the communists were not bold enough, like they would be now, to blatantly reject the colonial status. It was not until China has risen as a great power (daguo jueqi) that China is no longer satisfied with diplomatic language, and history rewriting is engaged. The above observation deserves further consideration. As an ex-president of Hong Kongs Legislative Council, Rita Fan should know how a single word can change the meaning of a law. Doesnt she know that her invitation to foreign press to investigate what happened in the U.N. in 1972 may lead to the facts being unveiled and embarrass the Hong Kong establishment and even the PRC? Has she gone through the documents? If she has, did she miss the gist or distort the message? If she has not, is her observation based on second-hand sources? And, is this common in the pro-establishment camp? The efforts of tampering with history will be spoiled if one can have access to the archival originals. Probably the communists need to create the first ever diplomatic document that literally rejects Hong Kongs colonial status, for example, by deleting the word ordinary in Huang Huas 1972 letter. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Roe v. Wade Decision Is an Attempt to Restore Intellectual Probity Commentary When President Joe Biden said that the Supreme Courts recent decision in the matter of Roe v. Wade removed a constitutional right from women, he put his finger on precisely what was at issuegetting the answer wrong, of course, with his almost infallible nose for error. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of the deliberate termination of pregnancy, it seems to me obvious that the Constitution of the United States has to be tortured by dishonest rationalization to yield womens universal right to abortion. On this matter, as on most subjects, the Constitution and its amendments are silent. The Constitution no more grants a right to abortion than it grants a right to a new car every year. On the most unbiased reading, it leaves it to the states to legislate on the question. The whole debate, it seems to me, is bedeviled, and rendered very crude, by the word rights. Where two opposing rights, both deemed by their upholders to be absolute, clash, what can result except endless conflict without resolution? Ignorant armies clash by night, as Matthew Arnold put it. The two opposed rights are that to life on the one hand and that of a woman to dispose of her body as she sees fit on the other. These rights are incompatible. It seems to me that neither of them is absolute and therefore that some compromise on the basis of something other than rights is necessary. Lets take the right to life first. To be consistent, everybody who asserts it in this context must be a complete pacifist; and, as a matter of empirical fact, most people who assert it are not. Moreover, most such people would grant that abortion is justified in certain circumstances: that of a 10- or 11-year-old girl, for example, whos been raped. I dont think many people would insist that such a child be obliged to go through with a pregnancy right to its end, and, if this is accepted, the question of induced abortion becomes one of judgment rather than of absolute prohibition. The conditions laid down may be lax or severe, according to legislation, but the right to life is no longer whats at issue. Again, if we imagine a situation in which the life of either the mother or that of the fetus can be saved, but not both, it surely wouldnt be morally indifferent which we saved, as it should be if there were an absolute abstract right to life, the right to life of the mother and that of the fetus being precisely equal. And yet we would surely save the life of the mother in these circumstances. But sovereignty over ones own body, to the extent of having a right to any operation whatsoever done on it by another, is also clearly limited. I have the right to refuse an amputation, for example, but not the right to demand and be granted such an amputation. Moreover, a conceptus or a fetus is not just another part of a womans bodyshall we say, like her appendix or a blemish on her skinbut something essentially different. Many women who have had abortions implicitly recognize this; they dont regard abortion as simply a minor medical procedure like any other. Some do: I have known women who say something like Take that thing away! as if the new life within them were merely an inconvenience or an interruption to their pursuit of pleasure. But I have also known women who have ruminated on what they have done, or have had done to them, for many years afterward. For them, an abortion is not a morally neutral removal of a blemisheven if they think, all things considered, that they did the right thing in the circumstances. Until there is parthenogenesis (offspring of an ovum unfertilized by a spermatozoon), a new human life in a womb is the product of two people, not of one; and while I dont say this gives any special rights to fathers in the matter of abortion, a society in which fathers are not habitually consulted in the matter of starting, continuing, or arresting a pregnancy is a very crude and brutal one, destined for much avoidable misery. Yet thats the society that abortion as a right subjected to no other considerations deems, at least in part, desirable. I conclude that the question of induced abortion is not simply one of conflicting rights but one that requires judgment to answer. If it isnt a question of rights, it isnt properly a question for the Constitution. Its a question of passing laws that try, as humanely as possible, to reconcile different and not entirely compatible desiderata. It isnt desirable that we should live in a society in which new human life is treated as if it were a tumor to be removed; but neither is it desirable that we should live in a society in which women should be forced to go through with pregnancies in any circumstances whatsoever. Its very difficult to frame laws that reconcile these two things, and theres a tendency in modern societies for legal limitations (such as those that the British law places on abortion) to be disregarded or dissolved away by means of sophistical reasoning such as that which the Supreme Court employed in reaching its original decision in Roe v. Wade. And this itself points to a wider social problem, namely the absence of intellectual probity in the supposedly thinking classes. First comes the conclusion that they desire, then come the alleged arguments in its favor, such as a shamefully bogus constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court decision, then, is an attempt to restore some semblance of intellectual probity. Let Congress enact a constitutional amendment, if it so wishes, guaranteeing a right to abortion. Until then, its for the states to decide, which will be an interesting natural experiment to discover what legislation is the most humanenot what legislation best accords with absolute but conflicting rights. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko walk during a meeting in Sochi, Russia, on May 23, 2022. (Sputnik/Ramil Sitdikov/Kremlin via Reuters) Russian Forces Fire Missiles on Ukraine From Belarus: Kyiv A barrage of missiles was fired from Belarus on June 25 as Kyiv accused Moscow of dragging Belarus into the war, even as Minsk has officially stayed out of the conflict. At about 5 a.m. on June 25, 20 rockets targeted the village of Desna in the northern Chernihiv region of Ukraine, according to the countrys northern military command. The bombardment damaged infrastructure, and no casualties have been reported. Todays strike is directly linked to Kremlin efforts to pull Belarus as a co-belligerent into the war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian intelligence service stated, according to AFP. Desna is a village that lies roughly 43 miles north of Kyiv and a similar distance from the Belarus border, with a population of around 7,500. Rockets were fired from the ground and air. After taking off from a Russian airbase, six bombers fired 12 cruise missiles from Petrykaw, Belarus. The Russian forces hit targets in Kyiv and Sumy regions as well. This is the first time since the invasion that the attack has come from Belarusian territory. A record number of missiles was fired by Russia on Ukraine this night and morning: more than 60, according to the latest figures. Many were launched from the territory of Belarus. They targeted Kyiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipro, Mykolayiv, Kharkiv regions, journalist Olga Tokariuk wrote in a June 25 Twitter post. The Russian Ministry of Defense officials didnt respond to a request for comment by press time. Belarus has remained a staunch ally of Russia, inviting widespread condemnation and sanctions from Western powers following the Feb. 24 Russian military incursion into Ukraine. The country has provided logistical support to the Russian military, mainly during the early days of the invasion. Staunch Supporters The latest strikes come as Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to meet his Belarusian counterpart and close ally Alexander Lukashenko in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 25. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also scheduled to visit Belarus on June 30 and July 1. A strong supporter of Russia, Lukashenkos authoritarian regime has ruled Belarus since 1994. He has accused Ukraine of promoting Nazism to the rank of state ideology, a common allegation by Russia to justify its invasion of the country. Putins endorsement has enabled Lukashenko to remain as the longest-sitting European president and overcome challenges to his rule. Lukashenko has demanded that his country be part of any resolutions in the Ukrainian war. This morning, a despicable attack on [Ukraine] was carried out by the [Russian] army from the territory of Belarus, both from land and air. Russian bombers, not entering Ukraines airspace, bombed cities in Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions. Lukashenka shows his loyalty before meeting Putin today? Franak Viacorka wrote in a Twitter post. Viacorka is an adviser to Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the main opposition leader to Lukashenko, who was forced to leave Belarus and reside in Poland after a presidential election in 2020. Although official results gave the majority to Lukashenko, there were allegations of widespread fraud. Lukashenko repressed subsequent protests. The June 25 missile strikes were fired using long-range supersonic Tu-22M3 jet bombers, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Altogether, 48 cruise missiles were fired into Ukraine, said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Firefighters work to put out a fire as smoke rises from residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 26, 2022, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters) Russian Missiles Strike Kyiv as G-7 Leaders Meet in Europe KYIV/POKROVSK, UkraineRussian missiles struck an apartment block and close to a kindergarten in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday as world leaders gathered in Europe to discuss further sanctions against Moscow. Up to four explosions shook central Kyiv in the early hours, in the first such attack on the city in weeks. The Russians hit Kyiv again. Missiles damaged an apartment building and a kindergarten, said Andriy Yermak, head of the presidents administration. A Reuters photographer saw a large blast crater near a playground in a kindergarten that had smashed windows. Deputy Mayor Mykola Povoroznyk said one person was killed and six wounded. He said explosions heard later in other parts if Kyiv were air defenses destroying further incoming missiles. Smoke rises after a missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 26, 2022. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters) Russia has stepped up air strikes on Ukraine this weekend, which has also seen the fall of a strategic eastern city to pro-Russian forces. Its more of their barbarism, said Biden, referring to the missile strikes on Kyiv, as leaders from the Group of Seven (G-7) rich democracies gathered for a summit in Germany. Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said G-7 countries should respond to the latest missile strikes by imposing further sanctions on Russia and providing more heavy weapons to Ukraine. As Europes biggest land conflict since World War Two entered its fifth month, the Western alliance supporting Kyiv was starting to show signs of strain as leaders fret about the growing economic cost. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the West needed to maintain a united front against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his program of conquest, that price will be far, far higher, he told reporters. At Sundays G-7 meeting, Britain, Canada, Japan, and the United States proposed a ban on imports of gold from Russia. Missiles Hit Central City Life had been returning to normal in Kyiv after military resistance held off Russian advances in the early phase of the war, although air raid sirens regularly sound across the city. There had been no major strikes on Kyiv since early June. In his nightly address, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a wounded seven-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble of a nine-story apartment block. The girls father was killed in the strike, he said. A Ukrainian air force spokesperson said the strike was carried out with 46 long-range missiles fired from Russian bombers more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away in the southern Russian region of Astrakhan. Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Ukrainian defenses had only managed to shoot down some of the 62 missiles that Russian had fired in the previous 24 hours and reiterated Kyivs demand for partners to supply modern air defense systems. Russian missiles also struck the central city of Cherkasy, which until now had been largely untouched by bombardment, according to regional authorities, who said one person had been killed and five others wounded. Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the attack also hit a strategic bridge linking western Ukraine and the eastern battlefields. They are trying to limit the transfer of our reserves and Western weapons to the east, he said in a message to Reuters. Russias defense ministry said it had used high-precision weapons to strike Ukrainian army training centers in the regions of Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Lviv, an apparent reference to strikes reported by Ukraine on Saturday. There was no immediate comment about Sundays strikes on Kyiv or Cherkasy. Russia denies targeting civilians, but Ukraine and the West accuse Russian forces of war crimes in a conflict that has killed thousands, sent millions fleeing Ukraine, and destroyed cities. Eastern Battlefield The eastern battlefield city of Sievierodonetsk fell to pro-Russian forces on Saturday after Ukrainian troops retreated, saying there was no longer anything to defend in the ruined city after months of fierce fighting. It was a major defeat for Kyiv as it seeks to keep control of two eastern provinces, Luhansk and Donetsk, that form the Donbas region, which Moscow demands Kyiv cede to separatists. The RIA agency quoted a pro-Russian separatist official as saying separatist forces had evacuated more than 250 people, including children, on Sunday from Sievierodonetsks Azot chemical plant. The plants surrounding industrial area was the last part of Sievierodonetsk held by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian service members cross a river outside the city of Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine, on June 19, 2022. (Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters) Russias TASS news agency quoted the same official as saying forces were now advancing on Lysychansk across the river from Sievierodonetsk. Lysychansk is the last major city held by Ukraine in Luhansk. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said on the Telegram app that one civilian was killed and eight injured in Russian shelling on Sunday. Global Food Supplies Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what the Kremlin called a special military operation it said was needed to rid the country of dangerous nationalists and ensure Russian security. Kyiv and the West dismiss that as a baseless pretext for a land grab. The war has had a huge impact on the global economy and European security, driving up gas, oil, and food prices, pushing the European Union to reduce reliance on Russian energy and prompting Finland and Sweden to seek NATO membership. Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who plans to visit Russia and Ukraine this week, said he would urge his counterparts to start a dialogue and would ask Putin to order a ceasefire. War has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated, he said before leaving to attend the G-7 summit. The United Nations has warned that a protracted war in Ukraine, one of the worlds major grain exporters, threatens to cause a global hunger crisis. Second Pfizer Jab Taken After Shorter Interval May Have Higher Myocarditis, Pericarditis Risk, Doctor Says An 11-year-old Hong Kong girl vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had symptoms of myocarditis. Since then, the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection extended the interval between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from three to eight weeks for people between 18 and 59. Dr. Edmund Lam Wing-wo, a member of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases, responded on a radio program on June 20, 2022, that the World Health Organisation announced in January 2022 their recommendation for an 8-week interval between the first two doses. Studies have also shown that the risk of myocarditis or pericarditis caused by a longer interval could be lower. But due to the severe pandemic situation in Hong Kong during January, when all citizens were in urgent need of injections, they decided not to follow the WHO guidelines. WHO updated the vaccination interval guidelines in January 2022. The interval between the first and second doses should be four to eight weeks, where eight weeks can provide better immunity, and also lower the chance to suffer from myocarditis or pericarditis. Dr. Lam added that comparing the longer and shorter intervals, the risk of developing pericarditis is 10 times lower for the longer interval compared with the shorter interval. And as younger people have a higher chance of developing the symptoms, the recommended interval in January 2022 for vaccination of them was made at 12 weeks. On Feb. 25, 2022, the government proposed to reduce the interval between the first two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those aged 5 to 17, from 12 weeks to eight weeks; and that between the 18 to 59-years-olds has remained at three weeks. For children 5 to 17 years old with an impaired immune system (immunocompromised) a three-week interval was recommended. As to why the WHOs 8-week vaccination interval was not followed, Dr. Lam said that they had to consider all factors such as the risk of different age groups and changes in the local pandemic situation. In January, the pandemic situation in Hong Kong became increasingly urgent, and it was under high pressure to let the public complete the vaccination as soon as possible to enhance general protection. He believes that only because of the risk of myocarditis, as well as long-term antibody levels, the vaccination interval was extended to eight weeks. As for the chance of having adverse conditions for those who received the second dose of the vaccine three weeks from the first, Lam said that they should not worry, because the chance of suffering from myocarditis is extremely low. There might only be minor symptoms such as raised heartbeat within one week after vaccination. The risk associated with myocarditis remains extremely low even by then. He suggested that if there is no urgent need, the public can choose to be re-vaccinated after eight weeks, which is both beneficial to the long-term protection and to the risk of myocarditis. Front-line independent doctors in the United States together with leading heart specialist Dr. Peter McCullough and vaccine specialist Dr. Robert Malone said children are at such a low risk of serious health problems from COVID-19 and should not be vaccinated at all. President Joe Biden addresses the nation at the White House following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, in Washington on June 24, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Senators Call on Biden to Use Full Force of Federal Government to Stop Abortion Restrictions More than 30 senators requested that President Joe Biden use the full force of the federal government to stop states from preventing abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned last week by the Supreme Court. The letter was signed by 34 lawmakers, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). We call on you to combat these attacks and take immediate action to use the full force of the federal government to protect access to abortion in the United States, their letter states (pdf). They continued, There is no time to waste: nearly half of the states already had laws in place to ban abortion or severely restrict access as soon as the Supreme Court decision came down and that many states enacted those laws immediately, and at least a dozen are set to follow suit in the coming days and weeks, referring to trigger laws and laws that were previously signed into law restricting abortions in a number of states. On Friday, the Supreme Court in a 54 opinion argued that legislaturesnot courtshave the power to pass laws to enable or restrict abortions. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito noted that the Constitution contains no references to abortion. We end this opinion where we began. Abortion presents a profound moral question, he wrote, in part (pdf). The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority, referring to the 1992 decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which was also struck down Friday. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives. States Rights But the 34 senators claimed that the ruling, which essentially gives states more rights, is dangerous and horrifying and it will endanger womens lives. We cannot stand idly by as Republicans rip away womens rights. And we know they will not stop with this decisionthey are already eyeing a national abortion ban. Before the Supreme Courts decision, Biden in a televised interview with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, suggested that he could use executive orders to target abortions. His remarks came after a draft opinion that signaled Roe v. Wade would be overturned was leaked to Politico. Theres some executive orders I could employ, we believe. Were looking at that right now, Biden said, without elaborating. If the decision comes down the way it does and these states impose the limitations theyre talking about, its going to cause a mini-revolution and theyre going to vote a lot of these folks out of office, he also said. Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump, who appointed three of the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, praised their ruling. Trump successfully nominated Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. The court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law, and above all, a victory for life, Trump told a crowd in Illinois on Saturday. South Dakota Governor Says State Will Ban Abortion Pills Prescribed Online South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced her administration will ban appointments with abortion providers who prescribe pills over the internet following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last week. In an interview on Sunday morning, the Republican governor told CBS News that she introduced a bill to ban telemedicine appointments in a bid from barring women from obtaining prescription abortion pills through the mail and online. South Dakota on Friday enacted a trigger law that bans most abortionsmaking the procedure a felonyafter Roe v. Wade was scrapped. These are very dangerous medical procedures, Noem told the outlet. We dont believe it should be available because it is a dangerous situation for an individual without being medically supervised by a physician. Noem, in her interview, echoed a line in Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos majority opinion, saying the Constitution does not give women the right to an abortion and that the power to make these decisions really goes to each individual state. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol, suggesting that there may be a legal fight between Republican-led states and the federal government under President Joe Biden over the medication. I think its important that this country recognizes that every single life is precious. The decision that we had this week was one that passes now this authority down to the states where elected officials will make those decisions in South Dakota, Noem told Fox News on Sunday. We had a trigger law in place already. So as of today, abortions are illegal in our state, and theyre only allowed to save the life of the mother. Noem also said Sunday that her state will not prosecute women who attempt to get abortions. Well continue to have those debates on how we can support these mothers and what it means to really make sure we are not prosecuting mothers ever in a situation like this, she told CBS News. It will always be focused toward those doctors who knowingly break the law to perform abortions in our state. Other States Other than South Dakota, as many as two dozen other states have or could enact bans on abortion following the courts decision. Kentucky and Louisiana had similar trigger bans already in place before the ruling, meaning that the new laws went into effect right after the Roe v. Wade reversal. Right after the order was handed down on Friday, Missouri enacted its trigger law prohibiting abortions except those necessary due to medical emergencies. Utahs trigger ban on the procedure went into effect Friday, according to a notice sent by John Fellows, the general counsel for the Utah legislature. And Oklahoma, which has laws that ban most abortions already, took the step of enacting its ban, according to the state attorney generals office. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge similarly said that the states trigger ban took effect, announced Gov. Asa Hutchinson. States such as Wisconsin and West Virginia have had abortion restrictions intact before the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that were never removed. Wyoming, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and Idaho also have abortion-related trigger laws and are expected to issue bans on the procedure in the coming days and weeks. In all, 13 states have trigger bans, according to the Guttmacher Institute. A number of mostly Democrat-led states like California and New York, meanwhile, will still allow abortions to take place. One of the Supreme Court rulings primary arguments, written by Alito, was that states and legislaturesnot courtsshould decide on whether to pass laws banning or allowing abortion, respectively. Four plants inspire artists and poets of ancient China Nature serves as our greatest artistic muse. It stirs feelings and emotions in us and was a source of inspiration for ancient Chinese artists. Four plantsthe plum blossom, the orchid, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemumwere known as the Four Gentlemen, or Junzi in ancient China. Ink Plum by Wang Mian. Handscroll: Ink on paper; 12.6 inches by 20 inches. (The Palace Museum, Beijing) Ancient Chinese artists depicted this flora to evoke intellectual thought and spirituality rather than simply portray the beauty of the natural world. Each of these plants personified the ideal qualities of a gentleman in ancient China. The artists combined their painting with calligraphy and poetry, known together as the Three Perfections. Plum Blossoms The ancient Chinese praised the plum blossom for its ability to bloom vibrantly through the winter snow. While most other plants hibernate in the fall, the plum blossom prepares itself to bloom before other flowers and is seen as a harbinger of spring. This plant isnt particularly eye-catching, but it is considered a symbol of inner beauty and strength while under adversity. Plum Blossoms in Ink, 1335, by Wang Mian. Hanging scroll: Ink wash on paper; 26.7 inches by 10.2 inches. (Shanghai Museum, China) Wang Mian (12791368) was a Yuan Dynasty painter known for his ink plum paintings. His paintings incorporated a calligraphic inscription over a flowering plum branch. In his poem Plum, he wrote: A plum tree by my familys inkstone washing pond, blossoming flowers bloom with light pale ink, dont let people praise its color, sweet aroma fills the air between heaven and earth. Here, Wang praises the virtues of the plum blossom. It does not use bright colors to seek praise or please people; it wishes only to leave a subtle fragrance in the world. The petals are made with light dabs of ink to convey inner purity. Although it is not striking on the outside, the plum blossom is shown with a splendid and dignified inner life. This plant is much like the artist. Wang grew up in a poor family, but he studied hard to make a name for himself in poetry and painting. He was not able to pass a civil service exam that would guarantee a steady income, and he later rejected several other civil appointments. Retiring to the mountains where he made his living by painting, Wang built a plum blossom retreat and planted a thousand plum trees around it. He compared himself to the plum blossom, as being someone who triumphs over harsh conditions and doesnt seek fame. Orchid The orchid is delicate and fragile. Its flowers bloom with elegance and grace in the spring, and its blossoms are exquisite yet never overbearing. They often grow in hidden and secluded places emanating a faint, delicate fragrance. With these characteristics, the orchid embodies simplicity, solitude, humility, and nobility. Orchids by Ma Lin. Album leaf: Ink and color on silk; 10.4 inches by 8.9 inches. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) A solitary orchid floats against an empty background in Zheng Sixiaos drawing Ink Orchid. Simple, spare brushstrokes depict the orchid leaves; the ink strokes create symmetry, dividing the painting into a balanced composition. Zhengs poem accompanies the painting: Ive always bowed my head and asked Emperor Xi, What are you doing in this township? Before starting to paint the nares open, And the sky is full of antique fragrances. The piece was created in response to the Mongolian armys conquering the Southern Song Empire. Being loyal to the Song, Zheng rejected Mongol rule by signing the painting as Southern-facing old man who never faced the Northern Mongolian court. The orchid embodies someone of noble character, such as Emperor Xi, a legendary king and ancestor of ancient Chinese civilization. It is depicted without roots and seems to be displaced from the soil. When asked why that is, Zheng said, Dont you know that the land was stolen by the barbarians? The antique fragrance suggests a wistful nostalgia for the motherland. Ink Orchid, 1306, by Zheng Sixiao. Handscroll: Ink on paper; 10.1 inches by 16.7 inches. (Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Japan) Seeing himself as the rootless orchid, the artist conveyed that he was without a home after the fall of the Song Empire. Yet he remained a patriot with noble integrity, without anger or hatred. The question he posed in the poem heightens his sadness, as he felt out-of-place. Bamboo The bamboo was admired by the ancient Chinese for centuries. The bamboo stalk stands straight and tall, representing uprightness and integrity. Yet the inside of the stalk is hollow, symbolizing endurance and tolerance. Although the bamboo grows straight, it bends and sways in the wind. It is strong and agile, making it a symbol of resiliencyof being able to recover quickly from difficulty. Wu Zhens (12801354) Yuan Dynasty pictorial series, Manual of Ink Bamboo, features paintings depicting bamboo in different poses and stages: from tender shoots to old stalks, some upright and strong, some supple and bending down. The bamboo is also portrayed reacting to wind, rain, and snow, showing its adaptability. Each painting includes an inscription that describes the virtues that the bamboo plant symbolizes, rather than its actual features. In this poem, Wu wrote: When the trees shake and drop their leaves, This gentleman remains particularly green. With moral integrity and its mind more modest still, It cherishes solitude to keep its nature intact. Here, Wu personifies the bamboo as a gentleman who maintains his moral integrity in the face of adversity. Wu expresses admiration for bamboos resiliency and modesty. Despite external pressure, this plant still preserves its true nature. Manual of Ink Bamboo, Bamboo Hanging From a Precipice, 1350, by Wu Zhen. Album leaf: Ink on paper; 18.9 inches by 20.5 inches. (National Palace Museum, Taipei) Manual of Ink Bamboo, A Light Breeze Among 500 Stalks, 1350, by Wu Zhen. Album leaf: Ink on paper, 15.9 inches by 20.5 inches. (National Palace Museum, Taipei) Manual of Ink Bamboo, Playfully Rendered in Snow (20th in series), 1350, by Wu Zhen. Album leaf: Ink on paper; 18.9 inches by 20.5 inches. (National Palace Museum, Taipei) In another poem, he wrote: The bamboo stands upright in the frost, Its shadows are slim and graceful under the moonlight. If you understand the principle of self-effacement, Then what matters will still weigh on your mind? Wu invokes self-cultivation in this poem. Bamboo likes to grow in lofty mountains away from the world; it is content and carefree in its reclusiveness and uninterested in worldly affairs. It does not seek attention and is indifferent to fame and gain. By letting go of such desires, one will be at peace with oneself. Chrysanthemum Praised for its exquisite beauty, the chrysanthemum was a favorite flower of the ancient Chinese. Its blossoms thrive in the chilly autumn air while other flowers start to wilt. It doesnt compete with other flowers, yet it outlasts them all, giving it an enduring elegance. The long lifespan of the flower represents living a life full of vitality. White Chrysanthemums, 1654, by Xiang Shengmo. Hanging scroll: Color on paper; 30.4 inches by 15.5 inches. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) The chrysanthemum was beloved by Tao Yuanming (A.D. 365427), a well-known poet during the Six Dynasties period. Although Tao appreciated the autumnal beauty of chrysanthemums, he liked their therapeutic properties even more, as he would mix its petals in wine to make a longevity potion. In his fifth poem, Drinking Wine, he wrote: I built my house near where others dwell, And yet there is no clamor of carriages and horses. You ask of me, How can this be so? When the heart is far, the place of itself is distant. I pluck chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge, And gaze afar towards the southern mountains. The mountain air is fine at the evening of the day And flying birds return homeward together. Within these things there is a hint of Truth, But when I start to tell it, I cannot find the words. This poem expresses the poets contentment in a rural setting. Tao served as a government official when he was young to support his parents. When he saw the governments corruption, he withdrew from civil service and retreated to a pastoral life, surrounded by the beauty of the natural world. Ink Chrysanthemums by Zou Yigui. Hanging scroll: Ink wash on paper. (National Palace Museum, Taipei.) The hint of Truth that Tao speaks of in the poem is the fleeting nature of life. Riches and influence dont go with us when we die. Tao tells us that life is ephemeral, and desolation sets in at old age. He expresses the truth of living a simple life free of worldly desires, while picking chrysanthemums near the mountains. Even a place full of people and commotion will feel distant when the heart is unshackled from the world. Integrating emotion and reason, Taos poem conveys that his tranquil state of mind is in harmony with nature, yet he cannot find the words to express this contentment. The Four Gentlementhe plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemumshowered insights and beautiful thoughts on ancient artists and poets to inspire their paintings and poems, for the world to enjoy. There were eight buoyancy chambers installed on the Jumbo seafood boat. Two of the chambers caused the entire vessel to turn upside down. (Photo by The Epoch Times) The Mysterious Sinkage of Jumbo Floating Restaurant: Scam or Accident? Did the shipowner plan to damage and sink the haunted vessel? Once upon a time, it was known as the worlds largest sea-food house, it was docked in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter for nearly half a century. In its golden era, this was where the Queen Of England was served during her visits to Hong Kong, which also became a hot spot for movie sets including James Bond. On June 14, 2022, the historic Jumbo Floating Restaurant departed from its long-time home and was towed away from Aberdeen. It was scheduled to leave for repairs in South East Asia. Then, it sank into the sea. A few days later, Hong Kong Marine Department said the floating restaurant was still in the waters around the Paracel Islands, also known as Xisha Islands. What Happened to This Gigantic, Imperial Palace-looking Boat? Jumbo Floating Restaurant departed from Hong Kong on June 14, 2022. Its parent company Hong Kong Aberdeen Group issued a statement, which revealed that on June 19, when the sea-food house was being towed in the waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, it encountered adverse windy weather, causing water to enter the vessel and it tipped over. The tugboat company responsible attempted to rescue the vessel but to no success. Since the water at the location where the sinkage happened is over 1000 meters (3,281 feet) deep, making its salvage project work extremely difficult. The public began to connect multiple pieces of evidence to tie together conspiracy theories, which created suspicion as to whether it was simply and innocently accidental. Coincidence or An Accident? Some citizens highlighted that Jumbo Floating Restaurant is an iconic symbol representing the colonial-era Hong Kong was prospering. So it wont be a surprise that the Hong Kong government is trying to wipe out anything that remotely reminds people of the colonization. Erasing memories would be the political consideration behind it. Since the early days of the pandemic, the floating restaurant has been forced to suspend its operation. Its group had to spend several million dollars for inspection, repair, and maintenance on it yearly, to meet its license requirements. Sing Tao Daily quoted the chairman of Hong Kong Insurance Professionals Federation, Philip Mak Shun-pong, It is estimated that the restaurant was insured for at least 100 million Hong Kong dollars. That brings some citizens conspiracy theories closer to reality: having the boat sunken in the middle of the ocean, not only will it save millions of dollars worth of repair, the company will still pocket the insurance claim. Why Wasnt the Destination Announced? Jumbo Floating Restaurant was towed by two tugboat companies, Yoon Fu and Yoon Wai on June 14, departing from the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter, marking its final sail in Hong Kong waters. After that, the boat was handed over to an ocean-going freighter for the tug-away. The routes of both tugboats became suspicious, as their information couldnt be found on many of the public ship information or data websites. The company which received the boat later is an international South-Korean boat tugging company called BOSUNG. They confirmed that they were hired to tow Jumbo Floating Restaurant away to Cambodia. Hong Kong Aberdeen Group has never published the destination of the boat on leaving Hong Kong. They only claimed that the floating restaurant will be towed to South East Asia for repair first. From a global ship tracking and positioning website, Marine Traffic, the destination for the tow boat was Cambodia. Its estimated arrival was on at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 27. Other than that, the company never responded to media queries about the exact location of where the tip-over happened after the accident. It also didnt disclose the estimated damage or whether they plan to pursue loss and damage from the tugboat company. Did the Ship Meet With Stormy Waves? Although Hong Kong Aberdeen Group said Jumbo Floating Restaurant met with a storm near the waters of the Paracel Islands, many netizens and media speculated. They discovered that on the day of the so-called accident, the Hong Kong Observatory forecast for the South China Sea pointed out that the wind level around the Paracel Islands was only between force two to three. If correct, this means the wind speed was light or mild and was unlikely to be strong enough to flip and sink the floating restaurant. i-Cable News Channel visited the South-Korean boat towing companies in Busan for an interview and clearly stated that Jumbo Floating Restaurant left Hong Kong in great conditions. Then on the afternoon of June 18, the ship encountered waves that were two meters high near the Paracel Islands. The CEO also said that level-two wind was the average regional condition. However, as every location is different, the estimation can never be precise, as well as the local tidal flow and currents. They concluded that the incident was an accident. An old shipman of the historic seafood boat pointed out to Ching Chung-C, who is the former financial columnist of the now-dissolved newspaper Apple Daily, that the bottom of the ship was already replaced about six or seven years ago. The towing company director displayed photos of the titled boat to an i-Cable reporter. The director said there were altogether eight buoyancy chambers, one of them on the left side of the ship was punctured by seawater, which then punctured another chamber. A total of two damaged buoyancy chambers caused the tilting and sinking to the port side. Although six buoyancy chambers remained intact, the ship itself is 28 meters (92 feet) high, 79 meters (259 feet) long, and 25 meters (82 feet) wide. Its center of gravity was off center, causing the entire ship to flip over, while occasionally parts of the vessel would likely float to the surface. Currently, the boat towing company says that it has arranged for their towing boats to stand by, near the boat, to ensure that no other ship approaches it. Why Not Salvage the Vessel? A board director of the boat company told i-Cable reporters that their staff tried to find a port nearby after the incident, to see whether they could make it back to shore or u-turn to Hong Kong. The situation unfortunately was not optimistic. Due to insurance issues, salvaging the ship is completely impossible. the director added. Some insiders analyzed that the sinkage of Jumbo Floating Restaurant was because of a few things. Firstly, the weather becomes unstable during summertime. The insiders revealed additionally that the shipowner and the insurance company planned to arrange for divers to go under and destroy the other intact buoyancy chambers and wham the ship. Lo Kin-kwong, a senior member of The Hong Kong Institute of Marine Technology, who is also a registered marine engineer, told Now News earlier, that the Jumbo Floating Restaurant was an unpowered wharf-boat, which makes the boat unsuitable for sailing or being dragged out to sea. There was also a chance of bad weather during the voyage. As to why they still chose to tug the boat out in the open water, or whether a risk assessment was conducted in advance, the board director said to Cable News, Everything was done according to the shipowners instructions. No questions asked. Is Jumbo Floating Restaurant Haunted? Jumbo Seafood Restaurant was built in Hong Kong in 1971. However, there was a fire on board before it opened for business, causing 34 deaths and 42 people to be injured. Since then, rumors spread that below deck there were spirit tablets to mourn for the dead. Since then, ghost stories would circulate about the gigantic ship. From a superstition perspective, it was believed that on the day when the boat was dragged out after the fire, there was no deity worship or memorial ceremony, which was why the boat didnt want to be tugged away from Aberdeen and it took four hours to get it to move. Some feng shui masters said a group of spirits refused to leave after the deaths in that tragic fire. When The Epoch Times reporter live-streamed the departure of Jumbo, some shipmates brought Chinese offerings for the lost spirits around the ship, praying for those who died below deck during the fire to rest in peace. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (R) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba give a press statement at the British Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, on April 4, 2022. (Janek Skarzynski/AFP via Getty Images) UK, Ukraine Ministers Criticize Defeatist Voices Seeking to Sell Out Ukraine Foreign ministers of the UK and Ukraine on Saturday criticised defeatist voices from those they said are proposing to sell out Ukraine for a quick end to the unrelenting horror. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine and the free world do not have the luxury to feel fatigued, and urged leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) and NATO to renew their support of Ukraine in its resistance to the Russian invasion in the alliances meetings this week. It came before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told G-7 leaders in Germany that the price of allowing Russia to succeed and hack off huge parts of Ukraine will be far, far higher than the price of supporting Ukraine. PA Graphics In an op-ed published in The Telegraph, Truss and Kuleba said Ukraine had to negotiate from a position of strength in order to ensure lasting peace. There can be no negotiated settlement which replicates the Minsk Agreement, which came at the expense of Ukraines sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, the ministers said. They suggested any deal including sacrificing Ukraines land would be paying for an illusion of peace with Ukrainian blood. It will be a mirage unless accompanied by the restitution of Ukrainian territory and the containment of Putins imperialism, the ministers said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The pair argued that the Ukrainian people were fighting not only for their own future, but for the future of freedom and democracy across Europe and the wider world. They also said Ukraine can win this battle with the free worlds unyielding support. To get peace and protect our way of life, Ukraine and the free world need to stay strong and united. We must ignore the defeatist voices who insist people are beginning to tire and who propose to sell out Ukraine for a quick end to the unrelenting horror, the op-ed reads. The Ukrainian people do not have the luxury to feel fatigued. Nor can the rest of the free world. The evidence of heinous war crimes continues to mount, from the bombardment of innocent Ukrainian civilians to rape, torture, and abduction. Johnson: Bad Peace Deal a Disaster It comes after Johnson warned NATO allies it would be a disaster to pressure Ukraine into accepting a bad peace deal that would see swathes of territory surrendered to Putin. Speaking earlier this week, he said he thought Ukraine would win the conflict, but they need to be properly supported. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives for the Leaders Retreat on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Intare Conference Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on June 25, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/PA Media) Johnson said there is no question there is a lot of Ukraine fatigue now in the world. Asked on Saturday what he meant by this, he said: I know it is tough. I know it is tough in the UK. I know the cost of food has gone up. Everybody is looking at this and too many countries are saying this is a European war that is unnecessary. It is an economic problem that we dont need and so the pressure will grow to encourage, coerce maybe, the Ukrainians to a bad peace. Pressed on who this was coming from, he said: I think just generally. I just think there is a general sentiment. Johnson also said on Saturday that he could resign as prime minister if his Cabinet decides the UK has to abandon the Ukrainian cause because it was simply getting too difficult. PA Media contributed to this report. Adm. John C. Aquilino (L), commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, looks at videos of Chinese structures and buildings on board a U.S. P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flying at the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea, on March 20, 2022. (Aaron Favila/AP Photo) US IndoPacific Chief Sees Largest Military Buildup in Chinese Armys History Chinas army is undergoing the largest buildup in the Chinese regimes history since World War II, according to Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. IndoPacific Command. Aquilino made the comment in a conversation hosted by the research institute the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on June 24 (pdf). The buildup encompasses all army domains and capabilities, such as naval ships, fifth-generation aircraft, missile forces, cyber capability, capability in space, and strategic nuclear capability. He said that the concern for all Americans should be the pace, scale, and scope [with which] China is growing and what does that mean with regard to intent for a future peaceful globe? Allies and Homeland Security In the conversation, Aquilino discussed the importance of Guam to American military posture and deterrence in the region. He said that Guam has a 360-degree threat from the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Forces. It is absolutely critical with a sense of urgency in order to provide the capabilities that both defend and we can project power from Guam, Aquilino said. In this photo provided by U.S. Navy, the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) returns to U.S. Naval Base in Guam on Aug. 19, 2021. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Naomi Johnson/U.S. Navy via AP) He emphasized that Guam is extremely important, and with 125,000 United States citizensits the homeland. He emphasized that partners in Japan and South Korea are also important, saying, The places we operate with our allies and partners across the region [are] important to deliver deterrence. He referred to the IndoPacific region as half the globe, and the United States can operate as a joint force, synchronized, integrated in all domains across vast distances, as proved over many years. Earlier in May, Aquilino also warned of the PLAs threat to world order. In the statement before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on May 17 (pdf), Aquilino said, The PRC seeks to become a global military power and acquire the ability to seize Taiwan, while developing conventional weapons that can reach the U.S. homeland. According to the 2022 National Defense Strategy (pdf), the Pentagon identified the Chinese regime as the most consequential strategic competitor and the pacing challenge for the Department. Chen Ting contributed to this report. Defense Secretary: Military to Continue to Provide Seamless Access to Abortion Following the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a statement suggesting that the Defense Department intends to maintain the militarys access to abortion. Nothing is more important to me or to this Department than the health and well-being of our Service members, the civilian workforce, and DOD families. I am committed to taking care of our people and ensuring the readiness and resilience of our Force. The Department is examining this decision closely and evaluating our policies to ensure we continue to provide seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law, Austin said in a June 24 press release. The Supreme Court decision leaves the matter of abortion laws to states. Of 50 U.S. states, 26 are likely or certain to ban abortion now that the Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade, according to research group Guttmacher Institute. Thirteen states already have trigger laws in place that ban most abortions. These were set to come into effect immediately following the Supreme Court ruling. Many of the countrys military bases are in states like Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama where abortion is expected to be mostly outlawed. Women make up around 20 percent of the 1.3 million active-duty force of the American military. Almost 95 percent of women in the military are of reproductive age, according to estimates by the Defense Department. Military women also have a 50 percent higher rate of unplanned pregnancy when compared to women from the general populace. Abortion Leave At present, the militarys health program for service members and their families, Tricare, only covers abortions in case of rape, incest, or when the womans life is in danger. For all other abortion procedures, women have to go off-base and pay for these services from their own pockets. Once abortion is banned in multiple states, female military members who want to abort their babies will have to travel off-base to other states where abortions are allowed. This will likely require women to ask for leave from their commanders, and probably having to disclose the reason as well. Abortion rights advocates argue that female military members seeking the procedure should be able to ask for leave without fearing retaliation from superiors. Democrats in Congress are pushing to ensure that the annual funding bill for the Defense Department includes a provision that requires the Pentagon to provide leave to troops and civilian members who seek abortions. Why would we allow a commander to make such a personal health care decision [for] someone serving under their command? said Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who chairs the Defense Subcommittee, according to the Wisconsin Examiner. Andy Harris (R-Md.) unsuccessfully attempted to remove the leave provision from the Defense Appropriations Act, arguing that commanding officers should have the right to negotiate leave in case there is a scheduling conflict. Harris accused the committee of interfering in military activities in a manner it shouldnt. People enter the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on June 26, 2022. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times) Washington After Roe Day 2: Faithful Bear Witness to a New Dawn Pro-life Christians celebrate as pro-abortion protests continue WASHINGTONTwo days after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, no protesters could be seen outside Washingtons Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Situated next to the campus of The Catholic University of America (CUA), the shrine is the largest Catholic church in North America. Yet, after the Department of Homeland Security warned of violence against Catholic churches, Americas Catholic Church wasnt taking any chances. Their own security staff and at least one Washington Metro Police officer patrolled the grounds as visitors streamed in and out. Before the 10:30 a.m. mass began, the faithful quietly navigated the enormous church. Some stopped to pray at the upper churchs many chapels. The mass itself included a prayer to religious freedom, commemorating the gift of religious liberty, the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common good; and the United States, described as this blessed land. In a series of interviews with The Epoch Times, visitors to the shrine shared their joy over the Supreme Courts ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson. Science demonstrates that life starts from conception, so its good news, said Ignacio Cassana. Im grateful for the opportunity we now have to change the culture, said Meredith Rice. Rice, who works at nearby CUA, said she was somewhat afraid of violence in the wake of Dobbs. Two people were arrested on June 25 for allegedly throwing paint over a fence separating protesters from the Supreme Court building. In the days since the decision came down, pregnancy centers in Virginia and Colorado have been vandalized. Meanwhile, threats to assassinate the justices who formed the Dobbs majority have proliferated on social media, sometimes staying up for hours or even days despite reports from concerned users. The Epoch Times has reached out to Twitters communications team for comment on the threats screenshotted below: Screenshot of a threat to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Twitter. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times) Screenshot of a threat to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Twitter, still visible two days after it was first made. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times) Its extreme and its concerning, especially when the result of this decision is actually to allow democratic processes to work, which means that people who are doing these things are not willing to engage in the democratic process, Rice said regarding the violent threats coming from pro-abortion activists. Generations of Hard Work For pro-life Christians, the fall of Roe after almost half a century affirms generations of faith, prayer, and hard work. This is a time for a lot of hope, but its also a time for a lot of reflection about how [we] change the culture, Rice said. Michael and Elizabeth Magner told The Epoch Times they were in town from New Orleans for a meeting. They came to the shrine to attend mass. The Magners, both lawyers, believe Dobbs was the correct decision. It was fifty years ago that the Supreme Court made a ruling out of whole cloth, and people seem shocked that it was overturned, Elizabeth Magner said. Some commentators worry that Dobbs could undermine other precedents based on substantive due process in the Fourteenth Amendment, including the Obergefell decision on gay marriage and the Griswold decision on contraception. Theres some concern for that. Well see if they [SCOTUS] take a slower course, Michael Magner said. In his concurrence, Justice Clarence Thomas opined that substantive due process is both unconstitutional and an oxymoron, stating, We should reconsider all of this Courts substantive due process precedents. The opinion of the court, by contrast, holds back on seeking to junk substantive due process, instead arguing that the nations history shows the right to abortion is not protected under the Fourteenth Amendment. The justices did take pains to go through the history of all of these decisions and explain why this decision could be distinguished, Elizabeth Magner said. The couple, who said they are faithful Catholics, told The Epoch Times they havent experienced any protests or threats. We do find that people on the other side are very, very angry, and are hostile to us, so we tend to keep our heads down a little bit. We do talk to people who are willing to listen and have a conversation, Elizabeth Magner said. Afternoon Heats Up Another sweltering afternoon brought hundreds of pro-abortion protesters back to the Supreme Court building. They clashed with a small group of anti-abortion activists. Both pro-abortion and anti-abortion activists maintained an uneasy relationship with the U.S. Capitol Police, who stepped in to separate the two camps. Sheyla Tellez, an anti-abortion activist from California, stepped away from the heated back-and-forth to speak with The Epoch Times. I want women to realize they have other options, she said, noting that pro-life pregnancy centers increasingly outnumber abortion clinics. I think its not actually a solution to end a human life, she added. Sheyla Tellez demonstrates against abortion in Washington on June 26, 2022. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times) Tellez questioned the argument from many pro-abortion activists on the scene that opponents of abortion are racist. She pointed out that Planned Parenthood was founded by a proponent of eugenics, Margaret Sanger. I think its kind of ridiculous that they call us white supremacists. Youre looking at me right now, she added, noting that her own parents were Mexican immigrants. While angry verbal clashes between the camps took center stage, protesters from both sides told The Epoch Times that they had constructive dialogues with their opponents. There have been many great conversations with people who really did not understand what Roe actually did, said Mark Lee Dickson, a director with Right to Life East Texas, in an interview with The Epoch Times. Many people, I believe, are actually okay with the idea of their legislatures deciding this issue, he added, before stating that now, the fight is to abolish abortion completely. One anti-SCOTUS protester from Texas, Rick Erickson, said he shook hands with an anti-abortion activist he debated. I was not for the federal law that was put in place with Roe, but really, it should be up to the statesand as all 50 states. We should come up with a plan, he told The Epoch Times about his belief that all 50 states should coordinate and come up with a singular plan. Read More Protests Against Roe v. Wade Decision Continue in Washington It looks pretty peaceful. Everyones getting their voices heard, said Jeff Sauer, a Texan who described himself as pro-life, in an interview with The Epoch Times. He and his son, Carter, were not there to protest. They described themselves as tourists, just passing through the crowd. Im upset because I violently disagree with them [anti-abortion protesters], but everybody has a right to be here, said Samantha, a pro-abortion protester who would not provide her last name. Yet, at least some pro-abortion demonstrators on the scene could not imagine such conversations going very far. Im worried about getting into a conversation with someone and then being accused of being too emotional, or being a snowflake, said Juliette, a pro-abortion protester from Alexandria, Virginia, in an interview with The Epoch Times. She and her father, John, would not provide their last names. The reality is, if I got in a conversation with them, I would probably get angry, John told The Epoch Times. Read our Day 1 coverage here. Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee election commission, collects the count from absentee ballots from a voting machine in Milwaukee on Nov. 4, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Wisconsin GOP Addressing Zuckerbucks at Statewide Election Integrity Events: Party Director The Wisconsin Republican Party is trying to expose private entities financial involvement in the U.S. democratic processes, according to the states party director. In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, Wisconsin Republican Party Executive Director Mark Jefferson said the party is trying to raise awareness of the influence of Zuckerbucks in Wisconsins recent elections and restore voter confidence during its current nine-city election integrity roundtables with the public. We think conversations lead to more involvement, which is going to lead to more confidence in the system, Jefferson said, referring to the election integrity events, which have featured training and recruitment sessions for current and prospective poll workers. Right now, in addition to recruiting people to be poll observers and poll workers, we want people to know [about] some of the problems weve encountered in the past from the Zuckerbucks that weve had, especially in places like Racine and Green Bay, and really, in all the major cities in Wisconsin. Zuckerbucks By Zuckerbucks, Jefferson is referring to the donations from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, to election offices across the country that funded official government vote counts during the 2020 elections. The couple made $419.5 million in donations to nonprofits, $350 million of which went to the Safe Elections Project of the left-wing Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL). The most recent investigation on the use of Zuckerbucks in election administration in Wisconsin was conducted by a former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Michael Gableman, who found that more than 200 jurisdictions in Wisconsin received Zuckerbucks from CTCL during the 2020 election, totaling more than $9 million. Gableman was heading the Office of the Special Counsel, which was created in 2021 by Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, to investigate allegations of election fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Read More Wisconsin Investigation of 2020 Election Results Paused by Speaker An adviser that CTCL sent to Green Bay, Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein, allegedly allowed unqualified individuals to help administer the 2020 election and offered assistance with curing ballots, according to local clerk Kris Teske, The Wall Street Journal reported. Another adviser that CTCL made available to Green Bay was from the left-leaning think tank Brennan Center for Justice, which states that it supports Democratic legal and election causes, according to The Journal. Jefferson said many on the left were upset about billionaires putting money in election campaigns before the 2020 election cycle. But that attitude is very different from how they approached the election in 2020. Now, all of a sudden, theyre just fine with billionaires putting money into our election administration and actually helping finance the counting of the votes, he said. So thats what were trying to bring light to that issue, and push for legislative changes and pass bills to prohibit it. Sloppy Process Jefferson said the security of the 2020 election was subject to concern because of exacerbated irregularities caused by record early voting numbers and chaos surrounding election administration. In presidential elections, give or take, well have 25 percent of the electorate voting before Election Day. And this last time, we were well over 50 percent. And so that jumped in one cycle, which in itself makes a difficult problem. But then, when rules arent being followed on top of it, you have a very, very sloppy process, he said. It was a process that a lot of people did not trust, and I think for good reason. According to special counsel Gablemans report, the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) violated numerous laws during the 2020 election, including by issuing directives that allegedly ordered local election officials to disregard state statutes that regulate absentee voting. The report also alleges that the WEC violated the law by facilitating mentally incompetent nursing home residents, noncitizens, and ineligible felons to vote. WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a statement, The integrity of the November 2020 election, and of the WEC, has been shown time, and time again, through court cases and previous investigations. Gablemans investigation is currently on pause amid several legal battles. In their efforts to improve election integrity, Jefferson said Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature have been trying to pass legislation, such as a measure banning the use of private funds in election administration. However, the proposals were ultimately vetoed by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat. So Republican-dominated counties have now taken up the issue to hold their own referendums on whether to ban Zuckerbucks. So far, Walworth County has successfully passed the ban. Jefferson said the 2022 Wisconsin Republican platform, which the party plans to release in the next few days, will feature Republican themes similar to its 2020 platform. He said the resolutions accompanying the platform would dive deeper into the issues of the day, of which election integrity is at top of the list. Matthew Vadum and Steven Kovac contributed to this report. UPDATE: This article has been updated to include detail on the Office of the Special Counsel. A bucket-wheel dumping soil and sand removed from another area of the mine in Newcastle, the world's largest coal exporting port on November 5, 2021. (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images) Women in Fly-In-Fly-Out Mining Suffer Staggering Range of Sexual Abuse: Report An inquiry into Western Australias fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) mining sector has unveiled a staggering range of sexual abuse and harassment against female workers. The WA government released a report on Thursday that said sexual assault has been generally accepted or overlooked in the FIFO mining sector, with womens rights undermined by the abuse of positions of power and the culture of cover-up. The inquiry was told that women accounted for 74 percent of FIFO mining workers who reported sexual harassment at work. Among the horror stories revealed in the report was one incident involving a woman facing review due to a near-miss incident while driving a haul truck. She was told by a male supervisor that he could make a safety investigation go away if she obeyed his sexual request. One woman said she was knocked unconscious in her room and awoke to find her jeans and underpants around her ankles. I felt sick, ashamed, violated, dirty, and very confused, she was quoted saying. Another said: The hypocrisy and differing standards between men and women who dont act like men in the mining industry is stark. I have escalated womens laundry being stolen from camp laundry rooms to be met with comments of, What do you want us to do about it? and, That happens. Just get used to it, but then have the same manager send out a general alert saying that its unacceptable to steal peoples tools. The report revealed women working in the mining industry experienced unwanted touching, sexual comments, provocative photo requests, and grooming. There was also evidence of powerplay behaviour called shovelling, where iron ore would be dumped on the cab of womens trucks if sexual requests were not met. I was shocked and appalled well beyond expectation by the size and depth of the problem, the inquirys chair, Libby Mettam, told the state Parliament. To hear the lived reality of the taunts, attacks, and targeted violence, the devastation and despair the victims experienced, the threats or loss of their livelihood that resulted, was shattering. And its completely inexcusable and simply shocking that this could be taking place in the 21st century in one of the states most lucrative industry sectors. Workers noted that the highly regimented structure of FIFO workplace environment, which strips them of control over their work and personal time, is a significant source of distress and contributes to a high rate of bullying in the industry. In self-preservation, people create subcultures based on ultra-masculinity and dominance, and engage in maladaptive behavior like bullying, as a means to exert control over their situation, the report said. Other factors include short-term contracts and heavy alcohol use. According to the inquiry, women are afraid of speaking up due to fear of recrimination, risk of losing ones position and shifts, the lack of avenues for reporting, and distrust in the system. Recommendations In response to the inquiry, mining companies and industry representatives acknowledged that the FIFO industry has a serious problem, with Rio Tinto Chief Executive Simon Trott saying he was appalled and sickened by the stories of sexual harassment. Rio Tinto, the leading global mining group, in March established the Everyday Respect Taskforce to respond to sexual harassment and bullying and to ensure the silent voices remain loudest. Meanwhile, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said in a media release on June 23 that any case of sexual harassment is one too many. Sadly, the inquiry has found that sexual harassment and assaults are much too common for women who choose to work in the FIFO workforce. The inquiry made 24 recommendations, one of which were suggestion that mining companies should enforce serious repercussions, including dismissal, for any person who has attempted to seek sexual favours for advantage. Other recommendations including establishing a forum to hear and acknowledge the experience of the victims, and implementing moderate drinking standards in mining companies. MYSTIC Mystic Aquarium said Friday that the deaths of two beluga whales were unpreventable. However, an animal advocacy group that filed a complaint against the aquarium last month cited federal reports that show one beluga whales pool had poor water quality two months before she died. The two beluga whales, Havok and Havana, died months after being transferred from a facility in Canada. The two had undiagnosed health conditions, according to necropsy reports conducted by the Fisheries branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mystic Aquarium delivers consistent, world-class care to all animals that call Mystic Aquarium home, said Meagan Seacor, the aquariums vice president of external relations. The necropsy reports showed that their causes of death were unpredictable, unpreventable, incurable and undiagnosable until after death through necropsy. The animal care and veterinary teams did everything they could for these animals, Seacor continued. While devastating losses, the necropsy reports validate that there was nothing more that could have been done to prevent their deaths. Stop Animal Exploitation Now, an animal advocacy group out of Ohio that focuses on eliminating animal experimentation, filed a complaint regarding the whale deaths with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on May 25. In the complaint, the organization stated negligence at this facility killed Havana. Reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated Havanas cause of death was storage disease in her brain and spinal cord, while Havoks cause of death was determined to be gastrointestinal disease. NOAA Fisheries is continuing to review the circumstances of the deaths and said it is coordinating closely with the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Since Havoks death in August 2021, NOAA Fisheries has ordered Mystic Aquarium to suspend all research activities until they say otherwise. The USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is looking into SAENs complaint against the aquarium. A spokesperson with the USDA could not confirm nor deny that an investigation is taking place Friday. Michael Budkie, the executive director of SAEN, said that though Mystic Aquarium claims to provide world-class care, reports from the USDA show otherwise. In a Sept. 29 inspection, the USDA issued five violations. One violation noted water quality issues in which there were elevated oxidants in the water from July 31 to Aug. 27. These elevated levels could cause irritation to eyes, skin, and the respiratory system, the USDA said in the inspection. Three of the five violations in the inspection were considered critical. These encompassed veterinary care, animal handling and the facilities. Violations like this are not lightly issued by the USDA, Budkie said in a statement. The federal agency followed up again with another inspection in January that contained repeat water quality violations in Havanas pool, as well as the pool of Jetta, another beluga whale. The inspection stated that, while both whales were under veterinary care, there were many days when the coliform bacteria count in the water far exceeded USDA standards. At the time, Havana was experiencing medical issues, including keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea. One ophthalmologist said that coliform changes may have contributed to the eye issue as elevated levels of coliforms could also cause irritation to a whales eyes, skin and respiratory system, according to the inspection. Evidence documented by the federal regulatory agency charged with enforcing the Animal Welfare Act shows that Mystic Aquariums claims to provide world class care are quite simply false, he added. The USDA inspected the aquariums six remaining beluga whales, along with 24 other animals, in early April and said the aquarium was in compliance at the time, according to a USDA inspection report. Havana, a 6-year-old beluga whale, experienced an emergency and died on Feb. 11, an official from the aquarium told the National Institutes of Healths Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare in a letter. A report from NOAA stated Havanas cause of death was storage disease in her brain and spinal cord. Despite pushback from animal rights groups and a lawsuit, the aquarium imported five beluga whales from a facility in Canada in May 2021. A few months later, in August 2021, 5-year-old Havok died while being treated for gastrointestinal issues. A federal oversight report revealed that staff recorded Havoks abnormal behavior but failed to notify his veterinarian until hours after he died. Havoks cause of death was later determined to be gastrointestinal disease, according to a report from NOAA. Incident reports said both whales deaths were the result of health issues and were unrelated to any research being performed. Beluga whales typically live 30 to 35 years, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. However, NOAA says these whales can live up to 90 years. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT The Westport Country Playhouse has been a staple of the community for more than 90 years, and it all started with a husband and wife duo, Lawrence Langner and Armina Marshall. Now, the couple will be commemorated with a Literary Landmark though the exact location is to be determined as there has been a question about where in town makes the most sense. Literary Landmarks are presented to historic literary sites involving a deceased literary figure or author around the country as part of the American Library Association. Anybody can apply for a landmark, so long as they compile the information needed for one and discuss it with a local organization, such as a library. Langner eventually focused on the writing side of production, which is why he qualifies for one. Some of his best known works include the co-written play The Pursuit of Happiness and the Magic Curtain memoir. He really is the father of modern Broadway when you look at the fact that he built, on Broadway, the Guild Theatre... which is now the August Wilson Theatre, Joel Vig, one of the committee members for the project, said about Langner. In 1919, Langner co-founded the Theatre Guild in New York City, supervising more than 200 productions. History The Playhouse was once an old barn located on an apple orchard, which Langner and Marshall repurposed after purchasing it for $14,000. Originally, the location was called the Woodland Theatre, but was renamed on opening day, June 29, 1931. As founders, Langner and Marshall who were residents of Weston ran the playhouse as a Broadway try-out location and a summer theater. This allowed some big names from Broadway to make their way to Westport. Under the direction of Langner and Marshall, the Playhouses first show in 1931 was The Streets of New York, which eventually made it to Broadway. Langner and Marshall eventually handed off the theater to James B. McKenzie in 1959, and now it is under new direction. Vig, who has helped sanction other Literary Landmarks, originally came up with the idea to apply for the landmark designation. He has been involved in theater for a long time, and even worked with Langners son, Philip. He said while he was at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, he researched and found that there was not a Literary Landmark in Westport. I always refer to Lawrence and Armina as the giants of the American theater, Vig said, because I think that the American theater owes more to Lawrence and Armina in the 20th century than any two other people in the world. I had never met Lawrence but I had met Armina near the end of her life, he said. Each of them had a remarkable life filled with amazing achievements. Vig then got in touch with Ann Sheffer, a longtime resident of Westport who was involved with the Playhouse and Westport Library for many years, and they began working with Bill Harmer, head librarian of the Westport Library. The library ultimately submitted the application. Sheffer said she wanted to be a part of the Literary Landmark project because she loved the Playhouse, which she has been involved with since she was 13. My family, beginning with my grandparents who came to Westport in 1930 and my parents who moved here in 1950, knew the Langners well, and saw many productions at the Playhouse, as well as at the Theatre Guild in NYC, Sheffer said. As someone who loves the history of Westport, Sheffer said, I was delighted when Joel Vig asked me to help him in creating a Literary Landmark for Lawrence Langner and Armina Marshall. Location The original plan was to have the plaque hung at the Westport Country Playhouse as part of its 90th anniversary. However, now over a year into the process, there will most likely be a new location. According to Vig, issues arose between the committee and current members of the Playhouse about what information would go on the plaque, and they could not agree on a statement. Members of the committee wanted the plaque to focus more on Langners accomplishments, rather than the playhouse itself. Due to the disagreement over the plaques content, Sheffer proposed it should be placed in a different location. Sheffer, who paid for the plaque, said she is discussing with First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker and the Westport Library to find a new location to house it. Potential locations include a sign near the Playhouse on Post Road East, Winslow Park and the Langner family house in Weston. Were just looking for a place that people will see it and can celebrate Lawrence Langner and Armina Marshall, Sheffer said. Michael Barker, managing director of the Westport Country Playhouse, said it is only right for Langners contributions to theater and literature to be commemorated with a Literary Landmark. The founding of the Westport Country Playhouse is almost unique in the history of surviving American regional theaters, he said. While most regional theaters were started by local members of the community, Langners vision for an oasis of art outside of the commercial pressures of New York sprang from a different noble impulse. Baker also said the Playhouses mission is influenced by Langners work to this day. Eve Langner, granddaughter of Lawrence Langner and Marshall, was appreciative of the work done to get the landmark. It makes me proud to know that their accomplishments and their lifes work is being honored, she said. When I stop to think about what they accomplished in their lifetimes, it is remarkable to me all the things that they experienced, they wrote, and all the people with whom they worked. It is extraordinary. Eve Langner also talked about the potential new locations. I think ultimately the Landmark is a celebration and, in knowing my grandparents love of Westport, I would like it to be placed in a spot where the residents will be able to view it for generations to come, she said. Vig said Marshall may soon also be inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame, which will be announced on September 24. Looking back, Eve Langner said, I think that my grandparents were visionaries in the world of theater. It was their passion. They committed their lives to that passion and the belief that theater was for everyone to enjoy, be it on Broadway, summer theater stages, on the radio and on television. kayla.mutchler@hearstmediact.com LOS ANGELES (AP) Two years ago, Leili Ghazi quit studying biomedical engineering in Iran and seized the chance to travel to the United States to build a new life for herself and her parents. Now, the 22-year-old is separated indefinitely from her family because her father performed required military service more than two decades ago as a conscript for a branch of the Iranian armed forces that the U.S. government years later declared a foreign terrorist organization. The designation bars anyone associated with the group from traveling to the United States, including her dad. He had to do office work and work on plans of buildings, said Ghazi, who has been anxious and depressed since moving to Southern California. She expected her parents to eventually join her but later learned her father would be forced to stay behind. He hasn't done any activity of going to war or anything. It was not anything like that." It has long been a challenge for Iranians to travel to the United States and visa applicants often wait months or years for background checks to clear. But since the Trump administration designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization in 2019, it has become all but impossible for anyone who served in the branch, even as a conscript and in a non-combat role, to obtain a visa to travel to the United States. Many Iranian Americans and their families hoped the Biden administration would reverse course on the designation so those who served as conscripts could still travel. They note Iranian men are compelled to serve if they want to obtain passports to leave the country, have no say over what branch they're assigned to and largely perform basic tasks such as painting or office jobs. But their hopes were dashed when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in late April that barring changes in Iran there was no plan to remove the designation. He acknowledged in remarks before U.S. lawmakers that those most affected are the conscripts while the people who are the real bad guys have no intention of travel. There should be exceptions, and right now we dont have exceptions, said Ally Bolour, a Los Angeles immigration attorney whose firm has sued over how the designation is applied. It is unfair for the U.S. government to just throw a towel over everything and just lump everybody together. Thats lazy. The U.S. has designated a lengthy list of foreign terror organizations dating back to the 1990s, including Hamas and Perus Shining Path. But the groups are almost entirely private militias, not state-run entities, like IRGC, that enlist conscripts under the law. The secretary of state designates the groups in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary, and with congressional review, and can also revoke designations. For example, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia was listed as a foreign terror organization in 1997 and delisted in 2021. People who provide support or resources to foreign terror organizations and who aren't U.S. citizens can't legally enter the country and can face deportation. In addition, financial institutions that control funds for these groups must retain possession of the funds and report them to U.S. authorities. A U.S. State Department spokesperson could not immediately say how many former Iranian conscripts have had visa applications affected by the designation. The spokesperson said applications are reviewed on an individual basis and in some cases waivers can be applied. The designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business, the spokesperson said. Immigration attorneys, however, said theyre fielding tons of calls from former conscripts dealing with the issue and dont see exceptions being made. Attorney Scott Emerick, who works with Bolour, said he has received hundreds of calls and believes the government can make exceptions for conscripts who didnt serve voluntarily. Taher Kameli, an attorney in Chicago who has also sued, said he fields calls daily from people asking how the designation affects them. He said he doesnt believe the U.S. government can list another countrys military as a foreign terrorist organization and notes past administrations also had issues with the branch and refrained from making the designation due to the consequences it would bring. We are not here to say the IRGC is doing something right or wrong. We are just saying the way the designation is done is wrong, said Kameli, who represents an Iranian-born U.S.-educated doctor affected by the rule. The fallout from the designation stretches far beyond the United States. Iranians said the U.S. shares data on travelers with countries in Europe and Canada, and they fear they'll be blocked from traveling there as well. Several Iranian-born Canadian citizens said they've faced additional scrutiny during what were previously quick and easy trips across the border. Amir Abolhassani, a 41-year-old engineer, said he had traveled many times to the United States without a problem as a Canadian citizen, but he was recently stopped by authorities on a trip to North Carolina where his company planned to transfer him for a new job. Abolhassani was told he couldn't go because of his conscription more than a decade ago, which he said consisted of two months of basic training and designing water pipelines for the branch. He said he was assigned at random and the service was necessary so he could obtain a passport and leave the country to continue his education. Now, he and his wife are in limbo because they have already sold their home to make the move but can't get visas. The worst part is that they tell you you are a terrorist, Abolhassani said. We have come out of that country because we were against their policies, because we were against their behavior, and now saying, You belong to that system, you belong to that regime, you are part of the organization we have listed as a terrorist organization that is very unjust. That is unbearable. The designation also weighs heavily on Iranian citizens who have lived in the U.S. with green cards for years and want to become American citizens. Paris Etemadi Scott is legal director of PARS Equality Center in San Jose, California, which provides legal and social services to immigrants from Persian-speaking and other countries. She said she now tells most clients who have served in the contested branch or those whose spouses did to think twice about applying to naturalize because when they go to an interview they'll face a barrage of additional questions and be forced to sign a detailed statement under oath about their long-ago military service. We thought this was a Trump thing but obviously nothing has changed, she said. I tell them, I dont have the stamina anymore to go through this ordeal. We advise you to wait and see. If there is a tripartite situation in life that people learn much from, it is unarguably the one that comprises of hard times, bad examples, and defeat. This certainly holds with how political leaders cum politicians carry themselves from one political dispensation to the other, particularly in Nigerian since 1999. Aptly put, they promote themselves and act selfishly. At first glance, self-centered politicians are not difficult to identify as they are wont to unashamedly exhibit do-or-die disposition. Not only that, they are wont to display acquisitive character as if the resources God blesses Nigeria with as a nation solely belongs to them. Oddly enough, people in this category across the country are just marginal percentage of the demographic segment of Nigerias societies put together. This category of politicians or political leaders are not difficult to identify in public places, and they are majorly not in any way better than Nigerians in other sectors of the economy; in terms of academic and professional qualifications and leadership qualities, but only God knows how most of them find themselves at the corridors of power where their collective and individual decisions negatively influence our lives as electorates. Without any resort to amplification in this context, this has been the cross which other Nigerians, like you and me, that are not privileged to be at the corridors of power have collectively been carrying since 1999 when democratic system of government commenced. This category of leaders deceptively appear to be people-centered leaders, mission-driven people, or, even, individuals who genuinely care for the well-being of those that elected them to the political position they usually brag with. However, as the electorates have realized over time, these political leaders tend to make decisions and take actions that boost their own welfare, career, or reputation. Many examples exist of actions that such self-centered leaders are wont to take. For instance, they may take advantage of desirable or potentially career enhancing travel opportunities as they junket from one continent to the other; attending international events that could have been attended by a mere Special Assistant, so to say, or could have being not too important event, and thus needed to be declined. No, they must attend the event to boost their ego and garner BTAs. They will fulfill requests from political scavengers and supporters to personally benefit or gain politically in the bid to boost what they told us is political structure, even in spite of shortchanging the electorates they are constitutionally mandated to represent in their various offices. To self-centered political leaders, everything and everyone else is secondary to their personal gains Seldom will these individuals make political appointments that will make positive impact to their offices unless doing so is beneficial politically. In regard to Special Assistants and other appointees performance, self-centered leaders only care about how it may impact them; not on governance that will impact on the electorates. At first glance, these leaders appear to have a laid-back approach. However, this remains true only until their image or reputation is in jeopardy. Then, although, perhaps, misinformed or unfamiliar with the situation at hand, they make a snap decision based, of course, on self-interest. When these leaders perceive that a situation may negatively impact on them, they have little or no patience for the issue or persons involved. Often, their concern for themselves will make them resort to anger when under perceived scrutiny or questioning. Aptly put, they are usually paranoid whenever they find themselves in such situation. These individuals skillfully can claim credit for others successes and distance themselves from negative situations. Further, in the interest of political career enhancement, self-centered political leaders shamelessly will placate higher ranking or influential persons within a political party even when they ought not. In fact, self-centered leaders often will use their position to intimidate others and manipulate them into responding to directives or requests. They even may threaten unfounded disciplinary actions. These leaders find this necessary because their victims may not have the political influence and wealth to fight back. How do the people deal and coexist with this category of political leaders? This is a difficult question to answer. One thing remains certain, the self-centered politician cannot and will not change. His narcissistic personality and value system has taken shape for years. Perhaps, the best advice for those under the influence of a self-centered political leaders is to remember that, ultimately, everyone should strive to work to the best of their ability for personal pride and a greater good, regardless of poor leadership. At this juncture, permit me to say that the particulars of the presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates, senatorial and house of representatives candidates for the 2023 elections, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published on June 24, 2023, with the name of the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan missing from the senatorial list, inspired me to express this view as a way of speaking truth to the collective conscience of some of our political leaders and polticians that have the predilection to always engage in political bullying and electoral intimidation. Other prominent names missing from the list included those of the Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, and the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio. As gathered, in particular, the Yobe North senatorial ticket for the All Progressives Congress (APC) generated controversy after the winner of the partys primary, Bashir Machina, insisted he would not step down for Lawan, who presently occupies the position. It would be recalled that the senate president, alongside Umahi and Akpabio, had contested for the APC presidential ticket but lost to Bola Tinubu. But reports say the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) forwarded their names to INEC for recognition as the partys candidates for their various senatorial seats; a development that sparked outrage on the social media. Ostensibly as a result of the outrage from social media buffs, Adamu warned Machina over his comments on the partys senatorial ticket for the district. Speaking on the development in an interview on BBC Hausa, the APC chairman said the issues affecting the party in primaries were not unusual and would be resolved. The APC listed Lawan, Akpabio and Umahi as candidates for Yobe North, Akwa Ibom North-west, and Ebonyi South senatorial districts, respectively. In Akwa Ibom, the APC senatorial primary election had held on May 27, 2023, with Udom Ekpoudom, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, emerging as the candidate. But the APC allegedly dumped Ekpoudom and allowed a fresh primary that produced Akpabio. Umahi also reportedly had a primary election that produced his brother, which was allegedly cancelled for a fresh one, but which INEC did not recognize. ThisDay Newspaper claimed it saw a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the report of the INEC team sent to monitor the Yobe North APC senatorial primary election. The CTC, signed by Omale Samuel and dated May 28, 2022, showed that Machina polled 289 votes out of 300 delegates at the exercise. Also, another report from the Yobe State office of INEC on the conduct of the election showed that the exercise was held at the Government House in Gashua, the headquarters of Bade local government area of the state. INEC, according to the newspaper, confirmed in the CTC that Machina won the election. Machina has insisted that he won the primary and remained the APC candidate for the Yobe North senatorial district in the 2023 National Assembly election. Adamu had submitted Lawans name as the candidate of the APC for the Yobe North senatorial election slated for February 2023 to the INEC. Machina, however, had to take the necessary legal steps to stop INEC from publishing Lawans name as the APC candidate. INEC had consistently maintained that it lacked the powers to pick a candidate in an election, even though its authentication was necessary to certify that an election was held. To any reader of this piece that has the fear of God, a dispassionate analysis of the foregoing will show that there are politicians across the country that do not care if other people exist except them and their family members. Therefore, my take in this piece is that politicians or rather our political leaders should refrain from self-centeredness as it is obfuscating the ongoing democratic dispensation that commenced since 1999 to the extent that it is hindering the attainment of good governance across the three-tiers of government in Nigeria. I need to point out that I know none of these men, nor have I dealt with them in any capacity now or in the past. I am only here to give a psychological picture of what I call the Buharian image of the Nigerian space; "Nigerians are the problem." A mass problem that is further complicated by the media, where the influence of money and power has taken charge of journalism at the behest of media ethics. In the last few hours, the Nigerian media has been filled with what appears to be bombshell election news surrounding Bola Ahmed Tinubu, pointing out that in his educational declaration on new INEC forms he did not show names of primary and secondary schools. At no point did Tinubu say he had no primary or secondary school education. Even if he is not able to show the concrete certificates, whether due to being lost or accidentally damaged, how does that show he has no basic educational background? One thing is certain: he is a Nigerian-educated person who earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Administration with a major in accounting from Chicago State University in 1979. In past election seasons, through media hysteria, President Muhammadu Buhari, also an American trained military scientist with post-secondary education, was said not to have a WAEC certificate and, so, he is not eligible to vie for any elective position. Let's say that Buhari's basic educational certificates were with the military, like he said, or they could not be located, what cannot be denied by the American government is that Buhari holds a diploma from the United States Army War College. On the part of Atiku Abubakar, the media has it that he holds a secondary school education, although not of the highest level. He has post-secondary education in hygiene science and a diploma in law, and in recent times he has worked hard and now has a masters degree in International Relations from the United Kingdom. Atiku was even questioned about his citizenship, which was not his fault as an infant because the part of Adamawa State where he was born was under the territory of Northern Cameroon, not Nigeria, which later joined Nigeria. This illogical media and political idiocy were triggered on Atiku who once worked for the Nigerian Customs Service, once won the governorship of Adamawa State, and served as the Vice President of the country for eight years. What is most stunning about the current uproar is that a basic education such as a primary or secondary school certificate is required to be president, as in the case of Tinubu. In 2019, it became a settled matter when the Supreme Court held that Buhari, per the constitution, is not required to possess a secondary school certificate to be qualified to run for the presidency and does not have to submit it to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to run for the presidency. Yet in a society where lawlessness and lack of respect for operating laws are rampant, the media and the people should be asking the presidential candidates about how they will handle monumental problems like crime and security, poverty, unemployment, poor electricity, infrastructure and road hassles, illegal substitution of candidates' names, and human rights abuses. With ridiculous media reports like those noted above, the world's negative perception of Nigeria continues, especially in a world of social media where nothing is hidden globally. This makes me wonder why at a time when the G7 summit being hosted by Germany discussing matters like hunger, poverty, and health will invite nations like Senegal and South Africa over and over, as well as others, but Nigeria, Africa's largest economy with high-level vulnerable economic problems, seems to be left out. Maybe we need to start changing our ways by reducing disinformation, misinformation, and the habit of denying reality. If Nigeria is to grow in its democratic systems and civic institutions and protect itself from the deliberate process of subverting its future, it must change. John Egbeazien Oshodi, who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria to a father who served in the Nigeria police for 37 years, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult and child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional, and Career Development. He is a former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African Settings In 2011, he introduced State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and Nasarawa State University, where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. He is currently a Virtual Behavioral Leadership Professor at ISCOM University, Republic of Benin. Founder of the proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien Open University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, and Openness. Over forty academic publications and creations, at least 200 public opinion pieces on African issues, and various books have been written by him. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues. Prof. Oshodi wrote in via [email protected] Dear Kristalina Georgieva, As a group of Somali individuals who works to expose and fight corruption, we have witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects of state looting by unscrupulous politicians and officials. We just want to inform the IMF that our former President Mahamed Abdullahi (Farmaajo) did a rapid improvement in the country for the last five years. The Somali economy appears set for a robust recovery in part due to active government interventions. President Mahamed Abdullahi Farmaajo with the help of his Minister of Finance Abdirahaman Duale Beileh they have addressed the countrys long-term needsincluding building toward sustainable and inclusive growth. The recent news coming out shows-Somalia's outgoing Minister of Finance Abdirahman Duale Beileh is summoned by the office of the attorney general, particularly the Financial and Economic Crimes Unit on Monday, June 27, according to a letter dated June 25. Clearly this is to sabotage Somalias economic program supported by an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and we want IMF to closely monitor this situation. The new elected President Hassan Sheikh has flouted all kinds of norms in (2017) starting with his decision not to divest from his business interests while in office. That set the stage for an administration marked by self-interest, profiteering at the highest levels and more than 1000s of conflicts of interest. An example ( Maryland lawyer was charged in an 11-count indictment for his alleged role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain control of more than $12.5 million that was held by financial institutions on behalf of the President Hassan Sheikh's government, to improperly take part of those funds for fees and expenses, and to launder a portion of those funds to accounts for the benefit of his co-conspirators) There are likely hundreds, perhaps even thousands more conflicts that we have no way of knowing about. Four years and more than 1000s of conflicts of interest later, there is absolutely no doubt that President Hassan Sheikh tried at every turn to use the presidency to benefit his bottom line. This hinders development in some of the poorest countries in the world by depriving governments of revenues desperately needed to combat poverty. State capture and corruption has had a clear impact on the people of this country. The consequences of the looting have been dire and have undoubtedly contributed to deepening inequality, poverty and unemployment and extends beyond a financial loss. The capacity of the state has been severely eroded; and Human rights, such as health care, social security, the public transport system and basic education, to name only a few, have been compromised by the actions of corrupt individuals and powerful corporations. The struggle against corruption and the rebuilding of our institutions, cannot only be left to people in power. The people of Somalia should also play their part in holding those in power to account. Somalia's struggle for social justice and human rights will not be realised if those who loot with impunity in the public and private sector remain unaccountable. To the political elites who write ruminating columns and use the loud hailers of social media to fuel the fires of hate, violence and division for political machinations we say: no single political organisation can claim ownership of speaking for the people. That voice belongs to each and every one of us the people of Somalia. The Somali general public are peeling back the layers of secrecy and exposing the extent of the rot in our systems of governance, is vital for the future of this country. This work is contributing to the growing knowledge of what needs to change in order for the country to move forward and for our democracy to be strengthened. There are many people that remain in key positions of power who have been implicated in serious corruption and malfeasance. We have elected leaders and bestowed on them the responsibility to govern, to enable us to achieve a better life for all not themselves. We, as people of Somalia, have a right to know in whose interests decisions supposedly in "our name were and continue to be made. The culture of secrecy and impunity must come to an end if our democracy is to thrive. Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable, as too are the requirements for transformative actions to address the injustices that remain embedded in our social, economic and political systems. We, the undersigned, support/endorse this open letter to raise our voices in solidarity against corruption and impunity, and to say now is the time for us to be heard. We want IMF to be more transparent to listen to Somali people. The realities of the current moment cannot be met with silence and complacency. Best Wishes, The People of Somalia Finally on 25th June, 2022 Bangladesh has inaugurated the Padma Bridge, countrys most anticipated infrastructure project. The grand ceremony took place at the bridge premises. The ceremony started at 10:00 AM in the morning. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina as the chief guest of the ceremony took the podium at 10:49 AM and gave 34 minute long speech. During her remarkable speech, Sheikh Hasina talked about the past, present and the future of Bangladesh and its economic development. It is worthy to translate the speech for the understanding of the larger audience. So, I have translated the speech and the transcript of the Speech as follows: Assalamu Alaikum and Greetings to Everyone. We are standing at the historic moment as Bangladesh is going to inaugurate the Padma Bridge. I give my sincere gratitude to my sister, my children and nephews and my family members. We achieved our independence as a great nation under the great leadership and contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I pay my great respect to the freedom fighters, the people who laid down their lives in 1971. It is a grief that I lost my family members and other officials who fall victim on the 15 August of 1975. They were brutally killed. I am grateful to the people and professionals who are involved in making of the Padma Bridge including law enforcements and engineers. I must mention the efforts of Late Engineer Jamilur Rahman. Many conspiracies, false allegations of corruption as well defamation by the World Bank and its companions posed challenges to the project. The name of my family and officials were tarnished by the conspirators. It was an excruciating experience for me and my family members. All these allegations were false and national and international courts have ruled in favor of us that these allegations were grotesquely false and were carried out only to challenge our independent position. But with the help of my countrymen and experts we overcame these challenges. So, I pay my humble gratitude to all the people, engineers, professionals, government officials, my countrymen who gave me courage to take such a bold decision. It has not been possible to construct the Bridge without their help and continuous supports. Special thanks to the people of the banks of the Padma River, who gave away their ancestral lands for the Bridge without a second thought. In return, we compensated and rehabilitated them, but their sacrifice has no price that we could repay in monetary value. I know that countrymen are feeling proud and happy on this auspicious moment, so am I! Together, we overcame the conspiracies and made the dream come true. It is not only a Bridge, but also a source of hope, courage and friendly warm relations of the people of the two banks of the people in the region. It is a monument of pride; it is a symbol of our dignity, capacity and emotion. It is also a symbol of our passion, confidence, creativity as well as courage. After many conspiracies, ill-allegations, lastly we have been able to do it thanks to our courage and confidence. It is a symbol of the strength that Bangabandhu gave us. In this occasion, I remember the poem of Sukanta (A famous Bengali Poet), The world looks astonishingly. Well done! What we have done, Bangladesh! Damaged, shattered, yet will not back down! Bangladesh never backed down, never will. Bangabandhu taught us how to keep our head straight. He made us learn to stand with dignity and pride. We struggled 23 years under tyranny of Pakistan. After independence in 1971, Bangabandhu went Japan and asked Japan for the construction of Padma Bridge. He heralded the infrastructural drive of Bangladesh. Then, Japan ran the feasibility study also. But the heinous event of 15th August stopped further process. Later, when we came to power in 1996, we resumed the Jamuna Bridge project. In 1997, I went to Japan and asked them to build bridge to connect the southern part of the country. And eventually, Japan fulfilled their promise and built Rupsha Bridge. Then, in 2001 BNP government came to power and started a new feasibility study but after finding out that our plan was the best, they nullified the feasibility study. In 2009, we took the initiative to construct Padma Bridge after coming to power. On the 22nd day of our regime, we set up committee and hired experts to develop the design. The World Bank agreed to finance the construction. But a local MD of a bank with strong western link developed an enmity with the government. He was holding the position illegally and later also lost a lawsuit. After that, he took out his anger on the project and the World Bank backed out. Later, it withdrew financing placing the false allegation of corruption. Some of our civil society and economists also took part in the conspiracy. However, I challenged them. And later the Canadian court also found that the World Banks claim as null and void. I just want to say that this is our country and its prosperity is our responsibility. Even if some vested quarters try to tarnish our reputation, we will not back out. I declared in the parliament that we will made Padma Bridge with our own money. The people of Bangladesh responded greatly to our decision. They even came forward with their donation. I thank them. I thank the engineers who took the burden on their shoulders. I thank foreign agencies who provided their service. My father (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) taught us how to stand with dignity. And we will follow it. Today, I have no complaints against anyone. Those who have opposed the project should acknowledge our contribution. Once an international journalist asked Bangabandhu about how he would reconstruct his war-torn Bangladesh. Bangabandhu replied that he would do it with the land and with the people. Today, we followed the exact way and materialized the Bridge. Our economy is still doing better. Today, we have proved ourselves to the world that we are the proud sons and daughters of this land that our Father of the Nation Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I salute the people who are the sources of my strength. My fellow countrymen and women, our government also extended their warm hearts by providing money and courage. Some people thought that we will be remained dependent on the other. But, people responded and their courage and boldness gave us the strength to look forward. Now, I have no complaints to those people who made conspiracy to halt the project. The courage has come from Bangabandhu. Bangabandhu told that our people and soil are the sources of our strength. Across the world, Bangladesh has proved that Bangladesh had made victory. I pay my salute to the common people of Bangladesh. The task was not easy. The Padma has the second strongest current in the world after the Amazon River. It is very much unpredictable. So, there were big challenges to construct the Bridge. But, we did not make any compromises in term of capacity and strength. We have used world class technology in the project. I believe, it will add new enthusiasm to the study of civil engineering. The capacity we have made from the project will help to construct other bridges and our engineers will contribute at home and abroad. The Bridge will contribute to the communication both in the waterways and land. It will make revolutionary changes in the railway communication. All vehicles above and under the bridge will easily commute. For that, we have dug the deepest pile in the world to make the bridge. We dug 122 meter for a pile. We also took latest technology to withstand earthquake. River governance was another challenge. We took measures to protect both banks. We also developed Mawa-Zanjira route which will also have ramifications for regional connectivity. We also ensured routes for water vehicles. Water vehicles can pass through 36 of its 41 pillars. We had to go for land acquisition of 6509 acres from three districts. We have taken rehabilitation, reforestation, reserve forest and other ecological as well as measures for ensuring sustainability. It will increase communication, business, productivity, and growth. I believe that it will increase more than 1.2 % of GDP. It will contribute to the regional business, energy cooperation and increase trade, economic zones and connectivity. After the completion of the megaprojects, the Padma Bridge will make our economy more dynamic especially for the local economies of the 21 South and Southwestern districts. I believe it will also contribute to poverty alleviation. Now we are developing new economic zones, high-tech parks and industries. We are promoting regional trade and commerce. We are building power plants in several districts. We want to boost the local economy. At the end of this year, hopefully we will open the Karnafuli Tunnel. We will complete some parts of Metro rail by 2023 and the Rooppur nuclear plant will also be operational by then. We are working on elevated highway and Payra plant is already operational and producing electricity which will increase more in future. So, our economy will grow more in coming days. It will be more stable than ever. After the event of 15th August, I lived in exile as a refugee for six years. I came back to the country as the people wanted. I had one aim, to ensure betterment of the country. I believe I have the blessings of the people and my parents. Otherwise, I couldnt do such miracles because I was also a typical Bengali woman. But I could, because you blessed me. Anyway, those who oppose the betterment of the country, I hope you become patriot. You grow a sense of responsibility. We are doing praiseworthy in economic affairs and the fruit of this should reach the households of all the corners of the country. We celebrated the birth centenary of the Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2020. We celebrated Golden Jubilee of independence in 2021. In the same year, we also received the good news of LDC graduation from the United Nations. By 2026, we will graduate as a developing country. We aim to become a developed nation by 2041. We are also developing strategies so that the people of Bangladesh can have a sustainable future by carrying out the Delta plan-2100. The Bengali nation is the nation of heroes that shed blood on many occasions for freedom and justice. Dear countrymen and women, let me reiterate on this occasion that You kill us once, we take birth twice, a new sun is bound to rise and we will write new histories in its light. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu! After that, at 11:48 AM local time, PM Hasina opened the bridge and crossed the bridge and gave toll for the first time. Author Bio: Doreen Chowdhury is a doctoral researcher at the University of Groningen Ogun State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress has threatened to commence a full-blown strike on Monday June 27, following the state governments failure to comply to their demands. The state Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Emmanuel Bankole made this threat while interacting with members of the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria at a workshop held on Sunday in the state capital, Abeokuta. He made known that the final decision at the workers parliament, which would hold on June 27, would determine the scope of the intending strike. He said, Where we are currently is that the workers have been pushed to the wall; there are procedures when we want to go on strike and we have taken the pain to go through all that. We have gone beyond promises: that is where we are now. Bankole stated that some of the demands include remittance of 21 months of salary deductions; implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme. Others were payment of eight years of leave allowances; restoration of payment of gross salary and the implementation of Consequential Adjustment on Minimum Pension. On the issue of pensioners, statutory by the constitution of the Federal Republic, whenever there is wage review, minimum pension is also supposed to be reviewed, but as we speak, that has not been done. As we speak, some of those pensioners take as low as N5,000 as pension; you can imagine in that old age, even their drugs they buy monthly, some of those drugs are more than N5,000. We also have accumulated gratuity; we engaged the government and it started paying N500 million every quarter, which is grossly inadequate, bearing in mind the number of people that they need to pay. So, we are saying that the government need to upwardly review that quarterly payment, increase it so that a good number of people can receive this money while they are still alive, according to him. Xi Jinping to attend Hong Kong handover celebration BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend events to celebrate 25 years since Hong Kongs handover to China, state media reported yesterday (June 25), with the Communist Party looking to showcase its control over the city after crushing a democracy movement. Chinesepolitics By AFP Sunday 26 June 2022, 10:00AM Photo: AFP If Xi attends in person, the trip would be his first outside of the Chinese mainland since the pandemic began. But state media and Hong Kong officials did not explicitly say whether he would travel to the city or attend virtually. A trip would also coincide with the inauguration of Hong Kongs new administration, led by former security chief John Lee. The Chinese Communist Party places great importance on anniversaries, and Hong Kongs handover presents Xi with an opportunity to emphasise Chinas authority over Hong Kong after three years of political upheaval there. Hong Kong is at the halfway point of the One Country, Two Systems political model, which promised that the former British colonys way of life would remain unchanged for 50 years after its handover. But a national security law imposed after huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in 2019 has seen dissent quashed, with scores of opposition figures arrested in an ongoing political crackdown. The new Hong Kong government, to be sworn in on July 1, will be led by Lee, who oversaw the controversial police response to the democracy protests. Lee said yesterday he was delighted by the news of Xis attendance and thanked the Chinese leader for his caring and support for Hong Kong. Hong Kong is at the crucial stage of advancing from chaos to governance, and gradually towards prosperity, Lee said in a statement. COVID concerns Xi last visited Hong Kong in 2017 to swear in city leader Carrie Lam, a three-day trip marked by heavy public police presence. Chinas top leaders have attended the swearing-in of every Hong Kong chief executive since the 1997 handover, but Xi has not left the mainland since January 2020, when the coronavirus first emerged from the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Ongoing virus outbreaks in both mainland China and Hong Kong have prompted doubts over whether Xi would risk travelling, with Beijing committed to a zero-COVID strategy. State news agency Xinhua reported yesterday that Xi will attend a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland, but did not specify whether it would be in person. Two top officials in the incoming Hong Kong administration tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday and had to go into quarantine. Daily case numbers in Hong Kong have climbed to nearly 2,000, though hospitalisations have remained low, with outgoing city leader Lam earlier reassuring the public that the situation was not an alarm bell. Hong Kong has its own version of zero-COVID, which has kept the international business hub isolated for much of the pandemic, but it is less strict than what is practised in the mainland. The difference in policy means Hong Kongers coming into close contact with Chinese officials will likely be required to undergo quarantine. Senior government officials have entered a closed-loop system to minimise infection risk ahead of their attendance of handover celebration events, according to local media. Last month, Lee was chosen as Hong Kongs leader by a small group of political elites, after being the sole candidate in the race and facing no opposition. Xi and Lee have already met, when the latter travelled to Beijing to receive the central governments blessing. I believe that the administration of the new government will definitely bring forth a new atmosphere, and compose a new chapter in Hong Kongs development, Xi said at the time, according to Xinhua. South African police are investigating the deaths of at least 21 people at a nightclub in the coastal town of East London Sunday and authorities say most of the victims were minors as young as 13-year-old ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) A Nigerian governor has ordered the issuing of licenses so citizens can carry guns to defend themselves against armed groups, a first among the measures drawn up to defeat gunmen blamed for the deaths of thousands in the West African country's troubled northern region. Zamfara state Gov. Bello Matawalle announced Sunday through the state commissioner for information that the directive to issue gun licenses follows the recent escalating attacks, kidnapping and the criminal levies being enforced on our innocent communities. Armed groups known locally as bandits have targeted remote communities in Nigerias northwest and central regions. Kidnappings for ransom took place last year in Zamfara, one of the worst-hit states in the armed violence. Gun permits for self-defense are very rare in Nigeria, and Zamfara could be the first state to offer mass approvals. It was not yet clear how arming citizens would help prevent the attacks; authorities have admitted that even the Nigerian police are sometimes overwhelmed during violent attacks. Nigeria also is fighting a decade-long war against Islamist extremist rebels in the northeast region. This act of terrorism has been a source of worry and concern to the people and government of the state, Ibrahim Dosara, the Zamfara information commissioner, said in a statement. He said the government has arranged for 500 licenses to be distributed to those who qualify and are wishing to obtain such guns to defend themselves. Past measures, including telecommunications blackouts, blocks of millions of unregistered phone lines and a series of curfews, have not achieved the long-sought peace. As gun permits are rolled out in Zamfara, the local information commissioner also urged residents to report informants working for the armed groups. Analysts have told The Associated Press that such informants are usually recruited by the attackers and acquiesce because of economic hardship and fear for their safety. The state government has ordered the recruitment of 200 additional local guards in each of Zamfara's 19 emirates "to increase manpower and strengthen its force and capacity to deal with the bandits, Dosara, the information commissioner, said. Markets and gas stations in some volatile areas were also closed. In addition, motorcycles were banned; groups of bandits numbering in the hundreds often attack communities while riding motorcycles. Government is hereby directing the military, police, civil defense and other security agencies to mobilize their operatives and take (the) fight to the enclaves of the criminals with immediate effect, the commissioner added. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) Hundreds of Syrian paratroopers took part in a joint drill with their Russian counterparts in the war-torn country in the second joint maneuver this month, state media reported. The agency did not give further details in its Saturday night report about the drill or say where they took place. It said the aim was to train Syrian paratroopers how to respond in varied circumstances. Returning the determination of abortion legality to the states will, without question, harm economically disadvantaged women and further compound health disparities. Data show that preventable health disparities exist because of economic, environmental or social disadvantages that adversely affect a specific population. Black women, for example, are more likely than white women to die in childbirth because of a whole host of economic and medical disparities, but that gap is smaller in states that have expanded Medicaid. Outlawing abortion in deeply red states will further perpetuate a two-tiered system in which women have different rights and health benefits depending on where they live. In blue states, low-income women will have access to health care through Medicaid, including abortion if they need it. And in some red states, low-income women wont have access to health coverage or abortion. This will harm everyone leading to poorer health outcomes and more poverty. States that are likely to outlaw abortion are the same states that are less likely to give families the health care, educational opportunities, or financial support that could help lift people out of poverty. As a result, children born into families that would have preferred an abortion will be more likely to live in poverty than equivalent families in blue states. People with means will be able to travel to blue states to get an abortion if necessary. But the women without resources will be left to have unwanted children or children with chromosomal abnormalities and be forced to put their own health at risk in some cases. Women in the U.S. will have fewer rights than women in the deeply Catholic countries of Argentina and Ireland. In the 1950s and 60s, poor, unwed mothers in Ireland were often sent away to Catholic convents, where their babies were essentially sold to rich Americans. This is the world the U.S. is harkening back to by outlawing abortion. The idea that adoption alone can solve the issue, as Justice Amy Coney Barrett suggested, is naive. Women should not be forced to put their bodies through nine months of pregnancy and childbirth which can be life-threatening in the service of others who may want the child. If the goal is to reduce the number of elective abortions, we have more effective ways to do it than banning all abortions. Data show that providing free birth control to women greatly reduces unplanned pregnancies and reduces abortion rates 62%-78%. The U.S. has the highest uninsured rate and the worst maternal mortality among major industrialized countries. Carrying a pregnancy and having a baby is not a health-neutral event for the mother. By outlawing abortion and forcing women to carrying unwanted pregnancies, the government is saying that the life of the unborn that may or may not survive pregnancy is more important than the living, breathing person carrying it. Some abortions will always be necessary. Birth control isnt 100% effective and unexpected medical issues can always arise that necessitate a woman to have the freedom to choose what she wants to do. Abortion is a vital part of comprehensive health care that reduces health disparities and improves health outcomes. Increasingly, health outcomes are determined by policies set at the state level. Policies around Medicaid expansion, tobacco, the environment and labor issues are all correlated with health outcomes. Letting abortion be decided by the states will further enhance health disparities and leave poor women in red states worse off. Step back and see the hypocrisy. The so-called small government, pro-life party wants to regulate what books children read, what bathrooms people use and what medical procedures women can have. Instead of protecting the unborn, they are forcing them into a life where their rights and interests are only protected until they are born. In My Own Shoes: The dumbing down of us, version 2.0 British Gas owner Centrica has pulled out of the race to buy Bulb in a blow to the Government, which runs the collapsed energy firm. Centrica was one of three parties in the running to purchase Bulb and take on its customers, along with Octopus Energy and Abu Dhabi rival Masdar. But it has now ruled itself out, the Financial Times reported, leaving just two suitors. Blow: Bulb, which has 1.6m customers, collapsed last November amid soaring natural gas prices Bulb, which has 1.6m customers, collapsed last November amid soaring natural gas prices. Since then, it has been propped up by the taxpayer in a bailout expected to cost at least 2.2billion. According to an administrator's report, it has made an 886m loss in the six months since the rescue. Government officials were hoping for as much competition as possible to try to get the buyer to take on as much of its liabilities as possible. But Centrica's withdrawal suggests that bidders may be reluctant to take on too much risk. Kingsport, TN (37660) Today Mostly cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Kingsport, TN (37660) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, a day after a key eastern city fell to pro-Russian forces in a major set-back for Ukraine and as world leaders gathered in Europe to discuss further sanctions against Moscow. Up to four explosions rang out in central Kyiv in the early hours, in the first such attack on the city in weeks. Two more blasts were heard on the southern outskirts of the city later in the day, a Reuters reporter said. The Russians hit Kyiv again. Missiles damaged an apartment building and a kindergarten, said Andriy Yermak, head of the presidents administration. Ukraines police chief, Ihor Klymenko, said on national television that five people had been wounded. As Europes biggest land conflict since World War Two entered its fifth month the Western alliance supporting Kyiv was starting to show signs of strain as leaders fret about the growing economic cost, including surging food and energy prices.Advertisement Scroll to continue British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking as Group of Seven leaders gathered for a summit in Germany, said the West needed to maintain a united front against Russian President Vladimir Putin. In order to protect that unity, in order to make it work, youve got to have really, really honest discussions about the implications of whats going on, the pressures that individual friends and partners are feeling, he told reporters. But the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher. STRATEGIC CITY FALLS Life had been returning to normal in Kyiv after fierce resistance held off Russian advances in the early phase of the war, although air raid sirens regularly sound across the city. There had been no major strikes on Kyiv since June. The citys mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said on the Telegram messaging app that Sundays strike had partially destroyed a nine-storey apartment building and caused a fire. There are people under the rubble, Klitschko said. They have pulled out a seven-year-old girl. She is alive. Now theyre trying to rescue her mother. Explosions were also heard on Sunday in the central city of Cherkasy, which has been largely untouched by bombardment so far, regional governor Oleksandr Skichko said on Telegram. Russia denies targeting civilians, but Ukraine and the West accuse Russian forces of war crimes in a conflict that has killed thousands, sent millions fleeing the Ukraine and destroyed cities. The strategic eastern battlefield city of Sievierodonetsk fell to pro-Russian forces on Saturday after Ukrainian troops retreated, saying there was no longer anything to defend in the ruined city after months of fierce fighting. The fall of Sievierodonetsk is a major defeat for Kyiv as it seeks to keep control of the eastern Donbas region, a key military objective for the Kremlin. Moscow says the Donbas Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, where it has backed uprisings since 2014, are independent countries. It demands Ukraine cede the entire territory of the two provinces to separatist administrations. G7 SUMMIT Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what the Kremlin calls a special military operation to ensure Russian security and denazify the Ukraine. Kyiv and the West say the invasion was nothing more than a land grab. The war has had a huge impact on the global economy and European security, driving up gas, oil and food prices, pushing the European Union to reduce reliance on Russian energy and prompting Finland and Sweden to seek NATO membership. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he would urge his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to start a dialogue during a peace-building mission to the warring countries and would ask Putin to order an immediate ceasefire. War has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated, Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, said before leaving to attend the G7 summit. The United Nations has warned that a protracted war in Ukraine, one of the worlds major grain exporters, threatens to cause a global hunger crisis. Seeking to further tighten the screws on Russia, G7 countries announced an import ban on new gold from Russia as they started their summit in the Bavarian Alps. NATO leaders will hold a June 29-30 summit in Madrid. IT WAS A HORROR The fall of Sievierodonetsk once home to more than 100,000 people but now a wasteland transforms the battlefield in the east after weeks in which Moscows huge advantage in firepower had yielded only slow gains. Russias Interfax news agency cited a representative of pro-Russian separatist fighters saying Russian and pro-Russian forces had also entered Lysychansk across the river. The two cities were the last major cities held by Ukrainian forces in the east. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed in a video address on Saturday that Ukraine would win back the cities it lost, including Sievierodonetsk. We dont 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, he said. In the Ukrainian-held Donbas town of Pokrovsk, Elena, an elderly woman from Lysychansk in a wheelchair, was among dozens of evacuees who arrived by bus from frontline areas. Lysychansk, it was a horror, the last week. Yesterday we could not take it any more, she said. I already told my husband if I die, please bury me behind the house. SOURCE: REUTERS This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TROY The city skyline will get a makeover with the planned demolition later this summer of two obsolete structures that tower over the waterfront. Troy official say demolition of the vacant buildings at the Taylor public housing complex will happen over the next few months to make way for a new, modern housing and commercial complex. The project will use federal COVID-19 pandemic funding from the American Rescue Plan. The John P. Taylor Apartments on River Street were constructed in 1954, but two of the towers have been vacant since 2005. The Pike Cos. of Rochester was awarded the contract to demolish the towers. A Philadelphia real estate development firm called Pennrose will be in charge of building a new seven-story building that will have 141 units and 2,150-square-feet of commercial space on the ground floor. Additional buildings are planned in future phases of construction. Plans for the partial leveling and redevelopment of the housing complex's land has been in the works for years. The estimated cost of the demolition of the towers is about $2 million. Demolition is expected to be complete by the winter, the city said. The location of the complex and the Congress Street bridge have long cut off parts of the city to the waterfront. Eventually, there is a plan to demolish and redevelop all of the towers, including those that still have tenants. Demolition of the long-vacant Taylor apartment towers is a very exciting project that will have a big impact on our community, Troy Mayor Patrick Madden said in a statement. Not only will this provide high quality, affordable housing to residents, but it will also create a whole new experience for accessing the waterfront and the businesses in our downtown. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HONG KONG (AP) Step into Yuet Tung China Works, Hong Kongs last remaining hand-painted porcelain factory, and you find yourself surrounded by stacks of dinnerware, each piece painstakingly decorated by hand with vibrant motifs of flowers, fruits and animals. Joseph Tso, the third-generation owner of the factory, and his small team are among the few people in Hong Kong who have mastered the traditional technique of painting guangcai, or Canton porcelain. It is a fading art in this modern metropolis, as fewer young people are willing to put in the time and effort required to master the craft or to work at the factory full-time. The business environment in Hong Kong is not suitable for labor-intensive industries, Tso said. Hong Kongs traditional handicraft industry is gradually declining. It will eventually disappear. Guangcai, which comes from the nearby Chinese city of Guangzhou, is characterized by an overglaze technique in which the painter sketches a design on white porcelain and then fills it in with color using thin brushes before firing the piece in a kiln. Tsos grandfather established the factory in Hong Kongs Kowloon City in 1928. It rose to prominence over the years, becoming famous for its delicate craftmanship and custom dinnerware. The factory is known for its Canton rose porcelain painted with a pigment called xihong, which means Western red. Its ingredients include lead oxide, quartz and gold dust. Hong Kongs export sector was booming from the 1960s to the 1980s, and many well-known department stores came to buy products, Tso said. Foreign trade firms would bring us business from (American) department stores. The factory sometimes paints family crests on dinnerware for foreign customers. Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong before the city was returned to China in 1997, visited Yuet Tung China Works to buy some porcelain before returning to Britain. The factory is an important part of Hong Kongs history, said Yim Wai-wai, founding president of The Hong Kong Ceramics Research Society. The porcelain factory breathed at the same pace as the development of Hong Kong, said Yim. If it ceases to exist, it will be an immeasurable loss. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BARCELONA, Spain (AP) While Russias invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Spain and other member nations are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mercenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscow's influence to Africa. As the host of the summit taking place from Tuesday to Thursday, Spain wants to emphasize its proximity to Africa as it lobbies for a greater focus on Europes southern flank in a new document outlining NATO's vision of its security challenges and tasks. The Strategic Concept is NATOs most important working document after the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, which contained the key provision holding that an attack on one member is viewed as an attack upon all. The security assessment is updated roughly every decade to reset the West's security agenda. The current version, approved in Lisbon in 2010, stated the risk of a conventional war on NATO territory was low. It did not explicitly mention concerns about instability in Africa. At the time, the alliance viewed apathy as its biggest military threat; U.S. complaints that some European members were not paying their due featured heavily in summit talks. Fast forward a dozen years, and the view looks very different from NATO headquarters in Brussels. After Russia brought war close to NATO's eastern borders, the alliance has worked to provide Ukraine with an assortment of more powerful weapons and to avoid the very real risk of getting drawn into the fighting. But there appears to be a consensus among NATO members heading into the Madrid summit that while Russia remains concern No. 1, the alliance must continue to widen its view globally. Spains position for an increased focus on the South is shared by Britain, France and Italy. In their view, the security challenges in Africa arise from a Putin apparently dead-set on restoring the imperial glories of Russia as well as from an expansive China. Russia has gained traction thanks to the presence of its mercenaries in the Sahel region, a semiarid expanse stretching from Senegal to Sudan that suffers from political strife, terrorism and drought. Each time I meet with NATO ministers, the support of the allies is total due to the instability that we see on the alliances southern frontier and especially the situation in the Sahel region right now, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares said. The Kremlin denies links to the Wagner Group, a mercenary force with an increasing presence in central and North Africa and the Middle East. The private military company, which has also participated in the war in Ukraine, has developed footholds in Libya, Mali, Sudan and Central African Republic. In Mali, Wagner soldiers are filling a void created by the exit of former colonial power France. In Sudan, Russias offer of an economic alliance earned it the promise of a naval base on the Red Sea. In Central African Republic, Wagner fighters protect the countrys gold and diamond mines. In return, Putin gets diplomatic allies and resources. French President Emmanuel Macron has long called for a greater involvement from NATO in the Sahel region. Now that Wagner has moved into Mali, French authorities underlined that Wagner mercenaries were accused of human right abuses in the Central African Republic, Libya and Syria. Former NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said that Russia's brutal military campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his country's long civil war left it emboldened. Syria gave (the Russians) the sentiment that they could be more active in that part of the world, Solana told The Associated Press. They have very good relations with Algeria and they have (...) the Wagner type of people in the Sahel, which is delicate." With the Sahel, Morocco and Algeria at risk of worsening instability, "the southern part of NATO, for Portugal, Spain, Greece, etc., they would like to have an eye open to that part of the world, he said. Italy is another NATO member attuned to the political climate across the Mediterranean Sea. The country hosts NATOs Joint Force Command base in Naples, which in 2017 opened a south hub focusing on terrorism, radicalization, migration and other issues emanating from North Africa and the Middle East. The Italian ambassador to NATO, Francesco Maria Talo, said in a May interview with Italian news agency ANSA that humanitarian crises in Africa must concern all NATO allies. Near us theres Africa, with a billion inhabitants at risk of poverty, aggravated by food insecurity, terrorism and climate change, all factors that combine to create insecurity, Talo said. And Russia is present there, too. The importance of the other side of the Mediterranean became painfully evident to Spain over the past year due to a series of diplomatic crises involving Morocco and Algeria and their rivalry over the fate of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. Amid the disputes, reduced border security allowed migrants to enter Spanish territory, and there were perceived threats to energy supplies. Analysts consider both to be tactics of hybrid warfare when governments use them against other countries. Speaking in Madrid last month, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace noted the problems caused last year when Belarus, a Putin ally, allegedly encouraged migrants to cross its borders into Poland and other neighboring countries. If the likes of Wagner get the control they have or theyd like to have in places like Libya or indeed what we see theyre already doing in Mali, do not think that Spain will be untouched by that, Wallace said. NATO is also expected to include in the new Strategic Document a reference to Chinas growing military reach both in and beyond the Pacific theater. U.S. Army Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander of U.S. Africa Command, warned last month that China was trying to build a military naval base on Africas Atlantic coast. He said Beijing has most traction toward establishing the base in Equatorial Guinea, a tiny oil-rich dictatorship that was once Spains only sub-Saharan African colony. China only operates one acknowledged foreign military base, located in Djibouti in East Africa, But many believe its Peoples Liberation Army is busy establishing an overseas military network, even if it doesnt use the term base. NATO has invited the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to the summit to demonstrate its interest in the Asian-Pacific. The foreign minister of Mauritania, a former French colony in West Africa, is also invited to attend a working dinner of fellow foreign ministers at the NATO summit. NATO said the country, which borders Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali and Senegal, was closely associated with the preparatory work for the new Strategic Concept. ___ AP writers Ciaran Giles in Madrid, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY A federal class-action suit filed last week charges that the state Department of Health (DOH) and Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD violate the rights of hundreds of New Yorkers with developmental disabilities each year by keeping them in restrictive institutional settings unnecessarily. The case, filed June 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by Disability Rights New York (DRNY), the Manhattan-based Kasowitz Benson Torres law firm and Mental Hygiene Legal Service (MHLS), names eight individuals with disabilities who against their wishes are locked away in hospital rooms or prison-like facilities despite having been approved for placement in community-based housing. One plaintiff, a 32-year-old woman from Albany whose initials are M.L., has been living at Sunmount Developmental Center, an isolated, fenced-in facility in Tupper Lake, since October 2012. M.L. has been diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability, childhood traumatic brain injury, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. She lived with her grandmother until she was 12 and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital at 16, eventually attending a residential school for children with disabilities where she benefited from a therapeutic environment. She was placed at Sunmount after allegedly pulling a fire alarm but the charges were eventually dismissed, advocates working on behalf of M.L. said. Living at Sunmount, which is cut off from public transportation, deprives M.L. of a social life, family connections, work opportunities, economic independence and cultural enrichment, the complaint states. She wants to live independently in a group home and was approved by OPWDD for placement in November 2020. M.L. was offered a spot in a home operated by a voluntary agency, Crystal Run Village, but the offer was rescinded in May without explanation. DOH and OPWDD, which jointly operate New Yorks Medicaid program for individuals with developmental disabilities, are required by federal law to develop specialized community-based residential programs and services for people with developmental disabilities in order to provide care in the least restrictive environment possible. But many patients eligible for these programs are kept in hospitals, nursing homes, and other inappropriate facilities for prolonged periods, often years, according to state data cited in the complaint. We are talking about a statewide crisis. People who are approved for community-based services languish in hospitals, nursing homes, and intermediate care facilities. These are our family members who want to be part of their communities. Instead, they are forced to remain segregated in institutional settings. Disability Rights NY Executive Director Timothy A. Clune said. The eight individuals seek to represent a class of all similarly situated individuals with disabilities who are approved by OPWDD for community-based services but are instead institutionalized due to the states failure to provide community-based services in a timely manner, the complaint states. Complex case discharge delays are a growing challenge for the mental health system across the U.S. It particularly impacts patients with behavioral health or developmental disabilities who have co-occurring conditions. Delays are often attributed to difficulty finding an appropriate placement as well as lengthy administrative processes, according to a 2021 report from the Healthcare Association of New York State. "Our system of care has a design flaw it is primarily designed for people with a clear path, for those who do not have complex care needs upon discharge," the report states. OPWDD simply doesn't have adequate mechanisms to transfer people with complex needs, according to the lawsuit. The Mental Hygiene and Legal Service analyzed 12,557 transfer requests for eligible patients received by OPWDD between Jan. 1, 2015, and Oct. 31, 2021 and found that 4,494 never resulted in a residential placement. Of the requests that were honored, placement often took more than a year. The agency ranks requests by the level of urgency. Even individuals categorized as having an emergency need saw an average wait time of 278 days before they were transferred, according to the OPWDD data, which was obtained by Mental Hygiene and Legal Service via a Freedom of Information Law request. State agencies have violated their obligations by failing to provide the requisite medical assistance and services with reasonable promptness if at all, the court filings state. The delays are in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal statutes, according to the court documents. The class is believed to comprise at least several hundred individuals across New York State. Disabled individuals are being wrongly institutionalized and denied their statutory right to reside in less restrictive community-based residential settings that are more appropriate for their needs, in many cases for years. We look forward to vindicating our clients rights to more humane treatment, said David J. Abrams, partner and chair of the pro bono committee at Kasowitz Benson Torres. Today hundreds of patients with complex needs unnecessarily languish in emergency departments and hospital beds, according to the suit. Hospitals wind up serving as long-term housing rather than a place to handle acute medical needs. It has taken a toll on local emergency departments. The ethics committee at Schenectady's Ellis Hospital wrote a letter to former OPWDD Commissioner Theodore Kastner on Aug. 24, 2020 to bring attention to the plights of two individuals with developmental disabilities who had been languishing for months on the hospitals inpatient psychiatric unit. We are seeing a pattern of cases where people with developmental disabilities become stranded in an acute care psychiatric setting for weeks, even months due to slow access or unavailable care services within the (OPWDD) system," the letter states. "Hospital staff are experiencing moral distress as the patient at hand awaits a bed in an appropriate OPWDD residential facility. Staff see the negative impact on the patient but are unable to do anything about it, which is contrary to their duty to care and counterintuitive to OPWDDs responsibility to serve people with developmental disabilities." Ellis staff recommended adding resources to OPWDD so the mission of serving people with disabilities can be met, "correcting this ethical dilemma." The Office of People with Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Health declined to comment on the lawsuit. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Gustavo Petro, Colombias first elected leftist president, will take office in August with ambitious proposals to halt the record-high rates of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Petro has promised to limit agribusiness expansion into the forest, and create reserves where Indigenous communities and others are allowed to harvest rubber, acai and other non-timber forest products. He has also pledged income from carbon credits to finance replanting. From Colombia, we will give humanity a reward, a remedy, a solution: not to burn the Amazon rainforest anymore, to recover it to its natural frontier, to give humanity the possibility of life on this planet," Petro, wearing an Indigenous headdress, said to a crowd in the Amazon city of Leticia during his campaign. But to do that he first needs to establish reign over large, lawless areas. The task of stopping deforestation seems more challenging than ever. In 2021, the Colombian Amazon lost 98000 hectares (more than 240,000 acres) of pristine forest to deforestation and another 9,000 hectares (22,000 acres) to fire. Both were down from what they had been in 2020, but 2021 was still the fourth worst year on record according to Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), an initiative of the nonprofit Amazon Conservation Association. More than 40% of Colombia is in the Amazon, an area roughly the size of Spain. The country has the worlds largest bird biodiversity, mainly because it includes transition zones between the Andes mountains and the Amazon lowlands. Fifteen percent of the Colombian Amazon has already been deforested, according to Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development, or FCDS. Destruction of the forest has been on the rise since 2016, the year Colombia signed a peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that ended decades of a bloody armed conflict. The peace process allowed people to return to formerly conflict-ridden rural areas. As the returning population increasingly used the natural resources, it contributed to deforestation and increases in forest fires, especially in the Amazon and the Andes-Amazon transition regions, according to a new paper in the journal Environmental Science and Policy. The presence of the State is barely felt in Colombias Amazon. Once the armed groups were demobilized, they left the forest free for cattle ranching, illegal mining and drug trafficking, said Ruth Consuelo Chaparro, director of the Roads to Identity Foundation, in a telephone interview. "The State has not filled the gaps. The main driver of deforestation has been the expansion of cattle ranching. Since 2016, the number of cattle in the Amazon has doubled to 2.2 million. In the same period, about 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of forest were lost, according to FCDS, based on official data. This cattle expansion goes hand in hand with illegally-seized land, said FCDS director Rodrigo Botero. The big business deal is the land. The cows are just a way to get hold of these territories, he told the AP in a phone interview. Experts affirm that illegally-seized lands are often resold to ranchers, who then run their cattle free of land use restrictions, such as the propriety's size. Most of the destruction occurs in an arc of deforestation in the northwestern Colombian Amazon, where even protected areas have not been spared. Chiribiquete, the world's largest national park protecting a tropical rainforest, has lost around 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) since 2018, according to MAAP. During the campaign, Botero took Petro and other presidential candidates on separate one-day trips to the Amazon. They flew over cattle ranching areas, national parks and Indigenous territories. A very interesting thing Petro and other candidates said was that they never imagined the magnitude of the destruction." The feeling of ungovernability made a deep impression on each of them, Botero said. Almost 60% of Colombias greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, deforestation and other land use, according to the World Resources Institute. In 2020, under the Paris Agreement, Colombian President Ivan Duques government committed to a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030. To do that, it pledged to reach net-zero deforestation by 2030. The Amazon is the worlds largest tropical rainforest and an enormous carbon sink. There is widespread concern that its destruction will not only release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, further complicating hopes of arresting climate change, but also push it past a tipping point after which much of the forest will begin an irreversible process of degradation into tropical savannah. Although it holds almost half of the nation's territory, the Amazon is the least populated part of Colombia, so historically it is neglected during presidential campaigns. This year's campaign was not a complete departure from that. But this year, for the first time, there was a TV presidential debate dedicated solely to environmental issues before the first round in the election. Petro, who was leading the polls then, refused to participate. In his government program, Petro further promises to prioritize collective land titles, such as Indigenous reservations and zones for landless farmers. He also promises to control migration into the Amazon, fight illegal activities, such as land seizures, drug trafficking and money laundering via land purchases. Petros press manager did not respond to requests for comment. Petro has studied and understands deforestation, said Consuelo Chaparro, whose organization works with Indigenous tribes in the Amazon. But the president alone can do nothing, she said. Her hope is that he will listen and move things forward. We dont expect him to be a Messiah." ___ Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, speaking at a rally Saturday night with former President Donald Trump, called the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade a victory for white life. Miller's spokesman said the Illinois Republican had intended to say the decision was a victory for a right to life." The line as delivered was out of step with the disproportionate impact the repeal of abortion rights will have on women of color. Miller is running for reelection in the states newly redrawn 15th Congressional District against GOP Rep. Rodney Davis with the former presidents blessing. She had been invited on stage to speak by Trump, who held the rally in Mendon, Illinois, to turn out the vote ahead of the states Tuesday primary. President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday, she said, drawing cheers from the crowd. Miller spokesman Isaiah Wartman told The Associated Press that it was a mix-up of words." You can clearly see in the video ... shes looking at her papers and looking at her speech, Wartman said. Her campaign noted that she is the grandmother of several nonwhite grandchildren, including one with Down syndrome. The freshman congresswoman, who was among those who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, previously came under criticism for quoting Adolf Hitler. "Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future, Miller said in a speech last year, according to video posted by WCIA-TV. She later apologized after Democrats in Illinois called for her resignation. The rally came as some elements of the far right have pushed the great replacement theory, a racist ideology that alleges white people and their influence are being replaced by people of color. Proponents blame both immigration as well as demographic changes, including white birth rates. During the rally, Trump took a victory lap for the Supreme Court's bombshell ruling Friday ending the constitutional right to abortion. The three conservative justices he appointed all voted in favor. He noted that in 2016, he promised to appoint judges who opposed abortion rights. Yesterday the court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law, and above all, a victory for life," he told the crowd, which broke into a chant of Thank you Trump!." Trump at the rally also endorsed Republican Darren Bailey, who is running to become the party's nominee for governor. ___ For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SCHENECTADY The speed limit could be reduced to 25 miles per hour in the city if Gov. Kathy Hochul signs legislation that has reached her desk. City Council members are cautiously optimistic that knocking five miles off the top of the limit on city streets will help curb a quality-of-life problem in a city confronting other residential issues such as the illegal use of fireworks and reckless driving. Residents, neighborhood groups and non-profits have all backed the push. Every week, probably all of us are hearing from residents about speeding issues that are happening in the city as a major quality of life issue and a safety issue, Councilwoman Carmel Patrick. Carmel said the devil is in the details. After New York City lowered its speed limit to 25 mph last year, traffic facilities fell by more than 22 percent, according to Transportation Alternatives, a non profit that promotes decreasing vehicle usage and safe driving habits. Pedestrian fatalities fell by more than 25 percent Lower speed limits make everyone drive slower, including people who disobey the limit, the study says. Both Boston and Portland found that after lowering speed limits, those who exceeded the speed limit responded by reducing their driving speeds. The most dangerous drivers, those driving over 35 mph, saw the biggest reduction in speeds. The effort to lower the city's speed limit has drawn overwhelming support among the council members, a group that has broken into factions over a number of issues in recent years. If Hochul backs Schenectady request, the city would be the first in the region to drop its citywide speed limit to 25 mph. In 2017, the death of 7-year-old Qazir Sutherland prompted Albany dropped the speed limit to 25 mph on a portion of South Pearl Street. The child was struck by a car. Schenectady's council for years has debated ideas to curb dangerous driving and pedestrian safety through multiple campaigns and civil awareness events. Yet city inaction on enacting policies and the coronavirus pandemic has slowed process. That includes the installation of $20,000 in speed humps" initially designed to be installed in problem-plagued lanes. The speed-lowering devices initially authorized by the City Council years ago remain in storage as the city police and engineering departments study deployment plans. It was a bigger conversation internally then, 'just buy them and put them down,' said city Engineer Chris Wallin, who said officials are looking towards Rochestor, which has started to create a manual around their usage. We want to make sure we dont do something that causes a bigger problem on an adjacent streets." If lawmakers were to enact a new speed limit, the City Council would have to swap out as many 200 signs with a cost of $40 per sign. The phase-in will take three or four months, according to city Signal Superintendent John Coluccio. Its a 'feel-good' thing, Coluccio said of the campaign, noting the effort must be paired with other city-led initiatives as part of broader traffic calming measures and projects to truly be effective. After Hochul signs off on the bill, City Council could pass legislation lowering the citys speed limit or ask Wallin to made a unilaterial decision. Lawmakers are expected to revisit the "speed hump" decision next week. WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) South Dakota Republicans looking to regroup after the impeachment and conviction of the GOP attorney general gave their support for the job Saturday to a man with extensive experience in leading state and federal law enforcement agencies. Delegates at the Republican convention in Watertown also bounced an incumbent. WFO MEDFORD Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, June 26, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Medford OR 203 PM PDT Sat Jun 25 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...Hot temperatures of 95 to 105 in the valleys during the afternoons and 85 to 95 at usually cooler hilly locations. Overnight lows will also be unusually warm, generally in the 60s. * WHERE...In California, the valleys and hills of western Siskiyou County, including the Klamath and Scott River valleys. In Oregon, the eastern Douglas County foothills including Toketee Falls and Steamboat. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The hottest day of this heat wave is expected to be Sunday. This heat wave is likely to feel unusually hot to most due to fairly cool temperatures, thus far, this warm season. * View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr 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. ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT MONDAY... afternoons and 85 to 95 at usually cooler, hilly locations. * WHERE...In California, the Klamath and Shasta valleys. In Oregon, Central Douglas County including Roseburg, Tri-City, Tiller, Azalea, Glendale, Camas Valley, Sutherlin, Elkton, Drain, and Scottsburg. Also in Oregon, all of Jackson County, Eastern Curry County and Josephine County including the Illinois Valley, Grants Pass, and Agness. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Monday. expected to be Sunday. On Monday the Heat Advisory area is likely to be smaller as temperatures cool slightly. This heat wave is likely to feel unusually hot to most due to fairly cool temperatures, thus far, this warm season. afternoons and 85 to 95 at usually cooler mid-elevation locations. Overnight lows will also be much warmer than normal, generally in the mid 50s to lower 60s. * WHERE...In California, Dunsmuir, Mount Shasta City, Tennant, Macdoel, Dorris, and Tulelake. In Oregon, portions of the South Central Oregon Cascades, Siskiyou Mountains, and Southern Oregon Cascades including Crescent Lake, Union Creek, and Howard Prairie. Also, much of the Upper Klamath Basin including Keno, Klamath Falls, Bonanza, and Chiloquin. ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM SUNDAY TO 11 PM PDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Hot temperatures from the upper 80s to 100 in the valleys during the afternoons. Overnight lows will also be much warmer than normal, generally in the 50s. * WHERE...In California, all except the higher mountains of Modoc County. In Oregon, Northern and Eastern Klamath County and Western Lake County and Central and Eastern Lake County including Lakeview, Adel, Bly, Beatty, Sprague River, Silver Lake, Summer Lake, Chemult, and Crescent. * WHEN...From 11 AM Sunday to 11 PM PDT Monday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...This heat wave is likely to feel _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 25, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Shreveport LA 205 PM CDT Sat Jun 25 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING... ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 7 PM CDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...For the first Heat Advisory, heat index values up to 107. For the second Heat Advisory, heat index values up to 108 expected. * WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, south central and southwest Arkansas and east and northeast Texas. * WHEN...For the first Heat Advisory, until 7 PM CDT this evening. For the second Heat Advisory, from 11 AM to 7 PM CDT Sunday. * 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 A man who survived a bomb attack in Dublin as a young child has pressed Irish police to release files relating to their investigation. Edward ONeill was just five years old when the blast on Parnell Street, part of the Dublin/Monaghan series of bombs, killed his father and left him with life-long injuries. No one has ever been convicted over the four no-warning bombs on May 17, 1974 which claimed 35 lives, including two unborn babies. The attacks have been blamed on loyalist paramilitaries. Edward ONeill (left) who was killed in the Dublin/Monaghan bombings in 1974, with his wife Martha who was heavily pregnant at the time of the blast and lost their baby due to the trauma The ONeill family had gone to the city centre to get haircuts the day before Mr ONeills brother had his first communion. He described walking out of the barber shop with his father holding both him and his brother by the hand when the bomb exploded. Ill never forget it, my dad was swinging me on his left hand, he had my brother by the right hand my brother jumped up and grabbed a button out of his jacket, as he went down to pick it up the bomb exploded, he said. Mr ONeill is still receiving treatment for the injuries he received that day, including skull fractures, a broken jaw, fractured cheekbone, collapsed lung, first and second degree burns and severe lacerations to both legs. Earlier this week, he underwent his 64th operation: spinal surgery, to correct those injuries from almost 50 years ago. His mother Martha was heavily pregnant at the time, and went on to lose her baby as a result of the trauma. Martha juniors name was added to the memorial on Talbot Street last week. The name of baby Martha ONeill added to the names of the victims on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings memorial The case is currently under review by Jon Boutchers Operation Kenova. However Mr ONeill said the Gardai are blocking the release of files to the independent cold-case initiative led by the former Bedfordshire chief constable. He said Garda have refused to meet him on the matter, adding: I have requested on many an occasion meetings with the Garda to tell me face to face why they are blocking the release of files. They have completely ignored us, they have refused any request for a meeting, they have treated us absolutely appallingly, he said. It is understood that as Operation Kenova is a review exercise, cross-border protocol only allows the sharing of files for live investigations. There is an effort under way to devise legislation to allow the files to be shared, however Mr ONeill said his family suspects this is a delaying tactic. He said he believes the Gardai are protecting a terrorist informant. Weve been told there is a statutory instrument being written to allow Boutchers team to get access to the files, he said. I dont doubt the sincerity for one second of what Boutchers team is trying to do, what I do have a problem with is the sincerity of the Garda I have been trying to get a meeting with the Garda to ask what is going on with the files but they just ignore me. If the whole thing about the statutory instrument was genuine, whats the problem with them saying this to me, confirming it to me. Former Chief Constable Jon Boutcher Mr ONeill said his family feels left behind by the Good Friday Agreement, saying victims and survivors were forgotten, ignored at the expense of terrorists. Victims and survivors have been left fighting for scraps, he said. This whole thing has occupied my entire adult life, many times I would have loved to have my anonymity back, Id love to be the anonymous person in the crowd but people know me as the kid who was blown up coming out of the barbers. Mr ONeill also said his family would like to see a public inquiry into the atrocity. Responding, a Garda spokesperson said: It is the policy of An Garda Siochana not to make detailed public comment on ongoing investigations such as this one. An Garda Siochana reaffirm its commitment to continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the bombings of Dublin and Monaghan in 1974 with the objective of identifying and holding those responsible to account for their criminality in relation to these matters. An Garda Siochana continues to appeal to any person who has any information in relation to the events in Dublin and Monaghan in May 1974 either, who has not contacted An Garda Siochana to this day, or who may have provided information to An Garda Siochana at some stage but has further information which they may now be able to provide at this time to make contact with An Garda Siochana at any garda station or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. A landmark study on gifted education in Ireland has found that gifted students do not feel challenged at school, are rarely offered any differentiated work, and most are frequently bored in the classroom. Conducted by the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland (CTYI) at Dublin City University, the report describes a learning environment at school that is mostly focused on less able students and on those who were not serious about their learning. It highlights the need for a more inclusive and effective curriculum framework, one that is delivered at an appropriate pace for high ability students. The research also found that while socially, most (66%) of the students were resilient and coped well, over 30% reported having to hide their abilities to maintain positive peer relationships. Some students also suggested frequent pressure to achieve from teachers and parents. Carried out in partnership with William & Mary Center for Gifted Education under the guidance of Professor Tracy Cross and Dr Jennifer Cross, two of the leading researchers in the field of gifted education, this is the first report of its kind profiling gifted students in Ireland and is the basis of ten years of research with 2,600 secondary school students who attended CTYI and are scoring at or above the 95th percentile academically. It is hoped the findings will be used to better understand these gifted students and learn how to create environments to support their well-being and to maximise their potential. Nearly all of the students reported positive academic and social experience at university based courses like CTYI at DCU where they were able to meet like minded peers. Speaking at the launch of the report, Dr. Colm OReilly, Director of CTYI, said: Gifted students represent a unique population, with social and academic experiences their peers do not share. While most gifted students have positive psychological profiles, some students will require support for optimal well-being and, ultimately, achievement of their potential. Nearly all of the students report feeling bored at school and not being able to go into enough depth in the subjects they like. Adults who work with and care for gifted students should be aware of the social challenges presented by their abilities and the need to provide an appropriate curriculum, delivered at an appropriate pace. This important report adds greatly to our understanding of gifted children in Ireland who are a greatly under researched group. These students need interventions at school to allow them to reach their potential academically and socially" The report will be officially launched by Roderic OGorman T.D., Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, at the first day of CTYIs summer programme on Monday June 27. Speaking ahead of the launch, Minister OGorman said: Im delighted to launch this landmark study on Irish gifted students and education. Its findings on the experiences of gifted students will be instrumental in improving our understanding of how we can create environments that will not only support the wellbeing of students, but strengthen opportunities to maximise their potential. I would like to thank Dr. Colm OReilly, Professor Tracy Cross and Dr Jennifer Cross, for their work in developing this report, and importantly, all of the students who participated in this research. To view the report summary or the full report click here. A bar in downtown Salisbury is sharing its list of banned customers with other saloons in an effort to combat increasing violence at the citys watering holes This collection of local links features info from recent police reports, court cases and alleged misdeeds. As always, we try to finish with a bit of hope . . . Check TKC news gathering . . . Woman dies from injuries after being struck by two vehicles in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman seriously injured after being struck by two vehicles in Kansas City, Missouri early Thursday morning has died from her injuries. The incident was first reported around 2:20 a.m. Thursday near Independence Avenue and Indiana Avenue. Family calls for justice 1-year after Independence teen killed in shooting INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - June 23, 2021 is the day the Franklin family discovered their greatest heartache. It was on that day that beloved daughter, sister and friend, Mariah Franklin, was shot and killed in her bedroom in a violent murder. That afternoon, Mariah's mom Angelina, was set to take her daughter shopping for a new cell phone. Suspected thief busted by Clay County school resource deputies KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A suspected thief met his match in the form of two Staley High School school resource deputies. The Clay County Sheriff's Office said the thief is accused of stealing a catalytic converter from one car and additional items from two other cars parked at Winnwood Elementary School Thursday afternoon. Man arrested for stealing catalytic converters off teachers' cars KANSAS CITY, Mo. - This thief missed the lesson on not taking things that aren't yours. Clay County Sheriff's Department school resource deputies arrested a man Thursday after he sawed off catalytic converters from the vehicles of teachers and staff at two schools in the North Kansas City School District. KCK man sentenced in pregnant girlfriend's murder, a relief to woman's family OLATHE, Kan. - On Friday, a Johnson County judge ordered a Kansas City, Kansas, man to spend life in prison for the murder of his 23-year-old girlfriend, who was pregnant with the couple's child. Devonte Wash, 30, will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Vandals shatter glass bottles at Independence water playground City of Independence SOURCE: City of Independence The city of Independence said vandals targeted the sprayground at McCoy Park early Thursday, throwing more than 80 glass bottles with some shattering on the ground.City officials said 18 of its 24 park maintenance crewmembers spent hours Thursday cleaning up the sprayground and removing pieces of glass around the area."The safety and well-being of our park patrons is a top priority and we value the relationships we've developed with our park neighbors. Setting off fireworks for the 4th of July? Here's where it's allowed around Kansas City The 4th of July is fast approaching, and that means it's fireworks season. Depending on where you're at around Kansas City, you will either be able to set them off freely,\u0009or you'll have restrictions on what you can light up the night with. It varies. KCPD Signs On To New Initiative Doubling Female Officers "Kansas City is ahead of the national curve when it comes to recruiting and retaining women police officers, but there is still much work to be done to make sure our Department reflects the diverse Kansas City community," said Mayor Lucas. Developing . . . Marches, gatherings and outcry continues across the metro. A few interesting trends we've noticed . . . - There seems to be growing local support for a general worker strike over abortion. - Memes . . . So. Many. Memes!!! Some of them are pretty good. - An interesting juxtaposition . . . Frustration over regulation of "reproductive freedom" vs. protection for firearms . . . It's a clunky but passionate argument that has some conservatives vexed outside of their bubble. Here's a quick round-up of local advocacy on the streets this weekend . . . Separate events at the KCMO city hall and courthouse in Johnson County, Kan. drew hundreds of demonstrators, holding signs and chanting throughout the day. Many of the demonstrators were also speaking out against an issue on the Kan. ballot on August 2nd, the Value them Both amendment, which would allow the state to pass regulations on abortion. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Demonstrations continue in Missouri, Kansas following Supreme Court ruling on abortion OLATHE, Kan. (KCTV) -- Protestors gathered on both sides of the state line to share their anger and frustration over the US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Separate events at the KCMO city hall and courthouse in Johnson County, Kan. drew hundreds of demonstrators, holding signs and chanting throughout the day. Protesters gather outside KCMO City Hall following SCOTUS ruling KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Protesters gathered outside the Kansas City, Missouri, City Hall on Saturday morning to show their opposition to the Supreme Court's ruling on . Whitney Bresette, mother of three daughters, says she cannot help but worry about them not having a choice in cases of abuse or health complications in the future. Developing . . . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that no Russian missiles or strikes can break the morale of Ukrainians. He said this in his nightly video address on June 25, Ukrinform reports. Ukrainians! All our defenders! 45 Russian missiles over the night and morning of today. Zhytomyr region, Lviv region, Chernihiv region, Mykolaiv. In the evening - more missiles. Different types, different launch areas... All of them were launched with one goal - to show that Russia allegedly can achieve something, that the Russian army will allegedly succeed. Today marks the fifth month of a full-scale war. The occupiers were going to capture most of our country on the fifth day, but have to stage such a missile show on the fifth month, which does not change anything strategically for Russia. This is such a phase of the war - morally difficult, emotionally difficult. When we know that the enemy will not succeed, when we understand that we will still be able to defend our state, but we do not feel the time limits of this, we do not feel how many more strikes, losses, efforts will be before we see that victory is already on our horizon. For this, Russia needs these missile strikes at cities across the country, artillery and mortar shelling of the border areas of our state, the border areas of the Chernihiv, Sumy regions, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk region. It is not just the destruction of our infrastructure, it is also a very cynical, calculated pressure on the emotions of our people. But it's not us who will be overpowered, we will overpower them. No Russian missiles, no strikes can break the morale of Ukrainians. And each of their missiles is an argument in our negotiations with partners. I will take part in the G7 Summit on Monday. The NATO Summit will take place next week. 45 missiles in half a day and just on the eve of such meetings. All clear. Another confirmation of our position. This confirms that sanctions packages against Russia are not enough, that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defense systems - the modern systems that our partners have - should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed. Needed more than anywhere else in the world. And one more thing that should be said today after such a missile attack. In the four months of the war, more than 20,000 Ukrainian warriors were awarded state awards. More precisely, 20,463. These are the Armed Forces, the National Guard, border guards, our rescuers, police, intelligence, Security Service, our doctors, State Security Administration, State Special Communications Service, NABU special forces, State Bureau of Investigation and employees of the Judicial Security Service... 156 warriors were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. This is the scale of courage, this is the level of resistance. And if there are more than 20 thousand of those whose feat has already been awarded, what kind of missiles can anyone in Russia hope for? What artillery, what mines can help the occupiers, if they are really opposed by mass peoples resistance? Therefore, all our cities: Severodonetsk, Donetsk, Luhansk - we will return everything. Every week we go to Kherson. Melitopol, Berdyansk, Enerhodar and Mariupol were never forgotten. And all other cities of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied will be Ukrainian only. Thanks to our heroes, thanks to each and everyone who does not get tired, who does not succumb to emotional breakdowns, who struggles and who knows that victory is ahead. Our victory, only ours. Eternal glory to all who defend Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine! Five people have been injured in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district. As Suspilne reports with reference to Head of the National Police of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko, Russians hit a residential complex in Shevchenkivskyi district for the second time already. According to preliminary information, as of 10:00, five people were injured. "Now we search for the parents of the child we rescued and sent to hospital. At the moment, at the upper floors, 8th-9th floors, Serhiy Kruk, the Head of the State Emergency Service, told journalists. According to him, 80 rescuers and 20 units of equipment work at the scene. The Interregional Center of the State Emergency Service is involved in removing rubble and rescuing people. As reported, on the morning of June 26, several explosions were heard in Kyiv. According to Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, search and rescue operations are underway in an apartment block in Shevchenkivskyi district. There are people under the rubble. Klitschko later added that a seven-year-old girl had been rescued from the rubble. ol Law enforcement officers have launched an investigation into Russias missile attack on Kyiv this morning. The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. On June 26, 2022, the Russian military launched a missile attack on Kyivs central district. Russian missiles hit a 9-storey apartment block and adjacent infrastructure. As a result, the residential house caught fire, and its upper floors were partially destroyed. According to the preliminary data, one civilian was killed. Four civilians, including a child, were rescued from under the rubble and taken to hospital. The data on casualties are yet to be updated. Rescue works are underway. mk Russia is increasing its military presence in Belarus. The relevant statement was made by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The leadership of institutions and organizations in Gomel Region were warned of the possible return of Russian military units. At the same time, Russians are planning to increase operational and tactical aviation numbers within the territory of Belarus. The formal reason is to carry out joint air patrol missions on the base of the joint combat training center of aviation and anti-aircraft defense units. For this purpose, 10 aircrafts are expected to fly to the Baranovichi airfield, the report states. In addition, according to the Ukrainian intelligence, mobilization exercises have started in Gomel Region since June 22, 2022. Meanwhile, reservist training exercises announced in the Belarusian mass media are not conducted. Belarusian reservists are now involved in general labor activities. mk Since the first day of the war, the Russian Federation has used a large number of missiles to strike Ukraine. Unfortunately, our country has become a kind of test site for Russian missiles of various types. "They have been used them since day one. It's no secret, we publish this information. The weapons used by Russia are extremely diverse. Ukraine, unfortunately, is a kind of test site for Russia," Yuri Ihnat, Spokesman of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said during the nationwide news telethon when asked whether the Russians had previously used missiles they fired today on Kyiv. He cited as an example Kalibr sea-launched missiles which are fired mainly from the Black Sea. Strategic bombers Tu-95, Tu-160 launch Russian Kh-type missiles. These cruise missiles fly from the Caspian region. Read also: Russians have launched about 500 strikes on civilian infrastructure this week The spokesman explained that Kh-22 missiles are fast missiles that can develop a speed of about 3,000 km per h. They are launched from TU-22M3 long-range bombers. If earlier Russia launched such missiles from Rostov region, the Black Sea, now it has redeployed these planes to the north. Flying into the airspace of Belarus, an aircraft strikes the northern regions as this missile has a range of only 600 km. At the same time, Ihnat called Iskander and Soviet Tochka-U systems the most destructive ones. The Ukrainian air defense units find these missiles most difficult to be downed. "There are Iskander operational and tactical systems and the Soviet Tochka-U systems. These missiles fly on a ballistic trajectory at high speed. It is extremely difficult for the Air Force to down such missiles, but there are cases when we shoot them down. It is also difficult to shoot down missiles of Bastion operational and tactical systems which are rather designed to hit naval targets. Their Oniks missile also has a speed of over 3,000 km per h, it is difficult to shoot it," the spokesman explained. According to him, it is more realistic to shoot down Kalibr-type cruise missiles and various modifications Kh-type missiles. Some missiles are extremely technological, quite modern and cost starting from $5 million. The missiles are routed from the Caspian Sea, and they fly clinging to the ground, which greatly complicates their detection by air defense forces, Ihnat added. ol Missile strikes launched on Ukraine from Russia, Belarus or the Caspian Sea are a security challenge for the whole of Europe. Once again, the russian terrorists have committed war crimes: missile strikes against a number of peaceful Ukrainian cities. The insidious nature of those attacks is underscored by the fact that they are made either from the depth of russian federation, from the territory of Belarus or from the waters of the Caspian and Black Seas. This is a strategic challenge for the security of the entire Europe. A swift response to this challenge should consist of two parts, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov posted on Facebook. As noted, the first part is the strengthening of sanctions. It is necessary so that russia could not manufacture and maintain high-tech weapons, which currently contain many components supplied by NATO countries. The second part, according to Reznikov, is the rapid deployment of an effective air and missile defence systems in Ukraine. This is an additional 500 1,000 km of safety for every European city. This is a very clear and logical step, which should be envisaged in the NATO strategy, the minister stressed. In his opinion, the long-term answer is just as obvious. The demilitarization of at least the European part of the terrorist state should become a condition for dialogue on the renewal of relations between russia and the civilized world. The extent and specifics of this demilitarization are be determined by specialists, Reznikov added. As reported, on the morning of June 26, the Russians launched missile strikes on Kyiv. A 9-storey apartment block in Shevchenkivskyi district was damaged. The house caught fire, 7th, 8th, and 9th floors were partially destroyed. The body of one victim has been found so far, six residents of the house have been injured. Four of them, including a seven-year-old girl, were hospitalized. In Cherkasy, one person was killed and five were injured in a missile attack on Sunday. In addition, two Russian Oniks anti-ship missiles were destroyed on the approach to Odesa. ol Ukraine needs a powerful air defense, modern and fully effective, which can ensure protection against Russian missiles. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video address, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The full text of the speech is provided below: Unbreakable people of an unbreakable country! Russia today again hit Kyiv with missiles. Early in the morning. The second army of the world triumphantly "defeated" a kindergarten and an apartment building. The man died, he was only 37 years old. There are wounded, among them - a girl named Zhenya, she is seven years old, the daughter of the deceased, now she is in "Okhmatdyt". Her mother was also wounded. By the way, a citizen of Russia. Thats that. She was not threatened by anything in our country, she was completely safe, until Russia itself decided that everything was equally hostile to them now - women, children, kindergartens, apartment buildings, hospitals, railways. Missiles also hit the Mykolaiv region, the Chernihiv region, Odesa, Cherkasy. Artillery and mortar shelling did not stop in the Kharkiv region, in the Sumy region, in Donbas, in the south of our state. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Everyone who was injured is given all the necessary help. Part of the missiles were shot down. But only part. We need a powerful air defense - modern, fully effective. Which can ensure complete protection against these missiles. We talk about this every day with our partners. There are already some agreements. And partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers. Delays in the transfer of weapons to our state, any restrictions are actually an invitation for Russia to strike again and again. The occupiers - these terrorists - must be beaten with all our might so that they do not think they can put pressure and outplay someone. What are these missiles about today? And what are yesterday's 62 missiles - for only one Saturday, for 24 hours - are about? They are about the Russian method: to escalate every time international events take place. And at the same time they are about determination. About, for example, the fact that the leaders of the G7, who gathered in Germany today for a summit, have enough common potential to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine and against Europe as a whole. It is possible. But this is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and just in time we need it - weapons, financial support, and sanctions against Russia. It cannot be otherwise in this war. Because it is here - in the sky over Kyiv, in the sea near Odesa, on the land of the Kharkiv region, Donbas, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions - that it is being decided what life will be like in Europe in the future. Here, in Ukraine, and nowhere else. Of course, there are not as many missiles in Russia as we have confidence in ourselves. But Russian weapons can be stopped only by more powerful weapons. I spoke about this today with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau - how else we can strengthen defense support for Ukraine and how else we can increase the pressure of sanctions on Russia. I thanked Justin for the help already provided - one of the most tangible. And today I want to say a few more things, very targeted. Firstly, all pilots, dispatchers, mechanics and other people who ensure the launch of missiles at Ukraine must understand: we will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these strikes. And if someone thinks that he will evade responsibility by saying that such was the order, you are mistaken. When your missiles hit residential buildings, these are war crimes. Trial is what awaits you all. And there will be nowhere to hide for you - neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus... Nowhere. And I would like to separately address the citizens of Belarus today. Both civilians and those in uniform. You are being drawn into the war. And even more actively than in February and in the spring months. The Kremlin has already decided everything for you - your lives are worth nothing to them. But you are not slaves or cannon fodder. You do not have to die. And you can prevent anyone from deciding for you what awaits you next. I know that the people of Belarus support Ukraine, they support us, definitely us, not the war. And that is why the Russian leadership wants to draw you - all Belarusians - into the war, wants to sow hatred between us. A lot now depends on the ordinary people of Belarus. And I know that you can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin. Ukraine will defend itself from strikes from any direction and from any weapon. I'm sure we will endure and get everything back. But anyone, any normal person in any country, in particular in Belarus, can contribute to the protection of life. This week will be very important for all of us. Therefore, we continue to work at all levels and do not slow down. Glory to all who defend the state! Glory to Ukraine! UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that he will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit London. That's according to The Sunday Times, Ukrinform reports. Johnson wants a full-fledged visit, including an audience with Queen Elizabeth II. The visit may take place in October. The Conservative Party has already approved such an idea. Earlier, Johnson said that one of the key issues that could be the reason for his resignation is the termination of support for Ukraine by the United Kingdom. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the G7 and NATO summits to call on France and Germany to provide more military support to Ukraine. That's according to The Independent, Ukrinform reports. Johnson's official spokesperson said the PM would challenge fellow leaders to "empower president Zelensky and Ukraine to achieve the outcome they want." "That's what the prime minister will be asking at the G7 and NATO summit as he encourages fellow leaders to increase their economic, military and political support for Ukraine," the statement said. Johnson also warned that the G7 and NATO allies should not encourage Ukraine to agree to unfavorable terms of peace at a time when Russia's brutal war is dragging on. "Too many countries are saying this is a European war that is unnecessary ... and so the pressure will grow to encourage - coerce, maybe - the Ukrainians to a bad peace," Johnson told broadcasters in the Rwandan capital Kigali before leaving for the G7 summit. He also added: "My message to colleagues at the G7 and at NATO in particular is now is not the time to settle and encourage the Ukrainians to settle for a bad peace, for a peace for which they are invited to give up chunks of their territory in return for a ceasefire." The G7 summit will take place on 26-28 June at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Germany, and the NATO summit on 28-30 June in Madrid. U.S. President Joe Biden has said that Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital on Sunday are another case of Russian barbarism. Biden said this at the summit of the Group of Seven states in Germany on Sunday, Ukrinform reports, citing Reuters. "It's more of their barbarism," he said. On Sunday, June 26, explosions were heard in Mykolaiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv. One person was killed and four injured by Russian missiles in Kyiv, the Prosecutor General's Office said. During a meeting at the G7 summit, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to step up military support for Ukraine and noted the critical need for such steps at this stage of the war. President Macron praised the Prime Ministers [Boris Johnsons] ongoing military support to Ukraine and the leaders agreed to step up this work, reads the press release of the British Prime Ministers Office. As noted, the French and British leaders agreed that now is a critical moment for the war in Ukraine, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war. Johnson stressed any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability and give Putin licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity. The G7 summit of the heads of state and government of the world's most powerful economies and democracies is held under the German chairmanship at the Elmau Castle in the rural district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen of the Bavarian Alps on Sunday. Photo: Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street ol (@ChaudhryMAli88) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2022 ) :Ambassador of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan Ulanbek Totuiaev on Sunday hoped that the CASA-1000 projects would be completed soon to meet Pakistan's energy needs for enhancing the bilateral cooperation in this sector. The CASA-1000 project, which was aimed to bring surplus electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan hydropower stations in summer times to Pakistan through the territory of Afghanistan, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan,Ulanbek Totuiaev told APP here. The Ambassador said"This massive infrastructural project will be beneficial for all of its parties by fulfilling the energy needs and strengthening regional connectivity. He said that nowadays the governments of participating states are actively working on the completion of the project." "Together with that, the process of building electricity lines is also going on," he added. "I strongly believe that the above-mentioned project will be completed successfully and on time for the benefit of our countries" he said Question on future of the Quadrilateral Traffic and Transit Agreement (QTTA) among Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, he replied that due to some certain circumstances, such as the difficulties with transiting goods through the territory of Afghanistan, in past problems with crossing Chinese border because of COVID-19 pandemic and some other issues, the potential of QTTA was not being used in full manner. He said the QTTA was signed on March 09, 1995 in Islamabad to facilitate transit traffic and trade among the member countries to provide an effective connectivity network between Central Asia and Gwadar port of Pakistan in Arabian Sea. The Ambassador said "I would like to point out the problems with transit routes, particularly, in the winter period, when the main roads are being timely or permanently blocked." "In this regard, nowadays between the countries of the above-mentioned agreement there is a task to increase the efficiency of it by making certain amendments in accordance with the modern conditions, or finding other more convenient ways for transiting goods." Replying to another question, he said"Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan are highly close countries with deep historical, cultural and religious roots." Both Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan from ancient times were part of a single common region, he said. Ambassador Totuiaev said"As evidence to it, it is possible to mention the legacies of the ruler of the Mogol Empire Zahriddin Babur, located in the south of Kyrgyzstan. " He said "Due to this, there are many similarities in terms of culture, traditions, customs between the people of our countries." "Today the relations between two countries are characterized as fraternal and friendly," he added. "Therefore, the people of both our countries are highly interested in cooperation with each other in various spheres with Primary focus on trade-economic cooperation," he said. Replying to a question on bilateral trade, he said that within last year the figures of Kyrgyz-Pakistani trade-economic interaction were not so high. However, I with great optimism foresee the future rapid development of trade interaction between our states, especially taking into consideration the focus of both our governments, directed on enhancement of cooperation between the countries of the region. He said"Kyrgyzstan can play an important role as link between South Asia and CIS countries together with countries of the European Union." At the same time, Pakistan might serve as the gateway from the countries of Central Asia to external markets, especially taking into account the large seaports, located in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, he added. "I truly believe that these peculiarities will serve as a key point for future influence of the trade relations between our countries on regional connectivity" he said. He said the bilateral trade between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan had a huge potential, which was, however, not fully explored and utilized. "I call upon both sides to actively cooperate in order to overcome the problems which are influencing this issue," he added. The ambassador said that first of all, there was a lack of mutual awareness and as the representatives of business-circles of both sides were not completely aware of the trade-economic and investment opportunities. "The effective trade between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan is possible in various spheres."However, in order to effectively use the existing potential, businessmen and companies should pay more attention to the trade opportunities and more actively interact with partners from each side. Ambassador Totuiaev said that another key issue was the difficulties of logistic roots between both countries, especially taking into consideration the peculiarities with transiting good via the territories of Afghanistan, and China, and the absence of convenient road and railway connection. Kyiv, Ukraine, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2022 ) :Russia's army has "fully occupied" the key Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk after weeks of fighting, its mayor said Saturday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would be able to send nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus within months. The capture of the industrial hub of Severodonetsk is an important strategic win for Moscow as it seeks to gain full control over the east of the country. It has been the scene of weeks of running battles, but the Ukrainian army said Friday that its outgunned forces would withdraw to better defend the neighbouring city of Lysychansk. "The city has been fully occupied by the Russians," mayor Oleksandr Striuk said on Saturday. PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2022 ) :Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KP FS&HFA) during a raid on a factory on Charsadda road area of Peshawar Sunday seized over 1500 kilograms of substandard and fake spices. The unit was producing fake spices by mixing husk, non-food grade colour and used edible oil, said the Spokesman Qaiser Khan. The operation was carried out on the directions of Director General KP FS&HFA Shahrukh Ali Khan. The Food Safety team during the raid has sealed the premises, while strict action will be taken against all those involved in the process. The Director General appreciated the Food Safety team for identifying and sealing the fake spices unit. He said"The crackdown against food adulteration will be further intensified in coming days. He asked general public to register their complaints on the toll free number of the Authority. "The Food Safety Authority also carried out inspection of various food related businesses in Laki Marwat, where over 100 liters of expired and substandard beverages were confiscated, and a shop was sealed. The Food Safety Authority with district administration Mardan inspected various fast food points, upon severe unhygienic conditions a number of units were sealed, while two persons were arrested. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2022 ) :The Security Forces on Sunday killed seven terrorists during a fire exchange that took pIace between the Forces and terrorists in general area Ghulam Khan KaIle of North Waziristan District. The Army troops effectively engaged the terrorists and resultantly, seven of them were killed, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release here received. The Forces also recovered weapons and ammunition from the killed terrorists who remained actively involved in several terrorist activities against the security forces, the ISPR said. During intense exchange of fire, Subedar Munir Hussain (age 44 years, resident of Parachinar, Kurram) and Havildar Babu Khan (age 38 years, resident of DI Khan), having fought gallantly, embraced shahadat (martyrdom). An area clearance was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the vicinity, it said. Police stand guard behind an Ecuadorian flag in the area around the National Assembly in Quito. (AFP or licensors) The Holy Father says he is following "with concern" the situation in Ecuador, which has seen violent protests over food and fuel prices in recent weeks. By James Blears Pope Francis called on all parties in Ecuador to abandon violence and extreme positions as the country continues to see violent protests in response to rising food and fuel prices. The Holy Father expressed his closeness to the people of Ecuador, while insisting that it is only through dialogue that social peace can be achieved with particular attention to the marginalized populations and the poorest, but always respecting everyones rights, as well as those of the countrys institutions. Crisis easing In Ecuador, there are signs the crisis is easing, after two weeks of demonstrations. Now, discussions are focussing on the future of President Gulliermo Lasso. Lasso has lifted the State of Emergency imposed upon six Provinces, and talks between the government and representatives of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities, led by Leonidas Iza, are currently underway at the Basilica in the capital, Quito. Protestors' demands The protests which led to this point have killed six people and injured hundreds. Activists are demanding the price of fuel be slashed by 45 cents a gallon, that agricultural prices be brought under control, and that more funds be allocated for health and education. President Lasso says the government is willing to guarantee spaces of peace gradually leading back to normal everyday life. Iza, for his part, has allowed the easing of roadblocks to allow food supplies into Quito, but says the protest apparatus will remain in place, pending a resolution. The Administration has already announced debt forgiveness, and pledged budget increases and the subsidization of fertilizers for farmers. The president's future A debate is going on by the National Assembly, which has been at loggerheads with the president about his economic policies. The Union of Hope Party has proposed removing the Lasso from office. This would require 92 of the 137 legislators to vote him out. President Lasso, who has been isolating as he recovers from Covid, will present his case to remain. The vote will be taken in the coming hours. Vatican News staff reporters contributed to this report. A short walk from the spot where British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira set out for their final journey, people sit in the blistering sun breaking rocks into pieces with hammers. It looks like a scene from a movie set in Biblical times, but this is 21st-century Brazil, in the town of Atalaia do Norte the jumping-off point for adventurers, missionaries, poachers, smugglers and others drawn to the Javari Valley, a far-flung sprawl of jungle in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Phillips, 57, and Pereira, 41, were boating back to Atalaia after a research trip to the region when they were murdered on June 5. Indigenous leaders say the crime was payback by illegal fishermen for Pereira's fight against poaching on native lands. The murky case has cast an international spotlight on the Javari Valley, home to an Indigenous reservation bigger than Austria that has the largest concentration of uncontacted tribes on Earth. The region has been hit by a surge of illegal fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking crimes that security experts say are being fueled by poverty. In Atalaia, the county seat, Carmen Magalhaes da Roxa explains why she is sitting on a block of wood in the dirt, smashing up stones with a hammer to sell for construction projects at four reais (less than $1) a bucket. "There's no other work here. If I don't break these rocks, I won't have money to buy gas, pay the electricity bill, buy my medication," said Roxa, 54, pounding away in a floral print dress and flip-flops with half a dozen other "quebra-pedras," or rock-breakers. "We suffer here a lot. I smash my fingers, I get hit by flying shards. But what can you do?" asks the grandmother of three, turning up her bruised hands in a shrug. Lack of options Seventy-five percent of the population lives in poverty in Atalaia do Norte, a colorful but run-down river town of 20,000 people near the spot where Brazil meets Peru and Colombia. Nearly everything in town is produced locally, or brought in by boat from Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state an eight-day trip. There are few ways to escape poverty. Locals often say they have three job options: farming, fishing or city hall, the biggest employer in the county. Analysts say growing lawlessness has created a fourth: environmental crime, backed by money from drug gangs that thrive on the anarchy of a triple border deep in the jungle. "Drug traffickers insert impoverished local populations into their networks, presenting it as an opportunity," security specialist Aiala Colares of Para State University wrote in a recent paper, adding that cartels operating in the Amazon feed off "abandonment by the state." "We can't address the issue of environmental crimes without addressing poverty," Brazilian journalist Yan Boechat said on Twitter. "Economic development in the Amazon region is a failure. What happened to Bruno and Dom is related to that," he wrote, alongside a video of the Atalaia rock-breakers. Violent mix Poverty and lawlessness have proved to be a violent mix. Critics say the weak presence of the state a longtime problem across the Amazon has only become more acute since 2019 under President Jair Bolsonaro, whose administration has shrunk environmental enforcement and the Indigenous affairs agency, FUNAI. In the Javari Valley, a surge in violence followed. The FUNAI base at the edge of the Indigenous reservation was the target of multiple gun attacks in 2019. The same year, FUNAI's anti-poaching chief in the region was murdered in the nearby city of Tabatinga. The crime remains unsolved. Just across the border, gunmen in speedboats attacked a Peruvian police station in January, wounding four officers and brazenly stealing a weapons cache. The post has yet to reopen. Marivonea Moreira de Mello, a 45-year-old mother of four who works at city hall in Atalaia, recalls that a decade ago, she used to sleep with her front door open. Now she wouldn't dare, she says. "Our young people are getting addicted to drugs. My own son is one of them. He's 20," she said. She was happy when the army, navy, federal police and world media descended on Atalaia after Phillips and Pereira went missing. Now that they have mostly left, she worries what will happen. The local police force has just two officers. "Atalaia do Norte is in a very dangerous situation," she says. "There's a lack of police, lack of security, lack of everything." A Texas group that helps women pay for abortions halted its efforts Saturday while evaluating its legal risk under a strict state ban. Mississippi's only abortion clinic continued to see patients while awaiting a 10-day notice that will trigger a ban. Elected officials across the country vowed to take action to protect women's access to reproductive health care, and abortion foes promised to take the fight to new arenas. A day after the Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils turned to resolve as several states enacted bans and both supporters and opponents of abortion rights mapped out their next moves. In Texas, Cathy Torres, organizing manager for Frontera Fund, a group that helps pay for abortions, said there is a lot of fear and confusion in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border, where many people are in the country illegally. That includes how the state's abortion law will be enforced. Under the law, people who help patients get abortions can be fined and doctors who perform them could face life in prison. "We are a fund led by people of color, who will be criminalized first," Torres said, adding that abortion funds like hers that have paused operations hope to find a way to safely restart. "We just really need to keep that in mind and understand the risk." Tyler Harden, Mississippi director for Planned Parenthood Southeast, said she spent Friday and Saturday making sure people with impending appointments at the state's only abortion clinic which featured in the Supreme Court case but is not affiliated with Planned Parenthood know they don't have to cancel them right away. Abortions can take place until 10 days after the state attorney general publishes a required administrative notice. Mississippi will ban the procedure except for pregnancies that endanger the woman's life or those caused by rape reported to law enforcement. The Republican speaker of the Mississippi House, Philip Gunn, said during a news conference Friday that he would oppose adding an exception for incest. "I believe that life begins at conception," Gunn said. Harden said she has been providing information about funds that help people travel out of state to have abortions. Many in Mississippi were doing so even before the ruling, but that will become more difficult now that abortions have ended in neighboring states. Florida is the nearest "safe haven" state, but Harden said, "we know that that may not be the case for too much longer." At the National Right to Life convention in Atlanta, a leader within the anti-abortion group warned attendees Saturday that the Supreme Court's decision ushers in "a time of great possibility and a time of great danger." Randall O'Bannon, the organization's director of education and research, encouraged activists to celebrate their victories but stay focused and continue working on the issue. Specifically, he called out medication taken to induce abortion. "With Roe headed for the dustbin of history, and states gaining the power to limit abortions, this is where the battle is going to be played out over the next several years," O'Bannon said. "The new modern menace is a chemical or medical abortion with pills ordered online and mailed directly to a woman's home." Protests broke out for a second day in cities across the country, from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City to Jackson, Mississippi. In the LA demonstration, one of several in California, hundreds of people marched through downtown carrying signs with slogans like "my body, my choice" and "abort the court." Turnout was smaller in Oklahoma City, where about 15 protesters rallied outside the Capitol. Oklahoma is one of 11 states where there are no providers offering abortions, and it passed the nation's strictest abortion law in May. "I have gone through a wave of emotions in the last 24 hours. ... It's upsetting, it's angry, it's hard to put together everything I'm feeling right now," said Marie Adams, 45, who has had two abortions for ectopic pregnancies, where a fertilized egg is unable to survive. She called the issue "very personal to me." "Half the population of the United States just lost a fundamental right," Adams said. "We need to speak up and speak loud." Callie Pruett, who volunteered to escort patients into West Virginia's only abortion clinic before it stopped offering the procedure after Friday's ruling, said she plans to work in voter registration in the hope of electing officials who support abortion rights. The executive director of Appalachians for Appalachia added that her organization also will apply for grants to help patients get access to abortion care, including out of state. "We have to create networks of people who are willing to drive people to Maryland or to D.C.," Pruett said. "That kind of local action requires organization at a level that we have not seen in nearly 50 years." Fellow West Virginian Sarah MacKenzie, 25, said she's motivated to fight for abortion access by the memory of her mother, Denise Clegg, a passionate reproductive health advocate who worked for years at the state's clinic as a nurse practitioner and died unexpectedly in May. MacKenzie plans to attend protests in the capital, Charleston, and donate to a local abortion fund. "She would be absolutely devastated. She was so afraid of this happening she wanted to stop it," Mackenzie said, adding, "I'll do everything in my power to make sure that this gets reversed." The Supreme Court's ruling is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. Since the decision, clinics have stopped performing abortions in Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Women considering abortions already had been dealing with the near-complete ban in Oklahoma and a prohibition after roughly six weeks in Texas. In Ohio, a ban on most abortions from the first detectable fetal heartbeat became law when a federal judge dissolved an injunction that had kept the measure on hold for nearly three years. Another law with narrow exceptions was triggered in Utah by Friday's ruling. Planned Parenthood Association of Utah filed a lawsuit against it in state court and said it would request a temporary restraining order, arguing it violates the state constitution. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, where abortion remains legal, signed an executive order shielding people seeking or providing abortions in his state from facing legal consequences in other states. Walz also has vowed to reject requests to extradite anyone accused of committing acts related to reproductive health care that are not criminal offenses in Minnesota. "My office has been and will continue to be a firewall against legislation that would reverse reproductive freedom," he said. In Fargo, North Dakota, the state's sole abortion provider faces a 30-day window before it would have to shut down and plans to move across the river to Minnesota. Red River Women's Clinic owner Tammi Kromenaker said Saturday that she has secured a location in Moorhead and an online fundraiser to support the move has brought in more than half a million dollars in less than three days. Republicans sought to downplay their excitement about winning their decades-long fight to overturn Roe, aware that the ruling could energize the Democratic base, particularly suburban women. Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said she expects abortion opponents to turn out in huge numbers this fall. But Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said Saturday he believes the issue will energize independents and he hopes to translate anger over Roe's demise into votes. "Any time you take half the people in Wisconsin and make them second-class citizens," Evers said, "I have to believe there's going to be a reaction to that." While Russias invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Spain and other member nations are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mercenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscows influence to Africa. As the host of the summit taking place from Tuesday to Thursday, Spain wants to emphasize its proximity to Africa as it lobbies for a greater focus on Europes southern flank in a new document outlining NATOs vision of its security challenges and tasks. The Strategic Concept is NATOs most important working document after the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, which contained the key provision holding that an attack on one member is viewed as an attack upon all. The security assessment is updated roughly every decade to reset the Wests security agenda. The current version, approved in Lisbon in 2010, stated the risk of a conventional war on NATO territory was low. It did not explicitly mention concerns about instability in Africa. At the time, the alliance viewed apathy as its biggest military threat; U.S. complaints that some European members were not paying their due featured heavily in summit talks. Fast forward a dozen years, and the view looks very different from NATO headquarters in Brussels. After Russia brought war close to NATOs eastern borders, the alliance has worked to provide Ukraine with an assortment of more powerful weapons and to avoid the very real risk of getting drawn into the fighting. But there appears to be a consensus among NATO members heading into the Madrid summit that while Russia remains concern No. 1, the alliance must continue to widen its view globally. Spains position for an increased focus on the South is shared by Britain, France and Italy. In their view, the security challenges in Africa arise from a Putin apparently dead-set on restoring the imperial glories of Russia as well as from an expansive China. Russia has gained traction thanks to the presence of its mercenaries in the Sahel region, a semiarid expanse stretching from Senegal to Sudan that suffers from political strife, terrorism and drought. Each time I meet with NATO ministers, the support of the allies is total due to the instability that we see on the alliances southern frontier and especially the situation in the Sahel region right now, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares said. The Kremlin denies links to the Wagner Group, a mercenary force with an increasing presence in central and North Africa and the Middle East. The private military company, which has also participated in the war in Ukraine, has developed footholds in Libya, Mali, Sudan and Central African Republic. In Mali, Wagner soldiers are filling a void created by the exit of former colonial power France. In Sudan, Russias offer of an economic alliance earned it the promise of a naval base on the Red Sea. In Central African Republic, Wagner fighters protect the countrys gold and diamond mines. In return, Putin gets diplomatic allies and resources. French President Emmanuel Macron as long called for a greater involvement from NATO in the Sahel region. Now that Wagner has moved into Mali, French authorities underlined that Wagner mercenaries were accused of human right abuses in the Central African Republic, Libya and Syria. Former NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said that Russias brutal military campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his countrys long civil war left it emboldened. Syria gave [the Russians] the sentiment that they could be more active in that part of the world, Solana told The Associated Press. They have very good relations with Algeria and they have (...) the Wagner type of people in the Sahel, which is delicate. With the Sahel, Morocco and Algeria at risk of worsening instability, the southern part of NATO, for Portugal, Spain, Greece, etc., they would like to have an eye open to that part of the world, he said. Italy is another NATO member attuned to the political climate across the Mediterranean Sea. The country is home to NATOs Joint Force Command base in Naples, which in 2017 opened a south hub Hub focusing specifically on terrorism, radicalization, migration and other security issues emanating from North Africa and the Middle East. The Italian ambassador to NATO, Francesco Maria Talo, said in a May interview with Italian news agency ANSA that humanitarian crises in Africa must concern all NATO allies. Near us theres Africa, with a billion inhabitants at risk of poverty, aggravated by food insecurity, terrorism and climate change, all factors that combine to create insecurity, Talo said. And Russia is present there, too. The importance of the other side of the Mediterranean became painfully evident to Spain over the past year due to a series of diplomatic crises involving Morocco and Algeria and their rivalry over the fate of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. Amid the disputes, reduced border security allowed migrants to enter Spanish territory, and there were perceived threats to energy supplies. Analysts consider both to be tactics of hybrid warfare when governments use them against other countries. Speaking in Madrid last month, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace noted the problems caused last year when Belarus, a Putin ally, allegedly encouraged migrants to cross its borders into Poland and other neighboring countries. If the likes of Wagner get the control they have or theyd like to have in places like Libya or indeed what we see theyre already doing in Mali, do not think that Spain will be untouched by that, Wallace said. NATO is also expected to include in the new Strategic Document a reference to Chinas growing military reach both in and beyond the Pacific theater. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last month in Madrid that China has joined Russia in openly contesting the right of each and every country to choose his own path. In May, U.S. Army Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander of U.S. Africa Command, warned that China was trying to build a military naval base on Africas Atlantic coast. He said that China has most traction toward establishing the base in Equatorial Guinea, a tiny oil-rich dictatorship that was once Spains only sub-Saharan African colony. China only operates one acknowledged foreign military base, located in Djibouti in East Africa. But many believe that its Peoples Liberation Army is busy establishing an overseas military network, even if it doesnt use the term base. NATO has invited the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to the summit to demonstrate its interest in the Asian-Pacific. The foreign minister of Mauritania, a former French colony in West Africa, is also invited to attend a working dinner of fellow foreign ministers at the NATO summit. NATO said the country, which borders Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali and Senegal, was closely associated with the preparatory work for the new Strategic Concept. Leaders of the Group of Seven economies met in Germanys Bavarian Alps on Sunday, looking to show they are united against Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine while discussing ways to minimize the wars effect on rising global food and energy costs. U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met ahead of formal talks that also included the leaders of Britain, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and the European Union. Scholz said, "Germany and the U.S. will always act together when it comes to questions of Ukraine's security, and we made that clear once more." "The summit must send not only the message that NATO and the G-7 are more united than ever, Scholz recently told the German parliament, but also that the democracies of the world stand together against Putin's imperialism just as they do in the fight against hunger and poverty. In a pre-summit show of force, Russia launched new missile attacks Sunday on Ukraines two biggest cities, the capital of Kyiv and Kharkiv, even as the G-7 leaders held talks to determine new ways to isolate Moscow. Later, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told CNN on its State of the Union show that Western nations cannot succumb to weariness in the fight against Russia and have to step up to freedom and democracy. Biden announced the G-7 nations would ban new imports of Russian gold, the latest in an array of sanctions Western nations have imposed on Russia in an attempt punish it for Putins invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth month. As they gathered for a working lunch and a photo of the group, Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joked about how they could look tougher than Putin, who was booted from what once was the G-8 after he seized Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Were going to get the bare-chested horseback riding display, Trudeau quipped, referring to Putins frequent displays of himself outdoors sometimes shirtless, including on horseback. There you go! There you go! Weve got to show them our pecs! Johnson added. Aside from discussions about the ongoing fighting in Ukraine, the G-7 leaders announced a $600 billion infrastructure initiative a third of it from the United States that aims to give developing nations an alternative to Chinas Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Biden called it an investment that will deliver returns for everyone, including the American people and the people of all our nations. Itll boost all of our economies, and its a chance for us to share our positive vision for the future and let communities around the world see themselves and see for themselves the concrete benefits of partnering with democracies. After the three-day G-7 summit, the world leaders will travel to Madrid for a NATO summit. Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Greece is set to further seal its land frontiers with rival neighbor Turkey, tripling the length of a soaring fence built to block illegal migrants trying to enter. The plan comes as Greece faces a sudden surge in refugees, both along its land and sea frontiers, as relations with its age-old foe deteriorate. Greece began extending the security fence along its rugged border with Turkey last year, a decade after Athens initially built a 13-kilometer fence in the region to stem the tide of illegal migration. But a sudden surge in refugee flows has authorities concerned now. There is a clear attempt by Turkey to instrumentalize migrants in creating a crisis with Greece, said Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi. And the numbers, he added, speak for themselves. While inflows dropped dramatically from the 1 million mainly Syrians who spilled into the country during the 2015 refugee crisis, an estimated 1,000 migrants make illegal crossings every day. That's about 20% higher than last year. Hundreds of additional border guards have been deployed along the so-called Evros frontier in recent weeks to bolster patrols. But with fears of a bigger migratory push looming, Mitarachi said Greece is wasting no time in moving ahead with plans to add 80 additional kilometers of barbed wire and steel to the existing 40-kilometer fence. How soon the project will begin remains unclear. But until it gets under way, Greece must deal with heightened migratory flows along its sea borders too... mainly in the massive Aegean waterway that divides Greece and Turkey. Nikos Spanos, an admiral with the Greek Coast Guard, spelled out the threats posed by this latest surge. Lets not kid ourselves, he said. Turkey regulates all migratory flows into Greece and Europe... and if the floodgates open farther, it will be very difficult for us to block these inflows from inundating many Greek islands. In June, Migration Ministry officials counted nearly three thousand migrants who tried to illegally cross into Greece from Turkey in a total of 82 attempts made. Only 72 asylum seekers managed to evade interception. With relations between Greece and longtime foe Turkey sinking to their lowest point in years, authorities here are preparing for the worst: Massive inflows like those seen in 2015 in the biggest migratory push to Europe since World War II. Although they are NATO members, Greece and Turkey have been competing over air and sea rights in the Aegean for decades. In recent weeks though, Turkey has threatened to challenge Greece's sovereignty, claiming that more than 100 Aegean islands are its own, not Greece's. Ankara is also increasingly accusing Athens of building a military presence on some of them in breach of international treaties, allegations that Greece strongly denies. Government sources told VOA Greece will raise what it calls Turkeys provocative stance at a meeting of NATO leaders this week in Spain. Iranian state television said Sunday that Tehran had launched a solid-fuel rocket into space, drawing a rebuke from Washington ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers. It's unclear when or where the rocket was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran's rural Semnan province, the site of Iran's frequent failed attempts to put a satellite into orbit. State-run media aired dramatic footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, which is racing ahead under decreasing international oversight. Iran had previously acknowledged that it planned more tests for the satellite-carrying rocket, which it first launched in February of last year. Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Defense Ministry, said Zuljanah, a 25.5 meter-long rocket capable of carrying a satellite of 220 kilograms (485 pounds) that would gather data in low-earth orbit and promote Iran's space industry. Zuljanah is named for the horse of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The White House said it was aware of Iran's announcement and criticized the move as "unhelpful and destabilizing." It said it was committed to using sanctions and other measures to prevent further advances in Iran's ballistic missile program. The launch comes just a day after the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, traveled to Tehran in a push to resuscitate negotiations over Iran's nuclear program that have been stalled for months. A few significant sticking points remain, including Tehran's demand that Washington lift terrorism sanctions on its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Borrell said Saturday that talks over the nuclear deal would resume in an unnamed Persian Gulf country in the coming days, with Iranian media reporting that Qatar would likely host the negotiations. Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed crushing sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by greatly ramping up its nuclear work and now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. In a further escalation that limits the international community's view into its nuclear program, Iran removed over two dozen International Atomic Energy Agency cameras from its nuclear sites this month. The agency's director called the move a "fatal blow" to the tattered nuclear deal. Tehran's rocket launches have raised alarm in Washington amid the unraveling of the nuclear deal. The U.S. warns the launches defy a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on Iran to steer clear of any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The U.S. intelligence community's 2022 threat assessment, published in March, claims such a satellite launch vehicle "shortens the timeline" to an intercontinental ballistic missile for Iran as it uses "similar technologies." Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, maintains its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component. Even as Iran's government has sharpened its focus on space, sending several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launching a monkey into space, the program has seen recent troubles. There have been five failed launches in a row for the Simorgh program, a type of satellite-carrying rocket. A fire at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in February 2019 also killed three researchers. The launch pad used in the preparations for the launch of the Zuljanah rocket remains scarred from an explosion in August 2019 that even drew the attention of then-President Trump. He later tweeted what appeared to be a classified surveillance image of the launch failure. Satellite images from February suggested a failed Zuljanah launch earlier this year, though Iran did not acknowledge it. Meanwhile, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in April 2020 revealed its own secret space program by successfully launching a satellite into orbit. The Guard operates its own military infrastructure parallel to Iran's regular armed forces. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived in Iran on Sunday, Iranian state TV reported, a day after he travelled to Saudi Arabia in a bid to revive talks between the regional rivals to ease years of hostility. Iran and Saudi Arabia, the leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East, severed ties in 2016, with both parties backing allies fighting proxy wars across the region, from Yemen to Syria and elsewhere. "The Iraqi prime minister has arrived in Tehran with a high-ranking delegation of political and economic officials to discuss regional and bilateral issues," Iran's state TV said. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia rose further in 2019 after an assault on Saudi oil plants that Riyadh blamed on Iran, a charge Tehran denies. An Iranian official told Reuters that "the resumption of talks between Tehran and Riyadh will be discussed during Khadimi's trip to Iran." The fifth round of talks were held in April, after Iran suspended the negotiations in March without giving a reason but the decision was made following Saudi Arabia's execution of 81 men in its biggest mass execution in decades. Tehran condemned the executions that activists said included 41 Shi'ite Muslims. On Saturday, Kadhimi held talks with Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah that the state news agency SPA said included bilateral relations and "boosting security and stability in the region." Kadhimis visit comes as a months-long impasse in the indirect talks between Tehran and Washington is expected to break in the coming days to secure a 2015 nuclear pact which curbed Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to visit Riyadh in mid-July and talks are expected to include Gulf security concerns over Iran's ballistic missiles program and network of proxies across the Middle East. Pope Francis on Sunday hailed as a martyr an Italian missionary nun slain in Haiti, where she cared for poor children. The diocese of Milan says Sister Luisa Dell'Orto, 64, was slain "during an armed aggression, probably with the aim of robbery," in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. The Vatican's official media said Dell'Orto, gravely wounded, was taken to a hospital, where she died soon after. Francis in remarks to the public in St. Peter's Square expressed his closeness to the nun's family members and noted she had lived there for some 20 years, dedicating herself above all to helping poor children who lived on the street. "I entrust her soul to God, and I pray for the Haitian people, especially the little ones, so they can have a more serene future, without misery and without violence, " Francis said. Dell'Orto "gave her life to others, until the point of martyrdom,'' the pontiff said. The nun, who was born in Lombardy, northern Italy, had run a home for children in a very poor suburb of Port-au-Prince, the Milan diocese said. Haiti, a Caribbean country, is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 11:35 p.m.: The war in Ukraine could allow illegal drug production to flourish, while the opium markets future hinges on the fate of crisis-wracked Afghanistan, the United Nations warned Monday, Agence France-Presse reported. Previous experience from the Middle East and Southeast Asia suggests conflict zones can act as a "magnet" for making synthetic drugs, which can be manufactured anywhere, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its annual report. The UNODC said the number of dismantled amphetamine laboratories in Ukraine rose from 17 in 2019 to 79 in 2020, the highest number of seized laboratories reported in any country in 2020. Ukraines capacity to produce synthetic drugs could grow as the war continues, it added, according to AFP. 10:45 p.m.: Canada deploys two warships to the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic, joining a pair of frigates already in the region to reinforce NATO's eastern flank in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported. Her Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) Kingston and Summerside set sail for a four-month deployment as part of deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe launched in 2014 after Moscow annexed Crimea, the Canadian navy says in a statement, according to AFP. 9:30 p.m.: 8:45 p.m.: In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, Russia today again hit Kyiv with missiles. Early in the morning. The second army of the world triumphantly defeated a kindergarten and an apartment building. Missiles also hit the Mykolaiv region, the Chernihiv region, Odesa, Cherkasy. Artillery and mortar shelling did not stop in the Kharkiv region, in the Sumy region, in Donbas, in the south of our state. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Everyone who was injured is given all the necessary help. Part of the missiles were shot down. But only part. We need a powerful air defense - modern, fully effective. Which can ensure complete protection against these missiles. We talk about this every day with our partners. There are already some agreements. And partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers, Zelenskyy said. 7:25 p.m.: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend a round of talks with the leaders of Sweden and Finland, as well as NATO on Tuesday ahead of the summit in Madrid, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said, according to Reuters. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. But the bids have faced opposition from Turkey, which has been angered by what it says is Helsinki and Stockholm's support for Kurdish militants and arms embargoes on Ankara, Reuters reported. 6:32 p.m.: 5:25 p.m.: France has become the latest country to reconsider its energy options because of the war in Ukraine, announcing Sunday it was looking into reopening a recently closed coal-fired power station, Agence France-Presse reported. The energy transition ministry said in a statement it was considering reopening the station at Saint-Avold in eastern France this winter, "given the situation in Ukraine" and the effect it was having on the energy markets. But France would still be producing less than one percent of its electricity through coal power, and no Russian coal would be used, the statement added, according to AFP. 4:37 p.m.: 3:09 p.m.: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Germany, agreeing to provide more support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, Reuters reported. "They agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war," a Downing Street spokesperson for Johnsons office said in a statement. 2:30 p.m.: A Russian missile strike that hit Kyiv is an act of "symbolic aggression" in the days leading up to a NATO summit, said the city's mayor Vitali Klitschko, Agence France-Presse reported. 1:28 p.m.: The latest missile strikes by Russia on Kyiv show that international sanctions should be more aggressive said Andriy Yermak, the Ukraine president's chief of staff, Reuters reported. The G-7 summit should respond to Russian strikes on Kyiv, he said on Sunday. An embargo on gold exports is good, but a gas embargo is needed in the new EU sanctions package," he said on Telegram. 12:52 p.m.: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that despite gains on the ground in Ukraine, Russias invasion is a failure. Speaking on CNNs State of the Union, Blinken said regarding President Vladimir Putin: Lets not confuse the tactical with strategic. When it comes to Putins strategic objectives, hes already failed. Blinken continued: His strategic objective was to end Ukraines sovereignty and independence, to erase it from the map, to subsume it in Russia. That has failed. Blinken added Putin has also failed in his quest to use the invasion to sow divisions in NATO. Blinken commented on the strikes overnight on Kyiv by Russia. We have seen sporadically, Blinken said, ever since Putin lost the battle for Kyiv and had to shift his focus just to Eastern and Southern Ukraine, that they have occasionally launched missiles at a distance, basically to terrorize people. 12:17 p.m.: 11:19 a.m.: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitscho visited the city's historic northern neighborhoods, known as the Shevchenko district, after at least two buildings were affected by early morning explosions blamed on up to four Russian missiles. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also reported Klitschko initially said some victims were trapped under rubble and a nine-story apartment building had caught fire. Later, the commander of the Ukrainian Police, Ihor Klymenko, said one person was confirmed dead and four others including a 7-year-old girl and her Russian mother pulled from the debris were confirmed injured so far. Klymenko accused Moscow of "killing its own citizens in apartment buildings [and] calling them military objects in its reports." 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. 10:46 a.m.: Russia edged closer to default on Sunday amid little sign that investors holding its international bonds had received payment, heralding what would be the nation's first default in decades, reports Reuters. Russia has struggled to keep up payments on $40 billion of outstanding bonds since its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, which provoked sweeping sanctions that have effectively cut the country out of the global financial system and rendered its assets untouchable to many investors. The Kremlin has repeatedly said there are no grounds for Russia to default but is unable to send money to bondholders because of sanctions, accusing the West of trying to drive it into an artificial default. While a formal default would be largely symbolic given Russia cannot borrow internationally at the moment and doesn't need to thanks to rich oil and gas revenue, the stigma would probably raise its borrowing costs in future. 9:50 a.m.: President Biden on Sunday praised the continued unity of the global alliance confronting Russia, as he and other heads of the Group of Seven leading economies strategized on sustaining the pressure in their effort to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. Biden and his counterparts were set to announce new bans on imports of Russian gold, the latest in a series of sanctions the club of democracies hopes will further isolate Russia economically over its invasion of Ukraine. 9:23 a.m.: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says attacks by Russia on residential buildings in Kyiv show the importance of international unity in supporting Ukraine, reported the Associated Press. At the G-7 summit in Germany, Scholz emphasized the unity so far of the Group of Seven industrial powers, the European Union and NATO in organizing support for Ukraine. We can say for sure that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin did not reckon with this and it is still giving him a headache the great international support for Ukraine, but of course, also the Ukrainians courage and bravery in defending their own country. 8:58 a.m.: Strikes by Russian missiles in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight and early this morning were another case of Russian barbarism, U.S. President Joe Biden said at the summit of the Group of Seven rich democracies in Germany on Sunday. "It's more of their barbarism," he said. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the West needed to maintain a united front against Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters. "The price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his program of conquest, that price will be far, far higher," he told reporters. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said G-7 countries should respond to the latest missile strikes by imposing further sanctions on Russia and providing more heavy weapons to Ukraine. 8:27 a.m.: Russian missiles struck a residential building and the compound of a kindergarten in central Kyiv on Sunday, killing one person and wounding five more, officials said, as Moscow stepped up its air strikes on Ukraine for a second day. Reuters also reported firefighters put out a fire in a badly damaged nine-story residential building. Debris was strewn over parked cars outside a smoldering building with a crater in its roof. "There are people under the rubble," Kievs mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, and added that several people had already been hospitalized. 5:10 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry says that Russia's capture of Sieverodonetsk still leaves it with a number of obstacles to occupying the Donbas region. Challenges include securing main supply routes and advancing to Kramatorsk. 4:19 a.m.: VOA's Myroslava Gongadze, on the ground in Kyiv: 3 a.m.: Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said explosions are rocking the city's Shevchenkivskiy district, Al Jazeera reported. Residents are being rescued and evacuated from two buildings," he said on Telegram. Al Jazeera later reported that the blasts damaged a nine-story residential building and preliminary data suggest there are victims. Rescue operations are happening now. 2:01 a.m.: 1:02 a.m.: Leaders of the Group of Seven democracies are having "very constructive" discussions on a possible cap on Russian oil imports, a German government official said on Saturday shortly before the start of the annual three-day G-7 summit, Reuters reported. The proposal is part of broader G-7 discussions on how to further crank up the pressure on the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine without stoking global inflationary pressures. With energy prices soaring though, the West fears such embargoes will not actually put a dent in Russia's war chest as the country earns more from exports even as volumes fall. A price cap could solve that dilemma, while also avoiding further restricting oil supply and fueling inflation, officials say, but for it to work, it requires buy-in from heavy importers like India and China. "We are on a good path to reach an agreement," the official said. 12:02 a.m.: Ukrainian shelling on Saturday forced Russian troops to suspend the evacuation of people from a chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, just hours after Moscow's forces took the city, Tass news agency quoted local police as saying. Separately, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said special forces were still in Sievierodonetsk, directing artillery fire against the Russians. The adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, spoke in a video address. Russian officials said there could still be several hundred people in the giant Azot plant, where they took shelter as the fighting spread. Earlier in the day both Kyiv and Moscow said Ukrainian forces had pulled out of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of fighting that destroyed 90% of the city. Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. The prolonged roar of Grad rockets can be heard as locals in the east Ukrainian town of Siversk crowd around a van selling essentials such as bread, sausages and gas for camp stoves. "Everyone is suffering. All of us here are trying to survive," said Nina, a 64-year-old retiree, pushing a bicycle. "There's no water, no gas, no electricity. We have been living for three months now under shelling. It's like we're in the Stone Ages," she said. The small town of mainly village-style single-story houses on dusty roads has become a new frontier in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian troops have given up defending the ravaged city of Sievierodonetsk and now face a battle with Russians seeking to encircle neighboring Lysychansk. Siversk is the last major town en route to Lysychansk, albeit along roads that are severely damaged and under shelling and has Russian forces encroaching from the north and south. Local people, many of them retirees, complain they feel abandoned by Kyiv. "The town has really died. And we would like to live a little bit longer," said Marina, 63, a retired factory worker. "They're just basically killing us. It's dangerous everywhere," Nina said. "No one needs us, there's no help from the government. Ukraine has forgotten about us." 'Batteries are trending' Military vehicles including U.S. Humvees and latest-generation U.S. and Soviet-style howitzers, tanks, aid trucks and ambulances constantly pass back and forth through Siversk. "All day they've been coming," said a policeman at a nearby checkpoint, adding that three vehicles carrying evacuees have gone through "with mainly old people, women and children there is movement today." Driving onto higher ground, dirty smoke rises from a fresh Ukrainian missile launch. The street van in Siversk is a commercial operation, bringing goods including Polish food from the city of Dnipro, some 300 kilometers away, locals say. "It's expensive, of course," Nina said. There are also deliveries of humanitarian aid. AFP journalists saw three Red Cross trucks drive up to municipal offices and unload boxes of food including sunflower oil, tea and buckwheat, as well as hygiene items such as razors. Municipal official Svitlana Severin asked the Red Cross staff to bring more candles, matches and flashlights. "Batteries are trending," she said. Flashlights need power and we don't know when we'll get electricity." The boxes are put in a storage room. Severin says that in order to minimize crowds, they stagger their handouts, with specific days each month for each social group. An older woman comes up to the vans indignantly asking why she cannot access the aid and asking for heart medicine. 'Candles needed' There are also local initiatives. Social worker Svetlana Meloshchenko says she and her helpers go round distributing water in milk containers and have given out candles and washing liquids outside the local shop. "Candles are needed people spend nights in their cellar," she said. "There are a lot of small children, old people, disabled people," she added, as well as "a lot of people with diabetes." "Medicines are supplied to hospitals, but not enough for all," she said. Russian troops are firing artillery on the area around Siversk, according to Ukraine's General Staff. Nearby, a group of Ukrainian soldiers sprawl in a disused petrol station, eating bread and sausage, their semiautomatic rifles beside them. They say they are going back and forth to the front, without giving details. "Our cause is the right one," insisted one young soldier, while another older, bearded man said: "We don't look at the news." "When there's really good news, we'll definitely hear about it," he said, smiling. Two police officers were killed and one wounded in an attack on a police station in northwest Benin on Sunday, police sources said, the latest in a string of deadly assaults in an area affected by a spillover of militant activity in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. Suspected jihadists descended on the Dassari police station at around 2 a.m. and opened fire, killing two officers before they were pushed back, said one police officer who did not wish to be named. "Our forces were able to resist. Unfortunately, there were two dead in our ranks," the police officer told Reuters. Two "terrorists" were also killed and several others wounded, he added. A second unnamed police source confirmed the assault and the death toll. Dassari is a town around 600 km (373 miles) northwest of Benin's largest city Cotonou, near the border with Burkina Faso. It is around 250 km from a police station in the commune of Karimana, near the border with Niger, that was raided by armed assailants on April 26, leaving at least one dead and several wounded. Benin's army has not officially communicated on Sunday's attack. Its spokesman Didier Ahouanvoedo referred Reuters to the police. "The attack this early morning once again spread panic among the local population," said a local official in Dassari, who did not wish to be named for safety reasons. "The situation is now under control thanks to reinforcements from the army," he added. Groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that spread to northern Benin from West Africa's Sahel region have escalated attacks in recent weeks. Five soldiers were killed in April when an army convoy struck an improvised explosive device planted in the northern Pendjari National Park. Russia launched an attack on Ukraines capital Sunday. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least one apartment building was hit in the shelling. The attack Sunday comes on the same day that Group of Seven leaders from the worlds richest democracies are meeting in Germany. Russias invasion of Ukraine will be a main focus of the summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday he will take part in the summit Monday. Before the opening of the summit, U.S. President Joe Biden said that the U.S. and the other G-7 economies will ban the import of Russian gold, the latest sanction imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The attack on Ukraines capital comes a day after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, a major victory for Russia after weeks of fierce fighting, with the ongoing battles resulting in international food and fuel price hikes. Meanwhile, Russia launched rocket attacks across Ukraine on Saturday. The attacks were reported to be launched from Belarusian airspace, just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to meet with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, Russia. Zelenskyy said in his daily address Saturday that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defense systems -- the modern systems that our partners have - should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed. Needed more than anywhere else in the world. Ukraine said Russian forces had fully occupied Lysychansk, a neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk, in the eastern Luhansk region. Moscow claimed it had encircled about 2,000 Ukrainian troops in the area. The Russian advances appeared to bring the Kremlin closer to taking full control of Luhansk province, one of Moscow's stated war objectives. To stabilize the situation in Luhansk, Ukraine needs "fire parity" with Russia, Ukraine's top general told his U.S. counterpart Friday. "We discussed the operational situation and the delivery flow of international technical assistance," Ukraine's General Valeriy Zaluzhniy wrote on the Telegram app after a phone call with the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Ukraine has said Russia's artillery advantage on the Donbas front lines is taking a significant toll on Ukrainian troops and has called on its Western partners to supply more weapons to minimize the deficit. A senior U.S. defense official on Friday praised the Ukrainian decision to withdraw from Sievierodonetsk, describing the move as professional and tactical. What they are doing is putting themselves in a position where they can better defend themselves, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence and other sensitive information. And while the official said Russian forces have been able to eke out gains around Sievierodonetsk, the gains have come at considerable cost. The Russians have suffered heavy casualties and they also have suffered heavy equipment losses, the official said. The Russian forces are showing the signs of wear and tear, and debilitated morale, and it is impacting their ability to move forward swiftly. Russia launched new missile attacks Sunday on Ukraines two biggest cities, the capital of Kyiv and Kharkiv, even as leaders of the Group of Seven nations from the worlds leading democracies held talks in the Bavarian Alps to determine new ways to isolate Moscow. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two apartment buildings in the city were hit, leaving at least one person dead, and four others injured. Russia ramped up its use of cruise missiles, striking targets across northwestern Ukraine. Air raid sirens blared in several cities. Its more of their barbarism, U.S. President Joe Biden said of the Russian strike on Kyiv as he appeared at a G-7 welcoming ceremony with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany. Russias invasion of Ukraine is a key focus of the summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday he will take part in the meeting Monday. Biden said that the United States and the other G-7 economies will ban the import of Russian gold, the latest sanction imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth month. The leaders of the G-7 nations Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States are trying to maintain unity against Russia, even with the wars growing toll on the global economy, including in the U.S., which is confronting a four-decade high surge in consumer prices. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on CNNs State of the Union show that Western nations cannot succumb to weariness in the fight against Russia and have to step up to freedom and democracy. Johnson called the U.S. a shining city on the hill and it will continue to be in the pursuit of Ukrainian freedom. He said it would be catastrophic for Russian President Vladimir Putin to prevail in taking over Ukraine. Russia has made advances in eastern Ukraine even though it failed earlier in the war to topple Zelenskyys government or capture Kyiv. The new attack on Kyiv came a day after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, a major victory for Russia after weeks of fierce fighting, with the ongoing battles resulting in international food and fuel price increases. Russia now controls virtually all of the Luhansk province, part of the eastern Donbas region that Moscow is trying to take over, one of its major war aims. Russian rocket attacks across Ukraine on Saturday were reported to be launched from Belarusian airspace, just hours before Putin met with Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, Russia. Zelenskyy said in his daily address Saturday that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defense systems the modern systems that our partners have should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed. Needed more than anywhere else in the world. Ukraine said Russian forces had fully occupied Lysychansk, a neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk, in the eastern Luhansk region. Moscow claimed it had encircled about 2,000 Ukrainian troops in the area. To stabilize the situation in Luhansk, Ukraine needs "fire parity" with Russia, Ukraine's top general told his U.S. counterpart Friday. "We discussed the operational situation and the delivery flow of international technical assistance," Ukraine's General Valeriy Zaluzhnyy wrote on the Telegram app after a phone call with the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Ukraine has said Russia's artillery advantage on the Donbas front lines is taking a significant toll on Ukrainian troops and has called on its Western partners to supply more weapons to minimize the deficit. A senior U.S. defense official Friday praised the Ukrainian decision to withdraw from Sievierodonetsk, describing the move as professional and tactical. What they are doing is putting themselves in a position where they can better defend themselves, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence and other sensitive information. And while the official said Russian forces have been able to gain ground around Sievierodonetsk, the gains have come at considerable cost. The Russians have suffered heavy casualties and they also have suffered heavy equipment losses, the official said. The Russian forces are showing the signs of wear and tear, and debilitated morale, and it is impacting their ability to move forward swiftly. As was his habit before each flight, the veteran Ukrainian army pilot ran a hand along the fuselage of his Mi-8 helicopter, caressing the heavy transporter's metal skin to bring luck to him and his crew. They would need it. Their destination a besieged steel mill in the brutalized city of Mariupol was a death trap. Some other crews didn't make it back alive. Still, the mission was vital, even desperate. Ukrainian troops were pinned down, their supplies running low, their dead and injured stacking up. Their last-ditch stand at the Azovstal mill was a growing symbol of Ukraine's defiance in the war against Russia. They could not be allowed to perish. The 51-year-old pilot identified only by his first name, Oleksandr flew just the one mission to Mariupol, and he considered it the most difficult flight of his 30-year career. He took the risk, he said, because he didn't want the Azovstal fighters to feel forgotten. In the charred wreckage of that plant, in an underground bunker-turned-medical station that provided shelter from death and destruction above, word started reaching the wounded that a miracle might be coming. Among those told that he was on the list for evacuation was a junior sergeant whose left leg had been shredded by mortar rounds, forcing its amputation above the knee. "Buffalo" was his nom de guerre. He had been through so much, but one more deadly challenge loomed: escape from Azovstal. Heroic feats A series of clandestine, against-the-odds, terrain-hugging, high-speed helicopter missions to reach the Azovstal defenders in March, April and May are being celebrated in Ukraine as among the most heroic feats of military derring-do of the war. Some ended in catastrophe; each grew progressively riskier as Russian air defense batteries caught on. The full story of the seven resupply and rescue missions has yet to be told. But from exclusive interviews with two wounded survivors, a military intelligence officer who flew on the first mission, and pilot interviews provided by the Ukrainian army, The Associated Press has pieced together the account of one of the last flights, from the perspective of the rescuers and the rescued. Only after more than 2,500 defenders who remained in the Azovstal ruins had started surrendering did Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mention the missions and their deadly cost. The Azovstal fighters' tenacity had frustrated Moscow's objective of quickly capturing Mariupol and had prevented Russian troops there from being redeployed elsewhere. Zelenskyy told Ukrainian broadcaster ICTV that pilots braved Russian air defenses in venturing beyond enemy lines, flying in food, water, medicine and weapons so the plant's defenders could fight on, and flying out the injured. The military intelligence officer said one helicopter was shot down and two others never came back and are considered missing. He said he dressed in civilian clothes for his flight, thinking that he could melt into the population if he survived a crash: "We were aware it could be a one-way ticket." Said Zelenskyy: "These are absolutely heroic people who knew what was difficult, who knew that it was almost impossible. We lost a lot of pilots." Devastating wounds If Buffalo had had his way, he would not have lived to be evacuated. His life would have ended quickly, to spare him the agony he suffered after 120mm mortar rounds tore apart his left leg, bloodied his right foot, and peppered his back with shrapnel during street fighting in Mariupol on March 23. The 20-year-old spoke to The Associated Press on condition that he not be identified by name, saying he didn't want it to seem that he is seeking publicity when thousands of Azovstal defenders are in captivity or dead. He had been on the trail of a Russian tank, aiming to destroy it with his shoulder-launched, armor-piercing NLAW missile on the last day of the invasion's first month, when his war was cut short. Tossed next to the wreckage of a burning car, he dragged himself to cover in a nearby building and "decided it would be better to crawl into the basement and quietly die there," he said. But his friends evacuated him to the Ilyich steel mill, which subsequently fell in mid-April as Russian forces were tightening their grip on Mariupol and its strategic port on the Sea of Azov. Three days passed before medics were able to amputate, in a basement bomb shelter. He considers himself lucky: Doctors still had anesthetic when his turn came to go under the knife. When he came around, a nurse told him how sorry she was that he'd lost the limb. He cut through the awkwardness with a joke: "Will they return the money for 10 tattoo sessions?" "I had a lot of tattoos on my leg," he said. One remains, a human figure, but its legs are gone now, too. After the surgery, he was transferred to the Azovstal plant. A stronghold covering nearly 11 square kilometers, with a 24-kilometer labyrinth of underground tunnels and bunkers, the plant was practically impregnable. But conditions were grim. "There was constant shelling," said Vladislav Zahorodnii, a 22-year-old corporal who had been shot through the pelvis, shredding a nerve, during street fighting in Mariupol. Evacuated to Azovstal, he met Buffalo there. They already knew each other: Both were from Chernihiv, a city in the north surrounded and pounded by Russian forces. Zahorodnii saw the missing leg. He asked Buffalo how he was doing. "Everything is fine, we will go clubbing soon," Buffalo replied. A tattoo in remembrance Zahorodnii was evacuated from Azovstal by helicopter on March 31, after three failed attempts. It was his first helicopter flight. The Mi-8 took fire on its way out, killing one of its engines. The other one kept them airborne for the remainder of the 80-minute early-morning dash to Dnipro city on the Dnieper River in central Ukraine. He would mark his deliverance with a mortar-round tattoo on his right forearm: "I did it not to forget," he said. Buffalo's turn came the following week. He was ambivalent about leaving. On the one hand, he was relieved that his share of the dwindling food and water would now go to others still able to fight; on the other, "there was a painful feeling. They stayed there, and I left them." Still, he almost missed his flight. Soldiers hauled him on a gurney out of his deep bunker and loaded him aboard a truck that rumbled to a pre-arranged landing zone. The soldiers wrapped him in a jacket. The helicopter's cargo of ammunition was unloaded first. Then, the wounded were lifted aboard. But not Buffalo. Left in a back corner of the truck, he'd somehow been overlooked. He couldn't raise the alarm because the mortar blasts had injured his throat, and he was still too hoarse to make himself heard over the whoop-whoop-whoop of the helicopter rotors. "I thought to myself, 'Well, not today then,' " he recalled. "And suddenly someone shouted, 'You forgot the soldier in the truck!' " Because the cargo bay was full, Buffalo was placed crosswise from the others, who'd been loaded aboard side by side. A crew member took his hand and told him not to worry, they'd make it home. "All my life," he told the crew member, "I dreamed of flying a helicopter. It doesn't matter if we arrive my dream has come true." 'Very scary' In his cockpit, the wait seemed interminable to Oleksandr, the minutes feeling like hours. "Very scary," he said. "You see explosions around and the next shell could reach your location." In the fog of war and with the full picture of the secret missions still emerging, it's not possible to be absolutely sure that Buffalo and the pilot who spoke to journalists in a video interview recorded and shared by the military were aboard the same flight. But details of their accounts match. Both gave the same date: the night of April 4-5. Oleksandr recalled being fired upon by a ship as they swooped over waters out of Mariupol. A blast wave tossed the helicopter around "like a toy," he said. But his escape maneuvers got them out of trouble. Buffalo also recalls a blast. The evacuees were told later that the pilot had avoided a missile. Oleksandr gunned the helicopter to 220 kilometers per hour and flew as low as 3 meters above the ground except when hopping over power lines. A second helicopter on his mission did not make it back; on the return flight, its pilot radioed him that he was running short of fuel. It was their last communication. On his gurney, Buffalo had watched the terrain zip past through a porthole. "We flew over the fields, below the trees. Very low," he said. They made it to Dnipro, safely. Upon landing, Oleksandr heard the wounded calling out for the pilots. He expected them to yell at him for having tossed them around so violently during the flight. "But when I opened the door, I heard guys saying, 'Thank you,' " he said. "Everyone clapped," recalled Buffalo, now rehabbing with Zahorodnii at a Kyiv clinic. "We told the pilots that they had done the impossible." Carrying the hammer and sickle flags of the former Soviet Union, thousands protested in Madrid on Sunday against a NATO summit that will take place in the Spanish capital this week. Amid tight security, leaders of the member countries will meet in Madrid on June 29-30 as the organization faces the unprecedented challenge of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. NATO is expected to consider the bid, opposed by alliance-member Turkey, for Finland and Sweden to join. The Nordic nations applied in the wake of the Russian assault on Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the war a special military operation he says in part responds to the accession to NATO of other countries near post-Soviet Russia's borders since the 1990s. "Tanks... yes, but of beer with tapas," sang demonstrators, who claimed an increase in defense spending in Europe urged by NATO was a threat to peace. "I am fed up (with) this business of arms and killing people. The solution they propose is more arms and wars and we always pay for it. So, no NATO, no (army) bases, let the Americans go and leave us alone without wars and weapons," said Concha Hoyos, a retired Madrid resident, told Reuters. Another protester, Jaled, 29, said NATO was not the solution to the war in Ukraine. Organizers claimed 5,000 people joined the march, but authorities in Madrid put the number at 2,200. Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in a newspaper interview published Sunday that the summit would also focus on the threat from Europe's southern flank in Africa, in which he said Russia posed a threat to Europe. "The foreign ministers' dinner on the 29th will be centered on the southern flank," he told El Pais newspaper. Before the 2016 presidential election, Illinois farmer Brian Duncan looked to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement between the United States and Asian countries, to boost demand for his crops, and in particular, prices for the thousands of hogs he raises annually. "Pork is very much in demand in Asian countries, the Pacific rim," he explained to VOA in a recent interview outside one of the sheds where he tends to his animals. "I was really looking forward to what opportunities could come for pork sales to that part of the world." But the TPP became politically problematic for both Democrats and Republicans who eventually distanced themselves from a trade agreement some voters believed would negatively affect U.S. manufacturing jobs. When Republican Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, hopes of passing the TPP ended. "Part of TPP's role was to counter China's growing economic influence and position the United States to be a positive force in the region," Duncan said. "Those countries have gone ahead without us, they left us behind on trade." Max Baucus, a former U.S. senator from Montana and former U.S. ambassador to China, agrees. "When we pulled out of TPP, we really abdicated our leadership and created a huge vacuum in Southeast Asia," said Baucus, now a co-chairman of the Farmers for Free Trade advocacy group, while attending a recent online meeting about the Biden administration's efforts to engage Asian nations in new trade talks. "It's important to establish an economic counterweight to China. That's important. That was the whole point of TPP." Mark Gebhards, executive director of governmental affairs for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said, "We have been strongly encouraging the Biden administration to do more in terms of building true market access." Gebhards says Biden's Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) with 12 Asian countries Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam is a welcome development that could boost U.S. agriculture exports. "The benefit for us is to increase the market access in extremely important countries which are very willing, very interested in our agricultural products. For our farmers, for our members, there is a direct benefit here," Gebhards told VOA in an interview at the Illinois Farm Bureau headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. "It's great to talk, it's a great first step, but we really feel that we need more actual trade agreements put in place especially in light of the Ukrainian conflict and all the things that are happening in the world today. The Indo-Pacific Framework, it is important to note, it is not a trade agreement with these 12 countries that are involved in it. It is really along the lines of a framework to sit down and talk about trade issues. It's not negotiation that you would enter into in a trade agreement, especially in a bilateral approach that we have with many of these countries." Duncan said, "Something is better than nothing, that's where I'm at with it. Sixty percent of the world's population is going to be in those Indo-Pacific countries." The White House says the 12 nations in the IPEF also account for about 40% of global GDP. But Duncan is aware of the limitations of the current talks. "It's just a framework. We hope it provides a mechanism to go forward and build upon. When I see this framework, it at least answers one of the questions we haven't given up on a multilateral agreement in the Pacific Rim, and I think that's good news. So now, we hope that's a start, we hope there's dialogue, and we hope we can build upon this and get people to realize that multilateral agreements are not evil, they can work, and they have worked in the past." As he waits and hopes for trade talks to turn into trade negotiations, Duncan sees the IPEF as meaningful change in U.S. trade policy. "I think there's hope again and realization of the importance of international trade." A conservative supermajority in the U.S. Supreme Court struck down on Friday the constitutional right to an abortion by overturning Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized the procedure in the United States. The 6-3 court decision follows a move by the high court to loosen restriction on guns in America despite modest gun control measures passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden. VOAs Arash Arabasadi has more on the rulings. The World Health Organization said Sunday it was stepping up surveillance of infectious diseases in earthquake-hit areas of Afghanistan following warnings by local authorities that thousands of survivors are at risk of disease. Afghan officials reported at least 1,150 people were killed, many more were injured, and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed in Wednesdays powerful quake. The latest U.N. findings Sunday revealed that at least 155 children were among those killed and nearly 250 children were injured by the quake, with 65 reportedly orphaned or left unaccompanied. The calamity caused most of the destruction in the southeastern Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost, some of the poorest and remotest mountainous areas near the Pakistani border, which lack the infrastructure to withstand disasters of this scale. The people are extremely needy for food and clean water, Afghan health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said Sunday. He added that officials had managed medicines for now but handling those who had lost their homes would be a challenge. We ask the international community, humanitarian organizations to help us... for food and medicine. The survivor might catch diseases because they dont have proper houses and shelters for living. The WHO said in a statement that its response, and that of all health partners on the ground, is to treat the injured, save lives and minimize the risk of disease in the aftermath of this tragedy. WHO is increasing surveillance of infectious diseases such as acute watery diarrhea, measles, and COVID-19 by deploying disease surveillance and control officers and distributing medicines and supplies to health facilities in anticipation of an increase in cases. The statement noted that Afghanistan is one of the two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Pakistan, and polio staff are also contributing to relief efforts and supporting surveillance for other infectious diseases. The earthquake was yet another tragic reminder of the various risks facing the Afghan people and how critical that Afghanistan should not become another forgotten emergency by the global community, said Luo Dapeng, the WHO representative in the war-torn country. Hundreds of families were reportedly living in the open across several worst-affected districts. Those living in non-damaged and partially damaged buildings have also reportedly resorted to staying out in the open out of fear that there may be further tremors, according to U.N. officials. Maryam, a 12-year-old survivor, was buried under the rubble for three hours before she was rescued. But her father, stepmother, two young sisters and brother were killed when the roof of their mud-and-wood home caved in on top of them, she told a representative with Save the Children. I thought the world was ending when I saw my family dead. My nephew [who died] was the most beloved. I look at his photos every day. The deadly earthquake is a major test for Afghanistans Islamist Taliban rulers, who seized power last August, but have not been granted formal recognition by the global community due to concerns about human rights, including those of women. The United Nations and several neighboring countries have rushed aid to the devasted Afghan districts. But helping thousands of victims remains a challenge for foreign countries because of the suspension of aid and the imposition of financial as well as banking-sector sanctions on Taliban-governed Afghanistan. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday urged Washington to roll back the sanctions and unfreeze billions of dollars in Afghan foreign assets, mostly held in the United States, to help aid groups smoothly bring in much needed assistance to quake victims. Hours after Muttaqis statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated while speaking to reporters Saturday that the administration was working to resolve the issue through a series of processes. We are urgently working to address complicated questions about the use of these funds to ensure they benefit the people of Afghanistan and not the Taliban, she said. She added that the Biden administration was not going to wait to help the people of Afghanistan recover and rebuild from their devastating earthquake. USAID and our partner humanitarian organizations are already providing immediate assistance on the ground where its needed the most. President Joe Biden issued an executive order in February that was aimed at freeing up half the $7 billion in frozen Afghan central bank assets on U.S. soil. The money would be used to benefit the Afghan people while the rest would be held for its possible use in terrorism-related lawsuits against the Taliban. Some information for this report was provided by Reuters. The World Health Organization's chief said Saturday that the monkeypox outbreak was a deeply concerning evolving threat but did not currently constitute a global health emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened a committee of experts Thursday to advise him whether to sound the U.N. health agency's strongest alarm over the outbreak. A surge of monkeypox cases has been detected since early May outside of the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic. Most of the new cases have been in Western Europe. More than 3,200 confirmed cases and one death have now been reported to the WHO from more than 50 countries this year. "The emergency committee shared serious concerns about the scale and speed of the current outbreak," noting many unknowns about the spread and gaps in the data, Tedros said. "They advised me that at this moment the event does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), which is the highest level of alert WHO can issue but recognized that the convening of the committee itself reflects the increasing concern about the international spread of monkeypox." Tedros said the outbreak was "clearly an evolving health threat" that needed immediate action to stop further spread, using surveillance, contact-tracing, isolation and care of patients, and ensuring vaccines and treatments are available to at-risk populations. 'Intense response' needed "The vast majority of cases is observed among men who have sex with men, of young age," chiefly appearing in urban areas, in "clustered social and sexual networks," according to the WHO report of the meeting. While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise Tedros that at this stage, the outbreak was not a PHEIC. "However, the committee unanimously acknowledged the emergency nature of the event and that controlling the further spread of outbreak requires intense response efforts." They are on standby to reconvene in the coming days and weeks depending on how the outbreak evolves. The committee recommended that countries improve diagnostics and risk communication. It noted that many aspects of the outbreak were unusual, while some members suggested there was a risk of sustained transmission due to the low level of population immunity against the pox virus infection. Knowledge gaps The committee that considered the matter is made up of 16 scientists and public health experts and is chaired by Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, a former director of the WHO's Vaccines and Immunization Department. Thursday's five-hour private meeting was held in person at the WHO's Geneva headquarters and via video conference. The committee discussed current observations of plateauing or potential downward trends in case numbers in some countries; difficulties in contact tracing due to anonymous contacts, and "potential links to international gatherings and LGBTQ+ Pride events conducive for increased opportunities for exposure through intimate sexual encounters." They were also concerned that the potential stigmatization of affected groups could impede response efforts. There are knowledge gaps on transmission modes, the infectious period, as well as over access to vaccines and antivirals and their efficacy, they said. Blistery rash The normal initial symptoms of monkeypox include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a blistery chickenpox-like rash. Initial outbreak cases had no epidemiological links to areas that have historically reported monkeypox, suggesting that undetected transmission might have been going on for some time. Few people have been hospitalized to date, while 10 cases have been reported among health care workers. The WHO's current plan to contain the spread focuses on raising awareness among affected population groups and encouraging safe behaviors and protective measures. There have been six PHEIC declarations since 2009, the last being for COVID-19 in 2020 though the sluggish global response to the alarm bell still rankles at the WHO HQ. A PHEIC was declared after a third emergency committee meeting Jan. 30. But it was only after March 11, when Tedros described the rapidly worsening situation as a pandemic, that many countries seemed to wake up to the danger. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. The Minnesota State Patrol says "Freedom is Your Choice." Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the Minnesota State Patrol says if you choose to drive impaired, you will lose your freedom and the right to drive. During the last five years, 2,016 people have been arrested for DWI in Minnesota during the July 4 holiday period. 2012 (Wednesday) 182 2013 (Thursday) 551 2014 (Friday) 464 2015 (Saturday) 407 2016 (Monday) 412 Extra DWI enforcement To keep Minnesota motorists safe, law enforcement in Minnesotas top 14 most dangerous drunk driving counties will have extra DWI patrols this holiday weekend. Law enforcement across the state will continue to be vigilant to get drunk drivers off the road. July 4 is the second leading holiday for DWI arrests per hour. Labor Day 4.6 July 4 4.3 St. Patricks Day 4.2 Memorial Day 4.2 Thanksgiving 4.1 New Years Eve 3.9 Super Bowl 3.4 Christmas 2.8 A Deadly Holiday In the last five years (2012 2016), 21 people were killed in traffic crashes in Minnesota. In 2016, six people lost their lives on Minnesota roads. Three motorcyclists One pedestrian One bicyclist One farm equipment operator In the last five years (2012 2016), four people died in drunk driving-related crashes but none over the past two years. Sober Ride Options No matter how much you intend to drink, plan for a safe ride designate a sober driver, take a cab/public transportation or stay at the location of the party. If walking home from an establishment, use the buddy system and make sure each person in your party gets home safely and makes it inside their home without incident. Motorcycle Dial-A-Ride offers free rides for both riders and their motorcycle to prevent drunk riding. Riders can call 1-888-342-5743 for help. DWI Consequences Loss of license for up to a year, thousands of dollars in costs and possible jail time. Repeat DWI offenders, as well as first-time offenders arrested at 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level, must use ignition interlock in order to regain legal driving privileges or face at least one year without a drivers license. Offenders with three or more offenses are required to use interlock for three to six years, or they will never regain driving privileges. Prevent Drunk Driving Plan for a safe ride designate a sober driver, use a cab/public transportation or stay at the location of the celebration. Speak Up Offer to be a designated driver or be available to pick up a loved one anytime, anywhere. Buckle up the best defense against a drunk driver. Report drunk driving call 911 when witnessing impaired driving behavior. Be prepared to provide location, license plate number and observed dangerous behavior. 2022 edition of Rome's open-air literature festival has a strong international slant. Rome's international literature festival returns for its 21st edition this summer, taking place in the spectacular setting of the Palatine Hill over five evenings from 12-21 July. The prestigious event, organised by the Istituzione Biblioteche di Roma in collaboration with the city and the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, features a host of award-winning Italian and international authors who will read from their work, supported by actors, live music and light effects. The festival will see authors read new texts written especially for the festival, inspired by this year's theme - Tempo Nostro (Our Time) - in which writers will reflect on the contemporary and look at the present with new eyes. In the year of the centenary of the death of Marcel Proust, Tempo Nostro is intended to be a tribute to the author as well as an invitation to regain possession of what we have lost. The 2022 programme of Letterature is curated by Simona Cives, head of Rome's Casa delle Letterature, who said the "increasingly international festival will see the presence of many award-winning and critically acclaimed authors, some of whom have now become true 'classics'; others, newer to the Italian reader, all of whom will explore, in Proustian style, the theme of time as a time rediscovered." The first evening on Tuesday 12 July is inaugurated by Spanish writer Javier Cercas, followed by the three-time Booker Prize finalist, Scottish novelist Andrew O'Hagan, and the Premio Strega 2022 winner Emmanuelle Pagano. The second evening on Thursday 14 July opens with the poems of Dacia Maraini and the unpublished work by the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning American author Colson Whitehead, followed by Canadian writer Rivka Galchen and American novelist Katie Kitamura. The third evening on Monday 18 July is dedicated to the Proust centenary with two unpublished works, by Premio Strega winner Alessandro Piperno and Kenyan writer Khadija Abdalla Bajaber, accompanied by readings from Laura Morante's Recherche. Colombian-American writer Patricia Engel, Greek writer Petros Markaris and American novelist David Leavitt will also participate. The fourth evening on Tuesday 19 July hosts the Spanish novelist Arturo Perez-Reverte, whose work has been translated into more than 40 languages, Italian author Valeria Parrella, and Nicolas Dauple, the grandson of Ukrainian writer Irene Nemirovsky and custodian of her works. The final evening on Thursday 21 July begins with the story of Man Booker Prize finalist, British novelist Deborah Levy, and continues with the stories of Mircea Cartarescu, the premier Romanian-language novelist, and Rome author Ben Pastor. The festival concludes with Premio Strega winner Antonio Scurati. Situated on the eastern side of the Domus Flavia-Augustana, but at a height of about 10 metres below it, the Palatine Stadium was built by Emperor Domitian in the late first century AD. All Letterature events are free of charge but must be booked in advance, subject to availability. The events begin at 21.00, with access to the Palatine Stadium from 20.30. For full details including programme see website. Placeholder while article actions load After several months of will-he-wont-he speculation, the White House confirmed that President Joe Bidens trip to the Middle East next month will include a stop in Saudi Arabia. There, he will meet with Mohammed bin Salman, ending the crown princes diplomatic isolation over his involvement in the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The decision is a staggering about-face from Biden, who during his presidential campaign vowed to make Saudi Arabia a pariah state. This isnt the only apparent change in the Biden administrations approach toward the Gulf. There are widespread reports that it is on the verge of signing a substantive new security pact with the United Arab Emirates. The deal is rumored to include regional economic and security cooperation, as well as the potential for a concrete U.S. security guarantee to Abu Dhabi. All this has met with a wave of praise in Washington, with many of those who normally argue that realpolitik is immoral suddenly discovering the merits of realism when it comes to the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Advertisement Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, declared that a pure, values-centered approach to Saudi Arabia is unsustainable. Andrew Exum, a defense official in President Barack Obamas administration, lauded the president for sacrificing his values today in the interests of something we havent seen much of in the past two decades: realism. On closer inspection, however, the notion that Bidens proposed pivot to the Gulf is a realist triumph quickly falls apart. Saudi Arabia, of course, occupies a unique position in the global economy thanks to oil production, and the US cannot and should not cut off all ties with Riyadh. Until now, the Biden administration has walked a careful line, maintaining active diplomatic connections while publicly criticizing the crown prince, known as MBS. Advertisement With a major policy shift, its not merely that the administration would be embracing MBS and his human rights abuses, appalling though they are. The bigger problem is that it would do little to support US interests, while potentially obligating Washington to a host of new commitments in the region. The most obvious benefit is the potential for the Saudis to pump more oil into world markets, helping to relieve the economic crunch and high gas prices that have followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The administration has also suggested that Bidens trip will further cement the Abraham Accords, perhaps leading to normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel and ensuring that regional states form a more effective front against Iran. But both changes were already underway without U.S. involvement. The most recent production increases agreed to by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on June 2 merely sped up existing plans, and is projected to add only around 200,000 barrels a day to the market (in February this year, the Saudis alone produced almost 12 million barrels daily). Many analysts are doubtful that further major increases are possible; OPEC is already undershooting its production targets for 2022. Advertisement As for cooperation between Israel and the Gulf States, it has improved in recent years in part because of Americas pullback from the region, not despite it. And given the collapse of Israels coalition government, its hardly a time to be staking out long-term policy with the Israelis. The potential costs of Bidens changed approach to the region are high. The US would be renewing its commitments to Middle Eastern states in a more concrete form, risking entanglement and getting dragged into a future regional war. At a time when America is facing increasing demands on its resources in Europe and Asia, a decision to tie the hands of future US leaders in this way is frankly perplexing. This move is also politically dangerous for Biden. President Donald Trumps years were replete with stories of illicit and secretive connections between the presidents associates and the Gulf states, from Jared Kushners financial ties to Saudi Arabia to the involvement of the UAE in illegitimate lobbying efforts. Bidens move to rehabilitate the Saudi crown prince or offer security guarantees to the UAE are already receiving substantial pushback in Congress, and are likely to be unpopular with his Democratic base. Advertisement But perhaps the biggest problem with this approach is that the growing divisions between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US were never solely about human rights. Instead, they reflected natural shifts in global oil markets. These states have growing ties with China now among the biggest consumers of Gulf oil and with Russia, their partner in the OPEC+ arrangement. These shared economic interests are driving geopolitical bonds. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both abstained on UN votes related to the war in Ukraine, and the Saudis hosted Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in March, just weeks after the invasion. The Saudi energy minister this month described the Saudi-Russian relationship as warm as the weather in Riyadh. Bidens policy reversal no doubt stems from a desire to be seen to be doing something about domestic gas prices. Yet this approach would do little to help at the pump, while incurring substantial strategic costs. There are other potential solutions. Advertisement For instance, the White House could reassure oil and gas companies about U.S. policy on decarbonization, a potential windfall tax and other proposed policies that made oil companies wary to invest in new production. It could suspend the protectionist restrictions on shipping in the Jones Act, reducing the cost of energy transport and increasing flexibility for producers and refiners. And it could consider softening sanctions on Venezuela, which could help to ease pressure on markets over the longer term. Finally, resolving the standoff over re-entering the Iran nuclear deal, leading to lifting of sanctions against the Tehran government, would drop as much as a million barrels of oil a day onto world markets, with the prospect for more as Iranian production ramps back up. The central obstacle to reviving the nuclear pact is Bidens refusal to remove the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps from the State Departments foreign terrorist organization list. Doing so would be unpopular on Capitol Hill but would have little practical effect on the guard corps sinister activities. Reviving the nuclear deal would also bring foreign-policy benefits. Most notably, preventing a potential war between Iran and Americas Middle Eastern partners, and a potential regional nuclear arms race. Advertisement Ultimately, a policy of increased US support for the Gulf states is less savvy realpolitik and more a desperate gamble to improve oil prices. Disregarding human rights abuses is in some ways the least of the problems with this approach; it is politically dangerous and risks dragging the US back into Middle Eastern wars. Biden can still embrace some of the viable alternatives to lower gas prices. Consumers and future U.S. leaders will thank him. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Emma Ashford is a senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. She is author of the upcoming Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is at the forefront of calls for a cap on Russian oil export prices. Sounds like a great idea. Just dont expect it to work. Heres the problem. Russia earns billions of dollars from exporting oil. Those dollars are helping to fund President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the world needs Russian oil to keep flowing because markets are already tight and nobody has spare capacity to make up for its loss. But countries in North America, Europe and parts of Asia want to cut off the flow of funds to the Kremlins war machine. So, whats the solution? Revenue is a pretty simple product of volume times price (minus some costs). To cut the Kremlins revenue, you need to hit either volume or price. We dont want to reduce the volume, so that leaves price. Restrict the price at which Russia can sell its oil, and you reduce the Kremlins revenue without hitting the volume of oil on the international market. Advertisement Neat, simple, I wonder why nobodys done it before. Why didnt the US do this with Iran or Venezuela, rather than imposing secondary sanctions that cut off oil flows and damaged relations with trading partners in Asia? Perhaps the main reason is: It stands very little chance of actually working. Under the plan, insurance would be withheld from cargoes for which the buyer pays Russia more than an as-yet-to-be-determined price. Since about 95% of the worlds tanker fleet is insured through the International Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs in London and some firms based in continental Europe, a ban is certainly feasible. But Im not convinced its enough. The European Union has just concluded several weeks of brutal internal wrangling over oil sanctions on Russia. Those sanctions, even watered down from the original proposals, included a ban on insurance. Moscow has already begun to put in place an alternative to the P&I clubs, offering insurance through the Russian National Reinsurance Company. That may be good enough for some of the Indian and Chinese companies that are now providing the bulk of the market for Russian crude. Advertisement The plan being pushed by Yellen would require the EU to revoke the sanctions it has just agreed to not an attractive option after the bruising negotiations the bloc went through to get them accepted by all 27 members. I cant see many European countries being keen to agree on new sanctions that would allow Chinese and Indian companies to buy heavily discounted crude, while their own are prohibited from purchasing at any price. Its more likely that the EU ban on seaborne imports of Russian crude and refined products would end up being dropped alongside that on insurance. So wed end up with no attempt to cut the volume of Russian oil exports in the hope and it still would be just a hope of being able to reduce their value. But the value of Russias crude shipments has already been hit. Figures from the Russian Ministry of Finance show that since the attack on Ukraine was launched in February, the price of Russias benchmark Urals export grade has plummeted relative to Brent, a global benchmark based on crude produced in the North Sea. That discount averaged almost $35 a barrel between mid-April and mid-May, although it narrowed a bit the following month, widening from an average of $1.50 a barrel in the 12 months before the invasion. Advertisement The widening discount has probably cost Russia about $7 billion in income from its seaborne crude exports, compared with what it would have earned had Urals retained its historical price relationship to Brent. The figure would rise to $10 billion by the end of July. The biggest obstacle to capping Russian oil prices, though, is Putin just saying, No. How do you compel Russia to sell its oil at an externally imposed discount? You could set the cap at a level that ensures a small positive return for Russian oil companies in the hope theyll decide its still worth pumping, but theyre not the ones making the decision. Their oil is carried to market (either directly or to export terminals on the Russian coast) by a pipeline network thats owned by the Russian state. Putin simply has to close the valves on those pipes and the companies cant export, even if they want to. Advertisement The Russian president has already shown that the countrys economy is of secondary importance to his imperialist ambitions, as his troops lay waste to eastern Ukraine. His calculation will almost certainly be that cutting off Russian oil exports will do more damage to the economies of buyers in Europe than it will to Russia. So its hopeless to expect him to acquiesce to a price cap imposed by the West. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg First Word. Previously, he was a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Malaysias economy is cranking up after the pandemic. Land borders with Singapore have reopened, bringing in millions of visitors. Kuala Lumpurs notorious traffic jams are back and shoppers are flocking to malls. The revival also has a rich irony: So many workers have left for better-paid jobs in the countrys wealthy southern neighbor that businesses are struggling to meet demand. From tourism to agriculture, an absence of staff is constraining the recovery. Its also adding to deeper strains in an upper middle-income economy that was once a model for the developing world but has since suffered from a long-term slowdown in growth one that started well before Covid-19. To graduate to the next tier of prosperous economies, Malaysia must staunch the flow of talented citizens abroad. The nations ambition is to escape a middle income trap, where it is less affluent than Singapore, but doing better than neighbors like Indonesia and the Philippines. Its one thing to bring in labor for agriculture, construction and low-to-mid-tier manufacturing. But Malaysia faces a double whammy: The low-skilled workforce is depleted because of a hiring freeze and border closures during Covid-19, but high-skilled people are likely to resume their exodus. Malaysia is slowly starting to ease its restraints on hiring. To offset the crunch in the meantime, employers have been engaging locals in work they often shunned: 3D jobs that are dirty, dangerous and difficult. In the Cameron Highlands, where trucks wait to drive to Singapore with tomatoes, peppers, onions and cucumbers, farmer Louis Lau is using Malaysians for labor once sought by foreigners. We are facing a big problem, he told me. Other sectors dont have the same flexibility. In Penang on the northwest coast, scores of ships that would normally be put to sea for at least a week sit dockside, thanks to a dearth of migrant workers. At the other end of the country, hoteliers in Johor bemoan the gravitational pull of Singapore. The Star newspaper highlighted the saga on its front page recently, with complaints from executives about the scarcity of foreign labor needed to clean rooms, handle check-ins and keep the lights on. It is challenging for hotels here to compete with employers in Singapore as locals can be paid three times higher for doing similar jobs, Suhairi Hashim, director of Tourism Johor, told The Star. After lobbying hard for the bridge links with Singapore to reopen, Johor businesses now find they barely have enough people to unbolt the latch. While Malaysian employers claim the city-state where GDP per person is among the highest in the world is sucking in talent, Singapore is suffering a shortfall of its own that sent the unemployment rate to 2.2%. Advertisement The Singapore government, which also imposed tough border controls during Covid, is trying to ease the backlog. Ministers are urging businesses to hire locals. Dependence on imported labor has become a touchy subject over the past decade, especially after a deep recession in 2020 led to a rare electoral setback for the ruling party. While the foreign workforce has receded over the past two years, it represents more than 20% of the population. Malaysia and Singapore, joined for two tumultuous years in the 1960s, will always be linked economically. Both, in their own way, are increasingly ambivalent about foreign workers. That does little to diminish their need. An aging Malaysia risks stagnating before growing rich. It needs a vibrant employment scene to avoid that fate. Singapore, for all its prowess as a global business center, still needs contractors, bus drivers, construction workers and nurses. Of the two nations, Malaysias challenges appear greater. It faces a brain and brawn drain, driven by hard-to-extinguish racial preferences that favor ethnic Malays at the expense of minorities. A significant share of the countrys most educated and skilled citizens leave the country for lack of opportunities, according to a World Bank report last year that scrutinized the countrys progress toward becoming a high-income country, a goal considered likely to be attained between 2024 and 2028. One-third of emigrants were highly skilled, accounting for about 20% of the college-educated domestic population. Encouraging people to stay will require Malaysia loosen some of the rigidities that have stymied business activity. A plethora of state-backed firms and nominally private companies run by people close to the government have tentacles in almost every sector, which mitigates against competition. State enterprises tend to be used as national piggy banks to finance politically desirable projects and undertakings that contribute little to the economys overall dynamism. Suffice it to say, not exactly aspirational for young graduates. Foreign workers in Malaysia tend to be low-skilled; relatively few have finished high school. They began filling gaps that opened up in the labor market decades ago, especially manufacturing, and comprised about 15% of the workforce prior to the pandemic, according to the Bank. (Theres also a large, but hard to quantify, population of undocumented laborers.) Malaysia has long aspired to join the ranks of advanced economies and proudly paraded some of the baubles of such status: a domestic auto industry, the worlds tallest building and so on. It would do well to focus on less jazzy but vital components of success, like a labor market that can drive development in coming decades, not a relic of the go-go years of the late twentieth century. More From This Writer and Others at Bloomberg Opinion: For Malaysia, This Is No Game of Chicken: Daniel Moss Advertisement Singapore Still Wants Smart, Rich Expats: Rachel Rosenthal In Singapore, Travel Is On and Masks Are Off: Bloomberg Opinion This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Daniel Moss is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies. Previously, he was executive editor of Bloomberg News for economics. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Ghislaine Maxwell put on suicide watch at jail Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Ghislaine Maxwell reported that Brooklyn jail staff threatened her safety, prompting employees to place her on suicide watch, prosecutors said Sunday, arguing that there was no need to delay her sentencing on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, 60, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday for her December conviction for helping then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the globe-trotting financier and convicted sex offender, abuse girls between 1994 and 2004. In court filings Saturday, Maxwells lawyers said she was placed on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) and asked for a delay to her sentencing. On Sunday, prosecutors argued that no delay was needed because Maxwell had her legal documents and could get the same amount of sleep. They said Maxwell was transferred after reporting threats to her safety by MDC staff to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inspector general. Maxwell refused to elaborate about why she feared for her safety, prosecutors said. She told psychology staff she was not suicidal. Advertisement Maxwells lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Bureau of Prisons said it does not comment on any inmates confinement conditions. Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial. Reuters Officer charged with assault after protest A Providence police officer accused of punching a woman at an abortion protest while he was off-duty has been charged in connection with Fridays demonstration. Patrolman Jeann Lugo, 35, was charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct, state police said in a news release Saturday evening. Jennifer Rourke, the chair of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative who is seeking the Democratic nomination for a state Senate seat, said she had been punched in the face at least twice by Lugo, who at the time was running for the GOP nomination for the same seat. Providence police said earlier Saturday that Lugo had been suspended from his job with pay pending an investigation, and Lugo ended his campaign. Advertisement The incident happened at a protest outside the State House in Providence following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to end the right to abortion. Video of the event posted online shows a physical altercation right before a woman appearing to be Rourke is seen being hit. The video does not show what happened between Lugo and Rourke beforehand. In a call with the Associated Press on Saturday, Rourke said that as she was attempting to escort a counterprotester who had agreed to leave the premises, another physical altercation broke out during which she was punched in the face multiple times. State police say Lugo turned himself in Saturday and was arraigned and released. Lugo told the Boston Globe before charges were announced that he stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking. Advertisement Lugo had also told the Providence Journal he was not going to deny the punching allegation, but he added that everything happened very fast. Rourke, who sought medical care and had a CT scan Saturday, said she was doing okay but was experiencing a lot of tenderness in her face and ringing in her ears. Associated Press Grand Canyon won't do bison hunt this fall A bison herd that lives almost exclusively in the northern reaches of Grand Canyon National Park wont be targeted for lethal removal there this fall. Last year, the park used skilled volunteers selected through a highly competitive and controversial lottery to kill bison, part of an effort to downsize the herd that has been trampling meadows and archaeological sites on the canyons North Rim. Introducing the sound of gunfire and having people close to the bison was meant to nudge the massive animals back to the adjacent forest where they legally could be hunted. But the efforts had little effect. Advertisement New surveys also have shown that the herd is closer to the goal of about 200, down from an estimated 500 to 800 animals when the park approved a plan to cut the herds size. The park is now working on a long-term plan for managing the bison. Associated Press Georgia mother accused of murder after stabbings: An Atlanta-area mother was in jail Sunday after she tried to stab several children as a house burned Friday night, according to authorities. Three of those children have died. Darlene Brister, 40, is charged with two counts of malice murder, and more charges are likely. Deputies received a call at 9:19 p.m. for a "domestic disturbance" at the residence in Paulding. The caller told 911 dispatchers that a woman was inside the home trying to stab the other occupants and that the house was on fire. When deputies and firefighters arrived, they entered the burning home to rescue the occupants and found seven children inside. Officials said a 9-month-old, 3-year-old and 5-year-old died. From news services GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Temperatures exceed 104 degrees, a record Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight In a blistering hot June across the Northern Hemisphere, in which heat records have fallen on every continent, Japan is the latest to swelter. On Saturday, temperatures there shot above 104 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time on record during the month. The excessive heat also swelled over eastern China, where 25 locations observed their hottest day on record for any month of the year, according to Maximiliano Herrera, who tracks global temperatures. The heat is the result of an intense zone of high pressure or heat dome sprawled over China and curling north over Japan. Underneath a heat dome, the air is pushed downward, clearing skies and allowing the hot summer sun to beat down. Record heat this month has extended as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as the Middle East. The Russian city of Norilsk, above the Arctic Circle, posted its hottest June day on record Thursday, at 89.6 degrees. In early June, AccuWeather reported that Kuwait saw temperatures as high as 127 degrees. Advertisement Jason Samenow 16-year-old is shot, killed in West Bank A 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed by Israeli forces early Saturday in the occupied West Bank after soldiers opened fire at stone-throwing Palestinians, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said that Mohammed Abdallah Hamed was wounded by Israeli gunfire near the city of Ramallah and then taken away by Israeli forces. It said that the teen died in Israeli custody and that the army was expected to release the body. The Israeli military said soldiers had fired at a group of Palestinians who were throwing stones along a main highway. It confirmed shooting one person, but gave no further details. Recent months have seen a rise in deadly violence in the West Bank. Associated Press Advertisement Iran says nuclear talks to resume soon: Iran's indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact will resume soon, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Saturday, amid a push by the European Union's top diplomat to break a months-long impasse in the negotiations. "We are prepared to resume talks in the coming days. What is important for Iran is to fully receive the economic benefits of the 2015 accord," Amirabdollahian said after a "long but positive meeting" with E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said he could not speak on the status of the negotiations. Taliban wants sanctions rolled back after earthquake: Afghanistan's Taliban administration on Saturday called on international governments to roll back sanctions and lift a freeze on central bank assets following Wednesday's 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands homeless. "The Islamic Emirate is asking the world to give the Afghans their most basic right, which is their right to life and that is through lifting the sanctions and unfreezing our assets and also giving assistance," Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, told Reuters. Although humanitarian aid continues to flow to Afghanistan, funds needed for longer-term development were halted when the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021 as foreign forces withdrew. WHO says monkeypox not yet a global health emergency: The World Health Organization has decided not to declare monkeypox a global emergency despite a rapid rise in cases in Europe, electing instead to describe it as an "evolving health threat." The announcement Saturday comes after the WHO's International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met last week to discuss whether the monkeypox outbreak should be labeled a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern," or PHEIC, which would have marshaled new funding and spurred governments into action. From staff and news services GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load ISTANBUL Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Swedens prime minister that he has not seen any tangible moves to address Turkeys concerns about her country joining NATO, Erdogans office said Saturday. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Erdogan called in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson for binding commitments from Sweden, as well as a concrete change of attitude in the countrys approach to fighting terrorism. He added that Turkey had not seen any tangible initiative from Sweden that would alleviate Turkeys concerns at this point about the Nordic nations request to become a NATO member, the presidents communications directorate said in a statement. Sweden and Finland applied to join the Western military alliance in May following Russias invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, which is a NATO member, has so far blocked the applications, citing what Ankara considers to be a soft approach to organizations such as the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Advertisement The PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has left tens of thousands dead. Turkey is demanding that Sweden and Finland grant extradition requests for individuals who are wanted in Turkey. Ankara claims the countries are harboring PKK members as well people it says are linked to a failed 2016 coup. Turkey also wants assurances that arms restrictions imposed by the two countries over Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northern Syria will be removed. Finland and Swedens membership requests and Turkeys objections are expected to be a central theme at a June 28-30 NATO summit in Madrid. Erdogan earlier reiterated Turkeys demands in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the presidency said. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load VATICAN CITY Pope Francis on Sunday hailed as a martyr an Italian missionary nun slain in Haiti, where she cared for poor children. The diocese of Milan says Sister Luisa DellOrto, 64, was slain during an armed aggression, probably with the aim of robbery, in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The Vaticans official media said DellOrto, gravely wounded, was taken to a hospital, where she died soon after. Francis in remarks to the public in St. Peters Square expressed his closeness to the nuns family members and noted she had lived there for some 20 years, dedicating herself above all to helping poor children who lived on the street. I entrust her soul to God, and I pray for the Haitian people, especially the little ones, so they can have a more serene future, without misery and without violence, Francis said. DellOrto gave her life to others, until the point of martyrdom, the pontiff said. The nun, who was born in Lombardy, northern Italy, had run a home for children in a very poor suburb of Port-au-Prince, the Milan diocese said. Haiti, a Caribbean country, is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. GiftOutline Gift Article Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Book critics Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction titles. Here are their reviews. Fiction pick of the week Credit: Bone Memories Sally Piper, UQP, $32.99 Sixteen years after Jess was murdered in front of her son, Daniel, then a toddler, Sally Pipers Bone Memories charts the personal aftermath of a crime that shocked the nation. It draws a detailed interior landscape of those most affected. Jess mother, Billie, holds fast to the memory of her daughter and the place she was killed, and clings even more tightly to her grandson. For his part, Daniel is haunted and shaped by an event he cant recall. He is untrusting, prone to rage, trauma ripples through his life like a subterranean stream. His stepmother, Carla, struggles against the legacy of the crime Jess is idealised in the memories of those left behind, while she lives and breathes, her imperfections magnified and moves her family towards a tentative resolution. Bone Memories is one of those rare books that highlights murder without being genre fiction, that navigates traumatic experience without steering too close to the Scylla of false uplift or the Charybdis of misery porn. Its a poised, perceptive and exquisitely written meditation on grief and the emotional legacy of violence. Advertisement Credit: An A-List For Death Pamela Hart, HQ Fiction, $29.99 Adding detective fiction to a long list of historical and fantasy novels, Pamela Hart introduced readers to amateur sleuth Poppy McGowan in Digging Up Dirt. Poppy stumbles onto another mystery in An A-List For Death, in which the camera-shy TV researcher has drawn an unwelcome spotlight after discovering her aunts best friend, the elderly Daisy, bleeding and unconscious in her bathroom. Daisy, it transpires, is mother to rock god Nathan Castle, and when Poppy is snapped with him celebrity and social media go haywire. Convinced Daisy is in danger, Poppy must resort to donning disguises and evading paps as she investigates who would benefit from her death. Personal stakes in the case are raised when theres a murder outside the old ladys home and her archaeologist boyfriend, Tol, becomes the prime suspect. Its a media-savvy Australian crime novel with a dash of black comedy and enough red herrings and revelations to keep the reader guessing. Credit: Advertisement The Reunion Polly Phillips, Simon & Schuster, $29.99 The Reunion dials up the suspense by opening with an act of violence on the night of a 15-year reunion at a Cambridge University college. Emily Toller has long since settled into a comfortable family life she has a successful husband and twins but her own career was curtailed by events that led to her leaving Cambridge humiliated and traumatised before her final exam. She has never forgotten what her then boyfriend Henry (along with some other friends in their close-knit circle) did to her, and she decides what cannot be forgotten must be avenged. Emily hatches a plan to get back at her tormentors at the reunion, and as that dramatic evening unfolds, we flash back to her university days, revealing hazy memories of what sparked her desire for revenge. Polly Phillips has written a well-turned psychological thriller that toys with unreliable narration and dives sharply into the cruelty and cliquiness that can fester at elite universities. Credit: The Silence of Water Sharron Booth, Fremantle Press, $29.99 Advertisement This layered historical fiction took root from a real murder in Victorian England, for which the perpetrator was transported to Australia after fevered press coverage and a public outcry rather than facing the noose. Its 1906 and Fans mother, Agnes, announces suddenly that her family is moving to Western Australia from Adelaide to take care of Fans grandfather, Edwin, who it is said doesnt have long to live. Fan is none too pleased at being uprooted, and as her relationship with her mother frays, she is drawn in by what her grandfather reveals of his own story, little knowing that he has carefully curated it. Her curiosity leads to a blighted and long-buried family secret being brought to light. Sharron Booth exposes a dark corner of convict history, and the effects of silencing it, through a smartly written narrative spanning generations. Non-fiction pick of the week Credit: Managing Expectations Minnie Driver, Manilla Press, $32.99 When actor/musician Minnie Driver was 11 years old and staying with her father and his girlfriend in Barbados, he packed her off alone back to England (via the hotel where they filmed Goldfinger) for bad-mouthing his girlfriend. Amazingly, she takes from it what she calls an existential corridor, where she discovers she loves being in transit and freed from expectations. Advertisement Her collection of non-fiction stories reads like an episodic memoir, much of it revolving around the key childhood event of her parents separating, being sent to a private school in Hampshire as a boarder for bad-mouthing her step-father. Among this, theres dealing with success, Hollywood, questionable boyfriends, the death of her mother, the joys of surfing and motherhood. She tells all this with an adroitly confident light touch that is sure-footed, by turns comic and poignant. Credit: Indelible City Louisa Lim, Text, $34.99 When the first Opium War ended in 1842 and China ceded Hong Kong to the British, foreign minister Lord Palmerston wrote of Hong Kong, A barren rock with nary a house on it it will never be a mart for trade. Missed by that much! Louisa Lims combination of investigative journalism and history of the island (shes Hong Kong raised) takes as its central motif the story of a former rubbish collector known as the King of Kowloon whose belief that his familys property had been stolen from him mirrors Hong Kongs dispossession. Be it descriptions of the Lennon Walls of protest against the Chinese or deeply disturbing images of protestors being bashed and imprisoned, this is the best of boots-on-the ground journalism that has a real sense of immediacy. Advertisement When it was released last year, Halseys acclaimed album If I Cant Have Love, I Want Power, found the US singer shedding the polite sad-girl pop of her previous three albums to embrace her identity as a woman, a mother and a seductress, with the support and encouragement of Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The songs were lustrous with spectral piano, driving synths, and apocalyptic and biblical references. Halsey fans may have heard it all anew, but for those of us who dressed like Robert Smith or Siouxsie Sioux-meets-Beetlejuice in clubs like Melbournes Abyss, Subculture or Cabaret Nocturne or Sydneys Club 77 and Hellfire Club circa 1998 to 2010, it was thrillingly familiar. Pop star Halsey, with Atticus Ross (left) and Trent Reznor (right), leaned into goth and industrial sounds on her last album. In the same way that everything 90s is new again, so is gothcore (or undead, undead, undead in the timeless words of Bauhaus Peter Murphy). Sandwiched between the New Romantics and the synth-driven late-80s and the rave explosion of the 90s, the gothcore sound is all big metal guitar riffs, swirling panoramic synthesizers, a pounding dance-floor beat and thunderous, malevolent bass lines. If theres any doubt about its resurgence, Nine Inch Nails headlining tours throughout Europe with Nitzer Ebb, Ministrys return to touring, UK post-punk pioneers Bauhaus reformation, and gloom icons The Sisters of Mercys upcoming Australian dates leave no doubt the synth-goth sound that blitzed through 90s clubs like Doc Martens and a whole lot of eyeliner is back in a big way. A car has driven into a march by a climate activist group in Sydneys CBD on Monday morning. NSW Police said they were aware of the incident and had commenced inquiries. The Harbour Tunnel was earlier blocked by a member of the group Blockade Australia, while other CBD streets were obstructed during a morning of protest. The woman, 22, from Lismore, blocked the southbound entrance to the tunnel by chaining herself to the steering wheel of her parked white car just after 8am. The tunnel reopened after police arrested her. Southbound traffic on the Warringah Freeway and Gore Hill Freeway has since cleared. Still, Kuma has been a challenge. Alexander took him several times to a dog psychologist to get his aggression under control he has never bitten anyone, but asserts his dominance strongly. She had to find him a specialist vet after being rejected by the first one she tried. Kuma has settled into his new home, though it did take some time. Kuma eats about half a kilo of dog biscuits a day (kangaroo and fish-based only, being allergic to other meats) working out to about $200 a month. He needs a $50 groom once a fortnight. He is only walked with a muzzle on or in an on-leash area, or at antisocial hours (Alexander is a shift worker so this works out well; plus she is not worried about getting mugged). She has bought a property in a rural suburb outside Perth at which Kuma and her daughters huskies can run off-lead. Alexander says Kuma is now beautiful and gentle. It took about two years for him to really settle and for us to trust each other, and know that we would protect each other, but he is my baby, she said. After my research for this series showed WA was undergoing a spike in dogs being surrendered and euthanised, partly because of the rental crisis, and a boom in backyard breeding of high-priced puppies, I began to wonder. What if people took those thousands they were paying, adopted a larger and/or older rescue dog and used the money saved to pay for assistance with walking, washing, training or even therapy, if needed? When I exposed these fledgling ideas to the cold light of day, Alexanders story came to light. But so did a bucketload of conflicting opinions. Correspondence on a dizzying number of platforms revealed bitter division between different schools of thought on sourcing, training, breeding and even the feeding of dogs, with several people declining to talk publicly for fear of being trolled or even threatened. Fiona Cowie training other dog trainers for the Institute of Modern Dog Training, Perth. Credit:IMDT One person told me perfectly eligible and suitable prospective owners willing to take a chance on a shelter dog cant convince a shelter to take a chance on them. A shelter representative told me they just want to match the right dog to the right person, for life, and they are happy to advise and work with prospective owners from all walks of life. One industry insider observed there were very few purebred dogs in shelters, and said backyard breeding needed to be stopped; they believed dog surrendering would actually lessen if people chose ethical breeders producing dogs with reliable backgrounds, health checks, and more predictable breed characteristics. A breeder told me that the governments recently passed anti-puppy farming legislation lacked enforceability and would not stop backyard breeding; that people should ensure a breeder was a member of their relevant breeds national association, would give a full health guarantee for life with regard to genetic conditions, and would have their own vetting process for prospective owners. Fiona Cowie, the Perth dog trainer I spoke to, who is a representative of the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers Australia, said it was hard for the general public to know who was doing the right thing and who was doing it for profit. A good breeder, as well as the health testing, would do proactive socialisation for puppies, exposing them to other animals, people, noises and textures, she said. Some did food training, crate training, toilet training and acclimatised puppies to being left alone for a while. Breeders doing that sort of preparation are doing a lot of work. So if people are going to spend that much on a puppy they need to ask what the breeder is doing in that regard, and if the breeder is looking at you blankly, maybe move on, she said. She said puppies were not easy and there was definitely value in seniors for seniors; people needed to consider their own circumstances first. Fiona Cowie with Baci, another rescue dog success story. What kind of time, training and commitment you have what the breed was bred for and whether you can meet those needs, she said. But dont forget the old seniors, they are the ones that really deserve that own bed. Be honest with the shelter and ask lots of questions and tell them honestly what you can provide for the dog it might actually be a goldfish that you need. She said modern dog training was about developing a relationship or partnership, based on rewards and positive experiences, with plenty of give and take. Loading It certainly seems it would pay to be wary of backyard breeders playing God and producing just one litter that turns out so lucrative they make many more, without much idea of the science or ethics behind it all, and ticking only some of the ideal boxes. It seems seeking the most professional possible breeder, even if more expensive, is a more ethical choice. I cant help wondering, though, if there is a problem causing suffering and death for helpless, sentient beings, even if the problem is not directly of our making, but is the result of a culture we belong to and shape, what is our responsibility to help fix it or reduce the harms? Is it ethical to buy any new dog when we know we could instead save the life of a sentient being, created and discarded with no voice or choice? Two key Senate crossbenchers are threatening to vote against Labor government legislation after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese slashed the number of advisers they will have in the new parliament. In letters sent to the 12-member lower house crossbench and six-member Senate crossbench late on Friday afternoon, Albanese announced the number of advisers allocated to MPs would be slashed from four per MP to one. The MPs will all retain four lower-paid and less specialised electorate advisers, who deal with constituency matters, rather than legislation, media and stakeholders. But ACT Senator David Pocock and Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie warned they, along with Lambies newly elected colleague, Tammy Tyrrell, would struggle to lend their potentially crucial vote to bills in the Senate. Labor has 26 senators and needs 39 votes to pass bills through the 76. That means it needs the support of either the Coalition or the 12 Greens senators plus one member of the Senate crossbench. Hamburg: The first of Jetstars new long-range, fuel-saving, quieter aircraft will arrive in Australia next month, delivering a potential game-changing effect for regional travel as the sector attempts to break free of two bruising years. After more than four years of waiting with a pandemic and resulting recession delaying their delivery the Airbus A321LR NEO will seat 232 passengers in all-economy class single-aisle planes that will offer travellers greater affordability and comfort for travel within Australia and to several new destinations in Asia and the Pacific. The first Jetstar A321neo aircraft gets its finishing touches at the Airbus factory in Hamburg, northern Germany. Low-cost airlines have led the post-COVID recovery in the aviation industry, with Jetstar eclipsing its pre-pandemic domestic levels earlier this year before winding back operations following disruptions to Easter travel as staffing shortages hit airlines and airports. Two years of locked-down cities, travel restrictions and sudden border closures has dramatically changed the way people are booking holidays, with data from the airline showing one-in-four domestic flights between January and March were booked within five days of travel. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here. PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS Air Products and Chemicals Inc.'s chosen warehouse developer, Prologis Inc., will have to wait until July 13 for a final decision by Upper Macungie Township's zoning hearing board on 2.61 million square feet of warehouses. Chubby's of Southside Easton has added Krispy Krunchy Chicken to its offerings and name. Curaleaf Holdings Inc., which operates in the U.S. and Europe, will open a medical-marijuana dispensary at 1801 Airport Road, Hanover Township. Habitat for Humanity, which has "ReStores" that sell new and lightly used furniture, has leased 30,000 square feet at the South Mall. Nat Hyman's bid to convert an old warehouse at 938 Washington St. in Allentown into 48 apartments did not win zoning hearing board approval this week after neighbors said more housing would make an on-street parking shortage worse. Members 1st Federal Credit Union opened a new branch this week at 5605 Hamilton Blvd, Trexlertown. It's one of five planned for the Lehigh Valley. A Turkish restaurant has relocated from one downtown to another, taking its fresh ingredients and cozy atmosphere from Nazareth to 200 Main St., Tatamy. The Tennessee Titans have chosen Allentown-based Shift4 Payments to handle payments at Nissan Stadium. Wells Fargo Bank held ribbon-cutting at its downtown Allentown branch at 740 Hamilton St. The Wiz Kidz outlet at the Madison Farms residential/retail development in Bethlehem Township will hold a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting at noon on July 15. Bad Biscuit Company, which offered breakfast with scratch-made biscuits, freshly baked pastry and local, small-batch artisan coffee, said it will cease operations at 16 Columbia Ave. in Reading after its July 1 hours. FastBridge Fiber has announced it will build an all-fiber cable network that will offer ultra-fast internet in the Reading area. Hamid Chaudhry has said he no longer plans to move forward with pursuing a food truck park he previously proposed on the site of the former Sheetz convenience store and gas station in Exeter Township at 6600 Perkiomen Ave. (Route 422 East). The Maxatawny Township Planning Commission has OK'd a proposal for a Mavis Discount Tire store in the Kutztown Road shopping center that features a Giant supermarket. Valentino's Italian restaurant has gotten Maxatawny Township's approval to remain open when the state transportation department takes one-third of its parking lot to build a traffic roundabout at the intersection of Route 222 and Long Lane. Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson, under new ownership, will hold a "Grand Re-Opening Bash" July 9 and July 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sauce West End plans to open in a former Rita's Italian Ice, just off Route 209 across from the Tractor Supply store in Brodheadsville. The Surgery Center of Pottsville, which offered medical procedure services for 16 years in Cressona Mall. will close June 28. Wells Fargo has closed its branch office in Langhorne, near the intersection with Maple Avenue. The latest PrimoHoagies location in New Jersey held a grand opening at 1930 State Route 57, Hackettstown. A new Tractor Supply Co. store in Warren County will have its grand opening in the former Toys 'R' Us store in Pohatcong Plaza on July 9. Hunter Pocono Peterbilt plans to move Pocono Township operations to Stroudsburg. Coal Winery and Kitchen at 81 Broad St., Bethlehem, has closed as its owner searches for a new location for the business, according to its Facebook page. Lowhill Township supervisors approved a 312,120-square-foot commercial warehouse and distribution center on a 43.4-acre tract on the west side of Route 100, south of the Kernsville Road intersection. The Mint Gastropub at 1223 W. Broad St., Bethlehem, announced that it has temporarily closed to undergo a merger with a "well-known restaurant group" from Bethlehem. The Slatington Farmers Market opened its 28,000-square-foot showroom, which includes space for 53 vendors, as well as a 4,000-square-foot event space. St. Luke's University Health Network opened a new pediatric inpatient unit next to the eight-bed pediatric intensive care unit at St. Luke's University Hospital Bethlehem. 25th Asian House opened at the location of the former Tin Tin Chinese restaurant in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township. The Chick-Fil-A in Broadcasting Square shopping center in Spring Township was razed to make way for a new, expanded facility for the popular chicken sandwich restaurant. Plans for drive-thru locations of a Chipotle and a Starbucks at the intersection of Ivy League Drive and Kutztown Road were rejected by Maxatawny Township planners. Cumru Township plannes reviewed preliminary plans for NorthPoint-Morgantown Commerce Center, a 738,720-square-foot warehouse to be built on 75.2 acres at Morgantown Road (State Route 10) and Freemansville Road. Kutztown University has plans to expand its historic Poplar House to 13,161 square feet with an addition around its side and back, but keep the 129-year-old structure intact. A wine store and beverage outlet could be coming to a new two-unit building along the commercial strip of Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Lehighton, Carbon County. ChristianaCare, a Delaware health care organization, has announced it will buy the former Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, Chester County. Garden of Health Inc. celebrated the opening of the food bank's new warehouse at 201 Church Road, North Wales, in Montgomery County. Silverline Trailers Inc. opened its first location in Pennsylvania and in the Northeast at 223 Porter Road, Pottstown, where it sells utility, cargo, dump, equipment and car hauler trailers. A new smoothie and bowl restaurant, Sips & Berries, opened at 285 Maple Ave., Harleysville, in Montgomery County. Terrain on the Parkway offers 160 new 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments at 1625 Lehigh Parkway East in Allentown. Lehigh Valley native Don Wenner is moving his real estate investment and finance firm DLP Capital from Bethlehem to Allentown at 835 W. Hamilton St. While Wells Fargo has been the leader in closing banks lately, it will hold a ribbon-cutting for its new downtown Allentown office at 740 Hamilton St. on June 30. If you're in the market for sterling silver jewelry, minerals and semi-precious gemstones, C& I Minerals is now operating at the South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St. in Allentown. The Allentown-based utility company PPL Corp. bought a major Rhode Island utility. Ownership at Martellucci's Pizzeria in Bethlehem has changed, but Paul and Donna Hlavinka and their family are running the pizza place at 1419 Easton Ave., just as it has been operated for 49 years. Dr. Jacob Kasprenski's new Kasprenski Family Eye Care opened at 1088 Howertown Road, Catasauqua. Josie's New York Deli in downtown Easton closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but a June 13 Historic District Commission meeting approved a request for a new sign at its building at 14 Centre Square. Zekraft cafe has opened its second location in the Easton Silk Mill in Easton. The first Zekraft restaurant was opened in Bethlehem. The restaurants' menus change frequently, with a focus on local ingredients. Manta Massage at 319 Main St., Emmaus, will hold its grand opening on July 10 starting at 11 a.m. The former Iron Lakes Country Club, constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, will operate at 3625 Shankweiler Road in North Whitehall Township under its new name, The Club at Twin Lakes. Prologis, a titan in the logistics industry, will own and operate three warehouses proposed in Upper Macungie Township at the former Air Products headquarters campus at 7201 Hamilton Blvd. Lehigh Valley Health Network ceremonially opened its first Carbon County hospital a $78 million, 100,578-square-foot facility at 2128 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Mahoning Township. Pocono Township commissioners voted to accept Swiftwater Solar's preliminary final plan for the $111 million, 80-megawatt field on a private 644-acre site on top of Bear Mountain that would include about 200,000 solar panels. Firetree Ltd. wants to expand its in-patient rehab operation at the former Sands Ford auto dealership at 440 N Claude A Lord Blvd. (Route 61), Pottsville. A Dunkin' in Schuylkill County located at 400 Terry Rich Blvd., St. Clair, has become just the fourth location of the donut and coffee chain to go entirely digital. The Conservatory music school in Bucks County will close after 34 years, and school officials say the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause. The nonprofit, located at 4059 Skyron Drive, Doylestown, will close June 30. A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Arby's will be built on the site of the former Ahart's Market on Route 22 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce offices and the Unity Bank Center for Business & Entrepreneurship will be located at 119 Main St., Flemington. Honeygrow opens Quakertown location, next to Chipotle on Route 309, on June 3. Dunkin' reopens remodeled restaurant at 1174 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township Muse Modern Med Spa at 325 Fifth St. in Whitehall Township will hold a grand opening June 4. Around Again, a consignment store, opened at 154 S. Main St., Phillipsburg Steak and Steel Hibachi, a restaurant in the works at 44 W. Walnut St., Bethlehem, still plans on opening late this summer. Take It Outdoors Recreation Hub has moved to a spot along the Schuylkill River Trail at Riverfront Park in Pottstown, Montgomery County Pedego Electric Bikes has a new outlet in Lambertville, N.J. at 13 N. Union St. Amanda Vachris has opened a new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St. in Schuylkill Haven. Easton's new West Ward Market will open Wednesday and be open on Wednesday's through the summer from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The market, created by the Greater Easton Development Partnership, will sell fresh produce on 12th Street, next to Paxinosa Elementary School. Ciao Sandwich Shoppe is adding a second location, this time on College Hill in Easton. Ciao plans to open at 325 Cattell St. in late summer. Ciao already operates in downtown Easton at 12 N. Third St Ma's Crepes and Cakes will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting June 16 at 46 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe. The celebration starts at 5 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 5:45 p.m. Bethlehem's Back Door Bakeshop will reopen as a wholesale operation at 7 E. Church St. in the city's historic district. The business was open for nine years as a retail outlet at Broad and Center streets, before announcing in March that it would close the storefront April 3 and "go back to its origins as a wholesale business." The Beef Baron on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem is closed indefinitely for renovations The Brothers That Just Do Gutters are opening a new location in Allentown at 1302 N. 18th St. St. John Chrysostom Academy, an Orthodox school serving grades 1-9 starting this fall, held a grand opening at its St. Francis Center, Bethlehem, campus. Easton Commons, a shopping center anchored by Giant Foods at 2920 Easton Ave., Bethlehem Township, has a new name: The Shops at Bethlehem. Carbon County is getting a taste of Brazil at Uai Brasil BBQ at 315 Lehigh Ave. in Palmerton. The Keystone Pub in Bethlehem Township, at 3259 Easton Avenue, has reopened after a lengthy and expensive renovation. The Trading Post Depot opened at 401 Northampton St., Easton. The rustic furniture store makes custom tables for dining rooms, desktops, conference centers and more. The Easton area has a new gym: Homemade Fitness at 444 Cedarville Road in Williams Township. Il Gaetano Ristorante opened at its 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg, location. Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe to open second location on College Hill in Easton, replacing The Kettle Room Rene and Grisellies Benique have opened Ezekiel 47 Cafe at 10 S. Fifth Ave., off Fifth and Penn avenues, in West Reading. Alter Ego Salon and Day Spa in Emmaus is holding a grand opening Sunday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at noon. Origen Latin Fusion has opened at the site of the former Tomcat Cafe in Sinking Spring, Berks County. Sellersville Senior Residences will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 24. The Bucks County affordable-housing community for adults 55 and older has 50 apartments, with eight allocated for people with behavioral health needs. The House and Barn in Emmaus has opened its Shed outdoor dining and cigar bar area. The House and Barn is at 1449 Chestnut St. in Emmaus. Realtor Amanda Vachris and the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at Vachris's new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St., Schuylkill Haven, at 4 p.m. on May 24. Il Gaetano Ristorante will hold a grand opening on Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg. First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union will hold a grand opening at its new headquarters in Trexlertown, 6126 Hamilton Blvd., on May 18. Vinyl Press Signs & Graphics has relocated within Emmaus. The new site is 15 S. Second St., not far from the former Sixth Street location. Pedro's Cafe in Emmaus to close SV Sports (formerly Schuylkill Valley Sports) to close Quakertown location Flemington DIY will host a Grand Re-Opening on May 14 at 26 Stangl Road, Flemington. The celebration will kick off at 10 a.m. Elpedios Ristorante at Seipsville opened at 2912 Old Nazareth Road in Easton. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday. Uai Brazil opened at 315 Lehigh Ave, Palmerton, offering both a seated or buffet option. Colombian Mex Restaurant opened at 107 E Union Blvd in Bethlehem, offering traditional Colombian cuisine. Precision Ink opened at 161 W Berwick St. in Easton. King Wing opened a location in Bethlehem at 129 E. Third St., serving wings and sandwiches. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate or offensive posts may be removed by the moderator. Posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language or memes are automatically removed, to the best of its ability, by a pre-programmed algorithm. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. SCHLOSS ELMAU, GERMANY - Canada pledged $50 million to prevent Ukrainian grain from going to waste on Sunday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to work with G7 nations on further measures to halt the famine caused by the Russian invasion of the embattled country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to questions during the closing news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, Saturday, June 25, 2022. G7 leaders will discuss how to end reliance on Russian oil and "oil and gas in general" in response to the European energy crisis, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson SCHLOSS ELMAU, GERMANY - Canada pledged $50 million to prevent Ukrainian grain from going to waste on Sunday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to work with G7 nations on further measures to halt the famine caused by the Russian invasion of the embattled country. The fallout of the ongoing Russian offensive dominated the first day of talks among leaders of the world's most developed economies, who are gathered in Germany for three days worth of meetings. Issues related to the invasion were the primary subject of a four-day summit among Commonwealth government leaders that wrapped up on Saturday in Kigali, Rwanda, and are expected to drive the agenda at the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, set to get underway on Wednesday. A global grain shortage is currently threatening huge swaths of Africa with famine. Trudeau and other G7 leaders have pointed the blame squarely at Russia for targeting grain silos in Ukraine for attack and limiting exports by blocking major ports in the country. The leaders' first session on Sunday focused on the global economy at a time when conflict and unrest are driving up prices and access to key goods around the world. In an announcement released the same day, Canada promised to ship grain storage equipment to Ukraine so it can store this year's harvest and hopefully get it to market. That would include mobile silos, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said in an interview from Canada. Other food storage has been impacted as well. Last week, in the Ukrainian port Mykolaiv, a vegetable oil storage facility owned by a Canadian-Dutch company, Viterra, was hit by a Russian missile strike. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joins Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, US President Joe Biden, French President Emanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz around the table for the first plenary session at the G7 Summit in Elmau, Germany on Sunday, June 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson The Everi terminal handles vegetable oil used for 100% human food consumption, said Jeff Cockwill, a Viterra spokesman based in Regina. Fortunately there were no fatalities, and we have confirmed one employee has suffered minor burns and has received medical attention. Meanwhile Canada hopes to have 44 per cent more wheat production compared to last year, Bibeau said, noting the spike will boost supplies to the developing world as well as countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa relying on Ukrainian grain. She said the government and Canadas grain producers are all hands on deck to get as much grain to developing nations facing hunger as possible. Trudeau has promised more progress will be made during the G7 talks. The Prime Minister arrived in Germany early Sunday morning. He was greeted at the airport in Munich by a musical welcome party, including former Liberal leader and Canadian Ambassador to Germany Stephane Dion. From there he boarded a helicopter bound for Schloss Elmau, a luxurious and secluded mountaintop retreat in the Bavarian Alps where the G7 summit is taking place. His first stop was a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who remarked on the unity G7 nations have shown in the face of aggression against Ukraine. G7 and other nations have closed ranks and issued sanctions against Russia since the February invasion and have collectively spent billions to send aid and arms to the embattled country. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has retaliated by reducing access to his country's natural gas supply in some European nations, including Germany, Europe's largest economy. At an an appearance hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and United States President Joe Biden, Trudeau reinforced the G7's commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels. He did not speak about Canada's position on relaxing regulations to ease the immediate crisis, and did not take questions, but said in Rwanda Saturday the leaders would need to discuss a solution. "How we get there in the short term, how we build for the medium term, how we ensure that the long term is covered is exactly what we're going to be talking about over the next couple of days. Not just with our fellow G7 leaders, but with leaders from around the world who will be joining us in Germany to tackle this very issue," Trudeau said at a press conference in Kigali Saturday at the conclusion of the Commonwealth meeting. India is not a G7 nation, but Scholz invited the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take part in the talks. The Free Press | Newsletter Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. India, which has evolved as a growing market for Russian oil, abstained from a March vote at the United Nations to condemn Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Modi, meanwhile, opted out of attending the Commonwealth Summit and instead met virtually with leaders from Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa. Trudeau said he's spoken to Scholz about the need to invest in infrastructure to help wean Europe off of Russian oil, adding Canada can be part of the solution. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address the G7 leaders on the second day of the summit. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2022. With files from Marie Woolf in Ottawa Lori Ann Mancheese always wanted a home. But the 53-year-old mother of five from Manitoba's Ebb and Flow First Nation died before her dream could come true. Lori Ann Mancheese is shown in this undated handout image. Mancheese always wanted a home but the Manitoba First Nations womans remains were found in a field outside Winnipeg earlier this month before that dream could be fulfilled. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Eugenia Houle **MANDATORY CREDIT** Earlier this month, her remains were found in a farmers field outside of Winnipeg. "She tried her best to be happy even though she didnt have a home," said Norma Mancheese, Lori Anns sister. Mounties have said, at this point, her death doesnt appear to be criminal. But Lori Anns family say they cannot understand how she would end up left at that location. Her death is now one of five women in the span of about a month being grieved by members of the province's Indigenous community. Winnipeg police say three of those women were murdered. At least 11 Indigenous women and girls have been murdered in the city since June 2019, when the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released its final report, according to an analysis by The Canadian Press of homicides reported by the police service. Immediate action is needed to make the province safer for Indigenous women, including better access to safe housing, which can be life-saving, said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle. The need extends beyond offering more overnight emergency shelter space, she said, and includes more transitional and longer term housing options that offer the proper cultural and social supports. What Anderson-Pyrz finds lacking is political will. As an example, she points to the response mounted by the government against the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated how fast decision-makers and bureaucracies can move. "This is very similar," she said. "We're losing human lives." The survivors circle was established in response to the 231 calls to justice made in the final report from the national inquiry, and is designed to provide advice to Ottawa on implementing the recommended changes. Last month, Anderson-Pyrzs niece Tessa Perry was among those killed in Winnipeg. "There's been so many losses, it seems like we're in a perpetual state of grief," Anderson-Pyrz said. "We're in a crisis." Carolyn Bennett, former federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, called the city "ground zero" for the country's awareness around murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. It was near a dock in Winnipeg when in 2014 the tiny body of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, wrapped in a duvet cover and weighed down by rocks, was pulled from the Red River. The death of the First Nations teen sparked outrage and led to louder demands for Ottawa to probe the level of violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and girls, which it did after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected the following year. But those in the city say the danger has only increased. In her sister Lori Ann's case, Norma Mancheese said a lack of housing on her First Nation meant she never had a home of her own and would sometimes stay with friends and family in the community. Never wanting to overstay her welcome, Norma said her sister would eventually travel to Winnipeg where she would be homeless or stay with friends downtown. She had health and mobility issues, so it wasn't an easy life, Norma said. Despite cries from advocates for urgent action, Ottawa has yet to spend any of the $724-million fund it announced in fall 2020 to support the creation of new shelter and transitional housing spaces for Indigenous women and girls trying to escape violence. Judy Hughes, special adviser to CEO of the Native Women's Association of Canada, said that shows "they just dont care." "There's no excuse whatsoever for that funding not to be handed out," she said. In a statement, a spokeswoman for Women and Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien's office said applications for the first round of funding recently closed, and an announcement of where it would flow would be made over the summer, with implementation expected to begin in the fall. "Undeniably, there is still a long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction," Johise Namwira wrote, saying "the violence that we have seen in Winnipeg is heartbreaking." "We know that Indigenous voices must lead the way and we will continue to work closely with Indigenous Peoples, families, survivors, communities, and provinces and territories as equal partners." Hughes said when it comes to Indigenous women living in cities, a major challenge remains finding housing that is not just affordable, but is located in areas that are safe. "We still have many landlords that refuse to rent to Indigenous women," she said. "They'll take the appointments for Indigenous women, we go look at it, and then they phone us back and it's no longer available in a number of occasions, we know that it's just the case that 'Oh, they seen the colour of her skin.'" Norma Mancheese said her sister made her way to Winnipeg in late May and had a coffee with a friend in early June. Her body was discovered four days later. "We are just wondering and not knowing anything," Norma said. "The police arent telling us anything." The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The RCMP has said it is awaiting the results of an autopsy but it appears the death was non-criminal. Norma said Mounties informed her Lori Ann was wearing a hospital bracelet, but her family hasn't been allowed to see her body because of the state of decomposition. She has many unanswered questions about her sisters death and said its left the family in unimaginable grief. But Norma is sure that if her sister had a home, a place to be safe and happy, it would have made a difference. She's now worried for other Indigenous women who are in the same position as her sister. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2022. On Wednesday, June 29, Winona County Public Health will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for children ages 6 months to 4 years. This clinic will only offer the Pfizer vaccine. The clinic will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Parkview Office Building, 825 Mankato Ave., Suite 202, in Winona. To register for an appointment, go to https://prepmod.health.state.mn.us/appointment/en/reg/1560227921. For a better vaccination experience, the Department of Public Health said caregivers should prepare themselves and their child. Be ready to support your child during the vaccine visit. If your child is older and you can have a chat; be honest with your child. Explain that shots can pinch or sting, but that it wont hurt for long. For babies and younger children, the department suggests: Distract and comfort your child by cuddling, singing, or talking softly. Smile and make eye contact with your child. Let your child know that everything is ok. Comfort your child with a favorite toy or book. A blanket that smells familiar will help your child feel more comfortable. Hold your child firmly on your lap, whenever possible. For older children: Point out interesting things in the room to help create distractions. Tell or read stories. Support your child if he or she cries. Never scold a child for not being brave. Take deep breaths with your child to help blow out the pain. Sometimes children experience mild reactions from shots, such as pain at the injection site, a rash or a fever. These reactions are normal and will soon go away. These tips will help you identify and minimize mild side effects: Use a cool, damp cloth to help reduce redness, soreness and/or swelling at in the place where the shot was given. Reduce fever with a lukewarm water sponge bath. Offer liquids more often. It is normal for some children to eat less during the 24 hours after getting vaccines. Ask your childs doctor if you can give your child a non-aspirin pain reliever. Pay extra attention to your child for a few days. If you see something that concerns you, call your childs doctor. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM MONDAY TO 1 PM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values up to 109 expected. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Indiana, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois. * WHEN...From 11 AM Monday through Thursday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Daily chances for isolated thunderstorms will provide brief relief from the heat. 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. && Cyclists gearing-up for family-friendly fundraising event for childrens hospice Cyclists across the area are getting set for an event that will raise funds for a much-loved childrens hospice charity and theres still time to sign up. On Sunday 3rd July the ever-popular On Yer Bike event takes place in Llangefni, Anglesey from 9am with three distances to choose from, a 25km, 50km or even a 100km route. All proceeds from the entrance fees will be split between three charities, namely Hope House Ty Gobaith childrens hospices, Mon Search and Rescue and the British Heart Foundation. Now in its 22nd year, On Yer Bike is organised and staffed by volunteers from Llangefni and Holyhead Rotary clubs. Mike Kenyon, one of the event organising team from Holyhead Rotary said: We are really looking forward to the event and supporting these three great charities. It really is something for all the family to enjoy together and the 25k distance is along the very safe Lon Cefni cycle path so suitable for all ages and levels of experience. We have had a good field of entries already but are looking to beat the brilliant 3k that we raised last year. Sarah Ritchie, Fundraising Team Leader for Hope House Ty Gobaith will be attending the event and said: We are grateful to all our kind fundraisers who help us provide specialist nursing care and support to 750 terminally ill children and their families. We enjoy a great relationship with the Rotary clubs in the area and really value them choosing to support us with this great community event. We encourage as many people as possible to get on their bikes and come out to enjoy the beautiful Anglesey scenery and enjoy some hopefully sunny weather. All On Yer Bike distances start between 9-11am from Llangefni Rugby Club and people can enter by searching the internet for On Yer Bike Anglesey or visiting this link. Entries cost between 12 and 20 and details can also be found on the web pages of Llangefni and Holyhead Rotary clubs. Wrexham pupils benefiting from new way of teaching PE An innovative framework that aims to transform the way PE is taught in primary schools has been backed by Wrexhams Member of the Senedd. Barkers Lane Community Primary School recently hosted a special real PE showcase event for Lesley Griffiths MS to demonstrate how their child-centred approach is having a positive impact on childrens health, wellbeing and development. Ms Griffiths observed the Year 1 pupils PE lesson, delivered by class teacher Mr Hayes, in partnership with real PEs North & North Wales Area Manager, Vikki Roberts and Active Wrexham. real PE supports schools to transform physical education experiences for every child, teacher and family. Innovative training, resources and membership support schools who sign up. The holistic approach is individually focused and aims to ensure every child has a positive relationship with physical activity for life. There are over 2,000 real PE member schools across the UK, including 37 schools from the Wrexham area, as well as more in Denbighshire and Flintshire. Barkers Lane Community Primary School is one such school that has transformed how they teach PE to include, challenge and support every child. Theyve embedded real PE within their school, which supports the 4 purposes and provides a solution for the Health and Well-being Area of Learning and Experience (AoLE) for the Curriculum for Wales. Their journey commenced with staff training to develop teachers skills and confidence to deliver an outstanding PE curriculum. Barkers Lane PE lessons make every child feel valued, included and challenged. They support children to become physically literate by developing their Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) agility, balance and coordination. PE is used as a fantastic vehicle not only to improve health and fitness but also to develop a range of personal, social, physical, cognitive and creative abilities that transfer outside the sporting environment. After her visit, Lesley Griffiths MS said: Im grateful to Vikki, Active Wrexham and Barkers Lane CP School for hosting a special real PE showcase event. The energetic and engaging lesson centred on a series of positive interactions that, ultimately, made PE fun. There was a clear focus on promoting valuable skills such as concentration, resilience and perseverance, but delivered in an entertaining way that the children clearly enjoyed. It is not about whos the fastest or strongest. Its about having fun and trying your best and real PE ensures every child develops at their own pace in their own way. Barkers Lane CP Schools Year 1 Teacher, Mr Gavin Hayes added: real PE has made such a difference to our school. The programme is creative, inclusive and engaging and the positive impact it has on the children is clear to see. A UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) investigation has shown that the bullets that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi, were fired by Israeli forces. Shireen Abu Akleh (Credit: Arwa/Ibrahim Twitter) It is a damning refutation of Israels preposterous lie about her murder, including that she was shot by Palestinians firing indiscriminately at its troops. Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters Friday, All information we have gathered is consistent with the finding that the shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi came from Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians and that there was no evidence of activity by armed Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the journalists. The killing on May 11 of Al-Jazeera Arabics widely respected veteran journalist, a US-Palestinian citizen, by Israeli forces while she was covering an army raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, caused mass outrage. Clad in a press vest and helmet and standing in open view near a roundabout, she was targeted and shot by Israeli snipers along with her co-producer Ali Sammoudi who was hospitalised. It was a brazen attempt to intimidate and prevent journalists reporting on Israels brutal suppression of the Palestinians. According to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, Israeli troops have killed 30 journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 2000. In each case, there have been no indictments against the soldiers responsible, testifying to the degree to which US backing guarantees impunity. Israeli police later stormed her familys home demanding the mourners take down the Palestinian flags and end the gathering and singing. On the day of the funeral, the police gave the pall bearers such a beating that they nearly dropped the coffin. Soldiers fired sponge-tipped bullets and threw stun grenades at the crowds gathered at the hospital morgue until Abu Aklehs family were forced to whisk her coffin away in a car as a police officer removed the Palestinian flags covering it. Israeli police confront mourners as they carry the casket of slain Al Jazeera veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during her funeral in East Jerusalem, Friday, May 13, 2022. [AP Photo/Maya Levin] Shamdasani said the UN Human Rights Office had gone through photo, video and audio material, visited the scene, consulted experts, reviewed official communications and interviewed witnesses. She confirmed that the Al Jazeera reporter along with her fellow journalists had made a real effort to be clearly visible as members of the press to Israeli soldiers. She said, The journalists said they chose a side street for their approach to avoid the location of armed Palestinians inside the camp and that they proceeded slowly in order to make their presence visible to the Israeli forces deployed down the street. Shamdasani said, Our findings indicate that no warnings were issued and no shooting was taking place at that time and at that location. Several single, seemingly well-aimed bullets were fired towards them [the journalists] from the direction of the Israeli security forces. Furthermore, bullets continued to be fired at an unarmed man who tried to help Abu Akleh, as well as a journalist who was sheltering behind a tree. At least 16 shots were fired in total. She concluded, It is deeply disturbing that Israeli authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation. The UN Human Rights Office report follows an investigation by the Palestinian Authority (PA) published May 26 that arrived at the same conclusion from the autopsy and an examination of the armour-piercing bullets that hit Abu Akleh and Sammoudi. Palestinian officials accused Israel of killing her deliberately, citing the fact that she had been shot in the head even though she was wearing a vest clearly identifying her as a journalist. Palestinian officials have refused to cooperate with any Israeli investigation or hand over the bullets, knowing full well that any such inquiry will allow the soldiers responsible to get off scot-free. There have been at least five other investigations into Abu Aklehs death published in international media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN and the Associated Press, all of which have subjected witnesses statements and the video clips to extensive forensic examination by experts and confirmed Israels responsibility for her killing. Israeli officials variously charged the Palestinians with responsibilityboth directly and indirectlyfor Abu Aklehs death and denying any possibility that Israeli troops had killed her since the army opens fire only in an orderly, controlled manner, while others even blamed the journalist for her own death, claiming she was just a paid agent of terrorists. Later as Israels Prime Minister Naftali Bennett realized that Abu Akleh's murder was turning into a public relations disaster, officials went into damage control mode, proposing a joint Israeli-Palestinian investigation. There would be a police investigation into the attack on the pallbearers carrying Abu Aklehs coffin out of the hospital morgue. But its outcome was determined in advance. While it found that the handling of the event amounted to police misconduct, none of the commanders in charge of the incident would be disciplined in line with a decision made prior to the investigation. Israel's Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai told a lawyers conference in Tel Aviv, The bottom line is that the conduct of police officers there was wrong, but not every investigation has to end with heads rolling. Eventually, the army accepted the possibility that Israeli gunfire had inadvertently killed the veteran journalist. However, the militarys advocate general ruled against a criminal investigation by the military police since the incident was a combat event with no suspicion of a criminal offense, even though she was a journalist killed in the line of duty. This is a clear breach of the order put in place in 2011 that requires an investigation into every case of a death in the West Bank, except in a clear case of thwarting of a terror attack or the death of an armed individual during an exchange of fire. Israel has always used this order as the basis for its claim that it is capable of investigating itself, despite few indictments ever following. Instead, as a sop to international public opinion, an army spokesperson promised a thorough examination of the eventswith the proviso that without the PA handing over the bullet removed from Abu Aklehs body it would be impossible to establish the truth. Israels paymaster in Washington rushed to support its regional policeman, rejecting any responsibility to investigate the death of an American citizen, only belatedly echoing Israels call for a joint Israeli-Palestinian inquiry, since changed to an independent, credible investigation. According to the armys own data released in response to a freedom of information request and analysed by Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organisation, only five (7.2 percent) of all internal military investigations opened in 2019-20 resulted in criminal indictments, and only 2 percent of the complaints received led to the prosecution of a suspect, up from 0.7 percent in 2017-18. The punishment, usually for low-level offences rather than manslaughter or murder, typically result in a trivial punishment. The total number of investigations by the army is declining each year. Abu Aklehs death is to be added to a legal complaint by the International Federation of Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians to the International Criminal Court (ICC). It relates to four Palestinian journalists wearing press helmets and veststwo killed and the other two maimedand the attacks on international media buildings in Gaza in May 2021. The case argues that Israeli security forces have systematically targeted Palestinian journalists in violation of international humanitarian law and failed to investigate such incidents. Al Jazeera has referred the case to the ICC, vowing to bring the killers to justice using all available legal means. Israel has dismissed this, saying that as it is not a signatory to the Rome Statute it is not subject to the courts mandate and outside the courts jurisdiction as Palestine is not a state. In February 2021, the ICC said its jurisdiction did extend to Gaza and West Bank, making it more likely the ICC can take up the issue. Arthur Scargill, the former leader of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), addressed a rally Saturday outside Sheffield railway station in support of the railworkers strike. The remarks made by Scargill in reference to 1984-5 miners strike raise issues of contemporary significance for the 40,000 striking rail workers and the entire working class. Arthur Scargill speaking at the Sheffield Trades Union Council rally in Sheffield, June 26, 2022 [Photo by @rohankon/Twitter] The branding of miners as the enemy within by Margaret Thatcher has been reprised against rail workers by Boris Johnsons Conservative government, which is to enact legislation to allow agency workers to be used as scabs and to impose minimum service requirements during rail and other key industry strikes backed by fines of up to 1 million on trade union actions deemed illegal. The target is initially the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members who struck for three days last week. But there are around 3 million workers whose trade unions are facing demands for strikes to be called against the cost-of-living crisis. The warning made by Scargill was direct: It is not enough to have demonstrations. The state will attack you I want to make clear that the trade union movement have a responsibility to understand it is not just RMT, or ASLEF, or TSSA. Its the whole movement that is under attack. The Socialist Equality Party has fundamental differences with Scargill, but his warning comes from someone who led a one year strike during which 180,000 miners and the NUM itself faced a brutal state orchestrated assault. The miners, Scargill said, faced a paramilitary police forcewith the Thatcher government establishing for the first time a de facto national police force so that tens of thousands of officers could be deployed to attack pickets, lay siege to mining communities and herd scabs into work. This led to 20,000 injured or hospitalised, 13,000 arrested and 200 imprisoned and two killed on the picket lines. The state apparatus also set up a scab union in Nottinghamshire, the Union of Democratic Mineworkers, and sought to bankrupt the NUM through the sequestration of its assets. Scargill stated that, as someone arrested repeatedly and based on this history, he had earned the right to say to trade unions and to trade union membersDont just send messages of support, take decisions to take solidarity strike action in support of striking rail workers. The warnings of a state assault and the call for mass action should be taken seriously by every worker. But the fight against Tory plans to emulate Thatcher can only be waged in opposition to Scargills own political evasions. He was the only speaker at the rally to call for any such mobilisation against the governments well publicised plans. The fact that this came from a former union leader who is now 84 years of age and until recently had retired into semi-obscurity speaks volumes. It should be noted, moreover, that he did not say anything to directly contradict RMT leader Mick Lynchs repeated insistence that the rail strike is a normal industrial dispute. The trade union movement to which Scargill refers was, along with the Labour Party, responsible for the isolation and defeat of the miners in 1985. And they could only succeed in this goal because Scargills perspective was limited to putting militant pressure on organisations that were intent on cutting the miners throats. In the aftermath of the strike, the TUC and Labour Party utilised this defeat as a platform for an unprecedented lurch to the right that saw the establishment of New Labour as a Thatcherite entity and a near 40-year series of unbroken series of betrayals and suppression of industrial action as the bureaucracy refashioned themselves as extended arms of management and the corporations. To repeat calls directed against this same bureaucracy today to wage the fight against the state, rather than warn workers as to the character of the trade unions and urge a mobilisation against them, is politically criminal. He was also noticeably silent regarding the Labour Partys declared opposition to the strike, despite having broken from the party over 25 years ago to set up his personalist Socialist Labour Party. But Scargill was, after all, speaking on a TUC platform, and he remains a loyal representative of the bureaucracy whatever else he says. The rallies organised by the trade unions over the weekend, in collaboration with a dwindling number of Labourites, were designed to pre-empt mass action against the Johnson government. The hashtag promoted on Twitter was #ToryRailStrikes, summing up their own repudiation of the national strike action. Olivia Blake, Labour MP for the local Hallam constituency, was afforded a fawning welcome. Blake last week resigned from the Labours front bench, citing personal reasons. In line with the decree from Starmer that Labour frontbenchers were forbidden from setting foot on a railworkers picket line, Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, MP for Heeley, Sheffield, gave the event a wide birth. Blake said nothing to oppose Starmer. Gaz Jackson, RMT regional organiser for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, began his remarks by citing the fact that it was only 101 days since the mass sacking of 800 P&O Ferry workers. He warned that ultimately if we are not careful and we dont fight this our members will end up in the same boat, our members will be fired and rehired on worse terms and conditions. But it was the RMT that ensured that there was no solidarity action mobilised in opposition to P&O, by mounting a nationalist campaign for the Johnson government to stand up for British workers, backed by the Labour Party. In similar fashion, Jackson repeated the duplicitous line of the RMT that the keys to unlock the door in this dispute is to guarantee job security. This is not a call to defend every job threatened, but for Network Rail and the train operating companies to work with the union to organise the job cull through voluntary redundancies. The RMTs call on the government to unshackle the rail operating companies so it can call off the dispute and negotiate a sell-out deal is to advance this corporatist agenda of union/management collusion. The mass action required to defeat the Johnson government and the employers demands that workers take their struggles out of the hands of the trade unions, including their left representatives who specialise in empty rhetoric while blocking every expression of independent workers resistance. As the SEP statement explains: The ruling class wants to finish the job Thatcher began in 1984, when she set out to break the miners to end all opposition to her social counterrevolution. The working class must seize the opportunity to revenge that defeat and reverse the decades of betrayals and losses that followed. The fight against the Johnson government is developing as part of an international upsurge of the working class. To coordinate and guide these struggles requires the building of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees to overcome all sectional and national divisions and bring to bear the full social force of the working class globally in a fight against capitalism. Mary-Margaret Humes in Hallmark's Two Tickets to Paradise 2022 Crown Media United States LLC/ Zack Dougan For a certain generation of Americans, Mary-Margaret Humes was America's Mom. In the late 90s and early aughts she starred in Dawson's Creek as Gayle Leery, Dawson's mother. She's now carrying on that cool mom vibe in her latest role as Alice, surrogate mom to Ryan Paevey's Josh Wyatt in Two Tickets to Paradise on Hallmark Channel. In a recent phone call with Southern Living, Humes said, "I'm not a mom, I just play one on TV." The absolutely hysterical rom-com tells the story of two strangers, Josh Wyatt (Paevey) and Hannah Holt, played by Ashley Willams who were both left at the altar on the very same day. During a chance meeting on what should have been their wedding days, Hannah and Josh decide they should both go on the honeymoons they've planned, solo. They shake on it and part ways, only to then bump into each other at the airport at the same gate. They are both going to Hawaii and yes, they both end up at the same resort. What ensues is a quick-witted, slapstick, hilarious adventure that will have you deep belly laughing out loud. Plus, some pretty great scenery since they filmed the movie on location in Hawaii. When they arrive in Hawaii, Josh tells Hannah he has a family friend who lives on the island. Enter Humes as Alice. The veteran actress told us that she'd passed on a few scripts early on during the pandemic, but when this script came her way, she jumped at the chance to work with this dynamic duo. "I see that it's Ashley Williams. She's just so phenomenal. There are just not enough words to explain how effervescent she is. She had me at hello." Humes continued, "she's just like this sparkling, adorable, quick-witted, Energizer Bunny. She's got impeccable timing. We were on set so many times just in stitches. I mean what a joy to work with her." "And then Ryan, my god. He's delightful, he's charming, he's charismatic. He's just so charming and he's a great storyteller," Humes said of her other co-star. Story continues She admits that a lot of the humor in the movie happened because they gave each other room to play with the material, with Williams leading the way. "The thing about Ashley, you just want to keep the camera rolling because you just never know what is going to happen. She's so good. She's so present and she's so quirky and she's so beautiful and so loveable. So yeah. Some of our things were improv and you really have to hold your tongue. It's like, 'oh! hey there she goes, bite the inside of your cheek. Don't laugh.'" "I think yeah one of the things that makes this so magical is the chemistry between the two of them.[Williams and Paevey] And trusting them that whatever one person said, the other guy was going to go along with it and see where it went," she said. Of course, speaking of on screen chemistry, we couldn't let Humes get away without asking her for some behind the scenes intel from her days in Willmington filming Dawson's Creek. While she played Dawson's mother, Humes admits in the end she was Team Pacey. "I love my kid but I think it ended the way it was supposed to end." But she shared with us that she doesn't feel that way about how Gayle and Mitch's storyline played out. If you need a refresher, and spoiler alert if you've never seen Dawson's Creek, (What are you waiting for?) Gayle, Dawson's mother had an affair early on in the show but by the final seasons she and Dawson's father Mitch had reconciled and had a new baby girl. Then they killed off Mitch. This was something Humes was not happy to hear about. "When I heard they're going to kill your husband, I'm like no you're not! You are severing my right arm. I am going to lose a limb. My heart will be broken." Humes shared that she and the actor who played Mitch, John Wesley Shipp, were then and are still close friends to this day. "We talk once a week. He comes here, he stays at my house. I go back to New York, I stay with him. So we were just kindred spirits on that show." She continued, "in the final, final episode they have me getting married to somebody else! And I'm like no, do not do that. They just needed a reason for everyone to come back to Capeside. I {said} don't use me that for this reason. Mitch was my soulmate." But regardless of how the series ended, Humes has warm memories of her time on the Carolina coast and remains close with her Dawson's Creek family. She told us she keeps in regular contact with several cast members including Shipp, James Van Der Beek, and Katie Holmes. We don't know about you, but we find that a comfort to know. Meadow Walker opened up about her own abortion experience after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. The 23-year-old daughter of late actor Paul Walker revealed she had an abortion at the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, calling it a "very private and personal experience" "the way it should be" as she condemned the Supreme Court's decision in an Instagram post shared Saturday. "Today marks a huge setback in history- a profound injustice to women across the United States," Walker wrote. "There are countless women who have struggled with making the decision to have an abortion. I too have battled with the choice but in 2020, when the world was collapsing during the pandemic, I sought an abortion." NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 16: Model Meadow Walker is seen arriving to the No Waste dinner during New York Fashion Week at Spring Studios on February 16, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images) Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Paul Walker's daughter Meadow shares abortion experience as she protests the Roe v. Wade reversal Walker continued, "I was lucky enough to have a great doctor who supported me through the debilitating process- with their help, I am able to be the happy and healthy person I am today. Now, knowing even more women won't have the opportunity to seek safe termination and choose their bodies first is absolutely heartbreaking." "In a world that constantly marginalizes females, this feels like the biggest assault of them all," Walker added. "Banning abortion doesn't prevent abortions, it prevents safe abortions." Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett voted Friday to end federal protections of abortion rights enacted in 1973. The ruling leaves abortion laws up to the state, with many expecting half the U.S. states to criminalize abortion. Eight states Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia stopped offering services after Friday's ruling, per AP. In Hollywood, stars like Shonda Rhimes, Viola Davis, Patricia Arquette, and Bette Midler have spoken out against the ruling. Like Walker, others including Uma Thurman, Sharon Stone, and Busy Philipps have also shared their own abortion experiences in the past, whether to condemn abortion laws or break the stigma. Thurman wrote that she made the decision as a teenager in a 2021 Washington Post op-ed criticizing Texas' restrictive abortion ban. Story continues "I have no regrets for the path I have traveled," Thurman wrote. "The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced. Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be." Related content: Vietnams decision to sentence a prominent environmental activist to two years in prison has put U.S. and EU climate negotiators in a tough spot as they try to persuade the country to ditch its coal dependence. U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry and his EU counterpart Frans Timmermans joining a growing chorus demanding the release of Nguy Thi Khanh and other climate activists imprisoned in Vietnam risks derailing a deal aimed at shifting the ninth largest coal consuming country off the dirtiest fossil fuel. But if they dont require their release as part of the deal, they face the wrath of civil society organizations who do not want public money for climate action flowing to countries that jail activists. The situation in Vietnam highlights a broader challenge that climate negotiators face as they must convince nations such as China and Saudi Arabia, which have poor human rights records, to take action to mitigate the climate threat. The June 17 sentencing of Nguy on tax evasion charges came as the western powers were negotiating with Vietnam on a plan to spend billions to further its transition to cleaner energy sources. But ahead of the start of the G-7 meeting Sunday, civil society organizations are pressuring U.S. and EU government officials to require climate activists jailed in Vietnam to be released in exchange for helping to finance that transition. That move could be on the table, but would be a difficult step to take given fragile diplomatic relationships. U.S. and EU officials were under the impression that she was going to be released, and it took them by surprise that she was sentenced to two years in prison. That's an unprecedented sentence, said Michael Sutton, executive director of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, which awarded Nguy with a prestigious prize in 2018 for her work to help Vietnam reduce its coal dependence. Its really time for the U.S. to take the gloves off and make it very clear to Vietnam that this won't be tolerated, Sutton added. Story continues The dialogue with Vietnam is part of a multicountry approach the U.S., U.K. and European governments have embraced to convince emerging economies to abandon coal and build more renewable power. Conversations are farthest along with South Africa after an $8.5 billion plan to shift the country off coal was announced at last year's international climate talks. Vietnam pledged at the United Nations talks in Glasgow last year that it would stop building new coal-fired power plants and aimed to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. That would represent a drastic shift for a nation with nearly 21 gigawatts of installed coal-fired electricity capacity, the largest in the greater Mekong region, according to Global Energy Monitor. It also has the third-most coal capacity in the preconstruction pipeline in the world, according to think tank E3G. Now, civil society groups are pressuring the U.S., EU and U.K. governments to condition any public financing for clean energy on the release of Nguy and three other jailed climate activists, according to a draft copy of a letter obtained by POLITICO that 58 groups will send to governments at the G-7 meeting in Bavaria, Germany, starting Sunday. Saskia Bricmont, a Belgian member of the European Parliament who has taken an interest in the case, said the charges of tax evasion, now leveled against several campaigners, were just not credible. I mean, it can happen in one case, but this is obviously a lie. Both the EU and U.S. this week publicly called for Nguy to be released. In a statement to POLITICO, a U.K. government spokesperson expressed serious concern about the sentence. An EU official said things would now go even further, indicating that diplomats from the 27-country bloc would raise Nguys case as part of discussions about the energy deal, known as a Just Energy Transition Partnership. In relation to the JETP, the J of Just does not only refer to a transition that is socially fair, like avoiding energy poverty, but also a clean energy transition process that is inclusive, where all voices can express themselves freely, also those of NGOs, said the EU official, who confirmed that the harshness of the sentence had caught their delegation in Hanoi by surprise. The EU delegation to Vietnam hinted pulling public finance is on the table in a Tuesday communique to Hanoi obtained by POLITICO: In the current context, when the EU is considering potential further assistance to Viet Nam on the green transition, it is important to recall that the involvement of all stakeholders, including NGOs, remains an essential and unavoidable part of the strategy. The case highlights a moral quandary that divides Western officials as they pivot toward trying to broker climate deals with polluting countries around the world. People are frankly torn, said Jake Schmidt, senior strategic director for international climate with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Clearly solving climate change involves working in countries that dont always share human rights principles and democracy principles and share the opinion the United States does, and theyre trying to navigate that. There are also geopolitical concerns at play. Pulling back the billions in funding risks Vietnam doubling down and potentially running toward rivals like China to bankroll its energy transition, which could keep Vietnam reliant on fossil fuels for an extended period of time. Theres always a risk, especially if countries are at the table negotiating these transitions, that theyll end up pursuing a different path, said John Coequyt, government affairs director with think tank RMI, which has worked on clean energy in Vietnam. Countries gain influence by working with other countries. Nguys arrest was confirmed by authorities in early February. Initially, the diplomatic response was muted but behind the scenes the talks were high stakes. Nguys family and lawyers had asked governments and civil society groups to limit publicity out of fear Vietnam would impose harsher sentences on the activists. In recent interviews, officials from the U.S. Treasury and State departments, the U.K. and EU said they were aware of the sensitivities even as they spoke with Vietnam about the clean energy investment package. It was only after the Nguy received the hefty prison term on Friday that her team indicated they would be glad to see Western diplomacy escalate. Kerry, whose political origin story is as a military veteran who spoke out against the Vietnam War, raised the issue with Vietnams government during a February visit shortly after her arrest, Sutton said, referencing conversations with the State Department. Justin Guay, director of global climate strategy with environmental group the Sunrise Project, said Kerry's voice is just so uniquely powerful in this moment, in this case, given his special relationship with Vietnam and his special relationship with coal and coal activists. I think the climate movement needs his voice right now. You clearly cannot be giving money for the climate transition to a government that is cracking down on climate activists. In a statement, a State Department spokesperson said Kerry is in complete agreement with Secretary of State Tony Blinken that Nguys imprisonment is deeply concerning, noting it already called for the release of her and three other detained environmental activists. Ms. Khanh has a long history of working on critical environmental issues such as climate change and sustainable energy, the spokesperson said. Her conviction is an illustration of a troubling series of legal actions that appear aimed at curbing civil society activities in Vietnam. A spokesperson for the Vietnam embassy in Washington, D.C., could not be immediately reached for comment. Timmermans and Alok Sharma, the U.K.s top climate envoy and President of the COP26 U.N. climate talks, visited Vietnam in February in pursuit of a deal to wean it off coal. Heeding the wishes of Nguys family, neither man raised the case directly with the Vietnamese government, according to officials. Timmermans left Hanoi publicly upbeat, telling his counterparts there that, just as in the deal struck with South Africa last year, European public money was available for the right energy transition plan. He left Vietnam praising its resolve to be part of the international community that takes the climate crisis seriously. But Bricmont said Timmermans meeting with Vietnamese officials about ending coal production while Hanoi was jailing those critical of the industry was a form of greenwashing. In private meetings with Vietnamese officials, including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Timmermans pointedly noted the need for a free civil society, according to an answer to a parliamentary question given by the EUs top diplomat Josep Borrell. At the same time, EU diplomats in Hanoi were pressing the Vietnamese for more information about Nguys case and those of Mai Phan Loi and ang inh Bach, members of an EU sponsored NGO, the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development, who were jailed on similar charges to Nguy in January. Bach Hung Duong, of Media in Educating Community, was also jailed in the country. On Monday, the EUs foreign affairs spokesperson Nabila Massrali shifted Brussels position and echoed the U.S. State Department by linking civil society and progress on climate change. Nguy is a valuable partner for the EU, said Massrali. Her recent sentencing to two years in prison goes against our common goal. We call for her immediate release. Editor's note: This page recaps the news from Ukraine on Sunday, June 26. G-7 leaders meeting in Germany plan to pledge indefinite support to Ukraine for "as long as it takes," Bloomberg news reported, citing a draft statement. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S. and the U.K. are set to announce that their countries will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, the draft says. The pledge could ease concerns among some Ukraine leaders that the West will press them to accept an unsatisfactory deal with Russia to end the war quickly. Earlier Sunday, President Joe Biden announced the G-7 nations will ban new imports of Russian gold, the latest sanction aimed at raising the price Russia must pay for its incursion into Ukraine. The White House says gold is second only to energy among Russian exports almost $19 billion in 2020. About 90% of Russia's gold exports are to G-7 nations, the vast majority to Britain. "The United States has imposed unprecedented costs on Putin to deny him the revenue he needs to fund his war against Ukraine," Biden said in a tweet Sunday. "Together, the G-7 will announce that we will ban the import of Russian gold, a major export that rakes in tens of billions of dollars for Russia." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko suggested Russia's missile assault on his city overnight might have been a "symbolic attack" ahead of the summit. Biden, asked for his reaction to the latest Russian strike, said "its more of their barbarism." MAPPING AND TRACKING: Russia's invasion of Ukraine Latest developments: Russia defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution after missing payments on two-foreign currency bonds Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported. Russia said it could afford to pay but that sanctions have limited the ability to move the money. Story continues Four medium-range American rocket launchers arrived in Ukraine this week, and four more are on the way. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry released a video showing the first use of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, in Ukraine. The video gave no location or indication of the targets. The rockets can travel about 45 miles. Four Russian cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea hit a military object in Yaroviv, Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said. Yaroviv has a military base used for training fighters, including foreigners who have volunteered to fight for Ukraine. Kyiv's annual LGBTQ rights event becomes peace march in Poland Ukrainians took to the streets this weekend for the country's largest annual LGBTQ rights event, KyivPride. But this year, attendees could not parade in their home country, instead traveling for a peace march in Warsaw, Poland. If Russia wins the war in Ukraine, LGBTQ people would be at risk of getting erased completely," said KyivPride director Lenny Emson. Russia decriminalized homosexuality decades ago, but LGBTQ people still face discrimination and animosity. In 2012, the Moscow city government ordered that gay pride parades be banned for the next 100 years. The following year, the parliament unanimously passed a law forbidding propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships among minors. This year's event, Emson said, "is not a celebration." He added, "We will wait for victory to celebrate." Russia gains ground in eastern Ukraine with 'burnt Earth' tactics Russian troops have focused the fury of their bombardments on the eastern city of Lysychansk while also targeting Kyiv and other areas around Ukraine after capturing Sievierodonetsk over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said Sunday. Lysyschansk is the last city in the Luhansk Oblast to remain under the control of Ukraine forces. Russia already controls about half of the Donetsk Oblast the two provinces make up the Donbas region that has been the target of Russian forces since an early, failed effort to storm through Kyiv. Vitaly Kiselyov, an official with the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, said about 600 Ukrainian fighters surrendered near Lysyschansk. Regional governor Serhiy Haidai wrote on Facebook that the Russian military is sticking to "burnt earth" tactics, such as those that devastated most of Sievierodonetsk. "There is a lot of destruction. Lysychansk is almost unrecognisable," Haidai wrote. "The TV tower fell, the multi-story buildings burned. Bridges leading to the city are under fire and damaged." Impostor posing as Kyiv mayor converses with European mayors Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko warned that an impostor posing as him called several mayors via video around Europe. The German publication Bild reported that Mayor of Vienna, Austria, was not aware he was talking to a fake Klitschko during the entire call. The mayors of Madrid and Berlin figured it out after lengthy conversations, Bild said. Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey asked the State Criminal Police Office to investigate. "It's a tool of modern warfare," she said. Ukraine seeks to free US vets held by Russia; experts warn it will be difficult A top Ukrainian official says his country is working toward a prisoner swap to free two U.S. military veterans captured by Russian forces while serving as war volunteers in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would fight for their release, but some experts say such efforts face massive hurdles. They point to the Russian desire to discourage war volunteers by punishing the men and U.S-Russian diplomatic relations being at an all-time low. If (the Russians') goal is to discourage people from doing this, if their goal is to punish people who do this, they are not looking to release these people anytime soon, said William Pomeranz, acting director of the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute, which focuses on Russian and Ukraine research. Read more here. Chris Kenning and Kim Hjelmgaard Blinken: Russia's Kyiv attack was meant to 'terrorize' Ukrainians Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday during an appearance on CNNs State of the Union that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "already failed" in his attempt to overturn Ukraine. "His strategic objective was to end Ukraine's sovereignty and independence, to erase it from the map, to subsume it in Russia. That has failed," he said, adding that a sovereign independent Ukraine is going to be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene." The Associated Press reported Russia was advancing in eastern Ukraine and also launched attacks overnight that hit two residential buildings and a kindergarten in Kyiv. Russia's invasion began in February with a mechanized march on Kyiv that failed, forcing Russia to turn its attention to the east. Blinken said the missile attacks on Kyiv were designed to terrorize Ukrainians. "Ever since Putin lost the battle for Kyiv, he had to shift his focus," Blinken said, adding that Russian forces have "launched missiles at a distance to terrorize people." Merdie Nzanga Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine recap: G-7 vows support; Russia 'burnt Earth' tactics Among the first African American Marines was an aspiring entrepreneur with metro Detroit roots who would go on to become the first Black supplier of aftermarket parts to Chrysler. That multitalented gentleman was the late Earl Hood Sr. Today, Mr. Hoods name still is associated with automobiles, thanks to his son, Earl Butch Hood Jr., who operates Hoods Car Care Clinic in northwest Detroit. He was all about equality, and because of everything he experienced, he came to realize that unless you own it and run it, youre not going to be successful, the 66-year-old said of his father, who, before enlisting in the Marines, moved with his family in 1926 to a Ferndale neighborhood where they were welcomed with a burning cross on their front lawn about a month later. His attitude was: 'You dont want a piece of the pie, you want to make the pie.' And, as a result, he said, 'None of my kids will work for anybody,' so the plan was for each of us to own our own businesses. Earl "Butch" Hood Jr., with his wife, Karon Hood, as she manages the office and he works on a Toyota Camry at their shop, Hood's Car Care Clinic in Detroit Friday, June 24, 2022. Just as his father, who died at the age of 90 on Jan. 24, 2013, and the other historic Montford Point Marines overcame racial discrimination in the military to proudly serve their country during World War II, Hood Jr., draws upon lessons learned from his father, as he dishes out his own brand of service from a Wyoming Avenue location 18462 Wyoming to be exact (between Curtis and 7 Mile) that he has been attached to for 51 years. At 90 years old, the late Earl Fisher Hood Sr. (Oct. 15, 1922 - Jan. 24, 2013) posed for a portrait with other former Montford Point Marines. They were the first Black Marines to go through a segregated boot camp at Montford Point between 1942-1949 before many were sent to serve and fight in the South Pacific. In 2012, the Congressional Gold Medal was presented collectively to the Montford Point Marines "in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to their country during World War II." One of my fathers philosophies was that whenever you were having problems lets say youre hurting or feeling bad do something for somebody, said Hood, who also described annual family trips to Clarendon, Arkansas, when he was growing up, to bring relatives up to Detroit for a better life. That was my fathers thing. And that was how it was with my family: If you werent helping someone, something was wrong. And when I got into this business, with customers, it was an easy transition for me because you can always tell when things are tight with people, and then you help them out. "Its not just a business for me, its a ministry. And taking care of people is what were supposed to do. But before Hood, a master mechanic, could ever take care of people, the business had to be built. He explained that process Thursday from a small office space at Hoods Car Care Clinic. Minutes after completing what he described as a long and hard day of working on cars, Hood was pointing to shelves he helped put in as a youngster, when the business was called C&H Auto Parts and was a supplier first to Chrysler and then General Motors. As Hood wiped sweat from his forehead with his wife, Karon, nearby, it became easier to envision him as a young man simultaneously attending Henry Ford High School (Class of 1974) by day, taking night trade classes and working at C&H Auto Parts. More from Scott Talley: For 'amazed' Detroit dad, a 45-truck fleet began with one Happy Meal 1 of Detroit's oldest high schools is starting new tradition with robotics Terry Lucas, of Warren, left works with Earl "Butch" Hood Jr. at Hood's Car Care Clinic in Detroit Friday, June 24, 2022 as they work on a van to replace an alternator. The auto parts business became Hoods Car Care Clinic in 1980, when demand for his flourishing mechanical skills reached a point where a full transformation to an automotive repair center was required. In the midst of loving every minute of it as a young mechanic working 16-hour days or even longer if a customer sweetened the deal by offering a bonus for a faster turnaround on an extensive job Hood says he injured his back and still deals with back issues today. If Hood walked around his shop and the surrounding Wyoming neighborhood preaching pick yourself up by your bootstraps sermons given the road he traveled to build his business, it would be understandable. However, for his customers today, who he says are increasingly trying to hold on to their vehicles longer while dealing with high gas prices and other economic challenges, Hood delivers a message that reveals his compassion and connection to the community he serves. Today, a guy came in and he truly needed about $1,100 worth of work and I said, 'Look, lets put you on a schedule and lets do a little bit at a time. That way, I can keep you driving and keep money in your pocket, Hood, who reports having a database with 2,500 customers, said. If you come in here as a customer, you were told about us, because I dont advertise my advertisement is my work. What Im known for is standing behind my work and helping you manage your money to make the right decision about getting your car repaired. Its about protecting your customer, because this is a family member, and my customers trust me like family. Im going on my fourth and fifth generation with some customers. Ive watched babies have babies, and now their kids come here to get their cars fixed. Thats pretty cool. While Hood joked about an experience years ago when he learned from a customer that he received a five-star review on Google and not initially knowing what that meant there is no denying the pride that comes through Hoods voice when he talks about his approach to business. When he describes what he does, he never names other businesses that operate differently; the words "competitor" or "competition" never come out of his mouth. Instead, as 6 p.m. approached, he turned the focus back to the man who provided him with a model for success; the same gentleman who was married to Hoods mother, Gloria, for 61 years. Earl "Butch" Hood Jr. sticks his head through the office window as his wife Karon Hood works on a client's order at their shop Hood's Car Care Clinic in Detroit Friday, June 24, 2022. My father was a living example to all of his children (Nanette, Nancy, Arlene, Rachelle, Earl and Carl), said Hood, who demonstrated the closeness of his bond with his father by sharing photos saved on his phone of his father, including a portrait of when his father graduated from the old Lincoln High School in Ferndale, where he was the captain of the cross-country team. He said 'When a Hood comes in, you should know a Hood has been there,' so thats the standard that Pops set for us to make a difference in everything we do. Speaking of differences: About a decade ago, Hood Jr. almost chose a different path. I was trying to leave here maybe 12, 15 years ago to go full time into the ministry, and a couple of my customers said were not praying for the same thing, said Hood, who is an associate pastor at Middlebelt Baptist Church where he also leads the Inkster chapter of the B.O.M.B. (Bring Our Men Back) Squad, a "movement of men on a quest for authentic manhood, which meets Saturday mornings during designated times of the year. The customers said 'Were praying that you stay here and youre praying to leave.' "Then one lady came up to me and said: Mr. Hood, THIS is your ministry, this is your calling.' And then she asked: 'How come you cant do church here? And I came to realize that everything that is taught in church can be utilized here. I still have some customers that come up to me and say 'I dont know what Im going to do when you retire.' And I say I dont know what Im going to do either, because I need a mechanic too. Hear more from the Montford Point Marines in their own words Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and lifelong lover of Detroit culture in all of its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the citys neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at: stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hood's Car Care Clinic owner Earl Hood Jr. treats customers as family WASHINGTON The gun safety legislation signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday showed the sharp divisions that remain among Texans in the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde last month More: Sen. Cornyn, seeking to find compromise on gun violence legislation, draws GOP ire at home The bill was crafted by Texas' Republican Sen. John Cornyn in partnership with Democratic senators, and momentum to do something" as Cornyn and Biden have both said they heard from the public propelled Senate GOP leaders to act despite resistance from many in the party to new limitations on gun ownership. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was one of the authors of the bipartisan gun violence bill that President Joe Biden signed on Saturday. Only one U.S. Texas GOP member in the House voted in favor of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. That was Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, who represents Uvalde, where a mass shooting left 19 students and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary School. As a congressman its my duty to pass laws that never infringe on the Constitution while protecting the lives of the innocent, Gonzales said in a tweet announcing his support for the bill. More: 74 minutes, 8 seconds: Inside the police response to the Uvalde shooting Gun control bill passed a month after massacre in Uvalde, Texas In an interview Saturday with the American-Statesman, Gonzales said: To me it was very simple, would this legislation have prevented the Uvalde shootings?' The answer is yes.' Gonzales grew up near Uvalde and said he has felt the impact of the killings on the families and community. I have six children, he said. It is very personal to me. The Texas Republican was among 14 House GOP members who joined all Democrats in voting for the bill 234-193. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, voted in favor of the bill, while Republican Reps. Michael McCaul of Austin, Roger Williams of Austin, John Carter of Round Rock, Chip Roy of Hays County and Pete Sessions of Waco voted against it. In the Senate, Texas Republican Ted Cruz voted against the bill. Story continues Doggett said he was an unenthusiastic supporter of the bill, referencing the Uvalde shootings and an August 2019 attack in which a gunman killed 23 people at a Walmart store in El Paso I am reluctantly voting for this weak legislation, which offers little benefit to Texans endangered by gun violence. It wont stop another Uvalde or El Paso because implementing its major provisions are dependent upon Gov. Abbott and the Republican Legislature, who dont want it to work, Doggett said. Still, this first very limited victory over the gun lobby in decades does represent a modest step forward for gun safety advocates that may save some lives for those residing in areas with responsible state governments. Matthew McConaughey: America, the Land of And What does the Safer Communities Act include? The new law focuses on funding mental health programs and supporting "red flag" laws in states that enable law enforcement to seize weapons from a person who is thought to represent a danger to themselves and others. It also expands background checks for prospective gun buyers who are 18 to 21 years old. "So often around here, people do things and say things not with the intention of actually passing legislation, but with the intention of making a political statement or messaging, Cornyn said Saturday. That's not what we did here. This bill includes important targeted reforms, complete with robust due process protections that I believe will keep our children and our communities safe while respecting Second Amendment rights, he said. Law-abiding gun owners are not the problem. Roy said he voted against the bill because it was "negotiated with Democrats who have stated openly they wish to ban weapons," and he said it "encourages red flag provisions that are dubiously constitutional." Carter, a former judge, said that while he was in favor of parts of the bill, he opposed the new limitations on gun ownership The Constitution is clear that the Second Amendment shall not be infringed, and unfortunately, the Senates gun control legislation has several concerning provisions that will encroach upon law-abiding Americans constitutional rights," he said. "While I support the mental health and school safety provisions in this legislation, I cannot support these gun restrictions that unduly take away the rights of responsible gun owners, because of the actions of criminals. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Gun control bill signed by Biden reveals divide among Texas lawmakers A judge on Wednesday ordered Academy Award-winning film director Paul Haggis to remain under detention at his hotel in southern Italy while Italian prosecutors continue to investigate a womans allegations that he had sex with her over two days without her consent, Italian news reports said. After conducting a hearing that lasted several hours in the Brindisi courthouse, Judge Vilma Gilli issued the ruling that extends his detention at the farmhouse residence in the countryside of Ostuni, a tourist town where he was supposed to participate in an arts festival this week, Corriere della Sera daily reported. Calls Wednesday evening to Gillis office went unanswered. The Ansa and LaPresse news agencies said Gilli had concluded that while the 69-year-old Haggis, who lives in the United States, isn't a flight risk, there was the danger evidence could be compromised or that the alleged crime could be repeated. Haggis lawyer, Michele Laforgia, said after the hearing that his client, before the judge, had reiterated his total innocence and is in hopeful expectation that he will be ultimately vindicated. Paul Haggis answered all questions and explained what happened, Laforgia told reporters outside the courthouse. He declared himself, as he had already done right after the detention, completely innocent, in the sense that the relations he had with this woman were totally consensual." While the woman's allegations are investigated, the 69-year-old Canadian-born director, producer and screenwriter was initially ordered on Sunday to stay detained in his guest residence in a farmhouse in Ostuni, a popular tourist town in Puglia, the region forming the heel of the Italian peninsula. Prosecutors have said he is under investigation for alleged aggravated sexual violence and aggravated personal injuries. Prosecutors have described the woman as young and foreign. State TV and other Italian media said she is a 30-year-old Englishwoman who had known Haggis before he came to Ostuni. Story continues Asked by a reporter what kind of relationship Haggis and the woman had, Laforgia replied that it had been a relationship of acquaintance. The lawyer said the defense disputes a hospital report indicating that the woman had suffered physical injuries. There is no sign of injury nor sign of violence, Laforgia asserted, adding, I believe that they (the investigators) badly interpreted the findings of the emergency room of a Brindisi hospital, where the woman was taken after she told authorities that she had been sexually abused. Haggis co-wrote, directed and produced Crash, which won the 2006 Academy Awards for best picture and best screenplay. He also wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby," another Oscar winner. He has had legal problems in recent years stemming from sexual misconduct accusations by four women in the United States. The lawyer also said that Haggis had told the judge that if his detention were revoked he intended to stay in Italy in any case so he could fully clear his name. Haggis has every interest to be present for courtroom proceedings and to stay in Italy until his total innocence is definitively ascertained, because, naturally, his life here and in the United States where he resides depends on that, Laforgia said. Because Haggis doesnt speak Italian, he submitted written statements in English to the court throughout the hearing. Translations back-and-forth lengthened the duration of the hearing, Laforgia said. Glastonbury fans have criticised the BBC for leaving a protest song by Olivia Rodrigo and Lilly Allen about the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US out of its highlights coverage. On Friday (24 June), the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy while also overturning key precedents established by the 1973 decision in Roe v Wade. During her Glastonbury set on Saturday evening (25 June), Rodrigo joined stars including Phoebe Bridgers and Billie Eilish to speak out against the ruling. Through her performance on the Other Stage, the drivers license singer brought out special guest Lily Allen for a rendition of Allens 2009 hit F*** You. Introducing the song, Rodrigo said: Im devestated and terrified [by the recent ruling] and so many women and girls are going to die because of this and I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who showed us at the end of the day they truly dont give a s*** about freedom. Standing next to Rodrigo, Allen was seen giving the middle finger. We hate you guys! said Rodrigo, before the pair launched into the expletive-filled track. Twitter users early Sunday morning (26 June) pointed out the BBCs decision not to include the song in its coverage of the highlights of the festival, with some expressing newfound respect for Rodrigo and Allen, while others questioned the BBCs decision to edit out the era-defining moment. Olivia Rodrigo swearing on BBC One... shes for the people, one fan wrote, with another adding, The BBC trying to censor #OliviaRodrigo at glasto and failing miserably is the funniest thing to me. (Twitter) (Twitter) I kind of get why @bbcglasto couldnt really broadcast a song called F*** You on BBC One at 7.45pm, one person tweeted, But it seems it meant we missed a guest appearance by Lily Allen and a rather glorious speech by Olivia Rodrigo about Roe v Wade and SCOTUS... Amid the criticism of the BBC, some fans pointed out that the full clip of Rodrigo and Allen singing F*** You at Glastonbury had been posted to YouTube. At the time of writing, the video on BBC Musics channel had earned over 45,000 views since it was posted early Sunday morning. For all the updates from Glastonbury, follow The Independents liveblog here. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a plea for the countrys allies to send it air defense systems in response to continued Russian missile attacks. Zelensky made a speech addressed to the Ukrainian people and the world on Saturday as the Russia-Ukraine war reached four full months. He said countries issuing punishing sanctions on Russia is not enough, and air defense systems are needed more in Ukraine than anywhere else in the world. But its not us who will be overpowered, we will overpower them, Zelensky said. No Russian missiles, no strikes can break the morale of Ukrainians. And each of their missiles is an argument in our negotiations with partners. Zelensky said 45 Russian missiles had struck Ukraine in the past day with the goal of demonstrating that the Russian army will succeed in capturing the country. He said Russia was originally planning to conquer Ukraine within a few days, and the show of force with missiles will not make any strategic difference. This is such a phase of the war morally difficult, emotionally difficult, he said. When we know that the enemy will not succeed, when we understand that we will still be able to defend our state, but we do not feel the time limits of this, we do not feel how many more strikes, losses, efforts will be before we see that victory is already on our horizon. He said he plans to attend the Group of Seven (G-7) summit, a meeting of the leaders of the worlds largest economies, on Monday and a NATO summit after that. Zelenskys speech comes as Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the city of Severodonetsk, one of the last remaining strongholds in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. But Ukraine did achieve a non-military victory this week when it was accepted to be an official candidate to join the European Union. Becoming a member may take years, but the step further integrates Ukraine into the rest of Europe as Moscow attempts to draw it into the Russian sphere of influence. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Johnny Hurley, pictured on the right, used his concealed-carry pistol to shoot active shooter Ronald Troyke, on the left. Hurley v. Arvada Police Colorado police fatally shot a Good Samaritan last year who had used his pistol to take out an active shooter. Now, the Good Samaritan's mother has sued the officer responsible and the city's police chief. Prosecutors have already cleared the officer, saying the shooting was justified. The mother of a Good Samaritan who was fatally shot by police after he took down an active shooter has sued the officer responsible and the city's police chief, alleging that the officer should have known that the Good Samaritan was not the active shooter. Johnny Hurley, using his concealed-carry pistol, shot an active shooter named Ronald Troyke on June 21, 2021, after Troyke opened fire in a Colorado shopping and entertainment district and killed police officer Gordon Beesley. According to the lawsuit and Colorado authorities, Hurley then picked up the Troyke's rifle to remove the magazine. But when an Arvada police officer saw Hurley holding the rifle, the officer fatally shot Hurley from behind without warning. The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in a Colorado court this week by Hurley's mother, Kathleen Boleyn, alleged that the officer responsible, Kraig Brownlow, should have known that Hurley was not an active shooter because Hurley and Troyke were wearing different clothing and looked markedly different. When the incident began that day, Brownlow and several other officers heard gunshots and saw Troyke from the window of a police administrative office, and saw that he was a heavy-set man carrying a long gun and wearing a black shirt and a hat, according to the lawsuit. "Unlike Mr. Hurley, the three APD officers did not spring into action," the lawsuit alleged. "Rather, they cowered inside, choosing self-preservation over defense of the civilian population." The Arvada Police Department told Insider in a statement that Brownlow had since resigned from the department in good standing. A spokesperson said that after an internal review, "the APD found that Officer Brownlow's actions were consistent with APD policy and procedures" and that "the APD is not considering changes to its actual training or response protocols at this time." Story continues Colorado prosecutors previously investigated the incident and declared they would not criminally charge Brownlow over the shooting. In a letter last year announcing the decision, District Attorney Alexis King said that Brownlow's decision to shoot Hurley "was legally justified despite his heroic actions that day." Prosecutors said though Brownlow was aware that the active shooter was wearing black, he reasonably perceived that Hurley, who was dressed in red, also posed a threat and could have been a second active shooter. "At that moment, from the information available to Officer Brownlow, John Hurley was armed with a powerful rifle and handgun in a populated area amidst an active shooting," they wrote. "Based upon information known to Brownlow, the presence of a mass shooter, and the potential for a second mass shooter in a red shirt carrying a rifle and a handgun turned toward a hub of community activity, warranted deadly force and no less degree of force would eliminate the potential threat." But Boleyn's lawsuit alleged that "no reasonable officer could have perceived a threat for Mr. Hurley's actions," and that his death "was not the result of a misfortunate split-second judgment call gone wrong, but the result of a deliberate and unlawful use of force." Read the original article on Insider A bill that would have made it easier for business owners to sue local governments fell to the governor's veto pen. On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis acted on 38 bills from the Florida legislative session, vetoing five. Among the five vetoed bills was SB 620, also known as the Local Business Protection Act. The bill would have allowed a business to sue local governments for passing regulations that cost the business at least 15% of its profits. The bill was opposed by a slew of municipal and county governments across the state. In his veto letter, DeSantis explained he does believe local governments overstep their authority and "unreasonably burden" businesses through policies for a number of reasons, specifically citing local ordinances used during the coronavirus pandemic. "However, the broad and ambiguous language of the bill will lead to both unintended and unforeseen consequences and costly litigation," DeSantis' veto decision reads. He goes on to advise a better strategy would be to use preemption legislation for when local government "undermines the rights of Floridians." In the Panhandle, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson sent a letter to DeSantis in April asking him to veto the bill, and a week prior to that, commissioners in Escambia County voted 4-1 to ask for the governor's veto. Milton asks for veto: Milton becomes latest city to ask Gov. DeSantis to veto Local Business Protection Act Pensacola and Escambia leaders want veto: Why Pensacola leaders want DeSantis to veto a law intended to protect businesses On Thursday night, the Milton City Council unanimously approved asking Mayor Heather Lindsay to send a letter asking for the veto, and Walton County officials moved to do the same thing earlier this year. In other parts of the state, local governments took a similar stance. Reoccurring reasoning included a disdain over the perceived erosion of local governance and the fact that legal fees would be borne by taxpayers. Story continues Staff with the state Senate's Appropriations Committee concluded in an analysis of the bill that it may have "an indeterminate negative fiscal impact on local governments." There were several caveats to the bill, including that the business must have been operating for at least three years, that the bill would not have applied to emergency ordinances such as those used during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and that it would not apply in eminent domain cases. The bill's original sponsor was Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine. The Florida Legislature approved the bill in March mainly along party lines. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Gov. DeSantis vetoes SB 620 known as Local Business Protection Act Forensic teams are investigating at the the scene The youngest victim among the at least 21 people who died at a drinking place at the weekend was 13, police minister Bheki Cele has said. The cause of the deaths was not immediately clear and the authorities are investigating. The victims were found strewn across floors and tables at the Enyobeni Tavern in the town of East London. The bodies were taken to mortuaries, where post-mortem examinations will be carried out. Mr Cele, who had visited the scene and was briefed by the local police, said those who had died were between the ages of 13 and 17 - but a detailed list of the victims has not yet been produced. The legal minimum drinking age in South Africa is 18. There are reports that people who had gone to the tavern were celebrating the end of school exams. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his "deepest condolences" to families of the victims. "This tragedy is made even more grave by its occurrence during Youth Month - a time during which we... advocate and advance opportunities for improved socio-economic conditions for the youth of our nation," he said in a tweet. Oscar Mabuyane, premier of East Cape Province where the tragedy happened, did not give possible reasons for the deaths, but condemned the "unlimited consumption of liquor". Speaking at the scene, he said: "You can't just trade in the middle of society like this and think that young people are not going to experiment." The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday. A provincial safety official told AFP news agency that a stampede had been ruled out as the cause of death as there were "no visible wounds". "Forensic [investigators] will take samples and test to see if there was any poisoning of any sort," Unathi Binqose said. Map Banner saying 'Get in touch' Were you in the area? Did you witness the incident? If it is safe to do so email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. Elon Musk and Lori Garver Getty Former NASA official Lori Garver said in a new memoir that she faced criticism for supporting SpaceX. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told her to "get your boy Elon in line," in one exchange, she said. Garver's book follows the commercialization of space and her history with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said government and NASA officials ridiculed her for supporting SpaceX. "Senior industry and government officials took pleasure in deriding the company and Elon in the early years," Garver said in her new book, "Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age," published June 21. The memoir follows the commercialization of the US space industry during Garver's time as NASA's Deputy Administrator during Obama Administration, highlighting the agency's early interactions with SpaceX and Garver's efforts to make space launches more affordable despite pressure from NASA to keep production in-house. In recent years, NASA has appeared to embrace the commercial space industry as billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos vie for multi-billion dollar contracts with the agency, but Garver says it was not always this way. Getty Images/Insider The book takes aim at current NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who Garver accuses of attempting to rewrite history and "wrap himself in the Commercial Crew flag" after years of fighting against it. She said that if it were up to Nelson, NASA would still be entirely dependent on Russia's Soyuz rocket to send astronauts to the International Space Station. She recalled an incident where Nelson, then a Florida senator, took her to task for allowing private companies a chance to propose alternatives to NASA programs. "In one particularly uncomfortable one-on-one meeting in his Senate hideaway, the intensity of his ire felt personally threatening," Garver wrote. "In response to public comments Elon Musk had made about SpaceX's ability to improve on NASA existing programs, Bill Nelson shouted at me to 'get your boy Elon in line.'" Story continues A spokesperson for NASA and Nelson did not respond to a request for comment from Insider. A 'Target' In her book, Garver describes an environment where senators and NASA workers were motivated more by self-interest than the greater good of the program. "NASA's leaders were typically astronauts and engineers who didn't question the public value or relevance of their activities, indeed, many considered flying themselves and their friends in space to be an entitlement," Garver said. "They had little interest in transitioning what they enjoyed and got paid to do over to the private sector and they assumed that was their decision." In this photo provided by NASA, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver talks during a press conference with Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft in the background at the University of Colorado at Boulder on February 5, 2011 in Boulder, Colorado. Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images The space community's early opposition to SpaceX is well documented. In 2010, Neil Armstrong was one of several astronauts to diss the commercial space industry. "I was very sad to see that," Musk told "60 Minutes" in 2012. "Those guys are heroes of mine, so it's really tough." Garver said her support of commercial space initiatives as well as her gender made her a "target." She described an environment that was often hostile, despite her role as second in command. "Many who disagreed with my views attacked me with vulgar, gendered language, depredation, and physical threats," Garver wrote. "I've been called an ugly whore, a motherfucking bitch, and a cunt; told I need to get laid, and asked if I'm on my period or going through menopause." The 'space barons' In her book, Garver is quick to praise Musk, Bezos, and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson. She affectionately dubs them the "space barons." "Whether we personally like the billionaire space titans as individuals is beside the point," she wrote. "By all accounts, they are following established laws, and instead of investing in space companies, they could be spending all of their money on creature comforts that do little for our national economy." Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, stands beside a rocket in Los Angeles in 2004. Paul Harris/Getty Images Garver said she quickly developed close personal relationships with all three. Her discussions with Bezos were "like talking to a friend I've known for years," Garver wrote. She says Branson is the "most naturally charismatic" of the group and credits him with making space tourism glamorous. But, Garver's highest praise is saved for Musk and Spacex -- which she says is leaps and bounds ahead of other space ventures. "My story is difficult to separate from Elon's because I wouldn't have managed to pull off much of a transformation at NASA without him and SpaceX. We've bled for the same cause and amassed the same enemies," she wrote. "We each needed the other to succeed." Read the original article on Business Insider Far-right conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl interrupted a peaceful pro-choice protest outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC on Friday night. Hours after the court announced that it was overturning the landmark abortion rights legislation Roe v Wade, Wohl and fellow right-wing agitator Jack Burkman arrived at the protest with megaphones. While Burkman played police siren noises, Wohl repeatedly told women, The protest is over, its time to go home. He then said that most of you here wont have to worry about getting abortions anyway, adding that he thought the women gathered were ugly and morbidly obese. Pro-choice protesters chanted, Goodbye repeatedly in an effort to make the pair leave. One activist poured a bottle of water over Wohls head. Wohl circled the protest a number of times. He was escorted away from the scene by police and by anti-violence activists, only to return again. He told The Independent that women belong in the kitchen and that he had come to the protest to educate people. He added that he was a part of an organization called Project 1599. Project 1599 was dismissed as a sham organization by the New York Attorney General in 2021, when Wohl and Burkman were accused of orchestrating robocalls to threaten and harass Black communities through disinformation. Taking legal action against the pair, Attorney General Letitia James said, Wohl and Burkman used misinformation to try to disenfranchise Black communities ahead of the election, in a clear attempt to sway the election in the favor of their preferred presidential candidate. Wohl faces a $5 million fine from the FCC for these actions. Wohl allegedly tried to convince a college student to participate in a smear campaign against Democratic presidential candidate and current administration member Pete Buttigieg in 2019. He has repeatedly courted controversy and faced ridicule, including in November 2021 when he suggested that all Jewish Americans should put up Christmas decorations because its called assimilation. America is a Christian country. Wohls appearance at protests in Washington DC was unexpected but not surprising. When Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, he interrupted mourners outside the Supreme Court with a personal celebration. His ongoing bans from all mainstream social media mean that few know when he is going to turn up to an event. He told The Independent that he believes equal marriage should also be overturned, but not interracial marriage as people cant help what race theyre born. When asked if he would support abortion in cases of rape, he said that women in that situation should speak to their priest or rabbi. Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted former longtime associate of child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, has been placed on suicide watch ahead of her sentencing this week, but she is not suicidal, her lawyer said in court papers filed Saturday. The 60-year-old former British socialite was abruptly placed on suicide watch Friday at a New York City detention center without a psychological evaluation and without justification, her lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, wrote to a federal court in New York on Saturday. She is not suicidal, he said, while stating that he personally met with her at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn earlier that morning. Ghislaine Maxwell, seen outside her New York City townhouse in 2015, was placed on suicide watch Friday despite not being suicidal, her attorney said. (Photo: New York Daily News via Getty Images) Ghislaine Maxwell, seen outside her New York City townhouse in 2015, was placed on suicide watch Friday despite not being suicidal, her attorney said. (Photo: New York Daily News via Getty Images) Maxwell was moved from general population to solitary confinement, preventing her from being able to prepare for Tuesdays sentencing hearing since she is not allowed to possess or view legal documents or possess paper or pen, Sternheim said. She was provided a suicide smock and is given a few sheets of toilet paper on request. This morning, a psychologist evaluated Ms. Maxwell and determined she is not suicidal, he added. Should her conditions not change, and should she become sleep deprived and not have sufficient time to meet with her defense team, Sternheim said he would request that her hearing be postponed. A representative with the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday on Sternheims suicide watch claim. Maxwell is seen in a courtroom sketch at the start of her trial in 2021. (Photo: via Associated Press) Maxwell is seen in a courtroom sketch at the start of her trial in 2021. (Photo: via Associated Press) Maxwell was convicted late last year of five counts related to Epstein, who authorities say hanged himself in 2019 while awaiting trial at a federal jail in New York on related sex trafficking charges. Each charge Maxwell faces carries a maximum prison term from five to 40 years in prison. Story continues Earlier this month, her attorneys wrote to the sentencing judge in a bid for leniency. They depicted her as being a scapegoat for Epsteins crimes following his death and described her as suffering a difficult childhood at the hands of a cruel and overbearing father and an absent mother. They included letters from family and friends that vouched for her character. Ms. Maxwell has already experienced hard time during detention under conditions far more onerous and punitive than any experienced by a typical pretrial detainee, and she is preparing to spend significantly more time behind bars, her attorneys said. Her life has been ruined. Since Epsteins death, her life has been threatened and death threats continue while she is incarcerated. It would be a travesty of justice for her to face a sentence that would have been appropriate for Epstein, her attorneys said. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... By Joori Roh and Daniel Leussink SEOUL/YOKOHAMA (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet leaders of the United States and Japan on Wednesday during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid, an official at the presidential office said on Sunday. The trilateral meeting, which would be the first such gathering since September 2017, is scheduled to for 2:30 p.m., though changes can be made, the official said. President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are not likely to hold a separate meeting, the official added. Separately, a Japanese government official also told Reuters that the three leaders will hold a meeting on June 29. Earlier this week, South Korea said it planned to set up a delegation to NATO in Brussels as Seoul pushes to strengthen its partnership with the organisation and play a bigger role on the global stage. Yoon, who was sworn in on May 10, will be the first South Korean president to attend a NATO summit, as the country, along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, has been invited as the organisation's Asia-Pacific partners. While the June 29-30 meeting in Madrid is expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis, Yoon plans to drum up international cooperation against North Korea's nuclear programme, the presidential office said. (Reporting by Joori Roh in Seoul and Daniel Leussink in Yokohama; Editing by Christopher Cushing) Twitter A fiesta brava ended in disaster in Colombia on Sunday after a rudimentary stadium partially collapsed in the middle of a bullfight, sending hundreds of people tumbling to the ground. At least four deaths were announced by authorities, with subsequent reports of the number of injured varying wildly, ranging between dozens and hundreds. The three-tiered stadiums sudden collapse was captured both live on local television and by attendees, who rushed to circulate clips on social media. Footage appears to show people, including several matadors, screaming and scrambling to safety as the rickety stands keel over, throwing some spectators violently to the ground, and crushing others beneath wooden slats. #COLOMBIA #URGENTE | Colapso una parte de los palcos de la plaza de toros de El Espinal, en #Tolima. Hay decenas de heridos. #RochexRB27 Cortesia pic.twitter.com/l23EAZsiQV Noticias 507 y El Mundo (@agrimensuraferg) June 26, 2022 Local authorities in El Espinal, a city southwest of Colombias capital city Bogota, have not released an exact figure for those wounded or killed. As many as 500 were immediately feared hurt, according to the countrys largest newspaper, but the figure was later revised down by some outlets to as low as 30. By Sunday night, the newspaper, El Tiempo, reported that 262 people had been affected by the collapse. Ricardo Orozco, Tolimas governor, told local radio in the immediate aftermath of the incident that at least one child had been counted among those dead, according to Colombian outlet Red+ Noticias. Story continues The mayor of El Espinal, Juan Carlos Tamayo Salas, said authorities had responded to the scene, transporting injured spectators to local hospitals. A local councillor told El Tiempo that first responders and medical facilities had been overwhelmed by the accident. We need support from ambulances and neighboring hospitals, many people are still unattended, the newspaper quoted him as saying. Tragedia en el Espinal Tolima pic.twitter.com/UoQBncCm1F Elizabeth Cristina Ortiz Pena (@ElizbethCristi7) June 26, 2022 At least one bull also escaped the stadium in the ensuing chaos, sending local residents diving for cover as it charged down city streets. It was not immediately clear whether officials were able to recapture the animal. The bullfight had apparently been arranged as a traditional corraleja event, part of the festivities of a busy holiday season, with Colombians observing the feast days of St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, and St. Paul, having just celebrated Sacred Heart. Tolimas director of civil defense told local media that several people had been wounded, with at least one man left in critical condition, by the stadiums bulls after jumping into the corral. It was unclear whether those injuries had occurred before or after the collapse, as spectators are traditionally encouraged to engage the bulls directly during a corraleja. The president-elect of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, tweeted out a response to the accident, saying he wished those affected a swift recovery. Referencing an infamous and similar incident in Sincelejo in 1980, which left more than 220 dead and 500 wounded, Petro implored local government officials not to authorize further bull festivals. Espero que todas las personas afectadas por el derrumbe de la plaza de El Espinal puedan salir airosas de sus heridas. Esto ya habia sucedido antes en Sincelejo. Le solicito a las alcaldias no autorizar mas espectaculos con la muerte de personas o animales. pic.twitter.com/dMAq6uqlKX Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 26, 2022 Stadium collapses in rural parts of Colombia are rare but not unheard of. In 2008, at least 80 people were injured after an overcrowded stadium collapsed during a bullfight in Planadas. An injured spectator told local media that organizers had deliberately packed the venue past capacity, according to a Mirror report at the time. Local authorities have launched an investigation into Sundays incident. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Mary Miller U.S. Rep. Mary Miller faced backlash after a comment at a Saturday night rally with former President Donald Trump in west central Illinois when she credited him for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, calling it a victory for white life. Miller's opponent in the hotly contested 15th Congressional District Republican primary, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, seized on it, noting Miller's comments "are just another part in a disturbing pattern of behavior she's displayed since coming to Congress." More news: Trump stumps for Miller in Quincy area before Tuesday's primary Trump, who endorsed Miller when she launched her campaign on New Year's Day, also endorsed state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, for governor, calling them both "warriors." Miller spokesman Isaiah Wartman told NBC News that Miller "meant to say 'right to life.'" Miller appeared to be reading from prepared remarks at the rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon. Wartman did not immediately respond to a text message from The State Journal-Register seeking clarification. In a later tweet, Miller said she would "always defend the RIGHT TO LIFE!" Trump appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices during his presidency. The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Mississippi was handed down Friday. It wasn't the first time Miller, R-Oakland, has been ensnared in a verbal controversy. At a Jan. 5, 2021 rally for Trump, Miller said children were being "propagandized" and that Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future." Miller was paraphrasing a remark Hitler gave at a 1935 rally. She later apologized. In a tweet Sunday, Miller said Davis was smearing her and her family "because he is a failing career politician trying to hide the fact that he voted to fund Planned Parenthood & he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016." Miller sought an apology from Davis and the Associated Press for "dehumanizing" her grandchildren. Miller has two grandsons who have Downs Syndrome. Story continues Who talks this way about babies? For the last 16 hours, Rodney Davis & the Fake News Media have been attacking me & dehumanizing my grandchildren. This is disgusting language. Look at the way they speak about my grand-babies. I demand an apology from Rodney Davis & the @AP pic.twitter.com/EgXhrSJdGd Mary Miller (@Miller_Congress) June 26, 2022 Both Davis and Miller are incumbents vying for a seat in the newly drawn district, which includes parts of 35 counties, including part of Sangamon County, but skirts Springfield. Miller currently represents the 15th District while Davis has represented the 13th District since 2012. Bailey, who is easily outdistancing five other Republicans, later joined Trump on stage. He promised that Illinois would "roll out the red carpet" for Trump in 2024. Trump is widely believed to be running for president again. "Darren is just the man to take on and defeat one of the worst governors in America, JB Pritzker," Trump said. Trump, Pritzker countered in a tweet, "spread the Big Lie, incited a violent coup attempt, and tried to overthrow our democracy--all for his own personal gain." Pritzker is running for reelection. The primary is Tuesday. The Davis/Miller winner will face Democrat Paul Lange of Quincy. NEW: Mary Miller campaign tells me that at tonight's Trump rally the congresswoman misread her prepared remarks at tonight's Illinois Trump rally in Mendon and meant to say "right to life" not white life. Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) June 26, 2022 This story will be updated. Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Mary Miller thanks Trump for 'victory for white life' in Illinois By SA Commercial Prop News Johannesburg has the potential to unleash endless opportunities for efficiency, growth and employment in the city. The business and property investors are exploring ways that could give residents and visitors more options to enjoy Johannesburg outside of 9-5 hours under a new strategy. Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for finance, Julie Suddaby, hosted an engagement session on Monday (13 June), where businesses urged the city to re-imagine a 24-hour city to unlock opportunities. The executives said it was possible for Johannesburg to model other first-world cities such as New York, Buenos Aires or Tokyo which benefit significantly from a night-time economy. The residents and tourists in these cities enjoy the twenty-four-hour cafes, supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, public transport and other services. Suddaby added that Johannesburg has a population of roughly 6.2 million residents matching cities such a New York, Hong Kong and London. However, unlike these cities, it has a far higher unemployment rate which could partly be addressed by a nighttime economy. Johannesburg has an unemployment rate of 40% and the youth unemployment rate is a devastating 55%. Our poverty rate is 52% and only 71% of households have access to electricity. Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, chairperson of the National Property Practitioners Council said Johannesburg was the heartbeat of the South African economy and that it was vital that growth in the city was kickstarted. Johannesburg has to work, we have no choice. Its imperative for the government, business and stakeholders to realise the urgency to correct things. We need to start to think about the multi-usage of buildings in the inner-city. We need to start to move to a 24-hour city. There are so many former industrial areas, with abandoned factory buildings. We need to start thinking on how we can re-use them, Professor Peter Baur, associate professor at the University of Johannesburgs School of Economics, said the city should also look into intensifying the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to both fix the broken infrastructure and lift people out of poverty. The kind of EPWP that was used by the United States during the great depression managed to pull the country out of economic depression, thats the model we need to follow. We need to pay those enrolled in EPWP decent salaries, not stipends. We need to spend more on infrastructure repairs in order to grow the economy. Wisconsin's U.S. senators Tammy Baldwin (left), a Democrat, and Ron Johnson (right), a Republican. The first major gun safety measure in decades cleared Congress Friday and was headed to President Joe Biden's desk, as Democrats in Wisconsin's congressional delegation backed the bill while state Republicans were opposed. The House passed the bill, 234-to-193, with support from Democrats Gwen Moore, Ron Kind and Mark Pocan. Republicans Scott Fitzgerald, Mike Gallagher, Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil and Tom Tiffany voted against the bill. Late Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed the bill by 65-to-33, with 50 Democrats, including Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin along with 15 Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, voting for the bill. Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson voted against the measure. Baldwin said in a statement that after years of Congressional inaction on guns, "we move from doing nothing to saving lives." More: Sen. Tammy Baldwin says any gun reform agreement in Congress will not be 'particularly ambitious' Johnson called the bill "a classic example of Washington dysfunction. Negotiated by a gang with no committee process and no ability to offer amendments, billions in spending with a phantom pay for, and provisions that ignore constitutional rights." Subscribe to our On Wisconsin Politics newsletter for the week's political news explained. The bill included a measure that Johnson championed, codifying the SchoolSafety.gov program, a national clearinghouse that provides evidence-based resources to improve school safety. Johnson's initiative was named after Luke Hoyer and Alex Schachter, who were killed in the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018. The limited yet historic legislation was crafted by a small group of senators, led by Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican John Cornyn of Texas. The breakthrough came in the wake of the May 24 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The $13 billion Safer Communities Act provides new funding to bolster mental health services, improve school security and help states to set up so-called "red flag laws" to enable authorities to temporarily take away guns from individuals who are a threat to themselves or others. Story continues The bill also toughens background checks for some gun buyers. In a statement, Baldwin said the legislation "will help protect people from gun violence, help reduce mass shootings, and help keep kids safe at school." "We are taking a positive step forward to expand background checks, protect survivors of domestic violence, and help Wisconsin join 19 other states that have put in place red flag laws that allow law enforcement or family members to petition courts to temporarily remove deadly firearms from someone who is a threat to themselves or someone else." The bill provides $150 million to support the implementation of the 9-8-8 suicide and crisis lifeline that provides support for those facing distress. Baldwin introduced legislation in 2019 that led to the creation of the telephone lifeline. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tammy Baldwin backs, Ron Johnson votes against gun safety bill Less than two months ago, the United States won the return of former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed from Russia, where he was serving a nine-year sentence for disputed assault-related charges, by exchanging him for a jailed Russian drug trafficker. Now, a top Ukrainian official says his country is working toward a prisoner swap to free two U.S. military veterans captured by Russian forces while serving as war volunteers in Ukraine. But while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would fight for their release, some experts and former U.S. ambassadors say efforts to negotiate the men's return face far stiffer headwinds, citing a Russian desire to discourage war volunteers by punishing the men and U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations being at an all-time low. If (the Russians') goal is to discourage people from doing this, if their goal is to punish people who do this, they are not looking to release these people anytime soon, said William Pomeranz, acting director of the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute, which focuses on Russian and Ukraine research. ON THE MAP: Tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine If the Russians do negotiate, he said, they would demand high prices in any potential swap. That could mean a more protracted effort to obtain the release of Americans Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, who were captured by Russian forces after coming under fire in the northeastern Kharkiv region on June 9. We've been telling all of our extended family members that this is a marathon, Druekes aunt, Dianna Shaw, told USA TODAY. Shaw, 55, said the U.S. State Department told her family that every single avenue of communication is being employed to reach the Russians in an attempt to negotiate their release. State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week that officials had been in touch with authorities in Ukraine and Russia, but were not provided details about the men's whereabouts. Another spokesperson declined to comment further when reached by USA TODAY. Story continues Alexander Drueke and his mother, Bunny Drueke Will Russia agree to a prisoner swap? The Russian military has said it considers foreigners fighting with Ukraine to be mercenaries not protected as combatants under the Geneva Conventions. Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the men soldiers of fortune whose fates would be decided by a court, but he would not rule out the death penalty, he told NBC News. They should be punished," Peskov said. While two Britons and a Moroccan were recently sentenced to death by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, several experts told USA TODAY that Russia may be reluctant to further inflame tensions by allowing executions. In an interview with USA TODAY last week in Kyiv, Major-General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, confirmed Russian media reports claiming U.S. citizens were being held in a prison in the Donbas and said, We are working on it. "The way of resolving it is not easy," he said. "It's complicated, but we do see a way to resolve it. It will be more or less related to a prisoner swap. We have at our disposal people who the Russians want very much, who they need to get back very much. "It also won't happen in a week or two. It will take a few months." EXLUSIVE: Putin likely to die in two years, Ukraine's top military spy says Budanov declined to comment on how the Americans are being treated, for fear of jeopardizing ongoing efforts to secure their release. Meanwhile, on Friday, Zelenskyy told NBC he would fight for their release, calling them heroes. In an interview as part of the Aspen Ideas Festival, he said he was sure they'd return to their families, adding it was "a great honor that in the world there are some soldiers that are not afraid, and they came to support us and our sovereignty and independence," NBC reported. 'Uncharted territory' amid distrust between US and Russia While the U.S. State Department and its embassies in Kyiv and Moscow are likely working to win their release, those efforts are hamstrung by the poor state of U.S.- Russia diplomatic relations, said William Tayor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and vice president of Russia and Europe at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The U.S. has supplied billions in weapons to Ukraine and led an effort to enact financial sanctions on Russia following its invasion. The diplomatic interaction between the United States and Russia is at an incredible low. There is virtually no conversation going on, he said. In Pomeranz's view, "There is no reservoir of goodwill on the Russian side that wants to negotiate," he said. MORE: US reclassifies WNBA star Brittney Griner to be 'wrongfully detained' by Russia Melvyn Levitsky, a retired U.S. ambassador and professor of international policy at the University of Michigan, said prisoner-of-war swaps tend to be much easier to work out at the conclusion of a conflict. For now, the war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending. And Levitsky said the war volunteers presence on a battlefield means a much more complicated set of negotiations in contrast to efforts to return figures detained on the basis of the Russian legal system, such as Reed or WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was detained at a Russian airport on Feb. 17 after authorities alleged that a bag search revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. Drueke and Huynh are believed to be the first Americans captured by Russian forces since the war began on Feb. 24. This is kind of uncharted territory, Levitsky said. My guess is that we'll work out something at some point. But remember, the Russians will have these prisoners as a kind of leverage." Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Joy Black Captured Americans wanted to help repel Russian invasion Drueke, an Iraq war Army veteran, and Huynh, who served in the Marines, are both from Alabama, but didnt know each other before they decided to travel to Ukraine in April to help repel the Russian invasion, according to their families. Drueke wanted to use his military experience to train Ukrainians on weapons, his family said. Both families disputed Russian characterizations that they were mercenaries, noting they paid their own way to reach Ukraine to volunteer. The two men disappeared around June 9 after a unit they were with came under heavy fire, relatives of both families told USA TODAY, saying they were told by members of the unit the men were accompanying. Days later, Russian state television showed a video of the two men, confirming that they were taken captive. The Russian media report, citing Drueke, said the Americans became separated and surrendered to a Russian patrol. Drueke, speaking into the camera from what appeared to be an office, sent a message to his mother, concluding with a quick wink: Mom, I just want to let you know that Im alive and I hope to be back home as soon as I can be." War volunteers warned of risks: US government 'not coming for you' U.S. citizens have volunteered to fight in previous foreign conflicts, including the Spanish Civil War, the First Arab-Israeli War and Syria's civil war, said Nir Arielli, an associate professor of international history at the University of Leeds who studies transnational war volunteers. Here in Britain, the Foreign Secretary called on the Russian government not to execute two British foreign volunteers who were captured in Ukraine, he said. I expect Britain is using diplomatic channels to try to secure their release (but) the Russians are playing hardball. Jason Fritz, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University who has interviewed some of the roughly 100 U.S. citizens who went to Syria to fight against ISIS, didnt know of any who had been captured and subsequently returned to the U.S. But he said some were warned before they left that rescues were unlikely if they were captured. The U.S. government's pretty clear that they're not coming for you," he said. "There's no special forces team that is going to come liberate you. It's not illegal, but they always try to dissuade people from doing it." And while such volunteers could be serving as medics or trainers, as opposed to infantry soldiers, opposing forces aren't likely to recognize that distinction without hard evidence, Fritz said. Shaw, Druekes aunt, said despite the tough words from Russian officials, she believes it shows they know the world is watching. And that gives me more confidence that they will treat them as prisoners of war as they should. Joy Black, 21, Huynhs fiance, said she hopes they are treated according to the Geneva Convention, but so far she hasnt had any word about their conditions. For now, she and her mother, Darla, say they will keep pressing to get the men safely home to Alabama. Obviously, we would like it to happen as soon as possible," Darla Black said. "We understand that there is a process and it's not immediate. We just have to take a day at a time." Contributing: The Associated Press Kim Hjelmgaard reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Chris Kenning reported from Louisville, Kentucky. Kenning is a national news writer. Reach him at ckenning@usatoday.com and on Twitter @chris_kenning. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans captured by Russians in Ukraine: Can US win their release? Jean Chance, just four years into her journalism teaching career, opened the doors to her home to five students plotting a felony in defense of the First Amendment. It was 1971, a time when abortion and publication of abortion resources were illegal under an 1868 statute. Ron Sachs, then editor-in-chief of The Florida Alligator student newspaper, sought to upend that and he did. But more than 50 years later, the attack on abortion rights continues. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade Friday, waiving the constitutional right to abortion for women. Nearly half of the states have or are expected to enact abortion bans. At least 22, according to the Guttmacher Institute, already have laws in place that would do just that. Reversal: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion Local reaction: Alachua County leaders react to Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade Q and A: The fall of Roe v. Wade: Five questions about abortion access in Florida Four states, including Florida, are likely to follow suit, as Republican lawmakers passed a 15-week abortion ban in April. It goes into effect in July. The pendulum now is swinging back to the right, said Sachs, now 71. Alligator's history with abortion Nestled in Chances wooded home off Millhopper Road, the students debated the publication of abortion referral agencies for those in need. The list became part of an ongoing special report on abortion, that included the Catholic Student Center. The Board of Student Publications, governing agent of the Alligator, approved the article. University of Florida President Stephen OConnell, however, overrode the boards decision and forbade Sachs and others from running it. The Alligator staff unanimously voted to print the list anyway. In this 1970's file photo, Ron Sachs, left, the former editor of the Florida Alligator, talks with former managing editor Gary Grunder in the Alligator newsroom. Breaking the law can be a healthy experience, wrote columnist John Parker in the Oct. 4, 1971 edition. He pointed out that a Florida statute prohibited juggling and called jugglers a hearty breed. Story continues Chance shuffled upstairs and woke up her lawyer husband at the time, Chuck Chance. She vowed to hand Sachs a dime to make a landline call once Sachs got arrested for publishing the article if he chose. Being a rebel wasn't new to Sachs, who also disobeyed the orders of his high school principal in his senior year to cover a teacher strike. The principal suspended him for two weeks. But in this case, he faced far more dire circumstances: a year in prison or a $1,000 fine for the felony and expulsion. Luckily for Sachs, Chuck Chance agreed to represent him in the trial. In this 1971 file photo, Ron Sachs, the former editor of the Florida Alligator, talks at a press conference after he is released from jail over publishing a list of abortion counseling services, which at the time was illegal. University of Florida president Stephen C. O'Connell is seen behind Sachs at the press conference. This incident and other issues over censorship caused a rift between the school newspaper and UF which ultimately led to the split between the two. The newspaper later became the Independent Florida Alligator. Now the couple was all in. We teach the First Amendment at every journalism course in our college, Jean Chance said. Not to stand up would be so hypocritical. Around 2 a.m., just before publication, Sachs called OConnell from Chances telephone. Sachs apologized for the late call and informed him he planned to respectfully disobey his directive. I wasn't trying to surprise him or sucker punch him," Sachs said. "I just wanted to tell him the truth. We thought we owed it to our responsibility as budding journalists, as Alligator staffers, and as students to take on this law. In a pre-dawn bustle on Oct. 6, Sachs and the staff stashed the papers with 22,000 copies of the counseling list. The copies ran alongside an article written by Sachs titled Archaic abortion law gets another test, where he wrote: Florida Statute 797.02 is unconstitutional, restraining the press from printing what are well-acknowledged facts that abortions may be legally obtained. Sachs was arrested that same day. A jailer mocked him, saying I knew wed get you here someday, referring to an expose Sachs wrote on the county jail. His parents received newspaper clippings of Sachs outlined in devil horns. Gainesville Sun editorial writer at the time, Buddy Davis, berated Sachs in the paper. But Sachs said he never regretted the decision. I didn't have some yearning desire to go to prison, Sachs said. When you're in the slammer, its not a really good graduate course for somebody who wants to be a newsman. But I felt we were on solid ground. Two months later, Sachs notion held firm. Alachua Judge Benmont Tench struck down the abortion law, which had stood for 103 years. Floridas restrictions on newsrooms lifted, and the legislature rewrote the law. The law was not the most liberal in the country, but Sachs said it was more 1971. A rift with UF Though abortion rights advanced in 1971, The Alligator's future faced uncertainty. OConnell, a former Florida Supreme Court chief justice, questioned in October if he held prior restraint, meaning the power to censor materials. The attorney generals office said no. So O'Connell forced it off-campus. Soon monetary flow halted. Some viewed it as an effort to kill off the student publication. But it allowed it to become independent, self-sustaining, and completely detached from UF. The change allowed critical discussion over issues without fear of retribution from campus officials. In May, following the leaked draft of the Roe v. Wade reversal, the newspaper published a Planned Parenthood advertisement highlighting abortion clinics. Seeing that go out was very critical to the whole reason that we are independent, and we have the liberty to report on things that we otherwise maybe wouldn't have, said Julia Coin, the paper's current editor-in-chief. It allows us to act as journalists first and students second. Moving forward from the past Jean Chance, now 82, remembers seeing much change over the years in Alachua County. In her senior year, the womens dress code loosened; They could finally wear Bermuda shorts, situated two inches above the knee. Womens liberation still didn't exist, she said. She remembers students rioting for beer stronger than the 3.2% alcohol the county sold, she said. Now, she said the Supreme Court retrogresses. We are in the midst of a major shift from a more moderate or liberal ruling toan extreme ruling on the conservative side, she said. Its astounding, historically speaking, for this to happen. I think there is an undercurrent of racism; There is an undercurrent of elitism. It does not speak well for the moral compass. Chance said she is most concerned for her daughter, her granddaughter and her daughter-in-law. I feel bad for my family because they are the ones that are going to have to make the (changes), she said. This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF Alligator student paper on abortion issue front lines 50 years ago Cases of monkeypox are increasing across the U.S., and as health officials maintain the threat to the general population is low, efforts to vaccinate those at risk have begun. The disease, which is caused by a virus and was first identified in humans in 1970, according to the World Health Organization, has usually been seen in parts of Central and West Africa. Scientists think it has jumped occasionally from animals, probably rodents, to people. Since May 2022, there have been more than 5,780 confirmed cases of monkeypox reported and one death in 52 countries across Europe and South America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the U.S., there have been at least 460 cases of monkeypox reported in 30 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as of Friday, the CDC says. States reporting their first cases recently include Michigan, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Kentucky. Minnesota and Nebraska. Gun reform bill: One month after Uvalde massacre, Biden signs most significant measure in nearly 30 years Earlier this week, the Biden administration began shipping monkeypox tests to commercial laboratories including Aegis Science, Labcorp, and Quest Diagnostics to expand testing capabilities. The disease, which is rare, typically starts with flu-like symptoms including fever before muscle aches, chills and fatigue. It can progress to include a rash, often on the face and genitals. A handout picture made available by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on June 22, 2022, shows a collage of monkeypox rash lesions at an undisclosed date and location. Monkeypox can spread through person-to-person contact with the rash, scabs or body fluids and touching items such as clothing or bedding an infected person has used. Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease is fatal for up to 1 in 10 people, the WHO says. Who needs a monkeypox vaccine? Those at highest risk for monkeypox in this outbreak are gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, health officials say. In the U.K., where Britain has the largest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, vaccines are now being considered for those at the highest risk: men who have sex with men and who have multiple partners, participate in group sex or attend venues where sex occurs on the premises. A survey of those infected in the U.K., found 96% were men who were gay, bisexual or had sex with other men. Story continues The CDC also recommends vaccinations for lab and medical personnel and any other people who might be exposed to monkeypox. What is the Jynneos vaccine? The Jynneos vaccine, approved in 2019 by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox in people ages 18 and older, requires two doses, four weeks apart. The CDC is also investigating a measure to allow the vaccine to be used in children. The Jynneos vaccine is considered safer than alternatives because it is made from a virus that is related to smallpox and monkeypox, but is less harmful. Research that led to its approval found Jynneos created an immune response similar to that of the smallpox vaccine. Research data suggests the vaccine is at least 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. However, it remains unknown how well the vaccine protects humans from getting monkeypox. Studies done in the Democratic Republic of the Congo found none of the 1,600 health care workers vaccinated developed monkeypox over two years, the journal Science reported. However, the research did not include a control group and one person did get monkeypox after the study period. The Department of Health and Human Services, within its Strategic National Stockpile, has more than 36,000 courses of Jynneos and expects to get about another 500,000 total delivered this year, according to the CDC. The truth is, we dont know the efficacy of any of these monkeypox vaccines, Ira Longini, a biostatistician at the University of Florida who is advising WHO, told Science. What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day Does the smallpox vaccine protect against monkeypox? The U.S. has 100 million doses of the smallpox vaccine ACAM2000, the CDC says. Research from Africa suggests the vaccine is at least 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, the agency says. However, the vaccine, which is delivered by multiple punctures of a bifurcated or forked needle rather than a shot, can have some side effects, according to the FDA, including the inflammation and swelling of the heart and surrounding tissue, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and the spread of the virus to the rest of the body or to others they come into contact with. The vaccine is not made from the smallpox virus, but from a poxvirus similar to smallpox. New York City is offering monkeypox vaccines, are other states? New York City's health department and hospitals have been administering vaccines to those who suspect they have come into contact with someone with monkeypox. The department last week opened a vaccine clinic eligible for all gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last two weeks. Other states and local agencies have also been working with the CDC on vaccinations, the agency says. The California Department of Public Health has requested and received vaccines from the stockpile to protect against monkeypox, the agency told USA TODAY in a statement. Across five counties in the state, 52 cases have been reported, the agency said. "Cases have primarily been among gay, bisexual, and other men and transgender people who have sex with men," the statement said. "Monkeypox is transmitted through close and intimate physical contact. Although the risk to the general public is very low, it is important to remember than anyone who has such contact with an infected person can get monkeypox. People with an unusual rash or skin lesion should contact their health care provider for an assessment." The CDC recommends contacting your health care provider if you have any symptoms of monkeypox, even if you dont think you had contact with someone who has the disease. This electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Is there a treatment for monkeypox? Those who get monkeypox typically develop painful and itchy lesions, which eventually become scabs and fall off. Those infected begin experiencing symptoms seven to 14 days after exposure and can remain infectious for several weeks. The monkeypox and smallpox vaccines, when given within four days from the date of exposure, the CDC says, can prevent onset of the disease and possible lessen symptoms if given up to two weeks after exposure. However, there's no current proven treatment for monkeypox, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But there are several antiviral medications used to treat smallpox and other conditions that may help patients with monkeypox infection. The antiviral drug Tecovirimat, developed to treat smallpox, has been approved for emergency treatment of viruses such as monkeypox. An antibody drug, Vaccinia Immune Globulin Intravenous (VIGIV), developed to treat side effects from smallpox vaccinations, and another antiviral drug Cidofovir, used to treat eye infections in AIDS patients, are also available for emergency treatment of monkeypox and similar viruses. Another antiviral medication, Brincidofovir, could potentially be used to treat the disease and research continues into additional treatments and vaccines. Contributing: Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY; The Associated Press Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monkeypox: Vaccinations for health care workers, those at risk offered Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling wait to testify before the U.S. House Select Committee's fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. From left, Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid looks on as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks with Transport Minister Merav Michaeli and others during a preliminary vote on a bill to dissolve parliament and call an early election, at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Santiago Ochoas reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the Yakima Valley Community Fund . For information on republishing, contact our newspapers city editor . You are the owner of this article. Fog rolls in at night at the vitrification plant being built at the Hanford nuclear reservation. Americans are up in arms again, this time, on the Supreme Court 6-3 verdict on the Roe Vs Wade case that takes away a woman's legal right to abortion generally borne out of a decision to terminate pregnancy on grounds of rape, incest or deformities of the embryo in the womb. President Joe Biden on Friday took strong exception to the court's ruling to rescind federal abortion rights, while appealing to people, especially women, to remain calm as several of them have gone on nationwide protests against the apex court's ruling. Biden blamed the three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump. In the US, unlike India where supreme court judges have a fixed tenure, SC judges are appointed for a life term. The President asked protesters to stay calm and keep it peaceful as violence is never acceptable as we must stand against it in any form regardless of the rationale behind it. What is the Roe vs Wade case all about? The 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court judgement penned by the judge legalized abortion in the US finding resonance throughout the country with lower courts also endorsing the women's right to legally abort a child with doctors' consent if it was borne out of rape, incest or deformities or simply poverty for an upbringing if the fetal age was 28 weeks or seven months. With advances in medical science, it was brought down to 22 weeks or six months. The petitioner then was the 22-year-old plaintiff, Norma McCorvey. And 'Wade' was the defendant, Henry Wade, the Dallas County (Texas) district attorney at the time. 'Roe' struck down laws that made abortion illegal in several states, and ruled that abortion would be allowed up to the point of fetal viability, that is, the time after which a foetus can survive outside the womb. Fetal viability was around 28 weeks (7 months) at the time of the 'Roe' judgment nearly 50 years ago. Now brought down to 23 or 24 weeks (6 months or a little less), and newer studies show this could be further pegged at 22 weeks. An average pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, doctors say. The moral Question was Mothers right to have the baby or not vs an embryo or infants right to survive, making it a very complicated issue. What is the status of abortion in the US now? As no federal law now exists to protect abortion rights of women, the overturning of Roe' leaves abortion laws entirely up to the states to interpret and give a ruling. Conservative right-wing states are likely to return to laws that prohibit abortions before the Supreme Court set the fetal viability standard in 1973. Activists and progressive politicians have said that the availability of clinics, insurance payouts, are crucial issues that form part of the struggle of many women even with the backing of 'Roe'. With this legal backing gone, access could become even harder. Trump took the SC verdict as a personal triumph for appointing the judges who gave the verdict. President Joe Biden said on Friday that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade puts American women in danger, calling it a "sad day" for the judicial body and the country. "Now with Roe gone, let's be very clear. The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk," Biden said in a Friday afternoon speech at the White House. Biden said the landmark 1973 abortion rights case had not only protected a woman's right to make personal decisions in consultation with her doctor, it reaffirmed women's equality and reinforced privacy rights. Biden, who served as a former Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, said he had studied the case carefully and believes it was decided correctly by the Supreme Court nearly 50 years ago. Roe was the supreme court judge in 1973 who upheld the woman's right to abortion as a legal one that found resounding echo in state laws that made abortion rights legal. For decades, the conservative rights including Catholics, have been fighting Roe on grounds that it was murder but met with strong opposition from women's abortion rights activists. Biden said that three justices appointed by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, were responsible for the decision that leaves it to the states to determine their own abortion laws. "Make no mistake, this decision is a culmination of a deliberate effort over decades to upset the balance of our law," Biden said. "It's a realization of an extreme ideology, and a tragic error by the Supreme Court, in my view, " the newspaper USA today quoted him as saying. The president spoke in visceral terms about the consequences of the court's ruling on abortion rights across the country. He said state laws that restrict abortion that will go into effect could jeopardize the health of millions of women and force women who want abortions, but are no longer able to receive them, to bear their rapists' children. Biden said that the onus is now on Congress to restore federal abortion rights protections. "And if Congress, as it appears, lacks the votes to do that now, voters need to make their voices heard," he said, referencing the midterm elections. He supported democrats who wanted women's abortion rights put on the agenda for a referendum from the people in the mid-term polls of 2022 necessitated by reapportionment following the 2020 census. Biden did not take any questions from White House reporters and his press secretary cancelled all briefings as protesters lined up outside the Supreme Court protesting its judgement with placards saying "Hell hath known no fury than a woman pissed". An analogy from the Shakespearean quote from King Lear: "Hell hath known no greater fury than a woman scorned." Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, with his wife Trudi Inslee at right, speaks Saturday, June 25, 2022, in Olympia about the Supreme Court decision ending the constitutional right to an abortion. He outlined his ideas for the response in Washington state, where the procedure remains legal. Camp Hope resident LeRoy Pacheco, left, and Camp Hope case manager Suzi Carpino, right, organize drinks after a store run Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at Spirit Alive Wesleyan Church in Yakima, Wash. Camp Hope is using the church as a cooling center during the heat wave. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the long-awaited Padma bridge, the country's longest and entirely built with domestic funding. The 6.15-km-long road-rail four-lane bridge is built over the Padma river connecting southwestern Bangladesh with the capital and other parts. The multipurpose road-rail bridge, which is fully funded by the Bangladesh government, has been constructed at a cost of USD 3.6 billion. The inauguration of the Padma bridge carries a lot of significance as the structure was built entirely with domestic financing, defying speculations by some financial analysts if Bangladesh could mobilise the fund depending on domestic resources. Hasina expressed deep gratitude to the people involved with the construction of the Padma bridge. "I have no complaints against anyone, but I reckon those who opposed the Padma Bridge construction plan and called it a 'pipe dream', lack self-confidence. I hope this bridge will boost their confidence," the prime minister said. Overcoming so many insurmountable odds, the successful completion of the Padma Bridge is another resounding triumph of HPM Sheikh Hasina. Once again it proves that the world cannot look down upon us anymore. #Bangladesh #padmabridge #SheikhHasina #mujib100 #global pic.twitter.com/ux1rEppkJB Nasrul Hamid (@NasrulHamid_MP) June 9, 2022 "This bridge is not just bricks, cement, iron, and concrete? This bridge is our pride, a symbol of our capacity, our strength and our dignity. This bridge belongs to the people of Bangladesh," she said. The Padma Bridge project witnessed several engineering wonders as well as technological challenges. It emerged as the wonder structure for Bangladesh and saw the use of state-of-the-art machinery and know-how. Also read: Indian Railways tweet on modernization of trains takes internet by storm, check pic The project was initially expected to be funded by a consortium led by the World Bank. In 2012, it cancelled the proposed credit saying it had "credible evidence" of high-level corruption among Bangladeshi officials. Bangladesh has all through denied these allegations and preferred not to approach the international global lender for funding. Live TV Aviation regulator DGCA has stopped operations of two flying training schools due to serious safety concerns, an official statement said on Saturday. The two schools are Chimes Aviation Academy in Madhya Pradesh and NMIMS Academy of Aviation in Maharashtra, it said. Chimes Aviation Academy (CAA) had in February last year inked an agreement with the country's largest airline IndiGo for cadet pilot programme. "In one case (Chimes), it has been stopped till such time the runway is suitable for flying operations. During inspection, it was observed that it had loose gravel and uneven surface and was unsafe for flying," said the statement by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). In the second case (NMIMS), it was observed that three aircraft of a flying school had dysfunctional fuel gauge indicators and they were still being operated, it said. "The flying operations at this school (NMIMS) has been stopped for three weeks. It will be allowed to operate only when things are in order," the regulator noted. Also read: AC on Go First Mumbai flight fails mid-air, 3 passengers faint due to suffocation The DGCA said it has stopped "flying operations" at these two schools, which are located in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, respectively, due to the aforementioned "serious safety concerns". In its statement earlier, the aviation regulator had said it has stopped "flying operations" at the two schools located in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat due to "serious safety concerns". The DGCA had on June 16 had said it has audited 30 out of the total 32 flying training organisations (FTOs) in India since March 21 and found them violating multiple safety regulations. The regulator had found in the audit that "the facilities at the airfield/training organization are not being maintained as per the requirements, runway surface was found worn out, wind sock was found torn or nonstandard." The pre-flight alcohol test regulations were not followed at multiple FTOs, the audit had found. "Few of the instructors, student pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers did not undergo BA (breathalyser) test or submit undertaking prior to commencement of duty/exercise of privileges," the audit had stated. Live TV After multiple incidents of aircrafts making emergency landing, a Guwahati-bound SpiceJet aircraft on June 25 had to abort its take off from Patna's Jay Prakash Narayan international airport due to some technical glitches. Bunty Chaudhary, a former MLA of Bihar who was one of the passengers of flight uploaded a video on social media. "The flight was on the runway and about to take-off when the pilots detected the technical glitches and immediately applied the brakes. The flight was immediately escorted to the bay area and the passengers were de-boarded," Chaudhary said in his video statement. Later, another flight was arranged for the passengers and it went to Guwahati. Bunty Chaudhary along with his supporters were on the way to Guwahati to offer prayers to Maa Kamakhya. Also read: CM Yogi Adityanath's helicopter makes emergency landing: Why incidents of bird strike have increased recently? Earlier on June 19, another SpiceJet flight bound for Delhi made an emergency landing in Patna airport. The left engine of the flight carrying 185 passengers, 4 crew members and 2 pilots was damaged after a bird-hit during take-off. The plane had reached a height of 2,000 feet. The pilot immediately called ATC for the emergency landing. As the smoke was coming from the left wing, the onlookers also informed the local police which further communicated with ATC and the pilot was informed about the fire in the left engine. Pilot Monika Khanna immediately switched off the left engine to control the plane and managed to land it safely. (With inputs from IANS) Live TV Morigaon: One person was killed, and six others were injured when a vehicle crashed into a flood relief camp erected in Morigaon district, an official said on Saturday. The accident took place near Dharamtul Vishnu temple on National Highway 37. "Our preliminary investigation suggests that the driver of the vehicle was in an inebriated state during the accident on Friday. He has already been arrested. We made arrangements for sending the injured to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital last night itself. The government will bear their medical expenses," Morigaon deputy commissioner PR Gharphalia said after visiting the accident site. 'How were vehicles allowed on road used for sheltering flood-affected?', ask residents The aggrieved residents of the camp asked the police personnel as to how vehicles were allowed to move on that particular stretch of the National Highway when it was being used for sheltering the flood-affected population. Gharphalia said there is a standing order for sealing off roads that are used for camps for the affected people. "This particular stretch may have been left open for some reason. I have now ordered for its sealing off. Traffic will move through one part of the highway only," the official added. Morigaon is among the worst flood-hit districts, with one person killed and over 94,000 people in four revenue circles, and 282 villages still reeling under water. Live TV Patna: A team of surveillance department raided the residence of Drug Inspector Jitendra Kumar in the disproportionate assets case on Saturday in Patna, capital of Bihar. The officials seized a large amount of cash from Drug Inspector`s possession that took them several hours to count. Apart from cash, the officers found documents of many properties, a huge amount of gold and silver and four luxury cars, informed Surendra Kumar Maur, DSP Monitoring Department. "A team of surveillance department raided the residence of Drug Inspector Jitendra Kumar in the disproportionate assets case. A huge amount of cash, many land papers, gold, silver and four luxury cars were recovered," said the DSP Monitoring Department officer. In the video, the officials were seen counting the bundles of notes of all denominations between Rs 100 and Rs 2,000 piled up on the table and bed. More details are awaited. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed) No two countries have been similarly placed in this predicament or come up with identical solutions. Corruption at every level, extravagance in grandiose projects, tax evasion and the siphoning off of currency in breach of anti money laundering laws are some of the common features shared by most countries, with the solitary exception of a few that have been plagued by natural disasters or a state of rebellion. by Dr. Dayanath Jayasuriya P. C. I am not an economist but have gained sufficient insight into how different countries have struggled to cope with financial crises. During missions to over four dozen countries in several parts of the world ranging from the Central Asian Republics to Pacific Islands and South America, I have either participated in developing pro-poor programmes and restructuring health ministry budgets or being privy to interventions and recommendations made by the Bretton Woods institutions and bilateral and multilateral agencies. I cannot recall even a single instance where the national authorities had not developed a plan of action for economic resurgence, including bridging financial support. However, imperfect or unrealistic some of these plans were, these laid the foundation or framework for negotiations and seeking guidance and help from IMF and other institutions. In most of these countries there was an acute scarcity of US dollars and lack of sufficient funds to cope with mounting debts with imminent repayable obligations. A declaration of bankruptcy, however worded that may be, and defaults in repayments do not enure to the benefit of the defaulting country; you just make the country more vulnerable to litigation by sovereign and institutional creditors. This situation makes it all the more important to have a credible repayment schedule, whether by cash infusion or by resorting to public-private sector strategies. No two countries have been similarly placed in this predicament or come up with identical solutions. Corruption at every level, extravagance in grandiose projects, tax evasion and the siphoning off of currency in breach of anti money laundering laws are some of the common features shared by most countries, with the solitary exception of a few that have been plagued by natural disasters or a state of rebellion. The latter group is better placed for donor assistance by way of grants for a genuine humanitarian crisis. A few countries have been able to recover, after many years, part of the loot- the laundered and embezzled funds. This is a long drawn out process but eventually the trail of funds can be traced. Repayment and rehabilitation schemes provide a mix of solutions ranging from short-term and medium-term to long-term. Progress of implementation success can be easily measured in short-term and medium term plans with specific outputs and timelines. Whilst there is no comprehensive empirical inventory of successful and unsuccessful solutions and strategies, a view that has gained currency is that there is a need to think out-of-the box and come up with innovative, unique and home-grown strategies as circumstances may demand. Countries that are in dire need of foreign currency can make it mandatory for foreign currency account holders above a particular threshold limit to surrender such currency for local currency complemented by government guaranteed bond schemes with exceptions where there are genuine medical or educational needs to be met by utilizing foreign currency. Where tax evasion, money laundering and a vibrant underground banking system are thriving, a measure to demonetize the more prominent denominations in its currency system can help widen the tax net and encourage the use of the formal banking system. Countries that traditionally attract tourists can offer benefits to those tourists who make bookings through government administered scheme and thereby remit foreign currency directly to the government coffers. Where workers remittances make a significant inflow to the system, more foreign employment schemes can be explored through bilateral diplomatic channels. The elimination of red tape and irrational taxes can considerably help promote exports. Import substitution is possible through limiting imports of luxury items and stepping up production of suitable substitutes. Bulk purchasing with long term commitments and a flexible pricing formula linked to global prices help to eliminate shortages of petrol, gas, drugs etc. Public-private partnerships have received a boost, for instance, from Chinas One Belt One Road initiative, though some countries have lost control of public sector enterprises due to defaults in payments. There is nothing called a free lunch and invariably the price is a trade-off. Countries with democratically elected systems that respect human rights, law and order within a broad framework of good governance practices command more respect at the international and regional level to attract capital market players and concessionary repayment schemes. Reliance alone on a proud history and the power and influence of a few politicians will not help to mobilize adequate resources when there are so many well managed Third World countries trying to grab a portion of the small developmental aid pie. Cosmetic constitutional changes not directed at solving pressing problems of the public cannot allay the suffering of the masses. (Dr. Dayanath Jayasuriya has been a UNDP Regional Adviser and HIV and Development for Asia and the Pacific; Chief Technical Adviser to the UN Drug Control Programme; head of a UN agency in Pakistan and a former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka). Chandigarh: Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Sanjay Popli, who has been arrested on corruption charges, on Saturday alleged that the Vigilance Department has murdered his son and that he is an eyewitness to the incident. "I am an eye-witness, they (police officials) are taking me....my son was shot by them," Popli was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. While the police said Kartik Popli, died by suicide, his family, however, has claimed he was murdered. #WATCH | I am an eye-witness, they (police officials) are taking me....my son was shot by them...: IAS officer Sanjay Popli https://t.co/5GgDWrlxED pic.twitter.com/SsIj4ov9q4 ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2022 "They tortured my child and killed him. They tortured my domestic help for evidence. The entire vigilance bureau and the DSP are under the pressure from the chief minister. This is the way they are killing people," the mother of Kartik Popli said. The incident comes days after the Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested IAS officer Popli and his accomplice on corruption charges. Chandigarh SSP Kuldeep Chahal said that the boy allegedly shot himself in the head with his father`s licensed pistol. "The vigilance team had arrived (at IAS Sanjay Popli`s house) for an enquiry and heard a gunshot. After verification, they realized that his son had shot himself with his licensed gun. He was taken to a hospital," SSP Chahal said. The Vigilance Department of Punjab on Saturday recovered over 12 kg of gold among other items from arrested IAS officer Sanjay Popli`s house. "Four days after the arrest of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sanjay Popli in a corruption case, the Vigilance Bureau on Saturday recovered over 12 Kg gold, 3 Kg silver, four Apple iPhones, one Samsung fold phone and two Samsung smartwatches from the storeroom of his house at Sector 11, Chandigarh," stated the Vigilance Department release. IAS officer Sanjay Popli was arrested on June 20, for allegedly demanding a 1 per cent commission as a bribe of Rs 7 lakhs for clearance of tenders for laying of sewerage pipeline at Nawanshahr. His accomplice identified as Sandeep Wats was also arrested from Jalandhar. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed) Mumbai: Amid the ongoing escalating rebellion in the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Tourism Minister and CMs son Aditya Thackeray on Sunday claimed that leader of rebel MLAs Eknath Shinde was offered the Maharashtra Chief Minister position by Uddhav Thackeray. According to Aditya, Uddhav Thackeray offered the CM post to Shinde on May 20. CM Uddhav Thackeray had asked Eknath Shinde to become CM if he wanted to, but at that time he did drama and now just a month later, he rebelled, said Aditya Thackeray. Over 40 MLAs of Maharashtra, including several Shiv Sena ministers, have been camping in an Assam hotel against Uddhav Thackray and MVA alliance. Addressing the Yuva Sena national executive meeting, Aditya Thackeray said, "But they (Shinde faction) arent capable of doing so, this isn`t rebellion, this is separatism. They took undue advantage of CM Uddhav Thackeray`s ill-health to do all this," he said. While terming rebel MLAs as "traitors", Thackeray said Maharashtra will never forgive those who have betrayed Shiv Sena. "Shiv Sena`s doors are open for those who want to leave and those who want to return to the party. Those rebel MLAs who are traitors will not be taken back into the party," he added. Dirt went away from Shiv Sena Attacking the Eknath Shindes rebel group, Aaditya Thackeray said it is good that some dirt has gone away from the party. He also challenged rebel MLAs and asked them to resign and fight the election. "This is happening for the first time in the state that the ruling party MLAs left the party to sit in the opposition. People are telling their numbers but I want to say that we have the figures. I challenge them to resign and contest the elections. The truth will come out," Shiv Sena`s leader said. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claimed of having the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party`s strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to sources, Maharashtra deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena (With ANI inputs) Kolkata: Polling was underway for the elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of northern West Bengal on Sunday morning, officials said. The polling began at 7 am. The polling for GTA will end at 4 pm, while in Siliguri it would continue till 5 pm, they said. The elections to the GTA, the semi-autonomous council that governs the Darjeeling Hills, are being held after a decade amid a sea of change in the political dynamics of the region. As per the latest reports, 39 per cent has been recorded till 1 pm. GTA has 45 seats, and is spread across the Kalimpong district, and Darjeeling, Mirik and Kurseong sub-divisions of the Darjeeling district. Voting is being held in 922 polling stations, of which five have been identified as critical. In Siliguri, elections are being held in nine seats of the Mahakuma Parishad (Sub-divisional Council), 22 panchayats, and four panchayat samitis. West Bengal bypolls 2022: By-elections underway in six municipalities By-elections are also underway in six wards of six municipalities of the state. Bypoll is being held in ward 2 of Jhalda Municipality in Purulia as sitting Congress councillor Tapan Kandu was shot dead in March. Election is also underway in ward 8 of Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district where TMC councillor Anupam Dutta was shot dead. Polling is underway in ward 3 of Bhatpara Municipality, ward 16 of Chandannagar Municipality and ward 4 of Dumdum Municipality as one candidate in each of these wards died before the elections in February. Polling is also on in ward 29 of South Dumdum Municipality. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced a subsidy of up to Rs 25,000 on the purchase of indigenous breeds of cows. The chief minister said that farmers having two to five acres of land that is registered on the designated state government portal and who voluntarily adopt natural farming, will be provided a subsidy for purchasing indigenous cow breeds. Khattar said that a target has been set to promote natural farming on 50,000 acres of land in the state, and in order to make people aware about it, an exhibition of natural farming will be organised in every block. The chief minister was speaking as chief guest at the state-level review meeting on natural farming organized in Karnal, where he interacted with agriculture experts, according to an official statement. He said that Sikkim is the first state in the country which has moved completely to natural farming. A lot of work is also being done in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, now the Haryana government will take a new initiative to give subsidy on the purchase of indigenous cows, he said. The CM said he is glad that farmers are now understanding natural farming and so far 1,253 farmers of the state have registered themselves voluntarily for adopting this method on the portal created by the agriculture department. Khattar, according to the statement, said that a call for green revolution was given when there was a shortage of food grains in the country in the 1960s, "due to which there had been an indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers..." On the occasion, Agriculture Minister JP Dalal said that the chief minister always thinks about the interest of farmers and how they should be prosperous. Live TV Ahmedabad: I am not a criminal, shouted activist Teesta Setalvad as she was being presented in Metropolitan Magistrates Court, Ahmedabad. Setalavad was on Saturday detained by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Mumbai in connection with an FIR registered against her at the Ahmedabad city crime branch. Setalvad's arrest is in connection to her NGO, which had supported Zakia Jafri throughout her legal battle. Jafri's husband Ehsan Jafri, who was a Congress leader, was killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The arrest came after the Supreme Court of India upheld the clean chit given to then Chief Minister Narendra Modi by the SIT investigation. Watch the video here! Ahmedabad, Gujarat | Gujarat ATS presents Teesta Setalvad in Metropolitan Magistrates Court, Ahmedabad, "I am not a criminal," she shouts going in pic.twitter.com/26lLS36C8T ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2022 According to ANI, Gujarat ATS will seek 14-days of custody as she is not cooperating in the investigation. "The accused are not supporting us in the investigation. We are demanding 14 days of custody. Teesta will be produced in front of the Magistrate and all her statements will be recorded there. We are getting the documents arranged from various sources," said the DCP. The action against Setalvad came after Union Minister Amit Shah in an interview with ANI said that Teesta Setalvad-run NGO gave baseless information about the 2002 Gujarat riots to the police. "We have done the medical check-up, and the due process was followed by the Crime Branch. The investigation is at a primary level, strict actions will be taken once the investigation is done. We have the primary affidavits and documents submitted by the accused," he added. Clean chit to PM Modi in Gujarat riots case The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the clean chit given to then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in the Gujarat riots of 2022. The courts verdict highlighted that the state government made all the efforts to control the Gujarat riots and took the right decisions at the right time. The SIT, appointed by the apex court, conducted the investigation into the case and gave a clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, and other top politicians and bureaucrats. (With ANI inputs) New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has asked owners of several canteens and dhabas at the campus to clear their dues amounting to lakhs of rupees and vacate the varsity premises by June 30, alleging that their shops were allocated "without following a due tender procedure. In a notice to several canteen owners dated June 22, the varsity's Joint Registrar (Estate) M K Pachauri asked them to clear all the outstanding dues against them within seven days of the issuance of the letter. The university said the person will be liable for eviction proceedings as per the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 if he fails to comply with the notice. "....Is hereby directed to clear the outstanding dues against him within 7 days, from the date of issue of this letter with the direction that he has to VACATE the University premises by 30.06.2022," the notice read. "Failure to comply with the above direction the named hereunder liable for eviction proceedings as per Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act 1971. Dues on account of rent, water and electricity charges etc., outstanding against the said space up to the date of vacation, should be cleared," it added. Baffled shop owners are fearful of losing their livelihoods and are also finding it difficult to arrange the money to pay the dues. According to them, as many as 10 canteens/dhabas/Xerox shops at the campus have been served these notices. Speaking to PTI, JNU Rector Ajay Dubey clarified that the notices have been served to those shop owners who have not paid rent and electricity bills "for a long time", adding that many shops were not allocated with due procedure. A canteen owner, who has been served a notice, said the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration is asking for Rs 10 lakh as the outstanding rent and electricity bills from him. "I come from a poor economic background. I and my brother are the only earning members and our livelihood is dependent on this canteen. How can I pay Rs 10 lakh? They should have demanded monthly or annual dues. How can we pay Rs 10 lakh in one go? Even if we pay, there is no guarantee they will let us stay," said the canteen owner, who did not wish to be named. Another shop owner, who has been running a pantry on the campus since 2016, said he has been provided with an outstanding bill of over Rs 20 lakh. "As per the notice, we have to pay this bill (of Rs 20 lakh) and vacate the premises. They had also earlier served notices, but we had requested them for compensation as we only serve 'samosas' (snack) and tea. But there was no reply from the administration. Now, we have been provided with this notice," he said. "I have not been able to give salary to my workers for a year and the pantry is not doing well, but it is my only source of income. Instead of helping us, the administration is putting this burden on us," he added. According to the letter, a notice was also served in May 2019 to establishment owners, seeking a reply as to why the eviction proceeding should not be initiated against them. The 2019 notice was served on the recommendation of the committee constituted by the varsity to look into the issue of allotment of canteens/pantries/Xeros shops without following the tender procedure with further notice. Protesting against the move, the left-affiliated AISA alleged the administration wants these canteen owners to vacate the premises as they are planning to bring big multinational companies to serve on the campus. "Before 2014, there was no policy for the allocation of shops. These people (owners) were interviewed and the shops were allocated to them. The university framed a policy after 2014. And is now asking these people to pay in lakhs and suffer eviction," AISA national president N Sai Balaji said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: At least seven labourers died and another three were injured after a goods vehicle they were travelling in fell into a stream early Sunday (June 26) morning in Karnatakas Belagavi. As per the Karnataka police, the accident took place when the construction workers, who hailed from Akkatangiyara Hala village in Gokak taluk, were going to Belagavi, PTI reported. Their vehicle fell into the Ballari Nala' in Belagavi's Kanabaragi village after the driver lost control. The police rushed to the spot when they received the information about the accident and pulled out the victims from beneath the vehicle with the help of local residents. Belagavi Police Commissioner M B Boralingaiah also reached the accident site to oversee rescue operations. Seven people were killed on the spot, while three others sustained critical injuries, the Karnataka police added. The wounded have been taken to a hospital and their condition is said to be critical, the news agency added. (With agency inputs) Mumbai: Amid twists and turns in the political drama of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a potshot on the Eknath Shinde-led faction of rebel MLAs and asked how long they will hide in Guwahati in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Assam finally they have to return to Mumbai. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the party, thus achieving the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena. Taking to Twitter, Raut said, "Kab tak chhipoge Gauhati mein...Aana hi padega Chowpatty mein (How long will you hide in Guwahati, you have to come back to Chowpatty)." According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership. Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp`s suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu. ALSO READ: Assam Minister Ashok Singhal meets rebel Shiv Sena MLAs at Guwahati hotel Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as `Shiv Sena Balasaheb`.The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that the leaders who have left Shiv Sena should not ask for votes in the name of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray. Ask for votes in the name of your father. Maha Vikas Aghadi is united," Sanjay Raut said earlier. "People will come to know what actions will be taken against those who have left the party by the evening. The work that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has done is commendable. We will all fight the elections under his leadership," he added. Eknath Shinde claims to have the support of 38 MLAs of the 56 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party`s strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar claimed that their faction has two-thirds majority while denying merger talks with any party."We are still in Shiv Sena, there is a misunderstanding that we have left the party. We have just separated our faction. We have the two-thirds majority to follow the path we wanted. Our new leader is chosen by the majority. They didn`t have more than 16-17 MLAs," Kesarkar said."There is no need to merge, our faction will be given different recognition and we aren`t merging with any other party. Recognition should be given to our faction, if it isn`t given, we will go to court and prove our existence and numbers. We have numbers, but we respect CM Uddhav Thackeray, we won`t speak against him. We must follow the path on which we fought Assembly elections," he added. Notably, Eknath Shinde was unanimously elected as the leader of the faction recently which is revolting against the Uddhav faction.The Uddhav Thackeray faction recently submitted a plea before the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Amid the ongoing political tussle in Maharashtra, the Mumbai police on Saturday (June 25) imposed prohibitory orders in the city and increased security at offices of various political parties and leaders, including ministers, MLAs and MPs, and their residences. The move comes after reports of angry Shiv Sainiks vandalizing the offices of rebel Shiv Sena legislators surfaced. The city police issued the prohibitory orders under section 37 of the Mumbai Police (MP) Act in the first week of June, ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, which will now continue to remain in place till July 10, PTI reported. As per the order, the assembly of five or more persons at one place will remain banned. After Shiv Sena workers vandalised the office of rebel party MLA Tanaji Sawant in Pune on Saturday, the city police issued an alert directing all police stations to ensure security at party leaders offices. "Our party workers vandalised Tanaji Sawant`s office. All traitors and rebel MLAs who have troubled our chief Uddhav Thackeray will face this type of action. Their office will also be attacked. No one will be spared," Shiv Sena Pune city head Sanjay More had said. The Thackeray loyalists staged protests against the rebels, hurled stones, and defaced the posters of the dissident MLAs on Saturday. Earlier in the day, state minister Eknath Shinde had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the alleged "malicious" withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 rebel MLAs. In his letter, Shinde claimed that the security provided to the MLAs at their residence as well as to their family members has been "illegally and unlawfully withdrawn". The political crisis had begun in the state after Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde leader along with some MLAs left Maharashtra, demanding Uddhav Thackeray break the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance with Congress and NCP. Now, the majority of Shiv Sena MLAs have shifted their loyalty to Shinde and are camping in Guwahati, leading the Maharashtra government on the brink of collapse. (With agency inputs) Mumbai: Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Sunday informed that the party has initiated legal action and served notices to concerned MLAs. Addressing the reporters today, Sawant said, "Political turbulence is going on in Maharashtra, many MLAs defected and have gone to Assam. We have initiated legal action against them and notice has been served to 16 MLAs till now." Advocate Devdutta Kamat, Shiv Sena`s Senior Counsel also said to reporters, "Proceedings have been initiated by Shiv Sena against 16 MLAs, under the provision in the Constitution which says that if a person gives up the membership of a party then he`s eligible for disqualification." "There were several meetings that were called by Shiv Sena at different times, none of which were attended by them. Visiting BJP-ruled states, meeting BJP leaders, and attempting to topple government amounts to a violation by rebels," Advocate Devdutta Kamat said. Kamat said the concept of 2-3rd (to surpass anti-defection law) applies only if there is a merger. "Until the MLAs, don`t merge with another party, disqualification applies. Till today there`s no merger, they have voluntarily given up membership," Adv Devdutta Kamat said. Notably, the national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena on June 25 passed six resolutions giving absolute rights to Maharashtra Chief Minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebels to bring the revolt within party under control. The meeting was called in the wake of Sena MLA Eknath Shinde`s rebellion, which has not only destabilised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in the State but also poses a risk of the Thackerays losing control of the party. The advocate said that under the constitution, the deputy speaker has the power of the speaker in the latter`s absence and can adjudicate on such matters. "No-confidence motion was sent through an unauthorized email address by rebels," he said. Amid the ongoing power tussle in Maharashtra, two MLAs in June 26 called for the removal of the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, who could be the key decision-maker about the disqualification of the rebel MLAs. Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal, both independent MLAs and said to be close to the BJP, have moved for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is from Sharad Pawar`s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran assembly constituency reached Vidhan Bhavan today and submitted a letter to the office Deputy speaker saying that he cannot disqualify the 12 MLAs. In his letter, he has cited several judgements of the Supreme Court. "The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government doesn`t have the majority and they can`t disqualify any MLA. I am against Congress and NCP and if the MLAs are disqualified, we will also go to the Court," he said. Notably, the Maharashtra assembly doesn`t have a Speaker since February 2021. Also, the Deputy Speaker also approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as leader of the ruling party, Shiv Sena, in the assembly in place of Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde has called the appointment illegal as Chaudhary`s name was proposed by the "minority faction" as he represents the "real Sena". Shinde, who has been replaced by Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena`s legislature party leader on Friday, is currently camping with over 40 rebel MLAs in Guwahati.In a jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs revolted against the party on Monday night and camped in Surat. The rebel MLAs have shifted base to a hotel in Guwahati. On Friday, in his virtual address to the party`s district unit chiefs and `sampark pramukhs`, CM Uddhav Thackeray said "despite the rebellions that the party has faced earlier, it came to power twice. I may have left `Varsha`, the Chief Minister`s official residence, but not my determination". Meanwhile, party MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Sena is ready to quit the MVA government if the group of rebel legislators camping in Assam returns to Mumbai in 24 hours and discusses the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "You say you are real Shiv Sainiks and will not quit the party. We are ready to consider your demand provided you come back to Mumbai in 24 hours and discuss the issue with CM Uddhav Thackeray. Your demand will be considered positively. Don`t write letters on Twitter and WhatsApp," Raut told reporters. (Except for Headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) 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Speaking to ANI over the phone, Kesarkar said, "We had been in alliance with BJP for 35 years and we won elections as an alliance so we must respect the democracy. Uddhav Thackeray must accept that his party lost the majority, that`s called democracy." Eknath Shinde claims to have the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party`s strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. The rebel MLA also informed that the Shinde faction has decided to name their group `Shiv Sena Balasaheb`. "We have decided to form a new group named Shiv Sena Balasaheb. We will carry this group name in the future. We will have our office at Vidhan Bhavan under the name of the newly formed group," he said. Asked about the timeline for the registration of their group, he said that the newly elected leader Eknath Shinde will decide on the matter. "This decision will be taken by Eknath Shinde, he is our leader and he will decide on it," Kesarkar said. Referring to the vandalism of rebel MLAs` offices in parts of Maharashtra, he demanded action against the violence and asked the Chief Minister to "control his Shiv Sainiks". "CM Uddhav Thackeray must take action on the recent violent incidents happening on our MLAs (lodged in Guwahati) or with Eknath Shinde. He must control his Shiv Sainiks, being the CM it`s his responsibility. Law and order must not be taken in hand by anyone," he said. Kesarkar went ahead to slam NCP chief Sharad Pawar who has extended support to the Uddhav faction amid the political turmoil, and said that he wants to "finish the Shiv Sena". "It`s the NCP who wants to finish Shiv Sena. We have been suffering this for past more than two years but it`s enough now. The one who tried to finish us, CM Uddhav has joined hands with him," he said. Speaking on the issue of the notices being served to the 16 rebel MLAs from the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, he said that it is a "mockery of democracy". "It`s a mockery of democracy. We have the right to form a new group, and sending notices are pressure tactics," he said. "We will soon decide when to come to Mumbai and the next course of action," Kesarkar added. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed) New Delhi: Amid the Maharashtra political crisis kickstarted by rebel MLA Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray's wife Rashmi has made efforts to contact the wives of MLAs who are residing in Guwahati along with Shinde according to media reports. While Eknath Shinde is unconvinced by the Maharashtra CM's efforts to bring him back to the party, Rashmi is attempting to persuade Shinde's supporters so that he loses his ground. According to media reports, she is trying to convey her message to the rebel MLAs through their wives. She has reportedly asked them to return to Uddhav's camp. Eknath Shinde not ready to return to Uddhav's camp Eknath Shinde, on Saturday, announced the name of his new party Shiv Sena Balasaheb which received strong reactions from Shiv Sena leaders such as Sanjay Raut. Eknath Shinde claims to have the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with the anti-defection law, any group of lawmakers can leave a party and form another or merge with another party without disqualification if they are together at least two-thirds of legislators of the party's original strength. Shinde and rebel MLAs extend stay in Guwahati, Assam Eknath Shinde and his rebel MLAs have extended their stay at hotel Radisson Blue in Guwahati from 27th to 30th June. The booking was extended by 3 days on Saturday evening. Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde said that Sena workers must try to understand that all he is trying to do is to save the party from the clutches of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government - a coalition of Shiv Sena with Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress and several other parties and independent MLAs. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Germany for a grand welcome by the Indian diaspora, the German state of Bavaria arranged a special appreciation gesture for the Indian leader. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. Not only this but PM Modi will also be a guest of honour at a dinner party hosted by Bavaria for all the G7 leaders. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, and energy, to counter-terrorism. Here are two special gestures by Bavaria for PM Modi A musical welcome A Bavarian band welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Munich airport. Such a gesture by the state of sending their Bavarian band for a grand welcome was last extended to the former President of the United States, Barack Obama in 2015. Special Bavarian dinner On Sunday, the Minister-President of Bavaria will also host a dinner for many world leaders including PM Modi. However, PM Modi has been in a way accorded with the guest of honour status and he will be the only leader speaking on the occasion. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi received a rousing welcome by the Indian diaspora in Germany amid chants of Modi Modi.Addressing the Indian diaspora in Germany, Modi said that 21st century India is at the forefront of Industry 4.0 and is shining at every front whether it is in the field of information technology or digital technology. PM Modi, who arrived in Germany for a three-day visit, said India has the third-largest startup ecosystem and it is the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world. "Today, the New India is at the forefront of Industry 4.0. Be it IT or digital technology, India is shining at every front," the Prime Minister said while addressing the Indian community in Munich. "There was a time when India was nowhere in the race of startups. Today, we are the third-largest startup ecosystem. Similarly, we used to import even the simplest phones, today, we are the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world," he said. PM Modi to attend G7 Summit The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Germany to attend the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27. In Germany, PM Modi will hold meetings with G7 and guest countries and exchange views on contemporary issues. Prime Minister will also travel to UAE while coming back to India. "I will be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest International Organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy. I look forward to meeting leaders of some of the participating G7 and guest countries on the sidelines of the Summit," the PM Modi said in an official statement. Munich | PM Narendra Modi arrives in Germany to attend the G7 Summit under the German Presidency (Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/aAOX4ayjGt ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2022 #WATCH | A Bavarian band welcomes PM Narendra Modi on his arrival in Munich, Germany Besides participating in the G7 Summit discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality, PM Modi will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit. pic.twitter.com/xXf01mwNgx ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2022 After attending the G7 Summit, PM Modi will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. According to the statemnet issued by the ministry, "PM Modi will also take the opportunity to congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi." On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. PM Modi`s last visit to Germany was on May 2, 2022, for the sixth edition of the India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC). Before his departure for the G7 Summit, PM Modi said that it will be a pleasure to meet Scholz again after the productive India-Germany IGC. "I will be visiting Schloss Elmau, Germany at the invitation of Chancellor of Germany, H.E. Mr. Olaf Scholz, for the G7 Summit under the German Presidency. It will be a pleasure to meet Chancellor Scholz again after the productive India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) last month," PM Modi said in his departure statement. Prime Minister said that in Germany he also looks forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora in from across Europe, who are contributing immensely to their local economies as also enriching our relations with European countries. "On my way back to India, I will make a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE for a meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi on June 28, 2022 to convey my personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi," he added. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Germany to a grand welcome by the Indian diaspora. Video released by the news agency shows Prime Minitser waving at the Indians in Munich amid loud cheers of Modi Modi.He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism. Addressing the Indian diaspora in Germany, Modi said that 21st century India is at the forefront of Industry 4.0 is shining at every front whether it is in the field of information technology or digital technology. Watch PM Modi's arrival in Germany #WATCH | Germany: Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a warm welcome by the Indian diaspora in Munich pic.twitter.com/W8nEz56iBY ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2022 PM Modi, who arrived in Germany for a three-day visit, said India has the third-largest startup ecosystem and it is the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world. "Today, the New India is at the forefront of Industry 4.0. Be it IT or digital technology, India is shining at every front," the Prime Minister said while addressing the Indian community in Munich. "There was a time when India was nowhere in the race of startups. Today, we are the third-largest startup ecosystem. Similarly, we used to import even the simplest phones, today, we are the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world," he said. PM Modi to attend G7 Summit The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi`s first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (From ANI inputs) Mumbai: Suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma failed to appear before Mumbai police on Saturday to record her statement in the case registered against her for making allegedly objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad during a television channel discussion. An official said an FIR was registered against Sharma at Pydhonie police station on May 28 and police had executed summons to her via email while a team from here had also visited Delhi to hand over a physical copy, an official said. "As she did not turn up for the recording of the statement, we will decide on Monday on the further course of action," the official added. On Saturday, she had again skipped summons issued by Kolkata Police in connection with her inflammatory comments on Prophet Mohammad that triggered widespread violence in parts of West Bengal. Sharma, in an email to Amherst Street Police Station, cited apprehensions of a possible assault on her if she visits Kolkata and sought four weeks' time to appear before the police officers. She had earlier this week skipped the summons issued by Narkeldanga Police Station in the city citing similar reasons. "We have received an email from Nupur Sharma in which she expressed her inability to appear before officers of Amherst Street Police Station. She has sought four weeks' time, and also said she feared attacks on her if she comes to Kolkata," the officer told PTI. Police had on Thursday issued a summons to Sharma after a complaint was lodged against her at Amherst Street Police Station. Sharma's comments, made during a TV debate, sparked violent protests in several parts of the country. Violent protests were reported from parts of West Bengal. Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday urged the Centre to make adequate provision for Central Security Forces to be readily deployed in case the situation warrants it to ensure the security of the rebel MLAs and their families. In a letter to the Union Home Secretary AK Bhalla, Koshyari said that he had received a representation on Saturday (June 25) from 38 Shiv Sena MLAs, 2 of Prahar Janshakti Party and 7 independents, that the police security to their families has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn. He said the legislators -- currently in Guwahati -- had raised serious concerns about the safety of their homes and families in context of the `provocative and threatening statements` being made by certain political leaders. The Governor added that he has already directed the state police to provide adequate cover to the MLAs, their families and homes on priority. "Despite this, offices and homes of some of the MLAs have been vandalised with the police being a mute spectator," said Koshyari to Bhalla. He also urged the central official to make adequate provision of central security forces, keep them ready in case required to address the situation. The Governor`s letter came amid the backdrop of violent incidents by alleged political activists in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Satara, Beed, Parbhani and Nagpur, who carried out demonstrations, stone-pelting, attacking offices, burning of effigies, beating photos or posters of the rebels with `chappals`, etc. They were protesting against the turncoat legislators in the past couple of days and today there were retaliatory protests by supporters of some of the targetted MLAs in different parts of the state. Responding to a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray by the rebel group leader Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday, state Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil categorically denied that any MLAs` security cover was withdrawn and asked the police to provide security to their families also. Live TV In a major setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader Simranjit Singh Mann on Sunday won the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll, the home turf of Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Singh Mann. Mann won the bypoll with 2,53,154 votes thus defeating the ruling party`s candidate on a Lok Sabha seat held last by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. "This is a great win for our party. We have defeated all national parties in this bypoll. My priority will be to raise the issue of the poor economic condition of Sangrur including the condition of farmers under debt. We will work with the Punjab government," said Mann. "I am grateful to our voters of Sangrur for having elected me as your representative in parliament. I will work hard to ameliorate the sufferings of our farmers, farm-labour, traders and everyone in my constituency, he added. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal congratulated Mann and said, "I sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann and his party on their electoral victory in Sangrur parliamentary bypoll and offer them our best wishes and cooperation. We bow before the mandate of the people in a true democratic spirit." Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also congratulated Mann."Humbly accept people`s verdict in Sangrur bypoll. My congratulations to Simranjit Singh Mann Ji for his victory. I am sure he would keep raising Punjab`s voice in his new role. The result reflects displeasure of public with Aam Aadmi Party insensitive and inept governance," tweeted Warring. On the other hand, Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu took a pot shot at Sukhbir Badal-led SAD for its candidate`s defeat. "Kamaldeep Rajoana, representative of violent terrorists and sinking Akali dal is set to forfeit her security deposit and face huge loss getting roughly only 5 per cent votes. Sukhbir Badal, Pannu 2020 and Rajoana should come and try now to save their candidates` deposit," Bittu said in a Twitter post. BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the Sangrur Bypoll results indicated that Punjab has rejected the Delhi model of the AAP government. "Punjab has clearly rejected Delhi Model. AAP Punjab losing Sangrur Bypoll is a warning signal to Bhagwant Mann to take command in his hand," Sirsa said in a Twitter post. Sangrur is known as the stronghold of AAP incumbent Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from where he had won the parliamentary seat in 2014 and 2019. The seat fell vacant after Mann resigned as MP following his victory from the Dhuri constituency in the state assembly polls.Besides Sangrur, the counting of votes of bypolls in two other Lok Sabha constituencies - Rampur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh held on Sunday. Live TV Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha won the by-election from the Town Bardowali seat by a margin of 6,104 on Sunday, as per the Election Commission. The chief minister, a BJP candidate, secured 17,181 votes, which is 51.63 per cent of the total votes polled. His nearest rival Asish Kumar Saha of the Congress bagged 11,077 votes or 33.29 per cent of the total votes. The Left Front was at the third spot as Forward Bloc candidate Raghunath Sarkar secured 3,376 votes (10.15 per cent). "The people who voted for me, I thank them. This is the victory of BJP workers. I expected the margin to be a bit more. However, the results prove the understanding between the CPI(M) and Congress. We will work accordingly in the future, but people did not take this understanding in a good way," the chief minister told reporters. "We have seen post-poll violence for many years, so we have urged the people to stay away from such a thing. People's trust is the main factor, and we have to see they don't face any problems. I would also request the opposition parties to maintain peace," he added. Manik Saha, a Rajya Sabha MP, was appointed the chief minister of the state last month after then CM Biplab Deb's sudden resignation. He had to win this by-election to continue as the chief minister. He will now resign as an MP after being elected to the assembly, as per the rules. The bypoll was held in the Town Bardowali seat after Asish Kumar Saha resigned as a BJP MLA and joined the Congress in February. UGC NET 2022: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday (June 25) released the exam schedule for UGC-NET December 2021 and June 2022 merged cycles. The University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman, M Jagadesh Kumar also took on Twitter to inform the aspirants about the UGC NET exam. The exams for merged cycles of December 2021 and June 2022 will be conducted on 08, 09, 11, 12 July and 12, 13, 14 August 2022. Once released, students can download the complete schedule for the same from the official website--nta.ac.in. The dates for the conduct of UGC-NET December 2021 and June 2022 merged cycles are 08, 09, 11, 12 July 2022 and 12, 13, 14 August 2022. The detailed date sheet will be uploaded soon on https://t.co/cUvZGrYigp and https://ugcnet.nta.nic Best wishes to all the applicants. pic.twitter.com/wAcW62NLKf June 25, 2022 UGC NET December 2021 and June 2022 cycles are being held together as the December 2021 cycle was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country. Keeping in mind the effect on candidates and to make the exam cycles more consistent, the NTA decided to combine the December 2021 and June 2022 cycles. It is pertinent to note that UGC had also decided to extend the validity of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) award letter for a year. The decision was announced in March his year and was taken in light of the challenges that scholars had to face amid the coronavirus outbreak. Also, the e-certificate for assistant professors has lifetime validity. Live TV Babul Supriyo and Arjun Singh, with the two MPs from Bengal switching sides, the BJP's strength in the Lok Sabha had slightly reduced. In the by-election results on Sunday, the BJP won two seats in Uttar Pradesh that were won by the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the last Lok Sabha elections. The BJP took over the Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats. As a result, Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh has returned the number of MPs that were reduced as two MPs from Bengal had left the party. The BJP held 62 of the 80 seats in the state. It increased to 64. The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, fell from five to three. The BJP had won a landslide victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Narendra Modi sat for the second time in the prime minister's seat with 303 MPs. But recently, that number has dropped to 301. Babul Supriyo resigned from the post of Asansol MP and joined the Trinamool. Just as he later became an MLA from Ballygunge, Trinamool's Shatrughan Sinha became an MP from Asansol. Arjun Singh of Barrackpore is still a BJP MP but has returned to the Trinamool. The wound was healed on Sunday. The BJP's strength in the Lok Sabha became 304 when Arjun was still a BJP MP. Although the wounds of the total number of MPs in the country have been healed, the saffron camp is yet to deal with the setback suffered by the BJP in Bengal. The victories in Azamgarh and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh are also significant for the BJP for other reasons. In 2009, BJP's Ramakant Yadav won but Akhilesh snatched it away. Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh Yadav has also won from this seat in the past. Akhilesh quit as an MP after winning the last assembly elections. The leader of the opposition won from Karhal seat, paving why for a by-election in Azamgarh. Star candidate Dineshlal Yadav 'Nirahua' won on a BJP ticket. On the other hand, the bypoll to Rampur seat was also a challenge for the BJP. While the BJP won the seat in 1991, 1998 and 2014, SP's Azam Khan won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He became an MLA from Rampur constituency in the 2022 assembly elections, and hence, the Lok Sabha seat fell vacant. But he couldn't hold on to it. BJP's Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi won by over 42,000 votes. New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh police has arrested around 2000 people in connection with separate protests that broke out over the Agnipath scheme and objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad, PTI reported. As many as 1,562 people have been arrested owing to the violence that erupted during the agitation against the Centres Agnipath recruitment scheme, while another 424 people have been nabbed over the violence against the Prophet controversy, a senior officer said on Saturday (June 25). Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said in a statement, "As many as 1,562 persons have been arrested in the state in connection with the 'Agnipath' violence. Of these, 535 arrests were made in Jaunpur, 222 in Ballia, and 210 in Chandauli. Eighty two cases were registered in this regard in 29 districts." Agnipath protests in Uttar Pradesh Several protestors had taken to streets against the Centres new armed forces recruitment scheme. On June 17, protests had turned violent at various places, including Ballia, Varanasi, Agra and Aligarh among other districts. The protesters in Khurja locality and the city area of Bulandshahr had also raised slogans against the central government demanding the withdrawal of the recruitment to defence services scheme. Protests against Prophet remark Earlier on June 3 and June 10, UP witnessed protests against the remarks of now-suspended BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal on the Prophet. As per the UP police, 20 cases have been filed so far and 424 people have been arrested from 10 districts -- Kanpur, Firozabad, Aligarh, Hathras, Moradabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Kheri, Jalaun, Saharanpur and Prayagraj. The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government had also razed residences of the accused and alleged masterminds of the protests, for which it received flak from the Opposition. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: TV actress Ridhima Pandit hosted a star-studded birthday bash to celebrate her special day. Many of her celeb pals showed up at the party and had a lot of fun. Pictures and videos are surfacing all over the internet and fans are loving it. The actress who turned a year older celebrated her birthday with family and close friends from the industry like Karishma Tanna, Krystle Dsouza, Raqesh Bapat, Ridhi Dogra, Raveena Tandon, Sehban Azim, Ekta Kapoor and many more. Ridhima looked gorgeous in a silver sequenced dress and paired it with gorgeous silver heels. She opted for glam yet light makeup and looked absolutely stunning. All the guests were seen having a blast amidst selfies, laughter, and lots of wining and dining! Ridhima came into the limelight due to her acting debut in 2016 with the show 'Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant', where she played Rajni, a super humanoid robot. Currently, she is not working with any show or daily soap but she sure keeps herself connected with her fans through social media. London: Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan is currently enjoying her family vacation in London, and the `Heroine` actor recently attended a rock concert by the British brand `The Rolling Stone` with her son Taimur and husband Saif Ali Khan. Bebo, on Saturday, uploaded a few pictures on her Instagram, in which she can be seen posing with Taimur, in the first picture, the mother-son duo can be seen twinning in a black rolling stone t-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. Tim-Tim can be seen striking a fun pose into the camera with a funky hairstyle, all decked up to attend the rock concert. Sharing the image, she wrote in the caption `And here we come" followed by star eyes emojis. In the second picture, the `Jab we met` actor can be seen twinning with both Saif and Taimur in the same t-shirts with the rolling stone logos. The couple donned a black leather jacket, whereas Tim-Tim opted for a grey hoodie. She captioned it as, "The rolling stones baby" followed by heart eyes emojis. The `3 idiots` actor has been quite active on social media, and she has been treating her fans with her adorable pictures from the vacation. Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena will be next seen in `Laal Singh Chadha` with Aamir Khan, the film is slated to release on August 11, 2022.Apart from this, she recently wrapped up shooting her OTT debut project helmed by Sujoy Ghosh. The film is based on the Japanese novel `The Devotion of Suspect X`, which also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma in the lead roles. Saif, on the other hand, will be next seen in `Vikram Vedha` opposite Hrithik Roshan and in `Adipurush` with south superstar Prabhas. NEW DELHI: The youngest action hero in the industry, Tiger Shroff's action sequences are something that has not only started a whole new rage amongst the masses but also marked a special place of the star in the industry. He has become an inspiration to not only common people but also the prominent personalities of the industry and the new big name who has joined the league of Tiger's fandom is nonother than Shah Rukh Khan. Recently, while SRK was on a live session, Tiger came up to join him, to which the king khan was seen praising him and spoke how he is an inspiration to him. He said, "I also want to say this to a friend who has come online, Tiger Shroff, more than a friend, like my baby, because he is dada's son. Thank you very much for commenting here and when I saw WAR with Siddharth and you in it, I got really inspired to try and do an action film, ofcourse my action is not half as good as yours but I am trying my best. I am trying to get my muscles tight, not coming as sharp as yours but I will keep trying. You are an inspiration man, inshallah, I will get an opportunity to work with you someday and I am very proud with what you have achieved. Thank you for coming on live". It certainly came as a big thing for Tiger to hear such humble words from the biggest star of this generation and while replying to the same, Tiger took to his social media and shared a thankful note for the same. He wrote the caption, "Means the world coming from one the greatest entertainers in the world made my day sir thank you so much!" "Cant be spoken about with you in the same breathe sir but thank you so much for the kind words and i dont think any action hero cant 'react' in action like you " On the film front, Tiger has 'Ganapath', 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' and 'Rambo' under his belt. New Delhi: The new wage code that is all set to be implemented from July 1, 2022, will impact employees' working hours, salary restructuring, PF contribution, gratuity aspect, and encashing of Earned Leaves, among other things. For instance, one of the major changes coming next months is related to the encashment of leaves of the workers. According to the new wage rule, employees will be able to encash the leaves without waiting for the financial year to end. With the new wage code, the Central government has made an attempt to enforce leave provisions across all sectors. The government has tweaked rules related to how many leaves can be carried forwarded next year, providing a chance to employees to get encashment for the unused leaves in the same year. (ALSO READ: Is FASTag smartwatch scam a reality? Paytm, NPCI clarify) For example, if an employee has 45 days of leave at the end of the calendar year, an employer will be required to pay 15-day leave encashment. The remaining 30 days of leave will be carried forward to the following calendar year. (ALSO READ: Delhi: NDMC hikes licence fee for hotels, cafes, check new rates) Currently, 23 states have pre-published draft rules on these laws, The Centre had completed the process of finalising rules on these codes in February 2021. On August 8, 2019, the central government notified four labour codes: the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Because labour law is a concurrent subject, the Centre wants the states to implement it all at once, as previously reported. Meanwhile, experts believe that the new rules will have an impact on employee working hours, with some media reports claiming that employees will be allowed a four-day workweek but will have to work for 12 hours on those four days. The labour ministry appears to have stated unequivocally that a 48-hour weekly work requirement is required. To extend connectivity and connect the national capital through metro networks, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has begun trial runs on the Dwarka Sector 21-IICC metro section on the Airport Express Line, officials said on June 26. The segment between Dwarka Sector 21 and the upcoming India International Convention Centre (IICC) is expected to be commissioned by July, DMRC chief Vikas Kumar said on May 3. Dwarka Sector 25 (IICC) is an underground station and an extension of the presently operational Airport Express Line connecting the New Delhi Railway station with Dwarka Sector 21 via terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Delhi Metro extends connectivity Trial runs have been started on the two-kilometre long Dwarka Sector-21 to Dwarka Sector-25 (IICC) Metro section on the Airport Express Line. To read more, visit https://t.co/Eaa2LjuMdh#DelhiMetro pic.twitter.com/R2XqdvrlHX Delhi Metro Rail Corporation I (@OfficialDMRC) June 26, 2022 With the completion of this section, the New Delhi to Dwarka Sector-25 (IICC) Airport Express Line corridor will become 24.70 km long, the DMRC said. "Trial runs have been started on the two-kilometer long Dwarka Sector-21 to Dwarka Sector-25 (IICC) Metro section on the Airport Express Line," it said. During the trial runs, the signalling systems are tested. The completion of the trial runs will be followed by the mandatory inspections by various approving authorities including the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS). The section will be opened for passenger traffic after these mandatory approvals. The IICC is being developed as India's largest exhibition and convention centre. This facility, currently under construction, will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities such as convention centres, auditoriums, hotels, office spaces, and other retail spaces. The Sector 25 metro station will have gates opening inside and outside the IICC. Also read: With greater access to metro, Delhiites will prefer it as main mode of transport: Study "The station is coming up at a depth of about 17 metre from the surface. The station will have five entry/exit points which will be facilitated by 14 escalators, five lifts along with staircases for smooth passenger movement. Like the other stations of the Airport Express Line, the new station will also have full-height platform screen doors," a senior official said. Apart from catering to the upcoming convention centre in the vicinity, this new station will also provide metro connectivity to the residents of sectors 25 and 26 of Dwarka, along with the new sectors along the Dwarka Expressway in neighbouring Gurugram. With the opening of the segment, residents of these areas will be able to reach central Delhi in about half an hour, officials said. (With inputs from PTI) Live TV In view of Eid celebrations in the neighbouring country, the services of Mitali Express running between New Jalpaiguri in India and Bangladesh capital Dhaka will remain suspended for nine days from July 6, an NFR release said on June 25. The services were suspended as per request from Bangladesh Railways, it said, adding regular services will resume soon after Eid celebration is over in the neighbouring country. "Indian Railways has decided to cancel the services of 13132 (New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka) & 13131 (Dhaka-New Jalpaiguri) Mitali Express from 06th July to 14th July, 2022 due to celebration of Eid festival in Bangladesh," the release issued by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said. "Bangladesh Railways has requested Indian Railways to cancel the trips of Mitali Express in view of the Eid festival," it said. Also read: Delhi metro begins trial run on Dwarka Sector 21-IICC section at Airport Express line The train service between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka Cantonment railway stations was flagged off on June 1 this year by the railway ministers of the two countries. Passenger train services between India and Bangladesh had resumed last month after two years of gap due to Covid-19 pandemic, the release added. (With inputs from PTI) Live TV New Delhi: Imagine losing a phone in a river 10 months ago and discovering it in tip top shape. Isn't it unbelievable? It's not a fabrication of our imagination, but an actual story. A man from the United Kingdom had dropped his iPhone in a river ten months before. With no hope of ever finding it again, he moved on, but one day he received word that his missing phone had been found. According to the BBC, during a bachelor party in August 2021, UK-based Owain Davies threw his iPhone into the River Wye near Cinderford, Gloucestershire (UK). He probably returned home with the notion that he would never recover the phone again. Then, almost ten months later, he was called by Miguel Pacheco, who had gone canoeing on the same river with his family. He spotted Davies' iPhone while canoeing and recovered the lost device from the river. After drying the phone, he wrote about it on Facebook in order to discover the owner. "It didn't sit well with me. It was filled with water ", he told the BBC. Read More: Is FASTag smartwatch scam a reality? Paytm, NPCI clarify Despite knowing that the phone would most likely not restart, he attempted to dry it because he suspected it contained "sentimental" information. "I know if I lost my phone, I have a lot of images of my kids, and I know I'd want it back," he said. Read More: Garena Free Fire redeem codes for today, 26 June: Check steps to redeem However, when he turned on the device, he couldn't believe what he saw. When he turned on the phone, it began to draw power from the charger and displayed a screensaver of a man and lady with the date 13 August; the day the phone had fallen into the river. Pacheco's Facebook post about the stolen iPhone was shared 4000 times, but Davies was not on social media. His pals, on the other hand, recognised the phone and assisted Davies in making contact with Pacheco. "I was in a two-man boat with a buddy who maybe shouldn't have stood up, and we fell in." Davies told the BBC, "The phone was in my back pocket, and as soon as it was in the water, I realised it was gone." He was particularly amazed by Pacheco's efforts on behalf of his phone. The iPhones released in recent years have all been IP68 rated, which indicates they can withstand up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for 30 minutes, but this is a rare occurrence. New Delhi: Monkeypox has been spreading rapidly across the world and making its presence felt in countries where it was a rarity such as US and the UK. It was detected for the first time in Taiwan and Columbia. In India, it hasn't been detected yet even though there were reports of a few suspected cases. However, all of them have tested negative for the zoonotic virus. According to researchers in Portugal, the virus could be mutating more than before as it spreads quickly across the world. In the current outbreak, the virus has shown small changes in its genetic code, gene variants and a deleted gene as per a study in Nature Medicine which was released on Friday (June 24). 'Unexpected to find so many mutations', says Joao Paulo Gomes from the National Institute of Health in Lisbon One of the authors of the report Joao Paulo Gomes said as quoted by the Sunday Morning Herald, It was quite unexpected to find so many mutations in the 2022 monkeypox virus. In fact, considering the genome characteristics of this type of virus, no more than one or two mutations are likely to emerge each year. The researchers also stated that unlike COVID-19, monkeypox virus isn't mutating as rapidly and hasn't spread as easily from person to person. They are still unclear on how the mutations will change the course of spread of the virus or its effects. The World Health Organization has decided the recent outbreak of the monkeypox virus is not a global health emergency currently. In a statement on Saturday (June 25), the WHO said the monkeypox virus which has hit 50 countries this year, should be closely monitored. While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute a global health emergency, the WHO said, as per the Associated Press. Live TV New Delhi: The World Health Organization has decided the recent outbreak of the monkeypox virus is not a global health emergency currently. In a statement on Saturday (June 25), the WHO said the monkeypox virus which has hit 50 countries this year, should be closely monitored. While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute a global health emergency, the WHO said, as per the Associated Press (AP). This comes after a meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the monkeypox outbreak. The WHO panel also suggested that the monkeypox outbreak should be "closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to Twitter and said he is deeply concerned about the monkeypox outbreak, which represents a serious, evolving threat. The response requires urgent coordinated action now to stop the further spread of Monkeypox virus, using public health measures & ensuring health tools are available to at-risk populations & shared fairly, he wrote. If a disease is declared a global health emergency, it tantamounts to the health crisis being an "extraordinary" event that requires a globally-managed response and that the infection is at a high risk of spreading across borders. WHO has declared diseases including Covid-19, Ebola in Congo and West Africa, Zika in Brazil and polio as global health emergencies previously. Monkeypox virus cases so far As per AP, the WHO said this week over 3,200 monkeypox infections in about 40 countries have been confirmed. Africa, where monkeypox cases were reported before the recent global outbreak, has reported 1,500 cases, and 70 deaths in Congo, Cameroon and the Central African Republic. In Africa, it usually affects people who come into contact with infected wild animals, like rodents or primates. (With agency inputs) KYIV: Ukraine special forces remained in Sievierodonetsk directing artillery fire against Russian-backed troops, said an adviser to Ukraine`s president, after the city fell in a major setback for Kyiv as it struggles to keep control of the country`s east. Ukrainian shelling on Saturday forced Russian troops to suspend the evacuation of people from a chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, just hours after Moscow`s forces took the city, Tass news agency quoted local police as saying. The fall of Sievierodonetsk, following weeks of some of the war`s bloodiest fighting, is the biggest defeat for Ukraine since it lost control of the southern port of Mariupol in May. Ukraine called its retreat from the city a "tactical withdrawal" to fight from higher ground in Lysychansk on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets river. Pro-Russian separatists said Moscow`s forces were now attacking Lysychansk. The fall of Sievierodonetsk - once home to more than 100,000 people but now a wasteland - transforms the battlefield in the east after weeks in which Moscow`s huge advantage in firepower had yielded only slow gains. Russia will now seek to press on and seize more ground on the opposite bank, while Ukraine will hope that the price Moscow paid to capture the ruins of the small city will leave Russia`s forces vulnerable to counterattack. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed in a video address that Ukraine would win back the cities it lost, including Sievierodonetsk. But acknowledging the war`s emotional toll, he said: "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." Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine`s military intelligence chief, told Reuters that Ukraine was carrying out "a tactical regrouping" by pulling its forces out of Sievierodonetsk. "Russia is using the tactic ... it used in Mariupol: wiping the city from the face of the earth," he said. "Given the conditions, holding the defence in the ruins and open fields is no longer possible. So the Ukrainian forces are leaving for higher ground to continue the defence operations." Russia`s defence ministry said "as a result of successful offensive operations" Russian forces had established full control over Sievierodonetsk and the nearby town of Borivske. Oleksiy Arestovych, senior adviser to Zelenskiy, said some Ukrainian special forces were still in Sievierodonetsk directing artillery fire against the Russians. But he made no mention of those forces putting up any direct resistance. Russia`s Interfax news agency cited a representative of pro-Russian separatist fighters saying Russian and pro-Russian forces had entered Lysychansk across the river and were fighting in urban areas there. MISSILES RAIN DOWN Russia also launched missile strikes across Ukraine on Saturday. At least three people were killed and others may have been buried in rubble in the town of Sarny, some 185 miles (300 km) west of Kyiv, after rockets hit a carwash and a car repair facility, said the head of the local regional military administration. Russia denies targeting civilians. Kyiv and the West say Russian forces have committed war crimes against civilians. Russian missiles also struck elsewhere overnight. "48 cruise missiles. At night. Throughout whole Ukraine," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "Russia is still trying to intimidate Ukraine, cause panic." Ukraine`s top general Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote on the Telegram app that newly arrived, U.S.-supplied advanced HIMARS rocket systems were now deployed and hitting targets in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. Seeking to further tighten the screws on Russia, U.S. President Joe Biden and other Group of Seven leaders attending a summit in Germany starting on Sunday will agree on an import ban on new gold from Russia, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Britain is ready to guarantee a further $525 million of World Bank loans to Ukraine later this year, taking total fiscal support this year to $1.5 billion, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ahead of the G7 meeting. "Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine," Johnson said in a statement on Saturday. `IT WAS HORROR` In the Ukrainian-held Donbas town of Pokrovsk, Elena, an elderly woman in a wheelchair from Lysychansk, was among dozens of evacuees who arrived by bus from frontline areas. "Lysychansk, it was a horror, the last week. Yesterday we could not take it any more," she said. "I already told my husband if I die, please bury me behind the house." Europe`s biggest land conflict since World War Two has entered its fifth month, after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops over the border on Feb. 24 and unleashed a conflict that has killed thousands and uprooted millions. It has also stoked an energy and food crisis that is shaking the global economy. Since Russia`s forces were defeated in an assault on the capital Kyiv in March, it has shifted focus to the Donbas, an eastern territory made up of Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk were the last major Ukrainian bastions in Luhansk. Moscow says Luhansk and Donetsk, where it has backed uprisings since 2014, are independent countries. It demands Ukraine cede the entire territory of the two provinces to separatist administrations. A new technology experience centre, Future Space, the largest exhibition centre outside of China covering an area of 1,500 square metres will be launched in Saudi Arabia. The exhibition centre, which is set to attract 200,000 visitors in the next five years, is being set up by Huawei in collaboration with the Saudi Space Commission. The partnership aligns with Huawei's commitment to corporate social responsibility, developing local talent and actively contributing to the kingdom's digital transformation journey. Advanced technologies Future Space will include advanced technologies including autonomous driving, 3D printing, and brainwave robot control, among other innovations. The first exhibition of its kind in Saudi Arabia, Future Space, will offer speaking opportunities for young innovators. During the launch, Eric Yang, CEO of Huawei Saudi Arabia, said: "We have launched Future Space in Saudi Arabia to support the kingdom achieve its digital ambitions as part of Saudi Arabia's vision 2030. Imagination will determine how far we can go in the future; action will determine how quickly we get there. We believe here at Huawei that the best way to predict the future is to create it." New value Weiqing Chen, Ambassador of China to Saudi Arabia, said: "The firm relations between China and Saudi Arabia have brought immense benefits to both countries. As Saudi Arabia pursues digital transformation as part of its strategic national goals, public/private partnerships between technology companies such as Huawei and public agencies adds new value to the local tech ecosystem. We, therefore, congratulate the Saudi Space Commission on the launch of Future Space and look forward to more success." Dr Mohammed Altamimi, Saudi Space Commission CEO, said: "Future Space is one of the most advanced technology experience centres in the world. We want to expose young people to the most cutting-edge technologies and inspire them to imagine technology in new ways. Partnering with a global technology leader such as Huawei enables us to bring real-world and proven technology solutions that can positively impact society. Digital ecosystem Adnan Alsharqi, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Investment, said: "Building a knowledge-based economy is a key pillar of Vision 2030. Initiatives such as Future Space help enrich our digital ecosystem and attract investment from other digital companies. As a ministry, we are keen to support public and private partnerships that have proven highly successful in accelerating innovation and boosting our talent pipeline." A digital-led future will bring improved quality of life, sustainable and green production, more comfortable living spaces, reduced traffic congestion and pollution in cities, fully green energy, and a wide range of new digital services. Huawei will work with partners to help accelerate this transformation, aligned with its vision and mission of bringing digital to every person, home, and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world.-- TradeArabia News Service RTHK: Indonesian president to meet Putin and Zelensky Indonesian President and G20 chairman Joko Widodo set off on Sunday to Europe where he said he plans to visit Russia and Ukraine and meet with the countries' leaders to urge peace talks. Widodo departed for Germany to attend as a guest for the G7 summit from June 26 to 27, and he will then go to the Ukraine capital Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky. "The mission is to ask... President Zelensky to open a dialogue forum for peace, to build peace because the war has to be stopped," he told a press conference in Jakarta. The two leaders will also discuss the food supply chain "that needs to be reactivated" soon, Widodo said. From Kyiv, Widodo is scheduled to visit Moscow and meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin. The visit to Moscow is planned for June 30, Indonesian authorities said earlier. "With the same mission, I will ask President Putin to open a dialogue and to immediately have a ceasefire and to stop the war," he said. Earlier in April Widodo announced he had called Zelensky and invited him to join world leaders at G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022 as a guest. Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year and has been pressured by Western countries, led by the United States, to exclude Russia from the meeting. Widodo, however, did not rescind the invitation to Russia and said that Putin has expressed his intention to attend the November summit. Indonesia, like most major emerging economies, has tried to maintain a neutral position and has called for a peaceful resolution to the months-long conflict. Widodo refused to send weapons to Ukraine in response to a request from Zelensky, instead offering humanitarian aid. After concluding the European visit, Widodo will head to the United Arab Emirates before returning to Indonesia. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2022-06-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SpaceCast Weekly is a NASA Television broadcast from the Johnson Space Center in Houston featuring stories about NASA's work in human spaceflight. This includes the International Space Station and its crews and scientific research activities, and the development of Orion and the Space Launch System, the next generation American spacecraft being built to take humans farther into space than they've ever gone before. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Bahrains Labour Fund Tamkeen yesterday held meeting with representatives of enterprises who have received support through its recently launched programs to understand their future plans and encourage their growth and expansion. The latest meeting, part of its series of meetings with enterprises, included representatives of enterprises across several sectors, including technology, cybersecurity, jewelry, accounting and auditing, restaurants, and personal services. The recently launched programs were designed to increase productivity and achieve positive impact in the local economy, in line with the national priorities and the economic recovery plan, while also addressing current and potential market changes. This initiative is a part of Tamkeens continuous efforts to communicate with the enterprises of all economic sectors and sizes (micro, small, medium and large) and to understand their future aspirations while also exploring how they can utilise Tamkeens support in a number of areas, including training, investment, and expansion to achieve growth and greater economic impact. Husain Mohamed Rajab, Chief Executive of Tamkeen, met with several enterprises that received support through the recently launched programs, encouraging business owners and entrepreneurs to identify new ideas and market opportunities, shedding light on the most important indicators and growth prospects in several sectors, while also focusing on the optimal utilization of support in order to reach their full potential and remain sustainable. The attendees praised this proactive initiative, stressing the importance of enhancing collaboration opportunities that contribute to achieving strategic goals. Mahmood Al Adraj, Founder of VirtuThinko, thanked Tamkeen led by Husain Mohamed Rajab, for their efforts. He added that such initiatives allow for greater cooperation between all parties, contributing to a greater understanding of the needs of the market, particularly of new entrants, which will help enhance their position. He added: This meeting gave us the opportunity to share our feedback on the human capital and enterprise support programs, while also helping to identify other support opportunities that could contribute to the development and expansion of projects outside the Kingdom. We would like to offer our thanks to Tamkeen for their continuous efforts in supporting entrepreneurship and business, ensuring that enterprises are able to expand and grow their operations locally and internationally. Mahmood Qannati, Founder of Objets DArt, praised Tamkeens transformation initiative, commending the team for their continuous efforts to communicate with enterprises and include them in the development process. He said: I am happy to have participated in Tamkeens meetings with enterprise owners, which highlights how keen Tamkeens management is to learn more about the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, as well as the impact of Tamkeens new support programs to their business plans, and how to contribute to providing further solutions that offer opportunities for the growth, development, and expansion of projects. -TradeArabia News Service His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain has received a letter from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, including an invitation to attend a joint summit between the GCC leaders, Jordanian Monarch, Egyptian President, Iraqi Prime Minister and the US President, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia next month. The letter was handed over to HM the King by Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain, Prince Sultan bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, during a meeting with His Majesty at Sakhir Place today, said a Bahrain News Agency report. HM the King expressed thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the invitation, praising solid historical fraternal relations between the two brotherly countries and peoples. He also lauded the continuous cooperation and coordination at all levels. HM the King commended the efforts of HRH King Salman to further strengthen the Bahraini-Saudi relations and develop joint Gulf projects. He also lauded his efforts to the deepen relations and cooperation between brotherly people as well as promote security, stability and peace in the region. HM the King wished the upcoming summit every success in attaining its goals of preserving regional security and stability, protecting the interests of brotherly countries, serving Arab issues and boosting strategic relations with the US. As many as 190 pilgrims coming Britain arrived yesterday (June 25) in Makkah, representing the first batch of pilgrims from the countries of Europe, America and Australia to perform this year's Hajj season 2022. This batch of pilgrims are registered via the electronic portal motawif.com.sa that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched within its strategy to develop the digital experience for the pilgrims, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The first batch of these pilgrims was received in Makkah by the Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Umrah Affairs, Abdulrahman Shams and a number of officials, who welcomed the pilgrims and offered them Zamzam water, flowers and souvenirs. The European pilgrims expressed their thanks and appreciation to the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH Crown Prince for the efforts they are exerting and the facilities and services they are providing to the pilgrims to perform their Hajj rituals with ease. Al-Hashar Tourism and Travels, a top travel agency in Oman, has entered into a multi-year partnership with travel technology company Amadeus to offer its customers a range of new technology-driven solutions. Muslim Mahmood Mohammad Ahmed, General Manager of Al-Hashar Travel, said: Our customers deserve and expect outstanding services from Al-Hashar. This new partnership with Amadeus will propel the company firmly into a brighter, technologically advanced future of enhanced productivity and customer service, ensuring we remain the leading travel provider in the Sultanate, while improving our efficiency and profitability. Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director, Amadeus Gulf, added: Today, the overall travel dynamic has evolved due to the pandemic. We must adapt to the emerging needs of the travel industry as we seek to renew travel and build it back better than it was before. Sitting at the heart of the travel ecosystem, Amadeus is committed to supporting forward-thinking customers such as Al-Hashar Travel to reconnect with travellers and bring back the joy of travel. By working together, we can get the world traveling again. The solutions being adopted by the Muscat-headquartered firm include the cloud-based Amadeus Selling Platform Connect, a powerful and customizable online booking and fulfilment platform designed to meet Al-Hashars specific needs. Implementing Selling Platform Connect enables Al-Hashars travel counsellors to service travellers around the clock, via any web-connected device. Additionally, Amadeus Master Pricer, a powerful search tool, will assist Al-Hashar staff in sourcing the lowest fares online, while Amadeus Dynamic Travel Documents conveniently collates a travellers complete itinerary into a comprehensive, personalized, and professional travel document. Al-Hashar will now also be able to deliver instant, automated, real-time alerts to customers via SMS or e-mail regarding e-ticket reminders, flight changes, and flight status updates thanks to Amadeus Travel Alerts Notifier. Beaumont added: Our leading-edge travel solutions will help the company optimize performance at every level of the organization and every stage of the booking lifecycle. Amadeus is proudly helping companies like Al-Hashar thrive in the new digital-first travel sector. We enable a rapid, painless transition to new technology which brings a new era of productivity, optimal customer service, and the chance to stand above the competition. TradeArabia News Service Thailand has removed the final restrictions for international travellers from July 1, including the 'Thailand Pass' and $10,000 health insurance requirements to enter the country. Vaccinated travellers will only need to show proof of vaccination to enter. Unvaccinated travellers will still need proof of a negative PCR or professionally administered rapid test taken within 72 hours of arrival. To support the countrys reopening and to give travellers a snapshot of what they have been missing, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has launched the Time for Thailand travel campaign. From street food vendors and spa therapists to Tuk Tuk drivers, the people of Thailand are sending a clear message to guests across the globe that they are ready to welcome them back, an Anantara statement said. TradeArabia News Service Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will resume direct passenger flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing from June 29, becoming the first regular direct international passenger flight to recommence for Beijing, under the latest mandate of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council. The airline will operate a weekly flight on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft in the world. Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group, said: "Etihad Airways is delighted about the resumption of passenger services between Abu Dhabi and Beijing, our second service to resume to China. China has always been an important strategic market for Etihad and the resumption of direct flights between the two capital cities will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the United Arab Emirates. Etihad Airways scheduled service from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai resumed in July 2020 to meet the huge demand of passengers travelling between the UAE and China. -TradeArabia News Service Cape Town, June 26 (UNI) In a mysterious circumstances, 17 people were found dead at the Enyobeni Tavern in East London city of South Africa, media reports said on Sunday. "The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation," BBC quoted a police spokesman telling the Newzroom Africa television channel. "We do not want to make any speculations at this stage," Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said. According to media reports, the victims' relatives are unable to see the bodies. Bodies were lying inside the venue as if they had collapsed on the floor, BBC quotes witnesses telling the Daily Dispatch newspaper. According to Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Nomthetheleli Lilian Mene is at the scene, and she told SABC News: "there was an alleged stamped inside the tavern". Most of the bodies were of young adults aged between 18 and 20, according to Brigadier Kinana, UNI VP RNJ Canada: Stabbing spree leaves one dead, three wounded in Montreal Ottawa, June 26 (UNI) One man was killed and three people were injured in Montreal after they were stabbed by a 26-year-old who had suffered a breakdown, Khaleej Times reported on Sunday. Montreal police said they responded to an emergency call at 6:50 am (1050 GMT) concerning a man in crisis in an apartment in downtown Montreal. According to the police the suspect stabbed with a sharp object his mother and stepfather, then stabbed another person in a neighbouring apartment as well as a doorman who tried to intervene. New Delhi, June 25 (UNI) India on Saturday sent another shipment of wheat, of 3,000 MT, as part of its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. With this, India has completed shipment of 33,500 MT wheat of its promised 50,000 MT wheat to Afghanistan. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said in a tweet: India sent next shipment of 3000 MTs of wheat today to Afghanistan. Our commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people remains steadfast. As on date, India has successfully completed shipment of 33,500 MTs of wheat to Afghanistan in partnership with the World Food Programme. The wheat is being sent via the land route on lorries through Pakistan, and under the UN World Food Programme aegis. UNI RN India provided humanitarian aid beyond Corona pandemic: Food Secretary in Berlin New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, has told ministerial conference on "Uniting for Global Food Security" in Berlin that India continued to provide humanitarian assistance, both through the supply of vaccines as well as food consignments, during and beyond Covid pandemic. During the discussion on Coordinating Action in a Global Alliance for Food Security chaired by Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Pandey emphasized upon Indias role in providing the worlds largest food support system to its countrymen as well as supporting other countries on humanitarian grounds. During the COVID pandemic, at the initiative of Prime Minister of India, we embarked on what can be described as the worlds largest ever food support system to cover nearly 810 million people in India. Even today, more than two years after we began, we still continue to provide food support to these vulnerable people who are equivalent to the population of Europe and the United States combined. To ensure rightful targeting, the whole system was run on a massive technology platform which was biometrically authenticated, Pandey said during the event. New Delhi, June 25 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who leaves tonight for his visit to Germany for the G7 Summit and to the UAE, said while in Germany he will be meeting with members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe who are contributing immensely to their local economies and also helping to enrich India's ties with European nations. His visit to Germany is the second in two months, as he had visited Berlin for the 6th edition of the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) on May 2. The G7 is holding talks on the key topics of Energy transition, economic recovery and transformation, pandemic prevention and control, sustainable investments and infrastructure, and promotion of shared values of democracy. Munich/New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held talks with Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez in Munich on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen commercial and cultural linkages between the two nations. The Prime Ministers Office in a tweet said: Accelerating friendship with Argentina. PM @narendramodi held talks with President @alferdez in Munich. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen commercial and cultural linkages between India and Argentina. India-Argentina multifaceted relations were elevated to strategic partnership in February 2019. India was the fourth largest trading partner of Argentina in 2021, worth USD 5.7 bn. The total investments by several Indian companies with established operations in Argentina is worth over USD one billion. Argentinian investments in India stand at USD 120 mn. Indian culture, yoga, meditation, philosophy, spiritualism, dance and music is widely popular in Argentina. India extends 40-45 ITEC slots to Argentina. Around 2,600 NRIS/PIOs reside in Argentina, including professionals working with Indian and multinational companies. UNI RN Munich/New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Munich earlier on Sunday to an enthusiastic welcome, will address a community programme in the Bavarian capital later today and also hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez and the Minister-President of Bavaria. The PM will attend the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Germany tomorrow. Soon after his arrival, the PM was treated to a musical performance by a Bavarian band at the airport. Many members of the Indian community were present to greet the Prime Minister as he landed and clicked selfies with him and took his autograph. The PM said in tweets: Glimpses from the special welcome in Munich. Landed in Munich to participate in the G-7 Summit. I look forward to fruitful discussions with world leaders during the Summit. The @G7 Summit awaits at Schloss Elmau in Germany, bringing together fellow democracies for deliberations on important global issues impacting humanity. In his departure statement yesterday, the PM said he looks forward to meeting members of the Indian diaspora. His visit to Germany is the second in two months, as he had visited Berlin for the 6th edition of the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) on May 2. The G7 is holding talks on the key topics of Energy transition, economic recovery and transformation, pandemic prevention and control, sustainable investments and infrastructure, and promotion of shared values of democracy. While in Germany, I also look forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe, who are contributing immensely to their local economies as also enriching our relations with European countries, he said. On June 27 , PM Modi is to participate in two sessions along with other partner countries of G7 one on climate energy and health and the second on food security and gender equality. He will also make a brief stopover at UAE on way back on June 28. UNI RN 6254 quit constable re-examination after paper leak 04 Jul 2022 | 12:17 AM Shimla, July 3 (UNI) As many as 6254 candidates remained absent from the Himachal Pradesh Police Constable written re-examination, in which 122 candidates restrained from appearing, who were booked for their involvement in the paper leak case. see more.. Mortal remains of Rakesh Babli confined to flames 04 Jul 2022 | 12:10 AM Hamirpur (HP), July 3 (UNI) The mortal remains of senior BJP leader and Chairman of the state workers welfare board, Rakesh Sharma Babli were confined to flames at a crematorium nearby his village on Sunday. see more.. HP Constable recruitment exam: 18248 candidates appeared in Kangra 04 Jul 2022 | 12:09 AM Dharamshala, July 3 (UNI) Total 18248 candidates appeared on Sunday for the recruitment examination of Police Constable, held at 28 examination centers of Baijnath, Palampur, Nagrota Bagwan and Dharamsala in Kangra district. see more.. HP Police constable recruitment process begins 03 Jul 2022 | 11:53 PM Hamirpur (HP), July 3 (UNI) The process for the recruitment of police constable in the state started once again with the written examination held on Sunday at 81 examination centers set up across the state. see more.. Munich/New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held his first bilateral meeting with Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez in Munich on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen commercial and cultural linkages between the two nations. The PM said in a tweet: Reviewed the full range of the India-Argentina friendship during the very productive meeting with President @alferdez in Munich. Stronger cooperation between our nations will greatly benefit our people." The MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet said: New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that many big feats related to the space sector have been accomplished in the country in the past few years. "Today, when our country is touching the sky of success in so many fields, how can the skies or space remain untouched by it. In the past few years, many big feats related to the space sector have been accomplished," the Prime Minister said in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' address. One of the achievements has been the creation of an agency named the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), an agency promoting new opportunities in the space sector for the private sector of India, Modi said. This beginning has especially attracted the youth of the country, he said. On June 10, the PM had inaugurated the headquarters of IN-SPACe in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. "A few days ago, when I had gone to dedicate to the people the headquarters of IN-SPACe, I saw the ideas and enthusiasm of many young start-ups," he said. The PM further said, "Till a few years ago, in our country, in the space sector, no one even thought about start-ups. Today, their number is more than a hundred. All these start-ups are working on ideas, which were either not thought about earlier, or were considered impossible for the private sector." Citing Chennai and Hyderabad based start-ups Agnikul and Skyroot, Modi said, " These start-ups are developing launch vehicles that will take small payloads into space. Through this, the cost of Space launching is estimated to come down significantly. " Similarly, Dhruva space, another start-up of Hyderabad, is working on high technology solar panels for satellite deployer and satellites, he added. Recalling his meeting with Tanveer Ahmed of Digantara, another space start-up which is trying to map waste in space, Modi said he gave him a challenge that they should evolve work technology, which can solve the problem of waste in space. Both Digantara and Dhruva space are going to make their first launch from ISRO's launch vehicle on the June 30, he informed. The PM also said he met Neha, founder of Astrome, a space start-up based in Bangalore, which is also working on an amazing idea. He further said the space sector was like a secret mission a few years ago, but the country undertook space reforms, and the youth were now launching their own satellites. UNI DS RJ By Trend Azerbaijans Baku continues implementation of projects within framework of public-private partnership, Baku Transport Agency (BNA) told Trend. The provision of quality public transport services to citizens is in constant focus in Azerbaijan. Consistent measures have been taken, in recent years, to modernize the bus fleet of Baku, in accordance with instructions of President of Azerbaijan Republic. Public transport infrastructure is also being updated with introduction of new technologies and innovations. Work continues on installation of smart pavilions for bus stops in Baku. This process is carried out with the joint support of Baku Transport Agency (BNA) under the leadership of the head of the Baku City Executive Power and Azerbaijans Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA). According to BNA, the project, implemented within the framework of a public-private partnership, is fully funded and managed by private sector. The aim of project is to increase functionality and innovativeness of bus stops, to expand usage of public-private cooperation model in the sphere of public transport infrastructure management. Locally produced smart stops have many benefits. The pavilion has an air conditioning (cooling) system, also surveillance cameras and monitors. Lighting and power supply in smart stops will be partially provided by solar panels. Products such as coffee, tea, water, etc. will be sold in smart stops. Another similar bus stop appeared on Huseynbala Aliyev street (in Baku), not far from the Memar Ajami metro station. Buses of three regular routes pass from here. This smart stop was also named Memar Ajami. It is planned to install 100 smart stops in Baku over next two years. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan and Qatar have discussed possibilities of expanding trade and investment cooperation, Azernews reports. The discussion took place during the meeting between representatives of Azerbaijan's Export and Investment Promotion Foundation and Qatar's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, held in Doha. During the meeting, the parties also discussed the development of business relations between the business communities of the two countries. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Qatar. Azerbaijan and Qatar are cooperating in various fields of economy, politics, and other spheres since September 1994. The trade turnover between the two countries totalled $1.6 million in 2021. Qatar was also one of the first countries to express support for Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity amid bloody clashes going in and around Karabakh from late September to early November in 2020. En la Presidencia del Consejo de Ministros, los viceministros de la PCM, @MEF_Peru y @MTC_GobPeru se reunen con dirigentes y representantes de gremios de transportistas de carga pesada para evaluar medidas de atencion a sus demandas y establecer consensos. pic.twitter.com/2mrk0jiKNO A US Navy destroyer that sunk during World War II has been discovered nearly 7,000m below sea level off the Philippines, making it the worlds deepest shipwreck ever located. An exploration team from the Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic and EYOS Expedition found the wreck during a series of dives over eight days this month. The team was looking for two ships that had sunk during Second World War battles. Divers found the shipwreck of the USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B Roberts (DE-413), also known as the Sammy B, at a depth of around 6,895 metres in the Philippines Sea on 22 June. The ship was found split in half and lodged on a slope at the sea floor. The images taken by the American team show the ships pilothouse and three-tube torpedo launcher. Sammy B went down during a battle near the central island of Samar on 25 October 1944, in which the US Navy defeated the Japanese fleet to break occupation of the Philippines, which was then a US colony. The ship fought ferociously even though she was completely outclassed by the Japanese battleships and heavy cruisers she went up against, Victor Vescovo, an explorer who found the wreck and has previously completed expeditions to the worlds deepest points, told CNN. The heroism of her captain and crew is legendary in the Navy, and it was a great honor to find her final resting place, Mr Vescovo said. I think it helps bring closure to the story of the ship, for the families of those who were lost and those who served on her. I think that having a ship vanish into the depths, never to be seen again, can leave those affiliated with the ship feeling a sense of emptiness. Previously, the deepest wreck ever identified and surveyed was the USS Johnston, found last year at a depth of 6,469 metres. Auburn police are searching for suspects in a shooting that critically injured an employee of an Auburn bar and restaurant early Sunday morning. Police said the incident took place around 2:38 a.m. outside of Lavish Lounge Bar & Restaurant at 288 Genesee St. An employee of the establishment, a woman in her 20s who was not involved in the fighting that led to the shooting, was found just outside the Lavish Lounge entrance and taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse with two gunshot wounds in the torso. Auburn police said their investigation has determined that at least two groups were fighting when two Black men began shooting at each other and the employee was struck. Police believe one of the shooters may have also been injured. Police described one of the shooters as a light-skin Black male with short dreadlocks and a full beard. He was wearing a black hat with a Chicago White Sox logo, a black hoodie with a Chicago logo, black jeans and white sneakers. Police said they believe the suspects are from the Geneva/Waterloo area. As of around 9:45 a.m., the victim was in critical but stable condition after emergency surgery. Auburn police are asking anyone with additional information about the incident to contact them, especially anyone who was at Lavish Lounge during the incident. Tips can be made by contacting Investigator Charles Augello at (315) 258-9880 or crauguello@auburnny.gov, calling the department's main phone line at (315) 253-3231 or emailing communitywatch@auburnny.gov. Callers can be anonymous. The shooting was the second outside an Auburn bar in about three months. John Wesley Smith III, 37, of Syracuse, was discovered dead of a gunshot wound in front of Swifty's Tavern on Perrine Street around 1:40 a.m. March 15. Shameek M. Copes, 28, of 1 Jefferson St., Apt. 1, Auburn, who had been identified as the suspect in Smith's death, pleaded not guilty to counts of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon during arraignment at Cayuga County Court May 27. Love 0 Funny 4 Wow 2 Sad 13 Angry 45 America's deep divisions certainly showed themselves last week, with a pair of major U.S. Supreme Court rulings reversing decades-old established law on abortion and firearms, along with the congressional Jan. 6 select committee hearings. With anger visible at protests and counter-protests, on social media and in front of television cameras, it's easy to believe that elected leaders in the United States, particularly at the federal government level, will never find a way to try to fix some of the country's biggest problems. But in a story that in a different week probably would have generated much more national attention, we find hope. And we encourage others to see it in a similar way and demand that our leaders deliver more of the same. The story was the first major gun violence reduction legislation in 30 years, which was passed with bipartisan support by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the president on Saturday. The law has critics from both sides of the aisle. We agree with many, even some who voted for the bill, who said more work remains, but that this breakthrough law represents a step forward that's been badly needed for three decades. Among the Republicans with the wisdom to support this bill was central New York's U.S. Rep. John Katko. Ahead of his vote, he issued a statement that included this important insight: "In recent days, I have been honored to have the opportunity to discuss many of these priorities with my Republican and Democrat colleagues in the Senate, and I applaud their work to deliver sensible and bipartisan legislation that will make a real difference in protecting communities in Central New York and across the country. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act sends a clear message that Congress can work together to keep Americans safe." Biden signs landmark gun measure, says 'lives will be saved' WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimag Indeed, there are enough reasonable members of Congress, and a president in the White House ready to support them, to make real progress on gun violence. They've also shown it with infrastructure investments. But there's no question that we need much more of this approach, and much less of the win-at-all-costs strategy, to make this nation stronger for everyone. The Citizen Editorial board includes president and director of local sales and marketing Michelle Bowers, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 6 Solis Yanmar plans to launch three new tractors in the sub-30 hp power category, claimed the company. The company informed that it will expand the compact tractor range. This announcement comes after it successfully launched the 75-hp CRDi tractor range. The company also claimed in a release on Sunday that it has become the top brand in exporting tractors from India to Turkey. It also claims to have a leadership position in 12 European countries in key segments. (Also Read: Mahindra Scorpio-N to Toyota Hyryder: 3 new SUVs to make India debut next week) Speaking about the plan, Raman Mittal, Joint Managing Director, Solis Yanmar, said that the company has already sold more than 5,000 units of tractors in Turkey. Also, he claimed that Solis Yanmar is the fastest growing tractor brand in Turkey while strongly holding the top spot in the tractor exports brand position. "The Turkish market has a huge demand for tractors between 30-90 HP making our Solis 50 & Solis 90 to be the star products for us. Our S26 model has 88% market share in calendar year of 2021 and overall we have captured 8% market share in Turkey. We also recently unveiled the 75 HP CRDi tractor in the Izmir & Konya National fairs held in February & March 2022 respectively which was much appreciated. We are now expanding our compact tractor range in up to 30 HP with launch of 3 new models with Japanese technologies to address the niche segment and take Turkish tractor market by a storm," he further added. FOLLOW US:Stay Updated with latest content - Subscribe us on FOLLOW US:Stay Updated with latest content - Subscribe us on First Published Date: Forest closures during fire season are a big lift for the Forest Service, and one that the public increasingly demands in the wake of catastrophic wildfire. As a majority of wildfires are human-caused, it seems to follow reason that to prevent forest fires, keep humans out of the forest. Easy, right? But forest closures arent as simple as they may seem. The Forest Service is a big boat to turn a massive federal agency that is bound by law to adhere to formal processes aimed at ensuring consistent application of science and public buy-in. To better understand how and why a forest gets closed, the Arizona Daily Sun sat down with Forest Service leadership from the Coconino National Forest (CNF) to get the inside perspective on forest closures. Starting the conversation For the CNF, the conversations that lead up to potential forest closures begin each year on April 1 (sometimes earlier if its been a dry winter), as this is generally considered the start of fire season. Every Monday at 1 p.m., representatives throughout the northern Arizona emergency response zone, which includes the Kaibab and Coconino National Forests as well the Navajo, Hopi and Hualapai reservations, get on a call to discuss fire conditions in their area. This weekly call is massive, explained CNF fire staff officer James Pettit. Not only does it include Forest Service officials, county, municipal and tribal governments, it also includes emergency response agencies like police departments, utility companies like Arizona Public Service, cooperating agencies like the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and even other land managing agencies from adjacent emergency response zones. Weve got a lot of partners that really need to be in the know on this, Pettit said. But the real work starts throughout the week. Prior to these Monday calls, Pettit spends a lot of time communicating with his peers on other forest throughout Arizona. When it comes to implementing fires restrictions and forest closures, the forests need to be closely aligned, he said. If not, one forests actions can cause ripple effects elsewhere in the state. If we restrict recreational access on this forest, those recreationalists will likely go to another forest thats open, Pettit said. We dont want to cause downstream effects to other land management agencies. The science behind fire risk The days leading up to these Monday calls also include a significant amount of science. Every Sunday night before the call, the Forest Service runs the numbers on a various data points, or indices, that help them determine current fire risk on the forest. These indices are crucial to the conversation, Pettit said, as they account for an objective piece of a very complicated and sometimes emotional process. Weve got to make decisions that are oftentimes unpopular, Pettit said, and we understand that. Thats why we try to anchor into the science. Enter CNF fire planner Sean Henning. My job revolves around what we call the fire danger operating plan, Henning said. This plan is a document that consolidates data from remote access weather stations spread throughout the region from Flagstaff to the Mogollon Rim, Prescott National Forest, Sedona, Camp Verde, Williams and more. These stations are set up specifically for fire weather indices, said Henning, and these indices are many. First, theres the energy release component, which describes the amount of energy that might be found at the flaming front of a fire. This index is driven by measurements of moisture in larger fuels and temperature dry fuels and high temperatures increase the potential for energy release. The energy release component is a measurement that changes slowly each season and is relatively stable compared to the more volatile burning index. This index is largely focused on evaluating potential flame length, which is often driven by winds that can shift day to day. Like we saw on the Tunnel Fire, and like we saw in those first few days of the Pipeline, there was a lot of wind going through there, Henning said. So that burning index is pretty high. Burning index often informs initial attack, Henning said, as more aggressive, high burning index fires warrant a more robust response. Then theres ignition component, which describes how likely a spark or ember is to ignite a full-fledged forest fire. This component is determined by measurements taken from fuel moisture sticks that evaluate moisture in fine fuels, temperature and relative humidity in the air. Theres also the spread component, which rates the potential forward progress of a fire. This index is determined through evaluating fuel beds, the effects of wind and surrounding topography. Topography is a big one, Henning said, as the shape of a landscape impacts both a fires ability to spread and a crews ability to respond. The general idea is that fire burns uphill faster, Henning said. But places with step uphill terrain, like mountains and canyons, can also create inaccessible and dangerous conditions for firefighters. If a fire is spreading toward firefighters in steep terrain, we're going to have to back out of the way, explained CNF public information officer Brady Smith. So topography limits where and when we can put resources. These scientific components give some grounded data in evaluating fire risk, but theyre also a moving target, Henning said. Like most science, this is continually evolving, he said. A changing climate, prolonged drought, and increasing average temperatures are at the forefront of everyones mind. In Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University and the Ecological Restoration Institute are an important resource for cutting-edge science. We try to stay active and engaged with them and work with any current science or numbers that they're releasing, Henning said. Science into criteria Once the Forest Service has run the numbers on the science behind fire risk, they take this data and plug it into a set of criteria that have been agreed upon by all the Forest Service partners in northern Arizona the same folks that sit in on the Monday call. These criteria make up something of a checklist that becomes the basis for evaluating the need for fire restrictions or forest closures. The first of these criteria is the seven-day moderate risk based on weather forecasts from the Predictive Services office in Albuquerque. If theres significant fire weather in the forecast, this criterion is met. Then theres the question of whether the monsoons are active or not. Also on the checklist are questions of an existing fuels problem, the presence of values-at-risk, potential wind events, and current stage effectiveness. This last one simply asks whether the public is abiding by current restrictions. A report on current stage effectiveness is generated by the Forest Services law enforcement wing, and includes things like detection of human-started fires, illegal campfires, and other violations of fire restrictions. One of the more important criteria for evaluation is what Pettit called the regional planning level. This criterion characterizes whether the Forest Service, given current conditions and regional availability of firefighters and fire crews, is adequately resourced to suppress a fire. During fire season, when multiple fires are burning across the West, its common for those resources to be drained. Pettit said he looks at the availability of adequate resources first when it comes to making a recommendation about fire restrictions or forest closures. We're fortunate in this region that we're kind of the region that goes first in the nation, Pettit said. This means that when the Southwest enters its fire season in early spring, land managers are more likely to have adequate resources available because other regions like the Great Basin and Northern Rockies havent entered their season and wont until later in the year. The Tunnel and Pipeline Fires, because of their difficult topography and wind-driven speed, represented exceptionally challenging anomalies on the forest. Bad days, Pettit said. Most of the rest of the forest is primarily flat, he said. I will sing the praises of what's been done on this forest in the last 15 years in terms of fire management, prescribed burning, and lot of mechanical thinning. In a lot of places, we're in great shape. Even on those really bad days, I feel pretty confident that we can catch most fires. Escalating restrictions Once all these criteria are evaluated and discussed across the Forest Service and their numerous partners, then comes the opportunity to make recommendations for restrictions. Officers like Pettit send their recommendations up the chain to people like Laura Jo West, forest supervisor for the CNF. She takes these recommendations to other forest supervisors in the region, and together they make the call to progress through restrictions and closures. For stage one fire restrictions, which Pettit said basically eliminates campfires outside of developed campgrounds, the call can be made at the local level. Stage two restrictions must be enacted in consultation with the Forest Service regional office that oversees all the Southwest. To move to stage two, the CNF has to submit a package of documents that summarizes everything from the science behind recommended restrictions to the potential civil rights impacts of moving forward with restrictions. The package must also summarize the varying levels of support from affected partners: those on the Monday calls as well as others, like permitted ranchers that graze cattle on forest land. It's over 110 different people that we have to talk to, to do something like this, Pettit said. For stage three restrictions full forest closure the CNF has to consult with the regional and Washington D.C. offices of the Forest Service. That just happened this year, West said, as a result of Forest Service officials in New Mexico closing the forest after the Hermits Peak / Calf Canyon Fire the largest fire complex in New Mexico history that began when a prescribed burn got out of Forest Service control due to miscalculations and underestimations of dry conditions. After a New Mexico senator decried the closing of the forest, the regional Washington office wanted to review and approve any forestwide closures this season, just to make sure there was an awareness across the board across the agency of the criteria being used, the assessment of risk, West said. This oversight is not the only way the Washington Forest Service office has enacted closer controls on the regional and local level this year; they also placed a 90-day nationwide moratorium on prescribed burns. When it comes to this level of involvement the Washington office has in local Forest Service affairs, that's just the nature of any large agency that has different constituents at different levels of the organization, West said. Because full closures require consultation with the Washington office, specific area closures which only require regional consultation are sometimes the preferred route. They have other advantages as well, West said. First, they can target potential problem areas while leaving other areas open to fire management and restoration projects. When a forest is closed, even the Forest Service and its industry partners have to stay out. When we're enforcing a forest closure, were not able to accomplish all the important restoration work, West said. Second, full closures are tremendously costly. With a closure order comes the need to rent thousands of barricades, put up signage, and get troops lined up to write tickets and apprehend violators. The Forest Service is also responsible for offering closure exemptions to parties that must retain forest access. Its a huge, huge workload, West said, that cant be circumvented because there's no point in putting a closure in effect if we can't be effective in actually implementing it. All of this makes full closures a last resort. It takes time Whether advancing a restriction or enforcing a closure, the bureaucratic behemoth that is a federal agency like the Forest Service moves slowly almost by definition. Progressing through the above process takes time. It takes at least seven days from the time we think we need to go into closure to when we can actually affect any kind of closure or restrictions, West said. Probably more like 10 days. To Pettit, that time is necessary to dig into the facts and make sure that the science is straight before making such an impactful call. That may be particularly important as climate change continues to alter the landscape. We can't make the same assumptions about how fire behaves now that we did in the past, West said. This year, despite the aggressive and wind-driven Tunnel and Pipeline fires, the science and process outlined above did not support a full forest closure on the CNF. We didn't really hit the mark on our indices or other criteria for full force closure, West said. We just didn't. She understands that appeals to the slow shifts in science and bureaucratic protocol are often unsatisfying to a public where fire has destroyed dozens of homes and threatened thousands more. There's been a lot of trauma and loss in his community, West said. And I don't blame people for reacting the way they do, and for being angry with us that we didn't go into full force closure. She asks the public to remember that employees of the Forest Service live here too. We're all human beings doing the best we can with the best information we have, from science to experience, to professional judgment to an empathy for what our community is going through, West said. We're just making the best calls we know how to make for the benefit of everybody. Improving the process The process of implementing fire restrictions and forest closures is, for better or for worse, slow and extremely involved. There is no flipping a switch or making gut calls. The way the federal agency is set up, all actions must be data-driven, bureaucratically approved, and built on a dizzying level of consensus from public and private interests. The question is, in an era of climate change, where endless drought, tinderbox conditions and extreme weather anomalies have rapidly become the norm, can science and the bureaucratic processes change quickly enough to keep pace? There is opportunity, West said, to make sure our science is keeping abreast of the cumulative impacts of extended drought. But it remains unanswered whether the science will prove aggressive enough. Our new reality is that fire behavior is changing, West said, how do we best stay ahead of that? She wonders if the conditions of the world have changed so much as to necessitate new indices, new criteria, or different applications of the existing science. But thats bigger than just the Coconino, she said. That is a global set of questions there. Sean Golightly can be reached at sgolightly@azdailysun.com Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 4 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The digital age allows new opportunities to arise in every industry. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed remote and online efforts even further. In 2022, businesses rely almost entirely on the use of technology and this new set of standards is also true in the book publishing industry. Traditionally, authors had to go through publishing houses in order to get their books printed, disbursed and promoted, but that is no longer the case. Self-publishing has gained such popularity in recent years that Amazon's market share of self-published print books in the US increased from 6% in 2007 to 92% in 2018. For those wanting to learn more about self-publishing during its golden age, Diane Phelps Budden is teaching a Continuing Education course at Northern Arizona University's Flagstaff campus titled Steps to Getting Your Self Published Book into Print. Brenda Sipe, director of NAUs Continuing Education program, works hard to curate classes that the community can benefit from. Sipe helped begin the Continuing Education program at NAU in 2020, a program focused on providing the community with non-credit classes that will help further their education, whether they are currently enrolled in NAU or havent been to school in many years. Continuing Education is a new program, Sipe said. Within my role, Im offering programs to the community for non-credit, as well as to professionals. We do have a number of professional programs, enrichment programs and youth programs. Those are really the three audiences were focusing on. Professional courses are often career based and can sometimes offer students a certification that will aid them in their career paths. Enrichment programs offer a wide range of skills from beer brewing to comedy film analysis. Youth programs, like this summers Young Authors or Olympian Myths camp, focus on providing education and enrichment opportunities for kids and teens. Classes are taught in-person, online or even at the NAU North Valley location in Phoenix. Buddens self-publishing class is all about teaching authors how they can publish and print their books on their own terms. Budden released her authors guide The Authors Concise Guide to Marketing: How to Jumpstart Sales of Your Self-published Book in 2011, and has been teaching these skills, among others, in workshops and courses ever since. With a marketing and authoring background, Budden is able to combine these skills in order to help students create their own marketing plans, according to Sipe. The time spent marketing should actually be more than the time spent writing, Sipe said. A lot of writers dont like to hear that because they love their book and they just know everyone will want to read it, but she stresses that they have to spend a lot of time marketing. Along with the decisions around publishing. Whether they want an agent, a specialty publisher, whether they want to print or they just want an E-Book. These are just a few of the decisions that go into it. This course discusses essential marketing materials, including book descriptions, cover copy, bios, social media content and events. In this course, Budden will help students begin their marketing plan by finding their audience, so when the class is over, they will know exactly how to move forward. Shell talk to them a lot about audience, Sipe said. Really deciding, while they are still writing the book who their target audience is and who they are trying to sell it to. In marketing thats a really important thing to know before you try to sell anything: who is your audience and how are you going to reach them? Sipe said it is important to note that this is not a writing course and that those interested in enrolling should have a pretty good idea of where their book is headed, or have a novel already completed. She also wants students and those interested in self-publishing to understand the ever-changing market and how the pandemic has changed everything. Self-publishing is the easiest way for people to get their work into print, Sipe said. However, the self-publishing market is changing rapidly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She will discuss in the class how the industry has changed. The industry is in flux so while self-publishing is popular and a lot of people are doing it, there are changes in the industry that people should be aware of. Experience marketing professional and author Diane Phelps Budden is teaching a self-publishing course on NAUs Flagstaff campus this summer. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams completed their Soil Burn Severity (SBS) map of the Pipeline Fire on Friday, providing crucial data for calculations of post-fire flood risk and estimations of long term recovery. Overall, the BAER team assessing the Pipeline Fire determined that within the fire boundary, approximately 15,004 acres (56%) have low soil burn severity, 9,141 acres (34%) sustained moderate severity and 1,315 acres (5%) were identified as having high severity. Only 1,310 acres (1%) of the area within the fire boundary are unburned. The distribution of the varying severities in the SBS maps showed that moderate and high severity burning was more concentrated at the heel of the fire in steep slope areas, wooded areas that had not been previously burned or thinned. SBS map data has been provided to city and county partners so that they can produce flood models that should be completed within the coming week. Public information officer Dick Fleishman led the Arizona Daily Sun behind the fire line of Friday to see the effects of the Pipeline Fire firsthand. Traveling up Schultz Pass road to the Sunset Trailhead, Fleishman guided us into Weatherford Canyon through a mix of moderately and severely burned areas. Immediately, it was clear how effective firefighting efforts had been at keeping the fire north of Forest Road 743. Pinkish stains of fire retardant waited just beyond a burn scar that stopped dead it in its tracks at the clearing made for the underground pipeline. No fuel, Fleishman said in explanation of the fires sudden stop. Or at least not enough. Just north of the road, the effectiveness of preventive thinning was also displayed. To the west of the trail, low-density ponderosa stands thinned from the Orion timber sale stood with green needles in their crowns. You can see, the fire definitely stayed below the canopy, Fleishman said. These trees will probably make it. But just on other side of the trail, all that remained were tightly packed black sticks where the fire lethally burned through the dense forest. Treated, Fleishman gestured to the green-needled ponderosas, then waved back to the completely burned stand. And untreated. This trend was thematic across the Pipeline Fire, Fleishman said, where most severe were the new burns in areas that were both untreated and unburned from previous fires like the 2010 Schultz Fire. The Pipeline Fire burned into the Schultz Fire scar in places, and while this re-burn definitely set back recovery of the areas, it's probably not as dire of a situation as it was immediately post-Schultz Fire, he said. Part of the reason for that is the Schultz Fire was 80-85% high severity, Fleishman said, and caused significant soil damage because there was plenty of fuel to keep the fire burning long and hot. When the Pipeline Fire came along, it flashed through on fine fuels such as grasses that had regrown since 2010, resulting in a lesser soil burn severity. The full impact of re-burns is not completely understood, but from what Fleishman explained, an area that burns severely once is not as likely to burn severely again. Ecosystem type also accounted for burn severity differences in the Pipeline Fire. Much of the more severe stand replacing burns occurred in mixed conifer areas characterized by the presence of fir and spruce trees. These burns might seem catastrophic, but Fleishman rejected the term. This is exactly how its supposed to burn, he said. For spruce and fir the natural fire return interval is every 200 to 400 years, and its natural fire regime is stand replacing. After a spruce/fir stand is burned down, aspen is the primary successional species, that takes over and rehabilitates the landscape so that spruce and fir can grow once more. Its a natural cycle that has defined the area for millennia and produced iconic areas like the aspen groves of Inner Basin. One persons catastrophic is another persons beautiful, Fleishman said. Deeper into Weatherford Canyon, we got to see what moderate and severe burn really looks like. Fleishman warned the crew to look up and down. Overhead loomed the threat of falling, burned out hazard trees, sometimes called widowmakers. Underfoot, stump holes where the fire had burned through a tree stump and root system were the primary risk. Fleishman said they were notorious for hollowing the surrounding earth to the point that a single step could collapse the crust and swallow unsuspecting ankles in pockets of burning ash. Dont stand anywhere near them, he said. Kneeling in the ash, BAER team lead Eric Schroder demonstrated the process by which BAER teams evaluate soil burn severity. It begins with satellite imagery, Schroder explained, which use before and after comparisons of the ground reflectance to estimate how badly a fire damaged an area. Then, crews go in and ground-truth these estimations observationally and through soil tests. My first observation here is for ground cover, Schroder said, looking at an area deemed moderate severity. Where once would have been a forest floor covered in duff and pine needles, there was now a layer of black, shining char. Charred but not consumed, Schroder said. Then he pointed up, where browned needles lingered, ready to fall from their black branches. They represented a tremendous potential for ground cover replacement through needle cast, he said. The final observation that affirmed the area as moderate and not severe came from the soil. Schroder whipped out a rusted pocket knife and scraped at the coal-black soil. What I'm seeing is an eighth to a quarter-inch of heat impacted soil on the surface, Schroder said, examining a palm full of soil. We're seeing some of the organic content of the soil has been consumed a loss of soil structure, fine roots have been burned out. He scraped a little deeper. The soil turned from a glossy black to a dull clay color. Little hair-like roots were visible in the granular structure. Moderate soil burn severity does mean that you can have some minimal fire impacts on soil, Schroder said. And that appears to be the case here. Had the area been more severely burned, the soil impacts would have been deeper, going down a half-inch or more. Taking out a water bottle with an angled spout, Schroder then demonstrated why soil damage is a problem. He delicately squirted water onto the burned soil and watched as it beaded up into a clear globe. This, he said, showed how burned soil creates a hydrophobic water repellent layer. What happens is with the consumption of materials at soil surface, there's organic gases that condense on the surface of the soil particles, he said. You might call it a waxy coating of sorts. So there's less infiltration of water into the soil. Thats just one factor that can increase the post-wildfire runoff. In Fleishmans words, these waxy coatings in severely burned soils make the soil go from a sponge to a roof. Post-fire flooding remains a concern for the Flagstaff community, one that will be understood in greater detail thanks to SBS analysis. When we continued up the trail, Fleishman pointed out dark, undulating patterns like creeping mold in the burned earth. Thats water, he said. Its already starting to pool and move from the rain we got. Fleishman estimated that recent storms dropped about 0.12 inches of rain on the area. Thats not even a hard rain, he said. This is evidence of what we can expect. Further on we came to a severely burned area. The signs of extreme heat were staggering. Rocks had spalled, cracked and shattered as if in a furnace. The fine, black and gray ash was crisscrossed with reddish lines. These were scars left where downed logs burned to complete consumption, Fleishman said, and the phrase left little to be desired. Complete was correct there was no sign of a fallen tree beyond the red shadow of deeply burned earth. In the middle of this severely burned area was an aspen grove across a gully from a decimated stand of mixed conifers. The aspens were charred around their bases, leaves long gone. When the fire came through, the winds had the flames laying over like this, Fleishman flattened his hand. These aspens were taking all the heat from this stand. Aspens don't readily burn compared to spruce and fir, and are considered a natural fire barrier. This grove showed precisely why. A hundred yards back was a small oasis protected from the hellfire, green leaves visible in the heart of the grove. You can see ferns on the ground, Fleishman said, pointing through the white trunks. In some cases, aspen sprouts can be seen mere days after a fire passes through, Fleishman said. While that was not the case in Weatherford Canyon, Fleishman isnt concerned. Every fire Ive ever been on, Ive seen aspen come back, he said. Sean Golightly can be reached at sgolightly@azdailysun.com Love 4 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 3 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. From the outset, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has been marred by political motives and malfeasance, making it unlikely that the vast majority of Americans will have confidence in the committees ultimate findings. In fact, before the hearings even began, the committee was tinged by partisan politics when Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied protocol and refused to seat two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys picks for the committee Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio and instead chose Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming. While Banks and Jordan would have added a semblance of balance and credibility to the nine-person committee (which consists of seven Democrats and two Republicans), Pelosi nixed both and replaced them with two of the most anti-Trump Republicans in Congress. Instead of getting to the bottom of what occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, the committee is interested only in scoring political points with the public and deterring Trump from potentially running for the presidency in 2024. For instance, why is the committee ignoring that President Donald Trump approved the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to the U.S. Capitol in the days leading up to Jan. 6? Why is the committee not questioning Pelosi and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser about why they did not increase security at the Capitol in the days before Jan. 6 after they were briefed that viable security threats existed? Why is the committee overlooking the single death that occurred that day during the so-called insurrection? On Jan. 6, a Capitol Hill police officer killed Ashli Babbitt at point-blank range, even though she posed no immediate threat and was unarmed at the time of her death. Why does the committee seem disinterested in the fact that Capitol Hill police officers allowed hundreds of so-called insurrectionists to enter the Capitol during the chaos that ensued after the initial breach? And why is the committee not investigating the pipe bombs found at the Republican National Committee headquarters and the Democratic National Committee headquarters the night before Jan. 6? Perhaps the reason the committee is ignoring these questions is that the committee is not interested in finding the full, unvarnished truth about what happened on Jan. 6. Perhaps the committee is solely interested in using the pomp and pageantry of its seven hearings to distract the American public from the awful economy and all the other problems Americans believe are far worthier of congressional hearings and actions. And perhaps the committee is well-aware that the midterm elections are expected to result in an overwhelming red wave, so they are doing everything they can to tar and feather their political opponents before they lose control of Congress. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is a crass political endeavor that is unlikely to resonate with the majority of the American people, who know that Jan. 6 was a stain on the country that could have been avoided in the first place but is now being used for political gamesmanship on behalf of congressional Democrats. Chris Talgo is senior editor at The Heartland Institute. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 This first-hand account by Larry Hendricks also ran in the Arizona Daily Sun's 99 Things to do in Northern Arizona special publication. I lean back against a log and listen to the ponderosas tell stories to the land. The stellar jays and crows share secrets in a language I want to understand. I count flower petals and pine needles that bounce on the breeze. The dog pants and laps cool water from my hand. I am here, at lease, and my worries burn away like morning fog. Old friends of mine, the sections of the Arizona Trail that approach and pass through Flagstaff carry with them a yearning to, one day, hike the entire 790 miles from one end of the state to the other. My dream, like many hikers, is to trudge the whole trail before Im too old to get it done. Some hikers decide to hike the entire trail in one go, taking more than a month to do so. Other hikers like to attack the trail piecemeal, bit by bit. Some hikers, like my good friend Bob Reynolds, schedule larger sections. His plan is to cover about 180 miles over the course of 10 days. In between spring storms, I decided recently to start out from the Marshall Lake side and see what the trail offered. Its not my usual fare. The section I regularly step onto are the sections between Walnut Canyon National Monument and Fisher Point to the south of the city. On that section are signs that cite the distance to Marshall Lake, and, over the years, Ive considered hiking out that far, but have yet to do it. Berta the herd dog is my regular hiking buddy, and she joined me for this bit of the Arizona Trail. My heart beats big for her when she stretches full stride across fields of rabbit brush and wild grass. Squirrels, rabbits and birds beware. Her eyes, blazing, tell a tale of the present moment. Toothy smile, flapping tongue and heaving lungs her joy reminds me to sit content. Big sky prevails when a hiker heads up Anderson Mesa to find the trailhead near Marshall Lake. The Peaks, in their full dominance of the landscape, pose themselves to the rear of the scene to offer a bit of humility to the rest of the beauty present. Weekend campers dot sites along the road and near the trailhead. The trailhead is marked with an iron sign that gives all hikers their first glimpse at a goal they didnt even know theyd want to have: Maybe I could, one day, take this trail from beginning to end. The trail starts off with typical Anderson Mesa views of wide spaces in between the pine and juniper, with the peaks teasing a view between breaks in the trees. Prints of elk, deer and pronghorn fill the soft soil and leave solid evidence of their passing. Less than a mile in, the trail drops into the hilly ravines and drainages for the Lake Mary basin. The air become quiet. Long stretches of time spread blankets of silence from the human story. Berta and I can sit and listen for the sounds of humans and not find any. Such an absence is rare in this world, and I enjoy them when I find them. Here, the sound of nature gets interrupted by human sounds with the occasional drone of an airplane, but those, too, pass, and the hiker is left with that beautiful sound of birds, wind in trees, the metronome crunch of boots on the trail that magical hum of the universe that calms a soul of the concerns of modern life. The 6-mile section from Marshall Lake to Fisher Point would typically take me more than two and a half hours one way, so I decided to cut the journey in half for an out-and-back hump of three hours. The views of the landscape on the edge of the mesa descending into Sandys Canyon on the way to Walnut Canyon and, eventually, Fisher Point, are magnificent and easily accessed from the Sandys Canyon trailhead without all the work of making it to Marshall Lake unless one seeks a visual reward for a hearty haul. On the way, signs of spring revealed themselves with buds of new growth and yellow and white petals of flowering brilliance. On this hike, the green seemed greener and the browns dug deeper into the pool of vivid reflection. Memories of spring ready a soul for release from winters cold embrace. And an old friend reminds me that time continues to pass, Im not getting any younger, and before the last bell has rung, I should hike down a trail that fills my dreams of living fully and leaving nothing on the table when the last breath dissolves into the song of eternity. Happy Hiking! If you go... What: The Arizona Trail section between Marshall Lake and Fisher Point Distance: 6 miles one way, with minimal elevation change Difficulty: Moderate (because of the distance) Directions: Take Lake Mary Road to the Forest Road 128 turnoff near the Upper Lake Mary dam. The Forest Road turns to dirt but is navigable with most vehicles. The trailhead is a little more than 2 miles from the turnoff. Info: https://aztrail.org, or https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55060 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55060. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By Trend Chief Adviser to the President of Turkiye Yalcin Topcu congratulated Azerbaijan on June 26 - Day of the Armed Forces, Trend reports. "Congratulations to the victorious army of Azerbaijan on June 26 - Armed Forces Day. We support the peaceful steps of Azerbaijan and Armenia and continue to strengthen our solidarity in all areas for the security and well-being of the region," noted the chief adviser to the President of Turkiye during a teleconference. WASHINGTON The business world is divided over whether the Securities and Exchange Commission should require emissions data from corporations suppliers and customers when the agency finalizes a rule on climate-related financial risk disclosure. While the SEC sees broad support for its proposed rule to mandate standardized information on companies direct emissions and other material risks from climate change, agency staff members reviewing comments face a difficult task in striking a balance in the coming months on emissions from suppliers and other third parties. A wide range of billion-dollar asset managers, investor coalitions and boutique firms focused on environmental, social and governance investing told the SEC they support the agencys provisions to include Scope 3 emissions, meaning indirect releases from supply chains. But several trade groups say there is strong opposition. The SEC has also taken the correct approach by incorporating many of the elements set forth by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and by requiring disclosure of [greenhouse gas] emissions, including disclosure (for many companies) of Scope 3 emissions and third-party assurance of Scopes 1 and 2 emissions, Ceres, a nonprofit organization that works with ESG investors and companies to address climate risk and other sustainability issues in capital markets, said Friday in a letter to the SEC. Other supporters include BNP Paribas, the California Public Employees Retirement System, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management, Seventh Generation Interfaith Inc. and Christian Brothers Investment Services Inc. As a starting point, the basis for the rulemaking initiative that climate change poses a significant financial risk is surely clear and unmistakable, Ceres said in the letter. It is likewise reasonable for the Commission to conclude that this risk is, or can be, material to investors. This is not a matter of conjecture; investors have repeatedly and emphatically expressed this view. If finalized, the rule would require public companies to report to the SEC on Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions, which address direct and indirect emissions from purchased electricity and other forms of energy. But they would have to report Scope 3 emissions only if they are material or if companies have set reduction goals that include Scope 3. The proposal contains a broad safe harbor for liability for Scope 3 emissions disclosure and exemption for smaller issuers on Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 challenge Scope 3 emissions have been a particularly controversial area in the proposal. During the agencys information-gathering period, companies and industry coalitions voiced concern about lawsuits over emissions outside of companies direct control. Some legal experts have said the proposals provisions surrounding Scope 3 emissions would indirectly create disclosure requirements for third-party, nonpublic companies that work with major public corporations. For many issuers, it would be extremely difficult to access downstream information on customers use of their products, the National Association of Manufacturers, which represents 14,000 member companies, wrote in a letter to the SEC on June 6. For others, upstream emissions attributable to commodity production would present the biggest challenge. The unifying theme is that Scope 3 emissions are outside of a companys control. That debate has trickled over to Congress. Eight Democratic senators, led by Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, called on the SEC to include a quantitative threshold for Scope 3 reporting to prevent underreporting in sectors that have most of their emissions coming from supply chains. But 32 Republican senators, including John Hoeven of North Dakota, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Michael D. Crapo of Idaho, told the SEC that such requirements would be overly burdensome for farmers and agricultural producers. At press time, public comments from some companies that would be affected by the proposal were available. Salesforce, Dell Technologies and Etsy were among the top firms that filed letters with the SEC, largely in support of the proposal. But dozens of major corporations met with SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and Commissioners Caroline Crenshaw, Hester Peirce and Allison Herren Lee, as well as agency staff, in the weeks after the agency announced its proposed rule in March. According to memos published by the SEC, the agency held more than 50 meetings after it released the proposed rule. The SEC met with General Motors CEO Mary Barra twice to discuss the climate risk disclosure proposal, including Scope 3 emissions and the safe harbor provision. SEC staff also focused on companies concern with Scope 3 emissions with chief accounting officers and controllers from dozens of corporations, including Google parent Alphabet, Bank of America, Mars, Verizon Communications and Wells Fargo in a May 17 meeting. The agency held talks with representatives from Dow, Amazon.com, The Goldman Sachs Group and JPMorgan Chase & Co. throughout the comment period. Other corporations may have relied on trade associations to advocate on their behalf. A large majority of our members believe that the Commission should not require companies to report Scope 3 emissions at this time, because of significant data gaps and the absence of agreed-upon methodologies to measure Scope 3 emissions, the Investment Company Institute, an association for regulated investment funds representing $29.7 trillion in U.S. assets under management, wrote in a June 16 letter to the SEC. These deficiencies seriously undermine the ability of most companies to report consistent, comparable, and verifiably reliable data, the ICI wrote. Any company calculating Scope 3 emissions will have to make a number of assumptions that can vary greatly in magnitude and will use different methodologies. The ICI and several other groups, including the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, a nonpartisan research group, suggested that the SEC should put off Scope 3 requirements while the agency works with the private sector to develop better calculations for indirect emissions from suppliers and other third parties. But several ESG investors are pressuring the SEC to expand the Scope 3 reporting requirement beyond large issuers, arguing that the discretion around Scope 3 emissions being material to a firm may be an easy way out for companies to ignore impacts from their supply chains. Many companies fail to fully understand or assess the full impact of their Scope 3 emissions; leaving the determination of materiality up to companies is likely to lead to underreporting of these risks, said Mercy Investment Services Inc., the asset management arm for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. ___ 2022 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Stockman Bank has delivered a check to the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation for $25,000 to assist those affected by record flooding last week. Within hours of the flood, Stockman established the Montana Flood Relief Fund and invited people and businesses around the state to contribute. Stockman Bank CEO, Bill Coffee, says the response has been overwhelming. We want to sincerely thank all who have joined us with donations to the Montana Flood Relief Fund. Because of the generosity of our fellow Montanans, we are able to begin distributing these funds where they are most needed, stated Coffee. Damage was extensive in our neighboring communities of Red Lodge, Fromberg and other areas in Carbon County. It was important to us to get needed funding to them as quickly as possible. On behalf of every community, Fromberg, Edgar, Luther, Joliet, Roberts, Bridger, Belfry, Roscoe, and Red Lodge who are affected by the flooding on Rock Creek, the Clarks Fork River, and many irrigation ditches, I am thankful for this generous contribution that Stockman Bank has inspired on behalf of Carbon County, stated Tracy Timmons, Executive Director of the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. These funds are desperately needed for immediate efforts to cover well water testing fees, sanitary landfill disposal costs, food security efforts, volunteer coordination to muck out homes, and identifying basic home remedies to return people to their homes as quickly as possible. Many things about this disaster will not be quick and we are committed to both the short-term and long-term recovery efforts. Their partnership is helping to make these goals possible. How to Donate Stockman Bank opened the Montana Flood Relief Fund with a $10,000 deposit and is matching donations up to a total of $15,000 through August 1, 2022. You may bring your donation or mail your donation to any Stockman Bank location across Montana. Visit www.stockmanbank.com to find the location nearest you. Please make checks payable to the Montana Flood Relief Fund. Online, you may donate to the fund by using Zelle with your online banking app. The email address to add in Zelle to send your donation is To donate using Venmo, search @StockmanBankofMontana. If you are asked for a confirmation code, enter 3550. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 On a chilly Saturday midmorning, a line of Pride flags marched through downtown streets. A woman leading the charge, holding a massive pansexual flag in one hand and a rainbow flag in the other, shouted, Billings, show us your Pride! A roar followed. It was a joyous occasion for many. Billings Pride hadnt been celebrated downtown in years --- and certainly not with so much community support. But beneath the celebration, some felt a sting of fury. This year, were more belligerent, a drag queen who goes by Sushi Homewrecker said. Were angry. The parade followed a historic week for the Billings LGBTQ community, including victories and threats. On Wednesday, a Drag Queen Story Hour at ZooMontana was held following weeks of threats and hostility. Thousands attended to show their support, and the zoo saw record-breaking membership sales --- but the angry dissenters were a painful reminder to some LGBTQ Montanans. Homewrecker was one of three drag queens to perform at ZooMontanas story hour, where she faced crowds of protesters accusing her of pedophilia and child grooming. I was so relieved when I saw they were across the street, Homewrecker said, thinking of the protesters standing by ZooMontanas entrance. She shook her head and put her hand over her heart. I was so afraid Id have to walk through them. Homewreckers drag colleague, Anita Bamalamatangtang, agreed. After the threats, emails and screaming dissenters, she said anxiety sits in the back of her mind. Ive been doing this for years, Bamalamatangtang said. Ive never felt afraid for it until recently. The two were among many others who were upset, and it wasnt just about the story hour. Just a day before the parade, the monumental court case Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, repealing the national right to abortion and threatening same-sex marriage in the United States. Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage, depended on similar legal logic under the Fourteenth Amendment as Roe v. Wade. Justice Clarence Thomas, who helped overrule Roe v. Wade, encouraged the Supreme Court to reevaluate Obergefell. Thomas also targeted cases that legalized contraceptives and same-sex intimacy. Theyre coming for us next, transgender man Roman LeStrange said. Gay marriage depended on Roe v. Wade. Without it, we could lose that. To LeStrange, this is one of many threats to people like him. We already have laws in some states where teachers are forced to out their students if theyre gay or trans, LeStrange said. Pride is supposed to be about celebration, but we cant forget that. I have a kid. I dont want them to grow up in a world like this, Quinn Wolfe, another trans man, said. Wolfe protested the overturning of Roe v. Wade by spilling fake blood over himself on Friday. At the parade, he exposed his fake blood stained binder, a visible sign of his transgender identity. The blood could represent so much. At the very least, it symbolizes those that will die because of this, Wolfe said. He paused and gestured to the stains on his clothes. Already, many have died. For the two of them, there is much to grieve. However, they said they have a fighting spirit --- and they said theyre hardly alone. We are a tidal wave, and Id like to see you try to stop us! Michael Aseiya Nasby said. Ann Hanson, a straight ally, marched to show her love and support for the LGBTQ community. I wanted to get out and show some spirit, especially after yesterday, Hanson said. She wore crochet lace around her shoulders to mimic Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a shirt that read, RESIST. Hanson joined her friends for the march, one of several religious groups to show their support. Hanson was born and raised in Glasgow before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. She had joined the United Church of Christ, a historically progressive church, when it worked with the Unitarian Universalist Association to develop Our Whole Lives. OWL is a sex education curriculum made to educate different age groups about healthy relationships, sexual orientations and gender expressions in response to the HIV and AIDS crisis. When the first leader of OWL stepped down, the mantle was passed onto Hanson. She would travel the globe advocating for fair and inclusive sex education for 20 years before returning to Montana in 2013. Ive dedicated my lifes work to these rights. And now, I'm watching them be taken away, Hanson said. Today, I walk with the parade. But in the midst of these reminders, some were overjoyed with good news. During the festival, president of 406 Pride, Walt Donges, took the stage. We are now a majority with our allies! Donges announced to the cheers of the crowd. We have made a difference this year! Donges described it as a paradigm shift. On Friday, Donges explained to the Gazette that the Drag Queen Story Hour had proven Billingss support for the LGBTQ community. Anyone who had been on the fence before had taken a side, and many had chosen allyship, he said. When the cameras panned to the protests, I saw them cover their faces in shame, Donges said. He said they know the Billings community wont tolerate their hate any longer. And among the celebration, many faces were alight with smiles. Before the parade, youth showered each other with glitter, and chests swelled with pride when they were handed a flag. Harper, an 11-year-old girl, wrapped a lesbian flag over her shoulders as she eagerly watched from her spot on the sidewalk curb. Im so glad we can do this, she said. Im glad people can be themselves. Donges told the Gazette that, while tough times are ahead, he is confident Billings will support them through it. We are aware the next attacks are coming our way, Donges said. But I can say were able to keep our heads high. Billings is with us. Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Gundam is one of those franchises I always thought should be bigger- no pun intended. In its native Japan, Gundam is a massive property that boasts no shortage of fans. In America, Gundam received a brief spike in popularity in the early 2000s thanks to model kits. Despite the number of model kits sold, Gundam never reached the insane levels of fan fervor that IPs like Dragonball, Pokemon, or Yugi-Oh garnered in the same era. What's not to love about a story of giant war robots that surreptitiously serve as a poignant anti-war allegory? You get to have your cake and eat it too. And since Americans are obsessed with keeping the wheels of its war machine freshly lubricated with the blood of brown people, you'd think that Gundam would be a massive hit in the States. I guess I'm miffed about Gundam not being a cultural institution in America because it deprives me of awesome experiences. Take the life-sized Gundam in Yokohama, for example. If the Gundam franchise had taken root in America years ago, I might've been able to pilot one as a kid. Yokohama's Gundam base offers youth robotics classes and even allows kids enrolled in the program to operate the life-sized robot. Sometimes life just isn't fair. Jeann Lugo, an off-duty police officer and Republican state Senate candidate in Rhode Island, was arrested Saturday and charged with assault after punching a woman in the face at an abortion rights rally in Providence. Lugo's attack was caught on camera by podcaster Bill Bartholomew as thousands rallied at the State House there. The woman is one of Lugo's opponents in the forthcoming election, writes ABC News. Moment @JenRourke29 struck by who appears to be her Senate opponent @JeannCLugo pic.twitter.com/kJd64rRO1B Bill Bartholomew (@BillBartholomew) June 25, 2022 According to the police report, [Jennifer] Rourke was struck twice in the head. She told police Lugo did not say anything during the assault, but fled after the third punch. "I'm a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent a police officer violently attacked me," Rourke wrote in response to the footage. Lugo, whose campaign website appears to be down Sunday morning, was also charged with disorderly conduct. CBS News reports that he's been suspended, with full pay. Providence P.D. confirms, saying that he's been on the force for three years. The PPD is criminally investigating the behavior of an off duty officer last evening during a protest where a female was assaulted. The officer has served for 3 yrs and placed on administrative leave w/pay this morning, pending a criminal investigation and administrative review Providence Police (@ProvidenceRIPD) June 25, 2022 Bartholomew posted longer video shows that Jennifer Rourke was trying to de-escalate trouble brewing at the protest. EXCLUSIVE- video of brawl at State House part 1 pic.twitter.com/fx7Z6msGg5 Bill Bartholomew (@BillBartholomew) June 25, 2022 She shared what happened on Twitter: I'm a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent a police officer violently attacked me. This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I won't give up.pic.twitter.com/ZREDP2dvXY Jennifer Rourke (@JenRourke29) June 25, 2022 Amazing that Lugo lived 35 years without ever cold-cocking a woman in the face, and the first time he ever did it, it was miraculously caught on camera. CHARLESTON, W. Va. (AP) A Texas group that helps women pay for abortions halted its efforts Saturday while evaluating its legal risk under a strict state ban. Mississippi's only abortion clinic continued to see patients while awaiting a 10-day notice that will trigger a ban. Elected officials across the country vowed to take action to protect women's access to reproductive health care, and abortion foes promised to take the fight to new arenas. A day after the Supreme Court's bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils turned to resolve as several states enacted bans and both supporters and opponents of abortion rights mapped out their next moves. In Texas, Cathy Torres, organizing manager for Frontera Fund, a group that helps pay for abortions, said there is a lot of fear and confusion in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border, where many people are in the country without legal permission. That includes how the state's abortion law, which bans the procedure from conception, will be enforced. Under the law, people who help patients get abortions can be fined and doctors who perform them could face life in prison. We are a fund led by people of color, who will be criminalized first, Torres said, adding that abortion funds like hers that have paused operations hope to find a way to safely restart. We just really need to keep that in mind and understand the risk. Tyler Harden, Mississippi director for Planned Parenthood Southeast, said she spent Friday and Saturday making sure people with impending appointments at the states only abortion clinic which featured in the Supreme Court case but is not affiliated with Planned Parenthood know they don't have to cancel them right away. Abortions can still take place until 10 days after the state attorney general publishes a required administrative notice. Mississippi will ban the procedure except for pregnancies that endanger the womans life or those caused by rape reported to law enforcement. The Republican speaker of the Mississippi House, Philip Gunn, said during a news conference Friday that he would oppose adding an exception for incest. I believe that life begins at conception, Gunn said. Harden said she has been providing information about funds that help people travel out of state to have abortions. Many in Mississippi already were doing so even before the ruling, but that will become more difficult now that abortions have ended in neighboring states like Alabama. Right now Florida is the nearest safe haven state, but Harden said, we know that that may not be the case for too much longer. At the National Right to Life convention in Atlanta, a leader within the anti-abortion group warned attendees Saturday that the Supreme Courts decision ushers in a time of great possibility and a time of great danger. Randall OBannon, the organizations director of education and research, encouraged activists celebrate their victories but stay focused and continue working on the issue. Specifically, he called out medication taken to induce abortion. With Roe headed for the dustbin of history, and states gaining the power to limit abortions, this is where the battle is going to be played out over the next several years, O'Bannon said. The new modern menace is a chemical or medical abortion with pills ordered online and mailed directly to a womans home. Protests broke out for a second day in cities across the country, from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City to Jackson, Mississippi. In the LA demonstration, one of several in California, hundreds of people marched through downtown carrying signs with slogans like my body, my choice and abort the court. Turnout was smaller in Oklahoma City, where about 15 protesters rallied outside the Capitol. Oklahoma is one of 11 states where there are no providers offering abortions, and it passed the nation's strictest abortion law in May. I have gone through a wave of emotions in the last 24 hours. ... Its upsetting, its angry, its hard to put together everything Im feeling right now, said Marie Adams, 45, who has had two abortions for ectopic pregnancies, where a fertilized egg is unable to survive. She called the issue very personal to me. Half the population of the United States just lost a fundamental right, Adams said. We need to speak up and speak loud. Callie Pruett, who volunteered to escort patients into West Virginias only abortion clinic before it stopped offering the procedure after Fridays ruling, said she plans to work in voter registration in the hope of electing officials who support abortion rights. The executive director of Appalachians for Appalachia added that her organization also will apply for grants to help patients get access to abortion care, including out of state. We have to create networks of people who are willing to drive people to Maryland or to D.C.," Pruett said. "That kind of local action requires organization at a level that we have not seen in nearly 50 years. Fellow West Virginian Sarah MacKenzie, 25, said she's motivated to fight for abortion access by the memory of her mother, Denise Clegg, a passionate reproductive health advocate who worked for years at the state's clinic as a nurse practitioner and died unexpectedly in May. MacKenzie plans to attend protests in the capital, Charleston, and donate to a local abortion fund. She would be absolutely devastated. She was so afraid of this happening she wanted to stop it, Mackenzie said, adding, Ill do everything in my power to make sure that this gets reversed. The Supreme Court's ruling is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. Since the decision, clinics have stopped performing abortions in Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Women considering abortions already had been dealing with the near-complete ban in Oklahoma and a prohibition after roughly six weeks in Texas. In Ohio, a ban on most abortions from the first detectable fetal heartbeat became law when a federal judge dissolved an injunction that had kept the measure on hold for nearly three years. Another law with narrow exceptions was triggered in Utah by Friday's ruling. Planned Parenthood Association of Utah filed a lawsuit against it in state court and said it would request a temporary restraining order, arguing it violates the state constitution. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, where abortion remains legal, signed an executive order shielding people seeking or providing abortions in his state from facing legal consequences in other states. Walz also has vowed to reject requests to extradite anyone accused of committing acts related to reproductive health care that are not criminal offenses in Minnesota. My office has been and will continue to be a firewall against legislation that would reverse reproductive freedom, he said. In Fargo, North Dakota, the states sole abortion provider faces a 30-day window before it would have to shut down and plans to move across the river to Minnesota. Red River Womens Clinic owner Tammi Kromenaker said Saturday that she has secured a location in Moorhead and an online fundraiser to support the move has brought in more than half a million dollars in less than three days. Republicans sought to downplay their excitement about winning their decades-long fight to overturn Roe, aware that the ruling could energize the Democratic base, particularly suburban women. Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said she expects abortion opponents to turn out in huge numbers this fall. But Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said Saturday he believes the issue will energize independents and he hopes to translate anger over Roes demise into votes. Any time you take half the people in Wisconsin and make them second-class citizens, Evers said, I have to believe theres going to be a reaction to that. Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press reporters Rebecca Boone in Olympia, Washington; Bob Christie in Salt Lake City; Ken Miller in Oklahoma City; Dave Kolpack in Minneapolis; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and Tammy Webber in Fenton, Michigan, contributed to this story. For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. WASHINGTON Rarely has this divided nation moved in two different directions at once quite the way it did last week, when the Supreme Court vastly expanded gun rights two days before President Biden signed the first major gun safety legislation passed by Congress in nearly 30 years. So what does all this mean for New York? Experts said it likely means more guns on the streets and at people's hips in public places but it also means a reduced chance of the kind of mass shooting that claimed 10 lives at the Jefferson Avenue Tops on May 14. As Supreme Court upends New York gun law, Hochul vows to fight back Upending a New York State law that had stood for a century, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday endorsed a major expansion of gun rights prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul to say the state will fight back with new gun control measures. The Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen said that Americans can carry weapons with them for protection in public, thereby nullifying a century-old New York law that required people to prove they needed to do so. The bill passed by Congress, meanwhile, will make it harder for the people most likely to commit mass shootings to get their hands on deadly weapons. Those moves appear contradictory but in fact, they're merely just different. In the Supreme Court case, the justices expanded a right that they found in the Second Amendment for the first time only 14 years earlier in a case called District of Columbia v. Heller. In that case, the high court ruled that the oddly-worded amendment guarantees Americans the right to keep guns "to protect hearth and home," then-Justice Antonin Scalia wrote. But in the case decided last week, Justice Clarence Thomas focused on the second part of the Second Amendment's key phrase: "the right to keep and bear arms." "To confine the right to 'bear' arms to the home would nullify half of the Second Amendments operative protections," Thomas wrote. The ruling will make it easier for people to carry guns in public in New York and the five other states that had similar laws, yet the decision doesn't spell out exactly how much easier. Governments can ban guns in "sensitive places" like schools, state houses and other government buildings, courthouses and polling places but governments can't ban guns in entire communities, Thomas said. Beyond that, governments must let history be the guide for determining where firearms can be banned. The government must demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with this nations historical tradition of firearm regulation," he said. That "fuzzy standard" leaves plenty of questions unanswered, said Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. "It will make it harder for government at all levels to restrict gun violence, and surely harder for officials to know what they can lawfully do," he wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post. But governments will try. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul has called the State Legislature to a special session starting Thursday to bolster the state's gun laws, most likely by banning firearms in sensitive locations. Waldman said the ramifications of the Supreme Court decision will play out not just in legislatures, but also in the courts, which will determine whether new laws passed in the wake of Thomas' ruling are constitutional. "Where they will really play out, though, is on the streets, where there will be more guns, more armed confrontations and more crime," he wrote. At the same time, though, the bipartisan gun legislation that Biden signed on Saturday could have a significant effect in reducing mass shootings for one reason. The bill will make it harder for people aged 18 to 21 to buy assault weapons -- and people age 21 or younger committed six of the nine deadliest mass shootings nationwide since 2018, including the recent massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas. People under the age of 21 will have to undergo enhanced background checks before being allowed to buy weapons. In addition to reviewing records from state and local law enforcement, authorities will have up to 10 days to look at juvenile and mental health records which were unavailable for review in the past. The accused shooter in Buffalo underwent a mental health evaluation at the age of 17 after discussing "murder-suicide" while in high school, so it's possible that the new law might have prevented him from buying a gun if it had been enacted a year earlier. But in any case, the change is "a non-trivial improvement" in the background check system, said Andrew R. Morral, leader of the Gun Policy in America research initiative at the RAND Corp. think tank. "Specifically, there are lots of kids, at least recently, who have demonstrated that they are a threat to themselves or others," he said. "And currently, the background check system ignores that information and, I think, at all of our peril." Reactions are mixed to the Supreme Court's decision on guns See what local and national political figures are saying about the high court ruling that overturns NY gun law. The enhanced background checks were just one of the reasons the Buffalo area's two members of Congress backed the bill. It encourages states to enact "red flag" laws that would remove guns from people deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. It cracks down on gun trafficking and expands protections for victims of domestic violence. And it expands funding for mental health services and school security. This legislation may not be perfect, and both sides may not have gotten everything they wanted, but it represents a major step forward in working across the aisle to accomplish meaningful and impactful change on the significant issues our country faces," said Rep. Chris Jacobs of Orchard Park, one of 14 House Republicans to back the bill. "It will save lives." Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, wasn't quite so enthusiastic. "While this legislation makes modest improvements to existing law, it falls short of making the landmark and compelling changes we need to keep our communities safe," he said. Sadly, extensive background checks and a ban on the sale of assault weapons, which are supported by the American people, are glaring omissions from this legislation." Of course, after the Supreme Court decision Thursday, the obvious question about the new law is: Is it constitutional? It's too soon to know for sure, but in an opinion concurring with that of Thomas, Justice Brett Kavanaugh made clear that plenty of gun regulations are. States "may require a (gun) license applicant to undergo fingerprinting, a background check, a mental health records check, and training in firearms handling and in laws regarding the use of force, among other possible requirements," Kavanaugh wrote. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. It has been a long time since the GOP expressed any confidence about winning in deep blue New York. But in a year when Republicans across the nation look to the November elections with increasing optimism, a party sent to the sidelines in New York for a generation likes its chances even as most polls show Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Democrats keeping their firm grip on Albany. Four GOP candidates are encouraged enough to navigate the tricky waters of Tuesday's primary. It all ranks as a major test for Republican/Conservative leaders and their endorsement of Rep. Lee Zeldin, who faces three other challengers and must guard against a history of New York Republicans often gravitating to the far right. On Tuesday, Republican voters are set to define their party once again. They will choose among: Zeldin: The four-term congressman from Suffolk County emerged as the overwhelming choice of the Republican State Convention in March as he forfeits his Washington career for a shot at governor. The party liked his conservative record, ethnic and geographic appeal and status as an Iraq War veteran to anoint him over other hopefuls. Harry Wilson: The Johnstown native and current Westchester resident has pledged $10 million of his own money to bring to Albany his reputation for "turning around" troubled companies. In 2010, Wilson recorded the strongest statewide results since Gov. George E. Pataki in 2002 for a Republican when he narrowly lost the comptroller's race. But party leaders turned to Zeldin as Wilson demurred about running until February. Andrew Giuliani: The son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani may register the strongest ties to former President Donald Trump in the GOP field, serving as a White House aide. That could provide a major advantage in a primary likely to attract the most conservative and the most pro-Trump supporters. Rob Astorino: The former Westchester County executive is trying again after securing the Republican nod in 2014 only to lose to incumbent Democrat Andrew M. Cuomo. He is rallying his long time Westchester connections for support, emphasizing his executive experience and ability to attract Democratic votes. Zeldin targets Hochul: 'She tries to be whoever her political consultants tell her to be' Less than two weeks before the June 28 GOP primary, the Nassau County congressman on Wednesday convened reporters to denounce Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's latest extension of emergency powers to deal with Covid-19. Given the low-key nature of a June primary in a state where such contests were traditionally held in September, Republican leaders think Zeldin will be able to eke out a victory. I think a June low-turnout primary favors the campaign with the best grassroots operation and infrastructure, said GOP consultant Christopher M. Grant, who is close to one of Zeldin's major backers, state Republican Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy. And so, to the extent that he's aided by the party endorsement, Lee Zeldin would appear to be in a pretty good spot to capitalize on that next week. Still, some Republicans remain unimpressed with Zeldin, particularly after a debate in Rochester last week where, some say, he appeared to lose his cool amid confrontation with his fellow Republicans. At the Kodak Center, as he became shrill, condescending and attacking under pressure from his opponents, the crowd turned against him and the dislike became audible, Rochester-area conservative radio host Bob Lonsberry said in a blog post only two days after praising Zeldin in an earlier dispatch. When youre getting booed in front of an audience of the faithful, well, things arent looking good. A lively intraparty contest The intraparty contest for governor, the first for Republicans since 2010, has so far proven a lively affair. Wilson, especially, has aimed a series of negative ads at Zeldin in a sign of the congressman's perceived lead in the race. Wilson labels Zeldin, 42, an ally of Cuomo and other liberal New York politicians. But the congressman, a former state senator, has basically stuck to his game plan. He pegs rising crime rates as his top priority (as does every other candidate for governor), as well as lowering taxes, creating jobs, improving education and promising to avoid many of the Covid-19 restrictions imposed by Cuomo and Hochul. On crime, Zeldin says Hochul "settled for less" this year during efforts to tighten previously eased bail restrictions. He would use his constitutional authority to fire district attorneys, like Manhattan's Alvin Bragg, who refuse to enforce some violations. Zeldin seethes at the state's high taxes, which he says fuel "unsustainable" spending. He would lift the cap on charter schools, institute an educational tax credit for school choice, and joins the chorus of Hochul opponents Democrat and Republican alike who call her "complicit" in Cuomo's alleged nursing home coverup that helped bring down the former governor 10 months ago. "She should have spoken up, and didn't," he says of Hochul. Zeldin also avoids the Democratic stampede toward stricter gun controls following the May 14 shooting in Buffalo that claimed 10 lives. He notes that the accused shooter at Tops Markets obtained the alleged murder weapon legally, adding access to any weapons by such "radicalized" people should command the state's attention. He calls any ban on all semi-automatic weapons a "feel good bill," and questions red flag laws that identify potentially unstable gun owners without the due process of a hearing. "We're starting to get much deeper into restrictions on the Second Amendment," he said. "That is indisputably unconstitutional." In a primary where fealty to the party's Trump wing may prove crucial, Zeldin displays his own bona fides. He offers no excuses for his House vote to reject presidential electors pledged to Joe Biden. "My concerns, as I have expressed them, is that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures the authority to set election laws in each individual state," he says. Business experience at heart of Wilson candidacy GOP's Wilson campaigns on his electability in Democratic NY: 'None of the other guys running can win' "I have a certain set of God-given gifts, and I can really fix complicated situations. I don't think there is any better way to give back than to use those gifts to fix New York State," said GOP gubernatorial candidate Harry Wilson. Wilson, 51, lists only his unsuccessful bid for comptroller on his political resume. But business experience lies at the heart of his candidacy. A successful money market executive who retired from previous jobs at 36, Wilson served on former President Barack Obama's auto industry crisis task force that helped save General Motors. Now he promises to fix state government, resurrecting the business world themes that almost toppled DiNapoli 12 years ago. He assures similar results, even in the cutthroat arena of New York politics. "I've got a whole nation of people telling me it can't be done," he says. "I've heard that every day for 30 years of my professional career." First up for Wilson: Chopping at least $25 billion from a state budget that continues to grow. He proposes a mix of "soft power" to persuade Legislature Democrats with the "hard power" of flexing gubernatorial muscles that take effect during a budget stalemate, including withholding pay beyond the deadline. "I don't need to get paid," he says. "And when I win, I will have a mandate for these changes. I only want to do this if I can be effective, and I'm certain I will be." Wilson dangles before voters a tantalizing carrot at least $3,000 in annual savings for New York taxpayers. Combined with his proposed tax cuts and easing regulations, $5 billion in spending cuts become immediately available. He sees three separate funds controlled by the governor as the culprit for unnecessary spending. "There is no legislative role for these allocations and no oversight," he says. "That's what I call a slush fund." Wilson also reflects the pro-Second Amendment philosophies of his intra-party opponents. Policymakers should look to intercept illegal guns, increase spending on mental health to identify problem people and increase surveillance. But he supports background checks and red flag laws, and toughening efforts against the flow of illegal guns. Still, he balks at outlawing weapons such at the AR-15. "Why lose any of our rights when bad people are out there breaking the law?" he asks. Giuliani campaigns from the right Zeldin officially has NY GOP nod for governor, but primary battle looms The New York Republican Party, at least in the eyes of three other governor hopefuls financier Harry Wilson, ex-Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and former Trump administration official Andrew Giuliani leaves the convention far from unified. Like every Democratic or Republican candidate this year, Giuliani emphasizes fighting the rise of crime rates throughout New York more than any issue. He cites crime statistics from Buffalo to Rochester to New York City and blames it all on laws passed by Albany Democrats. "I point right to bail reform on this," he says. Giuliani, 36, takes his first shot at elective office after leaving the Trump White House, just as his father remains in controversial headlines as the former president's personal lawyer. When asked about launching his political career for such a high office, he says he promised himself and his father he would attempt only a race he could win. Now, some polls say he might. Giuliani is unabashedly campaigning from the right in a multi-candidate field. And since the most conservative candidate often prevails in a GOP primary, nobody is discarding Giuliani's chances. Indeed, Giuliani toured the state last week with his father, just as hearings on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot renewed attention on the former mayor. Now the younger Giuliani touts backing from controversial Trump allies such as Steve Bannon and Gen. Michael Flynn as major endorsements in a contest where pro-Trump sentiment may prove crucial. "I'm proud to stand by these men fighting for our country," he says. Astorino touts history of crossover votes from independents Astorino stalks 'politically wounded' Cuomo in second campaign for governor Rob Astorino stood in Niagara Square Wednesday to declare his Republican candidacy for governor, resurrecting many of the themes from his 2014 challenge to Cuomo. I've been through this, is how Astorino summarizes his latest race. In Westchester, I was able to fix a huge financial hole and never raise taxes or spending and helped bring in 44,000 jobs. And then took on the fights with the Democrat majority in the county board when I had to. So I know what it takes to win. And I know what it takes to run a large government. A fiscally conservative, anti-abortion Republican, Astorinos genial approach to working with others paid dividends early in his political career. And to hear him tell it, that makes him a viable GOP candidate for governor of New York. I have a huge history of being able to get crossover votes from more moderate Democrats and independents, he noted. I've won the Hispanic vote outright in my elections and I speak Spanish. We've been able to win 25% of the Black vote. But all of those statistics are from years ago. Lately, Astorino has been on a losing streak. He lost his 2014 gubernatorial bid to Cuomo by 13 points. He then lost his try for a third term as Westchester County executive in 2017, as well as a State Senate campaign in 2020. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Robert J. McCarthy Political Reporter Follow Robert J. McCarthy Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Sean Kirst Columnist Born in Dunkirk, a son, grandson and great-grandson of Buffalonians, I've been an Upstate journalist for 47 years. As a kid, I learned quiet lives are often monumental. I still try to honor that simple lesson, as a columnist. Follow Sean Kirst Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today The circle came around this week at Big Tree Elementary School in Hamburg. Brendalis Vega showed up to watch her son Antonio take part in a fifth grade "moving up" ceremony. It was the kind of moment that for a parent speaks to the appreciate-it-while-you-can velocity of childhood, but it is hard to believe anyone in the auditorium felt it as intensely as Vega. Her life reached a pivot six months ago in the same building. She had been feeling lousy, but wanted to see her kids in a holiday concert, where she found herself staggered and unable to walk. I couldnt breathe, I had chest pains. My right hand was going numb, Vega said. Her longtime partner, Jose Collazo Sr., got her to the emergency room. Her condition was alarming enough that specialists at Buffalo General Hospital would soon believe she needed a particular analysis. She was transferred to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where doctors offered a sobering result. At 35, her only chance was a heart transplant. She was at imminent risk of dying, said Dr. Sabu Thomas, a transplant cardiologist who worked with surgeons Drs. Igor Gosev and Katherine Wood as part of a team that saw Vega every day for two months. In March, more than a month after surgery, she returned to her six children. The oldest, Natasha, graduated Friday from Lackawanna High School. Next comes Michael, 15, who reveres Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills and said he began learning to cook in his mom's absence, and Antonio, 12, so grateful about his mothers return that he rarely leaves her side. The twins, Jose Jr. and Anangeliz, are 11, while the youngest child, Anneil, is a 3-year-old who rumbles through the yard, curious about a chicken that both delivers eggs and serves as a fearless pet. For a couple of years, Vega said, she felt increasingly weary. She and Collazo figured it was linked to Vega's surgery in 2014, when doctors removed a mass from her thyroid, the first time she had a sense of being at the brink. She tied the problems that followed to her thyroid, not to cardiac issues. Thomas said doctors at Strong do not yet know exactly what caused her heart to give out, but Vega arrived in pretty dire straits. Her heart was swollen, and she was in an advanced state of heart failure. What she had on her side, as the doctors and nurses quickly noticed, was constant and passionate family support. Vega grew up as one of five siblings in Buffalo. Collazo was raised in Puerto Rico before he moved to Western New York in search of a better job. He and Vega met in 2008, when they both worked at the Holiday Candy Corp. Their first date? It was at Wendys, on break time, Collazo said. He is now a union painter, and he juggled shifts to join with Vega's family in a collective effort to care for the kids while their mom was hospitalized. The separation was especially difficult for their youngest, because Vega whose health forced her to leave her job with a cleaning service had never been away from Anneil for more than a few hours since he was born. In the hospital, she had all too much time to worry about how each of her children were doing, and about whether she would ever see them again at all. It is impossible to describe the minute-by-minute feeling, she said, when you know your heart is on a fast track to fail, and the only hope is a transplant that you realize must be based on another family's loss, and you wonder if a new heart will even "take" with your system if something so precious becomes available at all. Her younger sister, Christina Baxter, lives in Rochester. She said Vega had always been outgoing, quick to laugh or dance, and one of the worst things about the entire vigil was seeing that light eclipsed by illness and fatigue. Baxter would visit Vega at Strong every day, and her job became reminding her tired, frightened sister of what they both knew was the best motivation: She would find a way to make it, for her kids. That faith, many times, was put to the test. Baxter was there on the day when nurses rushed into the room, saying the monitors showed Vega was in immediate trouble, and that she needed a balloon pump inserted in her aorta to stay alive. For weeks, Vega could barely move in her bed, and the only relief came from sponge baths from nurses. Baxter said she will never forget the moment when she received a call about her sister that dropped her to her knees: The hospital had learned a heart was available that was potentially compatible. Still, the hope was tempered by the reality of every risk the surgery entailed, and Vega said to Baxter: If I die, tell the kids I love them. The procedure lasted beyond eight hours. Collazo still carries the video on his phone of a moment Vega cannot remember, when she awoke for the first time after surgery and simply kept repeating: Im alive. Im alive. Im alive, for all you guys. Two days later, with visitors still limited because Vega's immune system was vulnerable, nurses helped her to the window, where she waved to her family on a sidewalk far below. She remains intensely aware that a miracle for them began as a tragedy for another family. Under strict rules governing transplants, she knows only that the heart she received came from a young person, and Vega and Collazo have already sent a letter of gratitude to the still-anonymous donor family through the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, the regional organ procurement organization. If they want, Collazo said, we make that family part of our family. The children brought a couple of stuffed animals to the hospital, one for their mom, and one with a note offering thanks to the nurses and doctors for saving Momi's life. In March, relatives rushed from a house decorated with "Welcome Home" balloons and bright signs honoring the Bills to gather at a minivan in the driveway, where Vega was weeping so hard she had to reassure her worried family: Im happy! Recovery will take time. Walking is still a trial and Vega cannot yet handle stairs, and she returns to Strong for checkups every couple of weeks. She takes what Collazo estimates at around 50 pills a day to help make sure she does not reject the new heart, and Thomas the doctor who has treated her for months said everything is going about as well as he could hope. Vega describes all of it as an impossible gift, and she wills herself to see even the littlest things in a different way. She went to Big Tree a few days to watch Antonio's ceremonial "moving up" to middle school, figuring she would be OK in a small crowd, but doctor-advised caution about Covid-19 and other illnesses forced her to stay home Friday and savor the photographs as the 19-year-old she calls "Nati" walked the stage at Lackawanna. Not so long ago, Vega would invest a lot of energy in "stressing out" about what she saw as shortcomings, the things she could not get done. After realizing how easily it all could have been lost, she finds herself grateful just for days out in the yard, where the chicken wanders casually among the children, where Antonio listens to his mother's every word, and where the twins splashed on a hot afternoon in an above-ground pool. School was over, and the 11-year-olds observed in the same instant that two things make this summer special. Shes back, hollered Jose, while Anangeliz shouted, Shes here! Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Buffalo News. Email him at skirst@buffnews.com. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BAMAKO, Mali (AP) Malis junta leader, Col. Assimi Goita, signed a new law Friday paving the way for elections and a return of the country to constitutional rule. Col. Goita has been president of the transitional government since seizing power in a coup two years ago. The law would also allow him and other military members of the transitional government to run in 2024, when the next presidential election is scheduled, according to a copy of the new legislation seen by The Associated Press. West Africa's regional bloc, the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), imposed stiff sanctions on Mali earlier this year after military rulers refused to hold elections in February as planned. The new law creates a single election management body to replace a contested three-party system, and details the steps that would lead to elections. Its meant to signal the juntas willingness to return to constitutional rule and convince ECOWAS to ease sanctions, according to state media. However, the fact that junta leaders would be able to run for office could derail the democratic process and cast doubt on the countrys future return to stability, said Abdrahmane Diarra, youth president for the Union for the Republic and Democracy, a political party. But conflict analysts say the concern is not about who is running or not, but finding a leader who is going to unite the country and help it emerge from its current security and political crises. Goita or another leader wouldnt matter as long as tangible results are there and signs of stability start to be apparent, said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan based organization focused on economics and policy. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. By Trend As a result of a missile strike near the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kyiv, cracks appeared on the walls of the building, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Elmira Akhundova told Trend on Sunday. "Our embassy is located in a building from the 60s. This building is a former kindergarten. Then it was adapted to the needs of our embassy. It has already suffered one missile attack. There was a very strong missile attack not far from us two months ago. Then, our windows were broken too. But now the blow was closer, there was an even stronger shock wave, several windows were broken, cracks on the walls were aggravated. Thank God that our employees are safe and sound," the ambassador said. OSLO, Norway (AP) The suspect in a mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Norway has refused to explain his actions to investigators and will remain in pretrial custody for the next four weeks, police and his defense lawyer said Sunday. The man, whom authorities described as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the shooting in Oslo's nightlife district early Saturday. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act. Oslo police said they tried to question the suspect on Saturday and again on Sunday without success. Norwegian media identified him as Zaniar Matapour. Matapour's defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, told The Associated Press by email that his client refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped unless police released the entire recording to the public with no time delay so it wont be censored or manipulated. Recording interrogations is a standard police practice. Elden previously said his client did not deny being the shooter but had not divulged any motive. The lawyer said Sunday that Matapour did not object to remaining in custody for four weeks so would not appear in court on Monday. In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks. Norway's prime minister and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service Sunday at Oslo Cathedral for the victims of the attack. The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in Oslo. Police investigators said it was too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community. A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was called off because of the shooting. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said during Sundays memorial service that the shooting in the night hours put an end to the Pride parade, but it did not stop the fight and the efforts to fight discrimination, prejudice and hatred. He also addressed Norway's Muslim community. I know how many of you felt when it turned out that the perpetrator belonged to the Islamic community. Many of you experienced fear and unrest. You should know this: We stand together, we are one community and we are responsible for the community together, Stoere said during the church service, which was also attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Norwegian media said Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s. He had a prior criminal record that included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense for carrying a knife. Investigators said they seized two weapons after Saturday's shootings: a handgun and an automatic weapon. The Norwegian domestic security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST, said Saturday it first became aware of the suspect in 2015 and later grew concerned he had become radicalized and was part of an unspecified Islamist network. On Sunday, Norwegian media outlets reported that Matapour allegedly was in close contact with an Islamic extremist living in Norway whom Norwegian police had been aware of for a long time. Tanner reported from Helsinki. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Anybody notice a campaign for governor this year? You have, most certainly, if you watch TV. All of the seven Democrats and Republicans vying for the states top job in Tuesdays primaries are relentlessly airing ads this week, led by incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochuls $13 million effort. Republican Harry Wilson, meanwhile, has promised to spend $10 million of his own money. There is no dearth of on-air propaganda. But it has been a low key affair. A few candidates have staged press events in Buffalo, but rallies, speeches and public gatherings seem a thing of the past. But even if low key, the primary contests winding up his weekend will tell us much about the politics of our state. Democrats, choosing among Hochul, Tom Suozzi and Jumaane Williams, will define their party for years to come. Has the New York Democratic Party moved on after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo? Will it adopt some new identity? For many, Hochul represents the steady path, the one established by Cuomo and the one she embraced as his lieutenant governor. Nevertheless, she now presents a stark contrast to an autocratic governor ruling as the All Powerful. Hochul has honed an approachable and friendly image. That has served her well for 30 years and only enhances her reputation as one of the best retail pols in the business even as rivals demand explanations for her evolution from conservative Democrat to anything-but-conservative Democrat. Some accounts list Hochul as a moderate, recalling her county clerk days and opposition to drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. Or, maybe, they harken to her brief term in Congress, when she earned the National Rifle Associations top rating. Statewide, Hochul is a different Democrat who seeks sweeping gun controls and has emerged as an abortion rights champion. Williams, meanwhile, is no stranger to Buffalo while carving a niche as one of the states top progressives. Williams came to Buffalo just days after democratic socialist India Walton won last years Democratic primary for mayor, when it appeared she might just reflect the citys new politics. Turns out she didnt when Mayor Byron Brown, very much a status quo Democrat as immediate past chairman of the state party, handily won the general election as a write-in candidate. In contrast, Suozzi traveled from his Long Island base in the fall to campaign for Brown. He said the prospect of the states second largest city led by a democratic socialist would be a travesty. He campaigns as the common sense Democrat, questions Hochuls stadium deal, even while in Erie County (as does Williams), and hopes to lure back traditional Democrats, such as union members. Is Suozzis view the new party template? Republicans, meanwhile, will also define their party in Tuesdays primary. GOP leaders saw in Zeldin an Iraq War veteran able to attract his native Long Islands trove of Republicans. He does not shy away from his vote immediately after the Jan. 6 insurrection to reject presidential electors pledged to Joe Biden. And that may prove a plus for Zeldin in a GOP primary dominated by the most conservative Republicans and Trump loyalists. Will a Wilson victory mean a Wilson stamp on the party? Back in the 1990s, he would fit the mold envisioned by Sen. Al DAmato and party Chairman Bill Powers suburban, ethnic, pro-choice that resulted in three terms for Gov. George Pataki. But are those days over? Has Wilson sufficiently climbed aboard the Trump bandwagon for all those very conservative Republicans likely to vote Tuesday? Rob Astorino and Andrew Giuliani round out the GOP field, with Astorino hoping to rally supporters from 2014 and his candidacy against Cuomo. But Giuliani may emerge as the 2022 wild card because of his famous name (he is the son of Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and Trump lawyer) and close association with the former president. Some polls show him very much in contention. With so much riding on the soul of both parties, maybe Tuesdays contests arent so low key after all. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Next year, there will be a 300-pound bronze sculpture of daredevil Nik Wallenda installed not far from where he took his tightrope rope over Niagara Falls on June 15, 2012. Why stop there? Though we think a permanent commemoration of Wallendas feat is a splendid idea and look forward to seeing artist Susan Geisslers Sculpture in the Sky, which will tower over the intersection of Old Falls and Prospect streets, the rich daredevil history of Niagara Falls could easily fill a museum. Indeed, there have been a few modest attempts at such a venue, including one that operates as a kiosk near the Imax on the Canadian side, but none has offered the professional exhibition design and well-researched educational signage that an accredited museum can provide. Such a venue could include photography and archival materials to tell the stories so many stories of people who were drawn to the falls, whether to challenge its power, take advantage of its notoriety or pursue less easily definable desires. It would tell the story of Annie Edson Taylor, who, in 1901, was the first to go over the Falls in a barrel and survive. She hoped it would bring her a comfortable retirement, but she died in obscurity and poverty. It would tell the the story of Charles Blondin, who first walked a tightrope over the Falls in 1859 and was to repeat the feat hundreds of times doing somersaults, walking backwards, carrying a man on his back, and, toward the end, cooking an omelet and handing it down to Maid of the Mist passengers. It might even include those who never meant to be daredevils, but survived trips over the Falls nonetheless, including 7-year-old Roger Woodward, who was swept over the Falls after the boat he and his sister were in capsized. The sister was rescued from the brink, but Woodward went over, wearing a lifejacket, and was picked up at the bottom by the Maid of the Mist, safe but for a few cuts and bruises. It was a life-changing event for Woodward, and would certainly give museum visitors matter for contemplation. A well-done museum doesnt seem so far out of reach now, given that a successful and important institution, the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, opened in 2018. Located a couple of miles away, near the Whirlpool Bridge, the Heritage Center tells authentic stories with historical accuracy and compelling visual presentations. A new venue, devoted to the history of Niagara Falls as a magnet for daredevils, entrepreneurs and, of course, tourists, would create another solid attraction to add to the Heritage Center and other existing facilities, such as the Aquarium of Niagara. The aquarium has made significant additions to its offerings over the past few years, including a shark and ray attraction, and new jellyfish and penguin habitats. It also plans to open a second facility at the empty Niagara Gorge Discovery Center to be devoted to Great Lakes species, within walking distance of the original Whirlpool Street facility. The former Discovery building needs to be completely renovated but should be open for visitors in 2024. Every enhancement that could possibly add to Niagara Falls viability for residents and tourists is to be commended and then its time to plan further enhancements. On the natural side, New York State has done much to beautify and protect the immediate park, including Goat Island and the walking trails that extend from the park as far as Lewiston. The task now is to make visitors more aware of all there is to see and do within the extensive park. Most tourists never make it as far as the Three Sisters Islands, which offer intimate proximity to the Upper Rapids and now have better safety features and native plantings. Niagara Falls already has more than most think it has, but its need is still greater than its accomplishments. Nik Wallenda noted the importance of increasing tourist amenities at the sculpture announcement, adding, I talk about Niagara Falls everywhere I go because its Niagara Falls. The world deserves to see it. In the meantime, visit Niagara Falls this summer and discover whats new. You deserve to see it. 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. Elvis Presley was many things: cultural icon, rebel, musician, movie star. Ironically, that last one gets short shrift in Baz Luhrmann's new take on the King, Elvis. There's a quick montage of Presley's film years, including star Austin Butler warbling "Viva Las Vegas," but by and large, we skip all the Hollywood hullabaloo. Luhrmann says that was intentional because he felt there wasn't much to say about that period of Presley's career. He initially intended to include more of it, and they shot footage of Butler in a white suit singing "Bossa Nova Baby" from 1963's Fun in Acapulco. "But when you get into a two-and-a-half-hour version, not only do you shoot stuff you leave behind, you have to go, 'Where am I going to slim down?'" Luhrmann tells EW. "I realized that what really mattered in the plot was that the Colonel says, 'Go away to the Army. Just be an ordinary Joe. Come back, and I promise you, you'll be a serious actor.' But when he comes back, [the public] only wants to see him in movies where he sings." Luhrmann continues, "They're on a river of money and then the world changes. You see how quickly I just told you that? I told you in three sentences. That's all that happens. As much as we might want to indulge in it, we have to jump certain bits and get to the drama." Presley's Hollywood career is prolific (he made 31 films), but by and large, it's an amalgamation of musical trifles trumped up to help the rock star sell more records. "There was an Elvis movie on TV about every six weeks, and he was either playing a singer who also raced cars or a race-car driver who also sang," quips Tom Hanks, who plays Colonel Tom Parker. "It seems like there was an awful lot of movies where he was that." That's not for Presley's lack of trying he circled the role of Tony in West Side Story and was extremely eager to take on the part ultimately played by Kris Kristofferson in 1976's A Star Is Born. Still, Luhrmann thinks a story focusing on Presley's Hollywood career would need to be a different project entirely. "I'm not doing the movie of Elvis in Hollywood," he concludes. "And I'm not doing Elvis-and-the-subplot biopic. I'm doing the story of America through Elvis and the Colonel." Story continues For those who may want to see more of Elvis onscreen during that stage of his career, here's a highly curated list of the five movies you should start with (we haven't included any concert specials or documentaries, just his studio output). Jailhouse Rock (1957) Elvis Presley in a scene from the movie "Jailhouse Rock" which was released in 1957. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Elvis Presley in 'Jailhouse Rock.' His third film, Jailhouse Rock, was the first movie to truly showcase Presley's on-screen star potential. He plays Vince Everett, a construction worker who learns to play guitar while in jail for manslaughter and then becomes a music sensation after he is released. Songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote the score, producing instant hits for Presley, notably the title track. Many consider Elvis's performance of "Jailhouse Rock," wearing a striped shirt and dancing in a stylized cell block, to be his greatest moment on screen. It's certainly one of his most recognizable, probably because Presley was encouraged to implement his own choreography when he was dissatisfied with the direction he was given. Presley's Vince is not particularly likable he betrays the ones who love him, for money and fame but he does learn his lesson, showcasing Presley's ability to play a bad boy with a good heart. King Creole (1958) Elvis Presley in King Creole (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Elvis Presley in 'King Creole.' Both Luhrmann and Butler name this as their No. 1 Presley film, and Elvis himself cited Danny Fisher as his favorite role. Unlike most of the baubles that would define Presley's Hollywood career, King Creole is a dark black-and-white drama encased in gritty film noir packaging as conceived by prolific Warner Bros. director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca). Danny (Presley), a 19-year-old kid, gets mixed up with street gangs and women while trying to provide for his family. In a startling performance of "Trouble," Presley showcases his ability to marry his vocal chops to dramatic acting abilities. Presley dreamed of becoming a serious actor, and this film is the clearest indication of what might have been. In fact, James Dean, Presley's idol, was originally slated to star in this until his untimely death. Those brooding, meatier roles were the ones Presley was hungry for, but King Creole is the only real chance he ever got to play them. Blue Hawaii (1961) American rock n' roll singer Elvis Presley plays a ukelele, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and lei, in a still from the film 'Blue Hawaii,' directed by Norman Taurog, 1961. (Photo by Paramount Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images) Paramount Pictures/Getty Elvis Presley in 'Blue Hawaii.' The first (and best) of three Presley films to be shot in Hawaii, Blue Hawaii can seen as hokey and dated, but it's also a heck of a good time. Mirroring his own life, Presley stars as Chadwick "Chad" Gates, a G.I. returning home from the Army to Hawaii where he's eager to get back to his life of surf, sand, and girls. He faces pressure from his mother (a 36-year-old Angela Lansbury, only 10 years Presley's senior) to go into the family business managing a fruit company. But he's more interested in working as a tour guide with his girlfriend Maile (Joan Blackman). Less a movie with an intriguing plot than a travelogue (they shot in some of Oahu and Kauai's most picturesque locales), Blue Hawaii does feature Presley crooning some of his most beloved songs, including the title track and "Can't Help Falling In Love." Viva Las Vegas (1964) American singer and actor on the set of Viva Las Vegas, directed and produced by George Sidney. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Elvis Presley in 'Viva Las Vegas.' Many consider Viva Las Vegas the summation of what makes an essential Elvis film: a beautiful costar (Ann-Margret), a racing subplot, and a memorable soundtrack epitomized by the title track, a number which was filmed in one long continuous take. Elvis is driver "Lucky" Jackson, whose flirtatious encounter with swimming instructor Rusty (Ann-Margret) leaves him wanting to earn money to replace his car's engine. Presley's chemistry with Ann-Margret is off the charts (she has called him her "soulmate," and the two reportedly had an on-set affair), and her fiery persona and motorcycle tricks make her the only leading lady to truly match his energy. Presley became nearly synonymous with Vegas, thanks to his late-career run at the International Hotel, but this was the movie to kickstart the association. Roustabout (1964) American actors Barbara Stanwyck and Elvis Presley on the set of Roustabout, directed by John Rich. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Barbara Stanwyck and Elvis Presley on the set of 'Roustabout.' After the May 1964 success of Viva Las Vegas, Presley's films began to decline in quality, regurgitating the same plots and flimsy romances just to give him a platform to sing. But Roustabout, released later that fall, continues the good vibes just a little longer, putting Elvis on a motorcycle and letting him share screen time with the legendary Barbara Stanwyck. Reflecting some of the imagery of Luhrmann's new Elvis, this film features the star as musician Charlie Rogers, who becomes an attraction at a traveling carnival. Stanwyck is Maggie, the owner of the fair, to whom Charlie's loyalty is tested when a romantic clash sends him to a rival touring gig. Roustabout marked Presley's final No. 1 soundtrack album of his career. Related content: By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -A growing number of large U.S. companies have said they will cover travel costs for employees who must leave their home states to get abortions, but these new policies could expose businesses to lawsuits and even potential criminal liability, legal experts said. Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Lyft Inc, Microsoft Corp and JPMorgan Chase & Co were among companies that announced plans to provide those benefits through their health insurance plans in anticipation of Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide. Within an hour of the decision being released, Conde Nast Chief Executive Roger Lynch sent a memo to staff announcing a travel reimbursement policy and calling the court's ruling "a crushing blow to reproductive rights." Walt Disney Co unveiled a similar policy on Friday, telling employees that it recognizes the impact of the abortion ruling but remains committed to providing comprehensive access to quality healthcare, according to a spokesman. Health insurer Cigna Corp, Paypal Holdings Inc, Alaska Airlines Inc and Dick's Sporting Goods Inc also announced reimbursement policies on Friday. Abortion restrictions that were already on the books in 13 states went into effect as a result of Friday's ruling and at least a dozen other Republican-led states are expected to ban abortion. The court's decision, driven by its conservative majority, upheld a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks. Meanwhile, some Democratic-led states are moving to bolster access to abortion. Companies will have to navigate that patchwork of state laws and are likely to draw the ire of anti-abortion groups and Republican-led states if they adopt policies supportive of employees having abortions. State lawmakers in Texas have already threatened Citigroup Inc and Lyft, which had earlier announced travel reimbursement policies, with legal repercussions. A group of Republican lawmakers in a letter last month to Lyft Chief Executive Logan Green said Texas "will take swift and decisive action" if the ride-hailing company implements the policy. Story continues The legislators also outlined a series of abortion-related proposals, including a bill that would bar companies from doing business in Texas if they pay for residents of the state to receive abortions elsewhere. LAWSUITS LOOMING It is likely only a matter of time before companies face lawsuits from states or anti-abortion campaigners claiming that abortion-related payments violate state bans on facilitating or aiding and abetting abortions, according to Robin Fretwell Wilson, a law professor at the University of Illinois and expert on healthcare law. "If you can sue me as a person for carrying your daughter across state lines, you can sue Amazon for paying for it," Wilson said. Amazon, Citigroup and other companies that have announced reimbursement policies did not respond to requests for comment. A Lyft spokesperson said: We believe access to healthcare is essential and transportation should never be a barrier to that access." For many large companies that fund their own health plans, the federal law regulating employee benefits will provide crucial cover in civil lawsuits over their reimbursement policies, several lawyers and other legal experts said. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) prohibits states from adopting requirements that "relate to" employer-sponsored health plans. Courts have for decades interpreted that language to bar state laws that dictate what health plans can and cannot cover. ERISA regulates benefit plans that are funded directly by employers, known as self-insured plans. In 2021, 64% of U.S. workers with employer-sponsored health insurance were covered by self-insured plans, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Any company sued over an abortion travel reimbursement requirement will likely cite ERISA as a defense, according to Katy Johnson, senior counsel for health policy at the American Benefits Council trade group. And that will be a strong argument, she said, particularly for businesses with general reimbursement policies for necessary medical-related travel rather than those that single out abortion. Johnson said reimbursements for other kinds of medical-related travel, such as visits to hospitals designated "centers of excellence," are already common even though policies related to abortion are still relatively rare. "While this may seem new, it's not in the general sense and the law already tells us how to handle it," Johnson said. LIMITS The argument has its limits. Fully-insured health plans, in which employers purchase coverage through a commercial insurer, cover about one-third of workers with insurance and are regulated by state law and not ERISA. Most small and medium-sized U.S. businesses have fully-insured plans and could not argue that ERISA prevents states from limiting abortion coverage. And, ERISA cannot prevent states from enforcing criminal laws, such as those in several states that make it a crime to aid and abet abortion. So employers who adopt reimbursement policies are vulnerable to criminal charges from state and local prosecutors. But since most criminal abortion laws have not been enforced in decades, since Roe was decided, it is unclear whether officials would attempt to prosecute companies, according to Danita Merlau, a Chicago-based lawyer who advises companies on benefits issues. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Grant McCool and Bill Berkrot) There are several heat islands across Montreal, notably in higher-density neighbourhoods such as Parc-Extension and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada - image credit) The weekend heat in Montreal and its surrounding areas will soar throughout Sunday, with humidex values expected to reach 40. The forecast has prompted Environment and Climate Change Canada to issue a heat warning for the island of Montreal, as well as Laval, Longueuil, Chateauguay and La Prairie. "Sunday will be very hot and humid," the federal agency said in the warning. "Seek a cool place such as a tree-shaded area, swimming pool, shower or bath, or air-conditioned spot like a public building." The City of Montreal has installed water-misting machines in several parks, where people can walk through and cool down with the dampness. Most outdoor municipal pools are open in Montreal, with many closing at 8 p.m. Here's another tip: Mount Royal is typically two or three degrees cooler than the rest of the city, thanks to its tree cover. "Heat warnings are issued when very high temperature or humidity conditions are expected to pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion," the warning also said, urging caution for people who are more vulnerable to heat, such as older people, young children and people with underlying health conditions. Temperatures are expected to decrease overnight with showers and a thunderstorm forecast as of 9 p.m. The high for Monday is set to be around 23 C. I ditched budget airlines and flew for $90 with British Airways, and I'd definitely choose a flag carrying airline again I flew for $90 with British Airways from London's Heathrow Airport to Basel, Switzerland. The flight itself was smooth, though I did have to wait a while to get a drink on the plane. I was scared my flight would be canceled amid the current chaos, but it went ahead. For many years, British Airways called itself the world's favorite airline, though according to the World Airline Awards, Qatar Airways is actually the best of the best. A British Airways' plane. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images Used to flying with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair or Easyjet, I thought I would change for once and try British Airways thanks to a low cost ticket on a route from London to Basel, Switzerland. A monitor showing the flight's announcement. Insider On most low-cost airlines, tickets are very cheap but do not include any luggage. Oftentimes, you're only allowed to take a backpack or handbag for free, and you must pay a supplement to add small cabin luggage. A suitcase. Insider But with BA you are allowed small cabin luggage and a handbag or backpack that should fit under the seat in front of you. A screengrab of BA's baggage allowance. BA My seat was automatically allocated to number 17 when I checked in through the BA app. The process was very easy and straightforward. A selfie of Insider's Sam Tabahriti. Insider Apart from the first few rows at the front of the aircraft, all seats are the same and have similar legroom. A view of the number of the seat. Insider It's not too spacious, but it sure is enough for a short journey. My seat did feel different from the others I am used to on other airlines it felt a bit more secure. The legroom from my seat. Insider BA has a grouping system when embarking. Each passenger is allocated to a group from group 1 to group 9. A view of the plane from my seat. Insider Group 1 includes first-class passengers and business passengers, those who are executive club gold members, and Oneworld Emerald members. A British Airways priority baggage label and First Class label on a suitcase. Steve Parsons/Getty Images When I boarded the flight, there was plenty of space in the overhead locker above the seats. I was even allowed to leave my backpack there instead of putting it under the seat in front of me. The shelf bin. Insider Once everybody boarded the plane, the crew was quick to announce they were about to demonstrate the safety rules: "Please, pay attention as it may differ from other airlines," the lead member said. Story continues The crew demonstrating the safety rules. Insider The journey was pleasant and easy. At one point, I looked outside and the light was outstanding. There's something indescribable about this view. The sunlight hitting one of the plane's wings. Insider While the flight itself was smooth, I did have to wait a while for a drink after ordering. I was eventually given a bottle of Prosecco and orange juice to make mimosas after I reminded the staff that I was waiting. Picture showing a bottle of Prosecco, orange juice, and flat water. Insider I took full advantage of it and it made about three glasses (due to the small plastic cup they hand out). I also did not know they offered a pack of potato chips and a bottle of water which helped after drinking the Prosecco. A selfie of Insider's Sam Tabahriti drinking a free mimosa. Insider As soon as we landed and got the clear to leave, people rushed to their luggage. I never quite understand why people feel rushed to get out. People rushing to get their luggage as we landed. Insider I always thought BA was one of those pricey airlines but it turns out, it isn't. When you total the price of the ticket and added luggage on other airlines, for this route, it was neck and neck. Heathrow airport Terminal 4. Insider Before I got to the airport, I was slightly concerned my flight would be canceled amid the chaos impacting international travel in recent weeks. My flight had already been canceled once, but I was given an earlier flight with two-week notices, which gave plenty of time to decide whether to jump on the new flight. People queuing to check-in at Heathrow Terminal 5 as travellers embarking on overseas trips faced chaos as flights were cancelled and cross-Channel rail services were hit by major delays Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images Overall, I enjoyed my flight with BA and would definitely fly again with it and if I am lucky enough, I might get another chance to make mimosas next time. Outside the airplane during the flight. Insider Read the original article on Business Insider In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this weeks hottest new book releases. All books are on sale Tuesday. 'George Michael: A Life' "George Michael: A Life," by James Gavin. By James Gavin (Abrams Press, nonfiction) What it's about: Music biographer Gavin offers a probing, definitive portrait of the equally gifted and tortured artist, charting his meteoric rise in the 80s through his public self-destruction and tragic death. The buzz: "Gavins real stories of triumphs and tragedies poignantly explain one of pops most enigmatic stars," says Kirkus Reviews. 'Thrust' By Lidia Yuknavitch (Riverhead, fiction) What it's about: In the late 21st century, rising waters and a growing police state threaten Laisve, a motherless girl who uses her time-traveling abilities to rescue vulnerable people through history. The buzz: A starred review from Publishers Weekly calls it "blistering and visionary" and says, "This is the authors best yet." 'The House Across the Lake': New Riley Sager thriller keeps readers guessing 'The Angel of Rome: And Other Stories' By Jess Walter (Harper, fiction) What it's about: The author of "Beautiful Ruins" and "The Cold Millions" returns with a new collection of short fiction whose settings span from Italy to Idaho. In the title story, a shy student in Rome encounters the Italian actress of his dreams. The buzz: A starred review from Publishers Weekly says reading the collection is "like sitting next to the guy at a dinner party who has something hilarious to say about everyone and knows all their secrets." 'Our Crooked Hearts' By Melissa Albert (Flatiron, fiction) What it's about: In Albert's new contemporary-fantasy young adult novel, a mother and daughter are bound together by witchcraft when 17-year-old Ivy begins having unnatural experiences and finding mutilated rabbits. The buzz: "Riveting, creepy, and utterly bewitching; do not miss this one," says a starred review for Kirkus Reviews. Story continues June's top rom-coms: From best selling authors Clare Pooley, Lauren Ho and Lucy Score 'A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence' By Mary Pipher (Bloomsbury, nonfiction) What it's about: The author of "Women Rowing North" and "Reviving Ophelia" offers luminous insights in this new memoir in essays, drawing from her experiences as a psychologist specializing in trauma. The buzz: "Those struggling to overcome darkness will find a guiding light in this incandescent work," says a starred review from Publishers Weekly. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Michael biography, Lidia Yuknavitch: 5 new books this week Dmitry Pumpyansky's superyacht Axioma is being held in Gibraltar. Reuters Dmitry Pumpyansky's seized superyacht will be auctioned following a Gibraltar supreme court order. The Axioma, worth $75 million, was held in March after it took a risky detour to Gibraltar. The vessel was reportedly on its way to Turkey where many others found a safe haven. A superyacht belonging to Russian tycoon Dmitry Pumpyansky will be the first seized. vessel to be auctioned following an order from Gibraltar's supreme court. ESysman SuperYachts, a YouTube channel that reports on seizure of oligarchs' vessels, said in a video that the court had ordered the 240ft Axioma to be sold. In most cases, authorities cannot sell a seized superyacht without going through legal battles, saddling them with running and maintenance costs that can amount to between 10% and 15% of the vessel's value a year. JPMorgan was involved in the seizure of the vessel in March after Pumpyansky became subject to western sanctions. Although the $75 million superyacht is owned by the Russian billionaire, it is run by an management company called Pyrene Investments, according to eSysman Superyachts. JPMorgan had lent $22 million to Pyrene Investments and Pumpyansky's inclusion on the sanctions list meant that the loan agreement was breached, according to Luxury Launches. Pumpyanksy made his fortune in the oil and gas industry. He joined forces with Sergei Popov and Andrei Melnichenko to acquire pipe conglomerate TMK before buying them out in 2006. TMK has supplied Russia's state-owned gas company Gazprom since 1998. Dmitry Pumpyansky made his fortune in the oil and gas industry. Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images Assets linked to Russian oligarchs have been seized, detained or frozen amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. Properties, private jets and even art as well as superyachts have been targeted by western authorities. Turkey has been a favored destination for superyachts as Ankara hasn't sanctioned Russia, meaning that oligarchs' assets are safe from seizure in its waters. A $156 million superyacht owned by sanctioned billionaire Andrey Skoch, one of the richest members of the Russian Duma, was spotted docked in Dubai as Russians continue to avoid western sanctions in the United Arab Emirates. Read the original article on Business Insider By Trend The Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan congratulated the Azerbaijani command and army on the Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, The Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan said on its Twitter page, Trend reports. "The Iranian Embassy congratulates the Azerbaijani command and army on the Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. Defense cooperation between the armed forces of the two neighboring countries is further expanding. This cooperation will guarantee peace and stability in the South Caucasus and the Caspian Sea," the publication says. Health care providers in Washington County and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, have announced plans to begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 6 months old. On Monday in Washington County, Meritus Health will offer the vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years old between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Meritus After Hours Pediatrics at 186 Eastern Boulevard, according to a news release from Meritus. The vaccines for the age group will also be offered at the location during the same times on July 11, 18, and 25, according to the release. Appointments for the vaccines are required. To schedule an appointment, send an email to covid.vaccine@meritushealth.com, and include the following information: Name, date of birth and address of the child Name, date of birth and address of parent or legal guardian Contact phone number for parent Signs direct drivers where to park for the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Robinwood Professional Center on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. The Washington County Health Department plans to start offering vaccines to the age group in early July, department spokeswoman Joelle Butler said Friday. In Pennsylvania, WellSpan Health began scheduling appointments on Friday to administer the Pfizer vaccine to children 6 months old to 5 years old, according to a news release from the health care provider. Parents or guardians of children in the age group will be able to schedule appointments to receive the vaccine at WellSpan Family Medicine practices in Franklin County, according to the release and a WellSpan spokesman. Children ages 5 to 11 are also able to receive the Pfizer vaccine at these locations. It is not necessary to be a WellSpan Health patient. Parents or guardians are currently able to schedule their children for an appointment by using MyWellSpan or by calling a hotline at 855-851-3641. Parents can also schedule an appointment at WellSpan.org/COVID19. Walk-in appointments will not be available at this time. This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 6 months available locally Elected officials, advocacy groups and candidates across Missouri reacted to news Friday that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, which created a federal constitutional right to an abortion and returned the jurisdiction to states. Missouri banned legal abortion in all situations but medical emergencies within minutes of the decision after the attorney general issued an opinion activating the state's "trigger law." Here's how elected officials, advocacy groups and organizations, and political candidates reacted to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and banning of legal abortion in the Show-Me State. More: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion Missouri elected officials' reactions to Roe v. Wade overturn U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley: "At long last, Roe is OVERRULED." ... "This is a momentous day in America, when the efforts of generations of modern-day abolitionists comes to fruition. One of the most unjust decisions in American history has been overturned." U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (running for U.S. Senate): Todays decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and uphold Mississippis pro-life law is a monumental win for the American people and millions of unborn lives. Nine unelected justices should never have imposed Roes radical abortion regime on the nation. This decision returns the debate to where it belongs the people and their elected representatives." U.S. Rep. Billy Long (running for U.S. Senate): "Roe v. Wade moves to the ash heap of history !!! It's done!!!" Gov. Mike Parson: "Nothing in the text, history, or tradition of the United States Constitution gave un-elected federal judges authority to regulate abortion. We are happy that the U.S. Supreme Court has corrected this error and returned power to the people and the states to make these decisions." Attorney General Eric Schmitt (running for U.S. Senate): "My office has been fighting to uphold the sanctity of life since I became attorney general, culminating in todays momentous court ruling and attorney general opinion. I will continue the fight to protect all life, born and unborn." Story continues Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia): "Roe-v-Wade was, by every rational measure, a flawed judicial ruling. Todays Dobbs ruling corrects a grave injustice that has cost tens of millions of babies the chance at life and liberty in the United States of America. Being pro-life shouldnt be controversial, and it shouldnt be classified as a 'political' position. It is simply a view, grounded for many in their religious faith, that life is precious and we as a society should do all we can to protect it." House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield): "Just this past session, Missouri Republicans proposed bills criminalizing the treatment of ectopic pregnancies and crossing state lines to have an abortion in a state where the right to privacy and bodily autonomy is respected. With the federal courts no longer protecting basic rights, Missourians must elect more lawmakers who are willing to do so or we will quickly become a state where government oppression replaces personal freedom." More: Missouri bans abortion, activating 'trigger law' after U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade Advocacy groups' and organizations' reaction to U.S. Supreme Court decision Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region: Today is the worst case scenario for 36 million people of reproductive age who live in 26 states including Missouri where abortion is now poised to be banned. Everything that led to the overturning of Roe should be a stain on our history from which we must learn and do better. This begins a rebuilding of a future with abortion equity not just rights or access, but rights and access for all people." Lua Maria Henriquez, executive director of ACLU of Missouri: "The extreme, radical shift in the philosophy of the Supreme Court to remove rights granted by the Constitution regardless of nearly 50 years of precedent will undoubtedly force millions of people to face the life-altering consequences of being denied essential health care. The choice to have an abortion has been ripped from individuals and placed in predominantly white, male-led state legislatures across the country who have repeatedly failed to address issues that would make pregnancy safer or decrease the maternal mortality rate, which is four times higher for Black women than white women in Missouri." Lucy Mayfield, organizer for Springfield Party for Socialism and Liberation: "The Supreme Court has declared war against women and our basic rights to control our own bodies. Now is the time to fight back. Millions of people going into the streets would make it clear that without justice there can be no peace. Neither the church nor the state has the right to tell women what we can do with our own bodies. ... Now is the time to fight back. Only a mass movement of the people can save abortion rights. Take to the streets throughout the United States." Steve Rupp, president of Missouri Right to Life: "Today we thank God! May HE be with us as we continue to defend the most precious children in this new era! Today we celebrate and then we go back to work to protect unborn babies and women from the abortion industry. May God continue to bless our work." More: In Springfield and need an abortion? Be prepared to travel 150 miles or more. Political candidates & organizations react to overturn of Roe v. Wade Former Gov. Eric Greitens (Republican for U.S. Senate): "Todays decision by the Supreme Court is a huge victory for the life movement. Life is the most precious gift from our Creator and is always worthy of protection, especially the unborn who are the most vulnerable. We saw how liberals and extremists went to disgusting lengths to leak the draft opinion last month as a way to damage this sacred institution for their radical political agenda. But their reprehensible actions were no match for level-headed justices who looked at the case without prejudice or predisposition." Lucas Kunce (Democrat for U.S. Senate): "For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land. And now, the Supreme Court has taken away the right to choose. This is a Big Brother attack on all of us, and we have to fight back. Congress must immediately end the filibuster and codify Roe v. Wade. If they won't, then we must replace them. We all know who this decision will fall hardest on working people and struggling families who are losing control over their own bodies and their economic opportunities. We cannot let this stand." Trudy Busch Valentine (Democrat for U.S. Senate): "To those reeling from this news: I'm with you. Ill work relentlessly for my constituents to be able to make their own healthcare decisions. This decision takes us backwards 50 years and lessens womens independence and our rights. It especially affects the most vulnerable amongst us. Reproductive healthcare decisions are a woman's to make, and I will fight to protect our rights, to respect our intelligence and our choice, and to always advocate for our equality. We've come too far to turn back the clock." Sen. Eric Burlison (Republican for U.S. House, District 7): "Decades of prayers answered. A wrong has finally been made right. #RoevsWade has finally been overturned!" Sen. Mike Moon (Republican for U.S. House, District 7): "While I am happy for the SCOTUS ruling (reversing the 1973 Roe decision), If only a representative or senator had introduced legislation which would have corrected the courts decision, we wouldnt have had to wait 49 years to celebrate (millions of people would be alive today)!" Sen. Rick Brattin (Republican for U.S. House, District 4): "The Supreme Court has at long last ended one of its greatest injustices, Roe v. Wade, and because of the trigger law that I helped to pass all elective abortions in the state of Missouri will end. While this is a strong victory for the right to life, I know that liberals will now try to make abortions available nationwide, and in Congress I will fight to ensure this barbaric practice comes to an end. We have to end abortion in this nation and protect the rights of the unborn." Kalena Bruce (Republican for U.S. House, District 4): "Today's Supreme Court decision is a major victory in the pursuit to protect life. But our work remains. While Missouri is a leader in the pro-life movement, states like Illinois recorded 46,000 abortions in 2020. I will never waiver in defense of our most vulnerable; innocent life still needs protecting." Missouri Democratic Party and Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee: "Missourians know whats best for them and their families, and today that has been stripped away from them. Today, the Supreme Court has ruled that Republicans can steal the right of survivors of rape and incest to determine what is best for them. Republicans will not stop with abortion. They will continue to strip away access to birth control and contraception, in vitro fertilization, and same-sex marriage." Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri reacts to Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade, abortion ban 'Betrayed' by the Court: From Tulsa to Nashville to Salt Lake City to New York, huge protests erupted on Friday in defense of abortion rights A massive crowd gathered in New York's Washington Square Park, hours after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Anna Watts for Insider Rallies were held in multiple cities hours after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The decision paves the way for states to enact abortion bans. Hours after the Supreme Court announced it had struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, throngs of protesters took to the streets in U.S. cities, vowing to continue the fight for abortion rights. New York City In New York's Washington Square Park, a somber and angry crowd began assembling at 5 p.m. ET. They held handwritten signs with words like "Betrayed" or "My corpse has more rights." Some were smeared with red paint. "The justices have blood on their hands," one of the protesters explained. "I just keep saying it's an incredibly sad day," said Marianna Ban, 20, a member of the group NYC Radical Women. "We knew it was coming and now it's here. But it's hopeful how many people showed up today that is a little glimmer of hope." The somber and angry crowd in New York quickly grew to more than 1,000 people. Anna Watts for Insider A pro-choice protester is comforted at a rally in lower Manhattan. Anna Watts for Insider Pro-choice protesters held signs with words like "Betrayed." Anna Watts for Insider Many of the signs were hand-written. Anna Watts for Insider An attendee at the protest in Washington Square Park in New York. Anna Watts for Insider The protest at Washington Square Park in New York. Anna Watts for Insider Los Angeles, California In downtown Los Angeles, a protest outside the federal courthouse attracted a diverse crowd of about 300 people. (A larger demonstration has been announced for Saturday at 1 pm at the same location.) Speaker after speaker warned that the Supreme Court's new arch-conservative majority could target same-sex marriage and protections for trans people next. They also faulted the Democratic Party for not doing enough to stop this and letting them down. Still, they vowed to not let up in holding rallies and speaking out. A protest held at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, California. Ted Soqui for Insider A protester holds a sign in downtown Los Angeles, California on June 24, 2002. Ted Soqui for Insider A protester in Los Angeles. Ted Soqui for Insider Nashville, Tennessee Thirteen states Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming have abortion ban "trigger laws" on the books. According to these laws, once the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, removing any right to an abortion, a ban would automatically take effect. Abortion remained legal on Friday in Tennessee, another state with an abortion ban trigger law, but it wasn't clear when that would end. State officials, including the state's attorney general, have signaled that a ban should take effect quickly. Story continues But in Nashville, District Attorney Glenn Funk released a statement saying he would not prosecute anyone for seeking abortions. "I will use my constitutional powers to protect women, health providers and those making personal health decisions," Funk said, according to The Tennessean. "In 2014, the people of Davidson County elected me to enforce the laws while exercising discretion to promote the public good," Funk said. Meanwhile, in downtown Nashville, advocates of abortion access gathered at Davidson County Courthouse. Among them were local physicians, some dressed in scrubs. protester, Katie Heithcock of Franklin, Tenn., had the words "Bans off our bodies" written across her stomach. Some of the protesters spoke about their own experiences getting abortions and their anger and despair knowing that that care will now be so much more difficult, if not impossible, for others to access. Victoria Vassar of Nashville stands amid a crowd at the Davidson County Courthouse in Nashville, Tenn., on June 24, 2022. Austin Anthony for Insider Savannah Krall of Memphis, Tenn., and Matt Cutlip during the protest in Nashville. Krall became emotional reflecting on her abortion and how she would no longer be able to receive that care, she said. Austin Anthony for Insider Sonya Shanklin Bain attended the protest in Nashville. "I'm 50 years old, abortion has been an option my entire life. I cannot understand why we are moving backward," Bain said. Austin Anthony for Insider Ruth Wang, a physician in Nashville, stands alongside other medical professionals during the protest in Nashville. Austin Anthony for Insider New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana is another state with an abortion ban "trigger law." On Friday evening, people who opposed the decision began gathering in Lafayette Square, across from the federal appeals court, in New Orleans. "We demand that Mayor Cantrell and DA Williams not enforce any anti-choice law state, federal, or otherwise," said David Eden Abraham of Real Name NOLA, one of several organizations that organized the protest. "We are demanding that no healthcare system that no person experiencing a miscarriage or signs of a self managed abortion be reported to the police. We're also demanding that the Louisiana State Police stay out of the city." "We've grown up our whole lives with certain inalienable rights and we're seeing them be stripped away one by one," said one of the protesters, Heather Geller. Protesters gather in front of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals following the Supreme Court Decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Abdul Aziz for Insider Heather Geller joins protestors in front of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. "We've grown up our whole lives with certain inalienable rights and we're seeing them be stripped away one by one." Abdul Aziz for Insider Dorian, 19, holds her sign at the protest in downtown New Orleans. "It's F*cked up! Men are able to vote on my body and my choice," she said. Abdul Aziz for Insider Tulsa, Oklahoma Abortion has been effectively prohibited in Oklahoma for two months. On April 12, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill banning most abortions from the point of fertilization. In Tulsa, the Tulsa Women's Clinic has had no choice but to turn those seeking abortions away. Anti-abortion protesters still appear nearly every day across from the clinic. On Friday evening, protesters gathered to express their outrage at the actions of the high court and of their own elected officials. Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 24, 2022. Michael Noble Jr. for Insider Little Rock, Arkansas The mood was of course much different in states where opposition to abortion access is widespread. In Little Rock, Arkansas another trigger law state fewer than a dozen anti-abortion protesters, along with about five kids, gathered on Friday afternoon outside Little Rock Family Planning Services, one of two clinics in the state that provides abortion services. "Christ knows I'm here and that's all that matters," one of them said when a photographer asked if she could be photographed. Three pro-choice advocates were also at the clinic, standing near clinic staff who help assist patients who seek services at the clinic. xxx Ariel Cobbert for Insider A Bible sits on a cooler outside of Little Rock Family Planning Services in Arkansas. Ariel Cobbert for Insider xxx Ariel Cobbert for Insider xxx Ariel Cobbert for Insider xxx Ariel Cobbert for Insider xxxx Ariel Cobbert for Insider Salt Lake City, Utah In Salt Lake City, around one thousand protesters came to the state Capitol building, which looks out toward the Wasatch Mountains. Protesters in Salt Lake City. Niki Chan Wylie A protester in Salt Lake City, Utah. Niki Chan Wylie for Insider A protest in Salt Lake City. Niki Chan Wylie for Insider Protesters hold up hand-written signs in Salt Lake City, Utah. Niki Chan Wylie This story has been updated. Read the original article on Insider Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) said he will attempt to ban most abortions after 15 to 20 weeks of pregnancy following the Supreme Courts ruling that overturns the constitutional right to an abortion. Youngkin said he had asked four lawmakers to craft legislation. The truth is, Virginians want fewer abortions, not more abortions. We can build a bipartisan consensus on protecting the life of unborn children, especially when they begin to feel pain in the womb, and importantly supporting mothers and families who choose life, he said in a statement. In a conversation Friday with The Washington Post, he said he would like the cutoff to be at 15 weeks but acknowledged a possible compromise of 20 weeks in a split state legislature. The Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that required states to allow abortions up to around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Under current Virginia state law, abortion is legal in the first and second trimesters, or up to 26 weeks of pregnancy. It is only allowed in the third trimester if the womans life or mental or physical health is in danger. Youngkin told the Post that he would support exceptions for rape, incest and when the mothers life is in danger. In January, a Virginia lawmaker introduced a bill in the GOP-controlled lower chamber that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Democrats currently control the upper chamber by two seats. When the General Assembly reconvenes in January, any piece of legislation would have to pass both chambers. Virginias Republican attorney general, Jason Miyares, earlier this year had urged the court to overturn Roe and return the authority to the states, a shift from the viewpoint of the previous Democratic administration. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Gripping the worn-down steering wheel cover tightly with both hands, Peter Forister inched forward in the drivers seat of his trusty Subaru and gunned the engine. He was in a race against mother nature. As he peered up at the looming storm clouds through a rain-spattered windshield, excitement splashed across his face. He had a storm to chase. Ive always loved weather, said Forister, a Charlottesville-based storm chaser. Meteorologists say that theyre kind of born with a love for weather sometimes, and its literally been as long as I can remember that weather is my thing. He did offer a quick disclaimer to those who might decide to hop in their car and hit the road any time the skies open up. Dont. Only trained professionals should do storm chasing because there is an inherent risk, he warned. He, himself, is a trained professional. Not only does he have six years of studying meteorology under his belt, but he has spent the last dozen years working with other trained professionals in the field. As a kid in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he spent just about every afternoon in the summer watching thunderstorms roll in. After moving to Virginia in 2012, he began driving to a local school in Winchester for a better view of the dark clouds and flashes of lightning. From there, the sky was the limit as he adventured further out from the city, to the county, the state, and now he chases storms all over the country. Fiddling with his phone in a parking lot off of Seminole Trail, Forister examined a weather-tracking app called RadarScope. With this app he is able to track a storms reflectivity. That's how hard its raining and its velocity, or how fast wind is moving. This data helps him know the magnitude of the storm hes chasing and where its headed so that he can stay ahead of it. His goal is to document the storms structure, which he says can look like an alien spaceship. Forister claims that a storm is most photogenic when it has good structure. As the years went on, Foristers passion for storm chasing steadily grew from a childhood fascination to something much more. Storms are just incredible, he said. Theyre so huge, theyre so powerful, and when you get in an intense one its a massive adrenaline rush. As a self-described nature junky with a masters degree in geography from Virginia Tech, he has not only found the perfect hobby and part time job (he sells some of his photos and videos to various news outlets); according to Forister, hes also in the perfect location. Charlottesville is a weirdly good storm-chasing place. Its kind of become this nationally recognized place, he said. Likening the area to Tornado Alley, a swath of the central United States where tornadoes frequently occur, Forister says that it hasnt been scientifically proven but he believes that the Charlottesville area is a sort of supercell alley that creates a high number of major storms. These storms just go crazy around here, he said. Chasings just really fun around here. Good storms. Its challenging, but its reliable. Between North Carolina and Virginia, he has seen dozens of tornadoes and hundreds of supercell storms, storms that have a rotating updraft. He says the adrenaline absolutely smokes through your veins when experiencing the heart of a powerful storm. Once, he and some friends went the extreme tourism route and climbed Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina during the middle of a blizzard. They stood on the ridgeline and measured winds between 110 and 120 miles per hour as chunks of ice hit them in the face. 120 mile-per-hour wind to the chest is like ... its really hard to describe how much power is in that wind, he said. So that was like a full sensory experience of just getting crushed by weather around you, and it was amazing. Forister quickly found a place to pull over and jumped out of the car. Every shade of blue collided in the sky, dappled with hints of aqua green. A trembling rumble crescendoed and shook the air, accented by blinding flashes of brilliant white light. Drops of rain pummeled the hood of the car in a harsh staccato solo backed by the tumultuous cacophony of natures choir. The supercell storm he chased made its appearance. Standing there on the side of the road in his red raincoat, backwards Steamboat hat and weather-worn Crocs, Forister was in his element. Having already spent $5.5 billion and more than four years building a natural gas pipeline through Southwest Virginia, the developers are now asking for another four years to finish the job. In a letter Friday to federal regulators, Mountain Valley Pipeline requested that it be given until Oct. 13, 2026, to complete a 303-mile pipeline that has encountered fierce opposition at every turn since it was first proposed in 2014. Court rulings striking down government-issued permits for the pipeline, prompted by lawsuits from environmentalists, made it clear that construction would not be completed by this Oct. 13, a deadline set two years ago by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Due to the ongoing litigation, Mountain Valley wrote in a letter to FERC, it is requesting an extension to allow it to work cooperatively with all affected stakeholders and permit agencies to complete construction and achieve final restoration. Despite a continual barrage of attacks from Project opponents, Mountain Valley remains committed to completing this critical infrastructure project, Matthew Eggerding, assistant general counsel for the company, wrote in the letter to FERC secretary Kimberly Bose. Although Mountain Valley is seeking another four years, spokeswomen Natalie Cox said that the joint venture of five energy companies still hopes the pipeline will be in service by late next year. Opponents say time has already run out on a flawed concept. Construction of the buried 42-inch diameter pipe has marred scenic landscapes and clogged pristine streams with muddy runoff, they say, and its environmental footprint will only deepen when it begins to deliver natural gas that will help fuel a climate change crisis. This project is a dinosaur and should go extinct in 2022, said David Sligh, conservation director of Wild Virginia. When plans were first announced for the pipeline which will run from northern West Virginia through the New River and Roanoke valleys to connect with an existing pipeline near the North Carolina line the goal was to have it completed by the winter of 2018, at a cost of $3.7 billon. The projected cost has now grown to $6.6 billon, and the expected completion date has been pushed back more than a half-dozen times. With key permits thrown out by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, construction is currently stalled, with the exception of erosion control and stabilization of the pipelines 125-foot wide right of way. Mountain Valley is in the process of seeking renewed authorizations from several government agencies. Despite the mounting problems, Mountain Valley indicated in its letter to FERC that it still has the support of its partners and investors. A deadline extension from FERC would provide necessary clarity and certainty to stakeholders and benefit the landowners, the environment, project shippers and end-users of natural gas, the letter stated. In addition, the project remains fully subscribed under binding long-term agreements. FERC first approved the pipeline in 2017, finding there was a public need for the 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas that it would transport at high pressure. Mountain Valley was given a three-year certificate, which expired Oct. 13, 2020. After lawsuits began to slow construction, the company was given another two years, which runs out in October. It asked FERC to rule on its second request to extend the deadline another four years by Aug 8. Similar delays have been approved for other natural gas projects, it said. Mountain Valley stands ready to complete the remaining construction as soon as practicable, it said in the letter. The company says construction is 94% complete, although opponents dispute that figure and contend that an overly optimistic picture is being painted for regulators and investors. Mountain Valley Pipeline does not deserve another pass to harm the communities and water resources of Appalachia, said Jessica Sims, Virginia field coordinator for Appalachian Voices, which has joined Wild Virginia and other groups in legal challenges. MVPs request for a 4-year certificate extension runs counter to May 2022 statements from a major equity holder in the project, Equitrans, which touted project completion in 2023, Sims said in a statement. No matter how much time MVP asks for, it does not change the likelihood that the project can be built legally or safely, so FERC should deny this extension request. Mountain Valley counters that geo-political forces such as the war in Ukraine have only increased an existing demand for natural gas. As our nation transitions to a lower-carbon future, natural gas infrastructure will continue to play a critical role in transporting our abundant supply of domestically produced energy, supporting our current energy needs, and helping to solidify Americas energy independence, Cox wrote in an email. This month, the House Select Committee investigating January 6 is sharing the investigations findings in televised hearings. The mainstream Republican response to the committees work thus far has been to urge Democrats, the media, and committee Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger to move on from January 6 and from Donald Trumps responsibility for the attack. This move on line echoes the narrative that followed Gov. Glenn Youngkins victory last Novemberto wit, that, with Youngkins win, the Virginia GOP is less tied to Trump and that, here in our commonwealth, Trump is being nudged off center stage. I wish that were true. But it isnt. Youngkin and the Virginia GOP are intertwined with Trump and his Big Lie as much as any Republican governor and any state Republican Party. Until Virginia Republicans are willing to confront that truth and purge election denial from our party, we are enabling the ongoing MAGA threat to democracy. While Youngkin has not fully embraced the Big Lie, he has advanced the election integrity talking points that fuel distrust in our elections, including calling for an audit of Virginias voting machines. Certainly, this is not the same as claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, but its not an outright rejection of that conspiracy theory, either. Continuing to sow distrust in American elections will only serve to lay the groundwork for Republicans to undermine future elections. Youngkin is obviously not the most extreme Virginia Republican when it comes to the Big Lie. But that distinction does belong to one of Youngkins surrogates during his 2021 campaignstate Senator Amanda Chase. In December 2020, Chase called for Trump to declare martial law and overturn the presidential election results, stating that there was extensive fraud here in Virginia and that Biden cheated to win. On January 6, Chase attended the pro-Trump rally at the Capitol, though she insists that she left before violence began. Chase both called the Capitol rioters patriots and blamed Antifa for the attack. Even after January 6, Chase still believed that Trump might be sworn in for a second term. Chase was censured by the Virginia state Senate for her anti-democracy statements and activity. But only three Republican senators voted for her censure. Some Virginia Republicans rebuked Chase for her statements about the 2020 election, but it was primarily those who had already been vocal in their opposition to the Big Lie, like former Reps. Denver Riggleman and Barbara Comstock. It was Chase who decided not to caucus with Republicans over her disdain for party leadership; the Republican Party did not expel her. The Virginia GOP, headed by Chairman Rich Anderson, cant bring itself to condemn or expel Chase for undermining our democracy, but the party was eager to censure Riggleman for the grave offense of officiating a same-sex wedding. Chase isnt the only Virginia Republican who has taken a hardline position on election denial. Three Republican state senators joined her to support a $70 million forensic audit of Virginias 2020 election results. Two of them were congressional candidates this yearJen Kiggans, who won her primary in Virginias second congressional district, and Bryce Reeves, who lost his in the seventh. Chase wasnt even the only Virginia Republican who was at the Capitol on January 6. Richmonds own Delegate John McGuire has admitted that he was present at the pro-Trump rally on Capitol grounds on January 6, though he denies that he was part of the subsequent breach of the Capitol building. Also on January 6, all four Virginia congressional Republicans objected to the certification of the 2020 election. We know that the rhetoric of elected officials has consequences. The rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6 were there because Donald Trump called them there. And they did what they did because they believed the Big Lie pushed by Trump and his allies. Virginians were no exception. Eleven Virginians were arrested for their role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol in the weeks immediately following the attack, and more of the commonwealths citizens have been charged in connection with the attack in the past 18 months. No, Glenn Youngkin and Rich Anderson arent directly responsible for the actions of individuals who breached the Capitol on January 6 to try to interfere with the democratic process. But the Virginia GOPs toothlessness when it comes to election deniers makes it culpable in the MAGA Republican Partys assault on our elections. I, for one, wish the Virginia Republican Party were different from other state parties and that we had moved on from Trump. And I applaud how Youngkin has moved to the center since his election. But anything short of outright repudiation for those who cast doubt on the 2020 election signals that the Virginia GOP has room for conspiracy theorists and insurrectionists, making it no different from state parties whose leading candidates for statewide office are adherents to the Big Lie. Dr. Mark D. Miller is a Republican and a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Virginia. Casey Flores needs to go before he starts as an advisor to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin July 1. Youngkin appointed Flores to advise him on LBGTQ+ issues. But Flores insulting behavior and indiscretion on Twitter prove that he has no place in the administration. If that was not clear in his tweet references to Vice President Kamala Harris and oral sex, it is a slam dunk in his attacks on the children of Charlottesville emergency room nurse Kellen Squire. In a January Twitter exchange about public health mask mandates with Squire, Flores called Squires children obese and some uglier terms that we wont repeat here. Flores crossed the line that those of us who live in the public eye understand. We are fair game for insults and personal attacks. Our kids are not. If Flores, the 31-year-old head of the Richmond chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay organization, didnt get that, he should think of it this way: As anathema as Donald Trump was to Democrats and Barack Obama was to Republicans, their children were off limits for invective. Squire is a Democratic activist and former candidate for office who is now running for a seat in the General Assembly. He told The Daily Progress that he expects attacks on himself as a politician. But he questions how Flores got photos of his family from a private Facebook account and he worries for his children. Based on his fiery tweets, Flores obviously fashions himself a Twitter meister. Instead, he comes off as a guy trying to shame a 14-year-old, a nine-year-old and a five-year-old. This is more than pathetic. It shows Flores is tone deaf after living in a world of online viciousness where profanity passes for profundity. Speaking of tone deaf, why wasnt the governor or one of his designees listening? We wonder what kind of vetting process Youngkin applied to Flores before naming him as an advisor. Flores tweets were out there for anyone to see, including at least one particularly ugly one from his exchange with Squire that Squire says has now been removed. In the face of good journalism by Richmond Times Disptch reporter Patrick Wilson and others, Flores now says he will subdue his online voice. Maybe millennials think that scrubbing tweets and being less obnoxious undoes the damage in the digital world. It doesnt. Screen shots prove hate and stupidity, too. But that is not what this is about. It is about a fundamental understanding of the toxic nature of social media and the insensitivity that it breeds. The Twitterverse is a place where passion often overtakes perspective. At this point in its devolution into misinformation and misanthropy, if your skin is not thick, you might as well not play. This brings us back to the matter at hand. Kellen Squares kids were not playing in the January exchange anymore than Baron Trump played in his dads toxic tweets. Let us repeat: The rule is that you can say almost anything you want about people who willingly place themselves in positions to be judged. Across decades as an opinion journalist, this writer has been told he performs oral sex on Mexicans. He has been warned by law enforcement of viable threats against him by Neo-Nazis. A gun control opponent once threatened to make him his unarmed b. That comes with the job. When the anger gets redirected toward your children who did nothing to provoke it, the insults and lies change into something cowardly, immoral, and, frankly, dangerous. A social media post that falsely alleges that your sons used the N word has consequences. So does a letter that tries to turn your dementia-plagued mother against you. This writer knows because he had to deal with both situations. Squires kids deserve a public apology from Casey Flores. But Flores proved months ago that he lacks the political sophistication to qualify for a job as sensitive as advising the governor about human rights issues. That is especially true when the job involves the LGBTQ+ community that so many Republicans seem to despise. Glenn Youngkin was right to try to find a liaison into the LGBTQ+ community. But it is past time for him to admit he picked the wrong guy. Shugga Foxx, an about-50-year-old woman, gazed from beneath a white sunhat at strutting drag queens to twirling rainbow banners Saturday, June 25 near the courthouse and knew this is not the Albany she grew up in. Albany Pride returned for its fifth iteration and drew thronging crowds to the steps of the Linn County Courthouse for a march, music and pleas from mid-Willamette Valley LGBTQ+ activists to include people of color on area boards and councils. And thats ideal, Foxx said. Were allowed here, Foxx said. Were allowed to do this. LBCC Grad Walk Linn-Benton Community College graduates Sydnee Turkovich and Kaitlyn Rutherford walk for their degrees during the 2022 CARmencement ceremony. Government skepticism hung heavy in speeches and jokes ended in sarcastic, cynical acknowledgements of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to effectively ban abortion in nearly half the nation just the day before, June 24. That's when SCOTUS announced its adjudication of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that turned over Roe v. Wade. Dharma Mirza, a social justice activist, told the crowd that with reproductive justice rolled back by the highest court in the land, now is a good time to remember that people who are Black and brown and femme have never had reproductive justice. "We have to stop relying on the government to acknowledge these things and start acknowledging them as a community," she said. 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. Foxx gestured to families, people from the greater Albany-area community, and said the city appears to have outgrown the homophobia her classmates and neighbors showed her in the 1980s, when she was trying to figure out how to be a teenager. She said her parents kicked her out when she was 13. Few associated with her outside cautious, confidential trysts. By 17, Foxx said, she was openly queer. But no one knew what that was. A couple of attendees of Pride who said they attended Albany schools in the 1980s all shared similar stories: They moved away from the mid-Willamette Valley as fast as possible, and no one had the words at the time to describe their experience. They would say youre gay, youre lesbian, Foxx said. It took a long time to be recognized as queer. Or people would say worse and yell homophobic slurs. Foxx said she was among those asking neighbors in the mid-Willamette Valley more than three decades ago to vote against Oregon Measure 8 a demand by Christian conservative lobbyist and political action committee that the governor vacate an order requiring employers in the states executive government branch not discriminate against workers based on their sexuality. Essentially a demand for state-mandated LGBTQ+ discrimination, voters passed Measure 8 passed in 1988. Foxx eventually ended up in Springfield. She attended many Pride marches and many celebrations of people who are LGBTQ+. Then she reconnected with her dad within the last few years, she said, and wanted to see her childhood town and former community celebrate Pride. Most of the buildings are the same, but this I never would have imagined this, she said. Gabby Dibble, on the other hand, was celebrating her very first Pride. Not entirely, publicly out, she said, Dibble, of Albany, had donned a dress in the colors of the bisexual pride flag and was set to march with others through downtown. Ive been hiding aspects of who I am and its only hurting people, she said. Its hurting me. Dibble said she began reading up on social justice movements, finding concepts and language to identify with in the works of queer content creators, and working up the courage to tell her husband she is bi. I was really scared, she said. He said thats okay. If you were meant to be married to a woman, then I would be a woman. That was around 2019, she said. Then she began talking to neighbors, coworkers and assessing their responses. She felt the city was safe, safer than she had felt about being queer in a Catholic Texas upbringing. But after a U.S. Supreme Court that has pushed out pro- conservative religious rulings overturned Roe v. Wade Friday, June 24, and ended nearly a half-century of constitutionally guaranteed access to abortions, Dibble said she needed like-minded people to physically stand with. Especially after yesterday, I feel like I dont have to hide anymore, Dibble said. Alex Powers (he/him) covers business, environment and healthcare for Mid-Valley Media. Call 541-812-6116 or email Alex.Powers@lee.net. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. We have this potential environmental nuclear bomb thats going to go off if we dont take some pretty dramatic action. Joel Ferry, Utah state lawmaker Now heres a factoid for ya. Spencer Cox, the Governor of Utah, is an alfalfa farmer. Whats that got to do with the price of beef in Japan? you might ask. Well get to that soon, but first we have to understand why Coxs intimate connection to his states largest agricultural sector matters. Lets start with some other factoids. Eighty-two percent of Utahs water consumption goes to agriculture; households and businesses use 18%. Half the agricultural water supply goes to growing thirsty alfalfa, which, according a 2015 Utah Foundation report, consumes as much as 75% more water per acre than do barley or other grains. There are techniques for growing alfalfa using less water, but little incentive to employ them. According to the report, Utah farmers who conserve water risk losing part of their annual allotments to farmers who use more. Little of this would matter if it werent for the inconvenient fact of climate change. But recently Utah, like most western states and California, is in the throes of a severe, relentlessly deepening drought. While the droughts implications for each area are different, Utah has two unique geographical features the Wasatch Mountain Range and the Great Salt Lake that make it one of Americas regions most threatened by rising temperatures. Sandwiched snugly between the mountains to its east and the lake to its west is Salt Lake City and its surroundings, home to 2.5 million people and growing nonstop. The city lies at the heart of Utahs only important agricultural basin, which occupies a thin, hundred-mile-long strip of land along the Wasatchs front range. There, agriculture depends on the mountains snowpack melt, which yields a full 95% of the states water. Recently, drought has reduced the Wasatchs average annual snowpack by almost 30%, while ever-rising temperatures cause early spring runoffs and a drier overall environment. Farming is endangered. But from an agbiz perspective, the solution is straightforward. Simply divert more water from the rivers that wind down from the mountains and empty into Salt Lake. But the lake itself if drying up quickly because of increasing evaporation due to rising temperatures and the amount of water humans are already diverting from it. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the lakes surface, which covered about 3,300 square miles in the 1980s, now covers less than 1,000. Consequentially, the waters salinity, which once averaged about 10%, will likely pass 17% this year. The increased salinity is threatening the lakes algae, which feeds its brine shrimp, which in turn feed 10 million migratory birds that stop by every year. The entire ecosystem is in danger of collapsing. While most nearby humans might not care about the nature next door, they will definitely care about the dust clouds, laden with arsenic and other toxic deposits from earlier mining operations, that are beginning to blow from the vast former lakebed across the city. Being cooped up indoors can get old. So, what are Governor Cox and Utahs legislature doing to address the problem? Well, basically nothing. In May, the governor issued a conservation plan mandating that state facilities water their landscapes only at night. He also recommended, not required, that residents take shorter showers and install water-efficient appliances affecting, at best, 0.01% of Utahs water consumption. Because of vested interests lobbying the state legislature, agricultural water restrictions are not in the works. And alfalfa, Utahs most lucrative export crop, continues to flow, as embodied water, to Japan to feed cattle. Meanwhile, Salt Lake City is projected to grow by 50% between now and 2260. However, Mother Nature might have something to say about that at her ecological house. Philip S. Wenz writes about the environment and related topics. Visit his blog at firebirdjournal.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By Trend The U.S. Congress sent a gun bill to the White House, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The House of Representatives voted 234-193 on Friday to pass the legislation, a day after the Senate approved the measure. The bill would enhance background checks for gun purchasers younger than 21, provide money to administer "red-flag" laws, and crack down on straw buyers. A spate of mass shootings over the past few weeks have rocked the United States and fueled public frustration with longtime political inaction over gun violence. A month ago, a gunman attacked an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers in a rampage that has triggered nationwide demonstrations against gun violence. At least 21,000 people have died from gun violence across the United States so far this year, according to the latest data from Gun Violence Archive. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York state law that places restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside home. The Supreme Court decision is "harmful and disturbing," Jack Resneck Jr., president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement. "Firearm violence is a public health crisis, and easier access to weapons and fewer restrictions on who can carry them - and where they can be carried - are dangerous steps in the wrong direction. Overturning decades of reasonable firearm regulations will cost more lives," he said. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your morning rundown of the latest news from overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. A man is in custody after one person was killed and another was injured during a shooting in Aurora on Friday night. Avalanche fans who were planning to watch Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals at the Tivoli Quad will need to make new plans. The Auraria Higher Education Center announced Saturday evening that the watch party planned for Game 6 has been canceled. Officials said this is due to the vast number of events happening downtown on Sunday including Denver PrideFest and possible protests of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. "The safety and security of all who come to Auraria campus remains a top priory," officials wrote in a press release. "As the excitement intensifies with each game, we continue to make safety and operational enhancements following each watch party event and will continue to do so moving forward." Despite elevated security presence, fans breached the fence when the venue was at capacity Friday night and gained access to the quad. Officials said members of the Auraria Campus Police Department, Denver Police Department, Denver Office of the Emergency Management, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security and FBI have been used each game this series. While the Tivoli Quad will not host a watch party for Game 6, Ball Arena will expand capacity at their watch party. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.nhl.com/avalanche/fans/watch-parties. While the Auraria campus will not host a watch party for game six, officials said that may not be the case if the series goes another game. "Auraria has enjoyed sharing our campus with Avs fans for the watch parties," officials wrote. "We continue to cheer on the Colorado Avalanche in their bid for the Stanley Cup in Tampa Sunday evening. Stay tuned for additional details should Game Seven be needed and come back to Denver. Auraria stands ready to rally with fans and cheer the Avs on to victory." Togolese regulator ARCEP has issued a formal warning to Moov Africa Togo over its network outages. At the start of this month, ARCEP deemed Moov to have committed serious breaches of its obligation of permanent, continuous and regular availability of mobile electronic communications services. The regulator issued its decision on 2nd June, giving Moov three months to meet these service obligations before facing sanctions. TeleGeography reports that Moov has agreed to implement the procedures, equipment, protections and redundancies necessary to guarantee the quality and availability of services under the conditions defined by the regulator. Whether it will keep this promise remains to be seen. The regulator imposed sanctions on Moov Africa Togo in November 2020 for violating its terms of reference, and in May 2021, ARCEP fined the operator XOF593 million (US$1.1 million) over serious and lasting breaches of its obligation to provide its electronic communications networks and services on a permanent and continuous basis. In the same month, ARCEP summoned Moov Africa Togo to a public hearing in which it demanded an explanation for network outages that lasted from June-September 2020 and March-April 2021. The issues evidently persist. Moov Africa Togo has attributed the outages to prolonged power cuts by the CEET and damage to cables by Togocom or contracted construction firms. However, ARCEP countered that this explanation is insufficient given the operators alleged XOF113 billion investment into improving the quality of its services. Spring has sprung; fall has fell; summers here, its hot as h***! One torrid summer in the early 1950s, approximately six wily Enterprise lads were captured in First Baptist Churchs baptismal font one Sunday afternoon, skinny-dipping, protesting because Enterprise City Pool was closed Sundays. Those amateur aquanauts names aint available here. Wont ever be. History anonymously credited them for City Pools opening on Sunday afternoons thereafter. Water has been involved in firsts/lasts, as evidenced in the House of Adams Athenaeums somewhat original photograph of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. tinkling off a Rhine River pontoon bridge in March 1945. Pattons son, Col. George S. Patton IV, en route to retiring as a major general, served at Fort Rucker and drove a white 1966 Dodge Coronet four-door sedan we serviced at City Auto Sales. Nice guy. No record of George IV frolicking in full-immersion baptismal fonts hereabouts. Hmmm. During one of the Enterprise High School Wildcat Marching Bands first three journeys to St. Petersburg, Floridas Festival of States, a celebrity entertainer vacationing in the Soreno Hotel, where we were temporarily ensconced, knew something about Enterprise we didnt. Crooner Vaughn Monroe (Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend, The Very Thought of You and Old Soldiers Never Die) asked if we were familiar with Enterprises Maple Street, explaining his daughter and family lived there while her hubby served at Fort Rucker. Dont recall if Vaughn said Candace or Christina dwelled here. Hmmm. June 26 has been an important date for years. In 1284, reportedly, a certain pied piper led 130 children away from Hamlin, Germany; in 1498, a Chinese man, using boarhog bristles, made the first toothbrush; and in 1900, Dr. Walter Reed, a Virginian, began research leading to curing yellow fever. On June 26, 1916, Clevelands Indians experimented with uniform numbers for one game, but the recent name change to Cleveland Guardians seems as permanent as permanent gets nowadays. By any name, Cleveland aint won a World Series since beating Bostons Braves 4-2 in 1948, when Satchel Paige was an Indian and the Braves annual rallying cry was Spahn and Sain and pray for rain. Hmmm. On June 26, 1974, Hollywoods Elizabeth Taylor got a divorce, first of two from Richard Burton, en route to seven total. Backtracking, on June 26, 1909, Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk was born in Breda, Netherlands. Hes important in the biopic, Elvis, currently playing in theaters/theatres/cinemas, coming soon to the HoA Big Moroccan Theater. Andreas, aka Col. Tom Parker, Elviss long-time manager, is portrayed by Oscar-winner Tom Hanks. Austin Butlers must-see performance in the title role emotionally grabbed Elviss family weeks before the films release. Havent heard if Mary Ann likes the flick enough to set out an extra plate of cookies? Sunday, June 26, 1977, later proved devastating to us fans because Elvis gave his final performance that day, in Indianapolis. Elvis supposedly died Aug. 16, 1977. Thankfully, Mike Thompson and your scribe squired two lovelies to Montgomerys Garrett Coliseum on Feb. 16, 1977, for our full-immersion time with The King. After Elvis sang Cant Help Falling in Love, Al Dvorin (or a TCB Band member) repeated this abbreviated version of Louisiana Hayrides Hoss Logans Dec. 15, 1956, announcement: Ladies and gentlemen: Elvis has left the building. We wuz right behind him Q: Is the Oates-Reynolds Memorial Building in Newton marking its centennial? A: The building that holds Newtons library and museum was constructed in 1922 as the girls dormitory of the Baptist Collegiate Institute. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the structure is the only remaining building of an institute that was organized in 1898 as one of more than 100 private and denominational high schools, academies, colleges, and institutes chartered between 1880 and 1900 in Alabama to meet the educational needs of the people. Offering everything from religious training to several years of college level work, these private schools represented an honest effort among the people to establish schools which would furnish them with an adequate education, the buildings NRHP nomination form says. The Baptist Collegiate Institute was typical of the schools that sprang up in that era and made a significant contribution to education in the Wiregrass. In the late 1800s, Alabamas public school system was still inadequately organized and operated, with slightly over fifty percent of the population being illiterate in 1880, the form says. Adding greatly to the difficulty of improving the public educational system was a severe shortage of trained teachers. The University of Alabama and a few other state and denominational schools were beyond popular reach and were thought of by the majority of the people as existing for the benefit of the children of the favored few. To meet the educational needs of the rural people, numerous private schools began to spring up. Education during these years was vaguely divided into two parts: common and collegiate. But many of the common schools offered advanced subjects, and several of the colleges offered at least one year of high school. Within nine years the Baptist Collegiate Institute had to be enlarged three times, and by 1918 it had 250 students drawn from all over the Wiregrass. After the entire campus burned in the early 1920s, the girls dormitory and a classroom building were built. Following the institutes closure in 1929 due to lack of funds, the dormitory was sold and used for room rentals. The public school system used the classroom building until it was razed to make way for an auditorium. The BCI alumni association purchased the dormitory building in 1973. Marcus Rosser started the public library in the 1970s and grant money was used to update the building as an agriculture museum. Money from a later grant was used to repair and renovate the structure and provide air conditioning for the bottom floor. Newtons town clerk, the mayor, and the water department moved in. Later the town offices moved out and plans were made to upgrade the museum. The collection of artifacts and old farm equipment was organized and the museum reopened in January 2018, marking another step in an ongoing process to preserve and display mementos of the areas history. The NRHP nomination form describes the dormitory building as a large two-story brick and masonry structure built along classical lines that consists of a front or main portion with gables on three sides and a long rear wing which contained the living portion of the dormitory. The front stairs lead to a two-story portico with a pediment supported by four large columns. The frieze of the entablature which encircles the house is unadorned except in front where the name of the building is inscribed, the form says. A row of dentils beneath the cornice is repeated under the cornice of the pediment in all three gables. The pediments which are covered with shingling have a semicircular window with triangular lites. The central double front door has a transom with rectangular lites and side lites. The balcony at the second floor of the front portico links the four columns and is rimmed by a wooden bannister. A central double door similar to the main entrance gives access to this balcony. Windows on both floors are similar consisting of four sets of paired windows. Pilasters which appear on each of the corners have capitals formed by projections of the architrave, the form says. Two similar pilasters appear on the southeast and northwest walls. These walls have 10 windows each, eight of which are paired. At the first floor level these windows are spanned by a single row of vertical bricks. The building consisted of 36 rooms, 18 on the first floor including the large lobby, and 18 upstairs which include a general bath and storage area. The Baptist Collegiate Institute offered regular academics on the elementary and high school levels and two years of college. In addition, it offered business training, accounting, speech, and music, the form says. Tuition was $1, $1.25 and $1.50 per month, and the school was dedicated to Christian education. Organized under the leadership of the Reverend Mr. Laudermilk, pastor of the Newton Baptist Church, the school was built on land donated by Mrs. Carrie Jones Haley. The Baptist Collegiate Institute provided training for hundreds of students from Alabama, Florida, and Georgia who otherwise would have had little opportunity for higher education. Graduating over 650 teachers, it helped to fill the need for qualified teachers in the Wiregrass area, the form says. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Fishermen are seen in Quang Nam Province in April 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh The U.S. was Vietnams biggest buyer of fisheries products in the first five months this year, accounting for 23 percent of exports. The U.S. bought nearly 1.1 billion worth of seafood in Jan-May, up 65 percent year-on-year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). It was the biggest buyer of Vietnamese shrimp and second biggest buyer (behind China) of pangasius fish. Shrimp exports to the U.S. rose 32 percent year-on-year to $390 million. Pangasius fish exports to the U.S. has surged 131 percent year-on-year on the back of a drop in home production and an increase in the number of Vietnamese exporters allowed to sell to the U.S., VASEP said. Exports of tuna to the U.S. doubled year-on-year to $251 million. Vietnams seafood exports to the U.S. is set to reach $2.4-2.5 billion this year, up 25 percent from last year, VASEP estimates. By Trend Uzbekistan Airways will increase frequency of flights on the Tashkent-Bishkek-Tashkent route starting from July 6, 2022, Trend reports with the reference to the press service of Uzbekistan Airways. According to the air carrier, from July 6 , flights on the route will be operated 4 days a week: on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. "The scheduled departure time from Tashkent is 13:00 (GMT+5), arrival to Bishkek - 15:10 (GMT+6). From Bishkek, the airplane will leave at 16:30 (GMT+6) and land at Tashkent at 16:50 (GMT+5)", the company says. Currently, Uzbekistan Airways' flights on the Tashkent-Bishkek-Tashkent route are carried out three times a week. Retirement not an option for most Vietnamese senior citizens As the sole breadwinner of a family that can barely afford to make ends meet, Huong has no idea how she would be able to take care of herself after retirement. "In the lucky months when we have some extra money, we live a little more comfortably. But the extra is not big enough, so I cant think about preparing for retirement." The 34-year-old has been working at a curtain factory for five years with a salary of VND7 million ($301) a month, taking care of an elder and a child. A 59-year-old woman sells poridge in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City in November 2017. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Ngoan Dan, janitor at a residential neighborhood in Thu Duc City, works from 6 a.m. till late every day even though he is in his 60s. His wife works in a school kitchen nearby, and together they make VND13.5 million a month, which is just enough to cover their living costs plus medicines. Their two children are also manual laborers and cannot help out much. Huong and Dan are among many Vietnamese citizens likely to grow old without any savings or retirement plan due to low income and lack of access to elderly care. Vietnam had over 11.4 million people aged 60 or more in 2019, or one elder among every nine people. The United Nations Population Fund has forecast that by 2030, the country will have one elder in every six people, and it is set to enter the ageing population stage in 2040. However, only around 27 percent of elders in Vietnam have pensions and stable incomes. The remaining 73 percent are mired in financial difficulties, which means they have to continue working or become dependent on their children. Around 40 percent of the Vietnamese population in Vietnam have to work until they are 70-74 years old, according to the United Nations. Seven of 10 elders take up informal jobs like market vendors, taxi drivers or scrap dealers. Luong Thi My Hanh, head of domestic asset management at investment fund Dragon Capital Vietnam, said most Vietnamese workers do not have a retirement plan and are focused merely on meeting daily needs. Most of them save for short-term goals and usually spend all the money they have, she added. Hanh said workers should look to diversify their income and incorporate passive income to ensure post-retirement financial security. An elder works as a motorbike taxi driver in Tan Phu District. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong But even those with pension struggle because their income is too low. In Ho Chi Minh City, Vu Manh Thiet, 70, worked at a garment company for 30 years, but only receives VND591,000 per month as pension. His wife receives VND3 million a month, and they have to take care of Thiets 90-year-old mother. The low income forces Thiet to work at a student dormitory that pays VND10 million a month, but he is required to stay 23 hours a day at the facility. Nguyen Duc Loc, head of the SocialLife Research Institute, said that apart from the highly trained workers who can continue to work as consultants in their old age, most workers have to bear a low pension in the last years of their lives. In HCMC, 45,000 elders are eligible for pension but they receive less than VND3.8 million a month, lower than the city poverty line. "Most workers do not have savings for their autumn years, and because pension is not enough to meet minimum needs, they are forced to go back to work," Loc said. He said there was a gap in elderly care policies in Vietnam, even though the country has been adopting a labor-intensive economic model for the last 30 years. For Huong, the factory worker in Binh Duong Province, an extra income is a farfetched possibility, as she has already been working long hours, and there is very little chance that she would be able to make ends meet even if she were to get a pension. Resigned, she said: "I cant do anything. Just take one day at a time." Tat Dat, Le Tuyet Aircraft seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Linh Airfares have risen in the last several months, with customers reporting hikes within hours, as summer travel demand booms after two years of Covid-19. HCMC resident Hanh was trying to book round-trip tickets to Phu Quoc a month earlier, but the travel agent quoted new prices every time she called. She said airfares for three people and one child rise from VND11 million ($473) to VND12 million in 10 minutes, and to VND13 million a few hours later. Hoa of Da Nang City said the cost of a round-trip to HCMC tripled to VND2.3 million within two months. She said that the longer she waited for the price to drop, it did the opposite. The most expensive domestic route, Hanoi-Phu Quoc, has seen round-trip ticket prices rise 20-30 percent to VND5-7.5 million from last month. Airfares from Hanoi and HCMC to Da Nang, Nha Trang and Quy Nhon have risen by over 25 percent in the last several months. International airfares have also risen by 25-30 percent, with the HCMC-South Korea and HCMC-San Francisco route recording prices of VND10-13 million and VND41-45 million, respectively. Vietnam Airlines head of communications Dang Anh Tuan said cheap tickets run out soon after the airline opens booking in the summer due to high demand. Another reason is that fuel prices have doubled, he added. A media representative for budget airline Vietjet said fuel accounts for around 40 percent of operating costs. When fuel prices crossed $100 per barrel, airlines operating costs increased by 50 percent, she added. Several carriers have said they will increase the number of flights to meet rising travel demand, but did not provide specifics. Vietnam Airlines will operate 36,000 flights from June to mid-August, while Vietjet will conduct around 450 flights a day this summer, most of them domestic. Bamboo Airways has said it would increase flights to have the number of seats on offer rise by 15 percent, focusing on routes to Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Quy Nhon. It will also have more evening flights to reduce pressure at airports during peak hours, the carrier said. Shark catfish exports to the U.S. and China have doubled year-on-year to $1.21 billion between January and May, the five-month highest ever. Shark catfish exports to China in particular increased by 124 percent, accounting for 26.5 percent of shark catfish export trade turnover, according to data by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is followed by exports to the U.S. with a 131 percent, EU with a 89 percent, Thailand with a 85 percent, and Brazil with a 51 percent increase. At the end of April, the price of exported frozen shark catfish to the U.S. reached a new peak at $5 per kilogram, around $2 higher than the same period last year. In China, the price of filleted shark catfish was around $3.15-3.25 per kilogram, around $0.5 per kilogram higher than the same period last year. Shark catfish trade is expected to flourish this year, BIDV Securities Company anticipated. It said demand in the U.S., China and EU would be high following long periods of Covid-19 restrictions. In the U.S., importers have taken in more shark catfish as its stock inventory had run low following two years of Covid-19. The U.S.'s catfish supply has also been affected by reduced areas of catfish farming. The aforementioned factors have contributed to the growth of Vietnam's shark catfish trade. Vietnam has had six more factories included among those that process and export shark catfish to the U.S., according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). Current shark catfish processing factories are running at full capacity to meet export demand. Shark catfish exporters have also been looking toward potential markets like Mexico and Egypt. With the current trend, shark catfish exports this year could reach $2.6 billion, VASEP anticipated. ELKO -- Firefighters responded to a blaze Saturday morning in Spring Creek. The fire in a greenbelt area between Eastlake and Pemberton drives burned an estimated 5 acres, according to the Elko County Fire Protection District. Structures were threatened before it was fully contained early Saturday afternoon. The cause is under investigation. "Its been a busy start to the summer at the Fire District," the agency said on Friday. "Sunday morning we had a structure fire, wildland fire early yesterday morning and a power pole fire late last night. With continued dry conditions forecasted, we are asking the community to be extremely careful." The Kinsley Fire on the White Pine-Elko County border burned 3,209 acres before it was fully contained just under a week after it started. A fire in the early morning hours Thursday burned 2 to 3 acres off Mountain City highway just north of Elko. Another fire was reported Saturday afternoon in the Goshute mountain range in eastern Elko County, but details were not immediately available. Several wildfires have been burning in the Southwest, and recent fires in Alaska have burned more than 750,000 acres. Anyone with fire safety questions may call the county fire office at 775-738-9960. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 0 RENO, Nev. (AP) Washoe County has established a legal assistance fund for county employees who've been unfairly attacked or harassed in public as tempers increasingly flare during hostile confrontations over election procedures and other controversies. The legal and personal services approved this week will be available to county workers, but not elected officials, The Reno Gazette Journal reported. What were trying to do is make sure that the rights of our employees are protected, County Manager Eric Brown said. Weve seen situations where the public discourse has gotten increasingly hostile, he said. The county commission voted 3-1 on Tuesday to authorize the county manager to spend a total of up to $150,000 per fiscal year on such efforts. The $150,000 cap applies to the entire fund, not each individual who would be eligible to draw from it. Any expenditures beyond the $150,000 would require specific approval from the commission. Brown said the county has a responsibility as an employer to make sure its supporting its employees. We have had situations where county employees not elected officials have received death threats, have received malicious and fictitious claims made against them," he said. "Some of this has been extremely hurtful to their families. The assistance would be available to employees who are unfairly publicly attacked, harassed, or disparaged by members of the public or political organizations, according to the language approved by the commissioners. A background report by county staff said aggressive comments, threats, conspiracy theories and false accusations can have the impact of deterring qualified individuals from continuing their careers in government service with the county or discouraging individuals who may be considering careers in government service. Brown said the initiative would help employees especially those without the wherewithal to retain their own counsel or other resources to defend themselves. It is in no way any attempt to suppress criticism of any elected official or public official, he said. Commissioners Alexis Hill, Kitty Jung and Bob Lucey voted in favor, Jeanne Herman was opposed, and Vaughn Hartung was absent. Public comment was strongly against this proposal, calling it a slush fund and worse. You want to give these people that make over $100,000 a stipend for legal fees when they screw up? said Kenji Otto, who ran and came in second in the Republican primary for county clerk. Give me a break. You people are disgusting. Kris Engstrom spoke in favor of the proposal, saying that over the lunch break shed been watching Jan. 6 hearing testimony in Washington, with people describing mobs entering their homes and ruining their lives. Its clear from some of the hostility in this room that this could happen to workers who are just doing their jobs working for the county, Engstrom said during the commission meeting. One commenter, Val White, said staff could get more insurance for legal coverage if they want it. If you think youre going to be harassed or criticized, its not our responsibility to pay for your extra legal expenses, she said. White described it as setting up a large bank account to use for legal fees to attack residents who dare displease us with their comments. The language approved by the commission says eligibility for assistance would be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Washoe County Manager with input from the Washoe County Workplace Violence Committee. "The objective of the program would be to provide employees support against attacks, harassment, or disparagement that occur or originate outside of the workplace but that relate in some significant degree to the role of the subject employees as employees of the county. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Reno Gazette-Journal. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 COVID-19 vaccine (Photo: VNA) Hanoi still reported the highest number of infections on the day with 169 cases, followed by Bac Ninh with 53 and Phu Tho with 45. The national caseload reached 10,742,891. A total 5,239 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on June 24, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 9,642,514. There are 34 patients in serious conditions needing breathing support. No death from COVID-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours. The total fatalities stood at 43,084. On June 24, 722,191 doses of vaccines were administered, raising the total number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines injected to 229,206,194. Seafood export takes larger bite out of foreign markets Seafood shipments overseas have risen in the first half of 2022, and experts say Tra fish exports can increase the market share in the EU, while that of shrimp has a lot of room for growth in Canada, reported Vietnam News Agency. Processing Tra fish (Photo: VNA) According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), as of May, the value of frozen Tra fish exports to the EU this year reached 76.8 million USD, up 95% year-on-year. This means the market has bounced back after a two-year downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Netherlands remains the biggest market in the EU for the Vietnamese products, while positive signals are coming from the shipment of frozen Tra fish to Germany, Spain, and Belgium. In addition to the bloc, Vietnamese Tra fish exporters have also stepped up their activities in Mexico, Egypt and Thailand. As of mid-May, Vietnam exports shipped to Mexico are at 45.6 million USD, up 70% year-on-year. VASEP said the Mexican market accounted for the largest proportion of the value, at 35%, of Vietnamese Tra fish exported to member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Thailand, meanwhile, is a new partner of Vietnam in the sector over recent years, with 60 Vietnamese firms now actively shipping exports to the market. However, insiders said that the market is good, but raw fish for processing is still in short supply, and the situation is projected to continue until the end of the third quarter. Regarding shrimp exports, whose value grew 38% annually to hit about 1.8 billion USD as of mid-May, experts have predicted extensive increases from the Canadian market in the time to come. Processing shrimps for export (Source: VNA) During the period, Vietnam reeled in 100 million USD from shrimp shipments to Canada, up 87% against last year. After the CPTPP took effect in 2019, such exports raked in 187 million USD in 2020 and 180 million USD in 2021. Currently, there are about 80 shrimp exporters to the market with a wide variety of products. Kim Thu, an expert on the shrimp market, said in recent years, Canada has consumed a lot of warm water shrimp from Southeast Asian countries. This is coupled with a reduction in the supply of cold water shrimp; favourable conditions for a good catch in Vietnamese shrimp exports to Canada. According to her, despite such great potential, when entering the Canadian market, Vietnamese shrimp must compete fiercely with products from the US, India, Thailand, China, and Ecuador. Hence, it is necessary for them to update information and plan specific strategies for better exports in the coming time, she advised. Da Nang receives record number of flights over two-year period The central city of Da Nang welcomed a total of 114 domestic and international flights on June 25, a record high figure over the past two years, reported the Voice of Vietnam. Da Nang welcomes Korean passengers on Korean Air flight at Da Nang International Airport On average the central city welcomes nine international flights per day at present, a rather low figure compared to the pre-pandemic period, but that signals the recovery of the local aviation industry following the success of Routes Asia 2022 in early June, according to Da Nang International Airport. Le Trung Chinh, head of the municipal government, said that the city has set the goal of restoring its aviation industry to levels seen in the pre-pandemic period within the next two years, with a primary focus on potential markets such as the United States, Europe, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. The Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center reported since a number of airlines from Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand resumed flights to Da Nang in late March, the city has welcomed 300 flights and tens of thousands of tourists so far. Korean Air, the largest airline and flag carrier of the Republic of Korea (RoK), recently restored flights to the coastal city, bringing 200 passengers on June 22 following a two-year hiatus caused by COVID-19. Currently, Korean Air is operating two charter flights per week to Da Nang running on Wednesday and Saturday, It plans to launch regular flights to the central city as of July 27 with a frequency of one flight per day. Plans to reopen bus route connecting Thailand-Laos-Vietnam Thai authorities are discussing the opening of new bus routes with Laos and Vietnam to link popular destinations in the three countries, reported the Voice of Vietnam according to news website laotiantimes.com. The distance from Nakhon Phanom to Ha Tinh is approximately 300 kilometres. (Illustrative photo: baoquocte.vn) Laotian media noted that the Thai Government has approved expediting negotiations to open a bus route connecting the three countries via route R12 from Nakhon Phanom in Thailand to Thakhek in Laos before progressing on to Ha Tinh in Vietnam. The distance from Nakhon Phanom to Ha Tinh is approximately 300 kilometres. The website also revealed that the Thai Ministry of Transport has requested that Laos host the second Trilateral Working Group Meeting as soon as possible in order to discuss the service model before coming to formal agreements. The three cities are especially attractive to tourists, with local arts and culture attractions, temples, and sacred sites, as well as natural wonders such as waterfalls, mountains, and beaches, the laotiantimes.com shared./. Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) The recommendation was made given DOCs fresh announcement on extending the time to submit comments and provide feedback to the case by one week. As such, the new deadline is 5pm of June 30 (Eastern Time) or 4am of July 1 (Vietnam time). The authority also requested the producers and exporters to study thoroughly the USs anti-circumvention regulations and investigation procedures. They were also asked to fully comply with the US sides request for information provision while working closely with the TRAV during the case settlement. On May 24, DOC launched a probe to find out whether or not wooden cabinets from Vietnam and Malaysia that include components imported from China are subject to the trade remedies the US is levying on similar products of China. So far, DOC has initiated investigation for both scope ruling and anti-circumvention requests filed by the petitioner./. An avalanche set off by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps killed at least six people and injured eight others Sunday, an emergency services spokeswoman said. ``The effort must be immediate, collective and massive,'' the leaders of the three companies, TotalEnergies, ... By Trend Turkmenistan Airlines resumes regular flights to Moscow (Russia) on July 5, with the flight to Domodedovo International Airport, Trend reports citing Turkmenportal. Flights will be operated twice a week - on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Departure from Ashgabat - at 19:25 (GMT+5), arrival in Moscow - at 21:15 (GMT+3) on Tuesdays. The planes will return to the Turkmenbashi International Airport. Takeoff on Tuesdays from Moscow is at 22:45 (GMT+3), arrival in Turkmenbashi is at 04:15 (GMT+5) on Wednesday. At the same time, takeoff from Ashgabat - at 07:35 (GMT+5), arrival in Moscow - at 09:25 (GMT+3) on Thursdays. Departure from Moscow - at 10:55 (GMT+3), landing in Turkmenbashi - at 16:25 (GMT+5) on the same day. Regular flights between Turkmenistan and other countries were discontinued due to COVID-19 in March 2020. No one will be excluded from the presidential call for national dialogue except those who have blood on their hands or practiced terrorism or violence, General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan said on Friday. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis call for a political dialogue on national priorities during the annual Egyptian Family Iftar Banquet in April was welcomed by various segments of Egyptian society, including political parties, professional syndicates, labour unions, trade unions, public figures, and citizens. El-Sisi assigned the countrys National Youth Conference which is organised by the National Training Academy (NTA) to conduct a political dialogue on the current national issues and deliver the outcomes to him. According to Rashwan, this is the first national dialogue to be issued by a president since the July 1952 Revolution, noting that the call was launched publicly by the president in the presence of opposition figures during the banquet. Furthermore, the president promised to attend the final stages of the dialogue, which is set to include all political parties without any exceptions or discrimination. The NTA said its role is limited to organisational and logistical tasks for the dialogue, and that the academy will not interfere in its content, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. The first sessions of the national political dialogue are scheduled to be held in the first week of July. As general coordinator, Rashwan is expected to coordinate with political and union forces to form a board of trustees for the dialogue. The board will comprise 15 members and include representatives of participating groups, public figures, and experts. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian political scientist and activist Amr Hamzawy as well as space scientist and ex-presidential scientific advisor Essam Heggy have accepted the invitation to take part in the national political dialogue, general coordinator of the dialogue and Head of the Journalists Syndicate Diaa Rashwan said on Thursday. Rashwan mentioned a list of Egyptians living abroad who have accepted the invitation to join the national dialogue called upon by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last April, including well-known media professional Gehan Mansour. Inside Egypt, invitations have been sent by the dialogue administration to hundreds of people, Rashwan said, including member of the National Council for Human Rights George Ishak and well-known laywer Essam El-Islamboly. The list of invitations also includes former ministers of health Amr Helmy and Ashraf Hatem, and opposition MP Diaa El-Din Dawoud and former jihadist turned Islamist writer Nageh Ibrahim, Rashwan said. Ibrahim is the most prominent example for those who managed to change the track of violence in Egypt and bring back Islam to its moderate form and those who went astray back into the society, Rashwan said. The dialogue has not been rejected by any political party or forces so far, Rashwan said, adding that a number of political parties have asked to join the dialogue to introduce their proposals. He noted that thousands of citizens have also communicated with the dialogue administration and submitted dialogue-linked proposals, urging those willing to join the dialogue to submit their requests at the National Youth Conferences website. The path of the national dialogue is proceeding in a positive manner and evokes all the good preparation methods for a fruitful and diversified dialogue, Rashwan said. He added that the dialogue will be conducted within a framework of freedom of opinion and discussions by well-informed experts. Egypt will hold its first sessions of the national political dialogue during the first week of July, as all preparations have been completed, according to a statement by the dialogues administration announced on Wednesday. The dialogue is part of steps taken by the country to advance its human rights situation as part of the National Strategy for Human Rights launched in September. During the annual Egyptian Family Iftar banquet on 26 April, El-Sisi assigned the National Youth Conference, which is organised by the National Training Academy (NTA), to conduct the dialogue on the current national issues and deliver the outcomes to him. El-Sisi promised during the banquet to attend the final stages of the dialogue, which is set to include all political parties without any exceptions or discrimination. Multiple political parties have welcomed the step and expressed willingness to join the dialogue. A statement by the dialogues administration earlier this month announced inviting the largest possible number of representatives of the Egyptian social classes and institutions to conduct an effective national dialogue. This aims to make sure that all the categories are represented in the societal dialogue and to ensure access to all regions of the republic in coordination with all partisan and youth political currents, the statement said. The dialogues administration is also receiving proposals and inquiries via WhatsApp at 01025521555 - 0109388883. Search Keywords: Short link: Russia said on Saturday its troops have killed "up to 80" Polish fighters in "precision strikes" in eastern Ukraine. "Up to 80 Polish mercenaries, 20 armoured combat vehicles and eight Grad multiple rocket launchers were destroyed in precision strikes on the Megatex zinc factory in Konstantinovka" in the Donetsk region, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement, which could not be independently verified. The region, claimed by Russia, has been the theatre of combat since Moscow began its offensive in Ukraine in late February. The Russian ministry did not state when the strikes took place. In its statement, the ministry added that "more than 300 Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries, as well as 35 heavy weapons, were destroyed in the space of a day in Mykolaiv," a Black Sea city in southern Ukraine. Russia describes as "mercenaries" foreign volunteers fighting with Ukrainian forces. In April the defence ministry said some 30 Polish "mercenaries" had been killed in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian space scientist and former-presidential scientific adviser Essam Heggy said on Twitter that he values all the participants and organisers of the national dialogue in Egypt and wishes them luck, but stated that he does not participate in any political movement because he serves the nation through science and education. I value all the participants and organisers of the national dialogue in Egypt... but my own way of serving the nation is through science and education, and I did not, nor will I have any participation in any political movement, whatever its affiliation or goals Heggy said on his official Twitter account on Friday. I am not in a rivalry with any party regardless of the extent of differences. I wish luck to all the participants. he added. Heggys tweet came after Diaa Rashwan, the general coordinator of the dialogue and head of the Journalists Syndicate, made an announcement on Thursday that an invitation was extended to Heggy to participate in the national dialogue that will kick-off in July. Rashwan also revealed that invitations to participate in the dialogue have been sent to hundreds of people, including member of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) George Ishak and well-known lawyer Essam El-Islamboly. The list of invitations also includes former ministers of health Amr Helmy and Ashraf Hatem, opposition MP Diaa El-Din Dawoud, and former jihadist turned Islamist writer Nageh Ibrahim, he added. Rashawn has previously stressed that no one will be excluded from the presidential call for national dialogue except those who have blood on their hands or practiced terrorism or violence. Furthermore, he noted that thousands of citizens have communicated with the dialogues administration and submitted dialogue-linked proposals, urging those willing to join it to submit their requests at the National Youth Conferences website. Parties like El-Wafd and the Free Egyptians also announced that they will participate in the dialogue. Egypt will hold its first sessions of the national political dialogue during the first week of July, according to a statement by the dialogues administration that was released on Wednesday. The dialogue is part of steps taken by the country to advance its human rights situation as part of the National Strategy for Human Rights that was launched in September. During the annual Egyptian Family Iftar Banquet on 26 April, El-Sisi assigned the National Youth Conference which is organised by the National Training Academy to conduct a dialogue on current national issues and deliver the outcomes to him. Search Keywords: Short link: Ukraine's Severodonetsk was "fully occupied" by the Russian army, its mayor said on Saturday, after weeks of fighting over the key eastern city. "The city has been fully occupied by the Russians," mayor Oleksandr Striuk said. The Ukrainian army on Friday said it would withdraw its forces from the city of some 100,000 inhabitants before the war to better defend the neighbouring city of Lysychansk. Striuk said civilians had started to evacuate the Azot chemical plant, where several hundred people had been hiding from Russian shelling. "These people have spent almost three months of their lives in basements, shelters. That's tough emotionally and physically," he said, adding they would now need medical and psychological support. Pro-Moscow separatists said Russian and pro-Russian forces had taken control of the Azot factory and "evacuated" more than 800 civilians sheltering there. The forces have "taken full control of the Azot plant industrial zone", a separatist representative Andrei Marochko said on Telegram. Another separatist spokesman, Ivan Filiponenko, said that around 800 civilians who had taken refuge in the plant during weeks of fighting had been "evacuated". The Russians also taking control of Lysychansk would effectively give the them control of the wider Lugansk region, and allow them to push further into the wider Donbas. Search Keywords: Short link: Russia will deliver missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to Belarus in the coming months, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday as he received Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. "In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions," Putin said in a broadcast on Russian television at the start of his meeting with Lukashenko in Saint Petersburg. He also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, amid soaring tensions with the West over Ukraine. "Many Su-25 (aircrafts) are in service with the Belarusian military. They could be upgraded in an appropriate way," the Russian leader said. "This modernisation should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia and the training of personnel should start in accordance with this," he added, after Lukashenko asked him to "adapt" the planes. "We will agree on how to accomplish this," Putin said. Putin has several times referred to nuclear weapons since his country launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, in what the West has seen as a warning to the West not to intervene. Lukashenko said last month that his country had bought Iskander nuclear-capable missiles and S-400 anti-aircraft anti-missile systems from Russia. Search Keywords: Short link: President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is set to start a two-day visit to Oman on Monday, according to Oman News Agency (ONA). El-Sisi is scheduled to meet with Omans Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and his visit will witness discussions on a number of issues of mutual concern as well as a host of topics in light of the recent regional and international developments. It will also aim to consolidate the brotherly and deeply rooted relations between the two countries and enhance bilateral cooperation, ONA reported quoting the Omani Royal Court of Affairs. This will be El-Sisis second visit to Oman. The first visit was in 2018, when he headed to Muscat for a three-day official visit in which he met with late sultan Qaboos bin Said. It was the first time an Egyptian president went to Oman since 2009. In January 2020, when bin Said passed away at the age of 79 after nearly 50 years of reigning over the sultanate, El-Sisi declared a three-day period of mourning and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly headed to Oman to offer Egypts condolences. Egypts House of Representatives also declared an official mourning period with flags be flown at half-mast for three days in honour of the deceased monarch. Business cooperation Established in 2019 to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries, the Egyptian-Omani Joint Business Council held its 15th round in January in the Omani capital of Muscat, where Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry urged the Omani private sector and businessmen to expand their presence in Egypt. Shoukry also called on them to maximise their direct investments in Egypt and benefit from the giant developmental and economic projects that the country is carrying out. Trade exchange between Egypt and Oman amounted to $500 million in 2020, according to previous statements by Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea. Moreover, Omani investments in the Egyptian market reached $77.5 million through 92 companies in the fields of industry, tourism, construction, and agriculture. Egyptian investments in the Omani market also amounted to $680 million, with 142 companies specialised in the fields of infrastructure, road projects, and real estate investment. # #__ # # .# pic.twitter.com/sSBvtCabhO (@OmanNewsAgency) June 25, 2022 The visit comes less than three weeks before the upcoming Gulf Cooperation Council GCC+3 Summit that will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 15 July and will bring together leaders of the GCC in addition to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and the US. In the lead-up to the summit, El-Sisi met on Friday with Qatars Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who visited Egypt for the first time since Cairo and Doha resumed diplomatic relations last year after signing the Al-Ula Declaration that ended an over three-year-long diplomatic rift. The Egyptian President also met with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Monday in the Egyptian capital and held a trilateral summit with Bahrains King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Jordans King Abdullah II last week in Sharm El-Sheikh. Search Keywords: Short link: Iraq's prime minister met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in the kingdom Sunday as part of Baghdad's efforts to mediate between Riyadh and Tehran. Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who headed to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, is expected to then visit Iran, its regional rival with which Riyadh has had no diplomatic ties since 2016. Prince Mohammed and Kadhemi addressed "bilateral relations and opportunities for joint cooperation", reported the official Saudi Press Agency. "They exchanged points of view on a number of issues that would contribute to supporting and strengthening regional security and stability," it added. Iraq has over the past year hosted five rounds of talks between the two regional rivals, with the last session held in April. Kadhemi said at the time he believed that "reconciliation is near" between Riyadh and Tehran, a further reflection of shifting political alignments across the region. On Saturday an Iraqi cabinet source said that Kadhemi's trip to Saudi Arabia and Iran "comes in the context of talks that Riyadh and Tehran recently held in Baghdad". The source said those talks "represented a road map for mending relations and returning to the right course of strengthening bilateral relations" between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which support rival sides in conflict zones around the region. Saudi Arabia and Iran have had no diplomatic ties for six years. In early March, Prince Mohammed said his country and Iran were "neighbours forever", and that it was "better for both of us to work it out and to look for ways in which we can coexist". After his arrival in the kingdom, Kadhemi performed the minor pilgrimage, known as umra, in the holy city of Mecca, according to pictures released by his office. Search Keywords: Short link: Mansoura's criminal court has postponed to Tuesday the trial of 21-year-old university student Mohamed Adel, accused of stabbing to death fellow student Nayera Ashraf in Mansoura city in northern Egypt last week. In the first session on the crime that rocked the country over the past few days, the court issued on Sunday a media gag order regarding all the trial proceedings and sessions except for sentencing hearing. The defendant is accused of stabbing Art Faculty student Nayer Ashraf several times and slitting her throat on a busy street in front of Mansoura university on Monday in front of hundreds of witnesses. A video recording the crime has been widely circulated on social media, triggering shockwaves across the country. In its referral-to-court statement today, the prosecution accused Adel of premeditatedly taking Nayera's life "in retaliation for her rejections of his marriage proposal and due to his multiple failed attempts to force himself [on her]." Adel, the prosecution said, planned on killing his fellow student during end-of-year exams, adding that on the day of incident Adel got in the same vehicle as Ashraf on the way to the exams, concealing a knife in his clothes. He followed her and once she arrived at the university, he stabbed the victim multiple times in the back, causing her to fall on the ground. He then slit her throat with the intent of taking her life before he was attacked and restrained by bystanders. The prosecution's referral also accused the defendant of possessing a cold steel weapon (knife) without legal justification. The first session of the trial, which was held only six days following the incident, witnessed intensive security measures, with many security personnel stationed around the court, especially around the defendant and victims family. The first part of the hearing were livestreamed on several media platforms before the court ordered a halt to the recordings and issued a gag order on all the trial proceedings and sessions except for sentencing hearing. During this part, the court summoned Adel from his cage, asking him to recall his narrative about the shocking incident. The accused who confessed to the crime during the prosecution interrogations and reenacted the murder pleaded guilty to the offense before the court, but he denied taking her life as a revenge for turning down his marriage proposals. Ashrafs parents disputed this claim, saying during the prosecution interrogations that the defendant had repeatedly followed her after the failure of their relationship and her refusal to marry him. They also told the prosecution that the victim had drawn up restraining orders against the defendant nearly two months ago, according to a prosecution statement. The crime has also drawn wide commentary from many segments of society, including women advocates and controversial comments from clerics. Search Keywords: Short link: Last week, Egypt and Greece signed an agreement to connect the two countries by extending a branch from a major subsea cable system, which is currently being laid across the Mediterranean Sea. The agreement aims to intensify cooperation in the field of communication and IT and serve the increasing data traffic between Africa, Asia, and Europe. The agreement was signed on 21 June by Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt Adel Hamed, Chairperson and CEO of Greeces Independent Power Transmission Operator S.A. (IPTO) Manos Manousakis, and Director of the IPTOs subsidiary Grid Telecom George Psyrris at Telecom Egypts headquarters in Cairo. Last February, the two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Athens in the presence of Minister of Communication and Information Technology Amr Talaat and Greek Minister of Digital Governance Kyriakos Piarrakakis. The MoU laid the groundwork for the exploration of different connectivity options between the two countries in addition to expanded access to other destinations depending on the infrastructure and the international linkage capabilities of the two companies, according to a statement released by the communications ministry. The project is expected to precede the Egyptian ministrys planned launch of the Hybrid African Ring Path (HARP) cable that will extend around Africa by 2023. The agreement is a continuity to the remarkable cooperation between Egypt and Greece, which has intensified over recent years in many fields, especially in energy and electricity. On 19 October 2021, Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus convened at the ninth Trilateral Cooperation and Coordination Summit in Athens to declare that they welcome the signing of an agreement for the establishment of a trilateral electricity inter-connector. Quickfire facts about the new subsea cable The planned connection between Egypt and Greece will serve the increasing data traffic between Africa, Asia, and Europe, creating a new reliable telecommunications corridor interconnecting the three continents. It will extend for the shortest possible distance, cutting across the Mediterranean basin to reach the Balkans as well as other important destinations like Genoa and Marseilles over hybrid terrestrial and submarine networks, according to Telecom Egypt. The subsea cable will be the most recent addition to a series of 18 cables that will be completed within the next three years, according to the ministry. Telecom Egypts collaboration with Grid Telecom will increase our networks resilience and reach, according to Hamed. This new extension will enhance the strategic role of Crete Island as a neutral open-access node on the intersection of three continents, according to Manousakis. Search Keywords: Short link: RTHK: S Korean president to have Nato trilateral meeting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet leaders of the United States and Japan on Wednesday during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) summit in Madrid, an official at the presidential office said on Sunday. The trilateral meeting, which would be the first such gathering since September 2017, is scheduled to for 2:30 p.m., though changes can be made, the official said. President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are not likely to hold a separate meeting, the official added. Separately, a Japanese government official also told Reuters that the three leaders will hold a meeting on June 29. Earlier this week, South Korea said it planned to set up a delegation to NATO in Brussels as Seoul pushes to strengthen its partnership with the organisation and play a bigger role on the global stage. Yoon, who was sworn in on May 10, will be the first South Korean president to attend a NATO summit, as the country, along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, has been invited as the organisation's Asia-Pacific partners. While the June 29-30 meeting in Madrid is expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis, Yoon plans to drum up international cooperation against North Korea's nuclear programme, the presidential office said. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-06-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Trend External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday called on Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong here and also met several leaders and his counterparts from the Commonwealth nations to discuss bilateral ties and geopolitical trends. Jaishankar arrived here on Wednesday on a four-day visit to attend the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). He will be representing Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the summit on June 24-25. Pleasure to call on PM @leehsienloong of Singapore. An interesting discussion on geopolitical trends, he said in a tweet. Jaishankar also called on Presidents of Maldives and Uganda Ibrahim Solih and Yoweri Museveni and discussed the broad-based bilateral cooperation with the two leaders. He also met his counterparts from the UK, Namibia, Jamaica, Sierra Leone and Cyprus and discussed a range of regional and global issues with them. Great to catch up with my British counterpart Foreign Secretary @trussliz. Always useful to exchange notes on the state of the world, he said in a tweet. Nice meeting Namibia Deputy PM and Min. of Intnl. Relations Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah. We noted the growing cooperation in health, IT, defence and education. Discussed possibilities in fintech and bio-diversity. Looking forward to receiving her in New Delhi, he said. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and UAEs Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan discussed means of boosting Emirati investments in Egypt in various fields, especially energy, transportation, ports and tourism. El-Sisi received on Sunday Sheikh Abdullah with the attendance of Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, CEO of Abu Dhabi state holding company ADQ Mohamed Hassan Al-Suwaidi and Emirati Ambassador to Cairo Maryam Al-Kaabi, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. El-Sisi and Sheikh Abdullah discussed enhancing bilateral relations at all levels, especially economic ties and investments. The president highlighted the special relations between Egypt and the UAE, which have extended for decades since the late UAE President Sheikh Zayed Al-Nahyan, hailing the Emiratis supportive stances toward Egypt during many historical milestones. The meeting comes a month after the UAEs government announced allocating an investment fund of $10 billion run by the state-owned ADQ for joint projects with Egypt and Jordan as part of a newly launched partnership industrial initiative. Egypt, UAE and Jordan launched a joint initiative of integrated industrial partnership for sustainable economic development in Abu Dhabi late last month to achieve sustainable economic development among the three countries. Strategic ties, regional issues The Emirati FM underscored his keenness to enhance strategic relations with Egypt in a way that achieves the two countries joint interests and enhances security and stability in the region. This comes in light of the Egyptian efforts to preserve security and peace in the region during the current critical period marked with growing challenges, the statement read. El-Sisi and Sheikh Abdullah discussed developments in regional situations and issues of mutual concern. In this regard, the Emirati FM praised Egypts pivotal role in the region as a main pillar of security and stability in the Arab world. He hailed Egypts role in enhancing solidarity among African countries and boosting joint Arab work. For his part, El-Sisi hailed the important role played by the UAE and the Emirati leadership in the face of challenges facing the Arab countries. Boosting investments Egypt and UAE have shared warm relations, including at the economic level, over the past decades, maintaining a consensus on regional issues. The UAE has been keen to boost investments in Egypt in various fields over the recent years. The volume of Emirati investments in Egypt amounts to $20 billion and is expected to rise to $35 billion within five years, Secretary-General of the UAE International Investors Council (UAEIIC) Jamal Al-Jarwan said in a meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Abu Dhabi late in May. Trade volume between Egypt and the UAE hit more than $3.6 billion in 2021, according to earlier data released by the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Emirati FMs visit to Egypt comes a day after Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani concluded a visit to Cairo, where he affirmed to El-Sisi his keenness to continue boosting Egyptian-Qatari cooperation in various fields by maximising investments in Egypt. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also made a two-day visit to Egypt last week as part of a regional tour that included Jordan and Turkey. During the visit, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed 14 investment agreements worth $7.7 billion in several fields, including petroleum, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and cyber security. Saudi Arabia plans to make investments worth $30 billion in Egypt, according to a joint Saudi-Egyptian communique issued in light of the crown princes visit. Search Keywords: Short link: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will visit Ankara on Monday after Tehran dismissed as "ridiculous" allegations by Israel that the Islamic republic was planning anti-Israeli attacks in Turkey. Amir-Abdollahian "will pay a visit to Turkey" on Monday for talks on bilateral issues as well as current regional and international developments," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. The visit comes four days after Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, set to assume the helm of a caretaker government, thanked Turkey for foiling an alleged Iranian assassination plot against its citizens in Istanbul. Last week, Turkey detained eight members of an alleged Iranian cell who were plotting to kill Israelis including a former ambassador ahead of Lapid's visit to Ankara. "We are full of appreciation for the Turkish government for this professional and coordinated activity," Lapid said after talks in Ankara Thursday designed to highlight a thaw in relations between the two occasional regional rivals. On Friday, Iran denied the "baseless" claims. "The baseless allegations... are ridiculous and part of a pre-designed plot to destroy relations between the two Muslim countries," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement. Israel last week called on its citizens to leave Turkey because of the "real and immediate danger" coming from Iranian operatives. Search Keywords: Short link: The Group of Seven leading democratic economies has formally launched at its annual summit a global infrastructure and investment partnership aimed at pushing back China's influence in the developing world. The G-7 program responds to China's so-called Belt and Road Initiative, which Western officials have long argued traps receiving countries in debt and with investments that benefit China more than their hosts. The White House says the initiative seeks to leverage $200 billion in US investment over the next five years, along with a similar amount from G-7 allies, to boost infrastructure development in lower- and middle-income nations. It adds that most of the funding will come from the private sector, sovereign wealth and global development funds, rather that direct taxpayer dollars. The US says the G-7 backed effort promotes responsible investments that aim to benefit the communities they are made in. Among the first initiatives are a $2 billion solar farm investment in Angola in Southwest Africa, $320 million for hospital construction in Ivory Coast, in West Africa, and $40 million to promote regional energy trade in Southeast Asia. In a jab at China, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the G-7 is offering ``sustainable, quality infrastructure'' and will be ``listening closely to the recipient countries.'' Search Keywords: Short link: Diplomats from the United States, Israel and four Arab countries will convene in Bahrain Monday, Israeli officials said, three months after they vowed to boost cooperation at a landmark meeting in Israel. The talks in the Bahraini capital Manama will bring together foreign ministry officials from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco -- which all normalised ties with the Jewish state in 2020 -- and from Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979. In March, they met for the first time on Israeli soil in the Sde Boker kibbutz in the Negev desert, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joining his counterparts. The UAE and Bahrain forged ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, brokered by former US president Donald Trump. Morocco then re-established relations with Israel under a separate Trump-brokered agreement. The Abraham Accords infuriated the Palestinians, who argued that they marked a betrayal of a decades-old Arab consensus to isolate Israel until it agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state, with its capital in east Jerusalem. Washington has said it wanted the meeting to be annual and to include the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, another Arab nation that recognises Israel, but which has seen rising criticism over the status of Jerusalem. Blinken has voiced strong support for the Abraham Accords but cautioned at the Negev meeting that they cannot replace Israeli-Palestinian peace-building. The meetings aim to deepen cooperation on areas including water, tourism, health, energy, food security and on regional security. Israel has also found common cause with Gulf Arab states in their tense relationship with Iran's Shia clerical state. Monday's "meeting will also serve as a milestone ahead of the US president's expected visit to the Middle East", the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement. President Joe Biden will travel to Israel, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Saudi Arabia from July 13 to 16, his first trip to the Middle East since taking office. Once there, he will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council summit with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, joined by the leaders of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, a US official said. Search Keywords: Short link: New heads of the Egyptian judicial authorities swore a legal oath before President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday morning, Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement. El-Sisi then praised the role of the Court of Cassation, the State Lawsuits Authority, and the State Council in laying the foundation for justice, Rady pointed out. The president also said that these prestigious judicial organisations and institutions continue to perform their duties diligently in a way that contributes to preserving the rights of citizens and safeguarding the interests of the country. On Saturday, El-Sisi issued presidential decrees appointing Mohamed Mahgoub, who served as the secretariat of the Political Parties Committee in 2011, as the president of the Court of Cassation and Mohamed Bakr as the president of the State Lawsuits Authority as of 1 July. Bakr served as a member of the Supreme Council of the State Litigation Authority He was also promoted to the rank of vice-president of the State Lawsuits Authority in 2000 and was assigned to work as a legal adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. El-Sisi has also appointed Adel Azab as the head of the State Council. Azab was appointed to the State Council in 1977 and then worked his way up to chancellor in September 1991, under-secretary in 1994, and vice-president in 1997. He also headed the Administrative Court and held the membership of the Special Council the highest administrative authority within the State Council. Moreover, he chaired the Ambassadors Disciplinary Council and was a member at the Supreme Police Council and the Police Academys Board of Directors. Moving on, Mahgoub held the position of senior assistant to the minister of justice in July 2017. Before that, he worked as secretary-general of the Supreme Judicial Council in 2012. Honouring previous heads El-Sisi granted on Sunday the First-Class Order of the Republic to the former heads of several judicial bodies, including former president of the Court of Cassation Abdullah Shouda, former head of the State Council Mohamed Mahmoud El-Din, and former head of the State Lawsuits Authority Hussein Fathi. Search Keywords: Short link: The Ministry of Social Solidarity held an awareness seminar in the city of Ismailia in north Egypt to raise awareness about the dangers of child marriage as part of a national campaign. The campaign, held under the slogan of her marriage before 18 ruins her life, lasts until the end of July and aims to raise awareness in governorates across the country of the social, health and legal impacts of child marriage on minor girls. The campaign is part of the Waai Programme for Community Development launched by the ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in February 2020. The programme fights child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) and covers health and education issues, rights of persons with disabilities, and economic empowerment of marginalised families. Million of families targeted The campaign has been carried out in various governorates since its launch last year with the participation of a number of civil society groups, most recently in Gharbiya governorate. The campaign targets families with children of ages ranging from 12 to 18-years-old and who are part of the social protection programme Takaful w Karama, which includes around 1.4 million families. The Takaful w Karama programme conditions its cash support to families on the requirement that they do not marry any members under 18-years-old. In addition, the campaign also targets villages included in Haya Karima (Decent Life) initiative, which includes up to 4.1 million families nationwide. Illegal, dangerous phenomenon The campaign aims to mobilise public opinion against child marriage and raise awareness among targeted families of its dangers, including depriving parents of their civil and social rights. This is in addition to the health dangers that married minor girls face during pregnancy and delivery. The campaign also seeks to explain the link between child marriage, population growth, and increased economic and social burden on families and state and to shape public opinion to criminalise child marriage in Egypt. The marriage of a girl under 18 is a crime and a form of human trafficking, Maha El-Hefnawy, undersecretary of the social solidarity ministry in Ismailia, said during the seminar in Ismailia late on Thursday. Egyptian law does not allow the issuance of marriage certificates to anyone under the age of 18. In cases when husbands die, their underage wives who do not own marriage certificates often have to resort to other dubious actions like forging a birth certificate to say her child is the offspring of her own parents, El-Hefnawy said. A number of women from the village as well as social pioneers, professors at Suez Canal University, religious scholars, and professors of obstetrics and gynaecology attended the seminar. The seminar also touched on the health risks of underage marriage, saying that minors are 20 percent more vulnerable to recurrent miscarriage, hypertension, and eclampsia during pregnancy than a 20-year-old women, the ministry said, citing data by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In addition, deaths increase among women married before 18 years of age, the ministry said, noting that the second highest cause of death among girls aged between 15 to 19 are complications resulting from pregnancy. Competition, other efforts Under the campaign, the ministry holds a daily competition with a prize worth EGP 1,000 for one winner per day with competitors required to answer questions about health, educational, social, and legal dangers of child marriage. Participants can enter the competition by sending an SMS with the word via 1442 for free. The ministrys digital platform also sends daily informative messages on child marriage for the families covered by Takaful w Karama and other social protection programmes. This is in addition to the videos and infographs posted by the ministry on its Facebook page that aim to open a societal dialogue on the causes of child marriage and ways to eliminate it. Under the campaign, social pioneers also make field visits to the targeted families to shed light on the dangers of the social phenomenon. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt will import 180,000 tons of wheat from India within days as per a contract with the Indian side, Egyptian Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi said on Sunday. Moselhi made the remarks in a press conference reviewing the ministrys preparations for the Adha feast (Eid Al-Adha), one of the holiest occasions in the Muslim calendar, scheduled for July this year. Moselhi said the government has already received a total of more than 3.9 million tons of wheat from local farmers during this wheat supply season, up by 10-12 percent from last year. The minister said the wheat supply season, which started in April, will continue until the end of August. Egypt has spoke with the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and Russian companies about importing wheat, Moselhi said, adding that they are waiting on Moscows response and intend to come up with a plan within 10 days. He added that while Russian wheat is available, securing transport has become more expensive amid the current crisis. Egypt seeks to import around 5.5 million tons of wheat starting July for the subsidised bread system, the minister said. The country also seeks to decrease its wheat imports by 10 percent as well as decrease the amount of wheat used in making subsidised bread by adding sweet potato, Moselhi noted. Using sweet potato for making bread could save up to a million tons of wheat, Moselhi explained, noting that Egypt has self-sufficiency in sweet potato and is studying the technology required for the process. Moselhi added that the new budget for the fiscal year 2022/2023 witnessed a major increase in subsidy allocations. The countrys strategic stock of wheat is sufficient for nearly 5.7 months, Moselhi said. Sugar and rice oil stockpiles are sufficient for 6.7 months and 3.3 months respectively, the minister said. Also, the countrys reserves of oil and frozen meat are enough for 6.2 months and six months respectively. Egypt has repeatedly affirmed the presence of stockpiles of strategic commodities for the coming six months amid the Ukraine war and the looming food crisis globally. Egypt, the worlds largest wheat importer, relies on wheat to produce bread, a key staple for Egyptians. Prior to the Russia-Ukraine war, Egypt got 80 percent of its imported wheat from these two countries. The country requested in late May $500 million from the World Bank to buy wheat through the Emergency Food Security and Resilience Support Project, according to a document released by the World Bank. Egypt consumes around 18 million tons of wheat annually while local production of wheat stands at around 8-9 million tons of wheat, Moselhi said in May last year. Over the past weeks, Egypt has worked to diversify its wheat import sources, signing contracts to purchase wheat from several countries, including France, Bulgaria, Romania and India. In mid-June, Egypt received a new shipment of 63,000 tons of wheat coming from France. During the first week of May, Egypt signed a deal agreeing to import its first shipment from India comprising 61,500 tons of wheat. Despite the urgent need, Egypt has worked to maintain guarantee the quality of its wheat imports. Earlier this month, authorities denied receiving a shipment of Indian wheat coming from Turkey after being rejected by Turkish authorities for not meeting safety standards and specifications. Search Keywords: Short link: The administration of the upcoming national dialogue between political forces announced on Sunday a diverse 19-member board of trustees that include parliamentarians, journalists, professors and officials. The board of trustees was formed after consultations with political forces, syndicates and other participants in the dialogue, which lasted for about 20 days, a statement by the dialogue administration read. The board will be invited to its first meeting within few days, the statement said. Board members include Head of Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) Mohamed Fayez Farahat, Deputy Head of the ACPSS Amr Hashem Rabie, and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Al-Arabi weekly magazine Gamal El-Keshki. President of the National Council for Women (NCW) Maya Morsy and Coordinator of the Arab States Civil Society Organisations and Feminists Network Fatma Khafagy are among the board members. Members also include Senate member and journalist Emad El-Din Hussein and House of Representatives members Ahmed El-Sharkawy, Amira Saber, and Talaat Abdel-Kawy, president of the General Federation of NGOs and Foundations (FNGO). Cairo Universitys international relations professor Reham Bahy, journalism professor Mahmoud Alam El-Din, commercial and maritime law professor Hani Sarie El-Din, and economy professor Goda Abdel-Khalek, a former social solidarity minister, are members. Board members also include political researcher and author Samir Morcos and journalists Abdel-Azim Hammad, Fatma El-Sayed Ahmed, and Mohamed Salmawy. Human rights lawyer Negad El-Borai and Businessman Kamal Zayed are members. This formation comes to reflect the effective and diverse engagement of the various national visions and technical and professional expertise to ensure that the dialogue yields positive results that serve the Egyptian citizen, the statement stated. Egypt is preparing to hold its first sessions of the national political dialogue during the first week of July with Head of the Journalists Syndicate Diaa Rashwan as a general coordinator. In remarks to media, Rashwan said the dialogues board of trustees will be in charge of the coordination process of the multi-axial, multi-stage dialogue and will take final decisions on the dialogues preliminary results to be submitted to the president. Last week, Rashwan said the dialogue will be conducted within a framework of freedom of opinion and discussions by well-informed experts. Invitations have been sent to hundreds of Egyptians inside and outside the country, Rashwan said, noting that the dialogue has not been rejected by any of the political forces. Those willing to join the dialogue can submit their requests at the National Youth Conferences website. The dialogue has been called by El-Sisi during the annual Egyptian Family Iftar banquet on 26 April for all political forces without any exceptions or discrimination. Multiple political parties have welcomed the step and expressed willingness to join the dialogue. A statement by the dialogues administration earlier this month announced inviting the largest possible number of representatives of the Egyptian social classes and institutions to conduct an effective national dialogue. This aims to make sure that all the categories are represented in the societal dialogue and to ensure access to all regions of the republic in coordination with all partisan and youth political currents, the statement said. The dialogues administration is also receiving proposals and inquiries via WhatsApp at 01025521555 - 0109388883. The dialogue comes amid steps taken by the country to advance its human rights situation as part of the National Strategy for Human Rights launched in September. Search Keywords: Short link: Iraq's caretaker prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived in Iran on Sunday, state TV reported, on a visit aimed at reactivating Baghdad-mediated talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi officially received Al-Kadhimi, who was slated to also meet with other officials in Tehran, according to the report. He was the first foreign leader to visit Iran after Raisi took power in August. Al-Kadhimi's office said Saturday he arrived in the Saudi city of Jiddah for an official visit to meet with Saudi officials. It was his second visit to Saudi Arabia since he took the post of prime minister in May 2020. Iran, the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world, and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranians protesting the execution stormed two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, fueling years of animosity between the nations. The Saudi-Iran talks aimed at defusing yearslong tensions between the regional foes began quietly in Iraq's capital in 2021. Saudi Arabia sought a way to end its disastrous war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The conflict has spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters and brought bombs from rebel drones and missiles raining down on Saudi airports and oil facilities. Besides Yemen, Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposite sides in conflicts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Iraq borders both Iran and Saudi Arabia and is often caught in the middle of the two nations' proxy wars. A fifth and last round of talks was held in Baghdad in April before they were suspended again amid soaring Middle East tensions. Al-Kadhimi has stressed he wants balanced relations with the two neighbors. Improving relations with Saudi Arabia was a key policy of his administration when he took office. Search Keywords: Short link: Explosions rocked a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv Sunday morning as G7 leaders gathered in Germany to discuss their backing of Ukraine against Russia's invasion, with a crucial NATO meeting set to follow in days. The first attack on the capital in nearly three weeks was intended to "intimidate Ukrainians... at the approach of the NATO summit," the city's mayor Vitali Klitschko said. "Some of the inhabitants have been evacuated. Two wounded people have been hospitalised," Klitschko said after visiting the apartment building that was hit, adding people remained "under the rubble". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to address both the EU and NATO gatherings, said cities as far away as Lviv, near the Polish border, had been struck by a wave of attacks on Saturday. "This confirms... that air defence systems -- the modern systems which our partners have -- should not be on (their current) sites or in storage, but in Ukraine," he said in his daily address. Only hours after Sunday's attack, Britain announced it would join together with fellow G7 powers Canada, Japan and the United States in banning Russian gold experts to stop oligarchs from buying the precious metal to avoid sanctions aimed at Moscow. The move "will directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of (President Vladimir) Putin's war machine," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. At their meeting in the Bavarian Alps, the Western allies will take stock of the effectiveness of sanctions imposed so far against Moscow, consider possible new aid for Kyiv, and begin turning their eye to longer-term reconstruction plans. The European Union this past week offered a strong show of support when it granted Ukraine candidate status, although the path to membership is long. 'Fully occupied' Sunday's strike in Kyiv comes a day after the mayor of key industrial hub Severodonetsk said the city had been "fully occupied" by Russian troops. As the war enters its fifth month, the city's capture marks an important strategic win for Moscow, which is seeking full control over the east of the country after failing in its early objectives. Severodonetsk was the scene of weeks of running battles before the Ukrainian army began withdrawing its outgunned forces to better defend the neighbouring city of Lysychansk. Pro-Moscow separatists on Saturday said Russian troops and their allies had entered Lysychansk, which faces Severodonetsk on high ground across the Donets river. Its capture would give Russia control of Donbas' entire Lugansk region. Far from the primary battleground, meanwhile, Russian missiles were striking targets in northern and western Ukraine. "More than 50 missiles of various types were fired: air, sea and ground-based," Ukraine's air force command said, noting the difficulty of intercepting Russian models such as the Iskander. An AFP team on Saturday saw a 10-storey administrative building in the city centre hit by missiles overnight, causing a fire but no casualties. It had already been bombed, prompting one soldier on the scene to note: "The Russians are finishing what they started." Pull in Belarus In Saint Petersburg on Saturday, Putin said Russia would deliver Iskander-M missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to Belarus in the coming months, as he received Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. He also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons, in comments broadcast on Russian television. Putin has referred to nuclear weapons several times since his country invaded Ukraine on February 24, in what the West has seen as a warning to the West not to intervene. Ukraine said it had come under "massive bombardment" Saturday morning from neighbouring Belarus which, although a Russian ally, is not officially involved in the conflict. Twenty rockets "fired from the territory of Belarus and from the air" targeted the village of Desna in the northern Chernigiv region, Ukraine's northern military command said. Belarus has provided logistic support to Moscow since its February 24 invasion, particularly in the first few weeks, and like Russia has been targeted by Western sanctions. "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. 'No heating in winter' As in the southern port of Mariupol before it, the battle for Severodonetsk has devastated the city. On Saturday, Severodonetsk Mayor Striuk said civilians had begun to evacuate the Azot chemical plant, where several hundred people had been hiding from shelling. "These people have spent almost three months of their lives in basements, shelters," he said. "That's tough emotionally and physically." They would now need medical and psychological support, he added. In Russian-occupied Mariupol, meanwhile, residents face the prospect of a desperately cold winter, according to mayoral adviser Petro Andryushenko, who said local committees were being instructed to collect data on the need for firewood and coal. "This is a direct signal and an acknowledgement of the obvious fact -- there will be no heating in winter," he said. The city's Moscow-backed leadership could not even provide heat if they wanted to, given the "huge damage" to the pipeline that supplied the city with natural gas, Andryushenko added. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend German sugar producer Suedzucker plans "significant" price hikes to offset rising costs and prepares to shift to coal as Russian gas supplies to Western Europe slow in the wake of the Ukraine war, the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper reported on Saturday, Trend reports with reference to Reuters. "The costs of beet cultivation and energy are rising, and these are two significant blocks of production," Chief Executive Niels Poerksen said in an interview with the newspaper. "If there was no price increase, it would be difficult to come out of the business with any profit," he said. The company is also ramping up stocks for use at the plants where coal can also be used as not all Suedzucker factories are equipped to run on other energy sources if there is no more gas, Poerksen told the newspaper. Canada on Sunday deployed two warships to the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic, joining a pair of frigates already in the region, to reinforce NATO's eastern flank in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Her Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) Kingston and Summerside set sail for a four-month deployment as part of "deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe" launched in 2014 after Moscow annexed Crimea, the Canadian navy said in a statement. Through October, the ships will participate in naval mine sweeping exercises and maintain a "high readiness" allowing them to "quickly and effectively respond in support of any NATO operations," it added. HMCS Halifax and Montreal are scheduled to return to port in July from the so-called Operation Reassurance -- which is currently Canada's largest deployment abroad. The mission also includes roughly 700 Canadian troops in Latvia with artillery and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as several military aircraft. Search Keywords: Short link: Pfizer said it would extend until 2030 a drug donation programme aimed at eliminating trachoma, an eye disease responsible for blinding or visually impairing nearly two million people worldwide. The US pharmaceutical company co-founded the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) in 1998, and has already donated nearly a billion doses of the antibiotic Azithromycin, contributing to a 90 percent reduction in the number of people impacted. "We are so close to getting where we need to be with the elimination of this disease that we couldn't give up now," Pfizer chief sustainability officer and senior vice president Caroline Roan told AFP. The announcement was made in Kigali, Rwanda at the Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases. Trachoma is caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, and is spread through personal contact (such as through hands, clothes or bedding), and by flies that have been in contact with discharge from the eyes or nose of an infected person, according to the World Health Organization. Africa is the most affected continent, and women are blinded up to four times more often than men, likely as a result of greater contact with infants. Repeated infections draw the eyelashes inward where they rub against the eye, causing pain and permanent damage to the cornea, says the WHO. Some 136 million people live in trachoma-endemic areas and are at risk. The ITI had initially hoped to eliminate the disease by 2020, but is now setting its sights on 2030. Thanks to the progress already made, trachoma no longer represents a public health problem in 13 countries (including China, Morocco, Ghana and elsewhere). Individual districts are assessed and if more than 5 percent of the children are infected, then the antibiotic is offered to the entire local population, once a year, for both treatment and prevention. "Some of the campaigns will literally treat 10 million people in a week, and that really knocks down that infectious reservoir," ITI director Paul Emerson told AFP. The challenge today is to reach isolated populations, including nomadic people, as well as combining the drug with the promotion of hygiene measures such as frequent washing of the face in areas where water may be scarce. Today, the disease persists in 44 countries. "Conflicts are a big factor," said Emerson. "In a perfect world, where there was no interruption in available funds, and there was no war, we probably could have eliminated trachoma by 2020." Of the new 2030 goal, Roan said: "We think it is realistic and ambitious." Search Keywords: Short link: Yemens Houthi militia refused a proposal made by the UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg to open the Taiz crossings and other roads, calling into question the countrys recently renewed UN-brokered truce, Al-Arabiya reported on Sunday. Related UN Yemen envoy calls on Houthi rebels to open roads to besieged city An anonymous informed source said that Houthis response was negative and returned the negotiations to square one, according to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. He also said that the team representing the legitimate government received a letter from the UN envoy late Thursday evening, informing them of the Houthis response to the proposal. Details of the proposal Grundbergs proposal called for opening the three routes into Taiz presented by the Houthis during negotiations that were held in the Jordanian capital of Amman, as well as one road proposed by the team from the legitimate government of Yemen, in addition to another road between the Dhale and Ibb governorates. Two rounds of negotiations over the issue took place in Amman before the UN envoy travelled to Sanaa to deliver his proposal to the Houthis. After the proposal was rejected by the Houthis, the government team is now preparing a response expected to be announced soon. Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak warned of the stubbornness of the Houthis and their insistence on continuing the siege on Taiz, saying it is a dilemma in the face of the UN-led political process. Yemens truce, which began in early April and was extended until the beginning of August, includes four items: a comprehensive ceasefire, the entry of 18 fuel-carrying ships to Hodeida ports, allowing two air flights to and from Sanaa every week, in addition to opening the roads in Taiz and other governorates to improve the freedom of movement of people in Yemen. While progress on the first three items has been made, the openings of roads remains a sticking point. Surrounded by mountains, Taiz, which has around 600,000 inhabitants, has been almost cut off from the outside world since 2015. The truce has led to a reduction in fighting and in civilian casualties, as well as the resumption of commercial flights from Sanaa and better humanitarian access in the country. Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been devastated by almost eight years of war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces supported since 2015 by a coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia. Search Keywords: Short link: Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in Central Asia this week, Russian state television reported Sunday, in what would be the Russian leader's first known trip abroad since ordering the invasion of Ukraine. Russia's Feb. 24 invasion has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and led to severe financial sanctions from the West, which Putin says are a reason to build stronger trade ties with other powers such as China, India and Iran. Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow. KYODO NEWS - Jun 26, 2022 - 19:44 | All, World The World Health Organization decided on Saturday not to declare the outbreak of monkeypox a global emergency for the time being, even as the number of confirmed cases in non-endemic countries continues to grow. WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was advised in his decision by a committee of international health experts that convened for an emergency meeting on Thursday, Tedros said in a statement. The 16 experts decided by consensus that the situation does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, though there were "differing views among the committee," Tedros said. The outbreak nevertheless clearly represents an "evolving threat" that needs a collective response, he said. According to the WHO, the monkeypox virus is endemic in parts of Africa where it has been noted to cause disease, including fatalities, for decades. Infection cases in Europe and the United States have been on the rise since May, while in Asia, the first cases were confirmed over the last week in Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Since the beginning of May, more than 3,000 cases have been reported to the WHO from 47 countries. The majority of confirmed cases in non-endemic countries are male and most of them occur among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in urban areas, it says. The disease is spread through close physical contact. Pregnant women and children are at risk of becoming severely ill if infected. Symptoms include fever, extensive rash, skin lesions and swollen lymph nodes following an incubation period of five to 21 days. Although monkeypox can be deadly, it is treatable. Smallpox vaccines are used against the disease, but WHO says mass vaccination is not required nor recommended at this stage. The name of the virus refers to its discovery in a monkey during an animal experiment in Denmark in 1958. The first transmission to a human was confirmed in 1970. By Riku Nishio, KYODO NEWS - Jun 26, 2022 - 12:08 | Feature, All, Japan A project that gives young people who stutter real-world work experience as waitstaff has taken root in Japan, giving people with the speech impediment opportunities to build confidence with strangers. The project, named "Cafes Where Orders Take Time," takes over existing cafes for a day at a time and hopes to promote a wider understanding of the condition while helping people who stutter achieve their life goals. At a cafe in the city of Toyama, central Japan, in June, four young waiters worked while wearing face masks bearing printed messages such as "I want to talk with many people" and "Please let me finish speaking." As a rule, customers were asked not to hurry or interrupt their servers if they stuttered while taking orders -- even to give what they believed to be friendly encouragement such as "relax" or "slow down." Amid the cafe's welcoming atmosphere, many customers were happy to listen to staff talk about facing their anxieties and difficulties with stuttering. The group of waiters included Hitonari Nakazawa, an 18-year-old high school student from Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, who said, "I had avoided speaking to other people as much as possible, but today I was able to really enjoy my conversations." Another staff member, Marin Kanamori, 21, a third-year student at the University of Toyama, said, "I took this as an opportunity to encourage myself to speak." "I would like to become a speech therapist in the future," she added. Stuttering, also known as dysfluency, affects some 1.2 million people in Japan. It is a speech impediment in which the first sound is involuntarily repeated or prolonged. Many develop the disorder in early childhood and usually see improvements or a resolution over time, but it can lead to bullying or social anxiety because of a lack of acceptance. U.S. President Joe Biden is one of the world's more prominent stutterers and has often spoken about the tactics he used to overcome it on his rise in politics. One of the approximately 40 customers who visited the cafe, Toyama resident Mitsuko Kondo, 52, said, "I learned it is important to get to know each person and try to understand them." The idea of taking over an existing cafe for one day to help stutterers is the brainchild of Arisa Okumura, 30, from Tokyo, who worked as one of the four waitstaff. As a child, Okumura was teased by other kids who would tell her they feared they'd "catch my stutter if they touched me." Before she knew it, she was avoiding conversations with others so her affliction could go undetected. But Okumura dreamed of working in a cafe. She traveled to Melbourne, Australia, a city known for its cafe culture, when she was 24 years old. At one of the local cafes, she enjoyed working with co-workers, including disabled or homeless people and those who could not speak English. Wishing to replicate the experience in Japan, she launched her plan when she returned in 2017. Yoshikazu Kikuchi, a 44-year-old doctor who treats people who stutter at Kyushu University Hospital in Fukuoka, stressed the importance of creating a society that is accepting of people struggling with speech disorders because there are "limits to treating everyone." The cafe's endeavor is "highly meaningful in helping create a society that accepts diversity," Kikuchi, who also suffers from dysfluency, said. According to Kikuchi, it was formerly thought that one of the main causes of stuttering was exposing children to strict discipline, but nowadays, the predominant view is that about 80 percent of sufferers develop the impediment due to their physical or genetic makeup. The cafe event has been conducted twice in Tokyo, and Toyama, on the Sea of Japan coast, was the first to hold it outside the capital. Okumura said she is planning to host future cafe events in Mie and Nagano prefectures as chances for people with the condition to get together and share their problems are rare outside big cities. More events are scheduled to take place in Tokyo and Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, this summer. "I will strive to create a society in which young people struggling with stuttering can challenge the things they really want to do and never quit," Okumura said. NEW YORK, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of New Yorkers marched on the streets around Union Square in Manhattan on Friday evening in protest of the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on abortion rights. Produced by Xinhua Global Service TRIPOLI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Political instability will likely persist in Libya as a United Nations-backed transitional phase, outlined in a roadmap for the North African country in 2020, has expired this week, Libyan analysts say. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) facilitated the first round Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in November 2020 in Tunis. The 75 participants in the LPDF, representing all spectrum of Libyan society, agreed on a political roadmap for the country. However, several milestones of the roadmap were missed in the past year, including the holding of national elections scheduled for Dec. 24, 2021. The LPDF roadmap also set the expiration of the transitional phase on June 22 this year, provided that presidential and parliamentary elections are held by then, which has not been the case. Jalal al-Fituri, a Libyan law professor based in Tripoli, believes the rival Libyan parties' failure to reach a final agreement after the expiration of the roadmap will further complicate the country's politics. Libya is currently at a political impasse. The eastern-based House of Representatives, the parliament, withdrew confidence from Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah's Government of National Unity in Tripoli, which was backed by the UN, and voted on March 1, 2022, to install a new government led by Fathi Bashagha. Dbeibah has rejected the legitimacy of the March vote and said he would only transfer power to an elected government. Bashagha has since sworn in a new cabinet, which held its first meeting on April 21. In Mid-May, the parliament-approved government, headed by Fathi Bashagha, entered Libya's capital Tripoli and tried to take over the power from Dbeibah's Government of National Unity. Shortly afterward, clashes erupted across central Tripoli between armed groups affiliated with the two sides. The head of Libya's Tripoli-based High Council of State and the speaker of the House of Representatives have agreed to meet in Geneva next week to discuss a constitutional framework for elections after talks in Egypt's Cairo on a constitutional basis for elections ended without a breakthrough. The current political scenario is the result of both sides attempting to hold onto their power. To resolve the impasse, there needs to be an international agreement on a solution or new roadmap, said Tripoli-based political analyst Imad Jalloul. "The rival parties are waiting for their respective supporting countries to reach a consensus on a new, workable proposal. It is impossible to overlook certain countries that have the ability to influence Libyan politics, whether negatively or favorably," he said. "Security assurances cannot be provided in Libya. The country is comparable to a dormant volcano that might erupt at any time. Therefore, an international consensus-based new solid roadmap and solution are urgently needed. Support must be given to the Libyan people's decision to organize presidential and parliamentary elections," said Jalloul. Omran al-Najah, a Tripoli-based expert on security affairs, believes that the failure of reaching a quick political agreement between rival parties in Libya may lead to an armed flare-up at any time. Efforts must be made to defuse the tension between the rival parties and urge them to agree on a solid framework to prevent them from contesting political legitimacy, he said. File photo shows people farming in Yulu community in Kaiyuan City of the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Haining) KUNMING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Wang Kangyuan (pseudonym) left the Yulu community sober and clean in 2019, having lived there for about seven years. Unlike conventional drug rehabilitation centers, the Yulu community not only offers drug addiction treatment but also helps recovered addicts rebuild their lives. Launched in 2008 in Kaiyuan City of the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Yulu covers 127 mu (about 8. 47 hectares) of land and can accommodate a total of 3,000 people. Its name means rain and dew in Chinese. From factories and residential buildings to supermarkets and shopping streets, Yulu has almost everything a functional community should have. It has one goal: to rehabilitate people with drug addictions and help them reintegrate into society. Bordering the Golden Triangle, known for rampant drug production and trafficking, Yunnan is a major front in China's battle against drug crime and abuse. "Without stable jobs, it is very easy for recovered addicts to relapse after they re-enter society. Once people are occupied with work, they are not likely to think about taking drugs," said Li Qian, a police officer working at Yulu. The community has therefore established many vocational rehabilitation programs, Li said. When Wang enrolled in the community in 2012, he was stuck in the trap of heroin addiction, which had damaged his health and marriage. Thanks to the programs in Yulu, Wang soon secured a stable job as a logistics worker and received recovery treatment while he worked. Working alongside people with similar experiences also helped him relax and better adapt to the new environment. He later married a woman he had met in Yulu, and their wedding ceremony was held by the community. Xiong Guangming (pseudonym), who had also been addicted to drugs, was also able to find a new life in the community. With an over five-year history of drug abuse, Xiong had undergone many failed addiction treatments, and he had been unable to acquire the skills to find a job. Persuaded by his relatives in 2009, he voluntarily enrolled in Yulu's treatment programs alongside his then-girlfriend, who later became his wife, and lived in a 50-square-meter apartment provided by the community at a very low rent. "The community has many types of jobs, and I started with making apparel," said Xiong, who quickly acquired the necessary skills to carry out this work. Later, he was promoted to production manager and earned a decent monthly salary. "I left the community in 2022. Over 10 years in the community had been enough for me and my wife to overcome the potential to relapse," he said. "My production manager experience helped me secure a job at an apparel manufacturing company in Kaiyuan City." Li said the community offers 16 types of jobs that can be assigned to community residents based on factors such as health conditions. "We want to thank the community for its help. Our rehabilitation time there helped us reintegrate into society," Wang said. With concerted efforts, Yunnan has witnessed a decrease in its number of newly reported drug addictions over recent years, and drug control work in the province has also gained momentum. Last year, Yunnan cracked 5,306 criminal drug cases, arrested 6,161 individuals and seized 29.87 tonnes of drugs, with those figures respectively decreasing 33.8 percent, 31.2 percent and 15.8 percent. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed on June 26. File photo shows the entrance of the Yulu community in Kaiyuan City of the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua) File photo shows a view of the Yulu community in Kaiyuan City of the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua) Aerial photo taken on June 25, 2022 shows a view of the Misurata Free Zone, some 250 km east of the capital Tripoli, Libya. Libya on Saturday celebrated the completion of the infrastructure works of the Misurata Free Zone. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) TRIPOLI, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Libya on Saturday celebrated the completion of the infrastructure works of the Misurata Free Zone. In a speech during the celebration, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah stressed the importance of the role of the private sector, particularly free zones, in promoting the national economy, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. The celebration detailed the future plan of the free zone and its most important objective of linking with other African countries to make the port of Misurata their waterfront, the statement said. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Free Zones Affairs Nuri Gattati said the ministry is working to link other free zones in Libya to Africa. Aerial photo taken on June 25, 2022 shows a view of the Misurata Free Zone, some 250 km east of the capital Tripoli, Libya. Libya on Saturday celebrated the completion of the infrastructure works of the Misurata Free Zone. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) Aerial photo taken on June 25, 2022 shows a view of the Misurata Free Zone, some 250 km east of the capital Tripoli, Libya. Libya on Saturday celebrated the completion of the infrastructure works of the Misurata Free Zone. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) Aerial photo taken on June 25, 2022 shows a view of the Misurata Free Zone, some 250 km east of the capital Tripoli, Libya. Libya on Saturday celebrated the completion of the infrastructure works of the Misurata Free Zone. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) By Trend A social media post by 10-year-old climate activist Licypriya Kangujam created an overnight change as it forced authorities to clean garbage around the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, a monument visited by a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year, Trend reports citing India Blooms. Holding a placard in her hand, Manipur's Licypriya Kangujam tweeted on Thursday: "Behind the beauty of Taj Mahal! Thanks humans." "You might be witnessing this scene when you visit the Taj Mahal. You may say its very polluted but your 1 piece of polythene bag, one simple plastics water bottle led this situation when millions of people visit every year," she said. The placard read: "Behind the beauty of Taj Mahal is plastic pollution." Meanwhile, after the venue was forced to be cleaned following her tweet, Licypriya reacted again and said: "Happy to see my one tweet forced to clean garbage around Taj Mahal by the authorities yesterday. But I want a permanent solution. Ban single use plastic completely in & around all heritage site of India under a law." "Anyway change is coming whether you like it or not," she said. She also wrote a letter to the Archaeological Survey of India and asked the institution to ban single use plastic completely in all UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India. Taj Mahal is known as the second most visited tourist place in Asia after Angkor Wat in Cambodia, media reports said. ELMAU, GERMANY (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) kicked off their three-day annual summit on Sunday in Schloss Elmau in south Germany's Bavarian Alps amid lower expectations and protests. The summit will focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, climate and others, while the host dampened expectations. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, especially further sanctions against Russia, will dominate the discussions at the summit of the world's major industrialized countries, as U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday morning that the G7 would impose a ban on imports of Russian gold. A German federal government source said on Saturday night that price caps of Russian oil will be discussed, a measure that envisages forcing Russia to sell oil to large buyers such as India at a significantly lower price in the future. The G7 countries are intensively discussing the issue and are "on the way to finding an agreement." The source said that there will be a statement about the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by the G7 leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will deliver a speech via video during the summit. Leaders will also address the food crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. They will try to seek ways to unblock Ukraine's grain exports across the Black Sea and make financial pledges to help countries hardest hit by the crisis. According to the policy priorities made by the host country Germany, G7 leaders will also address issues including climate change, by establishing a "climate club" put forward by German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Besides leaders of Germany, the United States, Japan, Canada, Britain, Italy, France and the European Union, leaders from India, Indonesia, South Africa, Senegal and Argentina have been invited to take part in the summit. The West bloc is expected to take advantage of the G7 summit to try to persuade major developing countries to join their sanctions against Russia, experts said. However, the host nation Germany tried to dampen the expectations of this summit. In his weekly podcast released on Saturday, Scholz said that although Elmau, the summit site, "lies in the mountains, we will certainly not move mountains there." On Saturday, some 4,000 people marched in Munich against the G7 summit, with some protest groups accusing major western countries of triggering the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and of making the whole world bear the consequences of the conflict, including the food crisis. Protestors have set up tents in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the seat of the district of the event site, with organizers expecting that more than 1,000 protestors will participate in the demonstration on Monday. An anti-NATO group composed of various members from around the world concluded its congress in Madrid, with a declaration calling for widespread peace. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (C-R) and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell (C-L) attend a joint press conference in Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2022. Iran and the European Union announced here on Saturday the resumption of international negotiations in Vienna in the coming days to revive the Iranian nuclear pact. (Iranian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Xinhua) TEHRAN, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran and the European Union announced here on Saturday the resumption of international negotiations in Vienna in the coming days to revive the Iranian nuclear pact. Making the remarks at a joint televised press conference with the visiting European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country is prepared for the resumption of Vienna nuclear talks in the coming days. The Iranian top diplomat said that he had detailed, in-depth talks on Iran's demands with Borrell, and that "we are ready to resume negotiations in the coming days." The economic benefit of the Iranian people from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is important to the Iranian government and any issue that fails to secure Iran's economic interests will not be acceptable to the government of President Ebrahim Raisi, he noted. "We will try to resolve the problems and differences that exist in the course of the talks that will resume soon," he said, expressing the hope that the American side will take "realistic and fair action this time" in a run for a possible agreement. For his part, Borrell said the talks will resume "quickly" and "immediately" in an effort to "solve the last outstanding issues." "We are expected to resume talks in the coming days and break the impasse. It has been three months and we need to accelerate the work. I am very happy about the decision that has been made in Tehran and Washington," the top EU diplomat said. Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties to revive the agreement. Iran signed the JCPOA with the world powers in July 2015 accepting to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the sanctions on Tehran. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed Washington's unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting Iran to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement in retaliation. The talks have been suspended since March when it was believed to be only a step away from a final agreement, raising deep concerns about their prospect. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2022. Iran and the European Union announced here on Saturday the resumption of international negotiations in Vienna in the coming days to revive the Iranian nuclear pact. (Iranian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Xinhua) Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) shakes hands with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2022. Iran and the European Union announced here on Saturday the resumption of international negotiations in Vienna in the coming days to revive the Iranian nuclear pact. (Iranian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Xinhua) Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) meets with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2022. Iran and the European Union announced here on Saturday the resumption of international negotiations in Vienna in the coming days to revive the Iranian nuclear pact. (Iranian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Xinhua) GENEVA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday said the latest monkeypox spread in over 50 countries does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest level of alert the WHO can issue. However, "a risk of further, sustained transmission into the wider population" should not be overlooked, said some members of the WHO Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak in a report, following a meeting on Thursday. The report also said that monkeypox virus activity "has been neglected and not well controlled for years in countries in the WHO African Region." "The convening of the committee itself reflects the increasing concern about the international spread of monkeypox," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday in a statement, adding that the committee is available to be reconvened as per the development of the outbreak. The committee highlighted a number of conditions that should prompt a re-assessment of the event, such as an increase in the rate of growth of cases reported in the next 21 days, significant spread to and within additional countries, increase in the number of cases in vulnerable groups, and increased morbidity, mortality and rates of hospitalization. Tedros called for stepped-up surveillance, improved diagnostics, community engagement and risk communication, and the appropriate use of therapeutics, vaccines and public health measures including contact tracing and isolation. He also called on member states to collaborate, share information and engage with affected communities so that public health safety measures are communicated quickly and effectively. Multiple clusters of the monkeypox virus have been reported within the past few weeks in several European countries and North America, regions where the virus is not normally found. Endemic monkeypox disease is normally geographically limited to West and Central Africa, while the identification of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox without any travel history to an endemic area in multiple countries is atypical, according to the WHO. Monkeypox, first detected in laboratory monkeys in 1958, is assumed to transmit from wild animals such as rodents to people, or from human to human. BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The output of China's major dairy companies rose 2.9 percent year on year in May, bucking the trend of decline in April, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. These enterprises, each with annual operating revenue of at least 20 million yuan (2.99 million U.S. dollars), produced about 2.76 million tonnes of dairy products last month, data from the ministry showed. In the January-May period, the dairy output of these firms climbed 0.9 percent year on year to nearly 12.43 million tonnes, a pace quicker than the 0.5-percent yearly growth in the first four months of the year. Household dairy consumption jumped in China during the past two years, with per capita consumption rising 11.8 percent year on year to 42.3 kg in 2021, said Yang Zhenni, a researcher with an institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The country's output of dairy products is expected to reach nearly 54 million tonnes in 2031, Yang added. TEHRAN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The new round of talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal is very likely to be held in Qatar's capital Doha, Iran's Nournews reported Sunday. The news outlet, affiliated with the country's Supreme National Security Council, tweeted that Qatar stands a "better chance of hosting the forthcoming talks" because of its "ongoing efforts to resume talks on lifting sanctions." At a joint televised press conference on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the visiting European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the talks would be resumed in the coming days to rescue the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Austria's capital Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA to revive the deal. Iran signed the JCPOA with the world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact. The talks have been suspended since March when it was believed to be only a step away from a final agreement, raising deep concerns about their prospect. BAGHDAD, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is scheduled to pay an official visit in the upcoming days to Iran before heading to Saudi Arabia for talks with leaders of the two countries, an official news agency reported on Saturday. The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted sources as saying that the two trips will take place within the framework of direct talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia that were held previously in Baghdad. During his upcoming visits, al-Kadhimi would discuss several issues, including diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, according to INA. On June 16, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that "Iraq is ready to continue facilitating direct talks between the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers in Baghdad to restore relations to normal," according to a statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. To improve bilateral relations and ease regional tension, Baghdad hosted four rounds of direct talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, and the fifth round was held in April this year. In response to the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed a Shiite cleric, Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016. The two rivals' strained relations showed signs of improvement after they resumed direct talks on normalizing diplomatic relations in April 2021. BEIRUT, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health warned on Saturday that the country is facing a new wave of COVID-19, urging the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The warning was issued in a statement by the ministry after its Vaccine Executive Committee held an emergency meeting on the latest epidemiological developments, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. "We are facing a new wave of the coronavirus, which is expected to be more contagious and the fastest spreading, according to the infection figures in Lebanon and in the rest of the world, which are experiencing an alarming rise," the statement said. It stressed "the need to receive the vaccine as soon as possible, especially since the percentage of vaccinated people is still low and does not exceed 45 percent in Lebanon." "The vaccine can be taken free of charge, regardless of the dose (the first, second, third, or fourth), at any of the vaccination centers distributed over all Lebanese territories without a prior appointment," the statement added. The ministry announced on Saturday the registration of 836 new infections, raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 1,107,602, while two deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 10,458. Demonstrators protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in San Francisco, California, the United States, on June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) Demonstrators gather outside the federal courthouse to protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States on June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Demonstrators protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in San Francisco, California, the United States, on June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) Demonstrators protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in San Francisco, California, the United States, on June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) Demonstrators protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in San Francisco, California, the United States, on June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) Demonstrators gather to protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States on June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Demonstrators protest against the Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights ruling in San Francisco, California, the United States, on June 24, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) By Trend The growing trade dynamics between Hungary and Georgia, wider economic ties and potential of developing greater relations were discussed on Saturday in a meeting between Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. Davitashvili highlighted the growth of economic indicators in the first quarter of 2022, calling the figures especially important for attracting foregn direct investment, and stressed Georgia remained an attractive investment partner despite the difficult geopolitical situation in the Black Sea regio. The Ministry said Davitashvili had also noted Georgias economic policy to increase the country's export to foreign markets - especially European states - and noted Hungary was an important partner, with a priority placed on increasing Georgian exports to the Hungarian market. He also highlighted the 30 percent increase in trade turnover between the countries in the first quarter of 2022. On his part, Szijjarto noted Hungary actively supported deepening the partnership between Hungarian and Georgian companies and expressed willingness to finance their joint business projects. The parties also expressed readiness to hold a meeting of the Georgian-Hungarian Economic Cooperation Commission in the near future, and highlighted the importance of the operation of the Hungarian budget airline Wizzair in development of the Georgian airline and tourism markets. CAPE TOWN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality on Sunday said over 20 young people died in a tavern in East London, while the details of the cause is still being investigated by the police. Early on, Eastern Cape provincial police spokesperson Tembinkosi Kinana told a local television during a live broadcasting that 17 children were found dead in the early morning, refusing to make any speculations about the cause. He said the police are hoping to get the facts before the end of the day. The incident is "disturbing" and is the "worst tragedy that has ever happened in our Metro," said mayor of Buffalo City Xola Pakati in a statement. The mayor called on law enforcement agencies to "leave no stones unturned" and ensure that those responsible "are made to pay for this calamitous incident." Minister of Police Bheki Cele led a national delegation to the scene, which consists of National Commissioner of South African police Fannie Masemola, crime scene experts and bomb disposal technicians. BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Shipments of 5G phones in China rose 6 percent year on year to about 17.74 million units in May this year, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) showed. The volume accounted for 85.3 percent of the country's total mobile phone shipments during the period, said the CAICT, a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. In the first five months of the year, China's mobile phone shipments dropped 27.1 percent year on year to 108 million units, of which 79.7 percent were 5G phones. China shipped 106 million smartphones in the January-May period, accounting for 98.2 percent of its total mobile phone shipments in the first five months. During the same period, domestic brands also took the lion's share of the Chinese mobile phone market, which contributed to 83.8 percent of the total domestic mobile phone shipments. ABU DHABI, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will resume direct passenger flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing from June 29. According to the statement of Etihad Airways, the airline will operate a weekly flight on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft in the world. "Etihad Airways is delighted about the resumption of passenger services between Abu Dhabi and Beijing. China has always been an important strategic market for Etihad and the resumption of direct flights between the two capital cities will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the UAE," said Martin Drew, senior vice president Global Sales & Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group. Etihad's flights from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai resumed in July 2020 to meet the huge demand of passengers travelling between the two countries. The statement noted that all passengers travelling on Etihad between Abu Dhabi and China must strictly meet the entry requirements and health testing protocols. CAIRO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday the visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Egypt represented the progress of the Egyptian-Qatari relations after the two countries restored diplomatic ties last year. Earlier in the day, the two leaders, as well as the delegations of the two countries, discussed a number of bilateral, regional and global issues in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement. The Qatari emir arrived in Cairo on Friday for his first visit to Egypt since the two countries ended their diplomatic rift in January last year. During the meeting, Sisi said Tamim's visit consolidated the path of developing bilateral relations in all fields. For his part, Tamim praised Egypt's pivotal role in serving Arab causes and its efforts to strengthen Arab solidarity at all levels, as well as its domestic, regional, and global policies. The emir also expressed his country's willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the future by increasing Qatari investments in Egypt. According to the statement, the two leaders agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in a number of fields, especially in the energy and agricultural sectors, as well as in investment and trade. Sisi and Tamim also stressed the need for Arab countries to unite, while vowing to strengthen bilateral coordination to deal with regional crises. Regarding the Palestinian issue, the Qatari emir praised Egypt's efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip, underlining the importance of reviving the peace process in order to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause that guarantees legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The two leaders also discussed prospects for cooperation to combat terrorism and extremist ideologies, emphasizing the importance of stepping up efforts by the international community to confront terrorism, the statement said. In January 2021, the Arab quartet of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the Al-Ula Declaration with Qatar, ending their all-around boycott of Doha since mid-2017. BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- "With one heart and one mind, we can accomplish everything we aspire for." President Xi Jinping quoted the ancient Chinese adage when addressing the High-level Dialogue on Global Development on Friday. The expression appeared in the Chinese classic Hanshu, or the Book of Han, which was compiled over 1,900 years ago. By citing the adage, the Chinese president called on countries to firm up confidence, stride forward in pursuit of high-quality partnership, and usher in a new era of prosperity and development. "Only by working together can we accomplish big and great things with a far-reaching impact," he said at the meeting, which was held in virtual format. TUNIS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia arrested eight women for alleged link to a terror group in the town of Kram, north of the capital Tunis, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said Saturday. After receiving the information on a violent conflict that broke out between two women, the security units arrived in one of the districts of Kram and arrested them, the ministry said in a statement. During the operation, the security units found a secret room where six other women were hiding in, and all of the eight were under suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization, according to the statement. The arrest came about 24 hours after the security services detected information on plans which directly targeted the Tunisian President Kais Saied as well as the national security of the country. KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces have rounded up more than a dozen assault rifles and ammunition during a series of operations across the southern Kandahar province, senior police officer in the province Mullah Abdul Ghani Haqbin said here on Sunday. A total of six stokes of AK-47, 13 pistols, thousands of rounds of bullets and 19 mines of rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) are among the ordnance that have been seized during the operations, the official added. The security forces have also arrested three persons on the charge of keeping the arms illegally, the official further said. According to the official, the Taliban-run administration would spare no effort to collect arms from individuals as part of the efforts to ensure law and order in Afghanistan. COLOMBO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will not receive shipments of petrol, diesel and crude oil, scheduled for this week and next week, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said on Saturday. The minister said that suppliers have informed state-owned fuel importer and distributor Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) that they will not make the scheduled deliveries due to banking and logistic reasons. Wijesekera said public transportation, power generation and industries would be given priority until the next shipments arrive. Therefore, limited stocks of diesel and petrol will be distributed to a few gas stations throughout next week. The minister urged the general public not to queue up for fuel. He also said that refinery operations will also be halted until the next crude shipment arrives. "We are working with all new and existing suppliers. I apologize for the delay and inconvenience," he said. ISTANBUL, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey's concerns over Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO were not responded to with any substantial steps. Erdogan told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a phone call that Finland and Sweden had to take sincere and tangible steps over the harboring of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) within their borders, the Turkish presidential office said in a statement. The Turkish leader pointed out that the military and industrial sanctions on Turkey should be lifted and not be put back into effect after the accession. In a separate call, Erdogan told Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson that there was no change of attitude by Sweden regarding PKK and YPG and the Nordic country had yet to take solid steps aimed at quelling Turkey's concerns. According to the statement, Erdogan also reiterated Turkey's expectations of lifting all sanctions on the Turkish defense and weapons industries. Ambitions by Finland and Sweden to join NATO were blocked by Turkey, which accused the two countries of hosting outlawed separatists and putting sanctions against their would-be ally. ATHENS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Russian-operated and Iranian-flagged tanker "Lana" was expected to sail in coming hours to Piraeus port after being moored off the island of Evia since mid-April, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Saturday. Following a legal dispute, the vessel's owners paid their debts to a towage company that had provided services when the vessel faced an engine problem in April and was towed to safety, AMNA reported. A new certificate of seaworthiness was expected to be issued by the monitoring classification society before Lana can be released, according to the same report. The vessel which was carrying 104,134 tons of Iranian crude, according to AMNA, had been seized by local authorities following a U.S. judicial request for the confiscation of part of its cargo. A Greek court ruled against the seizure of the oil a few weeks ago. By Trend India delivered the second consignment of relief assistance on Friday to support the people of Afghanistan badly affected by the earthquake that struck this week in the eastern part of the country, Trend reports citing The Print. The relief batch that reached Kabul is the second one in two days, being given in the wake of a devastating earthquake that claimed more than 1,000 lives. Second consignment of Indias earthquake relief assistance for the people of Afghanistan reaches Kabul, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet. The relief assistance consists of essential items including family ridge tents, sleeping bags, blankets, sleeping mats, etc. The relief consignment will be handed over to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) in Kabul. In the wake of the tragic earthquake that struck Afghanistan on June 22, 2022 causing massive destruction and loss of precious lives, the Government of India, as a true first responder, has dispatched 27 tons of emergency relief assistance in two flights for the people of Afghanistan, the MEA said in a statement. As always, India stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, with whom we share centuries-old ties, and remains firmly committed to provide immediate relief assistance for the Afghan people, the statement added. India on Thursday handed over the first consignment to support the Afghan nationals affected by the earthquake. India also deployed a team to the Embassy in Kabul to coordinate the efforts of stakeholders for the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Taliban has welcomed Indias decision to return its technical team to continue humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (lEA) welcomes decision by India to return diplomats & technical team to their embassy in Kabul to continue their relations with the Afghan people and their humanitarian assistance, Taliban spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement on Thursday. Major relief efforts are ongoing following a major magnitude earthquake which struck Paktika province in the early hours of Wednesday morning. To date, around 1000 people are estimated to have been killed across Barmal and Giyan districts in Paktika province, and Spera district in Khost province. In addition, at least 1,455 people have been injured across three of the six most affected districts of Barmal, Giyan, and Spera many of them seriously. Further, nearly 1,500 homes have now been verified as destroyed and damaged in Giyan district, Paktika province. Immediate humanitarian assistance dispatched to affected areas on June 22, included 10 tons of medical supplies sufficient for 5,400 surgeries and medical treatments covering 36,000 people for three months by WHO. Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang (C, front) meets with Principal and Vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh Peter Mathieson (not seen in the picture) in Edinburgh, Scotland of Britain, June 21, 2022. (Xinhua/Han Yan) EDINBURGH, Britain, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Scottish officials and university heads have said that they are willing to enhance communication and cooperation with China. Cooperation between Scotland and China has achieved progress in various areas in recent years. The Scottish government attaches great importance to the exchanges and cooperation with China, Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture of the Scottish Government, said during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang on Thursday. Scotland has carried out fruitful cooperation with China in economy and trade, education, culture and tourism, Robertson said, noting that more and more Chinese students are coming to Scotland to study and that the Chinese community has become an important part of Scotland's diverse society, making positive contributions to local economic and social development. The Scottish government is willing to further enhance friendly communication and cooperation with China to bring more benefits to both peoples, he added. In response, Zheng said that in recent years, Scotland has established friendly partnerships with China's Shandong Province and a few cities, with fruitful exchanges and cooperation in trade and investment, education, and culture. China stands ready to continue to strengthen communication and exchange, and expand friendly cooperation with Scotland, Zheng added. At another meeting on Wednesday, Jacqueline McLaren, Lord Provost of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, told Zheng that in recent years, Glasgow has made positive progress in the mutually beneficial cooperation with Dalian, Tianjin, and some other Chinese cities. Strengthening exchanges and cooperation with China is crucial to promoting Glasgow's international development strategy and Glasgow welcomes more investors, students and tourists from China, McLaren added. In recent years, Chinese and Scottish universities have also enjoyed strong ties. The University of Edinburgh, for example, has developed practical cooperation and exchanges with top Chinese universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University. During a meeting on Tuesday, Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, told Zheng that China is an important partner of the university and he welcomes more outstanding Chinese students. He looks forward to further deepening the exchange and cooperation in the fields of teaching and scientific research. Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow Antonio Muscatelli said at a meeting on Wednesday with Zheng that academic exchanges with Chinese universities are mutually beneficial and in the interests of both sides. Padma Bridge, Bangladeshs longest Bridge was inaugurated by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this Saturday (25 June). The said bridge aims to reduce the distance between the capital city Dhaka to the Mongla Seaport, it is said to be 6.15 kilometers long bridge on River Padma (River Ganga) that connects Bangladesh's southwestern with the rest of the country. Its a multipurpose two-story bridge providing road and rail transit. The main bridge is 6.15 km long, it stretches for 10.642 kilometers with 41 spans attached to 42 pillars. The Bangladeshi government told ANI, The completion of the Padma Bridge is a dream come true for the 170 million people of Bangladesh. It is a unique infrastructural initiative of the Government of Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," The completion of the Padma Bridge is a significant milestone for the government led by Sheikh Hasina, as it took nearly 25 years to complete the project. The projects total cost crossed Rs 25,000 crore, after several revisions. The government spent over Rs 67,000 crore to date to develop connectivity with the road and rail network to the country's southwestern regions, according to Dhaka Tribune. The construction work for the bridge began in 2015, even though Prime Minister Hasina first proposed the Padma Bridge construction in the year 1997 after China Major Bridge Engineering Ltd was selected to build the bridge in 2014. Bangladesh has major rivers crisscrossing the country, making it a deltaic nation. People of the country mostly depend on ferries to cross the river. Making the availability of bridges a major need to help with transportation. Padma bridge, with its completion, becomes only the second bridge on River Padma. PM Modi arrives in Germany and gets a rousing welcome from overseas Indians Tesla, its Model S, and soon to be a billionaire Musk UN human rights Commissioner blasts US abortion ruling Dhaka: People are angry after the principal of Mirzapur United College in Narail Sadar sub-district in Bangladesh was taken away wearing a garland of shoes. Yes and this incident is being told of June 17. The most surprising thing in this case is that the police remained a spectator. In fact, under the information received about this matter, a student of this college had posted a picture of BJP leader Nupur Sharma on Facebook and the next day some Muslim students in the college asked her to delete the post. At the same time, a rumour spread that the principal had taken the student's side and due to this, angry Muslim students set the motorcycles of two teachers on fire. Not only this but after this, Muslim students and local people put a garland of shoes around the neck of Principal Swapan Kumar Vishwas and dragged him far, accusing him of insulting the religion. Even after seeing all this, the police did nothing and kept watching the spectacle. On the other hand, this incident has gone viral on Facebook and a rally has been called in Dhaka's Shahbagh tomorrow i.e. Monday afternoon to protest against this incident. In this case one of the organizers of the rally, Rabin Ahsan said- 'Teachers have no role in that incident. The police remained a mute spectator. The administration has come into the hands of fundamentalists.' In this case playwright Zulfikar Chanchal says that 'the only fault of Principal Vishwas is that he had called the police against the student who posted the picture of Nupur Sharma. The protesting Muslim students were demanding that he be punished on the spot. The principal is not in touch with anyone after this incident.' It is feared that he has left his house due to panic. On the other hand, OC Mohd Shaukat Kabir of Narail Sadar Police Station says that - "The principal did not insult any religion. He was taken by the police to save him that day. He didn't do any mistakes. That's why No case has been registered against him. If he asks for security, he will be provided security." Woman and her six-year-old girl gang-raped in car in Roorkee Seeing the wife in an objectionable situation with the neighbor, the husband took this horrific step. He described himself as a bachelor and did 12 nikah, when he started preparing for the 13th Begum. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 24: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) attends a demonstration against the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case on June 24, 2022 in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case overturns the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case, removing a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Spencer Platt/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is getting candid about her own experience in the fight for reproductive rights. The New York Congresswoman, 32, opened up about being sexually assaulted during a rally Friday in Manhattan, following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn 1973's Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion. "We must start right now to be relentless to restore and guarantee all of our rights here in the United States of America, period. I want to take a moment and honor the spirit of this space and telling stories," Ocasio-Cortez prefaced in a video captured by The Independent's Jenna Amatulli. RELATED: 36 Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Abortion Stories to Help Women Feel Less Alone She recounted working at a nearby coffee shop, which was two doors down from a free family health clinic. "I took friends and I supported friends through abortions, when I had friends that were sexually assaulted, right after getting off of work," she recalled. "I myself, when I was about 22 or 23 years old, was raped while I was living here in New York City. I was completely alone, I felt completely alone. WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Abortion rights activists yell during a protest in the wake of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturned the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erased a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Anna Moneymaker/Getty "In fact, I felt so alone that I had to take a pregnancy test in a public bathroom in Midtown Manhattan. And when I sat there waiting for what the result would be, all I could think was, 'Thank God I have, at least, a choice. Thank God I could at least have the freedom to choose my destiny.' I didn't know then as I was waiting that it would come up negative. But it doesn't matter ... This is for all of us. This is not a women's rights issue, this is an issue for all of us!" Ocasio-Cortez said. Ocasio-Cortez then called on President Joe Biden to take action and open abortion clinics on federal lands in red states. Friday's 6-to-3 ruling reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, giving states the power to pass their own laws around abortion. Since the decision, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and South Dakota have already banned abortion in their states, after putting "trigger bans" in place that governors enacted after the SCOTUS ruling. Story continues RELATED VIDEO: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Eliminating the Constitutional Right to Abortion Protests have since erupted around the country, and Biden, 79, has spoken out against the ruling, which he called the "realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court." The decision comes after the SCOTUS opinion was leaked to Politico last month. A poll conducted by CNN has since found that 66 percent of Americans did not want Roe v. Wade to be overturned. (Bloomberg) -- Jack Mas Ant Group Co. is poised to apply for a key financial license as soon as this month, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign that its lengthy overhaul following a squashed 2020 listing is getting closer to satisfying Chinas financial regulators. Most Read from Bloomberg The Peoples Bank of China intends to accept Ants application to become a financial holding company once its submitted and will then start a review process, which could take months, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. Officials will examine Ants capital strength and business plans, as well as the compliance of its shareholders and senior management before a final signoff. The moves would mark a crucial development in Ants revamp, affirming that the company can maintain its financial operations under the supervision of the central bank. While that clears a path for it to eventually revive a public offering, Mas fintech juggernaut will be a much diminished enterprise, with policy makers dramatically curbing its growth in consumer finance and its ability to leverage its ubiquitous payments app. Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which owns a third of Ant, have swung wildly in recent days as investors try to gauge how close policy makers are to concluding their examination of Ants operations. The stock climbed Friday after Reuters reported that Ants application for a financial holding company had been accepted, before giving up most of the gains when state-backed media refuted the report, citing people close to the central bank. Dialing down scrutiny of Ant -- one of most high-profile casualties of President Xi Jinpings sweeping clampdown on the countrys tech giants -- would offer powerful evidence that policy makers are following through on pledges to support the industry. Story continues Ant has been steadily moving forward with its rectification work according to regulatory requirements, including preparing materials to apply to set up a financial holding company, a spokesperson for the company said in an emailed response to questions. We do not have a timetable to submit this application. The PBOC didnt immediately respond to a request seeking comment. Alibaba shares pared losses of as much as 3.1% to trade about 1% lower in US pre-market following Bloombergs report. In a meeting presided by Xi, the government announced that it approved work plans for oversight of payment and fintech companies, according to Chinas state broadcaster on Wednesday. China plans to enhance regulation of financial holding companies, and promote healthy development of payment and fintech sectors. Under the official framework laid down last year, Ant needs to fold all its financial units into a holding company and be regulated like a bank with more scrutiny on its shareholder structure and tougher capital requirements. The PBOC has so far accepted five applications for financial holding firms and approved two of them after at least six months of review. The crushing of Ants $35 billion IPO in November 2020 sent shock waves across the financial world, burning investment firms from Carlyle Group Inc. to Temasek Holdings Pte that had expected a windfall. It also marked the beginning of a broader crackdown that ensnared some of Chinas fastest-growing companies, erased more than $1 trillion of market value and caused a reckoning within the countrys billionaire class. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says: Its growth potential has weakened after regulatory steps including firewalls in Alipays ecosystem. Its valuation may have fallen to 20% of its $320 billion target at its last IPO attempt. --Francis Chan, banking & fintech analyst Click here for the research While investors are likely to welcome any signs that the tech crackdown is easing, a return to the heady days of old appears unlikely. Myriad regulations imposed on Ant over the past two years mean the company is worth a fraction of its former self, according to some early backers. Fidelity Investments, for instance, slashed its valuation estimate for the firm to about $78 billion last June from $235 billion just before the IPO was abruptly suspended. Regulators now have routine inspections to examine dealings between Ant and financial institutions, and continue to curb how much they can jointly lend. Before the crackdown, Ant had a thriving business doling out small unsecured loans in partnership with banks via its Huabei and Jiebei brands. Overall, its CreditTech business was its single biggest revenue maker, contributing 39% of the total in the first half of 2020. (Updates with announcements by government on fintech oversight in ninth graph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. This year Jacksonville shut down several illegal internet gaming cafes or adult arcades, which promote illegal gambling. It is not all that surprising that where there is money to be made, there are people willing to break the law to get it. Yes, criminals by definition will find ways to circumvent and break the law. This fact, however, does not justify throwing our hands up and giving in to lobbyists demands to legalize adult arcades. To be clear, what it does justify is the complete and full support of the public for our law enforcement officers who continue to identify and shut down these illegal businesses. Unfortunately, we have a new proposal in the city council that rewards people for flagrantly disobeying the law instead of putting public safety first. As a mom of two young kids, I can relate to such a tactic. My son would love this line of thinking: Hey mom you know I am going to sneak Xbox time so why dont you just allow me to play whenever I want, rather than force me to break the rules? This rationale does not work in our house and it certainly should not be tolerated in this city. If we are serious about tackling crime in Jacksonville, we must take a hardline stance against businesses that harm our community, not find new ways for them to operate legally. In 2019, I filed a bill calling for the immediate closure of all illegal adult arcades. I did this because these businesses pose hazards to health and safety, making them a clear public nuisance. Adult arcades are magnets for crimes like robbery and drug trafficking, among others. Cumber These illegal businesses generate hundreds of calls to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) every month. This is a heavy burden on our already over-stretched law enforcement. In fact, research found that over a five-year period, there were 28,000 calls placed to JSO from the 100 or so adult arcades that existed throughout the city prior to 2019. Legalizing even 20 of these operations would only make increasing public safety more challenging. I am proud to have led the fight three years ago to deem these illegal gambling businesses a public nuisance and give our local law enforcement the legal tools to shut them down permanently. Story continues Aside from the public safety concerns noted above, the proposal that will come before the full council for a vote over the next several weeks conflicts with the Florida Constitution, existing Florida Statute and local ordinance. In fact, the Florida Gaming Control Commission, which will be seated on July 1, was created in part to ensure the proliferation of adult arcades does not happen again in the State of Florida. We do not have the authority to overrule the state constitution or act in place of the gaming commission. In short, the new legislative push will take Jacksonville backward and erase any public safety gains we made when we shut down these illegal operations for good. I will always use my vote on the city council to fight for a safer Jacksonville. We must move forward not backward. LeAnna Cumber, Jacksonville City Council, District 5 This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: LeAnna Cumber: Legitimizing illegal gaming will hurt public safety TORONTO, June 25, 2022 /CNW/ - When Claudia Gerini was growing up in Italy, she probably didn't think she would be helping lead a mental healthcare revolution on the other side of the Atlantic. With her new movie Tapirulan or The Treadmill (trailer) debuting at the Bell Lightbox in Toronto this Sunday evening at the Italian Contemporary Film Festival, she will be doing just that. Gerini will be guest of honour virtually at 7:30pm EST as she makes her directorial debut with her new movie set to screen for the first time in North America. She will speak briefly before the screening and take questions from the audience and media afterwards. Italian actor, screenwriter, and director Claudia Gerini (CNW Group/iDentivisuals) Gerini had planned to be in Canada this weekend, but her daughter got coronavirus preventing her from attending in person. The movie features Gerini as a therapist who provides online therapy using a world-changing platform to enable her to better read patient biometrics and their emotional states. The software has been developed by iDentivisuals, an early-stage platform technology company founded in Italy. It is led by a Canadian from Windsor, Ontario, Ian Wilcox, who will be at the launch. iDentivisual's software measures six emotions including anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise. Key performance indicators look at bias, interest and engagement. "It has the world's most accurate emotional detection platform," said Wilcox, who is looking for Canadian investors to participate in supporting the launch. Barry Brown, a Master of Social Work from Toronto, will also attend the launch on Sunday. "I am intrigued to learn of ways technology can support therapists and counsellors in more readily assessing patients and clients remotely," said Brown, who has worked with highly challenged individuals and families over the last 40 years. "The work we are doing is important to anyone concerned about the wellness of our society," said Wilcox. "We hope having the software featured in this movie will begin a conversation about a client-patient relationship which will allow therapists to truly meet people where they are." Story continues The iDentivisuals platform is being used in a wide variety of segments including candidate recruiting, customer analytics, and employee engagement. "The potential application of emotional detection to the therapeutic setting and beyond is quite broad," says Dr. David Ramirez, retired director of Psychological Services at Swarthmore College and psychoanalyst in private practice in Philadelphia. "This platform could provide a significant augmentation to the process of helping clinicians better evaluate and respond to a client/patient's here and now experience." Italian Contemporary Film Festival The Italian Contemporary Film Festival presented by Lavazza Group will be taking place in Toronto's Distillery Historic District from June 27 to July 16, 2022. The film Treadmill (Tapirulan) will be screened on Sunday, June 26, 2022 at the Bell Lightbox in Toronto at 350 King St. W. , and will be available online from July 1 - 10. Tickets to the screening are available here . Claudia Gerini Claudia Gerini is an Italian actor, screenwriter, and director who has acted in over 50 films. Gerini began acting at a young age, performing in her first role at the age of 14 in La ballata di Eva (1986). Gerini makes her directorial debut with Tapirulan. This is the first time Gerini is both acting in and directing a film. iDentivisuals iDentivisuals develops and creates innovative digital applications capable of reading and interpreting the emotions on people's faces, integrating them into work, business and commercial contexts. The iDentivisuals team combines the potential of biometric and cognitive technologies, facial recognition, artificial intelligence and machine learning with a solid human background in the fields of business, psychology and HR. Ian Wilcox Ian Wilcox is the CEO of IDentivisuals. Originally from Windsor, Ontario, Wilcox now resides in Philadelphia and Nova Scotia. Dr. David Ramirez Dr. David Ramirez is a retired director of Psychological Services at Swarthmore College and psychoanalyst in private practice in Philadelphia. iDentivisuals logo (CNW Group/iDentivisuals) SOURCE iDentivisuals Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/25/c2344.html Courtesy Vrbo 17th-Century Palace, Barcelona, Spain (Vrbo): Eighty percent of becoming a queen is all about being born to the right parents at the right time. The luck of birth is not something we can help you with. But the other 20 percent, well, thats a different story. That is all about the pageantry of being royalthe wardrobes full of designer gowns, the tiaras so blinged out they blind, and having a fabulous home that goes by the name Palace. While we may not be able to make you a Queen for Life a la Queen Elizabeth, we can make you the Queen of Vacation by introducing you to this gorgeous vacation home in Barcelona, your very own Palace. Courtesy Vrbo The exterior of this property is all grand staircases and dramatic plays of light and shadow that create an ambience that carries the appropriate sense of historic gravity for a home with 17th-century roots. The inside, on the other hand, is a bit more modern thanks to a complete makeover in 2019. Courtesy Vrbo We love a neutral breakfast nook, all the better to imagine the colorful details of your day. As an added bonus, the dark wood accents of the doors and ceiling beams here are original to the palace, lending your morning coffee a shot of historical importance. Courtesy Vrbo Based on the size of this room, we would venture to say living rooms are the new ballrooms. This transformation makes sense given that, in this our Age of Athleisure, you would probably have a hard time convincing your party guests to show up to your next shindig in ballroom-appropriate attire. Courtesy Vrbo Not all palaces are for children, nor are all holiday rentals. This one, however, doesnt discriminate based on age. This is one vacation where your kiddos wont have to BYOToys, which gives you all the more space to pack party dresses in your carry on. Courtesy Vrbo We love a good private courtyard where you can take your morning coffee in peace. With these cute hanging lights, the same principle goes for your bedtime glass of local grapes. Courtesy Vrbo This palace spans five stories. But the real beauty of this urban castle is its position in the neighborhood of El Born, where it is ideally positioned to ruleor exploreall of Barcelona. Story continues Courtesy Vrbo While many of the homes centuries-old bones hailing from 1602 are still in evidence here, the makeover came with a fleet of new, modern furniture. The bottom line is: you will have a much more comfortable nights sleep than the original princess of the palace. Courtesy Vrbo We are torn on this particular room. On the one hand, answering your bosss emails from the comfort of this modern office is a dream. On the other, why are you answering your bosss emails on vacation? Courtesy Vrbo There are six bedrooms spread across the multiple floors, so there is plenty of space for everyone in your vacation crew. But this palace was built in the 1600s and no amount of modern renovations can correct one old-fashioned detail: there are just three bathrooms. Courtesy Vrbo We love a good pop of color in a mostly neutral home, especially when that color comes via some gorgeous tile that serves as a backdrop to a clawfoot tub. Also, has there ever been cuter his and hers sinks? Courtesy Vrbo Well, this is a new take on the concept of a platform bed. Its more like a platform room. Courtesy Vrbo The custom architecture-cum-furniture is a true work of art in this palace. We could only dream of a bunkbed like this when we were kids. Courtesy Vrbo Every monarch needs an escape plan, which is also a good rule of thumb for anyone on vacation with their nearest and dearest longer than just a couple of days. When the joking starts to hit a little too close to home, you can just exit out the window. Courtesy Vrbo While we can make you feel like a Queen in Barcelona thanks to this palace, we cant secure your status for life. With the end of your trip comes the end of your reign. But we do wish you the best of luck back in the real world. Book Your Stay: 17th-century Palace, Barcelona, Spain: $1,340/night via Vrbo Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker address the Richland County Land Bank 10th anniversary celebration Thursday night at the Buckeye Imagination Museum. The Richland County Land Bank celebrated its 10th anniversary Thursday night at the soon-to-be open, newly expanded Buckeye Imagination Museum. The land bank's mission? "To make a positive, sustainable impact on the community by strategically acquiring vacant and abandoned properties, reducing blight and returning them to productive use improving the quality of life for county residents." Since the Richland County Land Bank began, it has taken in parcels with structures or empty lots and has transferred hundreds of properties back to private usage with more coming online this year throughout Mansfield and the county. More: Mansfield boy, 3, in custody dispute located in North Dakota More: Man who just renewed license drives vehicle through Mansfield BMV window Richland County treasurer Bart Hamilton, as chairman of the Richland County Land Reutilization Corporation formed in 2013 and better known as the Richland County Land Bank said things were made in Mansfield since the 1800s through today and now there is a lot to cleanup as people in the old days didn't do things the right way. "We've partnered with the Ohio EPA, they're our friend," he said of one of the land bank's efforts. Hamilton worked with Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker, elected in 2011 with a campaign pledge to clean up dilapidated housing, and Donnie Mitchell, the city's community development leader. During the process, Amy Hamrick was hired by Mitchell to help administer the grant. She is now the manager of the local land bank. Among the speakers, Jeff Parton, business development officer at Park National Bank, told the crowd more than 100 blighted, vacant and abandoned properties within one and a half a miles of the downtown Buckeye Imagination Museum near the 5-way light at Park Avenue West and Marion Avenue have been land bank properties put back into proper use. Parton said Richland County used to have $15 million in delinquent property taxes. That number is now $5 million. Story continues "The land bank is the mechanism, the end all, the cleanup," he said. Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero said the Richland County Land Bank is the only organization is the county equipped with the knowledge, the wherewithal, the makeup.... It is the only organization equipped to handle the project of the Westinghouse scope. Most recently, the land bank became the owner of the former Westinghouse building on 200 W. Fifth St. and its adjacent 14 acres. The dilapidated building is earmarked for demolition. The site will be cleaned up too. Demolition could begin on the old Westinghouse building at 200 E. Fifth St. as early as this year. Abatement is expected to begin in August. During the program, land bank members lauded Amy Hamrick, land bank manager, for her work and presented her a bouquet of flowers for her day-to-day efforts to make the the program a success, working with contractors, community partners, the state and the Ohio EPA. Special Subscription Offers There are currently 64 land banks in Ohio. The land bank vision was founded by Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis, who attended the celebration. lwhitmir@gannett.com 419-521-7223 Twitter: @LWhitmir This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Land bank members lauded Amy Hamrick, land bank manager, for her work. (Bloomberg) -- During a high-profile visit to Kyiv, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed the press only after counterparts from France, Italy and Romania, and for a group photo, he was positioned on the fringe despite providing more aid to Ukraine than the other countries combined. Most Read from Bloomberg The optics in Kyiv werent isolated but reflect how Scholz is still struggling to find his place on the international stage after succeeding Angela Merkel in December. As host to a three-day summit of Group of Seven leaders that begins on Sunday, he gets a prime opportunity to start changing that. At Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, the 64-year-old Social Democrat wants to secure more financial aid for Ukraine, set up a fund to help poor countries weather a food crisis, and launch an initiative to coordinate national efforts to combat global warming, which hes dubbed the Climate Club. Failure to show progress would add to the growing pile of evidence that critics say show hes out of his depth. As is customary for meetings of the worlds biggest industrial economies, Scholz has invited representatives from across the developing world. This time, the roster consists of leaders from India, Indonesia, South Africa, Senegal and Argentina. Scholzs officials have insisted on calling them partners rather than guests. Scholz won praise from US President Joe Biden at a bilateral meeting shortly before the summits start. Youve done an incredible job, Biden told the chancellor, who beamed. Youre one of our fastest and closest allies in the world. At the summit and beyond, Scholzs goal is to broaden the alliance against Russia. The chancellor and his aides have been traveling across the globe in recent weeks to court other countries and push back against President Vladimir Putins claims that European sanctions, rather than Russias invasion, are to blame for the blockage of Ukrainian wheat shipments. Story continues The most crucial issue facing Scholz is the standoff with Russia over gas. Putin has drastically squeezed supplies, prompting Berlin to take a step closer toward gas rationing on Thursday. The standoff risks an unprecedented disruption to Germanys economy and leaves Scholz with even less room to maneuver. Caving in to Putin is hardly an option, but letting people freeze this winter isnt either. Read more: Putin Is Pushing Germanys Economy to the Breaking Point After securing a surprise election victory in September, the war in Ukraine hit just as his three-party coalition was finding its feet. His back and forth on weapons deliveries and the SPDs tradition of engaging with Russia have weakened his position. Scholz is a quiet global leader who acts slowly and unspectacularly on the global stage, hemmed in by his own quarrelsome party and an unwieldy coalition, said Daniela Schwarzer, executive director for Europe and Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations. His Social Democrats lost two regional elections in May and are now third on the national level in most polls, behind the conservative bloc and the Greens, his junior coalition partner. Support for the pro-business Free Democrats, which control the powerful finance ministry, has fallen to less than 10%. The domestic issues have affected Scholzs ability to deliver on his international agenda. Shortly after Russias invasion of Ukraine, he dropped his usual reserve and vowed a sea change in German policy. The effort included a debt-financed 100 billion-euro ($105.5 billion) fund to modernize the countrys army and lift defense spending to 2% of economic output as demanded by key allies for years. While he won support from the opposition conservatives to enshrine the defense fund in the constitution, delivering on promises to take a more assertive role in world affairs has been choppy. After reversing policy by agreeing to supply heavy weapons, his government offered to send PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers in early May. They only arrived last week. A plan to send Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles remains stuck. Only 35% of Germanys promised military aid had been delivered as of June 7, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. In an initiative that could undermine his environmental agenda, Germany is pushing for G-7 nations to walk back a commitment that would halt the financing of overseas fossil fuel projects by the end of the year, according to people familiar with the matter. The move would be a major reversal on tackling climate change. Read more: Germany Pushes for G-7 Reversal on Fossil Fuels in Climate Blow Some of Scholzs stumbles are about style. The soft-spoken politician is more of a back-room operator who seeks to forge a consensus behind the scenes rather than impress with grand speeches and gestures, said a person close to the chancellor. Scholz is leaving little to chance in the meeting with counterparts from the US, UK, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. The event is located at the same tranquil mountain resort that produced famous images of Merkel and former President Barack Obama in 2015. The remote setting also avoids the risk of the types of protests that marred a 2017 summit in Hamburg when Scholz was mayor. But it remains to be seen if he can achieve anything tangible at the summit. When it comes to isolating Russia, German officials have already played down expectations that partner countries like India and South Africa would adopt a critical stance. European officials have also poured cold water on a US proposal to set a price cap on Russian oil. Scholz has billed the event as an opportunity to start resetting the post-war system of rules-based international institutions, which has helped underpin German prosperity. Its about building a new global peace order, Scholz said in a speech last week in the Bavarian town of Tutzing. We are at the very beginning of this global turning point. Scholz sees his Climate Club as a way forward. The goal is to create an alliance of countries willing to accept common rules and standards to fight global warming. If it makes progress, it would be a signature achievement. Speaking to German business leaders on Tuesday, Scholz said such an institution is urgently needed to avoid a chaotic patchwork of national regulations. The risk would be new trade conflicts in which countries slap green tariffs on goods deemed less sustainable. Scholz and Joerg Kukies, his top economic adviser, managed to get the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on board to flank their efforts. The chancellor is aware that gaining support from other industrialized economies as well as the likes of India, Indonesia and South Africa will take more than three days in the Alps. Elmau is in the mountains, but we certainly wont be moving mountains there, he said in his weekly video address on Saturday. But we can make important decisions and prepare things that are worthwhile for all of us. (Updates with Biden comments in sixth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. By Trend Uzbekistan has flown 74 tons of humanitarian aid to neighboring Afghanistan, which was hit by the earthquake and subsequent floods, the MFAs spokesperson, Yusuf Kabuljonov, said, Trend reports citing Kun.uz. According to him, the aid was sent on the instructions of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The consignment included food, essential items and medicines. According to the latest data, over 1.1 thousand people were killed and 1,500 injured in the quake in Afghanistan. Six people were arrested Saturday evening after protesters opposing and supporting the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade gathered in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. The Greenville Police Department said in a statement that officers monitored the protests and separated the opposing sides. About 100 protesters were initially expected for an hour-long demonstration, the department noted, adding that about 400 to 500 people came out and the protest stretched beyond an hour. On several occasions, officers had to address people in the roadway and parties from one side trying to go over to another, the department said. After multiple warnings, officials said, officers reported arrested a protester, which led to other demonstrators interfering and being arrested. Overall, six people were arrested with charges including interfering with police, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the department. The picket was deemed an unlawful assembly, and officers dispersed both sides, officials said, adding that there will be a review of the incident, which is standard procedure. The protest was one of several across the country following the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which eliminated the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion. The 5-4 decision gave states the authority to drastically limit or ban the procedure. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Bloomberg) -- The British government will launch a charm offensive with businesses from Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK on Monday in an attempt to win them over to its controversial plan to override part of the Brexit deal. Most Read from Bloomberg The first meeting with the business representatives comes as Parliament debates Boris Johnsons new law that would give ministers the power to unilaterally rewrite the bulk of the Northern Ireland protocol. When the bill was released earlier this month it was immediately condemned by legal experts and a number of UK politicians, while the European Union said it was a breach of international law and restarted legal action. Firms in Northern Ireland also criticized the new plan and the meeting Monday forms part of the governments attempt to change their mind. The Foreign Office said the event will include more than a dozen major UK businesses and representative groups including the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, Asda, John Lewis and the Dairy Council NI. Read More: Johnson Angers Northern Ireland Businesses He Says Hes Helping Johnsons government says the plan is necessary to remove cumbersome bureaucracy on trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, which is a function of the Brexit deal he agreed to in 2019. Johnson agreed to a de facto customs border in the Irish Sea after Brexit to avoid the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland. That analysis is questioned by legal experts. This legislation will fix the problems the Protocol has created, ensuring that goods can flow freely within the UK, while avoiding a hard border and safeguarding the EU Single Market, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will say when presenting the bill to Parliament on Monday, according to remarks released by her office. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. St. Landry Parish Council members have been made aware that a non-profit agency has contacted officials with a proposal to establish a parish-wide shelter for women. After looking at our inmate population right now, many women in our parish have nowhere to go when they are placed into diversion programs or if they are under the jurisdiction of drug court, Parish President Jessie Bellard said in an interview. We are working with the district attorney and other agencies to try to create a place where women can go and receive some help. The parish has been without a womens shelter for almost a decade after the Diocese of Lafayette closed one that had been located in a three-story former downtown hotel that is now owned by the City of Opelousas. Roe v. Wade: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion Since the closure of the former shelter, the council and Opelousas elected officials have been approached at public meetings by individuals seeking funding for operating a women s shelter. Bellard told parish council members last week that there is a woman, whom he did not identify, who has obtained at least $1 million in seed money that can be used to open a shelter somewhere in St. Landry and accommodate women in need of assistance and perhaps change the direction of their lives. He said the benefactor prefers to remain anonymous until a more substantive proposal for the facility can be presented publicly along with input from parish council members, Bellard said. At this point, where to locate the shelter appears to be the main issue with moving the project forward, said Bellard. More news: Abortion in Louisiana is illegal immediately after Supreme Court ruling: Here's what it means I will be able to give the parish council more information next month, Bellard told the Council last week. Where we are right now with this is deciding whether it will cost more to build a new building from the ground up or find a suitable building that has already been built. Obviously, it is going to cost more if we build a new one, so right now we are looking at places that already exist. Story continues Although he did not provide specific information on how many women the shelter would serve, Bellard said parish officials have been discussing the need for womens housing and how difficult it has been to obtain the necessary funding for the project. There is not enough money that we (the parish) have available to make this a viable project without help from an entity like the one represented by this lady who is looking (at St. Landry), Bellard added. She wants to help and she has the necessary credentials and is searching for a way to help women who want to make a new start with their lives. She definitely has a plan to do this. District Attorney Chad Pitre said in an interview Friday that domestic abuse cases have spiked recently on the St. Landry Parish district court criminal docket. Pitre also said the DAs office has already begun what he described as a second-chance program to help women who need more assistance with getting their lives back together. We have been identifying individuals who are the low hanging fruit so to speak, such as those who have committed misdemeanors, need help with their mental problems or have substance abuse issues, Pitre said. We are working with the parish indigent defender board with this right now. Pitre said Bellard has placed former parish president Don Menard in charge of placing suitable candidates for re-admittance into the workforce by referring them to agencies that can provide the necessary help. I havent been in all the discussions yet with (Bellard) or anyone else regarding a womens shelter, but since the diocese no longer operates the one in Opelousas then the need for one is obviously there, Pitre said. Bellard said that he does not feel he needs council approval in order to approve the womens shelter unless a new one is built or perhaps placed on the property that is owned by the parish government. If a shelter is constructed from the ground up, Bellard said, the likely place would be on property at the parish airport facility that is owned by the parish government. This article originally appeared on Opelousas Daily World: New, urgently needed women's shelter could be coming to St. Landry WORCESTER After more than three decades behind the bar and in the kitchen, Brendan and Claire O'Connor announced Sunday they are selling their beloved West Boylston Street institution O'Connor's Restaurant & Bar. The couple, who've been involved in the hospitality industry for decades, have decided to retire, and are selling the 1160 West Boylston St. establishment to restauranteurs Dennis and Jennifer Maxwell, and their son, Kyle, according to a press release issued by the restaurant late Sunday. More: Restaurateur O'Connor recalls path from Ireland to Worcester Claire and I came over from Ireland over 30 years ago with a dream of establishing an Irish restaurant and bar in America. We had never been to Massachusetts and knew nothing of Worcester," O'Connor's founder and co-owner Brendan O'Connor, 67, said in the release. "Here we are 34 years later, and to say we found our home is an understatement. The Worcester community embraced us and our establishment, and we could not be more grateful. The couple has owned and operated O'Connor's in the city since 1989. The city License Commission is expected to approve the transfer of the liquor license from the OConnors to the Maxwells at Thursday's scheduled meeting. The move will formally begin the transition of ownership, which will be then have to be approved by the state. Terms of the deal were not disclosed and closing date is anticipated for early August, the release said. According to O'Connor, the Maxwell family will continue running the restaurant as OConnors Restaurant & Bar, and existing restaurant management and staff will remain. OConnors is a beloved institution in Worcester and we are excited to build upon its legacy, Kyle Maxwell said in the release. Worcester is a special place with a solid sense of community and we are delighted to become a more integral part of it and continue the grand welcoming tradition of OConnors. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester institution O'Connor's Restaurant & Bar to be sold; name will remain same Each year, the Police Unity Tour bicyclists ride through the state, stopping at different locations to raise awareness of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty and to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. This year, the Police Unity Tour stopped by the Caroline County Sheriffs Office and presented a plaque in honor of Deputy Sheriff Strother W. Ted Lewis Sr. Prior to serving the CCSO, Deputy Lewis was a U.S. Navy veteran. In 1947 while on duty, an inmate at the old Courthouse Jail struck Lewis firearm, causing it to discharge, resulting in his death. The prisoner escaped but was eventually apprehended. Major C.S. Moser accepted the plaque on behalf of the CCSO. Granddaughters Sarah Doggett and Sheryl Boyd, and great-grandson Randy Taylor, surviving family members of fallen hero, were present. Sheriff Lippa stated, I am grateful to the Police Unity Tour for presenting such a plaque in honoring our local hero that paid the ultimate price for the citizens of Caroline County, Virginia. In the future, the plaque will be displayed at the Caroline County Sheriffs Office, where every citizen and deputy that walks in the Sheriffs Office will be aware of the sacrifice made by Deputy Lewis. To donate to the Police Unity Tour, visit secure.policeunitytour.com/registrant/Donate.aspx?eventid=36 7754&langpref=en-CA&Referrer=direct% 2fnone. Shelley Tibbss son was booked into Rappahannock Regional Jail on a Friday, and by the following Wednesday, she had already spent almost $100 on him. She put $60 dollars$66 including the transaction feeinto his JailATM account so he would be able to order from Oasis Commissary, pay the jails daily $2.50 housing fee and the $4 one-time fee for a hygiene kit. She also put $20 onto his jail-issued tablet so he would be able to listen to music, stream movies and write emails, at a cost of 25 cents per word. He called her once from the tablet and that call cost $6 for 15 minutes, Tibbs said. It really is a money pit in there, she said. Her son was in Rappahannock Regional Jail last year for seven months and she estimates she spent at least $400 on him each month, sending herself into debt. When he was arrested again this year, Tibbs, who works for a volunteer organization in Prince William County, told him, I dont want to do this again. But she will, she said, because I want him to survive in there. She wants him to be able to call her every day because she worries about his mental health. The jail has not yet brought back all the programs it canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, including group therapy for substance abuse. She wants him to have a once-a-week break from jail food, which she calls horrible, with a hot meal from Outside-Inside Connection. I will pay $15 [for a medical co-pay] because I want him to get the medical care he needs, Tibbs said. I feel bad for families who are struggling and trying to help their loved ones, she said. Its not fair at all. More a profit-sharing agreement Some of the money that Tibbs and other families pay for services for their incarcerated loved onesfor phone calls, video visits, commissary and hot mealsgoes to the companies that provide those services, but much of it is kept by the jail or prison in the form of commission. According to the contract between Rappahannock Regional Jail and Global TelLink for inmate telephone and tablet services, which runs through August 2024, the jail receives 95 percent of the revenue billed or prepaid for telephone calls. Rappahannock Regional Jail also receives 45 percent of net web sales made by Oasis Management, which provides commissary services. Its more a profit-sharing agreement than anything else, said Bianca Tylek, executive director of Worth Rises, a New York-based nonprofit that works to expose the commercialization of the criminal justice system, in a recent panel discussion hosted by the ACLU of Virginia. It isnt the incarcerated people who are paying the cost of these agreements, but their families, who are primarily poor women of color, said Shawn Wenete, a policy strategist for the Virginia ACLU. Prison profiteering, as it is called by criminal justice reform advocates, costs families $3 billion a year in the U.S., according to Worth Rises. Thats on top of the almost $81 billion that taxpayers pay every year for prisons, jails, parole and probation, according to a 2017 report by the Prison Policy Institute. You dont need to be in a private prison to feel completely and utterly exploited, Tylek said. Eighty-seven percent of the time, it is women like Tibbs who are primarily responsible for supporting their loved ones in jail, according to the 2015 report Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families. The Who Pays? report also found that almost half of families are unable to afford the costs associated with a conviction and that the cost of maintaining contact with incarcerated family members sent one in three families into debt. And with Black, Hispanic and indigenous people disproportionately represented in jails and prisons, those families are disproportionately bearing the burden of cost. This issue of the cost behind incarceration becomes not just a criminal justice issue, but also an economic justice issue, a racial justice issue, and gender justice issue that we need to take a look at, Tylek said during the Virginia ACLU panel. In fiscal year 2019, Rappahannock Regional Jail reported bringing in almost $2.8 million in revenue from commissions in its annual Jail Cost Report to the Virginia Compensation Board. In fiscal year 2020, it reported almost $3.7 million in commission revenue, more than any other city, county or regional jail in the state. Virginia Code Section 53.1-115.2 allows for regional jail superintendents to establish commissaries and states that net profits from the operation of such stores shall be used within each facility respectively for educational, recreational, or other beneficial purposes as may be prescribed by the superintendent. However, in fiscal year 2019, the jail reported spending only $33,335, or 1.2 percent of commission revenue, on programs for inmates. In 2020, the jail reported spending $57,848 on inmate programsor 1.6 percent of commission revenue. According to the Virginia ACLU, 41 of Virginias 59 jails spent no money at all on inmate programs in fiscal year 2020, which began July 1, 2019 and ended June 30, 2020. The Rappahannock Regional Jail shut down its programs in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the shutdown, the jail offered adult basic education courses, allowing inmates to earn GEDs through the Rappahnanock Area Regional Adult Education; special education classes through Stafford County Public Schools; religious programs provided by volunteer clergy; group therapy for substance abuse; and a work release program, according to the jails Annual Report. Most of those programs have not returned to the jail, though superintendent Kevin Hudson said in a June 10 email that he is hopeful to have most returning by July. Hudson said that a non-exhaustive list of purchases made with canteen commissions includes religious, educational and mental health programs and services; supplies such as soap, linens, sanitary items, mattresses, gloves and shoes for inmate workers; maintenance such as shower refurbishing; appliances such as TVs, X-ray machines and fitness equipment; and public transportation for released inmates. With taxpayers already paying for jails and prisons, the commission structure is a regressive second tax on families that have a loved one inside, despite it being a system meant to serve us all, Tylek said during the recent ACLU panel. A legislative fix? During this years legislative session, the Virginia ACLU and Americans for Prosperitya conservative political advocacy groupworked with members of the General Assembly to introduce a handful of bills to combat prison profiteering. We discovered that there are no guardrails or regulation on this market, no market forces at play, Weneta said. This is a government-captive market and we believe the legislature is the only check and balance to regulate a government-captive market. The bills, HB 1053 and SB 581, as originally introduced would have removed the commission structure from jail funding, Weneta said. However, legislators really wanted to be sure they had a good handle on exactly whats happening before they enacted legislation, Weneta said. The bills as passed direct the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to convene a work group to review and make recommendations regarding the reduction or elimination of costs and fees charged to inmates ... including fees related to ... telephone services; commissaries; and electronic visitation systems. The bills direct the work group to report its findings to the General Assembly this fall. The work group is required to include one formerly incarcerated person, one family member of an incarcerated person and at least one representative of certain organizations and companies, in addition to four General Assembly members and representatives from the Virginia Sheriffs Association. In Virginia, county sheriffs manage local jails. Regional jails such as RRJ, which serve multiple localities, are managed by a superintendent who serves the regional jail board or authority. John Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs Associationwho, along with Norfolk Sheriff Joe Baron, is representing the sheriffs on the work groupsaid in an interview that it was important for his group to understand what the impact of abolishing or altering the commissions system would be. We are getting ready to do a survey to determine what fees are being charged and what they are being used for and if they go away, what impacts that would have on jails, Jones said. We want to know whats going on, how much money is involved and where its going specificallythat way, we can make decisions. Jones said that in his experience, fees for telephone services go back into programs for inmates, such as work-release. He draws a distinction between telephone and internet fees and commissary fees. Commissary fees and chargesthats a voluntary expenditure, Jones said. If the inmate doesnt want to buy a candy bar, hes still going to get fed. If they dont want [the fee], they dont have to buy it. You also need to consider that operating a commissary is a bit different than going to Walmart. Thats what our survey is designed to look at, Jones continued. State Sen. Scott Surovell, a Democrat whose district includes part of Stafford County, traces the implementation of fees on everything from Skype calls to underwear to Virginias post-recession budget cuts. When I served in the House of Delegates, I saw multiple bills go through during the 201011 sessions in response to our budget crisis that allowed sheriffs to put surcharges on everything ... so they could turn inmate populations into profit centers to make up for declining state support, Surovell wrote in an email to The Free LanceStar. I thought it was wrong then and I think its wrong today. We need to have systems in place that allow inmates to maximize their contact with their families and reduce opportunities for financial conflict inside the jails, Surovell said. Long-distance, Facetime, and Zoom are virtually costless today and incarcerated persons shouldnt face fees for them. Weneta said the goal of the Virginia ACLU and other advocates is still to end the commissions structure and seek to have the state properly fund local and regional jails. Its all about money Dawn Clark of Stafford estimates that shes spent about $7,000 on her son over the past year hes been in Rappahannock Regional Jail. Each month, she puts $600the same amount as her house paymenton his account so he can use the tablet, order from the commissary, call her twice a day and receive a subscription to the daily newspaper. Clark, who works as a histology technician at Mary Washington Hospital, said supporting her son in jail has been a financial hardship. I go without stuff for him, she said. I can think of a lot of stuff I could do with $600. Michelle Gray of Spotsylvania is supporting her son in the jail on her own fixed income. She has only her disability and Social Security payments coming in monthly and out of that, she spends almost $200 so her son can call her, order commissary and receive one hot meal from Outside Inside per week. I try to do what I can do to make it as easy as it can be in there, Gray said. Everything you do in reference to your loved one thats in there, its all about money. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The damaging storm that rushed through Fredericksburg last Wednesday afternoon left downtown streets littered with trees and tree limbs and knocked out power. Without electricity, many of the stoplights in the city went black. That created a little bit of roadway anarchy. This driver paid attention to the common-sense approach of treating such black-out stoplights as a four-way stop sign intersection, which transportation experts and police suggest. While stopped at various intersections, I watched as these drivers treated the blacked-out stop lights like a fee pass, speeding right on through with no care about drivers or pedestrians. If I had treated the situation like those drivers did and zoomed on through the intersection, you might be reading an obituary instead of a traffic column. Lafayette path extension proposed Planners are looking for input on a proposed project aimed at a bike and pedestrian connector project extension of a shared-use path along Lafayette Boulevard in Fredericksburg. The new section would extend the path where it currently ends at St. Paul Street, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. Public comments regarding the proposal can be submitted online at, and will be accepted through July 25. The website also includes details and images for the project proposal. The path would be handicapped-accessible, with ramps and crosswalks built where the path intersects with Twin Lakes Drive, Springwood Drive, Kensington Place, and St. Paul Street, according to VDOT. The project also would add a paved access to the Virginia Central Railway Trail from the cul-de-sac on Springwood Drive. Fredericksburg has submitted the project to states Smart Scale program in an effort to garner additional funds for the project, which has an estimated cost of $1.98 million. The project has an estimated completion date of January 2025. VDOT is handling the projects preliminary engineering, right of way acquisition and construction. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for July 14. The hearing will be held from 57 p.m. at the Dorothy Hart Community Center at 408 Canal Street in the city. Displays will be available, as well as VDOT and Fredericksburg staff. Mail and email comments also will be accepted. Letters should be sent to: Anastasia Kapitan, VDOT Project Manager, 87 Deacon Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22405. Emails can be sent to fred.comments@vdot.gov, with Twin Lake/Kensington Connector in the subject line. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. EARLIER THIS month, the University of Mary Washington welcomed back over 1,300 alumni during reunion weekend. It was a huge eventour largest reunion to date, and three times the typical size since we havent held the annual tradition since 2019. Our alumni came from as far away as France and Hong Kong to be here for this joyous occasion, and each one has a Mary Washington story. They tell me about their faculty. They share memories of their friends. They remark on the changes (or lack thereof) to our campus. They recall how they came to know the world from multiple, and often opposing perspectives, through late night debates with peers where they could test their ideas and beliefs. They note how their college experience gave them the courage and fortitude to try new things, take risks, and accomplish moreboth personally and professionallythat they never could have imagined when they moved into their residence hall or sat in their first college class. Most of all, they tell me how their time and the people here changed their lives. Their stories might be about how their education prepared them for their careers, but most are about how their time here prepared them for life. This distinction is because an education immersed in the residential liberal arts experience offers more than just that first job out of college. A broad-based education focused on the development of the whole person is based on the belief that students want to live a life that matters, and that belonging, purpose, curiosity, and the ability to learn new things are essential ingredients in this pursuit of meaning. Our alumni also indicate, in person and via surveys, that they continue to value working for social and political change, helping others (70% of our alumni regularly volunteer), doing creative or expressive work, and raising a family. So when I read that we should evaluate colleges value only by the salaries earned upon graduation, which some call a return on investment, I call it myopic and reductive. Despite these immediate returns, how much you get paid, especially in your first job, is not the best measure of a college educations value. A focus on early career earnings tied to in-demand skills associated with a high-paying first job too often rely on jobs that vanish in a number of years, leaving their occupants struggling to re-skill for new opportunities. Even if you want to evaluate an education merely on salaries, studies show the long-term earnings of those with liberal arts majors outpace the short-term early career earnings of technical and specialized fields. Many liberal arts majors go on to graduate and professional school (60% of alumni from the last 15 years in our latest survey), significantly boosting their long-term earning potential, and they have the capacity to adapt and advance in a fast-moving and ever-changing world of work. As a parent of two daughters in their 20s, I understand the challenges facing young people transitioning from college to career, and I know students and parents want assurance that a good job is waiting for them upon graduation. Alumni surveys show our graduates do well on that score. For example, we know over 90% of our graduates from last spring are employed or in graduate school, and the average reported salary for 2022 graduates is just under $80,000 and the median salary is $67,000. In addition, our graduates also have a debt burden that is more than 20% lower than the national average and which is among the lowest in Virginia. Our Mary Washington graduates also have a foundational liberal arts experience leading to a great job and a meaningful career over a lifetime. Thats why we go further to connect the dots for our students. We are one of the few institutions in Virginia, or around the nation, that have created a career readiness requirement for all of our undergraduates, reinforced with internships, research opportunities, and experiential learning, preparing them for the transition from college to their first career destination and more. As our alumni told me over reunion weekend, college is a place and time where students can dream, imagine, and hope to live a life of purpose. Lets do all we can to resist assessing the value of such an education by the first paycheck earned, and instead focus on the full story and the quality of a life lived. Dr. Troy D. Paino is president of the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. The pursuit of happiness are the last few words of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. Yet, they make up one of the most profound, philosophical, and memorable statements in the document. The sentence they appear in states we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We Americans have heard this sentence repeated so many times that we dont give it the consideration it deserves. Especially the last three words. It was remarkable enough for the Founding Fathers to declare the equality of mankind and the rights to life and liberty, but the closing phrase did something that no government document, certainly no founding document, had ever done before. It stated that the pursuit of happiness is a right of humankind. This kind of thinking is indicative of the Enlightenment; the period of awareness and learning that at its height in the late 18th century gave rise to such notions as representative government, intense questioning of what was once considered absolute doctrine (both in terms of religion and governance), and the importance of natural rights. Rights inherent to our very state of being. At the time, the notion of self-government, which is at the heart of the Declaration of Independence, was still a new, and to some a dangerous, concept. After all, this was a world of kings and empires, and the notion of a colony declaring itself independent based on such theories of governance was unheard of. There was no precedent. It was also an exceedingly dangerous thing to do. Everyone who signed the Declaration of Independence was a traitor to the British Crown. However, there was more to it than that. These words, contained in an already profound statement regarding individual rights, offer an insight into the minds and the vision of our founders. Its been argued that the phrase was nothing more than a place holder. Thats unlikely. These men werent given to throwaway phrases. While one of the earlier drafts had said life, liberty and property, at Ben Franklins suggestion, and with the ready concurrence of the Declaration Committees other members Thomas Jefferson (the documents author), John Adams, and Roger Sherman the sentence was changed to replace property with the pursuit of happiness. When the Continental Congress, over two grueling days in the stifling Philadelphia heat, debated the declaration, they made dozens of changes to the document. Some provoked fierce debate, but the reference to the pursuit of happiness remained as it was. The Declaration of Independence, for all its fame, has no force of law. Rather it was a statement of the principles behind the American Revolution and was written with the intent of explaining in clear and compelling terms our reasons for wishing to separate from Great Britain. Critical to that was an explanation of the founders overall philosophy of government. While that arguably imprecise phrase guaranteeing the right to the pursuit of happiness may not have force of statute, in the years since 1776 this reference has been used to support all sorts of causes where the rights of the individual conflicted with prevailing notions of society or the law. The pursuit of happiness, nebulous as it may be, has been repeated and discussed in debates in Congress, noted in Supreme Court decisions, and has found its way into political and philosophical discussions all over the world. Happiness, personal happiness, because it is unique to each of us, is hard to define, and almost impossible to guarantee. But that wasnt the point. The objective in the revolutionary philosophy of the founders was to state that no government, whether it was Great Britain or something homegrown, should place unreasonable barriers and restrictions on its citizens that limit their potential personal fulfillment or happiness. The pursuit of happiness, as a right of humankind was a remarkable statement about individual liberty and freedom. It was a radical concept then, and for many, still is today. David S. Kerr, a Stafford County resident, has worked on Capitol Hill and for a number of federal agencies. He is an instructor in the Political Sciences Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Fredericksburg region has for several decades been known as a hub of the antiabortion movement. The American Life League, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, and Students for Life of America are all based in our region. Following the announcement Friday that Roe v. Wade was overturned by the United States Supreme Court, two of the three organizations were already focused on the work ahead. Both groupsALL and SLAlist strategies that include plans sure to be politically contentious and bitterly contested. SLA, for example, lists Curtail[ing] the expansion of the abortion industry and defund[ing] Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry. At ALL, in addition to defunding Planned Parenthood, it looks to work for a personhood amendment. Such an amendment would likely include at least a limited ban on a number of popular contraceptives. Even as some in our community are celebrating Roe v. Wades demise, others are mourning its death. Though polling numbers vary, recent samplings by the Courier Newsroom/Data for Progress poll and the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University, find that Virginians by a wide margin generally support access to abortion in at least some cases. It is unlikely that the debate over abortion is going to become more civil. Pro-abortion people are not going to simply accept Fridays decision, especially as antiabortion people have already made clear their thirst for even greater restrictions. Just as undoing Roe v. Wade was a decades long battle, any efforts to restore the abortion rights that many states will now take away will also be a prolonged struggle. In other words, the national anger over this issue isnt going away, and neither are the battles. The more pressing question becomes, can we get along at the community level as these battles intensify and play out at the state and national levels? Turns out, the antiabortion groups may have created a space for compromise. Three of the next steps that SLA outlines include: Promote adoption and foster care reform that would make it easier for people to take children into their homes. Support pregnant and parenting women on campuses. Encourage family-friendly, work-friendly employment. These are policy issues around which the community should be able to recognize the overall good that can come from much-needed improvements in each of these areas. We would challenge SLA and other antiabortion groups to push a step further and argue that the value of life discussion needs to grow beyond abortion. There are a number of areas in which we would all benefit from such a reframing. Guaranteed medical care: As Dr. Jay Brock has opined twice this year on our editorial pages, the American health insurance system is broken, leaving tens of millions of Americans without access to health care, and all of us paying for a system thats exponentially more expensive than a single-payer system of health care would cost. What kind of life are we giving people when we deny basic medical care? Drug overdoses: Fentanyl continues to destroy families and take lives in Virginia. A March 17 story in the Virginia Mercury reports: In Virginia, fatal fentanyl and/or heroin overdoses increased 58.6% from 2019 to 2020, with 2021 numbers predicted to be even higher. If this trend continues, the Virginia Department of Health predicts Virginia [will] suffer the loss of over 2,600 residents from overdose deaths annually. Surely we can find a way to fight this disturbing trend and ensure people enjoy long, drug-free lives. Gun violence: Peoples obsession with firearms and the growing number of mass casualties resulting from people using assault-style weapons is everyones concern. No one should have to fear that a trip to school or the grocery store will be their last. Imagine if we could put the same energy into protecting the lives of people already living that the antiabortion movement put into protecting the lives of the unborn. With that level of focus, 50 years from now, we could have a healthier, safer, more-civil community. If only we are willing to embrace life, and its value, across the spectrum. By Trend Jordans King Abdullah II said Friday that he supports a military alliance in the Middle East similar to the Western-led NATO, Trend reports citing Al Arabiya. Speaking to CNBC, King Abdullah said that the charter of such an alliance would need to be very clear. I would be one of the first people that would endorse a Middle East NATO, but the linkages to the rest of the world and how we fit in has to be very, very clear. Otherwise, it confuses everybody, he said. Closer cooperation on the military front between Arab countries and Israel has been pushed by the US for several years as a way of confronting Iran. Health officials in Afghanistan's Taliban-led government warned on June 26 that thousands of people affected by a deadly earthquake this week in eastern Afghanistan desperately need food and drinking water and are at acute risk of disease. The death toll of around 1,150 people from the June 22 earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.1, is already conflict-torn Afghanistan's worst natural disaster in two decades. The tragedy is amplified by weaknesses in the hard-line government and its isolation over human rights abuses since the Taliban swept to power as U.S.-led international troops withdrew and the UN-backed Afghan government collapsed in August. "The people are extremely needy for food and clean water," Taliban-led Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told Reuters. "We ask the international community, humanitarian organizations to help us for food and medicine. Survivors might catch diseases because they dont have proper houses and shelters for living," he said. The UN office that coordinates humanitarian affairs, the OCHA, has already warned of the seriousness of possible cholera outbreaks. In addition to the confirmed dead, at least 1,600 people are said to have been injured when the earthquake hit three mountainous Afghan regions near the Pakistani border. An aftershock on June 24 killed five more people shortly after the Taliban authorities announced that search-and-rescue operations had ended. UN Deputy Special Representative Ramiz Alakbarov toured one of the affected provinces, Paktika, on June 25 to gauge damage and help distribute aid such as medicines and tents. Some UN helicopters and trucks have delivered rice, bread, and blankets to stricken areas. But officials say major obstacles to better distribution of such essentials remain. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP Its not baseball. Not football. Not hockey. Not basketball, cycling, golf or pickleball (though that last one sure is getting popular). Its not even mountain climbing. Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country Sign Up View all of our newsletters. By Trend Turkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have discussed a range of issues, including bilateral relations and the enlargement of NATO, Trend reports citing Turkiye's ministry. In a phone call on Saturday, Cavusoglu and Blinken also discussed the shipment of grains stuck in Ukraine. Smiles - and no talk of Brexit - as Macron and Johnson warm up at G7 Pius Kamau, M.D., general surgery, is president of the Aurora-based Africa America Higher Education Partnerships; co-founder of the Africa Enterprise Group and president of the Consortium of African Diasporas in the U.S.A. He has been a National Public Radio commentator and a blogger, and is author of The Doctors Date with Death. The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has been through a lot. Two World Wars, a global pandemic and the modernization of vehicles, in general, all headline the race's coinciding events. Through it all, the race has persevered. From 1917 to 1919, there were no races because of the first World War. The second caused a four-year break from 1942-1945. As the race reaches its 100th running, the years it took to get there are what stand out. The people, course changes and cars have created one of the nation's longest-running international events on a track or, a mountain, to be sure. Here's a look at the history of the event as it readies to pass the century mark, with John Graham, the mayor of Manitou Springs, hoping it will only continue in the future. A history of champions There are a lot of racing events in the world. Few feature the title of King or Queen of the Mountain for the event's top time. Through decades of winners, several stand out above the rest as examples for subsequent generations. This year's Hall of Fame class alone features race standouts like Grier Manning, Wes Vandervoort and the duo of Greg Tracy and Gary Trachy another duo to dominate the race, much like the 1930s and '50s were dominated by Louis and Bobby Unser who captured 17 top times between them. Later on, Bobby's son, Robby, even captured four top times from 1989 to 2004. The Unser name is synonymous with success in the race. In 1985, the race was won by the first Queen of the Mountain in Michele Mouton who set the course record at the time in a Audi Sport Quattro. More recently, the race has been an event marked by parity. Romain Dumas and Nobuhiro Tajima had their respective runs four titles in five years and six consecutive wins from 2006-2011 for the latter. Robin Shute, winner of two of the last three Hill Climbs, will once again race Sunday. He'll pilot a 2018 Wolf TCS-FS as the 34-year-old racer from the United Kingdom looks to lap the field once more. The rides that tell the tale If you're going to 'race to the clouds,' there's probably going to be quite the chariot involved. The race's early days were dominated by open-wheel vehicles. Stock cars were around in the early 1900s, but disappeared from the race for over three decades until coming back into form in 1956. Motorcycles first appeared in the races in 1916 and it wasn't until 1965 that vehicles racing up the mountain even featured automatic transmissions. Soon after, in 1973, Ak Miller debuted the first propane-powered car, giving way to a record 279 entrants into the race just two years later. As the technologies have advanced, so too have the times. Rea Lentz, the race's first King, accomplished the feat in a then-record time of 20:55.60. For comparison, the last full-length race was won by Clint Vahsholtz with a 9:35.49-second mark. Tajima was the first racer to break the 10-minute mark, accomplishing the feat in a Suzuki SX5 in 2011. This just over a decade after the race's top times were accomplished in a Toyota Tacoma in back-to-back years by Rod Millen. Electric cars also made an appearance in the race in 1981 when Joe Ball drove the first to a 32:07.41-second mark. Compare the landmark to today where the Exhibition Division alone features three models of Teslas, all with qualifying times faster than five minutes. It wasn't until 2012 that the race's course was fully paved though it still stands alongside the Indianapolis 500 as the two oldest races to compete on the same course throughout their history. Whether it's two wheels or four, paved or unpaved, the race's vehicles have changed drastically since the event's induction. The return of motorcycles to the Hill Climb may never happen after 2019's tragic news, but the four-wheeled peers will only get stronger as technology advances. Drivers lost too soon The aforementioned tragedy of 2019 was one of seven deaths that have occurred either during the Hill Climb or soon after from injuries sustained on the course. Carlin Dunne, 36, as a leader of the motorcycle pack heading into the 2019 race, hit a jagged section of pavement and his 2019 Ducati careened off the course right before the finish line. The four-time champion of the two-wheeled field succumbed to his injuries soon after the race. Of the seven deaths, Dunne is among the four that have occurred in the motorcycle division. Carl Sorenson, Bobby Goodin and Bill Gross were also lost to the race's winding path while attempting to win on two wheels. Race official Henry J. Bresciani, Ralph Chandler Bruning Jr. and Wallace Coleman make up the race's other three fatalities in its history. Each occurred during practice runs leading up to the race, with Bresciani being struck by another car during practice. Bruning succumbed to his injuries soon after his car veered off the track at 80 miles per hour and struck a tree. The race's vehicles and course, due to pavement and extreme vigilance of weather conditions, have become safer since the event's debut. But, with drivers battling different conditions through separate legs of the race, and the steep incline and drop-off of the course, the danger of the race is ever-present. The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has been through a lot. Two World Wars, a global pandemic and the modernization of vehicles, in general, all headline the race's coinciding events. Through it all, the race has persevered. Wet your whistle and get a taste of the Old West at one of these five historic bars in Colorado. 1. Buckhorn Exchange - Denver A history that dates to 1893 does not make this Colorados oldest bar, as is often mistaken. But the Buckhorn does own the oldest liquor license. If only walls could talk. Thats the thought when surveying the collection of 100-plus guns. 2. Buffalo Rose - Golden When the joint reopened in 2019, it was a celebration of 160 years. There have been several starts and stops since 1859, when Colorados oldest bar opened in a building that hosted the likes of Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. But the Buffalo Rose has refused to fade. 3. The Minturn Saloon Minturn The walls are covered with photos and autographs of the major clientele since the 1970s: skiers. They warm up with the time-honored dish of duck breast, just as the railroaders did in the early 1900s. The saloon is the terminus of the Minturn Mile, one of the best-known, out-of-bounds runs from Vail. 4. Mint Silverthorne Recently, condos and a hotel and one of those fancy food courts have been under construction around an old building that looks out of place. For more than 150 years, the Mint has survived the changes. Blue River Parkway is its fourth location, following miraculous transplants from other posts around Summit County. Its now a grill-your-own steakhouse. 5. Silver Dollar Saloon Leadville From behind the mahogany bar that was freighted via covered wagon in the 1870s, from behind that copper register still in use, the friendly local might show you the spot on the floor cracked in a way to resemble the face of Doc Holliday. He was a regular, known to have lived across the street. Theres another spot marked on the floor, said to be where the fights went down. Listen for the ghosts as you enjoy your wings. Read more: Mike Petkash has put the past behind him after losing and rebuilding his home 10 years ago. Three days after the Waldo Canyon fire sparked northwest of Colorado Springs in the summer of 2012, smoke and flames raced down a hillside toward Petkashs Mountain Shadows neighborhood and leveled his house, one of 346 destroyed by the fire. Petkash and his family rebuilt on the same lot they have called home since 2001. They moved back six months after the fire and have spent the past 10 years reclaiming their property from the cinders, most recently planting two pine trees in their pristine, xeriscape yard. Petkash is the chief photographer for Gazette news partner KKTV 11 News, where he has worked for 32 years. He was on his way to work on June 26, 2012, when he saw the fire racing across the mountain. He said to himself, Im turning around and going back into my neighborhood. Its a good thing he did. When he arrived back at Yankton Place, Petkash said the fire was coming down the hill toward his house. Between yelling at neighbors to leave the area and evacuating his family, he did what came naturally he grabbed a camera. "I was just in my cul-de-sac spinning around, shooting everything I could," he said. His footage from that day shows smoke coming over the mountain, neighbors packing their cars and a police officer calling for an immediate evacuation over a bullhorn. The video was taken on a TVUPack that allowed Petkash to broadcast live. Waldo Canyon fire facts - In June 2014, the fire was determined to be caused by a human, but the true nature of the cause remains unknown. - The origin of the fire was within 3 miles of the Waldo Canyon Trailhead off U.S. 24. - The fire killed two people, destroyed 347 houses, amassed nearly $454 million in insured losses, scorched 18,247 acres and cost $15.3 million in firefighting efforts. It took crews 17 days to contain the devastating blaze. - Husband and wife William and Barbara Everett were the lives lost. - More than 32,000 residents were evacuated. - Investigators still don't know who started the fire or if was arson or an accident. In a final move before evacuating with his wife, 12-year-old son and new puppy, Brandy, Petkash switched on an oscillating sprinkler on his roof, which watered the area around his home. "That was the last thing I did before I got in my car and drove away, he said. Petkash who some neighbors say saved their lives by yelling of the fast-moving fire worked through that night with a KKTV news crew on Centennial Boulevard, watching the fire burn through neighborhoods and listening to propane tanks explode in the fire. He had a feeling that things were not good but didnt know about the fate of his home until he received a photo from his nephew the next day. You knew it was coming; it was inevitable, he said. I kinda knew in my gut that my house is probably burned up. What Petkash saw in the photo from his nephew, a firefighter, was a smoking pit where his home once stood. There was nothing. No oven, no refrigerator, no nothing, he said. Petkash has an indiscernible lump of metal on display in a corner of his yard one of the few things he chose to keep from the ruins of his original home. Before the fire, it was a toolbox. I still have that as a reminder, he said. For the damage on the property to be so severe, firefighters told Petkash that temperatures would have been at least 1,400 degrees for over three hours. With pre-evacuation orders given days before the street burned, Petkash and his wife had preemptively emptied a fireproof safe, which later "crumbled" in the flames, and moved some important items to a family members house but they didn't save everything. Petkash shared that his grandmother was a painter and her artwork hung on the walls of his original home. He expressed regret over leaving them behind. "I dont know why I didnt grab the pictures off the walls," he said. When Petkash went back to his neighborhood for the first time, the houses were gone, but the first thing he noticed was the absence of many "huge" trees. The diminished foliage is still noticeable today, but Petkash is hopeful that the area will grow back to how it was before in the next 20 years. Petkash said deciding to stay in that neighborhood was an easy decision, because he likes the neighborhood, a sentiment shared by many of his neighbors. All but two of the families on Yankton Place rebuilt on the same lot and came back. "Right after the fire, we definitely all became closer," Petkash said of his neighbors, recalling a dinner they shared together two weeks after the fire at a Mexican restaurant. In the aftermath, Petkash and his family stayed with extended family for six months while they found a builder and planned their new home. "In an ironic way my wife never really liked the layout of our house," he said. All but one house on the street has a new layout. "2012 was the end of that neighborhood and now its a totally new neighborhood, a lot of the same people, but just different," Petkash said. "We're way past this now. Its behind us." By Trend Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said at the BRICS virtual summit that member nations should understand security concerns of each other and provide mutual support in the designation of terrorists and that this sensitive issue should not be "politicised", according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Trend reports citing The Tribune. The comments came days after China blocked a joint proposal by India and the US to designate Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as an international terrorist under the UN sanctions committee. In a statement, the MEA provided the details of the prime minister's suggestions and comments at the two-day BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit that concluded on Friday. "The Prime Minister also noted that as BRICS member we should understand security concerns of each other and provide mutual support in designation of terrorists; this sensitive issue should not be politicised," the MEA said. After China blocked the proposal to designate Makki, Indian government sources said the decision runs counter to its claim of combating terrorism and signals its "double standards". Makki has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youths to resort to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, they said. The PM also highlighted India's development partnership with Africa, Central Asia, South East Asia, and from Pacific to the Caribbean, the MEA said. Clear, cool, and calm, it was a perfect morning for bow hunting spring turkeys. Although I knew there were turkeys in this particular woodland, I failed to hear any sunrise gobbling. Moving to a nearby clearing, I popped up my blind where Id previously enjoyed success. Before crawling in I set a single jake decoy a few yards away. Although the action was soon in coming, it was not the scenario I had envisioned. I received my first clue that something was afoot when nearby birdlife sounded an alarm and then retreated. The reason for their distress was quickly revealed when I spied a house cat cruising through the cover. As the animal drew near, it suddenly spotted my decoy. In less than a nanosecond, the cats demeaner was completely transformed. Placing a laser focus on my fake turkey, the cat instantly began a stealthy and deliberate approach. Moving its paws in slow motion precision, the predator had soon stalked to within a few paces of the decoy. By now, the feline must have been thinking, Wow This is the stupidest turkey Ive ever seen. Picking up my camera, I touched off a couple of quick shots at the stalker. At the sound of the shutter, the cat flinched, made a couple of bounds, and after suspiciously looking back at my blind, quickly disappeared into the woodland foliage. The cat was large, but the turkey decoy was much larger. Was that cat really planning on tackling something that big, I wondered. Or, later this summer, could the predator have a significant impact on a growing crop of, bantam-sized turkey poults? How much wildlife could a free roaming house cat really catch and kill? Those questions prompted me to start looking. Thanks to the power of the internet, I was able to locate around 90 separate studies that examined the impact of domestic [house] cats on native wildlife. The results were shocking! This would probably be a good place to interject that this IS NOT an I Hate Cats column. Ill be the first to admit that cats are fascinating animals. And though oftentimes aloof, they are extremely popular pets. Cats are thought to have first been domesticated in the Middle East. In some cultures, such as ancient Egypt, the affection for cats bordered on idolatry. Today, cats remain incredibility popular In the U.S. so much so that there are 95.6 million indoor domestic cats compared to around 89 million dogs. Despite centuries of pampered domestication, the cats instinctive desire to hunt has never diminished. Whether we like it or not, cats are natural born killers. When allowed to let their natural desires rise to the surface, cats are every bit as savagely predacious as, say, wolverines or goshawks. Well, wolverines anyway. Although they dont get nearly as much practice, house cats when allowed outdoors are hour-per-hour every bit as efficient at catching prey as their feral counterparts. Most cat owners have seen their pets return home carrying baby birds, rabbits, or chipmunks. It happens often enough that weve all heard the familiar greeting, Well, look what the cat drug in. But like I said, this essay is not meant to be an indictment against cats. Instead, it is an attempt to summarize what researchers with the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Society, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, University of Georgia, University of Nebraska, Partners in Flight, Humane groups, and others have found regarding the impact of domestic cats on native wildlife populations from across the nation. In order to reach the most accurate conclusions, domestic cats were divided into three groups 1] indoor cats defined as cats that were house pets but allowed some time outdoors, 2] unowned cats -- cats that are fed by humans but live in barns, etc. and are never allowed inside human dwellings, and 3] feral cats -- cats that are wild and have little or no human contact. Data collection methods included equipping indoor cats with video collars, stomach content analysis of unowned and feral cats, owner diaries, and statistical modeling. When researchers compared studies via the systematic analysis of multiple data sources, the results concluded that domestic cats annually kill an astonishing 2.5 billion birds in the U.S. When reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals [such as chipmunks, voles, shrews, etc.] are added to the list, the estimated annual death toll soars to 21 billion. Cat predation had its greatest observed impact in residential areas where fledgling and adult songbirds had less escape cover than birds living in undeveloped rural areas. Studies determined that in some regions, house cats killed up to 80 percent of fledging backyard birdlife each year, far exceeding all other mortality factors combined. The devastating impact of domestic cats to native wildlife is by no means limited to North America. Domestic cat depredations are a global issue and cats are listed are the direct cause of at least 33 known extinctions, mostly of endemic species inhabiting oceanic islands. Free roaming cats also serve as disease reservoirs for rabies, feline leukemia, distemper and a host of other maladies. The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently lists the domestic cat as the worlds worst invasive species. The loss of wildlife to domestic cats can be at least partially curtailed. Increased responsibility on the part of pet owners could provide a quantum leap forward. Loving your pet cat and conserving backyard songbirds are not mutually exclusive. Realizing that house cats are instinctive and highly efficient hunters, owners should closely monitor their pets whenever they are let outdoors. Dogs are not allowed to freely roam residential areas. Cats shouldnt either. If applied nationwide, the seemingly simple practice of keeping tabs on Tabby could effectively conserve tens of millions of songbirds including cardinals, robins, catbirds, finches, orioles and others. Another component to cat depredation is the sad fact that thousands of pet cats [no one knows the real number] are routinely abandoned by owners. In many cases, disowning a cat means taking it to the country and turning it loose. But if pet owners somehow think Frisky is about to live out its days in some sort of Born Free, outdoor utopia, they are dead wrong. The reality is that abandoned cats do not enjoy happy lives. Plagued by injury and disease, their existence is miserable and often short lived. In addition to Americas 95.6 million house cats, there are currently an estimated 70 to 80 million unowned cats in the U.S. Another simple solution to the needless loss of wildlife is: DONT dump unwanted cats. Despite societys best efforts, domestic cats will continue to kill songbirds and other wildlife species. Its an ongoing ecological disaster that, like it or not, is going to stay with us. How seriously we commit to reducing the loss remains to be seen. The only certainty is that whenever domestic cats have access to outdoor environments, native wildlife will pay the price. Enjoy more wildlife tales online at Washburns Outdoor Journal at iawildlife.org/blog Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 There exists in this town, many Arcadian, pastoral and serene places. Some are nooks and crannies and many hiding in plain sight. However, my favorite, and therefore my most frequent layover is Elmwood Cemetery. For the time being, those layovers are temporary. I'll grab my book of the day and make my way to a previously untried spot in the shade and the best breeze. Today, I was drawn, through synchronicity or not, to the family plot of Martin Quick (1816-1891). The surname rang a faint bell that I find is more frequent and fainter these days, and a more common occurrence than I prefer, but just when I was ready to surrender, there it was; John Herbert Quick, son of Martin was the memory I was looking for. Even though Herbert Quick's earthly remains rest elsewhere, the graves of his immediate family are here in Elmwood in 1st addition-Block B-lot 34, the Quick Family plot. Moreover, I had remembered why Herbert Quick was an important name, not just for Mason City, but throughout the country. John Herbert Quick was born in 1861 in Grundy County Iowa. While attending country school, Herbert Quick was selected to attend Iowa State Country Teacher Academy and received a certificate to teach through fourth grade at age 16 and was a country school teacher there-forward. In 1878 Martin Quick sold his farm in Grundy County, packed up and moved the family on the promise of "The Best Land on Earth" to Cerro Gordo County purchasing a farm 3 miles northwest of what is now Mason City for $20/acre. In Mason City Herbert picked up where he left off, teaching in a country school, on a valid Iowa Certificate, attained by him with little formal education and no college whatsoever. John Herbert Quick spent the years 1878 until 1892, from age 16 to age 30, in and around Mason City. His list of friends is a veritable "Who's Who" of Cerro Gordo County of that period. In 1882, school board president, James Rule, hired him to become the principal of the four-classroom Garfield School, while he simultaneously began studying law in the office of prominent Mason City lawyer, John Cliggett. He passed the Bar in 1889 and in 1890 he married Ella Corey whom he met in Mason City while she was visiting her cousin, Mrs. John D. Glass. In 1892 Quick decided to set up a law practice in Sioux City and thrived there for a number of years. In 1898, he became the 27th Mayor of Sioux City and served one term. In 1909 he left public life and began a seven year stint as editor of Farm and Fireside magazine, moving to Springfield, Ohio In 1916, the life-long famers advocate, Quick was appointed to the Federal Farm Loan Bureau in Washington DC. When he left the FFLB in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson personally thanked him for his service and for the way he had helped organize the FFLB. The following year Quick became a Colonel in the Red Cross and supervised the closing down of their operations in Siberia. But John Herbert Quick still had an unfulfilled ambition from his youthful days in Mason City. So at the age of 50 in 1911, Herbert authored the prophetic and sibylline book, "On Board the Good Ship Earth"-A Survey of World Problems. Quick's writings have accurately anticipated and called out such modern problems as soil depletion and erosion, overpopulation, pollution and the affects of climate change. Upon returning from his Red Cross assignment in Siberia, Herbert Quick finally had the time and freedom to work on a long-planned trilogy covering the history of a fictional Iowa county, "Monterey", based on Cerro Gordo County in the period from the 1850s to 1900. The first two volumes, Vandemark's Folly (1922) and The Hawkeye (1923), are, in the words of Clarence Leroy Andrews, conservationist and author, "The two best novels ever written about the Iowa farm and town scene in the 19th century." Readers and critics have preferred his final literary effort, "One Man's Life" released shortly after his death in 1925, because of its further descriptions of 19th century rural and small-town Iowa and its account of Quick's education (or self-education) and the origins of his ideas and ideals. Hope to see you wandering Elmwood with a Herbert Quick book in your hand. JW Sayles is a Mason City resident. Opinions are his own. Everyone needs to have an adventure with their high school BFF occasionally. I had one last weekend I would like to share. My BFF is Jane. She was my neighbor in the late 60s, and we rode to high school together as she ate strawberry Pop-Tarts, which smelled so good. Then, condensing 40 years in one paragraph, I married and divorced her brother (she agreed he deserved it), and I always say I got custody of her in the divorce. I was with her when she lost a son and a husband, and she was with me last year when I lost Dawn. We raised our kids together. And that brings us to Charleston. Her great-nephew is serving a church mission in Charleston, South Carolina, and she wanted to drive down and take him out to dinner. I try not to drive on fast highways and big cities, and she doesnt mind. She once drove me through Washington, D.C., with a sub sandwich in one hand and her other hand in a bag of chips. I closed my eyes and swore Id never go north of Richmond again, and she laughed. But I wanted to go with her, so we took off two older woman with big drinks and singing to golden oldies. We were later leaving than planned because there is on time and Jane time. Through the years, Ive learned to tell her everything is a half an hour earlier than it really is. She retired recently after being a third-shift ER nurse for 50 years, so her internal clock is forever messed up. Im a morning person, and she is just getting to sleep at 5 a.m. I booked two hotel rooms along the highway in North Charleston for us. I chose one of the cheaper ones with not-so-good reviews instead of the $200 ones with better reviews. Never again. It was a sketchy name-brand hotel that is desperately in need of renovation and metal detectors. Sketchy people were in the parking lot right outside our rooms. I tried to scare them. We were getting in the car to go meet the two missionaries at a Chinese buffet, and I said loudly to her, Did you remember your police badge? She said, What are you talking about? I said, Oh thats right. We dont need our badges. Our big, burly husbands will be here soon. She thought I was crazy, and off we went to find protein powder before dinner because thats what her great-nephew said he needed. Who drives 12 hours round-trip to buy protein powder and take someone out to eat? Jane. Dinner was great, and the young guys were sweet and good and grateful. We survived the trip back and headed to our separate rooms to sleep. She sent me a text late that night telling me she was setting her alarm for nine. My early-morning Army daddy would have had 200 miles under his belt by that time. I, of course, woke up at 7 with only Wheat Thins in the room to eat. But this is where the most interesting experience happens. About 8:30 I walked across the sketchy parking lot to go into the Wendys for a chicken biscuit. The door was locked, although the drive-through line was long. I asked a guy taking the trash out if they were open. He said they opened at 9. I went back, munched a few Wheat Thins, called Jane at 9 to make sure shes up and went back to Wendys at 9:10. The door was still locked. The guy was outside again and I asked him if I could get in. He said hed ask his boss. He came back and said I needed to get in the drive-through line remember Im on foot to order. I asked if he could take my order. He huffed and puffed and said, No. Were closed. Were short staffed. Well, I thought there was a federal law against walking up in a drive-through line, so I headed dejectedly back to my rapidly diminishing Wheat Thins. Then the woman in the window called, Maam, maam, Ill take your order. So for the first time in my 68 years, I stood behind a car at the drive-through window and ordered. I squelched my fear of someone speeding around the corner and hitting me because the chicken biscuit with honey butter sounded really good. It was. Well, Jane and I survived the ride home. We saw a lot of sketchy convenience stores too because when youre old and like big drinks, you stop a lot. And like Jimmy Cagney told Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, I told Jane Well always have Charleston. Elzey is a freelance writer for the Register & Bee. She can be reached at susanelzey@yahoo.com. Eight people were shot one fatally at a large party early Sunday morning in the Sutherlin community of Pittsylvania County, authorities report. It was about 1:30 a.m. Sunday when the 911 center in Pittsylvania County received a call that rescue and law enforcement were needed at 1220 Kerns Church Road in reference to multiple people shot, Devin Taylor, an investigator with the Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office, said in a news release. When officers arrive on scene, they found eight gunshot victims. Jerome Jahiem White, 20, of Danville, died from the shooting, Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor announced at a Sunday evening news conference. The body will be taken to the medical examiners office for an autopsy to determine a cause and manner of death. All victims were transported to the hospital. Two remained in the unidentified hospital Sunday afternoon, Taylor said, listed in stable condition. The others received injuries that werent life-threatening, Taylor said. The victims were in their late teens to early 20s. Its devastating to the families and its devastating to us, he said when asked about younger people falling victim to gun crimes like this. Some people just dont seem to have a regard to human life anymore. The incident occurred at a party with more than 100 people on Kerns Church Road. Taylor described that as a common practice these days, noting its happened since COVID-19. We do not have a motive at this time, Taylor said. No arrests have been made, but Taylor said authorities believe multiple shooters were involved. Each one of these victims will be its own separate case, he said of the process to file charges, unless they determine it to be a conspiracy. Each one of the victims will have their day in court. Law enforcement officers from the Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office, the Virginia State Police, the Danville Police Department, the FBI, the ATF and United States Attorneys Office in the Western District of Virginia are investigating. Investigators are looking through phone records and social media to try to identify any partygoers, Taylor said. Taylor said they are still trying to figure out what type of gun was used and he wasnt sure if more than one weapon was involved. Dont assume we already know something, he said at the conference, in a plea to have people share any details they may have on the incident. Taylor asks anyone with information to call 434-432-7715 or email digital information including screenshots to sar@pittgov.org. The Saudi Exchange has announced its intention to launch the Single Stock Futures (SSFs) contracts from July 4, the second derivatives product to be introduced in the Exchange. The new contracts will be available to trade, that will commence on enabling local and international investors to hedge and manage portfolio risks more effectively as well as diversify products available for trading in the market. SSFs contracts are standard futures contracts with an individual stock as its underlying asset. The underlying stocks have been selected from the largest and most liquid companies listed on the Saudi Exchange. SSFs are traded on the Exchange, similar to other cash market products. SSFs contracts will be cleared and settled by Securities Clearing Center Company Muqassa in line with international best practices. Mohammed Al Rumaih, CEO of Saudi Exchange, said: We are excited to introduce the second derivatives product to the Saudi Exchange, as we continue to deliver on our commitment to providing a sophisticated and innovative range of products and services to local and international investors. The launch of the SSFs contracts further supports the advancement of the Saudi Capital Market by creating diversified offerings, complemented by hedging tools to manage risk and limit losses in adverse market conditions. All investors can trade SSFs through a registered Derivatives member. The 10 underlying assets of the SSFs contracts include: Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi Aramco, Saudi National Bank, Alinma Bank, SABIC, stc, Saudi Kayan, Saudi Electricity, Almarai and Maaden. The stocks are selected based on a list of criteria that aims to ensure liquidity to meet market demand, maintain market integrity, and enable effective portfolio management, trading and hedging opportunities. The Saudi Exchange launched the Derivatives Market in 2020, and seeks to introduce additional derivatives products such as Single Stock Options. TradeArabia News Service MAYODAN Mary Kathryn Schultz, 18, remembers the monumental moment from her childhood with complete clarity. She was in kindergarten, attending her brother Chases eighth grade graduation, when she saw a student awarded a big trophy for perfect attendance from kindergarten through eighth grade. Schultz turned to her parents, Chris and Angie Schultz, and stated with determination, Im going to do that. And, she did just that and more. Schultz, who graduated first in her class at McMichael High School in May, not only earned that coveted perfect attendance trophy in eighth grade, but she also was recognized for maintaining perfect attendance all 13 years in the Rockingham County School System, from kindergarten through her senior year of high school. While obtaining the famed trophy was her goal when she was younger, Schultz said as she got older the resolve behind her efforts evolved. It really became a determined effort to prove to my peers and teachers that Im dependable, said Schultz. My parents instilled in me the importance of having a good work ethic and not doing things half-hearted, and I always give 100 percent to everything I do. Schultz put her whole heart into the many endeavors she tackled. A cheerleader through middle and high school, she was elected varsity cheer captain her senior year. While a student at McMichael, she was also an online student at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and she attended North Carolina Governors School last year. Schultz served as president of the National Honor Society and Beta Club, graduating with a 4.7 GPA, and as president of Students Against Destructive Decisions, she led her classmates to raise $1,400 for a local cancer support fund. In addition, she volunteered with the Barry L. Joyce Local Cancer Support Fund helping prepare and provide meals for cancer patients and families, served as a youth volunteer with UNC Rockingham Health Care in Eden and was active in the youth group at True Gospel Baptist Church. Of course there were days when maybe I didnt really want to go to school, but I pushed through, Schultz said. Her freshman year, Schultz had problems with her tonsils, but she delayed having them removed until Christmas break so that she did not miss school. I wanted my peers to know they could count on me for leadership positions, she said. Schultz will attend UNC-Chapel Hill University as a member of the Honors College, pursuing a degree in biology or information science. A finalist for the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship, she was named a Colonel Robinson Scholar at UNC. Schultz received a host of other scholarships, including the State Employees Credit Union Scholarship, the People Helping People scholarship, the EnergyUnited Empowering the Future Scholarship, Madison Presbyterian Church Scholarship, and the Distinguished Young Women of Rockingham County Scholarship. Schultz would like to pursue a career in bioinformatics, possibly doing research in genetics and working to create technology that assists in the study of genes and DNA. Id like to come back to Rockingham County and build opportunity here, she said. Once again, we find ourselves here. The timeline is all too familiar: a horrific shooting, shock, thoughts and prayers, distractions from the real issues, distortions about what gun reform truly is, then bids to get something passed by Congress, and fears of shootings happening again. We have had many chances to change. Still, children are dying. Twenty-three years ago, 12 students and a teacher were shot and killed at Columbine High School in Colorado. Ten years ago, 20 children and six school staff members were slaughtered in Newtown, Connecticut. And just three weeks ago, 19 children and two teachers were gunned down in an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. As a pediatrician and a father, I find that I simply cannot process that children no different from my own and the ones I treat as a pediatrician have come to such violent and horrific ends in places that should have been completely safe for them. I cannot think what it must have been like for a fellow parent to perform the task of telling their surviving child that their sibling has died or to submit to a DNA swab because the remains of their child are so grotesquely destroyed by a close-range AR-15 round that other forms of identification are inadequate. And so, I have retreated to a safer, more analytic place of repose. I go there to strip painful things of their emotions so that I can continue to do what people expect of me as a man, father, doctor and child advocate. No one can deny that we in America reside in a culture that highly values guns and the near limitless ability to possess them. It is a value that is written into the DNA of our nation as the Second Amendment to our Constitution. And, through the years, the right to bear arms has been interpreted and exercised more absolutely than almost any other founding principle of our country. Virtually any real or imagined check on the unconditional freedom to possess guns has been viewed as the most perilous slippery slope threatening what we have elevated as one our most cherished liberties. So, whatever I think about guns must be reconciled with this reality. But there is a reckoning that I think has not yet been properly articulated. There are consequences for the choices we, as citizens, make. The freedom to possess guns and ammunition of almost any destructive capacity with little infringement creates our current reality that must include tragedies of this sort from time to time. And when we resolve to defend this liberty, we must accept these consequences as well. If we are to be truly honest with ourselves and true to this dearly held principle, we must say that we accept that some of our children will necessarily die to adhere to this principle. It cannot be any other way. We will always have people in our society who are mentally ill, anti-social or simply evil, and they will have access to guns because that is the culture we have created. It is intellectually dishonest to think otherwise. And, it is preposterous to say that we have a mental health system that will take care of these people well enough to protect our innocents or that we have the will to create one with guns as accessible as they are. In the 10 years since the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut, many of our political leaders have conjured distractions from the real issues that affect our children. Many have chosen to focus their efforts on a rebranding of critical race theory and imagined threats from the care of transgender children as perennial problems with access to medical care including mental health care languish. Our kids have suffered immeasurably from the pandemic and natural disasters while some of our political leaders gin up passions for electoral gain directed against those professionals who are there to support them. Librarians, teachers and school counselors stand accused of indoctrinating children and are threatened with criminal prosecution and lawsuits while our school libraries are scrubbed for potentially obscene books. These last few years are very likely the prologue for what will follow in the next 10 years as we reflect on future tragedies. So let us continue to say what we believe, only make sure that we say all of it. We will defend absolute gun freedom and accept that some of our children will die. And, when they do, we will be sorry and feel the pain once more, but also know that it was a planned loss. The new Juneteenth federal holiday celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people in our nation. That did not, however, emancipate Black people from the economic impact of their enslavement. Emancipation was followed by a failed Reconstruction, a century of Jim Crow, separate-but-(not)-equal, institutional racism and discrimination the consequences of which continue to this day. When it comes to compensating those who are suffering the economic consequences of slavery, many people are put off by the term reparations. Many think that slavery is a distant reality and enough time has passed that redressing it is no longer necessary or relevant. Reparations are also thought of as a handout, which is counter to the American pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps ethos. We might better define reparations as a long-delayed investment in communities and people who were systematically denied the chance to accumulate family wealth as other Americans did. This is something that continued long after state-sanctioned slavery ended. According to the Federal Reserves 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances, median household wealth for Black families was $24,100 compared with $188,200 for non-Hispanic white families. Moreover, a recent Urban Institute report found that household wealth was more than 200 times greater in some parts of Cook County, Illinois, than in others demonstrating the vastly different worlds experienced within a single county. These kinds of wealth disparities are damaging to a democracy that promises its citizens equal rights and opportunities. To redress this destabilizing and destructive racial wealth gap, we must start by acknowledging that it results from, among other things, specific policies and practices that were created or sanctioned by our government. For example, one of the key contributors to household wealth is homeownership. The Federal Reserve survey found that the median wealth of a homeowning family was $255,000 compared to $6,300 for those who dont own their home. Long-standing practices such as redlining and mortgage discrimination by banks and real estate companies made it difficult, if not impossible, for Black people to purchase houses in neighborhoods with increasing home values, and they depressed values in redlined communities. Similarly, Black people were excluded from many post-World War II programs that contributed to a growing middle class. They were not initially eligible for GI Bill benefits and were often discouraged from using housing loans for veterans. The federal government was responsible for much of this discrimination through its own policies and by failing to fight discrimination by others. Thus, it has a responsibility to correct the racial wealth disparity that has resulted. This is not beyond its capacity when the will is there as was demonstrated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanding the child tax credit cut child poverty in a matter of months. Similarly, broad-based government programs could help redress the wealth disparities caused by slavery and the discriminatory policies that followed. There are a variety of possible ways to address the historical inequities burdening Black families in America. A guaranteed basic income which is being piloted by Chicago and Cook County could help families trapped in cycles of poverty to start building wealth. Evanston, Illinois, has undertaken a program to provide reparations for Black residents who can show they were subject to housing discrimination in that community. Education often correlates to higher-paying jobs and higher incomes. Yet, many Black families lack the wealth to pay for college. Others who take out college loans end up burdened by huge debt upon graduation. Canceling federal student loan debt, particularly for low-income students with a large debt burden, could help Black college graduates get a better start on a wealth-building career. Similarly, expanding federal support for career and technical education would provide a pipeline to trades and technical fields that can support a middle-class life. The best way to accumulate wealth is to start saving early, but many Black families lack the funds to get started. Federal baby bonds an initial investment for newborns that compounds over time could provide an opening stake for families without other means. The accrued benefits could be used to help pay for college, buy a home or to start a business. Government policies are not the sole source of the racial wealth gap but can be used to shift incentives and compel institutions, both government and private, to do better. Many private companies in our country were built on slave labor or used it to gain a competitive edge. These companies and their successors have a role to play in redressing the racial wealth disparity that persists to this day. Another role the private sector can play is investing in our nations disinvested neighborhoods. Banks and other private businesses can provide the capital to start businesses, support entrepreneurship and build economically vibrant neighborhoods. The federal Community Reinvestment Act is an important vehicle for encouraging more neighborhood investment in low and moderate neighborhoods. These kinds of reparations are not a zero-sum game. Investing in Americans still suffering the economic consequences of slavery and the barriers to wealth building that followed would benefit our nation. After all, providing the resources for more of our people to succeed will result in more productive citizens and workers, more demand for products and services, more taxpayers on the rolls and fewer people requiring government assistance. Just as important, these investments will enable the U.S. to correct a history of denying millions of citizens their full rights and opportunities, bringing us closer to fulfilling our promise as a nation. Thats in everyones best interest. REIDSVILLE A Reidsville man has been charged in connection with the Monday shooting death of 32-year-old Keith Clark of Reidsville. Lavaniel Nevario King, 34, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and is being held in the Rockingham County Detention Facility in Wentworth on a secured $750,000 bond, according to a news release from the Reidsville Police Department. Local police were called to the 2100 block of South Scales Street on Monday at around 12:26 p.m. where they found Clark with multiple gunshot wounds, the release said. Clark was transferred to a local hospital where he died of his injuries on Monday. In 2008, King was arrested as part of an undercover drug operation in Reidsville. Then 20, he was charged with possession with intent to manufacture and sell cocaine. The deposition of the 2008 case was not immediately available. The investigation into the Monday homicide is ongoing, police said in the release. Authorities request that anyone with information about the crime contact RPD Investigator Lingle at 336-347-2338 or leave an anonymous tip with Rockingham County Crime Stoppers at 336-349-9683. A cash reward may be available through Crime Stoppers, the release said. Contact Susie C. Spear at sspear@rockinghamnow.com, (336) 349-4331, ext. 6140 and follow @SpearSusie_RCN on Twitter. As you and your family spend more time outdoors this summer, there are several plants you should know about that you might want to avoid. Plants such as hogweed and parsnip grow easily in and around the Carolinas and its important to know the difference between harmless flora and toxic plants native to the area. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend that you stay away from these six dangerous plants found in North and South Carolina. Giant hogweed Species: Heracleum mantegazzianum Details: Giant hogweed is an invasive species that can cause blisters, rashes, scarring, irritation and even blindness. They typically grow to be between 6 and 18 feet tall with thick, hollow stems and ridges, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Poison hemlock Species: Conium maculatum Details: Contact with poison hemlock, even in small amounts, can cause death. According to the USDA, the extremely poisonous plant is invasive to North Carolina and South Carolina and grows as high as 8 feet. The plant feature stems that are hairless and hollow and its ridges typically contain purple spots. Spotted water hemlock Species: Cicuta maculata Details: This highly toxic biennial varies in color and pattern, sometimes making it difficult to identify. Color variations include solid green or purple, or green with purple spots and stripes, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If ingested, spotted water hemlock can cause abdominal pain, convulsions, delirium, nausea and seizures. All of these symptoms often lead to death. The plant is native to the Carolinas. Cow parsnip Species: Heracleum maximum Details: Although this common parsnip isnt as deadly as some of the other plants on this list, those who come in contact with it can still suffer uncomfortable symptoms. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says coming in contact with this plant can cause skin irritation, blisters, rashes, and skin discoloration. The USDA also says the plant is native to North Carolina and can grow to be between 4 to 10 feet tall with fuzzy, grooved stems. Wild parsnip Species: Pastinaca sativa Details: Like cow parsnip, wild parsnip can cause skin irritation, blisters, rashes, and skin discoloration on those who come in contact with it. However, this plant is invasive to both North Carolina and South Carolina. It features hairless stems. Queen Annes lace Species: Daucus carota Details: Contact with this invasive plant may only cause irritation for those with sensitive skin. However, its resemblance to the other plants on this list is what makes it dangerous because mistaking a more toxic plant for Queen Annes lace can have deadly consequences. This plant usually grows to be somewhere between 1 and 2 feet tall and sometimes grows with a small, red flower at its center, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Your family is coming, said the voice on the other end of the line. Ibrahim had been waiting 10 years for those words. Hed been waiting a decade to see his wife and children again. Finally, they were on their way to join him in North Carolina. I met Ibrahim while working at World Relief. And his story immediately inspired me; when Ibrahim left Sudan in 2011, his youngest child was just 3 months old. Ibrahim was finally seeing his now-10-year-old little boy in the airport and wept. The wait was finally over, and he was ecstatic. Ibrahims story has much in common with many other refugees. He originally fled to Jordan on the way to America seeking nothing but a better, safer life for himself and his family. He found help, left home, got a new job and started a new life in a dramatically different culture all while tragically separated from his wife and children due to legal restrictions. As I reflect on the significance of this years Refugee Awareness Month, I recall how humbled I was by Ibrahims resilience in the face of such prolonged and senseless hardship. His story is striking, but it is unfortunately far from unique. Refugees coming to America face much more than the loss of their homes or the traumas sustained from life in an unsafe, poverty-stricken or war-torn region. They face the loss of longstanding relationships. They face a baffling and changeable network of immigration regulations. And yet they persist in the hope that they might live in a nation where they and their children will know justice, peace and happiness. Ibrahim and so many others like him are compelling witnesses to the resilience and hope of refugees, despite all odds. And the odds are indeed stacked against them. Ibrahims friends in the Sudanese region of Darfur are still wracked by local violence. An estimated 2.3 million in Darfur need emergency aid that is almost impossible to deliver. Poverty and hunger are rampant. Despite all this, they do not despair. Instead, they hope for and seek better even at great personal cost. Even in the face of family separation, Ibrahim never lost hope. He never stopped fighting to bring his family to safety. This dogged spirit, and these vulnerable people, are at the very heart of refugee aid. Sometimes that looks practically like supporting them once they arrive in America. For instance, World Relief where I work helped Ibrahim find housing and a job; we targeted his needs holistically, aiming at creating the sustainable change that would empower him, both emotionally and physically, to lead the best life he could in America. But he did the rest, and hes now in the process of buying his own home. These brave men and women dare to believe that their lives may someday be safe and happy. They dare to hope for justice and freedom but unless they receive our support, they will continue to suffer under the ravages of war and vicissitudes of fickle legislation. That is why I ask you to help us respond to the injustice, poverty and hunger that threaten their lives. I ask you to help us change the lives of every vulnerable man or woman who dares to believe in better. Ibrahim showed me what it means to be resilient. There are countless refugees like him who are holding strong against hardship; let us as a nation show them welcome, uplift them and give them shelter here. The needs of refugees could not be more urgent. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and seek shelter abroad just like Ibrahim. But the Ukraine conflict is just one among many global conflicts and crises that are driving an unprecedented number of individuals to seek refugee status today. We must advocate for these and every refugee who needs help in todays world. Its the least we can do to match their resilience and strength in the face of suffering. Abigail Ray is the communications and advocacy coordinator for World Relief Triad. Services were held Saturday in Helena for Navy pilot Lt. Richard Max Bullock, who died June 3 near Trona, California, when the F/A-18E Super Hornet he was flying crashed during a training exercise. He was 29. The service was held at the Montana National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility in Helena. Bullock's wingman, Lt. T.J. Hall, as well as his brother and sister, Sam and Kaitlyn Bullock, and his parents spoke at the service. Bullock was the son of Robin and Bill Bullock of Butte and had been in the military for seven years. He was also the nephew of former Gov. Steve Bullock. His commanding officer, Cmdr. Pete Cornett, thanked the Bullock family for sharing their son with the Navy. "He was truly a blessing to have him as a member of my command," Cornett said. Cornett said the job Bullock did is a dangerous one filled with risks and "he woke up every day and faced those challenges head-on." Family members said being in the Navy was his step toward his goal of becoming an astronaut so he could one day mine asteroids in space. He had dreamed of mining in space and building a moon station as a base since he was a sophomore in college. Bullock's military career started in Rhode Island, where he was commissioned as an ensign after completing Officer Candidate School. He received the Lt. Thomas Eadie, USN Congressional Medal of Honor Award for getting the highest average for academic and military training. Kaitlyn Bullock told the nearly 200 funeral attendees that the family released a statement to the media shortly following the announcement of her brother's death. In it, the family called Bullock "irreplaceable." A local broadcaster misread the statement on air, using the term "irrepressible." "How can you be mad or sad at a word that so perfectly encapsulates him," she said with a smile. The family was presented with the American flag that was draped over Bullock's casket and the spent casings from the 21-gun salute. The ceremony concluded as the attendees stepped out of the hangar and onto the tarmac to watch three jets in the missing man formation fly overhead. As the aircraft passed the crowd, the lead jet sharply departed the pack, heading high into the sun. Bullock's pallbearers were Hall, Lt. Kevin Lystad, Lt. Cliff Appleman, Rick Castillo, and the children of Gov. Steve Bullock wife, Lisa, Caroline Bullock, Alexandria Bullock and Cameron Bullock. Memorial contributions can be made in Bullocks honor to the Wingman Foundation, a program supporting the Bullock family in creating a foundation to support entrepreneurs like him reach their ambitions, according to the obituary written by his family. The cause of the crash that killed Bullock is still under investigation. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 11 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Lindi OBrien doesnt like to cry in front of people. She keeps the mood on her eight-acre property in Fromberg upbeat with jokes. She reassures visitors that the mosquitos blossoming out of the floodwaters that plowed through her hometown wont hurt you, theyll just make you a few pounds lighter. When she comes across reminders of her nearly 50 years of living in Fromberg, family photos, books and keepsakes strewn about her property, theres no tears, but there is a pause. Its like Im finding little pieces of my dad everywhere, she said. Theres still a house on the OBrien property with at least an inch of water in its basement. Up on the ground floor, the skeletal frame of the home is visible. Crews have ripped away the dry wall and insulation. It was soaked a little over a week ago by the historic flood that hit the Carbon County towns dotting the waterways leading from the Beartooth and Absarokee mountains. This past Wednesday, Lindi OBrien was focused on rebuilding a coop for her dozens of fowl, which include several chickens, geese and at least one turkey. The OBriens arent working alone. Since Saturday, people with AmeriCorps, a federal volunteer agency, have been sifting through the damage, helping to peel away soaked and rotted flooring. Others who have come to help Lindi include the kids active in FFA and a member of the Joliet Volunteer Fire Department. Those volunteers represent only a portion of those who are donating food, tools and labor in Fromberg. Some, like the AmeriCorps members, are here on assignment from government or religious organizations. Others are neighbors from next door, the next town or the next county. At least one is a 73-year-old Missouri man who drove straight to Montana when the floods made national news. Squeaking like the wet hens that we are, weve had help. AmeriCorps, they have been unbelievable. The people who live in this valley are so intertwined though, said Lindi OBrien. During a lunch and water break from the cleanup work, Winnie Berckmoes drove up with an SUV full of fans, shovels and burritos. Berckmoes said shes been making runs back-and-forth from the schoolhouse in town, where supplies have been stockpiled, dropping off whatever her neighbors might need. Its not awesome what happened, but doing this makes me happy, she said. Fromberg officials have estimated that 100 homes have been damaged by the flood, all within a town with a population of about 400. As of Friday morning, residents were still under a boil order for their water supply and Gov. Greg Gianforte requested individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency just a day prior. If that assistance does arrive, it wont be for another few weeks at least. Last week, the White House declared a major disaster following Gov. Greg Gianfortes request that President Joe Biden expedite the process. The declaration opens up funding relief for the three Montana counties most impacted by flooding: Carbon, Park and Stillwater. The federal government will now be able to provide up to 75% of the total cost of the damage to public infrastructure like roads and bridges, according to the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The governor visited Fromberg on Tuesday. Several residents told him about their frustrations that for the past week theyve had to rely on one another, as most of the emergency responses went to Red Lodge and Gardiner, the Gazette reported. Earlier on Wednesday, three people looked over an annotated map of Fromberg. Stones held down stacks of paperwork. Local resident Lynn White directed trucks loaded with the soaking innards of homes to the dump at the town park and answered questions from the handful of people who walked under the lumber shade structure off Highway 310. Within a few days after the flood, the Bridger middle school teacher unexpectedly found herself in the position of a volunteer coordinator. When floodwaters breached the eastern part of town June 13, White said she was bagging sandbags for the next two evenings. When she joined the team going door-to-door to assess the damage to homes in Fromberg, she eventually started organizing the volunteer effort, tracking who needed what and where. There really hasnt been a whole lot of guidance, so the cleanup has really just been a community effort Were still mucking out houses, then theres going to be a drying out period. Theres debris that's still scattered all over the place, but our highest priority right now is to get people back in livable conditions, White said. With two people from the U.S. Forest Service who came in from Red Lodge to assist, most of the morning was dedicated to determining which homes needed volunteers. Many residents were hesitant to accept any help in clearing out their homes, White said, not wanting to deprive others who might need it more. Since Saturday, she said, that hesitation has subsided now that homeowners have seen volunteers able clear out an entire basement in less than a day. As volunteers trickled in to get their assignment, they were handed packets to document their work. Documenting volunteer hours is one way to get more compensation from the federal government. Although that compensation wont be available immediately, its an investment stressed by officials to alleviate the financial burden on the county. FEMA will match the cost of documented volunteer hours spent in a disaster, whether used to clean up a road or a home, offsetting the 25% of costs that typically fall on a county government to pay. With this flood, we have a bunch of people mucking out basements or sandbagging, so FEMA will provide what a laborer would make at the local rate, plus the benefits, said Jamie Porter, the finance section chief for Western Montana All Hazard Incident Management Team. Porter said volunteers can provide their name, what they did and where they were to assist in offsetting costs. They can also document whatever vehicles or machinery they used, like trailers, tractors and pumps. White said all of the volunteers shes worked with have been receptive of logging their hours. On Wednesday, the Shaws were among those getting a team of volunteers. The family of four live on Second Avenue in Fromberg, well within the path of the water surging from the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone. The half-dozen volunteers stepping inside the Shaws home pass through a wall of chilled air, with the flooded basement and network of fans at several windows turning the house into a massive swamp cooler. The chill is a relief for the skin, but a look through the rooms that once housed Rebecca, James and their two kids is an assault on the eyes. Mud is caked to nearly every surface from the waist down, and their wooden floor is already starting to curl. The couples mountain of computer hardware, used both professionally and for their hobbies, is now useless scrap. The volunteers empty out a bedroom, piles of what used to be where the two Shaw boys slept were dragged onto the front lawn to either dry out in the sun or end up in a garbage heap. Robert Leon Kennedy, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and several natural disasters in and outside of the United States, was at his home in Branson, Missouri, when he saw national coverage of the floods in Montana. Kennedy made the 1,200-mile trip to Red Lodge last Saturday. Hes been sleeping in his vehicle ever since, and after helping to muck out homes in Red Lodge, hes on his second day of mucking out houses downriver in Fromberg on Wednesday. [Hurricane] Dorian was the worst ever down in the Bahamas, because the whole island was destroyed by that cat-five hurricane, Kennedy said, wiping sweat from his tanned head while taking a water break. Wed go muck out houses like this and theyd be full of sea water and sewage. Youd work for 15 minutes and go outside and try to not hurl Disasters basically all run together, though. Youre with people seeing their whole world destroyed. As of Friday morning, roughly a dozen homes still needed to be cleared of debris, White said. Although other volunteer groups have reached Fromberg in the past week, she said resources are still needed in the form of labor. Those interested in volunteering in Carbon County can contact the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation at 406-446-2820. Potential volunteers can also find coordinators in Fromberg under the volunteer tent off Highway 310 for an assignment. Bring muck boots, White said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ANACONDA Fairmont Hot Springs staff worked quickly to contain a chlorine leak at the resort Saturday, and guests and employees were evacuated as a precaution. Fairmont Hot Springs general manager Steve Luebeck said he got a call around 9:30 a.m. Saturday saying the top to one of their chlorine filtration systems popped off in an employee-only area, causing chlorine to leak into the resort's indoor and outdoor pools. Luebeck said he was told the leak started about 20 minutes before he got the call. He added while it would be accurate to call the occurrence an explosion, it isn't an explosion in the typical sense. "Exactly what occurred is the water system and pressure on that cylinder pushed the top off," he said. "I think when most people hear 'explosion' they think flames and smoke and a mushroom cloud. That's not the situation. The building was evacuated shortly after Luebeck got the call, and the pools were reopened a little before 3 p.m., he said. Luebeck said its his understanding that Fairmont staff had control of the situation quickly. (The cap) came off, staff contained it well before EMS (arrived), he said. Its my understanding that (staff) had it contained almost immediately. "It was handled pretty well," said a hot springs employee. Butte Fire Department battalion chief Chad Silk said in an interview Saturday morning that by the time the fire department got there, Fairmont personnel already started evacuating the resort. What happened was, through the chlorine filtration for the pool, they have chlorine pucks that build up pressure in a PVC pipe, and that failed, Silk said in an interview this morning. And it released some chlorine gas, and through that, some of the chlorine gas exposed some people to chlorine. He said the cap was popped off of a piece of PVC because of a minor pressure buildup in the pipe. He said 12 people were sent to St. James and six were sent to Anaconda Community Hospital, and none of them were in critical condition at that time. Luebeck said hes worked at the hot springs for 30 years, and this is the first significant incident he knows of happening there. Weve never had a building evacuation before, he said. Luebeck said Silk told him guests and some staff, including those with minor throat and eye irritation, were sent to the hospital to be evaluated. He added most of the people he knew of who went to the hospital had already returned to the hot springs by 2:50 p.m. Its evolving, right? Lueback said, So what I know in this moment could be different than what I know two hours from now." Low levels of chlorine can result in nose, throat and eye irritation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in high levels, can result in changes in breathing rate and coughing, as well as lung damage. Luebeck said the hot springs has switched from the stabilized chlorine filtration system to a non-stabilized chlorine system. There are different ways to chlorinate pools, and Im going to take a hard look at some alternatives, Luebeck said. The system that caused the incident today is no longer in use. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Hundreds gathered in the Wilma on Saturday to hear from writers, leaders and experts in the fourth biennial Norman Maclean literary festival, which, this year, focused on public land and sacred ground. Speakers, Native and non-Native, addressed the extraction of resources in the west, origin myths and historic truths and falsehoods, among other things. Rosalyn LaPier, who is Blackfeet and has a Ph.D. in environmental history, spoke of the creation of Glacier National Park and how Native people ceded the territory to the federal government. In exchange, she said, Native people were promised to have continued access to the land to hunt, fish and hike. But when the area became Glacier National Park in 1910, Native people were suddenly forbidden from using the land they once called home. John Taliaferro, author of Grinnell: Americas Environmental Pioneer who shared the stage with LaPier on a panel, said when George Bird Grinnell visited the land that would become Glacier National Park, he saw it as a people-less place. Taliaferro said Grinnell thought the area was an unnamed place, and he envisioned using the land for conservation and preservation. He had a shortsightedness, a blindness, an Anglo-European-centric view of it, Taliaferro said. LaPier said Grinnells ideas of Glacier were false, and yet, still persist today. When Americans came, including Grinnell, they looked at places like this and thought, Wow, what an amazing, untouched place, she said. Not untouched. But yes, it is an amazing place, and thats because Indigenous people have been maintaining it for years. LaPier encouraged people to be thoughtful when choosing language to describe national parks and public land. We think of these lands as pristine. But we need to think of them as a place that people lived, managed and stewarded for more than 30,000 years, she said. For Indigenous people, these are places we live in. These are not places that are separate from us. State Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, echoed LaPiers sentiment in another panel. As Native people, were nomadic, he said. We have cultural connections and mutual respect for wildlife, our lands and resources. Morigeau, who is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said the tribes recent bison reclamation is proof of that. The tribes recently celebrated the reclamation of management of the Bison Range after more than a century of federal management. Bison are woven into our DNA. Weve always believed we have a responsibility to protect them in perpetuity, he said. Who owns a story? An afternoon panel grappled with questions of who can write Native history and how should it be told? Peter Stark, who is white and the author of Tecumsehs Promise, said he feels no one and everyone owns the story. A story, any story, can be told from an almost infinite number of point of views, with almost infinite levels of integrity or respect, he said. M.L. Smoker, a member of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes and former Montana co-poet laureate, said when she thinks about who gets to tell a story, she feels the need to be vigilant and protective of that material and content. Smoker spoke of colonization and the federal governments efforts to remove and assimilate Native people. While assimilation efforts aimed to erase Indigenous stories, Smoker said Native people are alive today, in part, because their ancestors resisted and held on to their collective stories of origin and survival. She said Native stories have long been ignored in favor of alternative, often untrue, narratives. With this in mind, she argued that non-Native storytellers will always have biases when writing about Native people. One cannot simply grow an Indigenous mindset through appreciation or even research, she said. Debra Magpie Earling, who is Salish and the author of Perma Red, agreed. Let us tell our stories, she urged. Give young Native writers a chance to be paid for writing their own histories. Smoker acknowledged the issue is complex, saying that some white historians, anthropologists and others recorded key parts of Native history. Some of that information we wouldnt have if it werent for that intervening, she said, adding that these non-Native people also got critical things wrong. Earling said she used to share the same thoughts but has since changed her perspective. Im no longer grateful for those people that decimated our stories and then came back and got those stories and got paid for those stories, she said. Its time that we get paid for our stories and for our stories to pull us out of poverty. The festival, which is free and open to the public but requires registration, continues through Sunday and will feature speakers, including Terry Tempest Williams, Doug Peacock, Tracy Stone-Manning, Rick Bass, Shane Doyle, Rob Chaney and John Maclean. The Norman Maclean Literary Festival began in 2015 in Seeley Lake to honor renowned author of A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Hong Kong: 1.7k local virus cases reported The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 1,799 additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases, of which 642 were directly identified through nucleic acid tests and 1,157 via rapid antigen tests which were verified. Separately, 118 imported cases were reported. In view of four positive cases found at class 3C in FDBWA Szeto Ho Secondary School, 35 pupils in the class had to suspend themselves from in-person classes for a week. Meanwhile, three students and a warden at a female dormitory at St Stephens College tested positive for the virus and nine people living on the same floor had to undergo quarantine. The cluster from a restaurant at Chelsea Heights in Tuen Mun registered two more infections, bringing the number of COVID-19 cases in the cluster to 42. Meanwhile, the Government made a restriction-testing declaration to cover Kong Cheong Court, Aberdeen Centre requiring people in the restricted area to undergo compulsory testing before the specified deadline. As there were positive sewage test results with relatively high viral loads in several housing estates in Southern and Eastern districts, the Housing Department and respective district offices will distribute COVID-19 rapid test kits to relevant residents as well as cleaning workers and property management staff working there. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage. This story has been published on: 2022-06-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Masdar City, a world-class technology and innovation hub and a pioneering sustainable community in Abu Dhabi, along with its consulting partners Woods Bagot and Faithful+Gould, has advanced its contribution to the UAE Net-Zero by 2050 Strategy with the groundbreaking ceremony of its latest development the Masdar City Square (MC2). Faithful+Gould, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, has been awarded a project management consultancy services contract, while global architectural and consulting firm Woods Bagot will handle design and construction supervision consultancy for the MC2 project. Woods Bagot previously designed the Irena Headquarters in Masdar City. The MC2 development covers an area of 29,000 sq m and Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 50,000 sq m, extending Masdar Citys commitment to net-zero, sustainability, technology, and wellbeing by nurturing an expanded community of businesses operating in harmony with the environment. The development includes seven single- and multi-tenant office buildings and a parking facility, all reflecting innovative design. Work is scheduled for completion in 2024, it stated. Masdar City said six of the buildings will be built to the highest green construction specifications while the MC2 Headquarters building will be Abu Dhabis first net-zero energy office building, meaning it will use no more energy than it produces by integrating energy efficiency-focused design and systems and renewable energy technologies. This contribution to net-zero is of great importance to the UAE, which in 2021 became the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to commit to achieving net zero emissions through its UAE Net-Zero by 2050 strategic initiative. The MC2 Headquarters building will be immediately identifiable by its innovative solar photovoltaic panel canopy. Speaking at the groundbreaking, Acting Executive Director Ahmed Baghoum said: "Masdar City is already home to one of the worlds largest clusters of green buildings with Estidama and Leed certifications. With the completion of MC2, and its seven new green buildings, including Abu Dhabis first net-zero energy office building, we are further demonstrating how urban development can be both economically and environmentally sound and sustainable." "Masdar City is proud to serve as a testbed for sustainable urban development and we look forward to seeing how MC2 enriches Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, and the UAE," he added. The groundbreaking was attended by key representatives from Masdar, Masdar City and development partners, including Abdul Aziz Bin Shafar, CEO of ASGC. Six of the MC2 buildings will be 4-Pearl Estidama, Leed Platinum, and WELL Gold certified. Leed Platinum is the highest certification provided by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, the most widely used program to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design. WELL Gold is the second highest certification provided by WELL, the world's first building standard that focuses exclusively on human health and wellness. Estidama Pearl Rating System is the green building rating system developed by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, with 1-5 pearls awarded depending on how many sustainability points the project achieves. The innovative buildings in MC2 add to Masdar Citys legacy as a regional pioneer in net zero and green construction. In 2017, Masdar City announced the completion of its Eco-Villa Project, the UAEs first net-zero energy villa. The 405-sq-m villa was the first in the country to achieve a Four-Pearl rating, using around 72% less energy and 35% less water than a conventional villa of the same size in Abu Dhabi, mitigating 63 tonnes of carbon dioxide. MC2 will be located adjacent to Masdar Citys existing development centered around the Mohammed bin Zayed University for Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and the Siemens Middle East Headquarters. MC2 will incorporate the existing International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Headquarters and will include courtyards, a daycare, an amphitheater plaza, shaded pedestrian boulevards, a fitness center, a meditation room, and more.-TradeArabia News Service Humans have a tendency to believe everything will be pretty much the same in the future as it has been in the past. No surprise since generally speaking that was pretty true in the past and while things changed, they did not change so radically or with such severe consequences as they are now. Scientists, who have long warned about the unpredictability of a human-impacted global climate now point to the extreme conditions seen in Montana while the southern half of the nation bakes in an unprecedented heat wave as conclusive proof that the new normal will actually be the new abnormal. Four months ago Montana was looking at going into its second year of extreme drought. Municipalities were warning their citizens that water supplies were dreadfully low with reservoirs, lakes and rivers all well below long-term average levels. Irrigation districts were imposing significant cuts in how much water could be expected to be delivered given the dwindling snowpack in the mountains and the predicted higher than usual temperatures. But then came the atmospheric river flowing into the Northwest, dropping feet of snow in the mountains, inches of rain at a time, and suddenly Montana and its neighboring states to the west were looking at relief from the drought that had been plaguing the area and predicted to get worse. If a little moisture was a good thing, more was even better and a greening Montana portended a more normal summer like in the old days when the skies were not cloudy all day with thick smoke from climate-driven wildfires. Until the precipitation didnt stop, the days stayed cool and the late but welcome snows continued to fall in the mountains. And then came the torrential rains on the snowpack. The flooding that followed was devastating as the Yellowstone River raged to record heights and swept the works of man away like motes of dust. Roads, buildings, bridges, and trees were carried away in the deluge as the power of moving water would not be denied. In last years Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment, the prediction by scientists of temperature and precipitation extremes turned out to be uncannily correct. And the basis of it all was summed up in one sentence. Humans are contributing substantially to global warming and climate change through greenhouse gas emissions, especially from the burning of fossil fuels. Another recent article put it this way: The latest update in the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday showed the major contrast between the wet Northwest and the hot and dry Southwest. This feast-or-famine contrast is a pattern the climate crisis tends to amplify: extremes on both ends of the spectrum, with the pendulum sometimes swinging suddenly from one side to the other. Yet, many of our politicians and government agencies continue to operate as if the way things were are the way things will be in the future...basically denying the ever-increasing severity of climate change induced weather events. But denying our impact on the climate, will not make the associated problems just go away. They continue to extensively log our national forests the best, cheapest, most reliable filters for atmospheric carbon dioxide under the phony rubric of restoration. In extreme cases, they defend and promote the burning of more fossil fuels the exact opposite of what must be done. The stark choice lies before us change or somehow struggle to survive within the parameters of extremes on both ends of the spectrum. As the recent calamities show, the new normal is actually the new abnormal and that makes for a very uncertain future. George Ochenski is a longtime Helena resident, an environmental activist and Montana's longest running columnist. Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 With floodwaters receding and the Yellowstone River reopening to recreation, officials are still assessing damage and urging caution about potential for new hazards. Historic flooding ravaged areas along the Yellowstone and Stillwater rivers as well as Rock Creek near Red Lodge. Red Lodge, Gardiner, Livingston, Fromberg and other locales saw significant impacts, with more than 100 residents facing damage to homes and costly infrastructure needing repair. As that work gets underway, officials and locals are also looking to what the flooding will mean for the rivers and fisheries that attract visitors from around the world. While not discounting the devastation of the flooding, Eileen Ryce, fisheries division administrator for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, said fisheries biologists are generally happy to see additional moisture. We wont know until we start getting (fish sampling) results, but were not anticipating anything too negative (on the fishery), she said when asked how fish might have fared. I actually think the positive impacts of the cooler weather and the moisture outweigh any potential negative impacts. Ryce also noted concern about declines in brown trout populations across southwest Montana, and said the moisture netting cooler temperatures and better streamflows this year could help. Biologists have pointed to low flows in particular as a likely culprit in the declines. With the temps going down and flows coming up, the fish are far less stressed and we expect to see better results from that, she said. Along with dozens of fishing access sites deluged by flooding FWP is still assessing damage and installing temporary fixes such as port-a-potties a rising Yellowstone River flooded FWPs hatchery at Big Timber. The outdoor raceways were completely covered by river water, sweeping the states Yellowstone cutthroat trout brood stock downstream. All the outdoor raceways were completely underwater so there was nothing we could do, Ryce said. Most of the fish were 3-4 years old, and Ryce said it will take some time to rebuild the population. Before that can commence, crews will need to clean and decontaminate the site, which could take nine to 12 months due to strict protocols, she said, and an additional three to four years to get the brood stock back to where it was. Ryce hopes the loss will not have any major impacts to cutthroat recovery projects, saying officials have reached out to other states with hatcheries such as Wyoming to source fish. Area fishing outfitters said they usually do not start targeting the Yellowstone this early in the year. Still, they have seen some cancelations as the flooding made national news and the national park shuttered its northern entrance. A lot of people that had Yellowstone Park stuff tied into their plans canceled, said Logan Brown, who does client booking for Yellowstone Angler in Livingston. Their shops basement flooded last Tuesday, he said, but it has been able to stay open. Other clients reworked plans and he remains optimistic that openings will fill as summer progresses. Flooding made significant changes to many river stretches, and that will mean new hazards for floaters to navigate. The Yellowstone River reopened this week, but in Stillwater County emergency closures remain for the Stillwater River, West Rosebud Creek from Rosebud Isle Fishing Access Site to the confluence of Rosebud Creek, and Rosebud Creek to the confluence with the Stillwater. The conditions continue to be hazardous, and so we encourage people to exercise an abundance of caution when around the river, FWP Director Hank Worsech said in a statement. Our staff is working hard to get sites back open for the public. Brown and others are keeping an eye on the river as flows drop and the waters become fishable. Its definitely a little concerning with the condition of the river and the debris, he said. I think its a little too early to tell with environmental damage or fish loss. Some people are optimistic that it flushed some stuff out. Some say its not good because of the sediment load. Rob Lahren is the retail manager for Dan Baileys Outdoor Co. in Livingston, and echoed concern about what they will find once back on the water. The local outdoor store does some fishing outfitting and has also seen some cancelations, noting that the Madison was affected, but also some recent bookings as well. I think theres going to be a lot of unforeseen consequences (of the flooding), he said. Immediately its what accesses are open, what bridges are gone, what are the unforeseen impacts? Were also remaining optimistic because fish are survivalists. With the Yellowstone reopening Brown expressed some cautious optimism, saying they had begun scoping traditional launch sites and believed all remained usable. Yellowstone Angler plans to start fishing around the Fourth of July. Montanas delegation has also pushed federal agencies to add flexibility on federal lands. In a letter to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines and Rep. Matt Rosendale encouraged agencies to implement measures including streamlined permitting for businesses such as outfitters to operate on public lands in the wake of flooding. Officials also caution that floodwaters can pose human health risks. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality says it will conduct additional water monitoring in affected areas. Even during moderate rain events, its common to find high levels of E. coli bacteria in rivers and creeks, Darrin Kron, DEQ water quality monitoring and assessment section supervisor said in a statement. With historic rain and flood events occurring in parts of Montana, people should take extra precautions and avoid drinking, fishing, and swimming in rivers after flooding. Tom Kuglin is the deputy editor for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau. His coverage focuses on outdoors, recreation and natural resources. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Today's highlight: On June 26, 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. On this date: In 1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force deployed to France during World War I landed in St. Nazaire. In 1925, Charles Chaplin's classic comedy "The Gold Rush" premiered at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. In 1948, the Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing solidarity with the city's residents, declaring: "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner). In 1977, 42 people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tennessee. Elvis Presley performed his last concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush went back on his "no-new-taxes" campaign pledge, conceding that tax increases would have to be included in any deficit-reduction package worked out with congressional negotiators. In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of "compelling evidence" Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush. In 1996, the Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support. In 1997, the first Harry Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, was published in the United Kingdom (it was later released in the United States under the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"). In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia as it affirmed, 5-4, that an individual right to gun ownership existed. In 2012, Sen. Orrin Hatch won the GOP Senate primary in Utah, handily turning back a challenge from tea party-backed Dan Liljenquist. Essayist, author and filmmaker Nora Ephron, 71, died in New York. In 2013, in deciding its first cases on the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court gave the nation's legally married gay couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans and also cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California. In 2017, President Donald Trump welcomed India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House as the two leaders heralded an increasingly close strategic partnership. The Supreme Court said Trump could forge ahead with a limited version of his ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries. Helmsman Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand won the America's Cup with a resounding romp against software tycoon Larry Ellison's two-time defending champion Oracle Team USA. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook capped his historic season at the NBA's inaugural awards show, winning the 2016-17 Most Valuable Player award. In 2020, after protesters in Washington, D.C., attempted to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect monuments, memorials and statues. Texas and Florida reversed course and clamped down on bars as the daily number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 40,000. In 2021, Fire and smoke from inside the remains of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near Miami hampered search efforts. Former President Donald Trump returned to a rally stage in Ohio for his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House; he reprised his election grievances and baseless claims of fraud. The Celebrity Edge became the first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill; the number of passengers was limited to 40% capacity as the ship left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with virtually all of them vaccinated against COVID-19. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MENDON The family of fallen Champaign police officer and Decatur native Chris Oberheim was recognized by former President Donald Trump at a rally Saturday night in Adams County. "Although there is nothing we can do to fill the void thats in your hearts, please know you have the love and support of countless millions and millions of Americans across our land," Trump said, addressing the family in front of an audience of thousands. "And we will always back the blue." The remarks came during an event at which the former president delivered two key endorsements ahead of Tuesday's primary election: GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, in her campaign against U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, for the 15th Congressional District. Trump also spoke about a variety of other topics, including support for police officers. Chris Oberheim, 44, of Monticello, was fatally shot May 19, 2021, after responding to a domestic disturbance at a Champaign apartment complex. A Stephen Decatur High School graduate, he was in law enforcement for 21 years, starting with the Decatur Police Department. Trump said he had met the Oberheim family before Saturday's event and they took lots of pictures. "They're much better-looking than me; that's the only problem," he joked. The former president then pointed out the family in the crowd and addressed them, speaking of Chris Oberheim: "Hes looking down and hes very proud right now, you know that, right? Hes very, very proud." Both Trump and President Joe Biden sent letters of condolence to the family last year. Widow Amber Oberheim has taken an active role in advocating for support of police. She started a nonprofit, Peacemaker Project 703, that seeks to proactively support law enforcement officers and their families through community outreach, reform and education. The name is a reference to her late husband's badge number. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Scenes at Polands border with Ukraine have been stirring. Volunteers are offering food, transportation and shelter to Ukrainian refugees weary from long, perilous journeys to safety. There is clear relief at having escaped war among those who have fled, but continued concern for loved ones who remain behind. Though refugees of the war in Ukraine face an uncertain future, the European Union has softened the landing by allowing them to stay in EU member states for at least three years. It is a stark contrast to how refugees from the Middle East and Africa have been treated across Europe in recent years. EU member states mostly responded to the migration crisis that peaked in 2015 by tightening border controls. Hungary built a fence at its southern border with Serbia (immigration is a threat that must be stopped, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said). Neighboring Croatia and Slovenia deployed the police in an effort to prevent migrants being diverted through their states. Why are some refugees welcomed while others are not? In a recent book titled Discrimination and Delegation: Explaining State Responses to Refugees, political scientist Lamis Abdelaaty of Syracuse University argues that domestic identity politics along with interstate relations affect how states respond to refugee flows. Perhaps unsurprisingly, states are more likely to accept refugees who share a similar identity with those in the receiving state. Whereas Ukrainians are viewed by many in the EU as fellow Europeans, non-white refugees fleeing the Middle East and Africa are more often seen as alien others. But identity tells only part of the story. Foreign policy matters as well. States that have friendly relations with a sending state are less likely to accept refugees than states that have rival relations with a sending state. Acceptance of refugees implies that those who are fleeing are being persecuted or are otherwise at risk, which can undermine or embarrass a sending government. States are therefore more likely to accept refugees from rival states than those from friendlier neighbors whom they may not want to offend. Due in part to U.S. opposition to the Castro regime during the Cold War, the United States welcomed Cuban (but not Haitian) refugees. Contention with Russia and disapproval of the invasion of Ukraine made it more likely that European states would be accepting of Ukrainian refugees. There are additional contextual factors that have been important in the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Those fleeing the war in Ukraine are mostly women and children (the men are required to stay behind to be available for the war effort) whereas many of those fleeing the Middle East and Africa have been men, as The Economist has pointed out. Europeans may have more empathy for those fleeing from Ukraine due to feeling threatened by Russia themselves. The sheer geographic proximity of those nearby make the fallout from the war hard for some to ignore. Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly, Abdelaaty, in her research, did not find that wealthier countries, which should be better able to absorb the costs associated with an influx of refugees, are more likely to accept those fleeing persecution. Those who are better off, may jealously guard their wealth, it seems. In general, states are not very welcoming. The median rate at which states recognize refugees is 0.8 percent (99% of asylum seekers, in other words, are not granted refugee status). For most of those fleeing persecution, the world is closed off. We can do better. What unites us is not ethnicity, race or creed, but our common humanity. It is important for us to remember that as we decide how we will respond to those desperately seeking help during times of duress. David Dreyer is a political science professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Novant Health Inc. is looking westward for its next North Carolina expansion market, hoping to establish a fourth urban hub in the state. The Winston-Salem health care system applied June 15 for permission to build a $328.73 million community hospital campus to serve the greater Asheville area. Novant already has an imaging center in the market. The 2022 state Medical Facilities Plan listed a need for 67 acute-care hospital beds to cover Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey counties, likely by 2024. A need for additional acute-care beds is determine foremost by state health regulators based on a countys growth rate. Novant has the top market share in the Winston-Salem and Wilmington metro areas, while trailing Atrium Health in the Charlotte metro. Novant said it has been interested in expanding our services in western North Carolina for years. We have a history of serving patients in the area through our managed partnership with Ashe Memorial Hospital in Jefferson and our Asheville-based imaging center, Open MRI. We believe we can build on these established relationships and provide support for a growing part of the state in need of additional choice. Novant faces competition from Mission Health, the regions dominant for-profit health care system with a combined 733 beds in the market, including a childrens hospital. Mission has proposed a $125.04 million expansion of its existing campus. Advent Health, a Christian-faith nonprofit based in Altamonte Springs, Fla., is the third applicant. It has proposed a $252.12 million capital investment. Advents lone North Carolina hospital is in neighboring Hendersonville. Novant and Advent plan to provide a dedicated C-section operating room and between three and five procedure rooms. DHHS spokesman Catie Armstrong said the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation will begin reviewing the three applications on July 1. The four-county area surrounding Asheville is one of five regions that DHHS has determined to have an acute-care bed shortage. The others are: 68 beds in Caswell and Durham counties; 65 beds in Mecklenburg County; 45 beds in Wake County; and 29 beds in Cumberland County. Novant could have an advantage with its application considering it would be a new entrant into the Asheville hospital market. Missions parent company HCA Healthcare has been criticized for understaffing as health care workers quit because of working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Asheville-based newspaper Mountain Xpress, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Buncombe commissioners chair Brownie Newman and other elected officials co-signed an opinion column in the Asheville Citizen Times in February 2020 that expressed deep concern regarding the state of Mission Hospital Systems since the purchase by Hospital Corp. of America (HCA) last year. Earlier in June, Buncombe commissioners sent a letter to state regulators expressing their preference for an alternative hospital to Mission. Mission said in a statement to Asheville TV station WLOS about its CON application that it would add the 67 beds on its main campus. We are confident we are the best hospital situated to provide this care because of the outstanding, advanced services we are already providing including trauma care, complex medical/surgical services, and specialty pediatric care. Mission Hospital has experienced capacity constraints for this type of specialized care because it is the regions only tertiary care center, trauma center and pediatric specialty hospital. Meanwhile, WLOS reported that weve been hearing ... so many people, the consumers, coming to us, saying they want a choice. They want competition, according to Victoria Dunkle, communications and public relations director for AdventHealth Hendersonville. Theyve pointed out they want choice and options in not-for-profit, they want faith-based, they want whole-person care, which is what AdventHealth is all about. Previous westward look Novant attempted to enter western North Carolina for the first time in 2008 by trying to forge a partnership with two small health care providers. The governing boards of Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare Health System were in pursuit of an operating agreement with either Novant, then-Carolinas Healthcare System of Charlotte or Mission. Haywood and West Care ultimately chose to be acquired by Duke LightPoint Healthcare, an affiliate of Duke University Health System. Novant has chosen to enter the Asheville market through a made-from-scratch hospital initiative, rather than buying market share from an established provider. In February 2021, Novant completed its $5.3 billion acquisition of New Hanover Regional Medical Center of Wilmington through an asset purchase. Novant agreed in October 2020 to pay $1.5 billion at closing; $2.5 billion toward strategic capital expenditures; $600 million to routine capital expenditures; a $150 million contribution to New Hanover County; and $50 million to the hospitals foundation. In return, Novant became southeastern North Carolinas dominant health care provider. It also operates Brunswick Medical Center in the town of Bolivia, where it opened a $100 million, 78-bed community hospital in July 2011. To secure New Hanover commissioner and hospital authority board approval, Novant agreed to form its first-ever medical-education partnership with UNC Health and its medical school. That includes six resident medical students a year for the next five years at New Hanover. UNC Health already provides educational and clinical services to the New Hanover system, which is made up of 855 licensed beds at three hospital campuses. Novant also plans a $210 million, 66-bed community hospital in the Scotts Hill community near the Pender County line. No Triangle presence Expanding to Asheville also could be another sign that Novant will remain on the outside looking in at the Triangle health care marketplace. Novant has not attempted to expand into the Triangle since choosing in October 2015 to close its community hospital in Louisburg following several months of failing to attract a buyer. Novant took ownership of Franklin Medical Center in 2009, spending millions of dollars to upgrade its technology and services, including a new 7,500-square-foot geriatric behavioral health unit. However, Novant said in October 2014 that declining utilization led it to significantly reduce inpatient care at the hospital, going from 83 inpatient beds to 13 beds for geriatric behavioral-health patients and two beds for inpatient acute-care services. Over time, Novant eliminated 59 jobs. In 2010, state health regulators identified a need for a 50-bed community hospital in Holly Springs, a suburb in Wake County. Novant, Rex Healthcare and WakeMed submitted proposals in 2011. Regulators chose the Rex proposal in 2012. Novants appeal to the state Appeals Court was turned down in 2014, and the system declined to appeal to the state Supreme Court. CON laws work Having three different hospital business models attracted to the Asheville market is evidence that the states controversial certificate-of-need law works, said David Meyer, senior partner for Keystone Planning Group LLC of Durham. Those certificates are required from state health regulators before providers can build new health care centers or add certain equipment. The goal of the CON process is limiting unnecessary duplication of services in a community. Contrary to the opinion of some in the N.C. Senate, the North Carolina CON law does foster competition in the marketplace, Meyer said. Sens. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, and Ralph Hise, R-McDowell, have argued that easing CON laws to allow competition from for-profit groups for ambulatory surgical centers and equipment could serve to lower the cost to patients of many elective and outpatient procedures, such as knee replacement and colonoscopy. Although N.C. House Bill 149 has Medicaid expansion as its headline issues, the bipartisan, multi-layered healthcare reform bill contains language to allow competition from for-profit groups for ambulatory surgical centers and equipment could serve to lower the cost to patients of many elective and outpatient procedures, such as knee replacement and colonoscopy. This comprehensive strategy will reduce the cost and increase the availability of care across the state while offering a lifeline for our rural hospitals, Hise said. The N.C. Healthcare Association defends current CON laws by saying hospitals do not operate in a traditional free-market environment that CON opponents want to establish in North Carolina. Modifying the current CON law would hurt the stability of rural hospitals by carving out elective and outpatient procedures, which are the lifeblood of community hospitals, while allowing niche medical organizations without such federal regulation to cater to commercially insured patients. Meyer said that competition is a good thing for healthcare consumers, and that is a comparative factor DHHS will definitely include in its analysis of the three applications, and that particular factor will swing in favor of Novant. However, Meyer emphasized that when it comes to these competitive reviews, it can be difficult to prognosticate. Establishing a brand The potential community hospital entrance of Novant into the Asheville health care market should be a positive for consumers, said Roger Beahm, executive director of the Center for Retail Innovation at Wake Forest University School of Business. Increased competition in a particular area, whether that area is in a particular product/service category or in a geographical region, is almost always a good thing for everyone, Beahm said. It forces those organizations already in business to up their game in quality delivery if they intend to maintain customer satisfaction and hold market share. It also forces potential new entrants to strive even harder to ensure they deliver a level of quality that is deemed better than those now available in order to win a meaningful share of that market. Beahm said that Novant being a large health care system serving several N.C. metros would be pivotal because consumers have demonstrated a general willingness to put trust in organizations that have been in business for years. Longevity is a demonstration that a business must deliver quality services, or it wouldnt still be in business. Relatedly, working in Novants favor is pre-existing name recognition and it has also shown a track record of supporting local communities. This type of local market commitment creates a win for everyone when it comes to health care. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. New exhibit Artworks Gallery will present a new exhibit, Organic Impressions, from June 26 to July 30 at 564 N. Trade St., Winston-Salem, featuring work by Seth Moskowitz and Mona Wu. The exhibit will be part of the next Gallery Hop from 7 to 9 p.m. July 1. An artist reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m. July 10. Moskowitz is a Winston-Salem-based artist who creates and combines photographic images into artwork that rarely resembles photography or the images that they incorporate. He describes the creation of his work as an escape from the verbal cacophony of the workaday world a way to enter a peaceful, magical place that is literally, beyond words. His artwork focuses on nature and nudes and combinations of both. A native of China, Mona Wu immigrated to the U.S. in 1970. She studied Chinese painting and calligraphy in Hong Kong then received her bachelor of arts in art history from Salem College in 1996. She also studied Printmaking at Wake Forest University from 1997-2014. Wu has taught classes and workshops in Chinese art and Printmaking at Salem Community College, Reynolda House of American Art and Sawtooth School of Visual Art. Wu presents a series of monotype prints featuring fall and winter foliage in their natural forms but have been transformed into an expressive collage work by manipulations in the printing process. This exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Call 336-723-5890 or visit Artworks-Gallery.org. Concert NC Brass Band will present Bold As Brass on the front lawn at Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston-Salem. The July 2 concert will be Stars & Stripes and will feature patriotic music, food trucks, drinks and more. Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and younger at secca.org. New exhibit Minglewood Farm and Nature Preserve is hosting an art installation through Nov. 12 at 238 Minglewood Road in Westfield. The display, by Clemmons resident Marianne DiNapoli-Mylet, is called Sojourn STICKITs. It features sculptures by DiNapoli-Mylet created from sticks, dress pattern paper and lace depicting three feminine figures on welded metal armature. Make a reservation to visit at 336-351-2945 or minglewoodpreserve.org. Visit dinapoli-mylet.com for more about DiNapoli-Mylet. New exhibit The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) will host Will Wilson: Connecting the Dots, a mid-career retrospective of the Dine (Navajo) photographer and community engagement artist, through Dec. 11 in the Main Gallery at 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston-Salem. A prolific artist with a wide range of technical experience, Wilson presents an artistic vision that is experimental in technique and approach. His works use cutting-edge technologies alongside historical photographic processes, including augmented reality, drone photography and tintypes. This exhibition showcases photography and sculpture from three significant bodies of work created over the past two decades, addressing topics such as environmental justice, institutional racism and indigenous futurism. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. Thursday, noon-5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Outdoor concerts Summer outdoor concerts will continue with: 7 p.m. July 2: Drew Foust (roots, rock, soul) at Saturday City Sunsets at LeBauer Park, 208 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Free. Bring blankets, chairs, picnics. Food trucks, brewery, crafts vendors on-site. 336-373-7533, greensborodowntownparks.org. 7 p.m. July 2: Smitty & the Jumpstarters (swing rock) at Summer on Liberty at the intersection of Sixth and Liberty streets, Winston-Salem. Free. 336-354-1500, downtownws.com/music. Pride March Greensboro Pride will hold a Pride March to Remember at 6 p.m. June 28 starting outside the International Civil Rights Center and Museum at 134 S. Elm St. in downtown Greensboro. The event will commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City, which were the catalyst for the modern gay-rights movement. Attendees can also participate in a silent march to Governmental Plaza, where the evening will commence with speakers and a candlelight vigil. The Stonewall riots were a series of protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The riots took place in the early hours of June 28, 1969. Greensboro Pride will donate $1 for every attendee to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focusing on suicide prevention efforts for youth in the LGBTQIA2+ community. Attendees are encouraged to bring signs showing their support of the LGBTQIA2+ community. Visit greensboropride.org and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Q: Why hasnt the state of North Carolina designated Juneteenth as a holiday? R.G. Answer: The number of state holidays is determined by state law, N.C. General Statute 126-4 (5). That number is currently 12. They include New Years Day, Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, two days for Thanksgiving and three days for Christmas. In order to make Juneteenth a state holiday, another holiday would have to be dropped or the law changed. On June 6, 2022, Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 262. It provides up to eight hours of paid personal observance leave to employees of cabinet agencies. Other state agencies, commissions, boards or offices may choose to adopt the policy for their personnel. Jill Lucas, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Office of State Human Resources said that the leave may be used for a day of cultural or religious significance and can be taken anytime, such as for Juneteenth. Q: Are cicadas coming to Winston-Salem this year? F.M. Answer: Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., the dean of the School of Behavioral and Natural Sciences at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, told us we wont have a major group this year, but we may have a few off-cycle periodical cicadas. You have had a few straggler periodical cicadas this past May and early June in N.C. Many of these are early Brood XIX cicadas emerging two years early. The big emergence will be in 2024. The usual annual cicadas, a larger green and black variety, could start to emerge any day now, he said. Cicada Safaris website at www.cicadasafari.org is a good source for all things cicada. A final thought from Cicada Safari: Pesticides are not effective at controlling periodical cicadas. They are not pests and do not need to be killed. Q: I recently moved to another state. I got a new drivers license, license plate, and so on in my new state. I had my license plate returned to the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles. What do I do with my N.C. drivers license? G.T. Answer: John Brockwell, a spokesman for the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles told us that you can throw it away, but you might want to shred it first so no one finds it and uses it to commit identity theft. The license becomes invalid once you obtain a new license from another state, he said. Shredding events Fries Memorial Moravian Church, 251 N. Hawthorne Road, Winston-Salem, will have a community shred day from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 17 in the church parking lot. Donations of $5 per file box or bag are requested. Paper only; no plastic or non-paper trash will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit local youth and family ministries. Trinity Moravian Church, 220 E. Sprague St., Winston-Salem, will hold a shredding event from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 15th. A donation of at least $5 per box is appreciated. If your group is planning a shredding event and you want to be included on the list, you can email the information to asksam@wsjournal.com or mail it to Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., #100, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) has signed a deal with Al Rajhi Bank, a leading Saudi financial group, to provide financing options to customers for the purchase of residential property units within its giga cultural and lifestyle destination coming up near Riyadh. The agreement facilitates financing for individuals looking to purchase homes in DGDAs residential projects and bolsters cooperation on real estate investments, banking services, and other areas related to the coordination, development, and implementation of projects and initiatives, said a statement from DGDA. It will pave the way for cooperation discussions across fields such as corporate and retail banking, sharia-compliant solutions, and e-commerce products intended to help DGDA improve efficiency and manage administrative challenges such as import and export credit lines, bank letters of guarantee, shipping guarantee letters, and online supply chain finance. Additionally, the agreement includes cooperation with the banks corporate banking group for solutions to manage cashflow, collection, and payments, as well as managing digital payments through DGDAs online portal. The MoU was signed by Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, and Waleed Al-Mogbel, Chief Executive Officer of Al Rajhi Bank. Under the terms of the MoU, the two parties will also explore the possibility of the bank offering off-plan sales management using tools including an advanced user interface and reporting system, which would enable DGDA to achieve granular visibility over its projects. The two sides also agreed to develop new ways to offer financial backing to individuals looking to buy homes around Diriyah, together with the possibility of extending comprehensive banking services to DGDAs staff at competitive rates. A Walkertown man died in a vehicle crash Saturday afternoon, Winston-Salem police say. Police officers responded at 2:50 p.m. Saturday to an emergency call about a wreck at the intersection of Old Walkertown and Davis roads. Officers said Charles Wesley Voncannon, 57 of Walkertown, was driving a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle south on Old Walkertown Road. Approaching west on Davis Road was Jacqueline Salgado Morales, 22, in a 2013 GMC Terrain. Police said Morales failed to yield the right of way to Voncannon, and the vehicles collided in the intersection. Voncannon was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His next of kin was notified. The police department's traffic enforcement unit is conducting the investigation. No charges have been filed, according to the initial report. It is the ninth motor-vehicle fatality of 2022 in Winston-Salem, compared with 15 during the same period in 2021. Anyone with any information regarding this investigation can call the department at 336-773-7700 or Crime Stoppers, either at 336-727-2800 or on the Spanish language line at 336-728-3904. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Winston-Salem Police Department is investigating an early morning drive-by shooting in which an individual was shot in the neck. According to a police report, officers responded at 5:23 a.m. Sunday to a call about shots being fired at 3602 Bates Drive. Police said Daniel Zarate, 25, had a single gunshot wound to his neck. Police said its preliminary investigation determined that someone drove by and fired several rounds toward the home, one of which struck the victim. Zarate was transported to a local hospital where his condition is considered serious but stable. Anyone with any information regarding this investigation is asked to call the department at 336-773-7700 or Crime Stoppers, either at 336-727-2800 or on the Spanish language line at 336-728-3904. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. More than 1,000 abortion rights supporters protested Saturday throughout downtown Winston-Salem, loudly chanting My Body; My Choice, and "We won't go back" in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling that eliminated constitutional protections for abortion. Saturday night's demonstrators initially gathered at Bailey Park on Patterson Avenue, where they heard speakers denounce the courts ruling and urged the participants to vote in the November elections for candidates that support abortion rights. Along Patterson Avenue, two demonstrators wrote abortion rights slogans on the sidewalk. Abort the Court, declared some of the slogans, and Keep Ur Paws Off Our Drawers, We Will Not Go Back, Anti-Abortion Laws Kill Us. Stay Out of My Uterus, and Pro Life is a Lie When No Cares that Women Die. The protesters marched from Bailey Park to City Hall at 101 N. Main St., filling six city blocks at a time as they walked on Fourth, Liberty, Second and Main streets. The rally and march were staged by Winston 4 Peace, a local social justice organization. Quamekia Shavers, an adviser with the organization, said the protesters turned out to make their voices heard. Protest without action is useless, Shavers said. When its time to go vote, it is imperative that you are informed, that you educate your friends and family and you encourage them to come to the polls so your voice is really heard. Whether its in North Carolina or in Texas, it is an injustice, Shavers said, referring to proposed bans on abortions in the wake of the courts ruling. Shavers said women control their bodies in spite of the courts ruling. Carla Catalan Day of Winston-Salem, a Democratic candidate running for the N.C. House District 74 seat, encouraged protesters to look strategically at the abortion rights landscape. House Speaker Tim Moore, Republican, has said that he will work to pass "pro-life protections" in North Carolina when the N.C. General reconvenes in January 2023. We have 18 seats to flip, and we need to make the whole state blue to protect abortion access, said Day, who is running against State Rep. Jeff Zenger, R-Forsyth, in the November election. As a mother by choice, Day said she has considered what the courts ruling means for her daughter. What kind of country, what kind of state do I want her to grow up in? Day said. What kind of opportunities do I want for her? Voters need politicians who will do the right thing to uphold abortion access in the state, Day said. I am here to fight for you, Day said. Ana Wilson, a protester and a single mother, said she was distressed when she learned about the courts ruling. Wilson considered getting an abortion three months into her pregnancy, but she decided to give birth to her daughter. I decided to be a mom, Wilson said. Organizers allowed about 20 protesters from the crowd to speak to the demonstrators at Bailey Park. Some female protesters talking about the hardships they have endured by giving birth to their children and their decisions to undergo abortions to protect their health. Green Street bridge Earlier on Saturday, about 30 abortion rights advocates gathered on the Green Street pedestrian bridge to protest the Supreme Court's Friday ruling. The demonstration marked the second consecutive day that protesters gathered on the bridge to speak out against the high court ruling that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Some 20 people gathered on the bridge Friday and about 30 on Saturday to rally for abortion rights. The decision by the court's conservative majority toppled the 49-year-old landmark abortion rights ruling and is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of the nation's states. The demonstrators pointed signs at the drivers traveling east and west on Salem Parkway beneath the bridge. Their signs read, "Vote out GOPs," "Unapologetically Pro-Choice," "We Can't Go Back," My Body; My Choice," "Their Bodies; Their Choice," "I Dissent," and "Bad Laws Turn Good People Into Criminals." A sign posted on the fence above the bridge proclaimed, "Keep Your Hands Off My Uterus." Saturday's local protest coincided with demonstrations from abortion-rights supporters in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities. Leslie Vance of Loretto, Tenn., was visiting Winston-Salem to attend a family reunion and decided to take part in the protest. "No matter what you believe about abortion and when life begins, you still should be pro-choice," Vance said. Katlyn Proctor of Winston-Salem, who helped organize the demonstrations, said she supports health care for all people. "I'm out here today because it is important not to be silent during this important time in history," Proctor said. Some drivers on Salem Parkway honked their horns as vehicles passed under the protesters. The loudest honking noises came from drivers of tractor-trailers and smaller trucks on the highway. One passing driver yelled "bulls***," to the demonstrators. The court's ruling means that legislators in North Carolina and other states will be in a position to shape the future of abortion access. Abortions are still legal in North Carolina. "I was a teenager in the 1970s, and I remember the news about girls using coat hangers and Clorox, killing themselves," said LeAnne Teske of Clemmons, a protester on hand Saturday. "We can't go back." Her husband, Mike Jeske, said he is "upset that the court is taking away another right that is important to women." Mary Michael Garlichs of Olympia, Wash., also demonstrated on the Green Street bridge. "I want my grandchildren to have the same rights I did have," said Garlichs, who is staying in Winston-Salem for the rest of June for the family reunion. Three of Garlichs' grandchildren are girls, she said. Susan Carlisle, a Winston-Salem native who lives in Los Angeles, said abortion rights are an important issue for her. "I didn't think I would live to see the day when the Supreme Court started taking away our rights," said Carlisle. 336-727-7299 @jhintonWSJ The Associated Press contributed to this story. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WASHINGTON Heres a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week. Along with the weeks roll call votes, the Senate also passed this measure by voice vote: the Fixing Our Regulatory Mayhem Upsetting Little Americans Act (S. 4261), to suspend duties and other restrictions on the importation of infant formula to address the shortage of infant formula in the United States. House votes INDUSTRIAL CYBERSECURITY: The House has passed the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Act (H.R. 7777), sponsored by Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. The bill would establish an effort at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for training cybersecurity workers on how to protect industrial control systems from cyber attacks. Swalwell said the effort will help strengthen small businesses, particularly those in critical infrastructure, who do not yet today have cybersecurity defense forces receiving that training. The vote, on June 21, was 368 yeas to 47 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th) MENTAL HEALTH: The House has passed the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act (H.R. 7666), sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J. The bill would reauthorize, through fiscal 2027, various mental and behavioral health programs, and expand eligibility for enrolling in opioid treatment programs. Pallone said the reauthorization is going to help to support the mental health and well-being of millions of Americans, their families, and communities for years to come. The vote, on June 22, was 402 yeas to 20 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th) HEALTH INNOVATIONS AGENCY: The House has passed the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health Act (H.R. 5585), sponsored by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health agency, which would, like similar existing agencies for the military and energy, fund research into novel health and medicine technologies. Eshoo said of her hopes for the agency: Even if one deadly disease is addressed and cured, we will have succeeded. I think we are going to do better than that. The vote, on June 22, was 336 yeas to 85 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th) NAYS: Foxx R-NC (5th) ACTIVE SHOOTERS: The House has rejected the Active Shooter Alert Act (H.R. 6538), sponsored by Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I. The bill would have established an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network at the Justice Department, and have the network make plans for sending alerts about active shooters by working with local and state governments. Cicilline said that by using federal resources to set up an alert system, the network will provide access to an important tool for law enforcement departments across the country, regardless of their size or location. An opponent, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said state and local governments already had adequate alert systems, and a federal program would be used not for public safety, but to further Democrat fear-mongering that guns are ever-present threats. The vote, on June 22, was 259 yeas to 162 nays, with a two-thirds majority required for approval. NAYS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th) YEAS: Manning D-NC (6th) SCHOOL MEALS: The House has passed the Keep Kids Fed Act (S. 2089), sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. The bill would extend waivers for federal child nutrition programs that were first issued in response to closing school classrooms in early 2020 and have been used to provide free school meals, summer meals, and subsidies for child care. A supporter, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., said the extensions would take a critical step to support child nutrition programs and prevent children from going hungry during the ongoing public health emergency. The vote, on June 23, was 376 yeas to 42 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th) MENTAL HEALTH AT COLLEGES: The House has passed the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act (H.R. 5407), sponsored by Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., to require the Education Department to promote mental health and suicide prevention plans at colleges and universities. Wild said of the need for such plans: In the last several years, young Americans have faced unprecedented challenges resulting in a rise in mental health needs. The vote, on June 23, was 405 yeas to 16 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th) COLLEGIATE DRUG USE: The House has passed the Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act (H.R. 6493), sponsored by Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M. The bill would reauthorize, through fiscal 2028, the federal illicit drug and alcohol abuse prevention program for colleges and universities, and provide $15 million of annual funding for grants and other efforts to prevent alcohol and substance misuse at those campuses. Leger Fernandez said it will help to cut the chains of addiction and unlock access to treatment and prevention for countless students across the United States. The vote, on June 23, was 371 yeas to 49 nays. YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th) SEX AND DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS: The House has passed the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act (H.R. 4176), sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. The bill would require federal agencies to include information about non-heterosexuals in surveys that cover demographic data. Grijalva said: The LGBTQI+ community deserves to be visible and heard so public policy can better reflect their needs. An opponent, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said: Federal surveys are no place to confront the American people or their children with intrusive questions and concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity. The vote, on June 23, was 220 yeas to 201 nays. NAYS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th) YEAS: Manning D-NC (6th) Senate votes CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ana Isabel de Alba to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the eastern district of California. de Alba has been a superior court judge in Fresno County since 2018; for a decade previous, she was a private practice lawyer. A supporter, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., called de Alba a dedicated, fair, and universally respected public servant, respected by her colleagues. The vote, on June 21, was 53 yeas to 45 nays. NAYS: Burr R-NC, Tillis R-NC CONSUMER PRODUCTS COMMISSIONER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Mary Boyle to be on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a 7-year term ending in fall 2025. Boyle, currently the commissions executive director, has been at the CPSC for more than a decade. A supporter, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Boyle is deeply knowledgeable about consumer product safety and the functioning of the CPSC. I have every confidence that she will be ready to lead on day one. An opponent, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., cited significant concerns about major administrative failures at the agency during Ms. Boyles tenure as executive director there, including the improper disclosure of unredacted manufacturer and consumer data. The vote, on June 22, was 50 yeas to 48 nays. NAYS: Burr R-NC, Tillis R-NC GUN VIOLENCE: The Senate has passed an amendment to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938) that would establish a variety of measures intended to reduce mass shootings, including spending on behavioral health clinics, funding for school safety efforts, and restrictions on gun ownership by ex-convicts and those found by a court to be mentally ill. A supporter, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said the amendment sought to create real changes in communities across this countrysafer, healthier communities; stronger, more secure schools; saving lives. An opponent, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., cited concerns that the restrictions would infringe the constitutional right to bear arms for the innocent. The vote, on June 23, was 65 yeas to 33 nays. YEAS: Burr R-NC, Tillis R-NC Targeted News Service Targeted News Service A ruling last week by a divided N.C. Supreme Court effectively clarified ambiguities in state law that some homeowners associations have exploited to block residents from installing rooftop solar panels. In its 4-3 opinion, the court found that a Raleigh HOA had no legal right to order a couple to remove a $32,000 solar array installed in 2018 on the rooftop of their home in the Belmont subdivision. Clean energy advocates praised the courts decision. For too long, North Carolina homeowners lived with uncertainty about whether our solar access law would protect their right to go solar if opinions on their respective HOA boards or committees swung against it, said Lauren Bowen, senior attorney and leader of Southern Environmental Law Centers Solar Initiative who filed a brief in support of the plaintiffs on behalf of the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association. Homeowners can now be confident their decisions to go solar will not be denied arbitrarily. Associate justices Tamara Barringer, Anita Earls, Samuel Ervin IV and Robin Hudson were in the majority. Chief Justice Paul Newby, and associate justices Philip Berger Jr. and Michael Morgan dissented. Southern exposure In its suit, the Belmont Association HOA cited exceptions written into a 2007 state law that actually was meant to encourage homeowners to install solar panels. Those exclusions gave HOAs authority to reject rooftop panels that would be clearly visible to anyone passing by the house, and granted broad authority for architectural review committees in some cases to dictate where arrays could be placed on homes. The Farwigs panels on their two-story home faced the front sidewalk and street. They insisted that was the only cost-effective choice because the panels needed to be directed to the south for maximum sun exposure. Since the couples house faces south, front-side rooftops were the only practical option. The Belmont Association demanded that the Farwigs remove the panels. When the couple refused, the HOA began fining them $50 a day, which they initially kept paying. Belmont ultimately sued the Farwigs then filed a lien on their property alleging a debt of $50, according to court documents. The Farwigs countersued, and pointed to the primary section of the same state law cited by the HOA that states: Any deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement that runs with the land that would prohibit, or have the effect of prohibiting, the installation of a solar collector ... for a residential property on land subject to the deed restriction, covenant, or agreement is void and unenforceable. HOA battle, after HOA battle The court majority agreed that the overarching provision applied in the case, and that the exceptions cited by the Belmont Association have the effect of prohibiting homeowner from installing solar panels. Their ruling Friday reversed an N.C. Court of Appeals decision that affirmed a Wake County Superior Court judgement against the Farwigs. The ruling issued by the North Carolina Supreme Court is a significant achievement for homeowner property rights in North Carolina, affirming access to clean, renewable power for those previously denied by their HOAs, said Peter Ledford, general counsel and director of policy at the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association. This decision will reduce a significant barrier to the residential solar market in North Carolina, supporting jobs in the rooftop solar industry, and helping homeowners lower their utility bills and clean up the grid. Its uncertain how many North Carolina homeowners have been prohibited by homeowners associations from installing panels on their homes, but some solar companies in the state say theyve been involved in hundreds of disputes. Its HOA battle, after HOA battle, after HOA battle, Erin Hawks, senior program manager at Raleigh-based NC Solar Now, told the Journal before the courts ruling. I used to send one appeal (to homeowners associations) every three months. Now Im sending one appeal a day. John Deem covers climate change and the environment in the Triad and Northwest North Carolina. His work is funded by a grant from the 1Earth Fund and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. 336-727-7204 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The controversial ICE sheriffs bill has resurfaced in the state House during what is projected to be the final week of this phase of the 2022 session. Senate Bill 101, titled Require Cooperation with ICE 2.0, has been placed on the House Judiciary 4 committee agenda for its 2 p.m. Tuesday meeting. If approved by that committee, SB101 would go to House Rules and Operations. According to the proposed amending of SB101 posted Monday by the House Judiciary 4 committee, the only substantial change made to the bill is change the first due date of the annual reporting from Oct. 1, 2022, to Oct. 1, 2023. and the effective date of the legislation to Dec. 1, 2022, from Dec. 1, 2021. Legislative analysts had cautioned that SB101 could be subject to the gut-and-replace strategy to insert new legislation preferred by House Republican leadership. The original bill was also at least a couple votes short of a veto-proof majority in the Senate, so it doesnt look like a great candidate for House action, said Mitch Kokai, senior policy analyst with conservative think tank John Locke Foundation. However, Kokai said he could see a scenario in which Republican House members thought it might be a good idea to tackle this topic before an election. If they see recorded votes on an immigration-related bill as a positive for the fall campaign, they might be willing to send a message to voters, even if they dont think the bill will survive Gov. Coopers veto stamp." In March 2021, the state Senate approved along partisan lines by a 27-20 vote the controversial Republican-sponsored bill on Thursday that mandates county sheriffs cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement involving detainers on jail inmates who are suspected of being in the country illegally. Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, is among the bill co-sponsors. SB101 closely mirrors House Bill 370 that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed in August 2019 after it cleared both chambers, but was lacking veto-proof margins. House speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, has said several times his goal is to end the current phase of the session by July 1 with the 2022-23 state budget appropriations bills clearing the legislature. However, there has been talk about gaveling in another phase later this year. Background Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. issued a statement of opposition in March 2021 to the revival of the ICE bill. Similar opposition has been stated by other urban county sheriffs. We are a law-abiding law enforcement agency, Kimbrough said. If somehow this becomes law, then we will at that point comply with it. But it is not law, and there are many who will be opposing this because detaining someone once they have met the conditions of their release is not only illegal, but it is also wrong. During the Senate chamber debate in March 2021, primary SB101 sponsor Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson, submitted two amendments that were approved. The first amendment removed language that would have made an uncooperative sheriff or other law-enforcement official subject to a class 3 misdemeanor, which carries a 20-day jail sentence and a $200 fine. The initial version of SB101 would have made it a class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a 120-day jail sentence and a discretionary fine. HB370 would have allowed a Superior Court judge to remove a sheriff or police officer who didnt follow the legislations provisions and failed to cooperate with ICE agents. The second amendment adds additional criminal and misdemeanor charges that included domestic abuse that could be applied to detainers. According to bill sponsors, other criminal acts that would require cooperation include murder, rape and other sexual offenses, gang-related crimes, human trafficking, drug trafficking, or assault. SB101 outlines a process in which a judge or magistrate would order whether an inmate charged with a criminal offense should be held on the detainer request based on whether the inmate is the same person identified in an ICE request. Under the legislation, the inmate could be held for up to 48 hours after a prisoner would otherwise be qualified for release on bond. The Associated Press reports that the vast majority of rural and suburban sheriffs comply with the ICE detainers, but most urban sheriffs have ignored enforcing them. The bill attempts to address that by requiring a judge or magistrate to issue an order to hold the inmate under the detainer, rather than directing the sheriff to act unilaterally. If this bill becomes law, then it would be mandatory that sheriffs cooperate with ICE detainer, said co-primary sponsor Sen. Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico. Sanderson said the language is necessary because in the end, the sheriff is the person responsible for the way the jail is run, especially if the sheriff gives orders to the person in charge of the jail to not do this. Meanwhile, SB101 excludes state and local law-enforcement officers or agencies from having criminal or civil liability for action taken pursuant to an order issued in the legislation. Bill debate HB370 was one of the first major tests of Coopers veto powers in 2019 after Republicans lost their super-majority in both chambers. This bill, in addition to being unconstitutional, weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating sheriffs to do the job of federal agents, using local resources that could hurt their ability to protect their counties, Cooper said in his veto statement. Sanderson acknowledged during the March 2021 Senate floor debate that yes, it got vetoed in 2019. Our governor may very well veto it again, but he wont be able to veto it for the same reasons that he used last time. Sanderson said SB101 is all about protecting those who cant protect themselves. ... Help the victims have peace and the satisfaction that law-enforcement in this state and the judicial system does their jobs ... well. Sen. Paul Lowe, D-Forsyth, said in March 2021 that SB101 looks like racial profiling from where I sit. Perhaps thats not the intent, but thats what it looks like. All of us want to see bad apples off the streets of our cities, and those of heinous crimes. It doesnt make sense to me to put them on a bus, send them off somewhere and not prosecute them here. If they commit a crime here, they ought to be tried here. Lowe said he remains concerned that the way this bill is written, it doesnt give Forsyth or the other larger counties the kind of flexibility to do their job. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. On Monday, some Novant pediatric and family medicine clinics will begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years old. Novant said those facilities may have limited appointments because of the initial supply and demand. The healthcare system expects to have more appointments available "in the near future." Established patients are encouraged to check their pediatric or family medicine clinics website or Facebook page to find out if it is offering the vaccine, then call to schedule an appointment. COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months to 4 became available Tuesday at some Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist facilities and Wednesday at the Forsyth County Department of Public Healths 799 N. Highland Ave. office in Winston-Salem. In all instances, the vaccine is by appointment only. At Baptist, appointments are available at 336-70-COVID or online through myWakeHealth or www.wakehealth.edu/vaccine. The Forsyth health department said appointments can be scheduled at Bit.Ly/FCNCCovidVaccine. Vaccine clinic hours for young children will be noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Cone Health expects to begin providing COVID-19 vaccine next week for children as young as 6 months. Saturday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for children in that age range. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for three doses, while the Moderna vaccine will begin as two. Moderna is testing its third dose, with data expected this summer. Modernas shots are one-quarter the dose of the companys adult shots. Pfizers shots are just one-tenth its adult dose. The state Department of Health and Human Services said distribution will involve all 100 county health departments, along with more than 300 pediatric offices, family medicine offices and pharmacies for children 3 years and older. Children under 3 cannot be vaccinated by a pharmacist. Parents and guardians of children who do not have an established medical provider can visit MySpot.nc.gov to search for a nearby vaccine provider. Another contact option is the N.C. COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center, which can assist in making an appointment. The center is available at 888-675-4567 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. DHHS will send a postcard to families with children who may be newly eligible for the vaccines. The public discourse is hamstrung by the conspiracy theory. Its uncertain if it infects a large swath of the population, but because of the uniqueness of the American project, it doesnt require the majority to throw a wrench into the wheels of progress. The current conspiracy theory is rooted in the Big Lie, fostered by the belief of a stolen 2020 election orchestrated by the Democratic Party illuminati. It is unclear who actually heads this secret society, but it is widely believed that either Hillary Clinton or Hunter Biden, depending on the day, is its titular head. It has fostered a plethora of illegal activities from drug dealing to child pornography. Most recently it was noted for stealing the 2020 election in part by using rigged election machines by a company linked to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The notion of the conspiracy theory is nothing new; the first probably sprouted shortly after early modern humans walked the Earth. Every baby boomer has lived with myriad conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But with the onslaught of social media platforms, along with distrust of our institutions, elected leadership and the media, at a time when we are privy to a preponderance of information at our disposal in seconds, conspiracy theories have never enjoyed such fertile ground to cultivate with negative results. Moreover, conspiracy theories appear to be a bipartisan phenomenon. A significant number of Americans appear susceptible to believing unproven claims, offers Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life. He adds, Whats more, politically motivated conspiracy theories find a receptive audience among both Democrats and Republicans. In an October 2020 survey conducted jointly by the Center for American Progress and the American Enterprise Institute, a majority of Democrats believed Russian President Vladimir Putin had compromising information on former President Donald Trump. Conversely, an equal number of Republicans held that there was a coordinated effort by unelected government officials that systematically derailed the former presidents agenda. In our current public discourse, it is much easier to be unduly influenced by something that has no basis in fact, especially if it corresponds with how we feel or neatly explains the unexplained. As Helen Lee Bouygues, a contributor to Forbes magazine, offered in a 2021 article, Many researchers have suggested, one big driver of conspiracy theories is the security that comes from simple explanations for negative events. Conspiracy theorists offer, at least temporarily, soothing relief from the uncertainties of absurdity. When one considers the cavalcade of conspiracy theories of the decades surrounding the assassination of Kennedy, it is supported by the difficulty in believing Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin. Historian William Manchester, writing in The New York Times, outlined the fundamental problem in accepting Oswald as the gunman: Those who desperately want to believe that President Kennedy was the victim of a conspiracy have my sympathy. I share their yearning. To employ what may seem an odd metaphor, there is an esthetic principle here. If you put six million dead Jews on one side of a scale and on the other side put the Nazi regime the greatest gang of criminals ever to seize control of a modern state you have a rough balance: greatest crime, greatest criminals. Manchester adds: But if you put the murdered president of the United States on one side of a scale and that wretched waif Oswald on the other side, it doesnt balance. You want to add something weightier to Oswald. It would invest the presidents death with meaning, endowing him with martyrdom. He would have died for something. A conspiracy would, of course, do the job nicely. The great replacement theory, a white nationalist concoction that holds that elites are conspiring to replace the white population with minorities, fuels, in part, the pushback and erroneous concerns of critical race theory. But conspiracy theories actually make things worse. They are often presented as legitimate possibilities without the burden of facts on their side. Conspiracy theories have become increasingly pernicious in a culture that devalues critical thinking. The problem is much larger than a few crackpots legitimizing their theories in the public discourse. Conspiracy theories build a wall on a foundation designed to keep facts at bay. Seldom are these unproven suppositions brought to fruition. Conspiracy theories make sense until one realizes that within the complexities of the human condition, sometimes Because is the answer to Why? The Rev. Byron Williams (byron@publicmorality.org), a writer and the host of The Public Morality on WSNC 90.5, lives in Winston-Salem. RALEIGH Although North Carolina has become a demonstrably freer place to live and work over the past 10 years, our state remains grossly out of step with the rest of America in a key respect: we unnecessarily restrict the freedom of workers to enter new occupations and the freedom of consumers to purchase goods and services from whomever they wish. According to the latest Cato Institute ratings, North Carolina ranks 40th in the nation in occupational freedom. In most of the country, states require fewer occupations to be licensed, the requirements they do impose are less stringent and the cost to enter those licensed professions in cash and time is much lower. Why do we erect such high regulatory barriers to entering so many careers? Defenders of occupational licensing argue that consumer welfare is at stake. Without the quality control that licensing boards represent, unqualified or unscrupulous providers would take advantage of consumers. Theyd do shoddy work. Theyd cheat. Theyd endanger consumers. Advocates of licensing reform dont deny the presence of incompetence and corruption in the marketplace. Rather, they offer three interrelated reasons to reject strict licensing laws as the proper response. First, the stakes involved vary widely depending on the occupation. No state allows doctors to perform brain surgery without rigorous licensure. But occupational regulations extend far, far beyond such obvious cases. In North Carolina, you must be licensed to run auctions, cut hair, install irrigation systems or give massages. Of some 1,100 separate occupations regulated by at least one state, only 60 are regulated by all states. In other words, what gets regulated and what doesnt is largely a matter of economic interest and local politics, rather than anything approaching a serious assessment of significant risks and likely rewards. Second, while it is certainly true that you might be swindled by a dishonest auctioneer or rubbed the wrong way, so to speak, by a masseuse, licensure is hardly the only way to deter such behavior. Locke Foundation analyst Jon Sanders observes there are many less-restrictive remedies such as disclosure rules, bonding requirements and voluntary certification (which provides useful information that consumers can take into account but arent legally required to). Licensing is the most extreme option, says Sanders, and should be reserved for use only in extreme cases. In my view, the third argument against excessive occupational licensing is the strongest one: it doesnt work. It doesnt accomplish its stated goal of protecting consumer safety and welfare. Although there are some exceptions, most of the studies Ive seen demonstrate that places with more-stringent licensing do not exhibit lower rates of accidents, injuries, fraud or customer dissatisfaction than do places where occupational freedom is better protected. Here are a couple of recent examples. In 2011, the state of Illinois toughened its licensing rules for real estate agents. Both prospective and current agents were required to obtain more hours of training to be licensed, although the latter were allowed a one-year grace period before their licenses expired. Illinois also has a robust system for collecting misconduct complaints from homebuyers and sellers. A study of the policy change, just published in the journal Labour Economics, found that it reduced the number of agents and the number of homes sold in Illinois but did not find strong evidence that the reform reduced new misconduct incidents. Similarly, a new study in the Journal of Accounting Research examined an increase in the number of instructional hours required to become a certified public accountant. The new rule clearly reduced the number of people who became CPAs but found no effect on the quality of services provided. I think North Carolina ought to eliminate licensing altogether for most of the 319 occupations for which we require it. Even if the state continues such regulations, however, it should at least streamline the process. All too often, licensure is simply a politicized mechanism for restricting access and raising prices, thus harming rather than helping consumers. Lets change that. 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 And then theres Texas. The Texas wing of the GOP met in Houston on June 16-18 and approved a 40-page platform that is a laundry list of everything 275 proposals in all they would like to change about their state and about the country. There are no surprises. Its just that seeing a composite list of conservative objectives in a single document can be a bit of a jolt to the liberal or progressive psyche. The GOP party platform calls on Texas legislators to abolish abortion by immediately securing the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all unborn children from the moment of fertilization and to prohibit the teaching of sex education, sexual health or sexual choice or identity in any public school in any grade whatsoever. It refers to homosexuality as an abnormal lifestyle choice and demands that the official position of the Texas schools shall be that there are only two genders: biological male and biological female. We oppose transgender normalizing and pronoun use. The delegates urged the complete repeal of all hate crime laws and demanded that historical monuments (read: Confederate monuments) that have been removed should be restored to their historical locations. Delegates went on record as supporting the abolition of all federal welfare programs and calling for the elimination of state property taxes. Since there is no state income tax in Texas, the state government or what is left of it would likely be reduced to financing itself through bake sales and car washes. At the federal level, the platform calls for abolishing the Federal Reserve, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Endangered Species Act, the Minimum Wage Law and the Department of Education and repealing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (replacing the income tax with a flat tax or a consumption tax), and the 17th Amendment and returning to the appointment of U.S. senators by state legislators. It calls for an additional amendment to the U.S. Constitution making English the official language of the United States. The delegates to the convention rejected critical race theory, describing it as a Post-Marxist ideology that seeks to undermine the system of law and order itself and to reduce individuals to their group identity alone. As a rule, the proposals are straightforward, though I am puzzled by the one that requires that curriculum of educational instruction shall include ... mathematics, which has correct answers and focuses on how to arrive at them. Are there schools in Texas that teach math that doesnt have correct answers, or has correct answers but dont teach students how to find them? To be fair, there are items in the Texas GOP platform that a lot of people, regardless of political persuasion, would agree with, e.g., setting a term limit of 12 years on all elected state and federal officials. In addition to approving the party platform, the delegates made the Big Lie official party doctrine, at least in Texas, by approving a resolution that rejected the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and (held) that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States. Delegates also went on record as opposing the proposals of a bipartisan group of senators on gun legislation. This was a week before the negotiators came up with a list of proposals they could agree on. The delegates were saying, whatever they come up with, if its about guns, were against it. For good measure, they booed their own senator, John Cornyn, for having the temerity to sit down with Democrats and talk about gun laws. Taken as a whole, the actions of the Texas GOP offer a conservative vision of America. If you are a conservative, you have a right to be in favor of any or all of the planks in the GOP platform. The rest of us have a right to know: Is the Texas GOP an outlier in the Republican Party, or does its platform give us a glimpse of where we are headed if Republicans take the House and Senate this fall and the presidency in 2024? Is this the vision of the national Republican Party? Closer to home, we have a right to ask our lawmakers in Raleigh: Does this platform express your views? Is this your vision of America? Do you believe the election of Joe Biden was legitimate? Your answers will simplify voting in November. Richard Groves (rgroves@wsjournal.com) is a writer who lives in Winston-Salem. The World Health Organizations (WHO) International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee has shared serious concerns about the scale and speed of the current outbreak of Monkeypox, identified in more than 50 countries. However, they advised the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that at this moment the event does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, which is the highest level of alert WHO can issue, but recognised that the convening of the committee itself reflects the increasing concern about the international spread of Monkeypox across five WHO regions, with 3,000 cases since the early May. Deeply concerned I am deeply concerned by the spread of Monkeypox. This is clearly an evolving health threat that my colleagues and I in the WHO Secretariat are following extremely closely. It requires our collective attention and coordinated action now to stop the further spread of Monkeypox virus using public health measures including surveillance, contact-tracing, isolation and care of patients, and ensuring health tools like vaccines and treatments are available to at-risk populations and shared fairly, said Dr Ghebreyesus. As the committee pointed out, monkeypox has been circulating in a number of African countries for decades and has been neglected in terms of research, attention and funding This must change for not just for monkeypox but for other neglected diseases in low-income countries as the world is reminded yet again that health is an interconnected proposition. Rapid, continuing spread What makes the current outbreak especially concerning is the rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children, he said. That is why it is urgent that all Member States, communities and individuals take the recommendations of the committee for stepped-up surveillance, improved diagnostics community engagement and risk communication, and the appropriate use of therapeutics, vaccines, and public health measures including contact tracing and isolation. Unusual aspects The Committee noted that many aspects of the current multi-country outbreak are unusual, such as the occurrence of cases in countries where monkeypox virus circulation had not been previously documented, and the fact that the vast majority of cases is observed among men who have sex with men, of young age, not previously immunised against smallpox (knowing that vaccination against smallpox is effective in protecting against monkeypox as well). Some Members suggested that, given the low level of population immunity against pox virus infection, there is a risk of further, sustained transmission into the wider population that should not be overlooked. The Committee also stressed that monkeypox virus activity has been neglected and not well controlled for years in countries in the WHO African Region. Collaborative international efforts The Committee also noted that the response to the outbreak requires collaborative international efforts, and that such response activities have already started in a number of high-income countries experiencing outbreaks, although there has been insufficient time to have evaluated the effectiveness of these activities. While a few Members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO Director-General that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute a PHEIC. Emergency nature However, the Committee unanimously acknowledged the emergency nature of the event and that controlling the further spread of outbreak requires intense response efforts. The Committee advised that the event should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks, once more information about the current unknowns becomes available, to determine if significant changes have occurred that may warrant a reconsideration of their advice. Re-assessment The Committee considered that the occurrence of one or more of the following should prompt a re-assessment of the event: evidence of an increase in the rate of growth of cases reported in the next 21 days, both among and beyond the population groups currently affected; occurrence of cases among sex workers; evidence of significant spread to and within additional countries, or significant increases in number of cases and spread in endemic countries; increase in number of cases in vulnerable groups, such as immunosuppressed individuals, including with poorly controlled HIV infection, pregnant women, and children; evidence of increased severity in reported cases (i.e. increased morbidity or mortality and rates of hospitalisation; evidence of reverse spillover to the animal population; evidence of significant change in viral genome associated with phenotypic changes, leading to enhanced transmissibility, virulence or properties of immune escape, or resistance to antivirals, and reduced impact of countermeasures; evidence of cluster of cases associated with clades of greater virulence detected in new countries outside West and Central African countries. Providing assistance Finally, the Committee advised the WHO Director-General that countries, in the spirit of Article 44 of the IHR, should collaborate with each other and with WHO in providing the required assistance through bilateral, regional or multilateral channels, and should follow the guidance provided by WHO.-- TradeArabia News Service Lincoln, Nebraska (June 22, 2022) Swanson Russell received eight honors at the 2022 Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Awards. The annual event recognizes outstanding marketing efforts within the green industry, and Swanson Russell received four first-place awards, two merit awards and two Gardner Awards. The full list of awards includes: Gardner Award; E-Z-GO - Liberty Pre-Order Digital Ad, Gardner Award; Jacobsen - Brand Anthem Video, First Place; E-Z-GO - Liberty Pre-Order Digital Ad, First Place; Jacobsen - Brand Anthem Video, First Place; Jacobsen - Website, First Place; SiteOne - Drainage Demand Videos, Merit; E-Z-GO - Liberty Launch Campaign, Merit; Ransomes - Website. Reserved for the best-of-the-best in each category, the Gardner Award is one of the most prestigious honors handed out for green industry marketing efforts. Swanson Russell has received a Gardner distinction every year since 2018, plus several others over the history of the show. We are proud to partner with such great brands in the green industry, said Brent Schott, president of Swanson Russell. Its an honor to see the work we do together get recognized by TOCA. Everything we do is focused helping brands create a Real Connection with their audiences. The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association is composed of editors, writers, publishers, photographers, public relations/advertising practitioners, industry association leaders, manufacturers, and others involved in green industry communications. To learn more, visit toca.org. Swanson Russell is a nationally recognized full-service branding, advertising and public relations agency in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. The agency partners with clients across many industries while specializing in agriculture, construction, landscape/turf, outdoor recreation and healthcare. To learn how Swanson Russell builds a Real Connection between brands and audiences, visit swansonrussell.com. There was never any question whether Dr. Susan Christensen would be a dentist she was raised to be one. Counting numbers and the ABCs weren't the only things she learned early on in life. Christensen's mother, who worked as a dental hygienist, taught her how to sew, cross stitch and write upside down and backwards all fine motor skills that her mother said would help her become a great dentist. "I felt like I was kind of groomed for it," she said. Now with more than 40 years of experience, Christensen works to instill the same lifelong passion for dentistry in other women. I'm a big supporter of encouraging women to do anything, Christensen said. Go for your dreams and remember you can still do it all. You can have a wonderful career, wonderful home life and a wonderful family all at once. Dont let anyone tell you what your limits are. Christensen comes from a long line of male dentists in her family, including her grandfather and father. Eastview Family Dental now at 5640 South St. was first opened by Christensen's grandfather in 1922 and celebrated its 100th anniversary earlier this month. Christensens father later owned the practice. She teamed up with her father at Eastview Family Dental immediately following her graduation from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in 1981 and they became the first father-daughter practice in the Midwest. "It has been such a privilege to work here," Christensen said. "I am so proud of my family. I just absolutely adore them. I got to watch my dad and grandfather love dentistry and that made it really easy for me to do the same. When she first started her career, the profession was heavily male-dominated. The rate of female graduates from the UNMC College of Dentistry has steadily increased from 9% in the early 80s to 56% this year, according to UNMC. In the beginning, not everyone was willing to allow a woman to work on their teeth, she said. But that didn't stop her. "People would call and say, 'Wait, is this a woman? I'll wait a year to see your dad instead,'" Christensen said. "But now I really feel like it's flipped blocks." Christensen focuses on empathy, compassion and kindness, which she believes has been a big factor in the change in narrative. Her niece by marriage, Erika Etzelmiller, who will graduate from dental school in 2024, agreed. I think it's little things where people might not think you're as qualified because you're a woman in dentistry, but as soon as you're able to do a good job on them a lot of times they realize that women do make great dentists because we are naturally very empathetic and good caregivers, Etzelmiller said. Etzelmiller plans to join her own father at Pine Lake Dental once she graduates from UNMC and is also following in her grandfathers footsteps just like Christensen. While Etzelmillers class is over half female unlike Christensen, who graduated with eight other women she has still experienced people doubting her choice to become a dentist. When you tell people as a girl that you're in dental school, they automatically assume you mean hygiene school or dental assisting school, she said. I think that while the numbers of applicants in dental school right now reflect more girls than boys, society still thinks of a dentist as being a male. Outside of the office, Christensen travels across the world to lecture on orthodontics and is an adjunct professor for UNMC, Spear Education visiting faculty and a fellow in the International College of Dentists. She is also a member of the Nebraska Dental Association, American Academy for Cosmetic Surgery and American Dental Association. Oftentimes when lecturing, she has women ask how she has managed to maintain a successful career and a tight-knit family. The key, Christensen said, is finding balance. Somethings got to give, the mother of three and now grandmother said. So what if the laundry isn't always done on time and you didnt fix the perfect meal for your family? Something's got to give if you want to be a great wife, mother, practitioner and family member. Joann Herrington has been a patient at Eastview Family Dental for more than seven years and said she's stuck with Christensen because of her kindness, background and interest in others. She cares about her patients, Herrington said. I am very, very much in awe of what she has done in her life especially in a field that was totally dominated by men when she entered it. But its also obviously her skill that drew me to her. Shes one of the best dentists. I don't just let every nice person drill on my teeth. Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or jebbers@journalstar.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A shooting early Sunday morning in the Seacrest Field parking lot has left two people in critical condition. Lincoln Police are investigating the shooting, which occurred at about 2:30 a.m. Police say a 19-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, both from Lincoln, are in critical condition. Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the Seacrest Field parking lot at 1000 S. 70th St., where they found the man who had been shot. They found the second victim, a woman, in the area of 70th and O Streets after she had left the scene in a vehicle. Both victims were taken to the hospital for treatment. No suspects have been identified at this point in the investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Lincoln Police Department 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. It is unusual, but not unheard of, for a city to be born, become successful and virtually disappear between census years. West Lincoln is in that category, though it did not entirely go out of existence before ultimately being annexed by Lincoln. Perhaps the most striking example in Nebraska is Lowell, which appeared in 1871, prospered with a population estimated at about 2,500, even supposedly supported 10 saloons at one point and was a county seat, yet had withered almost to nothing by 1880. Activity about 2 miles north of what would become Lowell was generally recorded as the second Fort Kearny area, which moved west from what became Nebraska City and was near the point where the original Oregon Trail met the Oregon Trail Cutoff. Some sources call the intersection Point City, others call it Valley City, but it was where there was a stage station and store, and daily mail service occurred. When Kearney County was established by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature in 1860, Kearney City or Dobytown grew up west of Fort Kearny (later spelled Kearney) and was generally considered the county seat. Although the first settler arrived in 1860 near what would become Lowell a decade later, the entire countys population was estimated at only 58. In 1870-71, Thomas Doane, chief engineer of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, proposed an alphabetical string of towns as the railroad built west from Lincoln Asylum, Berks, Crete, Dorchester, Exeter, Fairmont, Grafton, Harvard, Inland, Juniata, Kenesaw and Lowell. Lowell was named for either James Russell Lowell or, more probably, his nephew, Charles Russell Lowell. At the point of intersection of four sections, the railroads D.N. Smith convinced four men to file homesteads. Smith then constructed a four-room, 24-foot-by-24 foot, frame preemption building with a central fireplace. Each man occupied his quarter for six months as proof of residence. Then in May of 1871, they sold their land to Smith and the railroads South Platte Land Company, with the 54-square-block town of Lowell platted, containing 13 east/west and 13 north/south streets. In 1871, T. Munhall, who had managed the preemption building, purchased the structure, and renamed it the Munhall Hotel, while a post office and the first store also opened. On June 17, an election held at the Munhall Hotel awarded the county seat to Lowell, with 23 votes for Lowell and 5 for Kearney City. It is unclear whether the railroad arrived July 3 or July 8, but regular service began July 9, 1872. That established the city as end-of-the-line and a shipping point for Texas cattle headed to eastern markets with, at one point, three train loads of 20 to 25 cars being loaded daily. 1872 also saw the construction of a depot, a school building and the establishment of a U.S. Land Office. In 1873, with a reported county population of 327, $15,000 was authorized to build a two-story, brick courthouse that ultimately cost $23,000. With the completion of the 44-foot-by-80 foot, two-story Ord House Hotel that year it was noted that Lowell supported seven general stores, four hotels, two lumberyards, two drug stores and other businesses. One, perhaps overoptimistic, source stated Lowells population had reached 2,500. In 1874, railroad construction built west, leaving Lowell no longer the end-of-the-line. More desirable land to the south began to be settled, the land office and Munhall Hotel were moved to Bloomington and a bridge over the Platte River opened railroad access to Buffalo County and the city of Kearney. Lowell quickly pointed out however that, although it was far from the center of the county, the brick courthouse could not be moved. The following year, the Ord House Hotel was moved east to Juniata. As the Fort Kearny Military Reserve lands were opened for settlement in 1876, agitation to move the county seat to a more-central location increased. On Nov. 21, 1876, a series of petitions led to an election to relocate the county seat. Removal carried 165-67, with the Relocation Committee choosing Minden as the third county seat location. The courthouse in Lowell continued to be utilized until 1878, when a new building was completed in Minden. In 1879, the Lowell courthouse was disassembled, with the brick supposedly used in a subsequent building in Minden. Lowell State Bank relocated to Gibbon in 1930. In 1943, the depot closed and it was moved to Mindens Pioneer Village in 1952. The school closed in 1963, the Methodist church was razed in 1966 and by the end of the 20th century, Lowell, which once was said to have had 10 saloons and was so healthy that they had to shoot the first seven men in order ... to start a cemetery, had only a few residences. Today, one of the few houses remaining is E.E. Carpenters 18-room, acetylene gas-lighted, concrete-block castle on the west edge of Lowell that was built in 1910 by the man who operated a general store on the site of the Continental Hotel at Sixth and Lowell streets until 1941. The population of the entire township is currently less than 200. 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. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 COLUMBUS Columbus resident John Peterson has been coming to Ag Park for the horse racing since moving to the town in 1990. "It's the atmosphere. Friday nights, they usually have big crowds and cheap beer, so that was always a good draw," Peterson said. "I've got a son-in-law who's a trainer, so he got me involved that way." Peterson was one of hundreds in attendance June 18 to witness the final horse races at Ag Park. If plans stay on track, live horse racing in Columbus will move to a new mile track proposed as part of a Harrah's Casino. Horse racing at Ag Park dates to 1942. For years, the 5/8th-mile track ran later in the year, with horses moving from Fonner Park in Grand Island to Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha and State Fair Park in Lincoln. This year's Columbus live meet began on Memorial Day weekend, with the races wrapping up on a nostalgic Saturday night. "I thought they would make a bigger deal about it with this being the last one," Peterson said. "I'm excited for the new mile track that's coming in on the west side of town. "You're going to get better horses, more horses and bigger purses." Mary Beiermann, a Columbus resident for about 40 years, said she also was excited on the possibilities that'll come with the new oval. "Maybe better payout, more horses and longer season," Beiermann said. June 18 was Beiermann's first race day she attended this summer. She said she normally tries to come once a year. "It was the last night and I finally got somebody to come with me," Beiermann said. Beiermann's daughter, in town from Colorado, joined her at Ag Park. She described her emotions of being among the crowd for the final night of horse racing in the grandstand at the Platte County fairgrounds. "It's bittersweet. I wish they'd still run here," Beiermann said. "I'm kind of anxious for the new track as well." Dawn Lafromboise experienced her first horse racing season at Ag Park this year. She said her partner was the person who worked the gates at the track this season. Lafromboise said she was impressed with the crowds in Columbus. She said she's been to Turf Paradise in Phoenix when nobody was there. "I'm glad to see there's a good turnout and there's still enough horses to do the races," she said. Columbus Exposition and Racing official Dan Clarey told the Telegram in May that construction on the new track should get started this summer. Clarey said the racing surface could be done in the fall, with other construction getting underway in 2023. Having been to numerous tracks in the area, Lafromboise said she's eager to see what the new one will look like. "We've had our chance to go around here and we can tell it's a little bit older," she said, "so it's good to have a new one." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 1872: The bathhouse on Salt Creek had just opened, and there was a lively sale of flannels for ladies' bathing suits. 1882: In drilling an artesian well in Goverment Square (at Ninth, 10th, O and P streets), drillers ran across what they thought were indications of gold. It was believed that Lincoln was sitting on a potential gold mine. 1892: Though saloons were permitted on O Street, Lincoln temperance people met to celebrate what they regarded as the success of prohibition in Iowa. 1902:Arrangements were being made to install steam heating pipes in the streets to serve downtown buildings from a central point. The Missouri Pacific Railroad gave Lincoln sleeper service. 1912: Lincoln authorities decided to make a thoroughfare to the State Fairgrounds by cutting 17th Street through south of Vine. 1922: In Lincoln and Havelock, 83 railroad shopmen were working while 1,228 had joined in a nationwide strike. 1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt was chosen to be the Democratic nominee for president on the fourth ballot at the party's national convention in Chicago; Nebraska "drys" refused to join a "wet" parade at the convention. 1942: The drought, which had blistered Nebraska crops for almost a decade, was broken. Small grain was maturing into what was believed to be the largest crop in southwest Nebraska history. 1952: Issues that had threatened to crush reactivation of the Lincoln Air Force Base were resolved and the House gave the go ahead to reopen the base northwest of the city. 1962:Large hail pelted nearly mature wheat in a belt from Litchfield to Ansley to northeast of Broken Bow. 1972: Nebraska Penal Complex Warden Charles Wolff said convict Thomas Alvarez was at first unbelieving, then convinced and finally "very happy" when told of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that executions were "cruel and unusual punishment" and therefore unconstitutional. Alvarez had been sentenced to death for the 1966 rape-strangulation of Mary O'Shea of Lincoln. 1982: Avoca marked its 100th birthday with a three-day celebration. A 36-year-old leukemia patient checked into Omaha's Clarkson Memorial Hospital to have the first bone marrow transplant in a Nebraska hospital. 1992: Misdemeanor obscenity charges were dropped against four Omaha music stores accused of selling sexually explicit rap music to teen-agers. Life Life Life. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Looking for a place to go fishing with the family? The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has identified dozens of public fishing waters across the state that are perfect for families known as Family Friendly Lakes. These sites are safe, comfortable and have great fish-catching potential. They also have a combination of barrier-free fishing piers, fishing trails, groomed park areas, concessions, playgrounds, picnic areas and highly maintained fish populations. Here are several Family Friendly Lakes to put on your list. Fort Robinson State Park ponds, Crawford: Several fishing lakes can be found near Fort Robinson, including the 15-acre Carter P. Johnson Lake, and all have great angler access, thanks to a major renovation project. Expect to catch primarily bass, bluegill and trout, and to enjoy the scenery its some of the best in the state. Take advantage of everything else Fort Robinson has to offer, including camping, historic lodging, swimming, hiking, equestrian trails and more. Holmes Lake: It sees a lot of use, but Holmes still is a great place to fish. Take the kids and go catch bluegills, or cast for crappies, largemouth bass, channel catfish, walleye and trout, which are stocked in fall, winter and spring. Holmes Lake also features two concrete boat ramps and an accessible dock. It also has plenty of other attractions, including walking trails, playgrounds and volleyball courts. Hershey Wildlife Management Area, Hershey: If youre headed across the state on Interstate 80, stop to wet a line; there are dozens of lakes within casting distance. One of them is the 53-acre lake at Hershey Wildlife Management Area, which in recent years produced the most trophy-sized fish of all the I-80 lakes in western Nebraska. Here, you can catch bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and perhaps rock bass, crappie, walleye and pike. The lake boasts several angler access improvements, including an improved boat ramp. Skyview Lake, Norfolk: Skyview is one of the states urban waters. Much like Holmes Lake, it has a lot to recommend it to families planning a day of fishing picnic shelters, a playground area, hike-bike trail and restrooms. Within Skyviews 50 acres, you can catch bass, bluegill, crappie and channel catfish, and an accessible deck is available, too. Lake Halleck, Papillion: Daryl Bauer, Game and Parks fisheries outreach program manager, refers to Lake Halleck as a good little city lake. Its part of Halleck Park, which offers 70 acres of parkland as well as playgrounds, restrooms, hiking paths and a ball diamond. Take a break from fishing to enjoy some pickleball, horseshoes or sand volleyball. Anglers can expect to catch bass, bluegill and channel catfish, and rainbow trout are stocked seasonally. Its a nice area, Bauer said. Bessey Fish Pond, Halsey: This small sandpit lake is located in the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey, making for some beautiful scenery. Anglers can catch bass, bluegill, some large channel catfish and trout in fall and winter. The area features a nice fishing deck with a concrete path leading to it, as well as campgrounds, a playground and restrooms. Take the weekend and camp in the forest. These are just a few Family Friendly Lakes across the state; for a full list, see the 2022 Nebraska Fishing Guide, which designates Family Friendly Lakes in its list of public fishing areas. Remember that youll need a fishing permit if youre over age 16. Happy fishing. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 RACINE The LGBT Center of Southeast Wisconsin and the City of Racine Celebrated its annual Pride Day on the steps of City Hall Sunday. More than 100 people gathered at City Hall at noon to hear members of the LGBTQ community in Racine tell their stories. Racine has held Pride celebrations almost every June since 2009, with events in 2020 and 2021 being downsized or canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. The event was headed up by Barbra Farrar, the executive director of The LGBT Center. Joining Farrar was City of Racine Mayor Cory Mason. Farrar spoke about a time when Mason had just been voted in as mayor, and how he reached out to the center on his second day in office, looking to see how he and his administration could work to welcome the LGBTQ community. Also speaking at the event was Pastor Danielle Lindstrom, pastor for Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, along with Kaye Glennon, pastor for the Sacred Journeys Spiritual Community, and Grace Cajiuat, pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church in Kenosha. Cajiuat gave an impassioned speech about the history of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, cited as the inciting event that moved LGBTQ culture from being out of the public perception, New York's first pride celebration in 1970, with increasingly more cities and countries having them every year. Caijuat also asserted that the Bible denounces homosexual activities as a misconception. She, Lindstrom and Glennon all said that "Jesus loves everybody," regardless of identity. Our love is stronger, said Lindstrom, while speaking about the hate she and other members of the LGBTQ community receive. Other speakers included Jada Pharr, owner of Longshot Vinyl, 316 6th St., who had advocated for the LGBTQ safety training courses offered to businesses by the center. Also speaking was Arian Rana Adair Nichols, who spoke about the transgender experience and her son, Rae Antczak, who was a leader of the LGBT Center before his death. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, also spoke at the event. Esther Roberts, a chair member of the LGBT Center Board spoke about RAISE, an advocacy group stemming from the LGBT Center that works to help people become advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community. The event ended with the stage being opened up for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, allowing people like Aldermen CJ Rouse and youth Christina Dressier to speak their minds and tell their stories. Involved To learn more about the LGBT Center or to volunteer, visit lgbtsewi.org Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MOUNT PLEASANT A 33-year-old woman has been accused of stealing a van, and was reportedly caught in part because of DNA found on a straw. Ashley C. Crayton, from Anoka, Minnesota, was charged with a felony count of driving or operating a vehicle without owners consent. According to a criminal complaint: On Sept. 21, an officer was sent to a residence on Daisy Lane for the theft of a 2009 Chrysler Town & Country. The owner said the van was in the driveway and the key was inside the center console. On Oct. 2, a sergeant was contacted by the Kenosha Police Department because the stolen van was located. It was parked in the 6600 block of 18th Avenue. A search of the car was done and a health card belonging to Crayton was found. There was also a Big Buddy cup from a gas station and several Walgreens gift cards. Surveillance video from a Walgreens on 52nd Street showed a woman attempt to use the card but it was declined. She then got into the stolen vehicle. A detective submitted the straw from the cup to the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory for DNA testing. The DNA on the straw had a hit for Crayton. Crayton was given a $2,500 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Thursday. A preliminary hearing is on June 30 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 RACINE Witnesses took the stand Friday and gave testimony that conflicted with the states eyewitness during a homicide trial underway in Racine County Circuit Court. Donley M. Carey, 36, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the Feb. 25, 2020, shooting death of DeMarcus Anderson, 28, at the Sin City Biker Club at Ninth Street and South Memorial Drive. Carey has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and previously testified that he was not the shooter. The Racine County District Attorneys office has relied heavily on eyewitness testimony during the jury trial. According to witness accounts, there was a dispute between Carey and Anderson in which each called the other the police that is, a snitch. Together they went into a bathroom at the nightclub and stripped off their clothes so each could see the other was not wearing a wire. A witness (who will hereafter be identified as Witness A) who earlier in the week that he was in the bathroom when Carey allegedly entered and shot Anderson following the dispute. However, one witness on Friday gave an account in conflict with Witness As account, and a second witness admitted on the stand that he previously lied to investigators because he believed Carey was the shooter and was angry that Carey allegedly shot his friend. The Journal Times is withholding the names of witnesses to protect their safety. Case history The Racine Police Department responded to the private clubhouse of the Sin City Biker Club after an anonymous 911 caller reported a deceased person inside. Investigators found the victim shot seven times with a .40-caliber gun and wrapped in trash bags in a small bathroom. Investigators theorize that someone wrapped the body and intended to move it later. Home surveillance video, which showed someone fleeing the club, put the time of the shooting at about 5 a.m. Police were dispatched to the clubhouse at about 6:25 a.m. At the club, police found that someone had bleached the area of the shooting in an attempt to dispose of DNA evidence. Additionally, equipment used for video surveillance was gone. Following an initial investigation, a warrant was issued for Carey, who was arrested eight days later in Michigan. Carey went to trial in January on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. But a judge declared a mistrial after the defendants attorney, Mindy Nolan, made comments during closing statements that the court deemed inappropriate. Conflicting testimony On Friday, the fifth day of the new trial, another prosecution witness, who will be referred to as Witness B, took the stand. She had been arrested on a material witness warrant, and she agreed she was not in court voluntarily. Although only 17 years old in February 2020, she went to the Sin City Biker Club after closing that night with another person and Anderson, she said. She told the jury she heard several gunshots, and then she and others headed for the door to leave. She said she could see the Andersons body lying half in and half out of the bathroom, and that he did have pants on. She testified that she saw Carey put a silver gun in his pants and jump over Andersons body to leave the bathroom. She also told the jury she was behind Witness A as they fled the bar, while Carey was behind them yelling for everyone to hurry up. In earlier testimony, Witness A said he was on his knees in front of Anderson, attempting to help him get dressed, when Carey walked in and started shooting, suggesting that the victim did not have pants on when he was shot. Additionally, Witness A told the jury that after Anderson was shot, he fell between the toilet and the wall. Witness A said after the shooting Carey fled the bar, and he gave chase, but was not able to find him. Witness A said he went outside to look and got locked out of the bar. However, according to Witness B, Witness A was in front of her as they left the bar with Carey behind them, yelling for everyone to hurry up. Witness B also potentially put Witness A outside of the bathroom during the shooting. OH said she saw Witness A at a table outside the bathroom before the shooting, although she acknowledged she was sitting with a blocked view and may have not seen the entirety of his movements. As noted by the defense, some of the details Witness B recounted were not consistent with the statement she gave to investigators three days after the homicide. At that time, she said Carey put away a black pistol not silver, as she told the jury on Friday. In 2020, she told investigators that she, Witness A and Anderson had arrived at the club at about 10:30 p.m., hours earlier than the time she gave the jury on Friday, which was after bar closing at 2:30 or 3 a.m. Witness B admitted she was partying before the shooting, taking ecstasy and cocaine, smoking marijuana, and drinking. More than two years have passed since the incidents to which she was testifying. Change in account After the shooting, Witness B left the bar with two other women, and they later picked up a friend who had fled the bar after the shooting. Another witness, to be referred to as Witness C, was the friend they picked up, and he was also the person seen on surveillance video that helped investigators establish a timeline for the shooting. When asked, Witness C said he knew Carey. Thats my guy, he said, meaning they were friends. He told the jury people were in and out of the bathroom as Carey and Anderson stripped off their clothes to show they were not wired by the police. Witness C said he was one of the people who was in and out. When he left the bathroom, he went and sat at the bar, close to the front door. During his initial interview with investigators in 2020, Witness C said he saw Carey come out and get a gun from the bouncer and rack the slide of the handgun as he walked back to the bathroom. From the witness stand on Friday, he told the jury that was a lie. Witness C explained someone told him that Carey shot Anderson, and he was mad about it, so he made up that story for the investigators. I remember saying that, he told the jury, but it wasnt true. He said when he heard the shots, he left. He went outside and hid behind a wall. He also said he watched Carey get into a silver car and leave. Like Witness B, he describe the scene as chaotic as people got into their cars and left. Witness C also admitted to partying that night, and he admitted to taking ecstasy. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Millennium Farms, diversified company focused on sustainably elevating Jordans agricultural sector, has been awarded GLOBALG.A.P. certification for its Deir Alla agricultural facilities. As a leading international standard for agricultural best practices, attaining GLOBALG.A.P. certification requires meeting a rigorous set of criteria across all operational aspects, including food safety and traceability, environmental sustainability, integrated crop management (ICM), integrated pest control (IPC), quality management system (QMS), hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), and workers health, safety, and welfare. Millennium Farms was granted GLOBALG.A.P. certification following a thorough application, review and inspection process, said the company. Home to Millennium Farms nursery program as well as its Agricultural Training Center, the companys Deir Alla facilities sit at the heart of its operations, providing seedlings that are planted and harvested at its various agricultural sites across the Kingdom. Millennium Farms General Manager Ali AlMadani said: At Millennium, our overarching aim is to ensure the sustainability of the kingdoms agricultural operations and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. As such, its important for us to adhere to the most superlative standards of agricultural practices. By attaining our GLOBALG.A.P. certification, we are firmly demonstrating this commitment to excellence, and we hope to continue leading by example in all that we do. Millennium Farms is a venture operated by the Jordanian Armed Forces. The company ultimately seeks to provide stability, security, and prosperity for the Kingdoms agricultural sector and farming communities, by investing in research and innovation; developing the knowledge, capacities, and resources of local farmers; and creating a sustainable model for ongoing, long-term development, it said. TradeArabia News Service MILWAUKEE The number of Americans ages 40 and over with blindness or visual impairment is expected to double between 2015 and 2050. That means more people will be at higher risk of falling and having poorer health outcomes, which are associated with living with vision loss. That is particularly true for older Americans. According to a 2022 study from the VisionServe Alliance, 7.3% of Americans ages 65 and over have visual impairment, and the figure is 9.8% for ages 80 and over. That is where Vision Forward comes in. Vision Forward, located at 912 N. Hawley Road, Milwaukee, has services for all ages of people who have blindness or low vision. It has a comprehensive approach to assist people to maintain their quality of life. Its 35 staff members help identify what clients priorities are to live a good life moving forward and develop strategies for doing so. Vision Forward is also in the midst of a public awareness campaign, with the support of the Racine Community Foundation, to raise awareness about its services and to help more people who are blind or visually impaired. The campaign slogan is If you cant see something, say something. Jacci Borchardt, Vision Forwards Director of Operations, said the organization works with many older adults, particularly those ages 85 and above. Borchardt said the most common issue that Vision Forward clients have is age-related macular degeneration, a progressive condition that impacts an individuals central vision. Vision Forward also has a wide array of programs and services for babies and toddlers, school-age children and working-age adults. Borchardt knows what visual impairment is like. She has had Stargardt disease since age 19, which affects her central vision. It took a while to adjust to her new life, and the disease resulted in her being unable to drive and having difficulty reading without magnification. Before working at the agency, Borchardt was a Vision Forward client. The organization provided such excellent service that, after working as a speech language pathologist, Borchardt accepted a job nine years ago because she felt aligned with Vision Forwards objectives. I was passionate about the mission and what it could do and felt like my skill set could be a good fit, Borchardt said. It makes me really proud that every day we can help people with vision loss stay in their job or be able to remain in their home or continue to do the things that matter to them. The Vision Forward campaign to raise awareness is important because the vast majority of people with visual impairment do not receive help. According to the VisionServe Alliance 2022 study, more than 3.8 million older Americans are blind or visually impaired. Of the millions of people who could benefit from training, resources, and support, very few are ever connected to help. Borchardt said only 3% utilize vision rehabilitation services. The main reason for that low number is lack of awareness, but there may also be some reluctance to seek help. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with being blind or visually impaired, and I think it can sometimes be challenging to take that step to acknowledge that there has been a change in vision and that maybe help is needed, Borchardt said. Often people dont even know whats possible in terms of continuing to live successfully with vision loss, so it can be scary to think about all the things that they cant do, instead of having recognition of what they still can do but maybe in a different way. Raising awareness can ideally help people receive more proactive treatment. Borchardt said a common refrain she hears from clients is that they wish they knew about Vision Forward sooner. We dont want people to wait until things get so bad that they are really struggling, Borchardt said. There are ways we can assist in the interim to help them cope and allow them to do the activities that are important to them. Vision Forward services do not restore vision, but rather work as an extension of medical services that manage eye diseases. Its focus is to address all other aspects of clients lives that are impacted by a visual impairment. We do the everyday living part, Borchardt said. For the people that we work with, its, What are the tasks that are important to them? What are the things that they want to do on a daily basis, and how do we teach them adaptations or the use of different tools to help them to still be able to do them? How do they continue to be as safe and independent as possible? Depending on the disease and its stage, a clients central vision and or peripheral vision can be impacted to varying degrees. The type of help clients receive depends on their visual function and priorities. Glaucoma, for example, impacts peripheral vision, meaning people cannot see objects on their sides and could be at higher risk of injury. Different sorts of visual conditions can create different visual challenges, and the way that we approach that is we look at each person individually and create a customized approach to how we can address their concerns, Borchardt said. Vision Forward has employees who assist people with accessibility on cell phones, computers and other forms of technology. For someone with macular degeneration, for example, assistance may focus on magnification of print, increasing contrast, proper task lighting and controlling for glare. Others may learn strategies for navigating public transportation or using ridesharing apps. There is also a Vision Forward social worker who coordinates group meetings. Borchardt said it can be crucial for clients to talk about what they are going through and connect with others with similar experiences. Other Vision Forward assistance areas include helping people cook and clean. Borchardt remembered one woman who had retinitis pigmentosa, which significantly impacted her vision. After working with an occupational therapist, she made flan, an elaborate dessert, and beamed with pride. I can still picture her face as she was holding this flan, what it meant to her to show what she could do, Borchardt said. It really sticks out when people shatter those expectations of what someone whos blind or visually impaired can accomplish. Borchardt said the most rewarding part of her job is helping clients improve their quality of life. She said last year that 99% of adults were satisfied with the services they received from Vision Forward. I dont want people to have to struggle, Borchardt said. That definitely motivates me on a daily basis to spread the word and then continue to provide the high-quality services that we do. To learn more about Vision Forward, visit its website, vision-forward.org, or call its office at 415-615-0100. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 It began before my children were of school age with a handgun shooting in Winnetka, Illinois. It continues as my grandchildren attend school: Columbine High School, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Sandy Hook Elementary, Robb Elementary -- there are too many to list. The carnage has escalated as automatic and semi-automatic weapons have been used. Why is owning a military-grade weapon available for non-military use? Our moral compass is definitely skewed when rights are more important than our childrens lives, safety and mental health. Background checks, "red flag" laws, waiting periods before weapon purchase wont solve this problem -- but can help. Banning assault weapons is the most important change we need to make. Hunters can still hunt, handgun owners can keep their weapons, but the chance of someone spraying bullets in a classroom would lessen. How many more children have to suffer? How much more carnage will it take before we put commonsense gun laws in place and ban non-military use of military weapons? Karin Frederick, Lake Geneva Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 1. Yes. It could give residents a reason to travel downtown and help revitalize the area. 2. Yes. It is, but only if the city commits to bringing in nearby restaurants and shops. 3. No. The city would be better served moving the annex to a more accessible part of town. 4. No. The proposed downtown location is in a blighted area. Consider other options. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say. It depends on what the city, county and architect come up with. Vote View Results In the past week, the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office has received at least five new complaints against a voter identification petition, this time alleging that petition circulators are being misleading about the petition's intent. But unlike a previous complaint, which alleged a signature gatherer falsely claimed to be a state employee, the more recent claims have not been forwarded to the Nebraska Attorney General's Office for further investigation. That's because Secretary of State Bob Evnen said his office does not consider them to be criminal in nature. Meanwhile, Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar, the initiative's sponsor, said the allegations are part of a "Democrat-led hit club" meant to undermine the initiative. Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, a Democrat running for governor, submitted one of the more recent complaints, as well as the initial complaint. She said she hears from people daily about questionable encounters they've had with signature gatherers for the ballot initiative. Last week, Blood shared a tweet that included a video of a signature gatherer who claimed the ballot initiative would give registered voters the option of using their ID before casting their vote, and later claimed the petition would allow there to be a debate about the issue. Blood said she's heard from at least one other person who said a petitioner claimed the ballot initiative "doesn't do anything, it just allows a debate." According to the ballot petition's object statement, the initiative if approved by Nebraska voters would amend the state Constitution to require registered voters present a valid photo ID before casting a ballot. Citizens for Voter ID is leading the effort to put the initiative on the November ballot. The group needs valid signatures from 10% of registered voters, or about 124,000 people, by July 7 to qualify. State law requires petition circulators read the object statement of the ballot initiative before collecting an individual's signature. Slama, a conservative lawmaker in the Legislature, said this is part of the training petitioners receive for the voter ID initiative. She said she has not seen any evidence that the petition circulators have been lying about the initiative's intent, and she dismissed the allegations as a purposeful effort by Blood and other Democrats to prevent the initiative from getting on the ballot. Blood said she has nothing against giving voters a choice on the issue, but she wants the petition effort to be conducted the right way. "They're basing this ballot initiative on unproven fraud by being actually fraudulent," Blood said. The latest complaints follow allegations last month from Blood and others who said they had been approached by signature gatherers claiming to be state employees. State employees are not allowed to circulate petitions or otherwise engage in political activities while on the clock. Evnen said his office sent the previous complaint lodged by Blood to the Attorney General's Office because they considered the allegations to be criminal in nature. However, Evnen said he didn't consider the new complaints to be at the same level, so his office followed its normal process of forwarding complaints to the initiative's sponsor. Slama said she has not been contacted by the Secretary of State's Office regarding the recent complaints. Though he does not consider the new allegations to be criminal, Evnen said there have been court cases filed in the past regarding misrepresentation of ballot initiatives. That occurred in 2008 when opponents filed a lawsuit seeking to keep a proposed constitutional amendment off the ballot. The opponents alleged, among other claims, that petition circulators failed to fully explain the initiative, which sought to put a ban on affirmative action into the Nebraska Constitution. The ban ultimately stayed on the ballot and voters overwhelmingly approved it. A judge later ruled in the ban's favor, upholding the legality of the petition drive that put it on the ballot. Blood said she expects the voter ID petition will be challenged in court. She said the company hired by Citizens for Voter ID to manage the signature-gathering effort, Vanguard Field Strategies, raises "a red flag." Vanguard, a GOP firm based in Austin, Texas, managed signature gathering for a leading candidate in Michigan who, according to reporting by the Detroit Free Press, likely will not appear on the Republican ballot for governor after the state's election bureau found that thousands of his petition signatures were fraudulent. Joe Williams, president of Vanguard Field Strategies, did not respond to an email Friday seeking comment. Solving real-world problems for one of Wisconsins most recognizable companies is the kind of work typically left to seasoned professionals. However, thanks to the Kwik Trip Integrated Core Program at UW-La Crosse, business students are gaining those experiences, too. During the spring semester, students worked in groups to research and address two issues currently facing the La Crosse-based convenience store company. Half the students explored strategies to design a work environment for the attraction and retention of new employees. The other half studied ways to maintain culture and retain workers in a hybrid environment. In early May, they presented their findings to representatives from Kwik Trip. Incoming senior Jack Murphy who worked with Alissa St. Louis, Teagan Hammen, Jackson Lescamela and Claire Mistele to tackle the first research topic says the group put considerable effort into crafting the presentation. This report was conducted by analyzing and researching various information to gain insight on what Kwik Trip can put in place to create and support a work environment that enhances employment brands and leads to more in-person work, explains Murphy, a finance major. This project was made primarily for the Kwik Trip team but could be used in almost any business practice. Murphy notes that, in large part due to COVID-19, many employers are reevaluating the traditional workplace. In that way, the pandemic provided businesses an opportunity to explore new ideas benefitting both the organization and its employees. We are in a fast-changing world where traditional aspects of the office may not be attractive for employees entering the workforce, Murphy says. Especially with the recent pandemic forcing people to work from home, the possibilities of workplace environments have expanded. Employees also want an employer that cares for their needs and wants. Job satisfaction and employee well-being were constant factors throughout the students project. Recommendations for employers included: Benefits and resources such as employer-sponsored childcare, on-site gyms and mental health resources. More flexible scheduling policies and social events designed to improve employee cohesion. Potential changes to the physical workplace, including open vs. closed workspaces. St. Louis, an incoming junior majoring in accounting, says the project and the Kwik Trip Integrated Core Program in general has provided an invaluable opportunity to gain experience in the business world. More than a conventional class, the program has also sparked close and collaborative relationships among students. This program is preparing me for my career because it offers many real-world problems that my team must solve, St. Louis notes. In many classes, it is hard to connect the content with how it would be applied in the workplace. In this program, the problems that we were asked to solve connected the course work and what people are trying to solve every day at work. All this work results in much more than a grade on a transcript. Kwik Trip representatives who attended the presentations say they went in with open minds, eager to hear and consider the students ideas. They see todays business students and their thoughts on how businesses can adapt and improve as key to the future. The Kwik Trip Integrated Core students efforts and dedication were irrefutable, says Megan Harcey, director of recruiting and coworker experience at Kwik Trip. Their ability to take complex abstract concepts, research legitimate recommendations and simulate it into professional business presentations was truly impressive. We admire their passion and dedication, and there is no doubt this rigorous program has better prepared them for their bright futures. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 An outstanding pick of more than 20 designers and around 100 exhibitors from the leading gold and jewellery brands will take part in the 3rd edition of the Jewels of Emirates Show from June 30. Organised by Expo Centre Sharjah, with the support of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), the exhibition, which runs until July 3, is regarded as a distinct platform to support the gold and jewellery industry. The 8,000-square-metre exhibition will provide designers and participants with an excellent opportunity to showcase their talents and creativity, promote their latest innovations in gold and jewellery, develop their craft and marketing skills, achieve rewarding revenues, and increase their sales. Success predicted The Jewels of Emirates Show is expected to achieve great success, attracting a large number of gold and jewellery lovers and visitors who are eagerly anticipating such an event to explore its latest modern designs of gold, diamond, and other jewellery sets; a variety of the finest gold pieces and trends inspired by the Emirati heritage; as well as local handcrafted jewellery. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, said: "The Emirati gold and jewellery industry is known for several competitive features that have propelled it to the forefront of the global gold and precious metals trade. Thus, the UAE now accounts for 11% of world's total gold exports, and the gold industry has grown significantly, according to World Gold Council data, which indicates a 36% increase in consumer demand for gold in the UAE in the first quarter of this year to 14.5 tonnes compared to 10.7 tonnes the previous year." Jewellery industry Al Midfa also highlighted the Expo Centre's keenness to organise the Jewels of Emirates Show in order to enhance and support the gold and jewellery industry, involve Emirati citizens in gold trade, design, and manufacture, and improve the quality and competitiveness of national products in local and regional markets. The Jewels of Emirates Show will be open for visitors on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 2 pm to 10 pm, and Friday from 3 pm to 11 pm.-- TradeArabia News Service Panda was the best St. Bernard at the nations biggest dog show. The dog, owned by Pamela Brandau of Kendall and her daughter Stacy Pagel of Sparta, won Best of Breed honors at the 146th Westminster Dog Show held at Lyndhurst National Historic Trust site in Tarrytown, New York. By winning Best of Breed, Panda earned a spot in Wednesdays Working Group competition, which consisted of 31 different breeds. Thats where Pandas evening ended. Only one dog advanced to Best of Show, and only four earned ribbons. Nearly 3,500 dogs representing more than 200 breeds took part in the competition. Brandau said she and Pagel were thrilled to win Best of Breed and have Panda featured on national television. These were the top dogs in their breed everywhere, Brandau said. Its an honor to have a dog good enough to get there. Brandau said her daughter remained calm and composed during Pandas biggest moment on stage. Stacy looked at it like it was another dog show, Brandau said. She was used to how things are handled. Brandau said it was an exciting moment when Panda was named Best of Breed. She said Panda jumped up and down when he was announced as the champion. It seems like he knows when hes a winner, she said. A bloodhound named Trumpet was named Best in Show from among the seven group finalists, a result that didnt surprise Brandau and Pagel. Brandau said they took notice of Trumpet during a previous show. She described the dog as a beautiful and very deserving champion. Panda will remain a busy dog on the show circuit. This weekend, hes entered in a Crown Point, Indiana, show, and theyre looking to enter major shows in Philadelphia and Orlando later this year. Were going after the big ones, Brandau said. La Crosse Tribune reporter Steve Rundio can be reached at steve.rundio@lee.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Sierra Steele earned the title of Wisconsin High School Rodeo Champion Barrel Racer at the State Finals rodeo in Richland Center on June 10-12. She recently graduated from Tomah High School and will represent Team WI at the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR). Brady Breitsprecher, a ninth grader, also qualified in Team Roping and will compete at Nationals held July 17-23 in Gillette, Wyoming. Brady is a three-time National Junior High School Rodeo (NJHSFR) qualifier, while Sierra has qualified three times for the NHSFR. Sierra was also chosen for The CINCH Team, which is an elite group of athletes representing leadership for the NHSRA. This month she is the Professionals Choice NHSRA Air Ride Student Athlete of the Month. The honor recognizes exemplary NHSRA members who are well-rounded students and are active in their communities. You can watch the National High School Finals Rodeo during Live broadcasts of each performance online at www.thecowboychannel.com. Performance times begin at 7 p.m. on July 17 and competition continues daily at 9am and 7 p.m. through July 23. To follow your local athletes at the NHSFR, visit NHSRA.com daily for complete results. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Pope Francis will install 16 new cardinals on Aug. 27, 2022. These men will be among those who will vote for the next pope. He chose one of the cardinals from California. Guess whom? There were four possibilities. First is Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles. Traditionally, because of its size, the archdiocese of Los Angeles is led by a cardinal. Moreover, Gomez is currently the president of U.S. bishops conference. As leader of the bishops, he encouraged writing a document that would not allow politicians who back abortion rights to receive communion. Gomez was not chosen. Second is Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. In May, he announced he would bar Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from receiving communion. In a public letter he wrote that Pelosi was not to be admitted to Holy Communion unless and until she publicly repudiate her support for abortion rights and confess and receive absolution. Cordileone was not chosen. Third is Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles. Barron created and currently leads Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, the largest and growing adult education and formation ministry in the U.S. Barron is also known as an excellent speaker and has been compared to Bishop Fulton Sheen. (Incidentally, Barron will soon become the bishop of the Winona-Rochester diocese.) Barron was not chosen. Fourth is Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego. When asked about restoring the ministry of women to the diaconate, he responded, I am in favor of it. Although he abhors abortion, McElroy has warned against the weaponization of the Eucharist for political gains. He follows Pope Francis, who has never refused communion to anyone, including Italian politicians who supported some abortion rights. McElroy was chosen. He will be the first cardinal for the diocese of San Diego. Michael Winters, journalist for National Catholic Reporter, called the choice of McElroy, Thrilling. He has long been recognized as the leading intellectual among U.S. bishops. The newly appointed cardinals will come from a variety of countries: Nigeria, Brazil, India, East Timor, Ghana, Singapore, Paraguay, and Mongolia. Francis continues to make the church more universal. He has increased the percentage of cardinals from Africa and Asia as the percentage of European cardinals declines. As of Aug. 27, there will be 132 cardinals eligible to vote in the next papal conclave. There are 11 named by John Paul II, 38 by Benedict XVI, and 83 by Francis. This means that Francis has named over 62% of the men who will eventually elect his successor. Some believe that odds are favorable that the next pope will continue Francis policies. But no one knows for sure. In conclaves, there is a mysterious combination of divine guidance and human evaluation. The electors are known, the outcome is not. When Francis was elected in 2013, it was a surprise to most who follow papal elections. In the meantime, I pray for improving health for Pope Francis. I am in no hurry for a papal conclave. Vince Hatt is the author of a new book, 5 Minutes Matter: End of Life Reflections on Spirituality and Religion. He will host a book signing celebration at Franciscan Spiritual Center on Tuesday, June 28, from 4:00-7:00pm. Books are available at FSC or on Amazon. Even if you dont buy the book, stop by for a chocolate chip cookie. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Abortion foes, supporters map next moves after Roe reversal CHARLESTON, W. Va. (AP) A Texas group that helps women pay for abortions halted its efforts Saturday while evaluating its legal risk under a strict state ban. Mississippi's only abortion clinic continued to see patients while awaiting a 10-day notice that will trigger a ban. Elected officials across the country vowed to take action to protect women's access to reproductive health care, and abortion foes promised to take the fight to new arenas. A day after the Supreme Court's bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils turned to resolve as several states enacted bans and both supporters and opponents of abortion rights mapped out their next moves. In Texas, Cathy Torres, organizing manager for Frontera Fund, a group that helps pay for abortions, said there is a lot of fear and confusion in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border, where many people are in the country without legal permission. That includes how the state's abortion law, which bans the procedure from conception, will be enforced. Under the law, people who help patients get abortions can be fined and doctors who perform them could face life in prison. We are a fund led by people of color, who will be criminalized first, Torres said, adding that abortion funds like hers that have paused operations hope to find a way to safely restart. We just really need to keep that in mind and understand the risk. Supreme Court conservatives flex muscle in sweeping rulings WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court's sweeping rulings on guns and abortion sent an unmistakable message. Conservative justices hold the power and they are not afraid to use it to make transformative changes in the law, none more so than taking away a woman's right to abortion that had stood for nearly 50 years. No more half measures, they declared Friday in overturning Roe v. Wade and allowing states to outlaw abortion. And the day before, in ruling for the first time that Americans the right to carry handguns in public for self-defense, they said the Constitution is clear. A restless and newly constituted Court, is how Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of three liberals on the nine-member court, described her colleagues earlier in June. The abortion case in particular was a repudiation of the more incremental approach favored by Chief Justice John Roberts. The decisions in the blockbuster cases on consecutive days were the latest and perhaps clearest manifestation of how the court has evolved over the past six years a product of historical accident and Republican political brute force from an institution that leaned right, but produced some notable liberal victories, to one with an aggressive, 6-3 conservative majority. Biden signs landmark gun measure, says 'lives will be saved' WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. "Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved, he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, "Their message to us was, Do something. How many times did we hear that? Just do something. For Gods sake, just do something. Today we did. The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two summits in Europe. Today we say, More than enough, Biden said. Its time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential." The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous. Russia fires missiles across Ukraine, cements gains in east KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian forces were seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, pressing their momentum after taking full control Saturday of the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk and the chemical plant where hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians had been holed up. Russia also launched dozens of missiles on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the first time, Ukraine's air command said. The bombardment preceded a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, during which Putin announced that Russia planned to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now control Sievierodonetsk and the villages surrounding it. He said the attempt by Ukrainian forces to turn the Azot plant into a stubborn center of resistance had been thwarted. Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk province, said Friday that Ukrainian troops were retreating from Sievierodonetsk after weeks of bombardment and house-to-house fighting. He confirmed Saturday that the city had fallen to Russian and separatist fighters, who he said were now trying to blockade Lysychansk from the south. The city lies across the river just to the west of Sievierodonetsk. 'Mitt Romney Republican' is now a potent GOP primary attack SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Mitt Romney isn't up for reelection this year. But Trump-aligned Republicans hostile toward the Utah senator have made his name a recurring theme in this year's primaries, using him as a foil and derisively branding their rivals Mitt Romney Republicans." Republicans have used the concept to frame their primary opponents as enemies of the Trump-era GOP in southeast Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The anti-tax group Club For Growth, among the most active super PACs in this year's primaries, used Mitt Romney Republican as the central premise of an attack ad in North Carolina's Senate primary. But nowhere are references to Romney Republicanism as common as they are in Utah. Despite his popularity with many residents here, candidates are repeatedly deploying Mitt Romney Republican as a campaign trail attack in the lead-up to Tuesdays Republican primary. There are two different wings in the Republican Party, Chris Herrod, a former state lawmaker running in suburban Utahs 3rd Congressional District, said in a debate last month. If youre more aligned with Mitt Romney and Spencer Cox, he added, referring to Utahs governor, then Im probably not your guy. Pope hails families, blasts 'culture of waste' after Roe ROME (AP) Pope Francis celebrated families Saturday and urged them to shun selfish decisions that are indifferent to life as he closed out a big Vatican rally a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion. Francis didnt refer to the ruling or explicitly mention abortion in his homily. But he used the buzzwords he has throughout his papacy about the need to defend families and to condemn a culture of waste that he believes is behind the societal acceptance of abortion. Let us not allow the family to be poisoned by the toxins of selfishness, individualism, today's culture of indifference and waste, and as a result lose its very DNA, which is the spirit of welcoming and service, he said. The pope, noting that some couples allow their fears and anxieties to thwart the desire to bring new lives in the world, called for them not to cling to selfish desires. You have been asked to not have other priorities, not to look back to miss your former life, your former freedom, with its deceptive illusions, he said. Guns and abortion: Contradictory decisions, or consistent? They are the most fiercely polarizing issues in American life: abortion and guns. And two momentous decisions by the Supreme Court in two days have done anything but resolve them, firing up debate about whether the courts conservative justices are being faithful and consistent to history and the Constitution or citing them to justify political preferences. To some critics, the rulings represent an obvious, deeply damaging contradiction. How can the court justify restricting the ability of states to regulate guns while expanding the right of states to regulate abortion? The hypocrisy is raging, but the harm is endless, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday after the court released its decision on abortion. To supporters, the courts conservatives are staying true to the countrys founding principles and undoing errors of the past. The court corrected a historic wrong when it voided a right to abortion that has stood for nearly 50 years, former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday. On Twitter, he said the decision returned to Americans the power to govern themselves at the state level in a manner consistent with their values and aspirations. Guns in paradise: Ruling could undo strict Hawaii carry law HONOLULU (AP) Megan Kau takes occasional weeklong hunting trips to the Hawaiian island of Lanai, where she enjoys watching the sunrise and hearing the distant rustle of deer and mouflon sheep in the tropical wilderness, a rifle ready at her side. As a gun owner, she also goes to shooting ranges several times a year. Those outings are the only times the attorney and Oahu native sees others with guns in this tourist mecca where strict laws make it harder to purchase firearms and restrict carrying loaded guns in public. Thursdays U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning New York's concealed weapon law will likely change things in Hawaii, too, where it's now highly unusual to see people carrying loaded weapons in public. Some say the change will lead to more gun violence in a state that traditionally sees very little. In 2020, Hawaii had the nation's lowest rate for gun deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Were culturally accepting, were racially accepting, Kau said. But within our culture, were fighters. We have passion. WHO panel: Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage' LONDON (AP) The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency. In a statement Saturday, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were unusual and acknowledged that monkeypox which is endemic in some African countries has been neglected for years. While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute a global health emergency, WHO said in a statement. WHO nevertheless pointed to the emergency nature of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an "intense" response. The committee said the outbreak should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks." But it would recommend a re-assessment before then if certain new developments emerge such as cases among sex workers; spread to other countries or within countries that have already had cases; increased severity of cases; or an increasing rate of spread. Norway shaken by attack that kills 2 during Pride festival OSLO, Norway (AP) A gunman opened fire in Oslos nightlife district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving more than 20 wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an "Islamist terror act" during the capitals annual LGBTQ Pride festival. Investigators said the suspect, identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested after opening fire at three locations in downtown Oslo. Police said two men, one in his 50s and and the other his 60s, died in the shootings. Ten people were treated for serious injuries, but none of them was believed to be in life-threatening condition. Eleven others had minor injuries. The Norwegian Police Security Service raised its terror alert level from "moderate" to extraordinary the highest level after the attack, which sent panicked revelers fleeing into the streets or trying to hide from the gunman. The service's acting chief, Roger Berg, called the attack an extreme Islamist terror act and said the suspect had a long history of violence and threats, as well as mental health issues. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ISTANBUL (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Sweden's prime minister that he has not seen any tangible moves to address Turkeys concerns about her country joining NATO, Erdogans office said Saturday. Erdogan called in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson for binding commitments from Sweden, as well as a concrete change of attitude in the country's approach to fighting terrorism. He added that Turkey had not seen any tangible initiative from Sweden that would alleviate Turkeys concerns at this point about the Nordic nation's request to become a NATO member, the presidents communications directorate said in a statement. Sweden and Finland applied to join the Western military alliance in May following Russias invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, which is a NATO member, has so far blocked the applications, citing what Ankara considers to be a soft approach to organizations such as the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has left tens of thousands dead. Turkey is demanding that Sweden and Finland grant extradition requests for individuals who are wanted in Turkey. Ankara claims the countries are harboring PKK members as well people it says are linked to a failed 2016 coup. Turkey also wants assurances that arms restrictions imposed by the two countries over Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northern Syria will be removed. Finland and Sweden's membership requests and Turkey's objections are expected to be a central theme at a June 28-30 NATO summit in Madrid. Erdogan earlier reiterated Turkey's demands in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the presidency said. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 This Green Bay story is not about the Packers its about the 2022 city council race in that community. And its about the political roller coaster experience of a 2022 candidate for a nonpartisan seat on the city council. At the start, the 2022 city council elections in Green Bay appeared to be headed in a fairly routine direction. A total of 11 positions were up for election; three were open seats. Michael Poradek announced his candidacy for the 11th district with this statement: I care about our Green Bay community and want to serve my neighbors across District 11 by focusing on local issues that matter to each of us on a daily basis. That includes public safety, economic and community development, infrastructure and streets, and increasing regular communication and transparency between City Council and residents. However, what started as a fairly typical election cycle soon took a turn. Under the cloud of the growing political divide, the election climate shifted dramatically. Large amounts of campaign money began flowing into the election in an effort to select or support candidates based upon party affiliation. Strikingly, the overwhelming amount of money came from out-of-town political action committees (PACs) that dont have to identify their specific funding sources. Poradek was approached and offered outside contributions. He not only declined, but he also led an effort to circulate a nonpartisan pledge, rejecting contributions from political parties and external special interest groups. Eight of the 21 candidates signed the pledge. As the outside money continued to flow into the election, the campaign ads became decidedly partisan, often using carbon copy statements to portray a candidate. At best, the ads were misleading; at worst, they were false. By the end of the campaign, more than $300,000 in outside, dark money was spent on the nonpartisan city council election! Poradek lost the election by a little more than 100 votes. He shared his dismay that many of the ads running in his district were false, portraying him as unrecognizable to the person he really is. He was targeted by the Pewaukee-based PAC, Wisconsinites for Liberty, whose attack ads were particularly accusatory and misleading. Identical attack ads were used with other candidates. In a cookie cutter approach, they simply inserted his name and image. Poradek noted with a sense of irony, I was running to support my community as an independent candidate for a non-partisan position. He humbly added, I wanted to get a stop light at the end of the street. It is not unusual for a community to be flooded with campaign ads in the weeks leading up to the general election, many of them painting a very negative picture of the targeted candidate. These kinds of ads have played a part in elections in our country since its founding. So, is this years campaign season any different than prior years? The answer is yes. Supporters of both political parties are funneling large amounts of money into local, nonpartisan elections for county board, city council, and school board. The Green Bay story is repeating in Wisconsin communities and spreading. So where is all this money coming from? As reported in OpenSecrets.org, campaign spending in the United States topped $14 billion in 2020, up from $5.7 billion four years earlier. Campaign spending is projected to exceed $20 billion in 2024. Alarmingly, more than $1 billion in 2020 campaign spending came from unknown sources dark money. This should highlight some very concerning trends. First of all, campaign spending is largely unregulated due to the 2010 Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. A small number of donors are driving these massive contribution increases. For example, a total of 12 individuals (six pro-Republican and six pro-Democrat) contributed over $1 billion in 2020 alone! Its no wonder that, according to Pew Research, 90% of Americans believe that big money donors have more political influence than other people. There is a belief that the Citizens United decision benefits the Republican Party. It is true that many big money donors are Republicans leading Democrats by a nearly 2 to 1 margin. But in recent years, Democrats outspent Republicans by a 4 to 1 margin when it came to dark money. Clearly, both parties are taking advantage of the Citizens United decision. It is the average citizen, regardless of party, who is losing out. What can be done to restore leverage to the average citizen? Given the Supreme Court decision, it will require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to restore the legal authority to regulate campaign spending. This is no small undertaking. Despite the enormity of this challenge, a serious effort is underway to take this on, led by an organization called American Promise. So far, 22 states have approved a resolution in support of the amendment. A total of 38 are needed before it can be presented for a congressional vote. Beyond campaign finance issues, it is alarming that the growing political divide (along with massive infusions of unregulated cash) is injecting national politics into local issues and elections. It is troublesome that more than $300,000 in outside money was spent on a city council election. And even more concerning is that we may fail to recognize who our neighbors really are, as opposed to a stereotypical caricature from a political ad. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Green Bay to meet some of the community leaders. The Rotary Club of Green Bay hosted a special meeting with leaders from American Promise to learn more about how Wisconsin could add their states name to the proposed Constitutional Amendment on Campaign Finance Reform. While some Rotary clubs avoid topics that might appear political, the Rotary Club of Green Bay knows that the topic in question is really about protecting the local community from undue external manipulation. At that meeting, I also had the opportunity to meet Poradek, who spoke to the group about his personal experience. Despite the election results, it appears that he may be setting his sights beyond city council. He may be accepting opportunities to speak out on behalf of promoting integrity in the American democracy. We should all hope that is the case. Lee Rasch is executive director of LeaderEthics-Wisconsin. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 They are finally here! Vaccinations against COVID-19 were at last approved for the youngest people ages 6 months to 5 years old. Studies in children have been done showing definite protective benefits and no major adverse reactions occurring. The first step was the FDA approval after an advisory panel deliberated the week of June 13 only 2 days to vote unanimously to recommend authorization, stating the benefits outweigh any risks for young kids. The CDC signed off on the vaccines June 18 with another unanimous vote. The two vaccines consist of the Pfizer mRNA version in adults, but a much-reduced dose of 3 micrograms instead of 30 micrograms, given in three doses to induce a high level of antibodies equivalent to young adults. The first two doses are spaced three weeks apart, and the third at least two months later. The study found only 10 COVID cases in the three-dose group and seven in the placebo group for an efficacy of 80%. The study included only a small number of patients. Most of the infectious disease and pediatrician experts cautioned not to lose sight of the fact that the vaccines were saving childrens lives. The Moderna mRNA vaccine is the same as the adult one but only a quarter of the dose at 25 micrograms in a two-dose series given four weeks apart. Both this and the Pfizer vaccine achieved the same levels of immunity that have protected young adults against severe disease. None of the developed COVID vaccines have achieved the ideal of elimination of the infection. But they have saved many lives. In children, the risk from COVID is very real, even though hospitalization and deaths are lower than in adults. In children ages 1-4, COVID is the fifth leading cause of death. One source that looked at the period from January 2020 through May 2022 said 202 kids in this age group died from COVID. Another source quoted 480 kids dead from COVID. Thats more deaths per year than hepatitis, meningitis, rotavirus, and other common infectious diseases each caused before routine vaccinations for them were recommended. And the risk wasnt limited to any particular group. More than half of the youngsters hospitalized due to COVID had no underlying conditions. These vaccines have proven to be some of the safest of any for adults. In the preliminary studies in this age group the adverse reactions/side effects were mostly mild and short lived, much like those in adults, and similar to those from other vaccines. The main one was pain and redness or tenderness at the injection site. There might be some irritability, fatigue, or sleepiness, loss of appetite, headache, abdominal pain or discomfort, mild diarrhea, vomiting. But everyone got better quickly! Fevers were uncommon and mild in the participants. Those can be treated with acetaminophen. A pediatric infectious disease specialist at Childrens Hospital, Denver, Colo., said its important to keep in mind that COVID-19 is now one of the vaccine-preventable diseases with the highest mortality rate. Hospitalization rates for children with COVID were five times higher during the recent wave than the worst previous points of the pandemic. Katherine Poehling, director of pediatric population health at Wake forest School of Medicine, said, I am struck by these numbers. Im also concerned theres a real underappreciation of the potential severity. FDA commissioner Robert Califf said, Any death of a child is tragic, and should be prevented if possible. Its a guarantee that, if a respiratory germ gets into a home, it gets into everyone living there. It may not take hold in each individual to create what we call disease for a host of reasons, but the microbe made the rounds, positive test or not. That includes every kid kissing you or sharing food with you. The COVID variants currently crawling down our craws are killing fewer Americans daily than during any other period except the summer of 2021. But the country is now recording 10 times as many cases as it was at that time, indicating that a smaller number of cases are causing deaths. But COVID is still killing an average of 314 people a day. These darling little Petri (not peach tree) dishes we parents and grandparents love to hug and kiss can be vectors of so many viruses. The vaccines are a tool to help prevent that spread and contagion. Its an incomplete tool, but its part of a larger effort to stop infections, along with hand washing, etc. Maybe you could liken it to a fork among our eating utensils. We could eat most everything on the plate with that fork, but a knife and spoon sure help us to divide and down the delectables we cant spear. The vaccines are essentially safe and a valuable tool. One preventable childs death is one too many. Get your tot shot! 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. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 I was devastated. I was saddened and blown away. Im pretty disgusted. These are the emotions Caitlin Nicholson, Brynne Schultz and Sarah Johnson, respectively, felt Friday when they learned the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade. That evening, the three of them along with about a dozen others gathered at the corner of Eighth and Main streets in Winona to share their thoughts on the Supreme Court decision during a rally. Attendees held signs sharing their heartbroken reactions with passing cars, and drivers honked in response. While the country knew the decision was coming due to a leak earlier this year that revealed much of the courts opinion, Nicholson and Shultz both said they were still shocked when the overturn was formally announced. All of a sudden, were going back 50 years, Nicholson, a local DFL officer, said. Nicholson stressed that people cannot tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. She also shared her fear of the future with this Supreme Court decision, saying, This is so important, because every time we take away a right, we threaten more rights. What rights are under attack next? Nicholson said. Dave Smith, another rally attendee, expressed a similar worry for other rights in the country, as he said that the overturning of Roe v. Wade sets a really bad precedent for the future. Its very alarming, especially as a minority member myself facing possible violence. Stuff like this just encourages that, Smith, who is transgender, shared. Smith is worried about suggestions that Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, may be overturned too in the near future. As a mother, Nicholson said she feels fear for the sake of her children after this Supreme Court decision. I am terrified of the world that my kids are going to grow up in with Roe v. Wade not existing, she said. While Minnesota still allows abortions, Nicholson fears this may not be the case as soon as next year if Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan do not stay in office. Both Walz and Flanagan have declared that they will protect abortion rights in the state as long as they are in charge, but they are up for reelection this year. Johnson shared that she and her coworkers agreed Friday that they do not feel like they have as many rights as guns inanimate objects do in the United States, as the Supreme Court continues to issue decisions that allow for the expansion of gun rights across the country. Johnson said she will continue going to rallies like the one Friday in Winona until she sees progress being made in support of abortion and women rights. Schultz, who uses the pronoun they, shared a similar thought to Johnson that they believe the United States favors regulating womens bodies much more than it favors regulating guns. Shultz said that leaders who say the Supreme Courts ruling protects babies, but who do not support putting limitations on guns, do not see that these children that theyre going to protect or that they say theyre protecting are going to grow up in a world where they have to be afraid of school shooters. Schultz also said that these babies will grow up dealing with another hot topic being discussed right now across the nation hatred and discrimination towards the LGBTQ community. To learn more about events scheduled in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, like the rally Friday in Winona, visit www.womensmarch.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. iRead competition, a flagship programme at the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra), will expand to include all readers from all Arab countries in its next edition, which will leave a footprint on the Arab cultural landscape. This was announced by the President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, Engineer Amin bin Hassan Al-Nasser, who crowned the winners of the 7th iRead competition. Shahd Al-Qaisum was voted by the audience as the reader of the year. We live in a rapidly developing world which faces challenges that require innovative and creative thinking abilities, as well as communication and cooperation, to build a better future for humanity. Our wise leadership, which launched unprecedented positive and pioneering transformations within the framework of Vision 2030, finds no limits to aspirations, especially among youth. Human capital greatest wealth We, at Aramco, believe that our greatest wealth is not oil and gas, but human capital, and we seek to contribute effectively to building the future within the company's strategy to achieve growth, prosperity, and sustainability. Therefore, the iRead competition was launched to stimulate knowledge and the spirit of intellectual exploration to fuel the human mind, Al-Nasser said as he congratulated the winners and participants. Al-Nasser also hoped that Saudi Arabia would celebrate the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Literature to a Saudi author in the future, and that the iRead competition will play a huge role in that achievement. Long journey The ceremony hosted a large gathering of intellectuals and writers, who were briefed on the long journey in which the winners traversed throughout the competition. The ceremony also honoured those who won the titles of The Reader of the Year, Reading Ambassador, and Translation Ambassador. Hussain Hanbazazah, the Director of Ithra, expressed his utmost pride in the participants and winners of the competition, which has witnessed rapid development since its inception in 2013, as well as an increase in the number of participants which exceeded 75,000 readers. Noting that Ithra seeks to develop the programme on an annual basis, especially after it has become international, so that more bibliophiles can have the opportunity to join. Protective shield Hanbazazah also added that reading is one of the protective shields of the Arabic language, and that it is purely a tool of human development that contributes to thought innovation through various streams of Arabic literature. The competition played role in promoting knowledge and raising awareness by encouraging the youth to compete. He praised the role that Ithra seeks to play in promoting aspects of culture and consolidating the pillars of reading, through its library, which has received more than one million visitors since the centres inception. The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the UAE, Turki Aldakhil quoted Scottish writer, Arthur Conan Doyle, who said: "The love of books is among the choicest gifts of the gods". Only those who lived it realise it. Deprivation has many faces, but the most painful is the depravation of the pleasure of reading, he said. A sweeping victory The panel of judges also announced the names of the winners of the reading ambassadors, as follows: Khazina Al Shammari Khuloud Al Anzi Maha Al Omari And the winners of the translation ambassadors: Munira Al Hwaidi Wijdan Al Widyani Marwan Al Rasheed The panel also announced Zainab Al Nasser as the winner of the Young Readers track, while the jury chose Mohammad Al Khalifa after he met all the needed criteria.-- TradeArabia News Service In Naples, Italy, a debate has begun about the citys famous traditional food, pizza. Billionaire Flavio Briatore criticized the low-cost, simple pizzas of Naples. He called them bricks of dough with a puddle of tomato. The kind of pizza that Briatore was criticizing is called the Neapolitan Margherita. It is a simple pizza, made of only dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and basil. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aims to protect cultural arts, including cooking. UNESCO considers Neapolitan pizza making, or Pizzaiuolo, an intangible cultural heritage of Italy. That means making pizza is a skill or idea passed from generation to generation and important to Naples, Italy and the world. Many chefs from Naples reacted to Briatores comment with anger. Chef Sergio Miccu, president of the Neapolitan pizza maker association, said Briatore had betrayed the pizzas heritage. "Pizza has fed entire generations, overcoming...war and cholera," he said. Gino Sorbillo, one of Italy's most famous pizza chefs, also reacted publicly to Briatores comments. He served free pizza in front of his family restaurant in central Naples as his answer. He said low-cost pizza could also be very good. (Briatore) says that cheap pizza is not good? We make it like this, taste it and tell me what its like, Sorbillo told RTL radio. Briatore owns restaurants that serve pizza that is very different from the classic Margherita. This pizza comes with many toppings and can cost as much as $68. Sorbillo suggested that Briatore should let his cooks prepare food next to Neapolitan chefs in his restaurants, "to let his clients, used to gourmet pizza, taste a typical Neapolitan one, in a healthy challenge." Im Matthew Caputo. Giulia Segreti reported this story for Reuters. Matthew Caputo adapted it for VOA Learning English. _______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story dough n. a mixture of flour and water that is used to make bread and similar foods intangible adj. not made of physical substance; not able to be touched; not tangible heritage n. the traditions, achievements, beliefs, etc., that are part of the history of a group or nation chef n. a professional cook who usually is in charge of a kitchen in a restaurant betray v. to hurt someone by not supporting or helping them overcome v. to successfully deal with or gain control of (something difficult) client n. a person who pays for goods or services at a shop, restaurant or hotel gourmet n. a food or meal of very high quality What do you think of pizza? Do you think it should be cheap or expensive? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Scientists are trying to learn more about microorganisms that turn snow red and might cause snow to melt faster. Recently, researcher Eric Marechal collected what he called snow blood from a mountain area 2,500 meters above sea level. Snow blood is a kind of algae that is red. Its dark color causes snow to melt more easily. Scientist are concerned that the algae are spreading. "These algae are green. But when it's in the snow, it accumulates a little pigment like sunscreen to protect itself," said Marechal. He is the research director at Grenoble's Scientific Research National Center. He and his coworkers collected algae to study in the laboratory on Le Brevent Mountain near the town of Chamonix in France. The red-colored organism was formally identified and given its scientific name Sanguina nivaloides in 2019. Scientists are now trying to understand snow blood. Snow volume is decreasing because of rising global temperatures. This change in climate is especially affecting the Alps Mountains. There is a "double reason" for studying the algae, Marechal explained. "The first is that it's an area that is little-explored and the second is that this little explored area is melting before our eyes so it's urgent," he said. Alberto Amato is a researcher at CEA Center in Grenoble. He said the volume of algae appear to be growing because of climate change. He said algae grow faster with higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The research is ongoing. But the scientists say it is clear that the presence of algae speeds the melting of snow. This is because algae's color reduces snows ability to reflect the sun's heat. Other kinds of algae, including a purple kind, as well as soot from forest fires have the same effect. If the algae do spread, snow and glacier melt around the world could speed up. "The warmer it is, the more algae there are and the more the snow melts quickly," said Amato. "It's a vicious circle and we are trying to understand all the mechanisms to understand this circle so we can try to do something about it," he added. Im Dan Novak. Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from Reuters. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story accumulate n. to increase slowly over time pigment n. a natural substance that gives color to animals or plants volume v. the amount of something reflect v. to have lights bounce a surface and travel in the opposite direction soot v. the black powder that is the result of burning things vicious v. bad or severe mechanism n. a process that produces a specific result Two new laws in Ukraine aim to restrict books and music from Russian citizens. The laws will ban the printing of books by Russians who held Russian citizenship after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Unless Russians give up their passports, their books will not be printed in Ukraine. The laws ban businesses from importing books printed in Russia, Belarus, and Russian-controlled Ukrainian territory. They also require special permission to import books in the Russian language from other countries. An additional law would ban music by post-1991 Russian citizens in Ukrainian media and in public areas. There would also be quotas to increase the amount of Ukrainian language heard on TV and radio. Ukraines Cultural Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said that he was happy with the new laws. They still have to be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before they take effect. The Ukrainian cabinets website quoted him as saying, The laws are designed to help Ukrainian authors share quality content with the widest possible audience. He said that Russian creative content would not be accepted in physical form because of the Russian invasion. Even some Ukrainian lawmakers, who the public considers to be pro-Russia, supported the new laws. The new rules are part of a movement in Ukraine called "derussification. It is the latest wave in the cultural break from Russia that has been happening since the Soviet period ended in 1991. Some consider the laws part of a process over the years to remove the legacy of rule by Russia. After the collapse of the USSR, there was decommunization, or the removal of Communist ideas and culture. Now, derussification aims to undo the connection to Russia and policies that hurt Ukrainian identity. Support for this process increased after the 2014 invasion of Crimea and the separatist movement in eastern Ukraine. But since the February invasion, support for derussification has taken on a new meaning. In Ukraines capital of Kyiv, hundreds of places are to be renamed to remove the connection to Russia. In April, a monument that celebrated the relationship between the Ukrainian and Russian people from the Soviet period was torn down to cheers from a crowd. The government in Moscow disagrees with the process. Russian officials say that people who speak Russian in Ukraine, about 30 percent of the population, are being forced to speak Ukrainian and are being oppressed by Ukraines policies. Im Faith Pirlo. Max Hunder wrote this article for Reuters. Faith Pirlo adapted it for Learning English. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story quota n. a specific amount or number that is expected to be reached or permitted legacy n. something that comes from someone in the past that affects the present monument n. an edifice built by humans to mark an event or memory Recent college graduates in the United States are facing the loss of job offers in the technology industry. Losing job offers is especially damaging at this time of year. The graduates say they are now prevented from seeking jobs at companies like Meta Platforms, Google and some other large technology companies. Those companies have already hired new college-level workers for the year. Over the last week of May, Twitter called a group of young people who had received job offers from the social media company. In the calls, the company revoked, or took back, the job offers in 15-minute calls. Some of the people who received the calls told reporters about them. Iris Guo described the call to the Reuters news agency. Guo graduated from the University of Waterloo in Canada. She studied financial management and computer science. Guo, who lives in Toronto, received the bad news in a video call. She said the experience was traumatic. Since then, she has raced to find new employment in order to secure her U.S. work visa. Lucas Durrant is an electrical engineering graduate from Canada. He was ready to start his new job as a software engineer at Bolt, an online sales company. While on vacation a few weeks ago, he received an email stating that his offer was being taken back. Bolt announced it would begin job cuts in late May. The company blamed economic conditions. More than 21,500 tech workers in the United States have lost their jobs so far this year. That information comes from Layoffs.fyi, a website that follows job cuts. Reuters news agency looked at posts on LinkedIn and Google spreadsheets set up to help people who lost job offers. Reuters found that at least 40 recent college graduates had lost job offers in the past few weeks. As of Tuesday, 22 recent graduates were listed on a spreadsheet as having offers taken back by Twitter. Nine people were listed on a separate spreadsheet for digital money trading company Coinbase. In a statement, Twitter said it admitted that the revoked offers could put candidates in a difficult position. The company said it is offering payments to those affected. Coinbase said in a blog post from June 2 that the decision to take back a number of job offers was not easy. It said the move was "necessary to ensure we are only growing in the highest-priority areas." Graduates who spoke with Reuters said they were surprised by the amount of help they have been offered. Still, the pain of losing their dream jobs has remained. One recent college graduate was ready to join Coinbase. He said Coinbase sent him an email saying the company did not plan to take back existing offers a week before he lost his job offer. The graduate did not want to be named because of his ongoing job hunt. I was disappointed for a few reasons. I didnt think leadership would make that decision, he said. Brian Kropp oversees research for human resources at Gartner's, a research company. Kropp said that while the technology companies may be saving money in the short term, they risk damage to their reputation. Just think about how unfair that is to people youre rescinding the offer from, he said. Youre putting them in a painful situation. Im John Russell. Sheila Dang reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story graduate n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university hire v. to give a person a job traumatic adj. causing someone to become very upset priority n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first reputation n. the way in which people think of someone or something rescind v. to officially end a law, contract, or agreement; to say officially that something is no longer being offered Abu Dhabi has unveiled the concept of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi a multi-sensory art experience that will be a 'home for infinite curiosity', featuring original and constantly transforming artistic installations unique to Abu Dhabi. teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is set to be an immersive, inspirational space where the intersection of art and technology will ignite curiosity, imagination and creativity in all who visit. Slated to be completed in 2024, it is the latest offering of the Saadiyat Cultural District. The 17,000-sq-m teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi building has been conceived with unparalleled installations that will be unique to Abu Dhabi, created through an extensive experimentation process. The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has partnered with Miral, the emirate's leading creator of destinations and experiences, to develop the concept, architecture and facilities, alongside teamLab, the globally acclaimed, interdisciplinary Tokyo-based art collective, known for their unique artistic vision Strengthening Abu Dhabi's position as a leading cultural centre, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will sit alongside Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and other major landmarks comprising the Saadiyat Cultural District, adding to the area's creative offering by creating a bridge between history, culture and creativity and immersing visitors in an innovative art experience. Visitors will be invited to open their minds and embark on a journey through teamLab's new concept of environmental phenomena, which offers a new perspective on the world around us. The featured artworks are created and shaped by the environment which produces the various phenomena. The adapted and unique architecture, conceptualised by teamLab and realised by Abu Dhabi-based MZ Architects, plays an important role in providing the artworks with an environment to evolve freely and organically, as if they were life-forms themselves. The experience will be unique to each visitor, changing with each visit, as they discover a place in which to endlessly explore and transcend the limits of their imagination. Having created art that is part of the collection of global institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, amongst many others, teamLab's artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects are creating an original concept and unique teamlab Phenomena Abu Dhabi experience for the UAE capital. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "Sitting at the intersection of art, technology, nature and high-tech fantasy, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will offer a world of boundless wonder and creativity to all who visit, encouraging the new perspectives that are so essential to a thriving future. Providing a journey which will trigger the senses, nurture curiosity, spark imagination, and awaken a thirst for knowledge, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi fully supports our commitment to inspire a new generation of innovators and creators in the emirate and beyond." Toshiyuki Inoko, Founder of teamLab, said: "At teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, visitors will be immersed into a world that organically changes and evolves through the participation and actions of the people in it, and it is precisely this physical experience that can expand our senses of value. The future is built upon the grand sum of people's creations. teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is based on teamLab's new concept in which the existence of the artworks are created by the phenomena produced by their environment. The artworks in teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi do not exist independently but are created by the environment which produces the various phenomena. DCT Abu Dhabi will hold a preview activation event for visitors at Mamsha Al Saadiyat from June 24 to July 17. The emirate continues its support and development of cultural institutions, including museums such as the upcoming Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi. The emirate's performing arts, media and gaming sectors will also see further investment in their diverse array of programmes and initiatives. The Saadiyat Cultural District will soon also include the Zayed National Museum, the national museum of the UAE; Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, focusing on global Modern and Contemporary art; and the Abrahamic Family House, which will comprise three religious spaces in one complex a mosque, a synagogue and a church. TradeArabia News Service The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) highlighted the emirates tourism draw during a business meeting with the Embassy of North Macedonia in the UAE and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The recently held meeting at SCCI was headed by Waleed Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, Second Vice-President, SCCI; Khalid Jasem Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA); Igor Popov, Ambassador, Director of the Directorate of Economic and Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-chair of the Joint Task Force on Trade and Investment between the UAE and the Republic of North Macedonia; Abdulkadar Memedi, Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia in the UAE; Nasser Musbah Ahmed Al-Taneiji and Halima Hamid Ali Al-Owais, Members of SCCIs Board of Directors; Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General, SCCI; Ibrahim Rashid Al Jarwan, Director of Economic Relations and Marketing at SCCI; and Fatima Khalifa Al Mokarrab, Director of SCCI's International Relations Department. Waleed Abdul Rahman Bukhatir said: "The areas of bilateral cooperation between Sharjah and North Macedonia are highly diversified. There are numerous potential opportunities to expand this cooperation in several different fields, including the tourism sector, which is undergoing a significant transition. As this sector continues to recover following the Covid-19 pandemic, global tourism is also recovering and accelerating its growth trajectories." "Furthermore, both countries possess competitive and distinct features as prominent tourist destinations, with Sharjah's development tourism model representing a novel and innovative approach to establishing tourist strategies with long-term development implications. As a result, the tourism sectors contribution to the Emirates economy constitutes 15% of its output, and the Emirate is eager to develop creative initiatives that promote tourism services and products," Bukhatir added. Abdulkadar Memedi also highlighted his country's ambition of expanding ties with the Emirate of Sharjah in all areas, particularly tourism, owing to the fact that both nations are known for their distinct and diverse tourist attractions. He also emphasized the significance of such a meeting in exploring the emirate's tourism features and strengthening cooperative relations. "The strategy of the Republic of North Macedonia is to attract tourists from the Arab Gulf countries, with a target of 2 million and 600 thousand visitors this year and 3 million and 200 thousand visitors in 2023. This is due to the fact that it is ranked fifth in the world for attracting foreign tourists," Memedi further pointed out. Moreover, Ahmed Rashid bin Sheikh, Head of the European Market Division at SCTDA, highlighted Sharjah's most important tourism features, stating that the emirate has witnessed a tremendous transition in such a vital sector in the last few years, with many of the leading environmental, heritage, and investment tourism projects being established. He added that Sharjah has also developed the hotel sector, with over 100 hotel facilities, more than 10,000 rooms, and a variety of hotel categories; as a result, hotel occupancy reached more than AED120 million ($32.6 million) in the first quarter of this year. He also noted some of the most significant projects completed in the emirate, such as Sharjah Safari, which is believed to be the largest safari park outside of Africa, with 12 different environments. In addition, Sharjah has an international airport that will be expanded in 2024 to attract more than 20 million visitors instead of 8 million. TradeArabia News Service Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praised a bipartisan gun safety bill last week for making our country safer without making it less free. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called it commonsense legislation that will save lives without infringing on any law-abiding Americans Second Amendment rights. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, deemed the package a responsible and targeted step in the right direction. Theyre right. And all told, 15 Senate Republicans joined all Senate Democrats including Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison in voting for the legislation Thursday. The House quickly approved it Friday. Fourteen Republicans (sadly, none from Wisconsin) joined House Democrats in sending the bill to President Joe Biden, who signed it into law Saturday. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will be Congress most significant action on guns in 30 years. It makes modest yet meaningful improvements to background checks, school security and mental health services. It fights the illegal trafficking of guns. It disarms convicted domestic abusers. It encourages states to adopt red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily remove guns from individuals deemed likely to hurt themselves or others. So where is U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, in all of this? Right where he always seems to be: Doing nothing or trying to stop progress. While a handful of senators worked for weeks to accomplish something remarkable in todays political climate a bipartisan agreement to address the chronic tragedy of mass shootings Johnson was dismissive and hatching excuses for voting no. Johnson claims the bill infringes on peoples constitutional right to bear arms. Hes wrong. Even his own GOP leader and other Republican colleagues agree on that. What the bill requires is more scrutiny of teenagers seeking to buy incredibly lethal weapons. If they have long juvenile records of doing harm, a purchase can be denied. What the bill does is crack down on people who illegally buy guns for others who arent supposed to have them. What the bill does (and only in states that allow it) is secure the firearms of troubled people while their mental health and risk of violence are carefully assessed. Johnson claims the process was flawed because the bill didnt go through lots of committees. This comes from the same senator who sought to overturn the will of voters in the last presidential election. Johnson tried to pass a slate of false electors to Vice President Mike Pence, we learned last week. He has no credibility when it comes to good-government procedures. And by comparison, the gun safety law is honorable and transparent. The law even includes a provision that Johnson supported: A national program to share best practices for securing schools something that already existed but now is written into law. Johnsons anything-goes attitude toward guns even after another slaughter of elementary school students is disturbing. He seems to think his only shot at winning reelection this fall having broken his promise not to run again is to fire up the thinning Trump base by opposing just about everything. But members of Congress are called lawmakers for a reason. Their job is to make laws. Instead, Johnson has voted against rebuilding Americas roads and bridges. Hes trashed public health guidance in favor of conspiracy theories during the pandemic. He abandoned his advocacy for the free market and controlling Americas debt when former President Donald Trump launched trade wars and spending sprees. If Johnson cant do anything about gun violence not even something small yet worthy what can he do? Johnson is failing to represent Wisconsins values. Voters should remember his failure this fall. Wisconsin State Journal editorial board The views expressed in the editorials are shaped by the board, independent of news coverage decisions elsewhere in the newspaper. STAFF MEMBERS KELLY LECKER, Executive editor SCOTT MILFRED, Editorial page editor PHIL HANDS, Editorial cartoonist COMMUNITY MEMBERS JANINE GESKE SUSAN SCHMITZ The U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn landmark cases on abortion, returning decision-making on abortion to the states. Many states, including Idaho, have laws in place that will effectively ban all abortions. The courts decision comes about a month after Politico published a leaked draft opinion showing Supreme Court justices intent to overturn the Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, cases that established a right to choose abortion, as well as a time frame for legal abortion and parameters for restrictions on the procedure. The decision triggered an Idaho law that makes it a felony for health care providers to perform abortions. The only exceptions are in instances where a mothers life is at risk because of the pregnancy or if the pregnancy was caused by incest or rape that was reported to law enforcement. According to statistics from the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, only 25% of all rapes and sexual assaults in Idaho were reported to police in 2018, which is the most recent year data was available. In March Idaho lawmakers approved a bill that would allow some family members to sue health care providers who perform abortions for a minimum of $20,000. The law applies to any abortions performed after about six weeks when many abortion critics say an embryos heartbeat can be detected. Medical experts have said the heartbeat is better described as electrical activity and is often detectable before many women know theyre pregnant. Gov. Brad Little expressed concern about the constitutionality of the bill before signing it, and Planned Parenthood quickly filed a lawsuit. The Idaho Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Aug. 3. It wasnt immediately clear what would happen with the lawsuit in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Idaho Democrat, Republican leaders react House Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, who chairs the Idaho Democratic Party, said in a Friday morning news release that Roe v. Wade protected Idaho from the most extreme positions of Republican leaders and now Idahoans are losing that protection. I never expected to see such a grave rollback of our rights in the 21st Century, Necochea said in the news release. I am shocked that young Americans just lost rights that their parents were guaranteed and for which their grandparents fought. Necochea said that Fridays decision starts the clock on a terrifying countdown here in Idaho referring to the states trigger law which will go into effect in 30 days. This law is especially cruel because it only applies to those who dont have the resources to find a way around it, Necochea said. People with means will be able to flee the state to receive abortion care, while Idahoans facing low wages, including a disproportionate share of people of color, will face involuntary pregnancy. While U.S. Senator Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said the U.S. Supreme Court took a major step towards fixing a wrong decision that resulted in the deaths of millions of unborn babies referring to the initial enactment of Roe v. Wade in 1973. The most basic right we as humans have is the right to life. I have immense empathy for any expecting mother in difficult circumstances, Risch said in a news release. As the greatest country in the history of human civilization, we should support those mothers to the best of our ability. Necochea added that Idaho Democrats will continue to fight for reproductive rights for as long as it takes. We stand with the majority of Idahoans who believe people should have access to all of the reproductive health care options available, including abortion, Necochea said. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AARON M UHL The Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office asks that anyone with information please call 208-735-1911 or Crime Stoppers at 208-343-2677, where they can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips can be made at www.343cops.com or download P3 Tips on your mobile phone. It was a very 2022 get-together: Women who connected on social media, meeting in person for the first time over wine and hors doeuvres at a business that teaches computer coding to talk about what comes next when you leave a career in health care. Although it is well established that Americans rarely stay in one career for their entire lives, the Great Resignation made that fact undeniable. The pandemic made many of us realize what we took for granted from in-person education to toilet paper, said Tess Keim, a physician assistant moving out of her career. A major shake-up is under way in Idaho health care employment The rate of health care workers quitting their jobs in the pandemic has broken records, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics peaking in November at a rate 40% higher than at any point since the data began in 2000. Some quit to join staffing companies whose recruiters offered premium pay for work in crisis zones. But some of them left health care altogether. For some health care workers, the pandemic brought exhaustion and trauma. Pandemic-driven burnout wasnt the only reason Keim chose a new career, she said. It wasnt the only reason her new friends began to leave health care, either. Keim, Niki Manning and Stephania Moore connected on a Facebook group for Boise women in business, bonding over their shared history as health care workers and their desire to try something new. All three women said theyve felt a mix of pressures over the years, as the business and delivery of health care in the U.S. has changed. They are not advocating for health care workers to abandon ship, at a time when the industry needs more staff. They also dont believe that sharing their personal stories will encourage health care workers to leave. If people are going to leave health care, theyre already in that mindset, Keim said. They chose to share their personal stories so that others might feel less alone, have an easier transition and make them feel a little bit more normal doing it, she said. From the trauma ward to a desk job and hat-making Manning is a longtime respiratory therapist who now works remotely for a health care contractor but is building a business as a hat maker. Manning just returned from a weeklong apprenticeship in Colorado with a renowned maker of cowboy and Western hats. Her apprenticeship class included a nurse practitioner, an anesthesiologist and a functional medicine doctor, she said. Manning has always been a respiratory therapist for 22 years, she said. When her family moved to Idaho in 2013, she worked in a trauma ICU. My kids were driving age, and it was pretty traumatic and stressful and stuff like that. It just caused me a lot of anxiety, she said. I got to a point where I was like, OK, I think I need a change for my mental health. She left hospital work three years ago, taking a job as a case manager for Medicaid patients. That work gives her more time at her 12-acre property east of Boise, where she has horses and, now, the start of a hat-making business Indian Creek Hat Co. From treating severe disease to serving food in Boise Keim is a physician assistant who works in a small local medical practice but will soon open a Honey Baked Ham store near the Boise Towne Square mall. Keim worked for a large medical group in the Portland area when the coronavirus took hold in the U.S. in March 2020. She and several hundred others were furloughed in the first wave of COVID-19. I was given two days notice, Keim said in an email. It was a scary time for my family as we, like many, relied on two household incomes. This was when I decided to take steps toward taking charge of my own destiny. But she was already starting to feel burnout years ago, after taking a job as a specialist in liver disease. My workload increased a lot, and my pay did not, and I would work on Sundays from home just to be caught up and prepared for Monday, and I wasnt getting paid for that, Keim said. That was frustrating to me, and my family time just was really suffering. Keim didnt rush to the exit door. She left in stages. She now works part-time at a small local practice, where she does injection procedures such as Botox and fillers. I dont regret my time taking care of patients as it was truly a privilege and something Ill always appreciate, she said. Helping professions like nursing, medicine and respiratory therapy are in high demand and held in high esteem. They require years of education and training. Workers also become accustomed to shaping their daily lives around unpredictable schedules, working on holidays, night shifts and on-call shifts. Keim and others said their families and partners at first struggled to grasp a future where they didnt work in health care; it was such a big part of their lives. From health care quality to tech education Moore is a registered nurse who now owns and operates an iCode school in southeast Boise. She cant seem to part with her RN license, she says, underscoring how much the job can become part of a health care workers identity. She started as a medical-surgical nurse, then moved into bariatric nursing and ran a large program at a hospital outside of Washington, D.C. She developed a specialty in health care quality and eventually started a graduate program for organizational performance and workplace learning. There, she was exposed to other careers and industries. She realized she felt pigeonholed in her specialty. Moore moved to Boise with her family in 2017 and started on an advanced degree to become a nurse practitioner. That lasted only a few months. I cried every day, she said. I was already done with health care. Her husband wanted to be a small business owner for a while, she said. He encouraged her to think about it and, in 2018 and 2019, she started to give it serious consideration. She started on the franchise and was just about to launch in early 2020. The pandemic put the brakes on that venture, delaying the iCode Boise debut until 2021. If something were to happen in society that, as a nurse, I (would) go back, maybe COVID was it. And I didnt, she said. So, I dont know what could happen that would draw me back. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 0 Abortions in Idaho will be banned in most cases after the U.S. Supreme Court voted to reverse landmark abortion cases and overturn abortion rights. The decision released Friday from the Supreme Court means Idahos trigger law which is triggered if states regain the authority to prohibit abortions will take effect in 30 days. The law makes it a felony for any health care provider to perform or attempt to perform an abortion. Idaho is one of more than a dozen states that have trigger laws in place. Utah and Wyoming would also outlaw the procedure, though other surrounding states, such as Oregon and Washington, have laws in place to protect a womans right to an abortion. The Supreme Courts 6-3 ruling to overturn two key abortion rights cases, 1973s Roe v. Wade and 1992s Planned Parenthood v. Casey, said the court finds that the right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nations history and tradition. The decision comes after a draft opinion was leaked and published in Politico in early May. Violation under Idaho law carries prison sentence Under Idahos abortion law, a violation would carry a prison sentence of two to five years, and health care professionals would have their licenses suspended for six months on a first offense and revoked permanently upon a subsequent offense. The license suspension also applies to providers who assist with an abortion. The law makes an exception in the case of a pregnancy conceived through rape or incest but it stipulates that the rape or incest must be reported to law enforcement and proof of that report submitted to the abortion provider. According to statistics from the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, only 25% of all rapes and sexual assaults in Idaho were reported to police in 2018, the most recent year data was available. Women who are in danger of dying due to pregnancy are another potential exception, though the law says that does not apply in instances where a health care provider believes a woman might harm or kill herself. The statute clarifies that women who undergo abortion procedures cannot be subjected to penalty or criminal conviction. Boises Planned Parenthood location closes The Supreme Court decision also followed news that Planned Parenthoods oldest Idaho location, in Boise, closed earlier this month. Planned Parenthood has two other locations across the state in Meridian and Twin Falls. The Boise location was one of five clinics to close in the region after a comprehensive review of all of our health centers and patient needs across all six of our states, said Katie Rodihan, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. Rodihan said the review was prompted by the courts likely overturning of Roe v. Wade. Dr. Kara Cadwallader, who is the regions chief medical officer, told the Statesman in December that abortions make up a small fraction of the clinics services. Planned Parenthood also provides contraception, screening for sexually transmitted infections, family planning, breast cancer screening and other womens medical care. According to the most recent Idaho Department of Health and Welfare data available, 1,680 abortions were performed in Idaho in 2020. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Has the Kremlin decided to fight a hot war in the Baltic Seas cold waters? On June 17 the Russian Navy deliberately violated Danish territorial water, specifically the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, which lies north of Poland. During the Cold War, Bornholm was a Berlin-like intelligence outpost behind enemy lines. On June 18 a Russian border patrol helicopter violated Estonian airspace. Two days later the Kremlin threatened Lithuania, warning it would take measures to defend its national interests to protect Kaliningrad. On June 21, Estonia claimed that Russia was conducting military exercises that included simulated missile attacks targeting against Estonia. With its principle offensive ground forces fighting a dreadful war of attrition in eastern Ukraine, Russia really isnt in a position to militarily bully and intimidate NATO nations with martial tantrums. Yet over a four-day period Russia directed physical and verbal threats of war at three small nations on the Baltic Sea. Russia attacked Lithuania with words but over an important subject, the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. Estonia concluded the helicopter overflight warranted summoning Russias ambassador. Did the simulated missile attack affect that decision? Perhaps that occurred in a secret Russian wargame but not so secret a game Estonia didnt get the word. Look to Ukraine to see what real missile attacks do to cities. Denmark faced an overt military probe of its territorial integrity. A Russian warship violated Danish waters twice. Finland noticed the four days of provocation and issued, well, not a threat per se, but a riposte of sorts. On June 22 the fifth day Gen. Timo Kivinen, Finlands Chief of Defense, told Reuters: We have systematically developed our military defense(s) precisely for this type of warfare that is being waged there (in Ukraine), with a massive use of firepower, armored forces and also air forces. Then he added, Ukraine has been a tough bite to chew (for Russia) and so would be Finland. The general didnt mention Finlands zones of defense featuring bunkers, camouflaged positions and connecting routes that take advantage of Finlands often-difficult terrain. Their depots also stock civilian supplies. So why the flurry of Russian threats? Estonias Defense Ministry told Bloomberg News the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid in part explains the Kremlins saber-rattling. Russia is angry. That summit will consider Finlands and Swedens bids to join the alliance. No doubt that is true. But I think the Kremlins string of Baltic provocations suggest Vladimir Putins regime senses vulnerability a threat to its territorial integrity. In a column published March 15 I suggested Russias failure to achieve a quick victory in Ukraine exposed Russia to loss of its own territory despite its nuclear arsenal. That columns hypothesis: The Russian Armys slipshod combat performance in Ukraine raises hard questions about the Kremlins ability to wage conventional war against a peer enemy. That suggests the Kremlins greatest geostrategic treasure, resource-laden Siberia, is vulnerable. To whom? Not NATO, but communist China. For the first time in centuries China possesses a more powerful military than Russia. According to Beijings propagandists, Siberia belongs to China. The great leap forward in future history: China would enforce its territorial claim as Russia withers. Beijing has an imperial energy (a delusion, in my view) that could spur an invasion of Siberia. Evidence: An imperial delusion drove Putin to attack Ukraine. Back to the Baltic threat theater: Sure, Russia wants to check European shipments of weapons and supplies to Ukraine. I think thats why several weeks ago Putin threatened nuclear strikes and looked foolish for it. The Deep Fear: The Kremlin knows its Baltic exclave, Kaliningrad, is vulnerable. Sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland (both NATO nations), until the end of WWII Kaliningrad was the Prussian city of Konigsberg. Putins Kremlin prizes this Soviet imperial remnant. All is not well in Kaliningrad. In 2018 the Kremlin was conducting an intense information war against what it called the Germanization of Kaliningrad. Review Russias June 20 threat to Lithuania. Citing sanctions on Russian trade, Lithuania closed the transit of Russian goods to Kaliningrad. And the Kremlin felt the noose. Austin Bay is an author, syndicated columnist, professor, developmental aid advocate, radio commentator, retired reserve soldier, war game designer. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Michigan story getting a lot of attention for reasons you can probably figure out on your own is headlined: 10-year-old Grosse Pointe Park boy walked to school every day for 4 years. He plans to keep the streak going. Yup. Real headline, real kid, real indication of all sorts of rather depressing things about America. But first off, lets be clear: Good for that 10-year-old! Attaboy! I grew up in the Midwest and I know how ridiculously cold and snowy winter (October-May) can be. The six-sentence news story itself an indication of something lets us know that: Friday was Max McPartlins last day of school at Maire Elementary School and he walked. His parents offered him rides, especially when the weather turned almost unwalkable, but he refused. He continued to walk, every day, no matter what. Sometimes he walked with friends, sometimes with a parent, and sometimes he walked alone. And next year, the articles author, Kim DeGiulio, reports, Max will be attending a middle school even farther from his home a mile. Nonetheless, he plans to keep on self-mobilizing, perhaps with the help of a bike. The friend who forwarded me this story noted that Max attended the same elementary school that she walked to every day, too back when this wasnt front-page news. My mom would take my 5-year-old behind as far as the corner and say GO, Ill watch you. Yeah, one block later she was NOT watching me. Three feet of snow fell. I had to posthole in snow up to my belly button school was on! She added that back then, most of the students also came home for lunch, so they walked both ways twice and the crossing guards were sixth graders. Everyone had to put on their snow clothes and boots themselves. Of course, she noted, this was also the era of climbing a two-story rope in gym. Commenters on the piece were divided into two camps: Yay, kid! and This is a story? But from where I sit on a chair, in front of a computer, just like most Americans, even the ones still in elementary school all I can say is: How wonderful that this is being treated as an achievement and not a crime! Recall the South Carolina mom who desperately wanted her kids to walk home from school, but the principal wouldnt allow it even if the mom signed a waiver. Or the mom in Wilmette, Illinois (my hometown! Where I walked to school!) investigated for letting her 8-year-old walk the dog. Or the famous Meitivs of Maryland, hounded by the state for allowing their kids, then 6 and 10 (now possibly approaching middle age) to walk home from the park unsupervised. Childhood independence has become so denormalized so quickly that only about 10% of kids walk to school anymore. So, lets hear it for Max, the walker, and Kim, the reporter. A kid roaming the streets on his own is like an endangered species: once common, now rare, and worth trying to bring back. Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a contributing writer at Reason.com and author of Has the World Gone Skenazy? Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, in Dodds v. Jacksons Womens Health Organization ruled that abortion is not a constitutionally protected right as the Constitution makes no express reference to abortion and this right, according to Justice Alito, is not deeply rooted in our nations history. Accordingly, the Court struck down Roe v. Wade and 49 years of precedent supporting abortion rights. What does that mean for Idaho? It means that Idaho, as well as other states, can make their own laws regarding abortion. Does Idaho have a trigger law? Yes. I.C. 18-622 states: (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this section shall become effective thirty (30) days following the occurrence of ..... (a) The issuance of the judgment in any decision of the United States supreme court that restores to the states their authority to prohibit abortion; so Idahos trigger law will take effect 30 days after June 24, 2022. What is the new law in Idaho? The states were prohibited from outlawing abortion under Roe during the first trimester, and in Casey, prior to viability of the fetus. Now, abortion is illegal and punished as a felony at conception in Idaho. I.C. 18-622 (2) Every person who performs or attempts to perform an abortion as defined in this chapter commits the crime of criminal abortion. Criminal abortion shall be a felony punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of no less than two (2) years and no more than (5) years in prison. 1) Abortion means the use of any means to intentionally terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child except that, for the purposes of this chapter, abortion shall not mean the use of an intrauterine device or birth control pill to inhibit or prevent ovulations, fertilization or the implantation of a fertilized ovum within the uterus. I.C. 18-604(1) Unborn child means an individual organism of the species Homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth. See I.C. 18-604(5) Are contraceptives legal in Idaho? Idaho does not prohibit contraceptives, but does prohibit advertising them. Advertising medicines or other means of contraception by a non physician is a felony in Idaho. I.C. 18-603. This law prior to Dodds would have been struck down as unconstitutional. What about women who perform an abortion on themselves? Is that illegal in Idaho? Yes. Every woman who knowingly submits to an abortion or solicits of another, for herself, the production of an abortion, or who purposely terminates her own pregnancy otherwise than by a live birth, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and shall be fined not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) and/or imprisoned in the state prison for not less than one (1) and not more than five (5) years. I.C. 18-606(2) Are there any exceptions? Yes. An affirmative defense to prosecution for providing an abortion may be that the abortion was performed in order to prevent the death of a pregnant woman. I.C. 18-622(3)(a)(ii). What about other exceptions, such as a womans health, the imminent death of a child after birth, rape and incest, or pregnancy of a unmarried, minor child? Idaho law is not completely clear, but there are likely no exceptions except preventing death of the mother. I.C. 18-608 has historically provided exceptions to abortion in the first trimester in instances of rape, incest and special considerations to the unmarried mother or minor. This code was amended by the legislation this year. Subsection 4 to I.C. 18-608 states that Nothing in this section shall make legal any abortion that is otherwise illegal under any other law of this state, including section 18-622, Idaho Code. So we revert back to Idahos trigger law, which provides no exceptions except death. What about Idaho Senate Bill 1309, the heartbeat bill in Idaho that passed this last session. What happens to that? Its likely superfluous and irrelevant now. Section 4 of 1309 states: nothing in this section shall be construed to conflict with the effectiveness of I.C. 18-622 following the occurrence of the circumstance described in this section (SCOTUS approval). In the event both this section and section 18-622 are enforceable, section 18-622 shall supersede. What about the morning after pill? Is that legal now in Idaho? Yes, but there is a grey area as to when fertilization actually starts. IC. 18-604 allows contraceptives, including a birth control pill to prevent fertilization. Can I get an abortion? Yes, but not in Idaho. Some states have considered legislation penalizing the mother for travel for the purpose of an abortion. This has not been considered in Idaho. The Supreme Court likely would not uphold these kinds of laws. See concurrence of Kavanaugh in Dodds decision. Brian M. Tanner is an attorney in Twin Falls. He may be reached by email at briantanner.esq@gmail.com Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Neighborhood meeting The Martinsville City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 27 at the rear entrance to the Municipal Building for a neighborhood tour of the Northside and Chatham Heights area. A neighborhood community meeting will be held at Clearview Wesleyan Church, 925 Barrows Mill Road, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 27. The meeting is slated to last approximately one hour. On the agenda, City Council will: Hear an updated of the neighborhood tour Review prior inspection concerns Hear comments and questions from citizens Regular meeting The Martinsville City Council will meet at 6 p.m. in closed session and at 7 p.m. for a regular meeting in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building on Tuesday, June 28. On the agenda, City Council will: Hear an overview of the June 27, 2022 Northside neighborhood tour and meeting. Hear an update from Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA regarding the City/YMCA contract for services related to City parks and recreation programs. Consider approval and adoption of the 2021 update of the West Piedmont Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) has entered into a strategic partnership with Omnes Media to host the Arab Influencers Gathering, City Talk, in October at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre in the Dead Sea, Jordan. The announcement came during a meeting held by the JTB with Omnes Media at the JTB's headquarters in the capital, Amman, during which the strategic partnership agreement was signed by Dr Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, Director General of JTB, and Fahed Aldeeb, CEO of Omnes Media, the organizer of the gathering. Scheduled to be held from October 2 to 5, City Talk will bring together more than 500 social media influencers and specialists in the influencer marketing industry from different countries of the Arab world to review and discuss the industrys recent and most important developments. It features 6 panel discussions and 6 workshops, in addition to daily meetings with the most prominent influential Arab personalities in order to come up with recommendations and solutions to many of the issues under discussion. The gathering will also organize a field tour to a number of tourist facilities and destinations in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, during which the JTB will shed light on the historical, natural and cultural heritage of these destinations, which will provide rich material for the participating influencers. Commenting on the agreement, Dr Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat said: "We are honoured to host City Talk at the Dead Sea, one of the most important tourist destinations at the local and international levels. Organizing this prestigious event is in line with the JTB's strategy to support business tourism via the Jordan Convention Bureau by hosting the most prominent regional and global events and harnessing such events in promoting Jordan and its unique tourist destinations. The gathering will provide rich content with information and experiences related to the influencer marketing industry through working papers, presentations and panel discussions that will be presented by speakers, exhibitors and participants on many related topics. "The event is an opportunity for fruitful cooperation and exchange of experiences between the various groups of attendees from inside and outside Jordan," Arabiyat added. Fahed Aldeeb said: "We are pleased to launch the 1st edition of City Talk, the Arab Influencers Gathering, from Jordan, in cooperation with the JTB, and we look forward to promote Jordan as a destination for all social influencers and specialists and those interested in influencer marketing industry at the Arab level. "City Talk serves as a specialized platform for Arab influencers of all levels and specializations. It will be presented with Arabic content, and will tackle many important topics, in addition to highlighting the latest developments and the most important challenges of this industry from the perspective of the influencer, brands and agencies." City Talk is scheduled to be organized annually in a different Arab city each year with the aim of getting acquainted with the latest developments in the influencer marketing industry and opening up prospects for cooperation between the various parties, as well as promoting the host country through the participating influencers from different countries of the Arab world. The event will be broadcast free of charge via the forum's digital platform and social media networks. TradeArabia News Service The paying of the piper appears to have begun and the Board of Supervisors will be eyeing squarely the consequences of the costs when it meets on Tuesday. Consider the agenda for the regular gathering of the Board in the Summerlin Meeting Room this week: Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry will ask the Board to appropriate $2,537 to cover the cost for two deputies to attend a training program. Then the Bassett Volunteer Fire Department will ask for another $30,000 to add to the $929,000 they got in November because they came up short for a new ladder truck. Perry will head back to the podium and ask for another $17,756 to add to $523,235 already appropriated to cover the excess costs of housing inmates at other jails, providing medical care to inmates and paying for the increased cost of gas. While hes at it, hell ask for $24,858 to pay for overtime to deputies providing security to Henry County Parks and Recreation and others. Then hell hit the Board up for another $157,036 to buy four new Chevrolet Tahoes and about $360,000 for food for the inmates at the new jail. Now before I go on, understand the $2,537 Perry wants for the two-week training program is grant money, but its often said by those asking for the money that it doesnt cost us anything because its grant money. Where do they think the grant money comes from? State grants mostly come from federal grants and federal grants come from you and me, and the process of granting our money means legions of people are making handsome careers regulating the process. In the end, it takes a lot more grant money to pay the piper than it would if we could avoid the middlemen. So after all the spending requests are acted upon, the Board will look at that $9.8 million it has in ARPA funds, a fancy name for more grant money. The Board has already allocated almost $1.7 million of it for stipends for the sheriffs deputies and Public Safety personnel, fire departments, air conditioning, computers and a body scanner for the Sheriffs Office, whatever that is. All but a million of it will be recommended for the internet, more money for the Sheriffs Office and Public Safety and a new garbage truck. The rest will be tucked away for emergencies the County is sure to have before it has to be spent, should the Board be so inclined to take its staffs advice. Many of us out here in the real world are still making what we were before the pandemic, but unlike our government servants, we are having to make ends meet with the same income while they have benefited from multiple raises. Meanwhile, we all must reconcile our budgets with the price in the past year of electricity up 11 percent, houses up 20 percent, used cars up 22 percent and gas up 43 percent, according to the Consumer Price Index released in April. A large pepperoni pizza delivered with a 20 percent tip is almost $30 these days. When the grant money runs out the piper that has been paid will return again with the expectation of getting the same increased amounts and the new expectation of even more and ultimately it will come down to the source of it all: you and me. Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 2360. Follow him @billdwyatt. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SUNDAY, June 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- While 8 in 10 Americans ages 65 and older say they want to age in their homes, it's not always possible when health declines. Knowing when a loved one needs a more supportive environment, such as assisted living, continuing care retirement community or a nursing home, can be challenging. Though "aging in place" remains a cherished goal, seniors are fretting less about it these days, a recent Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs poll found. An expert in geriatric mental health offers some guidelines for knowing if independent living is still realistic or if someone needs more care, whether through moving or a home visitation service. Dr. Molly Camp is an associate professor of psychiatry at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. In a center news release, she said there are five domains to consider: Personal needs and hygiene: Basic self-care activities, including bathing, dressing and toileting, must be met. A person's ability to get in and out of tubs and showers and their risk of falling should be considered. Home environment: Consider the ability to handle basic maintenance and repairs, as well as access to electricity and water, a sufficiently sanitary living environment and how to avoid safety hazards, such as structural deficiencies. Necessary activities: Assess whether your loved one can complete complex, essential tasks such as transportation, shopping, meal preparation, cleaning and using technology. Medical self-care: Your loved one should be able to manage their medications, care for minor wounds and self-monitor for illness. Financial affairs: Evaluate whether the person has the ability to pay bills on time, track other finances, avoid exploitation, and enter into binding contracts when needed. Of course, Camp noted, family members may be able to help manage finances and home visitation programs may be able to help with chores such as cleaning and cooking. More information The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more on growing old at home. SOURCE: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, news release, June 22, 2022 You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. Avis Chenoweth, 61, draped herself in wire coat hangers for an abortion rights rally Sunday at the Missoula County Courthouse. She was one of approximately 1,000 people who showed up to the event after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, according to organizer Robbie Liben with the Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America. Chenoweth was 12 when the federal right to abortion went into place in 1973, and she remembers the risky measures young women took to self-induce abortion in the days before abortion care was made widely available. She turned out to the Sunday protest because she fears the return of the heartbreaking decisions her peers faced. No more wire hangers, she chanted. Chenoweth was backed up by elected officials and community leaders who spoke about the importance of maintaining abortion access throughout the event. The antidote to despair is action, Monica Tranel, Democratic candidate for Montana's new western congressional district, told the crowd. Tranel and other Montana leaders including State Senator Shane Morigeau, Rabbi Laurie Franklin and State Senator Shannon OBrien urged demonstrators Sunday to continue to fight for reproductive rights despite the Supreme Courts recent ruling. This is not just about abortion and contraception, said organizer Sandra Burch. It is about figuring out how to help all of our neighbors and community members parent and live with dignity. The speakers implored those in attendance to donate to abortion funds, volunteer for abortion rights candidates and vote in the November election. The Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America invited protesters to join their reproductive justice working group. We will fight, the crowd chanted, waving signs that read my body, my choice, keep abortion safe and legal and Im not ovary-acting. The hundreds of people who gathered in front of the courthouse cited diverse reasons for turning out to the event Sunday. I couldnt miss it, said demonstrator Olivia Zimmerman. Honestly, I was scared to come, she admitted, mentioning fears of counter protesters. Zimmerman said she was encouraged by the solidarity she felt at the event, but she remains uncertain about the future of reproductive care. Its just hard to know what to do now here, she said. The desire to support marginalized people encouraged many of the attendees Sunday to come to the event. DeHanza Kwong said people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community and disabled people face added discrimination when they become pregnant. Ultimately, rich people will always be able to get an abortion, agreed Bob Rosen. People should have the right to decide whether and when to have children. I think what the Supreme Court has done is absolutely horrible, Rosen added. Others on Sunday were motivated by personal experiences stemming from a lack of abortion access. One woman said she lost her paternal grandmother to a self-inflicted abortion. Another said her experience of being adopted led her to take issue with the adoption system and the lack of alternatives that exist for pregnant people who cant access abortions. Claira Flores, a businesswoman and speaker at the event, shook as she listed numerous dangerous methods she employed to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. We need reproductive justice now and forever, she said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 15 Funny 4 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 6 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. OSLO, Norway (AP) The suspect in a mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Norway has refused to explain his actions to investigators and will remain in pretrial custody for the next four weeks, police and his defense lawyer said Sunday. The man, whom authorities described as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the shooting in Oslo's nightlife district early Saturday. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act. Oslo police said they tried to question the suspect on Saturday and again on Sunday without success. Norwegian media identified him as Zaniar Matapour. Matapour's defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, told The Associated Press by email that his client refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped unless police released the entire recording to the public with no time delay so it wont be censored or manipulated. Recording interrogations is a standard police practice. Elden previously said his client did not deny being the shooter but had not divulged any motive. The lawyer said Sunday that Matapour did not object to remaining in custody for four weeks so would not appear in court on Monday. In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks. Norway's prime minister and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service Sunday at Oslo Cathedral for the victims of the attack. The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in Oslo. Police investigators said it was too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community. A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was called off because of the shooting. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said during Sundays memorial service that the shooting in the night hours put an end to the Pride parade, but it did not stop the fight and the efforts to fight discrimination, prejudice and hatred. He also addressed Norway's Muslim community. I know how many of you felt when it turned out that the perpetrator belonged to the Islamic community. Many of you experienced fear and unrest. You should know this: We stand together, we are one community and we are responsible for the community together, Stoere said during the church service, which was also attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Norwegian media said Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s. He had a prior criminal record that included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense for carrying a knife. Investigators said they seized two weapons after Saturday's shootings: a handgun and an automatic weapon. The Norwegian domestic security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST, said Saturday it first became aware of the suspect in 2015 and later grew concerned he had become radicalized and was part of an unspecified Islamist network. On Sunday, Norwegian media outlets reported that Matapour allegedly was in close contact with an Islamic extremist living in Norway whom Norwegian police had been aware of for a long time. Tanner reported from Helsinki. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. Friday's ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. In anticipation of the decision, several states led by Democrats have taken steps to protect abortion access. The decision also sets up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. In anticipation of the decision, several states led by Democrats have taken steps to protect abortion access. The decision also sets up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted. Here is an overview of abortion legislation and the expected impact of the court's decision in every state. ___ ALABAMA Political control: Alabama has a Republican-controlled legislature and a Republican governor who want to ban or restrict access to abortions. Background: In 2019, Alabama lawmakers approved what was then the most stringent abortion ban in the country, making it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The only exception would be when the woman's health was at serious risk. A federal judge issued an injunction, under the precedent of Roe v. Wade, blocking the state from enforcing the law. In 2018, voters agreed to amend the Alabama Constitution to say the state recognizes the "rights of unborn children" and "does not protect the right to an abortion or require the funding of abortion." Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change immediately, but the stage would be set for a court fight and access to abortion could be curtailed. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a vocal critic of Roe, has said his office would move to dissolve the injunction blocking enforcement of the 2019 abortion ban. Marshall said the state would also move to lift other injunctions that blocked previous attempts to implement abortion restrictions, including a ban on abortion clinics near schools and a ban on the most common method for second trimester abortions. What's next: Some Republican lawmakers have said they would like to see the state replace the 2019 ban with a slightly less stringent bill that would allow exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Proponents said the 2019 ban was deliberately strict in the hopes of sparking a court challenge to Roe. ___ ALASKA Political control: Republicans currently hold a majority of seats in the state Legislature, but the House is controlled by a bipartisan coalition composed largely of Democrats. Fifty-nine of the Legislature's 60 seats are up for election this year. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican who believes life begins at conception, is seeking reelection. Background: The Alaska Supreme Court has interpreted the right to privacy in the state constitution as encompassing abortion rights. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: A decision either way by the U.S. Supreme Court is not expected to immediately affect abortion rights in Alaska, given the existing precedent in the state. What's next: Voters in the fall will be asked if they want to hold a constitutional convention, a question that comes up every 10 years. Many conservatives who want to overhaul how judges are selected and do away with the interpretation that the constitution's right to privacy clause allows for abortion rights see an opportunity in pushing for a convention. Recent efforts to advance a constitutional amendment through the Legislature have been unsuccessful. ___ ARIZONA Political control: Both legislative chambers are controlled by Republicans, who regularly pass abortion restrictions that for the past eight sessions have been quickly signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, an abortion opponent. Background: Arizona law allows abortion through about 22 weeks, but the Legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban in March mirroring the Mississippi law currently being contested before the U.S. Supreme Court. It will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns, which is expected in late June. Current restrictions include bans on abortions because of gender and a 2021 law that makes it a felony for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy because the child has a survivable genetic abnormality. Arizona also has a pre-statehood law still on the books that would ban all abortions, although it has not been enforced since Roe was decided. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Mississippi law, the new 15-week ban would take effect as planned. If it overturns Roe, Ducey has argued in media interviews that the law he signed in late March takes precedence over the total ban that remains on the books. But the law he signed specifically says it does not overrule the total abortion ban in place for more than 100 years. Ducey is term-limited and leaves office in January. What's next: Abortion-rights supporters in Arizona have launched a long-shot bid to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution. Rolled out weeks after the draft U.S. Supreme Court decision showing Roe could be overturned was leaked, backers must collect more than 356,000 signatures by July 7 to get the initiative on the November ballot. Voters would then be able to decide. Arizona interactive summary: Arizona passed a 15-week abortion ban in March mirroring the Mississippi law that ___ ARKANSAS Political control: Arkansas' legislature is controlled by Republicans who have supported dozens of abortion bans and restrictions in recent years. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson also has supported bans on abortion with some exceptions. He's term-limited and leaves office in January. Republican nominee Sarah Sanders, press secretary to former President Donald Trump, is widely favored in the November election to succeed him. Background: Arkansas law currently bans most abortions 20 weeks into a woman's pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. The state has several other bans that have been struck down or blocked by the courts in recent years, including an outright abortion ban enacted last year that doesn't include rape or incest exceptions. That ban has been blocked by a federal judge, and the state has appealed the ruling. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the state would ban abortion under a "trigger law" it enacted in 2019 that conditions a ban on such a ruling. That ban, along with the outright ban that's been blocked by a federal judge in the state, only allows exceptions to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. Hutchinson has said he thinks bans should include rape and incest exceptions, but he has not called on the Legislature to add those to either of the bans. What's next: Arkansas' "trigger" law banning nearly all abortions in the state takes effect if the attorney general certifies that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. The only exception in that ban is to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. The Legislature isn't scheduled to meet until January, but Hutchinson is considering calling a special session to take up tax relief proposals. The Republican governor has not said he plans to include any legislation related to abortion on the agenda for that session. ___ CALIFORNIA Political control: Democrats who support access to abortion control all statewide elected offices and have large majorities in the state Legislature. Background: California outlawed abortion in 1850, except when the life of the mother was in danger. The law changed in 1967 to include abortions in the case of rape, incest or if a woman's mental health were in danger. In 1969, the California Supreme Court declared the state's original abortion law to be unconstitutional but left the 1967 law in place. In 1972 one year before the Roe v. Wade decision at the U.S. Supreme Court -- California voters added a "right to privacy" to the state constitution. Since then, the state Supreme Court has interpreted that "right to privacy" as a right to access abortion, allow minors to get an abortion without their parents' permission and use public funding for abortions in the state's Medicaid program. California now requires private health insurance plans to cover abortions and does not allow them to charge things such as co-pays or deductibles for the procedure. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Abortion will still be legal in California prior to the viability of a fetus. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to make California a sanctuary for women who live in other states where abortion could be outlawed or severely restricted. It's unknown how many women would come to California for abortions should Roe v. Wade be overturned, but the number is expected to be significant. What's next: The state Legislature is considering 13 bills that would strengthen or expand access to abortion. The bills are based on a report from the Future of Abortion Council, which Newsom formed last year to study reproductive rights in California. They include proposals that would help pay for women from other states to come to California for abortions, ban enforcement of out-of-state civil judgments on California abortion providers and volunteers, and increase the number of people who can offer abortions by authorizing some nurse practitioners to perform the procedure without the supervision of a doctor. Lawmakers also plan to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would explicitly guarantee the right to an abortion and contraceptives. ___ COLORADO Political control: The Democrats who control the Colorado Legislature support access to abortion, as does the state's Democratic governor. Background: A 1967 state law legalized abortion up to 16 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion has been accessible ever since, despite repeated legislative attempts and ballot initiatives to restrict or abolish the procedure. Colorado voters have consistently rejected such initiatives, the latest in 2020 that would have banned abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy. In 2022, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a law placing the right to abortion in state statute. The law guarantees access to reproductive care before and after pregnancy and bans local governments from imposing their own restrictions. It also declares that fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses have no independent rights. Abortion rights advocates plan a 2024 ballot initiative to add abortion rights to the state constitution and repeal a 1980s constitutional amendment that bans public funding for abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The decision won't have any immediate impact on Colorado law -- but providers are preparing for a surge of out-of-state patients in case Roe is overturned. Democratic House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar says lawmakers must consider how to invest in a health care workforce to ensure Colorado has the capacity to meet that anticipated demand. Colorado's health department reports there were 11,580 abortions in the state in 2021; of those 14% were for non-residents. More than 900 of those non-residents were from Texas, Wyoming and Nebraska. What's next: It's impossible to predict how many more patients from states surrounding Colorado will potentially seek care if Roe v. Wade is overturned. But the Texas law could induce more people to come. Oklahoma now has an early pregnancy abortion ban; Utah and Wyoming have trigger laws banning abortion if Roe is overturned; the Kansas Constitution protects abortion rights, but Republican lawmakers placed on an August primary ballot an initiative to overturn it. ___ CONNECTICUT Political control: Democrats who control the Connecticut General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the state's Democratic governor. Background: Connecticut passed a law in 1990 giving women the legal right to abortion. Having passed with strong bipartisan support, it was lauded at the time for being a rare compromise between abortion rights advocates and opponents. It affirmed a woman's unqualified right to an abortion "prior to viability of the fetus," as well as later-term abortions "necessary to preserve the life and health of the pregnant woman." It also repealed state laws predating Roe v. Wade that had made it a felony to have an abortion or to perform one and required that patients under 16 receive counseling about their options. This year, Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation to protect medical providers and patients from out-of-state legal actions. The same law allows advanced practice registered nurses, nurse-midwives or physician assistants to perform aspiration abortions in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat, has vowed to challenge any attempt to nullify Connecticut's abortion rights law. "Let's not mince words. They will come for us," Tong warned abortion rights supporters during a recent news conference. "We will fight that effort tooth-and-nail. Any court, any place, Connecticut will be there and will fight." The state is already involved in major abortion cases across the country. And while Connecticut is surrounded by mostly pro-abortion states, it's still bracing for out-of-state patients seeking abortions if Roe is overturned. What's next: Connecticut's new law protecting abortion providers from other states' bans takes effect on July 1. It creates a legal cause of action for providers and others sued in another state, enabling them to recover certain legal costs. It also limits the governor's discretion to extradite someone accused of performing an abortion, as well as participation by Connecticut courts and agencies in those lawsuits. There's discussion of possibly amending the state's constitution to enshrine the right to abortion, making it more difficult to overturn, but that would be a multi-year process. ___ DELAWARE Political control: Democrats control the governor's office and both chambers of the legislature in Delaware and have taken several steps to ensure access to abortion. Background: In 2017, Delaware became the first state following the election of President Donald Trump to codify the right to an abortion. A bill signed by Gov. John Carney, a Catholic, guarantees the unfettered right to an abortion before a fetus is deemed "viable." The law defines viability as the point in a pregnancy when, in a physician's "good faith medical judgment," there is a reasonable likelihood that the fetus can survive outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures. The law also allows abortion after fetal viability if, in a doctor's "good faith medical judgment," abortion is necessary for the protection of the woman's life or health, or if there is a reasonable likelihood that the fetus cannot survive without extraordinary medical measures. The law eliminated existing code restrictions on abortions, much of which had already been declared unenforceable by Delaware's attorney general in 1973 following the Supreme Court rulings in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. In April of this year, Carney signed a bill allowing physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe abortion-inducing medications including mifepristone and misoprostol. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: "In Delaware, the privacy protections of Roe v. Wade are codified in state law, guaranteeing residents have access to legal abortion services even if Roe were to be undone at the federal level," Democratic lawmakers noted earlier this month in unveiling legislation further broadening access to abortions. The bill, which is likely to pass before the end of June, allows physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners and nurse midwifes to perform abortions before viability. It also includes various legal protections for abortion providers and patients, including out-of-state residents receiving abortions in Delaware. Those provisions include protections from civil actions in other states relating to the termination of a pregnancy, and protecting individuals from extradition to other states for criminal charges related to terminating a pregnancy. What's next: According to state health officials, 2,042 abortions were performed in Delaware in 2019, with 1,765 involving Delaware residents and 277 involving nonresidents. Delaware is not likely to see a huge influx of women traveling from out of state to get abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned, given that neighboring Maryland and New Jersey also have liberal abortion-access laws. In neighboring Pennsylvania, where Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, future abortion access could hinge on the outcome of this year's gubernatorial contest. ___ DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Political control: The local government in the nation's capital is completely controlled by Democrats, with a Democratic mayor and the D.C. Council split between Democrats and nominal independent politicians, who are all, invariably, Democrats. Background: Abortion is legal in the District of Columbia at all stages of pregnancy, a status that was upheld in the 1971 Supreme Court case United States v. Vuitch. However, the U.S. Congress has oversight power over D.C. laws and Congress has already banned the city from using local funds to pay for abortions for women on Medicaid. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Elected officials in Washington, D.C., fear Congress could move to restrict abortion access, particularly if Republicans recapture the House of Representatives in midterm elections later this year. President Joe Biden could theoretically veto such a move, but that protection is subject to political calculations and is not guaranteed. What's next: Local officials have pledged defiance against any sort of Congressional move to restrict local abortion access. The D.C. Council is considering legislation that would declare Washington D.C. a "sanctuary city" for those coming to Washington from states where abortion is banned. According to federal data, most of the women getting abortions in Washington, D.C., already are coming from out of state. Those numbers could increase, particularly if new Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin moves to restrict abortion access in neighboring Virginia. ___ FLORIDA Political control: Republicans control both chambers of the Florida Legislature and this year passed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, which was signed into law by the state's Republican governor. Background: Abortion was legal in Florida until the 24th week of pregnancy, though lawmakers have been tightening access in recent years with bills requiring a one-day waiting period and requiring parents of a pregnant minor to be notified before an abortion can be provided. This year, in anticipation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling eroding or overturning Roe v. Wade, the Legislature passed a ban on abortions after the 15th week, except to save the mother's life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape or incest. Gov. Ron DeSantis called the legislation "the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation." Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, that will place Florida's 15-week ban on firm legal ground, at least under federal law. However, the legislation is already being challenged in state court on arguments that it violates a guarantee of the right to privacy under the state constitution. What's next: Florida's 15-week ban goes into effect on July 1, and by then a U.S. Supreme Court decision is expected on a similar Mississippi ban after 15 weeks. However, the state constitutional challenge of the legislation will likely still be pending. Though only about 2% of Florida's abortions take place after 15th week, abortion rights advocates have expressed concern over declining access to the procedure not only for Floridians but for residents from nearby Southern states where restrictions have historically been stricter than in Florida. ___ GEORGIA Political control: Georgia has a Republican legislature and governor who have supported abortion restrictions, but all are up for election this November. Republicans are likely to retain legislative control, but there's a possibility a Democrat could become governor. Background: Georgia lawmakers in 2019 passed a law by one vote that would ban most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, when fetal cardiac activity can be detected. The measure is unlike other "heartbeat" bills in that it also contains language designating a fetus as a person for certain state-law purposes such as income tax deductions and child support. The measure is on hold right now before the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals awaiting a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Mississippi case. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The 11th Circuit is likely to allow the six-week ban to take effect relatively quickly, having already heard oral arguments in the case, although there could be fresh legal challenges. That would ban the large majority of abortions that currently take place in Georgia about 87% according to providers. The change could happen in the middle of tightly contested races in Georgia for governor and U.S. Senate. Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and challenger for governor Stacey Abrams say they want to secure abortion rights. Republican Senate challenger Herschel Walker and incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp support restrictions. What's next: Some Republican lawmakers and candidates want Georgia to go further and ban abortion entirely, but Kemp is unlikely to call a special session before this November's general election. Lawmakers are likely to consider further action when they return for their annual session in January. The Legislature or courts will have to sort out whether the provisions designating a fetus as a person are workable. ___ HAWAII Political control: Hawaii's governor is a Democrat and Democrats control more than 90% of the seats in both the state House and Senate. Background: Hawaii legalized abortion in 1970, when it became the first state in the nation to allow the procedure at a woman's request. The state allows abortion until a fetus would be viable outside the womb. After that, it's legal if a patient's life or health is in danger. For many years, only licensed physicians could perform the procedure. Last year, the state enacted a law allowing advanced practice care nurses to carry out in-clinic abortions during the first trimester. This helps women on more rural islands who have been flying to Honolulu to obtain abortions because of doctor shortages in their communities. The law allows the nurses to prescribe medication to end a pregnancy and to perform aspiration abortion, a type of minor surgery during which a vacuum is used to empty a woman's uterus. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Existing Hawaii law would allow abortions if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade and allows states to determine their own abortion regulations. Even so, Gary Yamashiroya, a spokesperson for the state attorney general's office, said the attorney general is carefully considering measures Hawaii might take to protect and strengthen reproductive rights if Roe ends. "No matter the outcome, our state remains committed to reproductive freedom and choice," he said in an emailed statement. What's next: Political support for abortion rights is strong. Anti-abortion bills are rarely heard at the state Legislature. When they have been, they haven't made it out of committee. Gov. David Ige issued a statement supporting abortion rights when the Supreme Court's draft opinion overturning Roe leaked. "No matter what the Supreme Court decides, I will fight to ensure a woman's right to choose in the State of Hawaii," he said. The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women earlier this month said 72% of the state Senate and 53% of state House members signed a pledge supporting abortion rights. ___ IDAHO Political control: Republicans hold super-majorities in the House and Senate and oppose access to abortion, as does the state's Republican governor. Background: Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, Idaho passed a law generally allowing abortions in the first and second trimester up to viability at about 23 to 24 weeks. The law allows abortions after viability only to protect the mother's life or in cases of nonviable fetuses. This year, lawmakers passed a Texas-style ban prohibiting abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and authorizing family members to sue medical providers for performing an abortion. That law is on hold following a challenge by Planned Parenthood. The Idaho Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in August. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, it will trigger a 2020 Idaho law banning all abortions except in cases of reported rape or incest, or to protect the mother's life. That law would take effect 30 days after the decision. Under the law, the person performing the abortion could face a felony prosecution punishable by up to five years in prison. In cases of rape or incest, the law requires pregnant women to file a police report and provide a copy of the report to the provider prior to an abortion. If the Idaho Supreme Court upholds the state's Texas-style abortion ban and Roe v. Wade is tossed aside, a medical provider who performs an abortion in Idaho could face a lawsuit and criminal charges. What's Next: Pregnant women seeking abortions will have to travel out of state; the nearest abortion providers would be in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. Planned Parenthood is renting space in the town of Ontario on the Idaho-Oregon border and says it's preparing for an influx of patients seeking abortions. Some Republican lawmakers in Idaho might propose new legislation in January to outlaw abortion pills and emergency contraception. ___ ILLINOIS Political control: Illinois is overwhelmingly Democratic with laws providing greater access to abortion than most states. Democrats hold veto-proof supermajorities in the House and Senate, and the Democratic first-term governor seeking reelection this year, J.B. Pritzker, has promoted peaceful street protests to protect the constitutional right to an abortion. Background: Abortion is legal in Illinois and can only be restricted after the point of viability, when a fetus is considered able to survive outside the womb. Medical science determines viability at 24 to 26 weeks, but the Illinois law does not specify a timeframe, saying a medical professional can determine viability in each case. Abortions are also allowed after viability to protect the patient's life or health. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing the court does would affect the ability to have an abortion in Illinois. After the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the Illinois Abortion Act of 1975 legalized the procedure but enacted a "trigger law" that would reinstate the ban if Roe were overturned. That trigger law was repealed in 2017 in legislation that also required Medicaid and state employees' group health insurance to cover abortions. The 2019 Reproductive Health Act replaced the 1975 law, large parts of which were never enforced because they were found to be unconstitutional. What's next: Like other states providing access to abortions, Illinois has seen a steady influx of patients crossing the state line for abortions in recent months and those numbers are expected to increase.The state could see an additional 20,000 to 30,000 patients seeking abortions in the first year if Roe is reversed, said Brigid Leahy, vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. ___ INDIANA Political control: Indiana has a Republican-dominated Legislature and a Republican governor in favor of restricting abortion access. Background: Abortion in Indiana is legal up to about 20 weeks, with some provisions for medical emergencies. Before an abortion, patients must undergo an 18-hour waiting period. Medical providers must tell patients about the risks involved in abortion and must say the fetus can feel pain around 20 weeks, which is disputed. Providers must report complications related to abortion; failure to report can result in a misdemeanor, 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Federal courts have blocked several restrictions in Indiana, including an attempt to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure and a law that would have required doctors to tell pregnant women about a disputed treatment to potentially stop a drug-induced abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: No immediate change would take effect in Indiana if Roe v. Wade is overturned or if the U.S. Supreme Court supports Mississippi's 15-week ban. But legislators unwilling to wait until the 2023 session could ask Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to call a special session this summer to start modifying the state's abortion laws. What's next: Shortly after the Supreme Court's draft decision was leaked, Republican lawmakers said they would not make any moves to change Indiana's abortion laws until the court releases its official decision. Some have expressed interest in adopting a law that bans abortions at the point when a medical practitioner can discern a fetal heartbeat. That's usually around six weeks, when many women don't even know they are pregnant. ___ IOWA Political control: Iowa's legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access and a Republican governor who agrees and is up for reelection this year. Background: Iowa allows most abortions until the 20th week of pregnancy, when they're banned except to save a patient's life or prevent a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. In 2018, the state Supreme Court declared access to abortion a "fundamental" right under the state constitution, granting stronger protections to abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution. The state's high court, now with a conservative majority, overturned that decision June 17, thus allowing a state law requiring a 24-hour waiting period to go into effect immediately. That requirement is being challenged in district court. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change immediately in Iowa. The GOP-controlled Legislature has been working to get an amendment on the ballot in 2024 that would declare the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion, but if the high court ruling shifts power back to state government as expected, Iowa lawmakers could ban abortion without completing that lengthy process. What's next: Now that the Iowa Supreme Court has struck down its 2018 ruling, the state Legislature can convene a special session this summer and pass abortion restrictions. Republicans could still move to get the constitutional amendment on a public ballot in 2024. ___ KANSAS Political control: Kansas has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions but a Democratic governor who supports access and is up for re-election this year. Background: Under current law, Kansas does not ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy, when they're allowed only to save a patient's life or to prevent "a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function." The state Supreme Court in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a "fundamental" right under the state constitution, granting stronger protections to abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution does currently. State law, however, doesn't allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change immediately in Kansas, and that will be true even if the court merely upholds Mississippi's ban at 15 weeks without explicitly overturning Roe. The state Supreme Court blocked enforcement of a 2015 legislative ban on a common second-trimester procedure, and abortion opponents fear a host of other rules could fall to legal challenges in the near future. The GOP-controlled Legislature responded by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot during the Aug. 2 primary, when turnout is expected to be much lower than in a general election and will likely see a higher proportion of Republicans voting. The amendment would declare that the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion. It would allow lawmakers to restrict abortion as much as the federal courts will allow -- and to ban it if Roe is overturned. What's next: If voters approve the amendment, the Legislature would still have to approve the new restrictions, and lawmakers are out of session until January 2023. They can call themselves into special session with two-thirds majorities, but they're likely to wait until after voters decide in the November general election whether to give Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly a second term. ___ KENTUCKY Political control: Republicans have a supermajority in the Kentucky Legislature and have been restricting abortion rights since the 2016 election over the vetoes of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who supports abortion rights and will seek a second term in 2023. Background: Kentucky bans abortions after 20 weeks, but all abortion services were temporarily halted in April after the legislature imposed new restrictions and reporting requirements on the state's two abortion clinics. The clinics, both in Louisville, said they suspended abortions because state officials hadn't written guidelines on how to comply with the new law. Noncompliance could result in stiff fines, felony penalties and revocation of physician and facility licenses. Abortions resumed after a federal judge temporarily blocked key parts of the law, including a provision banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, abortion services in Kentucky would immediately become illegal under a "trigger law" enacted in 2019. The measure contains a narrow exception allowing abortion to prevent the death or permanent injury of a pregnant woman. Kentuckians will be able to vote this November on a proposed amendment declaring there is no right to an abortion in the state constitution. What's next: Abortion-rights activists say the suspension of abortion services in April foreshadowed what would happen in Kentucky and other Republican-leaning states if Roe v. Wade is overturned. It likely would end several legal challenges pending against other Kentucky abortion laws including a 2018 measure that abortion-rights supporters say would effectively ban a standard abortion method in the second trimester of pregnancy. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March that Kentucky's Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron, can defend the measure that was struck down by lower courts. ___ LOUISIANA Political control: Louisiana's legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access. Its Democratic and Catholic governor also opposes abortions, though he supports exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Background: Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2020 stating that "a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution." Of the about 2 million people who voted, 62% approved the amendment. Abortion is legal in Louisiana through the 19th week of pregnancy. After that, it is legal only if the fetus would die anyway or if continuing the pregnancy would threaten the mother's life or health. An ultrasound and counseling are required at least 24 hours before the procedure. For medication abortion, a doctor must prescribe the drug in person; telemedicine prescriptions are not allowed. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The legislature has sent Gov. John Bel Edwards a bill that would criminalize nearly all abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade or upholds Mississippi's 15-week ban. Penalties for those who perform abortions would be mandatory: up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 to $100,000. He is expected to sign. What's next? Edwards also has a bill that would require the doctor to certify that a drug used for abortion was being prescribed for another medical reason. The bill would make it illegal to deliver abortion medication to a state resident "by mail-order, courier, or as a result of a sale made via the internet." ___ MAINE Political control: Both chambers of the Maine Legislature, which has adjourned, are controlled by Democrats. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has vowed to protect the right to an abortion, saying she will "fight with everything I have to protect reproductive rights." Background: A Republican governor in 1993 signed a Maine law affirming the right to abortion before a fetus is viable. After that, abortion is only allowed if the life or health of the mother is at risk, or if the pregnancy is no longer viable. In 2019, lawmakers eliminated a physician-only rule and Mills signed it into law, allowing nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other medical professionals to perform abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change in Maine, and that will be true even if the court merely upholds Mississippi's ban at 15 weeks without explicitly overturning Roe. Any attempt to restrict abortions when lawmakers reconvene next year would face fierce pushback. Abortion providers, meanwhile, said there could be an influx of patients seeking abortions from states that outlaw the procedure. What's next: Any major changes are unlikely unless former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, unseats Mills and Republicans take control of both chambers of the Legislature in November. LePage, a Catholic who opposes abortion rights, has said it's up to lawmakers to address the abortion issue as they see fit. ___ MARYLAND Political control: Maryland's legislature is controlled by Democrats who expanded abortion access this year by ending a restriction that only physicians can provide them and requiring most insurance plans to cover abortion care without cost. The legislature overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's veto of the bill in April. Background: The right to abortion is protected in Maryland law. The state approved legislation in 1991 to protect abortion rights if the Supreme Court should ever restrict access. Voters approved the right in 1992 with 62% of the vote. Maryland law prohibits restrictions on abortion prior to viability. Maryland does not have a gestational limit. After viability, clinicians make the determination, based on clinical standard of care. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change immediately in Maryland law, and that will be true even if the court merely upholds Mississippi's ban at 15 weeks without explicitly overturning Roe. What's next: Maryland's new law that will enable nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide abortions with training is set to take effect July 1. However, $3.5 million in state funding to provide training isn't mandated until fiscal year 2024. Hogan, who is term limited, has indicated he will not approve the money sooner. Some nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants already have received training on medication abortion and will be able to provide those services starting next month. ___ MASSACHUSETTS Political control: The Democrats who control the Massachusetts Legislature support access to abortion, as does the state's Republican governor, although they differ on specific policies. Background: Massachusetts once had a contentious relationship with abortion, in part due to the powerful influence of the Catholic Church, which opposes abortion. In recent years, that influence has waned and Massachusetts has become a strong supporter of abortion rights. In 2018, in anticipation of a conservative tilt on the U.S. Supreme Court, the state removed an 1845 abortion ban from its books that was not enforced. Two years later, Democratic state lawmakers clashed with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker -- who says he supports abortion rights -- over an effort to codify abortion rights into state law, allow abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases where the child would not survive after birth, and lower from 18 to 16 the age at which women could seek an abortion without consent from a parent or guardian. Lawmakers passed the bill -- dubbed the Roe Act -- over Baker's veto. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Baker has vowed to fight to keep abortion legal in Massachusetts, but it is his last year in office. Both Democratic candidates for governor -- state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and Attorney General Maura Healey -- support abortion rights. Republican candidate Geoff Diehl said he believes in "the need to protect human life wherever and whenever possible." Fellow GOP candidate Chris Doughty said he would "not seek any changes to our state's abortion laws." What's next: Absent new federal abortion laws, there's little chance Massachusetts will restrict abortion rights. As of 2017, there were 47 facilities providing abortion in Massachusetts, 19 of those were clinics, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it's unclear how many people would travel there from states that ban or restrict abortion. The state Senate has proposed additional money to help maintain access to abortion services, including barring providers and patients from being extradited to other states to face abortion-related lawsuits. ___ MICHIGAN Political control: Both chambers of Michigan's legislature are controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access, but the state's Democratic governor supports access. Background: A dormant 1931 law bans nearly all abortions in Michigan but it hasn't been enforced since Roe v. Wade. The law made it a felony to use an instrument or administer any substance with the intent to abort a fetus unless necessary to preserve the woman's life. It has no exceptions in cases of rape and incest. Anticipating that Roe could be overturned, Planned Parenthood of Michigan filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan's ban. A state judge suspended the law in May, saying it violates the state's constitution. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats, hailed the decision. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The injunction granted in the Planned Parenthood case ensured that abortion would not immediately become illegal if the U.S. Supreme Court cut down Roe. Planned Parenthood of Michigan and other supporters hope the injunction indicates abortion rights in the state will be preserved. But in a statement to The Associated Press, Nessel's office said "given the ongoing lawsuits, we cannot speculate what the state of abortion rights will be in Michigan" if Roe is overturned. What's next: Whitmer also filed suit asking the state's Supreme Court to declare the 91-year-old law unconstitutional. It has not acted yet. Michigan abortion rights supporters hope to put the issue on ballots this fall. Their proposed constitutional amendment would affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference, including about abortion and other reproductive services such as birth control. The Reproductive Freedom for All committee needs to collect about 425,000 valid voter signatures by July 11 to make the November ballot. The measure would become law if voters approved it. The issue also is expected to shape statewide elections -- Whitmer and Nessel are both up for reelection in the fall -- and legislative races. ___ MINNESOTA Political control: The Minnesota Legislature is divided; Anti-abortion Republicans control the Senate and Democrats have the House, but the majorities are slim in both chambers, so control will be up for grabs in the November elections. Most legislative Democrats support abortion rights. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has said "no abortion ban will ever become law" while he's governor. But he faces a challenge this year from Republican Scott Jensen, who opposes abortion rights. Background: Abortion is legal in Minnesota up to the point of fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy. The state has some restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period with state-mandated counseling, both parents generally must be notified prior to a minor getting an abortion, and only physicians can perform abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Minnesota if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade because the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that the state constitution protects abortion rights. If Republicans take control of both chambers, they could put a constitutional amendment on the ballot as soon as 2024 to reverse that ruling, but it's not clear yet if they would take that path. Minnesota governors can't block constitutional amendments with vetoes. But amendments are hard to enact because they require the backing of most of the citizens voting in that election, not just those voting on the amendment. Leaving the ballot blank counts as a "no." What's next: Providers are preparing for a surge in women coming from other states to get abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said her organization has been "fortifying" its delivery systems, including telemedicine. Dr. Sarah Traxler, the group's medical director, has said demand in Minnesota is expected to rise by up to 25%. ___ MISSISSIPPI Political control: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and leaders of the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature have been working for years to chip away at abortion access. Background: Mississippi law bans most abortions at 20 weeks. The state tried to enact a law in 2018 to ban most abortions after 15 weeks. This law is the basis for the case now at the Supreme Court, which could reshape abortion rights nationwide. A federal district judge blocked Mississippi's 15-week law from taking effect, and an appeals court agreed. The Supreme Court heard arguments in December, and the Mississippi attorney general's office argued justices should overturn Roe v. Wade, the court's 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Mississippi has one abortion clinic, and it stops offering abortions at 16 weeks. Reeves was lieutenant governor in 2018, when Mississippi tried to enact the 15-week ban, and in 2019, when the state tried to enact a six-week ban. Mississippi law does not allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Mississippi's only abortion clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization, would close within weeks if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Mississippi enacted a law in 2007 that would prohibit most abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Abortions would still be allowed if the woman's life is endangered by the pregnancy or if the pregnancy was caused by a rape that was reported to law enforcement. Any person who knowingly performs or attempts to induce an abortion, except the pregnant woman, could be punished by up to 10 years in prison. What's next: If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the 2007 Mississippi law says the state attorney general must publish a notice in a state administrative bulletin. The state's ban on most abortions would take effect 10 days after that publication. ___ MISSOURI Political control: Both GOP Gov. Mike Parson and the Republican-led Legislature support laws against abortion. Background: Missouri law allows abortions up until 22 weeks of pregnancy. But the GOP-led Legislature passed an abortion ban in 2019, hoping that the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling would later be tossed out. Under the 2019 law, abortions would only be allowed to save the life of the mother and would not be allowed in cases of rape or incest. Performing an illegal abortion would be a felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The 2019 abortion ban would kick in if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The attorney general, the governor or the Legislature would need to issue an official notice if Roe is overturned for the 2019 law to take effect. The GOP-led Legislature is out of session for the year, but Parson and the attorney general have said they'll take quick action if Roe falls. What's next: If the abortion ban takes effect, many Missouri patients seeking abortions likely will travel to neighboring states, including Illinois and Kansas. A new Illinois logistics center near St. Louis helps women from out of state find travel, lodging and childcare if they need help getting to the area for an abortion, and it connects them with funding sources. The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a "fundamental" right under the state constitution, granting stronger protections to abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution does. Even without the ban in Missouri, the number of Missouri patients seeking abortions in Kansas has gone up in recent years, increasing about 8% from 2020 to 2021. ___ MONTANA Political control: The Republicans who control the Montana Legislature and Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte want to limit access to abortion. Background: Abortion used to be legal in Montana up until viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy, but the state Legislature passed a bill in 2020 to reduce that to 20 weeks, arguing that is when the fetus can feel pain. That law, along with one that requires chemical abortions to be done with in-person medical supervision, are being challenged in court. A state judge temporarily blocked enforcement in October 2021 while the challenges move through the courts. The state has asked the Montana Supreme Court to vacate that injunction and overturn a 1999 Montana Supreme Court opinion that found the state's constitutional right to privacy guarantees a woman's access to abortion care. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The effect of overturning Roe v. Wade is unclear in Montana because of the unresolved legal challenges to the 2021 legislation. Montana does not have an abortion ban that would be triggered if Roe v. Wade is overturned, but the Legislature could seek to further restrict access in the next session. What's next: The Montana Supreme Court will issue a decision on the preliminary injunction. The Montana Legislature also passed a referendum to ask voters this November whether they support a state law to require abortion providers to give lifesaving treatment to a fetus that is born alive after a botched abortion. Opponents argue federal law already offers those protections. ___ NEBRASKA Political control: Nebraska has an officially nonpartisan legislature with a Republican majority, but not a super-majority that would let the party unilaterally pass an abortion ban. Democrats appear to have enough votes to block such a bill, but just one defector could swing the vote. Nebraska's Republican governor vehemently opposes abortion. Background: Nebraska allows most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy, although a few small towns have voted to outlaw the procedure within their borders. The state requires doctors to be physically present when patients take the first of two drugs that are used in medication abortions. Lawmakers have rejected attempts to allow abortion medications to be administered remotely, which would provide easier abortion access in rural areas. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: A ruling that lets states set their own abortion laws would trigger an immediate push by Nebraska conservatives to ban the procedure, but it's not clear whether they could do it this year. Unlike other conservative states, Nebraska doesn't have a law that would automatically outlaw abortion if the court overturns Roe v. Wade. Gov. Pete Ricketts and other top Republicans have said they'll seek a special legislative session, but it's not clear whether they have enough votes to pass anything. What's next: If Ricketts calls a special session, attention will likely shift to state Sen. Justin Wayne, an Omaha Democrat who has declined to specify where he stands on abortion. Wayne was notably absent from a vote on the issue this year; his support would give Republicans the super-majority they need to enact a ban. He has struck deals with senators from both parties in the past. If a proposed abortion ban fails during a special session or if no special session is called, the issue will likely become a factor in the November election. ___ NEVADA Political control: Nevada's governor and state attorney general are Democrats who are up for reelection this year. Democrats control the state Senate and Assembly. Background: Nevada voters enshrined the right to abortion in the state constitution in 1990. The law says a pregnancy can be terminated during the first 24 weeks, and after that to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. It would take another statewide vote to change or repeal the law. Most Republican candidates for Congress, governor, state attorney general and other statewide posts say they oppose abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: "Here in Nevada, overturning Roe would not be felt immediately," state Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a position paper released after the draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion became public. Ford noted that a federal ban on abortion would supersede state law and said it would be naive not to recognize that some people want to ban abortions or make them more difficult to obtain. But he said his office will fight "attacks on abortion rights, rights to birth control access and rights for LGTBQ people." Gov. Steve Sisolak promised in a statement to "continue to protect reproductive freedom." What's next: Anti-abortion advocates are not expected to focus on trying to repeal Nevada's abortion law. But they will seek laws affecting waiting periods, mandatory counseling or requiring parental notification or consent. Melissa Clement, executive director of Nevada Right to Life, said she believes there is strong support for parental involvement. ___ NEW HAMPSHIRE Political control: New Hampshire has a Republican governor and the GOP controls the 424-member Legislature. All face reelection this fall. Background: Any abortion restrictions New Hampshire had on the books before Roe v. Wade were not enforced after the landmark 1973 ruling, and they were repealed altogether in 1997. The state had no restrictions until January, when a ban on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy was enacted. In June, an exemption was added for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with "abnormalities incompatible with life." Anticipating the Supreme Court action, Democrats this year tried unsuccessfully to enshrine abortion rights into state law and the state constitution. Gov. Chris Sununu calls himself pro-choice and says he is committed to upholding Roe v. Wade, but he also has boasted "I've done more on the pro-life issue than anyone." Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change immediately in New Hampshire. The Legislature won't return until fall, when there will be a one-day session to take up vetoed bills, and it would take a two-thirds majority vote to introduce new legislation then. What's next: The majority leader of the New Hampshire House has said the public should not expect Republicans in the Legislature to further tighten state abortion laws. But anti-abortion lawmakers who have filed bills in the past are expected to try again. ___ NEW JERSEY Political control: Democrats control both houses of the state Legislature and the governorship. Gov. Phil Murphy started his second consecutive term this year. Background: To pre-empt a possible Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade, Murphy ran for reelection on the promise that he would sign legislation to enshrine abortion rights into state law, and he fulfilled that promise in January. The measure also guaranteed the right to contraception and the right to carry a pregnancy to term. It stopped short of requiring insurance coverage for abortions, something advocates had sought. Instead, it authorizes the state Banking and Insurance Department to study the issue and possibly adopt regulations if a need is discovered. Under Murphy's predecessor, Republican Chris Christie, state funds to women's clinics, including Planned Parenthood, were slashed. Murphy restored those and has been a strong supporter of abortion rights. New Jersey doesn't have any significant restrictions on abortion, such as parental consent or a mandatory waiting period. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Officials, including the governor, have said the end of Roe would not lead to any rollback of abortion services in the state. "Instead of hoping for the best, we prepared ourselves for the worst," Murphy said in May, addressing reports of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court ruling What's next: Murphy has proposed a host of new abortion-related measures, but the Legislature has not taken them up yet. One aims to let a wider range of medical providers perform the most common type of abortion. Another would create a fund so advanced practice registered nurses, physician's assistants and certified nurse midwives can provide abortion services. The source and amount of funding wasn't defined. Another proposed measure would mandate that insurance providers cover abortions without cost-sharing or out-of-pocket expenses. ___ NEW MEXICO Political control: The Democrats who control the New Mexico Legislature support access to abortion, as does the state's Democratic governor. Several conservative Democratic state senators who voted against the repeal of the abortion ban in 2019 were ousted from office in 2020 by more socially progressive primary challengers. Background: Abortion has been legal in New Mexico since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. In 2021, state lawmakers repealed a dormant 1969 statute that outlawed most abortion procedures as felonies, thus ensuring access to abortion if the federal court rolls back guarantees. Albuquerque is home to one of only a few independent clinics in the country that perform abortions in the third trimester without conditions. An abortion clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is just a mile from the state line with Texas and caters to patients from El Paso, western Texas and Arizona. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: There will be no immediate change in New Mexico if the high court overturns Roe v. Wade. It is unclear if Democratic lawmakers will pursue additional guarantees to abortion access when the Legislature meets again in January. Possible avenues of legislative reform include enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, which requires approval by statewide referendum. Abortion rights activists say the state's equal rights amendment could be harnessed to guide more public funding for abortion-related programs. What's next: The state can expect to continue to see a steady influx of people seeking abortions from neighboring states with more restrictive abortion laws. It already hosts patients from Texas and Oklahoma where among the strictest abortion bans in the country were introduced this year. ___ NEW YORK Political control: The Democrats who control the New York Legislature support access to abortion, as does the state's Democratic governor. Background: Abortion has been legal in New York state since a 1970 law was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. The law allows abortions within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy or to preserve the mother's life. The 2019 Reproductive Health Act removed abortion from the state's criminal code, codified Roe v. Wade and allowed abortions after 24 weeks if a fetus isn't viable or to protect the mother's life or health. Lawmakers have passed laws extending legal protections for people seeking and providing abortions in New York. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Roe V. Wade protections are enshrined in state law. New York is planning to give abortion providers $35 million this year to expand services and boost security in anticipation of an influx of out-of-state people seeking abortions once any ruling comes down. It's unclear how many more people from neighboring states could travel to New York to receive abortion care. New York had 252 facilities providing abortions as of 2017, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. What's next: Planned Parenthood and civil liberty groups are urging lawmakers to start the process of passing a constitutional amendment protecting access to abortion care in case a future Legislature repeals the state law. ___ NORTH CAROLINA Political control: Republicans hold majorities in the state House and Senate, but the party lacks the margins to defeat a veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a strong abortion-rights supporter. Since 2017, Cooper has vetoed a "born-alive" abortion measure and a bill prohibiting abortion based on race or a Down syndrome diagnosis. He can't seek reelection in 2024 due to term limits. Background: A 1973 North Carolina law that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is currently unenforceable after federal judges struck it down as unconstitutional in 2019 and 2021. Instead, abortions can be performed until fetal viability. A state law approved in 2015 provides for post-viability abortions only in a "medical emergency," which means the woman would die or face a "serious risk" of substantial and irreversible physical impairment without the procedure. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the 20-week ban could be restored. Legal experts say formal action would have to be taken to dismiss the earlier court rulings striking it down. State Attorney General Josh Stein is a Democrat and abortion rights supporter. Republican lawmakers could try to force action themselves. What's next: Republican General Assembly leaders have low expectations of additional abortion restrictions coming during the soon-to-end legislative session, meaning a likely intensification of electoral efforts to gain the five additional seats the GOP needs to reach veto-proof margins come 2023. Cooper and other Democrats already are making abortion rights a key campaign pitch. Abortion politics are also expected to figure in two state Supreme Court seat elections in November. Republicans would gain a majority on the court if they win at least one of them. ___ NORTH DAKOTA Political control: North Dakota has a legislature dominated by Republicans who want to ban abortion, and the GOP governor wants to see Roe v. Wade wiped off the books in favor of state's rights. Background: The state has passed some of the nation's strictest abortion laws, including one that would have banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can happen before a woman knows she is pregnant. The law never took effect because the state's lone abortion clinic successfully challenged it in court. One failed Republican proposal would have charged abortion providers with murder with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, North Dakota has a trigger law that would shut down the state's sole abortion clinic in Fargo after 30 days. That 2007 state law makes it a felony to perform an abortion unless necessary to prevent the pregnant woman's death or in cases of rape or incest. Violators could be punished with a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine. What's next: The owner and operator of the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo said she would explore all legal options to ensure abortion services are available in North Dakota. Should that fail, clinic leader Tammi Kromenaker plans to move across the river to Moorhead, Minnesota, where abortion has not been outlawed. Planned Parenthood says it can provide abortions in Moorhead until Kromenaker gets up and running. ___ OHIO Political control: The Ohio Legislature is controlled by Republicans who support restricting or banning abortions, and the Republican governor backs those efforts. He is up for reelection this year against a former mayor who supports abortion rights. Background: Under current law, Ohio does not ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy; after that they're allowed only to save a patient's life or when their health is seriously compromised. But the state imposes a host of other restrictions, including parental consent for minors, a required ultrasound, and in-person counseling followed by a 24-hour waiting period. Abortions are prohibited for the reason of a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis. Ohio also limits the public funding of abortions to cases of rape, incest or endangerment of the patient's life. It limits public employees' abortion-related insurance coverage and coverage through health plans offered in the Affordable Care Act health exchange to those same scenarios. Clinics providing abortions must comply with a host of regulations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change immediately in Ohio. Two trigger bills are on hold in the Legislature, but a key legislative leader has said he anticipates needing to write new legislation after the decision is reversed that more carefully reflects the actual ruling. That all but certainly would not happen until lawmakers return to the capital after the November election. Quicker action could take place in the courts, where several Ohio laws restricting abortions have been temporarily blocked. That includes a ban on most abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat, as early as six weeks into pregnancy, which is likely to be unblocked and become effective if Roe is reversed. What's next: It is not clear what will happen next in Ohio. Activists are considering how to help Ohioans get abortions elsewhere. They may also mount a statewide ballot initiative that would embed the right to an abortion in the state constitution, though that could not happen before next year. Abortion opponents are weighing strategies for imposing a statewide abortion ban if Roe is overturned. ___ OKLAHOMA Political control: Republicans in Oklahoma have a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature and a Republican governor up for reelection this year who has vowed to sign "every pro-life legislation that came across my desk." Background: Abortion services were halted in Oklahoma in May after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that prohibits all abortions with few exceptions. The ban is enforced by civil lawsuits rather than criminal prosecution. Republican lawmakers have been pushing to restrict abortion in the state for decades, passing 81 different restrictions since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: A ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court would have little practical effect given that abortions are no longer being provided in Oklahoma. However, because several Oklahoma abortion laws still are facing legal challenges in lower courts, it's possible that the abortion bans in place could be temporarily lifted. Oklahoma also has a "trigger law" that would outlaw abortion immediately if Roe or Planned Parenthood v. Casey were overturned. What's next: Given the fierce opposition to abortion from the governor and Legislature, Oklahoma will continue to prohibit the practice if states are given the option to do so. Meanwhile, abortion providers who had been operating in the state are taking steps to help patients seek abortions out of state, including coordinating funding for these women and developing a referral network of therapists to help address complications before or after a woman receives an abortion. ___ OREGON Political control: The Democrats who control the Oregon Legislature support access to abortion, as does the state's Democratic governor. Background: The Oregon Legislature passed a bill legalizing abortion in 1969. In 2017, Gov. Kate Brown signed into law a bill expanding health care coverage for reproductive services, including abortions, to thousands of Oregonians, regardless of income, citizenship status or gender identity. Oregon does not have any major abortion restrictions and it is legal at all stages of pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The Guttmacher Institute has estimated that Oregon would experience a 234% increase in women coming from out of state, especially from Idaho, if the high court overturns Roe v. Wade. In March, Oregon lawmakers approved $15 million to expand abortion availability and pay for abortions and support services such as travel and lodgings for residents and out-of-state patients. What's next: Brown said after the draft Supreme Court decision was leaked that access to abortion is a fundamental right and that she will fight to ensure access to abortion continues to be protected by state law in Oregon. Democratic state lawmakers recently formed the Reproductive Health and Access to Care Work Group of providers, clinics, community organizations and legislators that will make recommendations for the 2023 legislative session and beyond. Recommendations may include proposals to protect, strengthen, and expand equitable access to all forms of reproductive care. ___ PENNSYLVANIA Political control: Republicans who control the Pennsylvania Legislature are hostile to abortion rights, but the state's Democratic governor is a strong supporter and has vetoed three GOP-penned bills in five years that would have added restrictions beyond the state's 24-week limit. The race for governor this year could tilt that balance. Background: Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania under decades of state law, including a 1989 law that was challenged all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. That produced the landmark Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the high court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide, but also allowed states to put certain limits on abortion access. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Gov. Tom Wolf has vowed to protect access to abortion for the remainder of his time in office, through January. Running to replace him is the state's Democratic attorney general, Josh Shapiro, who supports abortion rights, and Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has said he supports banning abortion altogether, with no exceptions. The Legislature is expected to remain in Republican hands next year. What's next: Legislation to outlaw abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat -- which can happen at six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant -- has passed a House committee and is awaiting a floor vote. The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers aiming to overturn a 1982 law that bans the use of state dollars for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. In response, Republican lawmakers are advancing a proposed amendment that would declare there is no constitutional right to an abortion in Pennsylvania or to public funding for an abortion. ___ RHODE ISLAND Political control: The Democrats who control Rhode Island's General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the Democratic governor. Background: Rhode Island's governor signed legislation in 2019 to enshrine abortion protections in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The law says the state will not restrict the right to an abortion prior to fetal viability or after if necessary to protect the health or life of the pregnant woman. It repealed older laws deemed unconstitutional by the courts. The Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the 2019 law in May, just two days after the Supreme Court draft opinion was leaked suggesting that a majority of the justices were prepared to overturn Roe. Abortion opponents had argued the law violates the state constitution. In 2020, there were 2,611 abortions in Rhode Island, according to the state health department. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Rhode Island's attorney general believes the 2019 Reproductive Privacy Act will continue to protect access to abortion if Roe is overturned. Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island also said abortion will remain legal regardless of the decision because the right was codified in state law. What's next: It's possible Rhode Island may need to act to protect abortion access for non-resident patients, but that cannot be debated in the legislature until next year's legislative session. Lawmakers may consider requests for abortion coverage to be added to Rhode Island's Medicaid program and insurance coverage for state employees. ___ SOUTH CAROLINA Political control: South Carolina has a Republican governor, and its General Assembly is dominated by the GOP. However, the party doesn't quite have the two-thirds majority in either chamber needed to overcome procedural hurdles or a veto if a Democrat wins the 2022 gubernatorial election. Background: In 2021, South Carolina passed the "Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act" that requires doctors to use an ultrasound to try to detect a fetal heartbeat if they think a pregnant woman is at least eight weeks along. If they find a heartbeat, they can only perform an abortion if the woman's life is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The law is currently tied up in a federal lawsuit. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the 2021 law likely will go into effect. If the court's ruling is less expansive, then the state's current ban on abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy will remain while the 2021 law continues through the federal court system. What's next: The South Carolina General Assembly's regular session ended in May, but Republican leaders agreed they could return for a special session to take up more restrictive abortion bills if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Some Republicans in the Legislature have opposed a complete abortion ban, especially without exceptions for victims of rape and incest. ___ SOUTH DAKOTA Political control: Republicans hold super-majorities in both Statehouse chambers. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is up for reelection this year and has been an ardent opponent of abortion rights. Background: Under current law, South Dakota bans abortions after the 22nd week of pregnancy. The state has only one clinic that regularly provides abortions, a Planned Parenthood facility in Sioux Falls. The legislature has worked over the years to make it more difficult for women to get abortions, passing mandatory waiting periods and requiring them to review and sign paperwork that discourages them from ending their pregnancies. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, South Dakota has a trigger law that would immediately ban abortions except if the life of the pregnant woman is at risk. What's next: Noem has said she plans to call a special session to craft laws for the new legal landscape if Roe v. Wade is overturned. She hasn't commented on specific legislation, but lawmakers have floated proposals that would make it more difficult for women to seek an abortion out of state. However, South Dakota voters rejected outright bans in 2006 and 2008, and abortion rights advocates are preparing for a similar referendum on abortion access. An outright ban on abortions could eventually be challenged through a citizen-initiated ballot measure. ___ TENNESSEE Political control: Tennessee has a Republican governor who is consistently vocal about his opposition to abortion. The GOP holds a supermajority in the state legislature and has steadily chipped away at abortion access. Background: In 2020, Tennessee passed a law banning most abortions when the fetal heartbeat can be detected at about six weeks, before many women know they're pregnant. The measure has never been enforced because it was promptly blocked by a federal court. Tennessee voters approved an amendment in 2014 declaring that the state's constitution doesn't protect or secure the right to abortion or require the funding of an abortion, and empowering state lawmakers to "enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion." State law also doesn't allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. There are six abortion providers in Tennessee. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, a so-called trigger law will go into effect that bans all abortions in Tennessee except when necessary to prevent death or "serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function." Doctors could be charged with a felony for providing an abortion under this law, which would take effect 30 days after the Supreme Court's decision is announced. What's next: It's unclear if the trigger law conflicts with the 2020 law banning most abortions at about six weeks. The state's attorney general, a Republican, has not publicly weighed in. Meanwhile, Republicans are expected to continue to have supermajority control after this year's midterm elections. Reproductive rights activists say they will direct patients seeking abortion to clinics in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is overturned, or to Florida, which would ban abortions at 15 weeks. North Carolina and Virginia could also be options for women in eastern Tennessee. ___ TEXAS Political control: The GOP has commanding majorities in the Texas Legislature and has controlled every statewide office for nearly 30 years. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is up for reelection in November and is favored to win a third term. Background: Texas has given the nation a preview of the landscape of abortion access if Roe v. Wade is overturned. A new Texas law banning most abortions after about six weeks before many women know they are pregnant took effect in September and makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Because of how Republicans wrote the law, which is enforceable only through lawsuits filed by private citizens against doctors or anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion, Texas has essentially outmaneuvered decades of Supreme Court precedent governing a women's constitutional right to an abortion. State data shows the number of abortions performed in Texas' roughly two dozen clinics fell by half in the five months after the law came into effect compared to the same period a year earlier. Effect of the Supreme Court ruling: Texas had more than 40 abortion clinics in 2012 before a decade of Republicans chipping away at abortion access began forcing providers to close. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Texas would ban virtually all abortions 30 days after the ruling. Abortions would only be allowed when the patient's life is in danger or if they are at risk of "substantial impairment of a major bodily function." What's next: Many Texas women have already traveled out of state for abortions since the law took effect, but they would likely have to travel much farther if Roe v. Wade is overturned as more states outlaw abortion. Some Republican lawmakers also want to punish companies that help their Texas-based employees get abortions elsewhere, although it's unclear how much support that idea will have when the Legislature returns in 2023. ___ UTAH Political control: Utah is deeply conservative and the Legislature is controlled by a Republican supermajority. Background: The state has been restricting abortion for years, including a ban after 18 weeks passed in 2019 that's now blocked in court. The following year, lawmakers passed a "trigger law" that would outlaw nearly all abortions if Roe v. Wade was overturned. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Utah has a law designed to go into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned that would ban nearly all abortions. It would be enforceable after the legislative general counsel certifies the ruling to lawmakers. It does have narrow exceptions for rape and incest if those crimes are reported to law enforcement, and for serious risk to the life or health of the mother, as well as confirmed lethal birth defects. If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to uphold the Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks, Utah's 18-week ban could go into effect. What's next: If the Supreme Court tosses out Roe, Utah law makes performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. While it's aimed primarily at providers, lawmakers have acknowledged that a woman who self-administers an abortion, including through medication, could potentially face charges. ___ VERMONT Political control: The Vermont Legislature is controlled by Democrats, but Republican Gov. Phil Scott is a firm supporter of abortion rights. Background: Vermont has a 2019 law guaranteeing the right to an abortion and voters will consider a proposal in November to amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights. Also in 2019, the Vermont Legislature began the process of amending the constitution to protect abortion rights, known as the Reproductive Liberty Amendment or Proposition 5. Vermont's proposed amendment does not contain the word "abortion." Proponents say that's because it's not meant to authorize only abortion but also would guarantee other reproductive rights such as the right to get pregnant or access birth control. Opponents say vague wording could have unintended consequences that could play out for years. Lawmakers approved the proposed amendment in February, leading the way for a statewide vote. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, nothing will change immediately in Vermont. What's next: Vermont voters will cast ballots in November to decide if the state will amend its constitution to protect abortion rights. ___ VIRGINIA Political control: Virginia has a Republican governor who says he would support new state-level restrictions on abortion and a divided General Assembly. Republicans control the state House and Democrats lead the state Senate. Background: In recent years, when Democrats were in full control of state government, lawmakers rolled back abortion restrictions. They ended strict building code requirements on facilities where abortions are performed and did away with requirements that a patient seeking an abortion undergo a 24-hour waiting period and ultrasound. Advocates said the changes would make Virginia a haven for abortion access in the South. Republican victories in the November elections shook up the state's political landscape, but Senate Democrats defeated several measures that would have limited abortion access during the 2022 legislative session. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: There will be no immediate change to abortion laws in Virginia if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Some abortion providers expect to see an uptick in patients seeking care in Virginia from neighboring states with "trigger laws" that would ban abortion. What's next: The future of abortion access is Virginia is murky. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has indicated he would support an abortion ban around 20 weeks of a pregnancy, though he generally supports exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save a mother's life. He has not specified how he would proceed if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Senate Democrats say they intend to continue blocking attempts to roll back abortion access, though they control the chamber by the narrowest possible margin and have one caucus member who personally opposes abortion and says he is open to new restrictions. Republicans also have a narrow hold on the House, with several moderate members. Every seat in the General Assembly will be on the ballot in 2023. ___ WASHINGTON Political control: The Democrats who control the Washington Legislature support access to abortion, as does the state's Democratic governor. Background: Abortion has been legal in Washington state since a 1970 statewide ballot referendum. Another ballot measure approved by voters in 1991 declared a woman's right to choose physician-performed abortion prior to fetal viability and further expanded and protected access to abortion in the state if Roe v. Wade was overturned. And in 2018, the Legislature passed a measure that would require Washington insurers offering maternity care to also cover elective abortions and contraception. Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a measure that grants specific statutory authorization for physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners and other providers acting within their scope of practice to perform abortions. Supporters say the move is designed to help meet the demand from the potential influx of out-of-state patients. That same measure also prohibits legal action by Washington state against people seeking an abortion and those who aid them. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The state "will use every available tool to protect and preserve Washingtonians' fundamental right to choose, and protect the rights of anyone who wants to come here to access reproductive health care," said Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat. Data from the Washington state Department of Health from 2020 shows that of the 16,909 abortions performed in the state that year, 852 involved non-residents. The majority of those people came from neighboring states such as Idaho and Oregon. What's next: It's impossible to predict how many more non-resident patients will potentially seek care in Washington if Roe v. Wade is overturned, but the increase will likely be in the thousands, said Jennifer Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates.The state has more than 30 in-person abortion clinics, though the vast majority are in western Washington along the Interstate 5 corridor. ___ WEST VIRGINIA Political control: West Virginia has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, opposes abortion access and has signed two anti-abortion laws since taking office in 2017. Background: West Virginia currently bans abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy unless a patient's life is in danger, or they face "substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function." Patients seeking abortions must wait 24 hours after undergoing legislatively mandated counseling designed to discourage abortions. A minor who wants an abortion must obtain parental permission. The use of telemedicine to administer a medication abortion is outlawed. The state also bars patients from getting abortions because they believe their child will be born with a disability. The House of Delegates this year passed a 15-week abortion ban like the Mississippi law under review by the U.S. Supreme Court, but it died in the Senate. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: It's unclear what the effect the overturning of Roe v. Wade would have on abortion access in West Virginia. The state has had a law banning abortion on the books since 1848; Under that law, providers who perform abortions can face felony charges and three to 10 years in prison, unless the abortion is conducted to save a patient's life. In 2018, West Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to declare patients do not have the right to abortion and banning state funding for abortions. What's next: West Virginia lawmakers could introduce new legislation restricting abortion access when they return to the Capitol in January, but they could return sooner if called into a special session. West Virginia only has one clinic that performs abortions. Women's Health Center of West Virginia Executive Director Katie Quinonez said if abortion access is outlawed, the clinic will continue to provide reproductive care, such as birth control and STI diagnosis and treatment. She said the clinic will help women travel to other states for abortions through its abortion fund. ___ WISCONSIN Political control: Wisconsin has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions but a Democratic governor who supports access and is up for reelection this year. Background: Wisconsin allows most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy to save the health or life of the mother. A woman seeking an abortion must meet with a counselor and doctor before obtaining an abortion and wait at least 24 hours before having it done. Anyone under age 18 must have an adult relative over age 25 with them to obtain an abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, it is presumed that a state law passed in 1849 making an abortion a felony offense would go into effect. However, Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general argues that the law is so old that it's unenforceable. The language allows a woman to legally destroy her own fetus or embryo and grants immunity if an abortion is needed to save a woman's life and is performed at a hospital. Another state law, passed in 1985, prohibits abortions performed after a fetus reaches viability -- when it could survive outside the womb -- conflicting with the 1849 ban. What's next: Republican lawmakers are expected to attempt to clarify the 1849 law to ensure there is a ban in place if Roe v. Wade is overturned, even as that issue is fought in the courts. However, lawmakers' efforts would be stymied if Democratic Gov. Tony Evers wins reelection. Wisconsin's Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has said he supports an exception in cases of rape and that a ruling on Roe could force lawmakers to consider other related reproductive issues such as contraception. Other Republicans will push for more restrictive abortion laws. ___ WYOMING Political control: Wyoming has one of the most Republican legislatures in the U.S. and a long tradition of libertarian-type if not always social or religious conservatism. That may be changing. In March, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law a bill that would ban abortion in nearly all instances should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. Background: Current Wyoming law allows abortions up to when a fetus might be able to survive on its own outside its mother's body. The law does not specify when that happens, but it is generally considered to be at around 23 weeks into pregnancy. Wyoming currently doesn't allow abortions after then except to protect the mother from substantial risk to her life or health. Wyoming Republicans have traditionally taken a hands-off approach to abortion but have proven more willing to limit the practice lately. The number of Democrats in the Legislature has dwindled from 26 in 2010 to just nine out of 90 total seats now. A 2021 law requires physicians to provide lifesaving care to any aborted fetus born alive. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The new state law that would ban abortion if Roe were overturned only provides exceptions in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mother's life or health, not including psychological conditions. Though Wyoming has no abortion clinics, abortions still occur. Ninety-eight took place in Wyoming in 2021, according to state officials. What's next: A planned women's health clinic in Casper that would be the only one offering abortions in the state was on track to open in mid-June but an arson fire May 25 delayed those plans by around six months. Police continue to look for a suspect in the arson investigation, and have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. ___ Associated Press statehouse reporters from across the U.S. contributed. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 For 54 days in 1972, 100 Montanans convened in the states most beautiful meeting place, the chambers for its House of Representatives. With Charlie Russells awe-inspiring painting reminding them of Montanas past, they created a template for our future. Earlier this month, the same delegates, or their descendants, returned to those chambers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the constitution they produced. Various panels explored various provisions, but the most important takeaway from the event was not in any constitutional article. It was between the lines. Only eight of the original delegates were present to answer the roll call. The oldest, Arlyne Reichert of Great Falls, spoke with the same graciousness and conviction that has characterized every day of her 96 years. I close my eyes and I can still see them, she recalled. My 99 fellow delegates. We came from all walks of life. The one thing we had in common was our love of Montana . That love just permeated the whole convention. Next to Arlyne sat the Con-Cons youngest delegate, Mae Nan (Robinson) Ellingson of Missoula. When her name was called, she simply responded, Present. Then she confessed she was still stinging from the note President Graybill would send her when she waxed a bit too loquacious on the floor: You can wrap it up now, Mrs. Robinson. Her seatmate burst out laughing. It was a time for stories, told with smiles and tears. The son of Manhattan Delegate Grace Bates recalled that in her later years, Grace had trouble sleeping. One night, instead of sheep, she counted delegates, reciting the occupants of desks front to back and side to side repeatedly, but only coming up with 99. At about 5 a.m., she realized she hadnt counted herself. So like her. C. Louise Crosss son told of his pride in this visionary stateswoman from Glendive who chaired the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. She was a force to be reckoned with. Years after the convention, a Montana rancher pooh-poohed her question about the constitutionality of a particular proposal. The constitution is probably too technical for her, he explained. Big mistake. I helped write it, she replied. Betty Babcock of Helena died in 2013, but fellow delegates credit her work as crucial to getting the constitution ratified. It came about in a funny way. She was playing hostess to a group her husband, former Governor Tim Babcock, was entertaining. The men all agreed the constitution would go down in flames. Betty put down the coffee pot, took off her apron, and told Tim she was needed elsewhere. Her advocacy from that day on was indefatigable. Im sure our dads are laughing up in heaven, Shannon Cate Schweyen chuckled after Elizabeth Campbell addressed the assembly with the same puckish expression her father, Delegate Bob Campbell of Missoula, always displayed. In true Montana style, Shannon continued, she and Elizabeth had met in a grocery store a few weeks earlier. It wasnt until they sat next to each other that morning that they realized they shared a deeper connection. Helena attorney Raph Graybill rose to represent Convention President Leo Graybill, Jr. Yes, its an honor to represent his grandfather, he acknowledged, but its also an honor to practice law today with Emily Cross, the granddaughter of Louise Cross, and Jeffrey Dahood and Mick McKeon, the sons of Anaconda delegates Wade Dahood and Mick McKeon. Love for the law may be in the DNA. Toward the end of the roll call, Lisa Skari, daughter of Chester Delegate Carman Skari, rose. Her father did not live to see the constitution ratified, she said, but the people in this room wrapped their arms around my family and gave us love and warmth and comfort when we needed it . This is a beautiful document, and I think it happened because beautiful people wrote it. Permeating the chambers at that moment was the lesson those 100 delegates wrote between the lines 50 years ago: The deep love of Montana simply cannot be separated from an abiding faith in fellow Montanans, warts and all and the fervent hope that future generations will share that faith, that hope, and that love. Amen to that. Mary Sheehy Moe is a retired educator and former state senator, school board trustee, and city commissioner who writes a weekly column for the Lee Newspapers. To commemorate the golden anniversary of Montanas constitution, she will devote several columns to that subject throughout 2022. This is the first. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade on Friday morning, putting abortion access in jeopardy across many American states for the first time in nearly 50 years and prompting swift response from officials in Greater Columbus. In a 6-3 decision overturning the landmark 1973 ruling, the court ruled that abortion is no longer a federal right protected by the constitution and will instead be decided by the states. And Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, filed a motion soon after Friday's decision to allow a six-week abortion ban, called the "heartbeat bill" to take effect. Here's what Columbus elected officials and other leaders had to say: Supreme Court decision: Ohio officials react as Roe v. Wade overturned More on Roe v. Wade: The U.S. Supreme Court just overturned Roe v. Wade. What does it mean for Ohio? Supreme Court decision: Abortion will be regulated by states. Here's what Ohio lawmakers have done Jun 24, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Emily Corbin holds up a sign during a rally at the Ohio Statehouse following the overturning of Roe v Wade by SCOTUS. Mandatory Credit: Brooke LaValley-The Columbus Dispatch Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther Today is a devastating day for women and girls in our country. This decision from a Supreme Court stacked with ultra-conservative justices paves the way for ultra-conservative, anti-women state legislatures across the country, including our own, to outlaw abortion. Abortions are health care. This decision doesnt eliminate the need for abortions, but rather restricts access to safe abortions, particularly among those who cannot afford them. We will do everything in our power to protect womens rights from partnering with organizations that provide womens health care to helping elect leaders who represent the will of the people, the vast majority of whom believes in a womans right to choose. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein The decision by this court to overturn the constitutionally protected right to abortion care is devastating to women, families and all those who value the rights and freedom of people to make deeply personal health care decisions without undue government interference. Story continues I know that many are feeling fear and uncertainty after this decision, and wondering what it will mean for healthcare access here in Ohio in the coming weeks and months. As the chief prosecutor for the city, my office is currently evaluating everything we legally can do to protect healthcare access should the state legislature move to further erode access to safe, legal abortions in Ohio. Columbus City Council "Members of Columbus City Council are angry at the Supreme Courts decision to deny necessary healthcare to Americans and reverse nearly 50 years of settled precedent. While abortion is still legal in Ohio today, that right is under immediate threat, given the six-week abortion ban on the books and the gerrymandered General Assembly's likelihood to pass an outright ban when they return to session. Council opposes the enactment of any legislation which could put Ohioans and doctors in jail for their healthcare decisions. "Council has stood up for abortion rights and will continue to do so. Council passed legislation to protect people and clinic workers from harassment outside of clinics, adopted a resolution opposing the 6-week ban, and updated the city's non-discrimination code to include protections for reproductive health choice, including seeking abortion care. "Abortion is health care. Our state legislature must act to protect Ohioans right to choice." Jun 24, 2022; Columbus, OH, USA; Over one thousand people showed up during an abortion rights protest at the Ohio State House, after the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Columbus Public Health "Abortion is healthcare. When we deny women access to safe abortions, we take away the basic healthcare services they need to live healthy and productive lives. All women should be empowered to make their own healthcare decisions on abortions and all areas of their health that impact their physical, emotional and financial well-being. This decision is a political one and it will negatively impact the health of all women, especially poor women and women of color. We will continue to advocate for and provide access to the quality health and wellness care that's right for all women so that we can help them live the health, safe and equitable lives they have worked for and more importantly deserve." Members of the Communist Party organization Anna Hass Morgan Club gather outside of the Womens Care Center located across from the Planned Parenthood on E Main Street to form an Emergency Roe Decision Picket to protest the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Catholic Diocese of Columbus "We in the Diocese of Columbus are thankful for the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Healthcare Organization. "The Catholic Church affirms that each human life is a gift from god, the author and lord of life. "...The Diocese will continue to work to nurture Ohio families and will continue to accept the responsibility of supporting mothers and their children, and to fight for the right to life for every human born, and unborn. "...We are a people of life. We celebrate, nurture and protect life. This is our moment to be heralds of the Gospel of life." Columbus Urban League President & CEO Stephanie Hightower "The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade offers another sad example of how America's commitment to eliminating racial and gender disparities is too often a hollow promise. "No question that the decision is a tremendous setback for all women and one that carries unmeasurable repercussions. But the decision's unequal impact on Black and poor women, women who are more likely to lack the resources to find or afford alternatives, echoes, at best, indifference. "The schisms that divide us desperately need healing, whether between rich and poor, black and white, liberal and conservative. We will never find common ground if we continue ignoring or diminishing the challenges and realities of other people's lives. "Your Columbus Urban League will continue advocating for true racial equity and social justice. Today reminds us: the fight is real." Iris Harvey, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has now officially given politicians permission to control what we do with our bodies, deciding that we can no longer be trusted to determine the course for our own lives. This dangerous and chilling decision can have devastating consequences in Ohio, forcing people to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles for care or remain pregnant. Make no mistake this decision goes beyond abortion. This is about who has power over you, who has the authority to make decisions for you, and who can control how your future is going to be. Nevertheless, you can still seek an abortion in Ohio today. Our patients have and will remain our highest priority. Maggie Scotece, interim executive director of Women Have Options I am enraged with the actions of not only SCOTUS, but our government at-large. All abortion bans are part of the intertwined systems of oppression that deny Black, indigenous, and other people of color access to their rights and are rooted in anti-Black racism, white supremacy, and other forms of discrimination. Right now, were calling on Ohioans to spread the message that abortions is still legal in Ohio. WHO/O, alongside local and national organizers and activists will continue fighting towards liberation. Grassroots fundraising, community support, and public action will be crucial, not just for abortion funds like WHO/O but also for clinics and the patients they serve. To Ohioans feeling every color of outrage and grief and fear know that you are not alone, and our communities arent going anywhere, now or ever. Rhiannon Carnes, co-founder and co-executive director of the Ohio Womens Alliance Action Fund We are devastated, but we are not broken because we know Roe v. Wade has improved the lives of many. Many have fought hard and dedicated their lives over the last 50 years to ensure bodily protection for people who have the right to legal abortion. From holding power to decide when we want to start a family, to financial and economic security, to equal representation for women in career advancement, Roe v. Wade was a layer of security that we won't give up to an extremist conservative bench on Capitol Hill. Eric Lagatta is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch covering social justice issues and non-profits. Reach him at elagatta@dispatch.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Roe v. Wade: Columbus officials react as abortion at risk in Ohio Beth Anderson, a resident at TerraBella Lake Norman, watched as her special day unfolded before her. With a crown upon her head, she witnessed the decorations being placed and family and friends gathering for her 100th birthday celebration. A Happy 100th Birthday banner was hung and flanked with blue and white balloons on one side and a table holding presents and birthday cards for the honoree. Additional cards, it was noted, arrived daily and Beth enjoyed looking at each one of them. As she watched the banner being put up, she remarked about the 100 on it and daughter Carol Stevenson asked her how old she felt, to which Beth said, not 100. That response prompted the question, Well, how old do you feel? Beth pondered this for a minute and replied 10. This answer was met with a chuckle and a comment of you are just a spring chick to which she looked and said, thats a good thing to call me. Stevenson shared that there was a lot of joy and laughter throughout the day as 15 family members and friends gathered for a meal and special time of fellowship celebrating this milestone occasion. Beth was born June 20, 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was married to the late Hank Anderson. It was shared that while she hasnt lived in Boston for quite a while, her heart remains in New England. The couple moved multiple times, living in Ohio, several cities in New York including Whitestone, Greenport and Rome, and Pennsylvania. In 2010, Beth moved to Mooresville to join family here. Beth has three children Kristina Anderson who lives in Virginia, Bob Anderson and his wife, Diane, of Florida, and Carol Stevenson and her husband, John, who live in Mooresville, and four grandchildren, who, it was shared, love their Nana very much. They are Beth Anderson of Pennsylvania, David Anderson and wife, Tina, of California, Michael Anderson and family of London UK and Evan and Whitney Anderson of Florida and one great-granddaughter. She also had a sister and two brothers, all who have passed away, and many nieces and nephews who live in the New England area. Beth grew up in Massachusetts, graduating from high school there. Her husband served during the war in the United States Navy in the Pacific. During that time, she worked for the bank typing war bonds. When the women were called up to work during wartime, she also worked for Raytheon in manufacturing. Throughout the years, Beth has enjoyed spending time with family and friends and participating in a variety of activities with them including playing scrabble and card games, which, it was noted, she usually won. Daughter Carol said that her mom began creating hooked rugs at a young age. Shes probably made hundreds over the years for her own use and family and for gifts, she said. She cut the wool and dyed the wool. She enjoyed doing this. Beth has also enjoyed line dancing and reading, and following her move to Mooresville, she developed another interest when she joined a senior memoir writing class. Usually living near water, Beth has had a love of going to the beach. When asked if she had any special dishes that she was famous for cooking, she said she wasnt famous for anything, but her daughter Carol remembered her moms clam chowder and a special spaghetti sauce. A quiet woman of faith, it was shared that both her faith and her church community have always been important to her. One of her favorite Bible verses comes from Philippians 4:11, which says, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance. And while Beth is no long able to attend church, Pastor Paul Turbedsky, congregational care and senior adults pastor from Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, was able to be there and join in the celebration. Other special guests at the party included grandson Michael and his family, who were unable to be there in person, but they did join the party via a video call. Lisa Qualls, Mooresville mayor pro tem, also came and delivered a proclamation honoring and congratulating Beth. The family expressed their appreciation to Terrabella Lake Norman for also celebrating their moms 100 years with special decorations and other special details and acknowledging her love of reading by gifting her with 100 books. In addition to the meal, Beth was treated to a special birthday cake and the groups serenading her by singing Happy Birthday. The cake topper was the words 100 Years Loved, and as the family said, that said it all. The cake was shared with fellow residents at the retirement community. The party ended with another song for Beth as they sang You Are My Sunshine As to how she got to be 100, Beth attributed several things to helping her. One, she said was, behaving myself, and the other was doing lots of walking and exercise, which helped to keep her young. And when it came to passing along some important advice to others, she shared four words, be happy and stay happy. A bandleader, a war refugee, and a car dealer walk into a Butte saloon. They needed only one spot at the bar. They were all the same man. He was a Slovenian Austrian bassoonist performing with the opera in Paris when the First World War broke out. Finding himself behind enemy lines, he had to flee. All roads lead to Butte and, in this case, East Butte. He was Anton "Tony" Leskovar, one of the colorful protagonists in the much anticipated third nonfiction book, East of the East Side, by Christy Leskovar. When my grandfather Tony Leskovar began his music career at the dawn of the 20th century, concert musicians in Austria were treated like movie stars of today, said Leskovar. They were idolized. The flags were lowered to half mast in Vienna when an opera star died. And then to be performing with the opera in Paris in 1914 Tony was definitely at the top of his game. It all went to pieces when the First World War started. Another part of East of the East Side involves the baron and a maid and a baby named Karolina, the authors great-grandmother. It is Downton Abbey-esque but in Vienna and about real people. The story goes on to Joe Lozar who escaped dirt-poor poverty in the southern reaches of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He did what so many others did in his situation in the 19th century he came to America. These three lives converged in East Helena where Joe built his saloon. All was on the upswing until he became afflicted with gold fever and faced off against one of the most powerful men in the state. Then they moved to East Butte. To find the story, Leskovar traveled to Slovenia and Vienna where she pored through archives and library holdings and visited the places in the book, and she spent a great deal of time at the Montana Historical Society, Butte Archives, World Museum of Mining, and courthouses digging through their records. Some of the entries in the church books in Slovenia were written in Gothic German, which I dont read, she said. Fortunately I met many helpful people there who did read Gothic and translated for me. Tony Leskovar performed with the Butte Mines Band and was conductor of the symphony, all the while painting cars. Shortly before I began my research someone stumbled across the Butte Mines Band papers in a building in Uptown Butte and gave them to the Butte Archives. Those were a treasure trove, Leskovar said. The historical context helps to understand the people, what they went through, the decisions they made. Had I not come across Will Campbell, the editor of the paper in Helena during the First World War, I might not have understood why some of the women in the story left. At least I think I know why. Each reader will draw his or her own conclusions. One thing I learned from talking with readers of my first book, One Night in a Bad Inn, though I wrote the book, and its nonfiction, once someone reads it, the story becomes theirs because each person brings his or her perspective to it. East of the East Side is also nonfiction. Sticking to the facts is more of a challenge and much more time consuming but also more fun, said Leskovar. One of many historical gems that she unearthed was an account by the American ambassador in Paris when the First World War broke out. Thats how I was able to describe what was happening to my grandfather Tony Leskovar when he unwittingly found himself behind enemy lines. East of the East Side spans the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. The places include peasant farms in the Slovenian region of Austria, Imperial Vienna, 1914 Paris, the early days of Helena and the smelter town of East Helena, the copper metropolis of Butte, the Slavic enclave of East Butte, the Flathead Indian Reservation, and the fertile desert of eastern Washington. This is such an American story, said Leskovar, to go from the Paris opera to the Flathead Indian Reservation with rugged smelter and mining towns in between. I found it fascinating. Leskovar was born in Butte. She attended St. Anns. Her family moved to Kennewick, Washington, when her father bought a bankrupt car dealership there. She earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering and French from Seattle University. She joined Bechtel in Maryland in 1982, but left her engineering career after a trip to Butte in 1997 that would alter the course of her life. She brings the tenacity and thoroughness of an engineer to her historical research. Her writing is honed by a lifelong love of reading great literature. Though her books are nonfiction, they read like novels. Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Montana's March for Reproductive Rights held on the Capitol grounds in Helena Sunday morning drew more than 1,000 protesters, angry, frustrated and scared, mobilizing in the wake of Friday's Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade. The group calls itself a grassroots organization that "formed organically on Facebook" in October, according to one of the group's moderators Reilly Neill. "We want to get folks registered to vote, get folks active and out in their communities," Neill said in an interview ahead of the march. The about 1,200 attendees, seemingly every one with a sharply worded sign, heard speeches from Rep. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena, Justice Jim Nelson, congressional candidate Penny Ronning and poet Melissa Kwansy. Helena resident Brooke Hathaway, 20, said she came to protest because of her year-old child. "I had the right to choose to be a parent," Hathaway said. "It was a hard decision for me at a young age, but I got to make that choice." Helena resident Kalia Brown, 20, said she is "infuriated" and feels her "voice" was taken from her and every woman with the court's decision to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion that was the law of the land for nearly a half-century. "If I'm proving I have a voice. It's my job to be here, standing with everyone else," Brown said. On Friday, the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overturned the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling and eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion. In Montana, abortion remains legal, protected by a 1999 state Supreme Court case. The state does not have a so-called "trigger law" like all of its neighbors. The decision in Armstrong v. State, the 1999 case in Montana, held that abortion access is protected by Montanans constitutional right to privacy. Shannon Walden, a 62-year-old Fort Benton resident, said she made the drive Sunday to the capital city to show her support. "I'm pissed," Walden said. She said she hopes fellow attendees walk away from the march with renewed energy. "Don't give up hope," Walden said. "You're not alone." A common feeling among attendees spoken to was that the issue of reproductive rights is much more than simply a woman's cause. Doug Turman, 62, of Helena said he came to the protest with his wife. "She, like many of the women I know, are feeling disrespected, feeling invisible," Turman said. "They feel overlooked, almost assaulted, and need support." Bozeman resident Daniel Dutcher, 28, said he brought the protest signs he made last year to the march. "This goes so much further; it's about privacy in general," Dutcher said. "It's important to take a stand." Helena Police Department Sgt. Danny David confirmed the department had a light presence at the event, and that aside from one spat between a protester and counter protester in which no arrests were made, "it's been very peaceful." "For how many people are here, it's been quiet," David said. Montana Highway Patrol, tasked year-round with policing the Capitol, also kept watch over the protest. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The USS Montana was commissioned Saturday during a ceremony at a shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, making it the first Navy ship named after the Treasure State in more than 100 years. Today the USS Montana is tested and battle ready, Chris Jessel, executive officer of the submarine, said as more than 100 Montanans sat in the audience at Naval Station Norfolk. The $2.6 billion Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine will add the next generation of stealth, surveillance and special warfare capabilities to the Navy fleet, officials said. Gov. Greg Gianforte spoke as he stood near a banner for the submarine that read: Vigilantes of the deep, a nickname adopted by the crew in an homage to the states period of vigilante justice in the 1800s. Now more than ever, American strength on the world stage is needed, he said. Today, the worlds most powerful, advanced and capable Navy adds to its fleet one of the most sophisticated submarines ever built. Gianforte said missions conducted on the USS Montana SSN 794 will make the nation and world more secure. He hoped the submarines crew members would draw strength from the states value of resilience, talking about recent flooding that ravaged communities. I am proud, honored and humbled you will carry that resilience to all corners of the world in the service of our nation, he said, adding he knew the submarine would live up to its name. The 70-minute ceremony was held dockside with the submarine serving as a backdrop. It was christened Sept. 12, 2020, by former secretary of the interior Sally Jewell. She attended Saturdays ceremony which included a performance by a Native American drum group from Montana. Also, a C-130 from the Montana Air National Guard in Great Falls flew overhead toward the end of the ceremony. Gianforte said several of Montanas tribal nations were represented at the ceremony. Tribal communities in Montana have a long and decorated history of military service, he said. Jewell noted Mariah Gladstone, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe is serving as maid of honor. She said Gladstone gave a blessing and smudged the vessel using bird sage to bless the boat. With awe, I have witnessed the USS Montana emerge as an extraordinary element of our national defense, she said, praising all those who worked on the submarine and their families. I am confident the USS Montana will play a key role in furthering freedom around the world and also confident she will live up to the spirit of adventure and resilience of her namesake state, Jewell said. Admiral Frank Caldwell said the Montana would patrol the frontiers of the worlds oceans. This is a great day for Montana and a great day for our submarine force, he said. Bill Whitsitt, chair and director of the USS Montana Committee, a nonprofit which has raised nearly $200,000 over five years for the submarine, said Saturday the commissioning was the peak the group has been looking forward to. It was a powerful, emotional and joyful time to see the ship come to life and see the sailors a number of us have gotten to know it was truly amazing, he said. He said the committee changed its bylaws several days ago to say its mission does not end with the commissioning and plans to be the support group for the submarine for its entire 30-year life. Some speakers compared the vastness of the ocean to Montanas skies. The Montana big sky spirit will carry our vigilantes of the deep through many challenges and the missions ahead, even when its crew cannot see the sky, Erik Raven, under secretary of the Navy, said. Raven officially placed the ship into commission. May God bless and guide this warship and all who sail in her, he said. Jon Quimby, commander of the USS Montana, said the submarine has undergone sea trials and the crew has put in more than 6,000 nautical miles already. I am proud to serve with you and for you and I know we are ready to take on any challenges thrown our way, he told the crew. The 7,800-ton Virginia-class submarine was built by Newport News Shipbuilding Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics Electric Boat. Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding, said Saturday the USS Montana commissioning was particularly special as much of its construction took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said even in the most trying of times, Montanans kept in touch virtually on the submarines progress. We felt the spirit of the whole state of Montana all the way, she said, adding the commissioning was a testament to the dedication by the shipbuilding and Navy team. Virginia-class submarines, which are nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines, will replace the Navys Los Angeles-class submarines as they are retired. The submarines incorporate dozens of new technologies that increase firepower, maneuverability and stealth and enhance their warfighting capabilities. They have 12 Tomahawk missile tubes and four torpedo tubes, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. It is the 21st Virginia-class submarine to be delivered to the Navy. The submarine has a Montana theme throughout. Passageways are named for Montana rivers, such as the Missouri, Flathead, Gallatin, Jefferson, Madison and Yellowstone. The lowest part of the boat, which has one hallway, is called Bitterroot. Berthing areas, where sailors sleep, are named for Montana places and towns such as Helena and Kalispell. The crew mess area includes a Glacier Park panorama requested by Quimby. And the crew dining area is called the Big Sky Saloon. Currently, two of the 135 crew members are from Montana, but that number fluctuates. Other Montana touches include a genuine peace pipe to be presented by Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes elder and made by a Blackfeet artist. For the past five years members of the crew have visited Montana and attended rodeos in Bigfork and parades in Kalispell. And committee members have taken the ships bell around the state. Its a replica of the bell aboard the first USS Montana and honors the state motto of oro y plata (gold and silver). Melted into it are Montana gold and silver as well as gold and silver dolphin pins worn by submariners. The first and only commissioned USS Montana was an armored cruiser added to the U.S. Navy fleet in 1908. Known as armored cruiser No. 13, it was decommissioned in 1921. It was renamed the Missoula and served in the reserve fleet until 1930. The USS Montana will remain in the shipyard for a few months, where it will have its software updated. It will then be moved to the Pacific fleet and be based in Hawaii. Saturdays ceremony included a closing prayer to the Creator by Gene Sorrell, an elder with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. "The USS Montana, I pray you become one with the water, work together for protection of our homelands," he said. Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Lawyers representing the parents of a Michigan teenager charged in a shooting at Oxford High School that left four of his fellow students dead say they plan to call him to testify at the couples trial. Defense attorney Shannon Smith told Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews on Monday that Ethan Crumbleys testimony would be related to extraneous matters and not the Nov. 30 shooting. The disclosure came during a hearing in Pontiac, where Matthews ruled against the defense's motion for a change of venue for James and Jennifer Crumbleys upcoming involuntary manslaughter trial. Matthews sided with the couples arguments that some evidence, such as the condition of their home, would not be admitted at trial. Many blacklisted dual-SIM smartphones are still active on South African mobile networks, Cellucity owner Sean Joffe told MyBroadband. Cellucity discovered a blacklisting loophole on dual-SIM smartphones while testing a device it had received for a trade-in. Dual SIM smartphones can support two SIMs simultaneously or one physical card and an eSIM with a unique identifier or IMEI number. Joffe said that more people in the mid- to lower-end of the market are buying dual-SIM devices. As part of the trade-in process, we establish the working condition of a phone and check its blacklist history through the ITC blacklisting database, Joffe said. Blacklisting is when mobile operators block an IMEI from connecting to their networks. Customers request this if their device has been lost or stolen, and mobile networks can blacklist devices due to fraud or failed payments. In this case, the device had been blacklisted, but the customer was using the device with the SIM card placed in the free second SIM slot, Joffe said. Naturally, this did not pass as part of our trade-in program, and we have since modified the process to check both IMEI numbers on the device. Joffe emphasised that this loophole is likely already being exploited by criminals and insurance fraudsters. As the number of devices with dual-SIM capability increases, it presents bad actors with lucrative opportunities. When a phone is reported as damaged or stolen to an insurer and is blacklisted, these companies seldom recover the salvage due to the hassle and costs of the reverse logistics. I am very sure that insurance companies would be astounded to see how many of their blacklisted devices are still active and working on SA networks; they have not understood the technology and closed this gap. Correctly blacklisting a dual SIM device would therefore involve both IMEI numbers being reported to the SAPS and getting blocked on the networks. MTN corporate affairs executive Jacqui OSullivan said both IMEIs of dual-SIM devices get blocked as part of blacklisting a smartphone on MTNs network. Cell C said this is also the case when they block devices. As part of the Cell C blacklisting process and to mitigate the loophole which was identified a couple of years back, we confirm if the phone has a dual SIM and blacklist both IMEIs, Cell C chief operating officer Andre Ittmann said. Ittmann added that unapproved dual-SIM device imports could not use SIM slots since these devices lack unique IMEI allocations. Joffe warned that even when both SIM slots in a phone are blocked, it doesnt entirely prevent criminals from still using the device. While all local networks share blacklisting information, it can take weeks for blacklisting to be processed across the different networks, Joffe said. Joffe added that once a phone leaves South Africa, it will continue functioning on any external mobile network. Joffe highlighted other significant flaws with the current blacklisting process. A common misconception by consumers, insurance companies, and even the SAPS is that blacklisting will affectively brick a phone. In practice, however, the device can still be connected to a Wi-Fi network and can access some functionality it just cannot connect [to a mobile network] with a SIM card, he said. Joffe explained that rendering a device completely useless can only be done by activating its operating systems remote locking and factory reset features. The only way to truly brick your phone is to activate the iOS or Android security feature, allowing you to track your phone and then brick it remotely. This will disable the phone hardware, rendering it dead on all mobile and Wi-Fi networks locally and internationally, Joffe said. You can view a dual-SIM smartphones IMEI numbers by checking the devices general settings or by entering *#06# on your keypad. These identifiers are also printed on the side of the original packaging. Now read: What happens to your old phone when you trade it in Although WhatsApp has launched several pro-privacy changes, it is still far from compliant with South Africas Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Barnard Inc. Attorneys senior associate Chanique Rautenbach has said that although WhatsApp still falls short of POPIA, its recent changes are a step in the right direction. These include being able to block individual contacts from seeing their profile picture, status, and last seen information. WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) also rolled out an indicator in group calls showing when someone joins, with the ability to mute or message someone even if you didnt create the group call. Rautenbach noted that it is not only WhatsApp that falls short of South Africas POPIA requirements all of the services provided by the Meta group of companies still fall short. Meta owns and operates Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. She also recalled the public outcry in 2021 to unilateral changes Facebook made to the WhatsApp user terms dealing with privacy. The company issued an ultimatum users had to accept the new terms by 8 February 2021, or WhatsApp would stop working for them. As the backlash erupted, Facebook quickly issued a statement assuring that the changes were only about business messaging. Facebook explained it had given businesses the option to use its secure hosting infrastructure to host their WhatsApp chats if they dont want to store their messages themselves. Every user will be notified within the chat if the business they are talking to has chosen to use Facebooks secure hosting infrastructure to store their WhatsApp messages, and people do not have to message or interact with businesses on WhatsApp if they choose not to do so, Facebook stated. However, the ultimatum had drawn peoples attention to changes in WhatsApps privacy policy implemented months before. It states: As part of the Facebook family of companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, this family of companies. We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings. Facebook soon extended the deadline for accepting the new terms from 8 February to 15 May 2021. South Africas Information Regulator also weighed in on the matter, saying that Facebook should adopt the same approach here as it had under the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation. Ultimately the company caved, allowing users to keep using WhatsApp even if they dont accept the new terms. Instead, those users will not be able to communicate with businesses that use Facebooks hosting until they accept the new privacy policy. WhatsApp still presents a popup at least once a week to users who have not accepted its new terms, encouraging them to do so. Rautenbach said that WhatsApp users might be slightly comforted by its latest privacy updates. It remains critical for the users to acquaint themselves with the terms and conditions of WhatsApp and to understand what they agree to by their continued use of the messaging platform, she said. During the morning shelling of Kyiv, the occupiers used Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft. They were raised in Astrakhan, and missiles were launched over the Caspian Sea. The spokesman of Air forces of Ukraine Yury Ignat reported about it, reports Babel. He noted that the occupiers used X101 missiles. "The occupiers fired at Kyiv from Tu-95 and Tu-160 planes with X101 missiles, which can fly a distance of up to 5.5 thousand km ," he said. Russian Tu-160 PKS bomber in the airspace of Belarus. November 2021. Photo: Ministry of Defense of Belarus On the morning of April 26, the occupiers struck at the capital. They hit a house in the Shevchenkivskyi district. One death is currently known. Rescuers managed to get a 7-year-old child and a woman out from under the rubble. Rescuers at the site of a missile hit a residential building in Kiev, June 26, 2022 Photo: SES According to Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, 25 residents were evacuated from the house and 4 people were hospitalized. Another fell near the house on the territory of the kindergarten. X-101 - strategic cruise missile class "air - ground" using technologies to reduce radar visibility. Developed by the design bureau "Rainbow" (1995-2013). The missile is made on a new technological basis and has, according to Russian officials, exclusively Russian equipment. Launch of the X-101 cruise missile from the Tu-160 Stopkadr aircraft from the video of the Russian Defense Ministry Uses a combined guidance system. Can receive information both on a route, and on coordinates of the purpose. Unlike previous-generation missiles, there is a fundamental possibility of changing the target when the missile is already flying. X-101 Images from open sources The missile adjusts its route with the help of an inertial navigation system, a laser altimeter, and a homing head is turned on in front of the target. The mass of the X-101 warhead is 400 kg. The missile can be high-explosive, penetrating, cassette and volume-detonating. It will be recalled that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the occupiers have focused their main efforts on the Lysychansk direction and are trying to surround the city. Read also: The escape of the Russians from Snake Island: photos of the evacuation and the abandoned equipment appeared "Loud sounds" were heard again in Belgorod, there is destruction and victims Lukashenko threatens to attack Kyiv with the Polonaise missile complex Defense forces of Ukraine destroyed one of the military bases in Melitopol The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the Russian ammunition warehouse in Popasnaya: a powerful explosion was caught on video Half a dozen T-72 tanks and two infantry fighting vehicles destroyed - Ukrainian artillery is working In Donbas, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the enemy anti-aircraft missile system "Pantsir-1S" with one blow Heres some strange math put 250 feet of overhead utility lines underground along Highway 29, remove two poles in the process, and end up with four poles. Two minus two equals four? Thats not the equation American Canyon wants as it tries to beautify what amounts to its Main Street. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. The city Planning Commission in 2020 approved the Home2 Suites hotel. One of the conditions was that the hotel place underground the utilities along its highway stretch, which has two power poles. A new city report mentions "an expectation that undergrounding would necessarily include removing the two existing overhead utility poles. But the two adjacent properties along the highway have no projects that would require them to underground lines. And that causes a problem. Once the lines emerge from the ground on either side of Home2 Suites, they would be some distance from the next poles. That means two poles would have to be installed on the northern and southern edges of the Home2 Suites frontage. Theres more. City officials said they were surprised to learn these two relocated poles would each need an adjacent riser pole to transition the lines from the underground section. Two minus two? In this case, the real equation is two minus two plus four. On Thursday, the American Canyon Planning Commission discussed the matter. Commissioners agreed the overall approach of undergrounding power lines along Highway 29 as individual properties develop isnt ideal. Im just looking for that more comprehensive solution instead of piecemeal-ing this, Commissioner Eric Altman said. Mark Stumm of the hotel management firm Noble Hospitality Inc. said the hotel building is to be constructed soon. He too doesnt like seeing overhead power lines along Highway 29. It just sort of blurs the beauty of everything, Stumm told the commission. Having all the lines underground along Highway 29 in American Canyon would raise the city's image, he said. "These are little components that will enhance the desirability for people to do commerce in American Canyon and for tourism to come to American Canyon, said Stumm. The hotel has worked with PG&E in fits and starts for two years on the undergrounding project, Stumm said. It fought the need for the two riser poles, but it turns out they are essential. Weve gone through several iterations with their design team and nothing has been really satisfactory, he said. Stumm agreed the city should take a comprehensive approach in undergrounding Highway 29 lines. But he also wants to keep his project on schedule, saying delays at this point would be costly. American Canyon hasnt figured out yet how the Home2 Suites requirement to underground its lines might fit in with a comprehensive approach. It is to take up the issue again on July 28. You can reach Barry Eberling at 707-256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. For the past eight months, Daniel Coles has lived in two Napa motel rooms, one after the other. The latest, a Motel 6 in North Napa, is just off Highway 29, and the buzzing of the road is clear from outside his door. Hes not allowed to use the pool, and the more regular guests tend to ignore and avoid him. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. It's hardly the luxury accommodations Napa Valley is famous for, but, along with his puppy Mylo, Coles has made the space his own. Its far better than having to live in his car or a shelter the situation he was facing last October when he was homeless. A large dog crate sits in the approximately 300-square-foot room, complete with a number of gnawed dog toys. Coles stores his clothes in plastic containers, and household items such as laundry detergent, snacks, drinks, pantry items and dog treats are along one side of the single room. A mop was tucked into one corner, next to a mini fridge and microwave. This is home," said Coles. But, come this Thursday, he could well become homeless again as the program that houses him and 12 other Napa County residents Project Roomkey winds to a close. Created in March 2020 by the California Department of Social Services, Project Roomkey is meant to provide temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness, protect human life, and minimize strain on health care system capacity. Statewide, the program has housed over 42,000 people including 100 in Napa County. A related program for permanent housing Project Homekey is set to create stable accommodations for over 10,000 people in the state, and 68 locally. Homeless advocates have given qualified praises for the programs, lauding their impacts but noting many remain left behind. The Motel 6 Program will be ending, stated a letter given to the Roomkey residents June 1. All program participants must exit the site, with all of their belongings, on June 30. Such motel housing was never meant to be permanent, the letter reminded residents. It is our hope that we have a shared goal of finding permanent housing with you prior to the program end date, read the letter, signed by Napa County Housing and Homeless Programs. The letter did not include an authors name, phone number or address. Launched at the start of the pandemic Napa County moved to make use of Project Roomkey almost immediately after it launched. Using the funds, Napa County leased the 54-unit Wine Valley Lodge on South Coombs St. in the city of Napa on March 25, 2020. And the county also with the help of OLE Health, Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center and Abode Services identified 54 people to fill those rooms. (Rooms in the lodge have also been used as an isolation and quarantine shelter at various times during the pandemic, and as a fire evacuations shelter during the 2020 LNU Lighting Complex fires and the Glass Fire.) Jennifer Palmer, Napa Countys director of Housing and Homeless Services, said Roomkey was intended to house homeless and medically frail people living in often crowded homeless shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state believed housing its most vulnerable residents would cut down on virus transmission and help prevent California's medical system from being overwhelmed, she said. Palmer said the county's goal all along has been to move the Roomkey residents into permanent housing. Of 100 Napa residents assisted through the program, 63 have moved into permanent housing, 17 transitioned back to the shelter and 13 remain in the program as of this week. That includes a roughly 80% placement rate for the first cohort of Roomkey residents at the lodge. And, Palmer said, three of those remaining residents are "imminent" to find housing, which doesn't necessarily mean they'll be housed before June 30, but that it should happen relatively soon. The opportunity to get folks into a very stable, even though temporary, housing situation, really does improve the ability to get folks into permanent housing, Palmer said. Theres a lot of organization that needs to go along with that, theres a lot of dedicated work with their housing navigator, it is much easier for both the navigator and the client to do when theyre in a stable, hotel room setting. Coles had a room at the lodge from October to December of last year. Meals and other services were also provided. Its been a blessing, said Coles during a February interview. The people who work here are extremely nice and helpful. They dont look down on us because were homeless. Theyre very supportive and understanding. From October 2020 to June 2021, the county also leased 22 rooms at The Elm House Inn, at 800 California Blvd., for the Roomkey program. And in January, some Roomkey residents moved to another Roomkey site at Napas Motel 6, at 3380 Solano Ave. But knowing that Roomkey was only a temporary program, the state in June 2020 launched the Project Homekey initiative, a multi-billion dollar effort from the state to provide permanent housing for homeless residents. Wine Valley Lodge is currently being transitioned by Burbank Housing, in partnership with Napa County and the city of Napa, into permanent supportive housing through an $18.1 million Project Homekey grant. The Valley Lodge Apartments are set to open this fall. Despite the states move to fund Homekey, and moves from other California counties to end their local Roomkey programs owing to the high cost of the program, the state has continued funding Roomkey to some extent. Palmer said the county has received Roomkey funding in fits and starts throughout the life of the program, adding up to a total of roughly $1.3 million between Roomkey allocations and grant funding, which has been matched by the countys investment of roughly the same amount using federal coronavirus funding. That had been sufficient to keep the program operating through last January. The countys expectation was the state would be winding down the program by January, Palmer added. But the county received an unexpected allocation of state grant funding for Roomkey that month, allowing it to lease up 18 rooms at the Motel 6. Palmer added that the county had been working with the state for months to try and find additional funding to continue the local program. But as time went on and the countys Roomkey funding dwindled, the county ceased backfilling its leased Motel 6 rooms. About a month ago, the state officially told the county no additional Roomkey funding would be coming. With that knowledge, the county gave the 30-day notices to its 15 remaining Motel 6 residents on June 1. We have pursued all available options and been told in no uncertain terms from the state that there will not be any additional funding coming, Palmer said. Next steps unclear The sudden notice of the projects end has alarmed several of the remaining Motel 6 residents. During a recent visit to the motel, Coles gave visitors a tour of his room, packed with belongings. A brown blanket covered the top of a large bed in the dorm-sized space. Coles sat for photographs wearing an oversized bright red T-shirt accessorized by a heavy chain necklace with a ring on it signifying his love for God and a second necklace with a cross. On the left side of his neck, a tattoo reads: "All you need is love and a pitbull." Regarding his dirty fingernails, Coles said he helps friends and neighbors fix their cars, often for free. Theyre booting us out there," he said. "And for what reason? Because the county says theyre losing their funding. Coles said hes not convinced by that explanation. I believe there is funding for this program, he said. Or, is it the hotel not wanting to renew the contract? He doesn't feel they are entirely welcome at the motel. All Roomkey residents are housed in rooms in the back of the complex, facing away from Solano Avenue. Participants arent allowed to use appliances in their rooms other than a microwave and a mini fridge, and they arent allowed to use the motel pool. The Salvation Army provides three meals a day. Representatives from the Napa Motel 6 did not return calls requesting comment. Karla Knapp, another Roomkey resident, echoed Coles comments. I dont understand, why Roomkey at Motel 6 has to be shut down, she said. I think they are going to get more funding, perhaps at the last minute. After all, their original stay at Motel 6 was already extended beyond the first 60 days. Or maybe the city or county will step in, said Knapp. Coles and Knapp have another concern. They both have Section 8 affordable housing vouchers and work part time, but even if they combined resources and rented their own motel room or temporarily couch surfed with friends, theyd then be considered non-homeless. That can be a problem, Palmer, the countys homelessness point person, acknowledged. Thats because the countys Coordinated Entry System the process that attempts to connect homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless people to appropriate housing services is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to prioritize housing resources based on vulnerability, as defined by HUD. So if you were able to find housing, even if its temporary housing, that is a risk, Palmer said. And it is a very weird part of HUDs mandate that you be experiencing something that were trying to keep you from experiencing, like our goal is to get you out of the shelter and get you to a more stable place. But we do have to house folks based on their vulnerability and the definition of homelessness. That means that if Coles and Knapp find temporary housing, that could jeopardize their chances of, for instance, ending up in the units at the Valley Lodge Apartments when they open later this year. Coles and Knapp were also concerned that finding temporary housing, and therefore being considered non-homeless, could have an impact on their affordable housing vouchers. But that designation change shouldnt have any effect on the vouchers, according to Molly Rattigan, the city of Napas point person on homelessness. Coles and Knapp have been exploring their options during the final month of the Roomkey program. At one point, Coles had a lead on an apartment at the Manzanita Family Apartments. The 100% affordable rental housing development is located at 2951 Soscol Ave. I turned in all my paperwork but unfortunately my background didnt pass, he said, referring to his previous felony charges one more than a decade old that include making criminal threats, burglary and vandalism. If they deny me because of my background a lot of other places are going to deny me so what am I supposed to do? To be honest, Im kind of upset with Manzanita," he said. Hes appealed that denial. Susan Friedland, CEO of SAHA, the developer of Manzanita apartments, said she couldn't speak about Coles' situation. "Federal fair housing law protect(s) the privacy of any and all applicants to SAHA housing and (we) cannot disclose any information," about those applicants, she wrote in an email. Its frustrating, said Coles. Im doing everything I can do to become a productive member of society (but) theyre not looking at our future, he said. The past is the past. Dont judge me for what I was. Judge me for who I am now. Coles noted that for more than two years, "my life has been sober and clean." Hes participating in recovery programs. Im just trying to do the best I can with what I got, Coles said. Knapp is hoping to move into a studio apartment at Napa Creek Village at 2614 1st St., next to Crosswalk Church. Id love to go directly from here to a studio at Napa Creek Village. Shes feeling hopeful that shed be able to move by June 30. However, until I get keys, I aint believing nothing. And I dont want to live in the shelter. For more than two years, during the pandemic, she did just that and has no interest in returning. Knapp, a Napa native, hasnt always been homeless. In fact, she once owned her own home in American Canyon. After an injury, Knapp became disabled. She works part time as a dog sitter, election staffer and at special events in the valley. She also has diabetes. Because she just turned 55, and is now considered a senior citizen, she is eligible for additional services. Coles and Knapp could ultimately become among the first residents of the Valley Lodge Apartments. But it will be at least a few months before those apartments open. Transitioning to Homekey As Roomkey winds down, Homekey-funded projects have increasingly been popping up to house Californias homeless residents. The first $800 million round of Homekey funding went to creating about 6,000 housing units, according to Californias Homekey website. A second, $1.45 billion round of funding has gone into creating 4,142 units so far. Most of that funding has been spent to acquire and rehabilitate motels, or hotels, though a fair bit of funding has also been used to acquire multifamily housing or to build modular complexes. Notably, Homekey grants are designed to go to projects that will happen within a year an incredibly quick time frame compared to traditional affordable developments. That timeline includes a deadline of spending capital award funds within eight months of the award. Residents have to be occupying the project buildings within 90 days from construction or rehab completion. Rattigan said the current plan is to complete construction needs for the Wine Valley Lodge from July to October and then have homeless clients ready to move in that month. The units need a few minor modifications to be considered permanent, such as kitchenettes in each of the units and Americans with Disability Act adjustments. The city of Napa Housing Authority is currently working to process the paperwork for potential residents, Rattigan said. But former Roomkey residents wont automatically be housed in such units, according to Palmer. Project Homekey is designed to provide permanent supportive housing for folks exiting homelessness, Palmer said. And the goal was to move as many people who were in Project Roomkey rooms into permanent housing. So the connection is logical between the two, but it wasnt like Project Homekey is a set-aside for folks in Project Roomkey. Theyre similar names, theyre similar in spirit in what theyre attempting to do, but we were never going to get enough funding from the state to move everybody from Project Roomkey into a dedicated Project Homekey site. A previous Homekey project, the Adrian Court apartments, has already housed several former Roomkey residents. And, Palmer said, the county is hoping to move the majority of the people whove benefited from Roomkey into the Valley Lodge Apartments once they open up. To me the increase of investment in Homekey, the permanent supportive housing side, is the right next step given that what we ultimately want is for people to have access to permanent housing, Palmer said. And so while Roomkey has been amazing and a vital emergency response measure early in the pandemic, I think a move towards Homekey is an important one and how we will, in the long-term, be able to solve a whole host of problems, not just the pandemic response. Regardless, as the June 30 deadline looms, Coles and Knapp are considering other housing arrangements. Im planning on staying in my car, said Coles. During an interview in mid-June he was already reorganizing the back seats of his Ford Explorer so there was enough room for both him and Mylo to sleep. Its not that big, but its big enough. The car is registered and insured, he said. Hell just move the vehicle around different parking lots in Napa. As of that moment, were pretty much giving it up to God. Its one of those things where we can only do so much. You can reach reporter Jennifer Huffman at 707-256-2218 or jhuffman@napanews.com. You can reach Edward Booth at 707-256-2213. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Jennifer Huffman Business Editor Jennifer Huffman is the business editor and a general assignment reporter for the Napa Valley Register. I cover a wide variety of topics for the newspaper. I've been with the Register since 2005. Follow Jennifer Huffman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Napa County on Monday released the final results for the June 7 election, and there were no substantive changes from the partial results annou SADA Chief Financial Officer Lusine Yeghiazaryan spoke to Armenian News-NEWS.am about startups, mergers and achievements, problems faced by Armenian startups, as well as the recent acquisition of SADA. Most startups have to choose the further path of their development at some point. Either they are bought by big companies, which we call M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions), or they do IPOs. Can you describe what M&A is? There is a big M&A trend in the world, it is very important for corporate strategy. Recently, the number of interesting startups in the world is growing. Large and international companies are always monitoring and studying what interesting startups and companies there are so that they can accelerate their growth and make investments. Startups that are very powerful can enter the international market and make an IPO, but the M&A trend is very strong and accelerating. When a large organization buys small companies, what does it try to find in them and get together with those companies? Large companies look at several topics, the first being intellectual property, to understand how long an investment can last when it can be marketed. The second is acquisition talent, which is very important as companies try to consider whether it is possible to acquire that talent in a natural and organic way. The third is to enter the market. Suppose a company comes to Brazil, China or Australia or another country where the market is very strong and there are many opportunities. I have listed three, but there are many factors that companies consider important in order to invest through M&A. What are the advantages of being bought by a large organization for a small startup? What are the advantages over an IPO? IPO is a very complicated and lengthy process. Out of thousands of startups, perhaps one can enter the international IPO market. An IPO is a very complicated and complex process, you have to have investments to enter the market and attract international investors. The likelihood of good startups being able to set up a program and get good results for M&A is high. More for acquisitions than mergers because mergers are usually for those companies that are equal to each other, similar in size and revenues, or both have an interesting balance sheet. Acquisitions happen when large or international companies usually go above the small company, given the above factors. This is a big opportunity for small companies in terms of market entry. They can integrate into the mechanisms and processes of that big startup company. Usually, if it's all well-programmed, there are great opportunities for startups, and in general, the partners on both sides see a very good result. Isn't there a risk that this small company could, in some sense, lose its products? Undoubtedly there is. This is a very important question because there is always a risk. When a large company is looking at a startup, and the startup is just as important to understand who wants to buy it and where they want to go, what the purpose of the acquisition is, and what risks they are taking. If their initial vision has to change, that is already a big risk, they have to understand that and in a very specific way either accept it or find it unacceptable. Can they always assess these risks before they buy? It's hard for startups because usually the detailed research is done through a big company. Startups tend to think they don't have that big power, but I would advise them to definitely ask what will change for them and their teams, what the tactics will be, and how they will be affected by the change. Big companies usually try not to make aggressive and dramatic changes, especially at the beginning, so that the startup integrates naturally into the team. But over time, of course, there will be changes if you were a startup of 50 people and now you've been bought by a company with 10-15,000 employees. Should a startup only ask questions, or can it also ratify it all to insure itself against some problems? Here, of course, those relevant professionals who can assess risks and opportunities very well usually help. It is necessary that we also talk about the overall financial ecosystem, which is very important all over the world. It helps and accelerates all these kinds of issues so that both sides understand what is going on during this process, because they usually focus only on price and IT issues, which actually solve everything in a very narrow way and can lead to big problems. SADA, the company you represent, recently had a successful M&A experience. Tell us about it, which company did you acquire and why? We acquired our partner in India. Our office was set up in December 2021 - very successful and accelerated. We had known them for a very long time, which helped a lot. We would like to have that experience in Armenia as well. In Armenia we can nurture this company and make investments. For us, this company is an acquisition talent, which is very important in the Indian market. What is important is their culture with our company, our relationship, our way of thinking, they worked with SADA for a long time, they understood us well and we knew them. That helped a lot to make the acquisition a success. Did it end up changing a lot of their work? We tried not to make categorical, big, negative changes. We valued the culture that they had created. They were very familiar with our environment. I think the changes they felt were positive-the infrastructures of an even bigger company, the mechanisms, processes, funding and more, so everything accelerated and gave them more stability. We're very sensitive to big negative changes, we try not to approach these issues categorically. How interesting do you think Armenian startups are for large organizations and do they often buy Armenian startups? The more people learn about Armenian startups, the more opportunities multiply and grow, of course. The problem of Armenian start-ups is that they are not yet well-known in the international market, and the competitive relations are very big for companies of all countries. Every year hundreds of new startups appear, which have to compete somehow for financial opportunities and M&A. If one understands what is available in Armenia and spends time and everything to study the local ecosystem, he will understand that opportunities abound. This also raises the question: what is the Armenian startup ecosystem doing to quickly create a brand for the international market and become better known? What does the Armenian startup ecosystem have to do for this? Of course, the number is already helping. Many venture capital funds are coming from abroad, there is interest. Recently there are a lot of M&A companies that had an opportunity to get acquainted with Armenian startups, but this is a new initial stage and it is very important that it is accelerated, strengthened, there is thinking at the state level how we should strengthen Armenian startups and what opportunities exist to develop this, for example in California, Silicon Valley, New York, London, Hong Kong, where we have our contacts and also we can use diaspora connections. But beyond that, let's go to a higher level, for larger investors. In the case of several large acquisitions, an Armenian startup can appear on the M&A map, which will give great opportunities for development. Japan PM says marginal price of Russian oil will be halved Czech fighters to guard Slovakian airspace General Milli: US is watching China very closely over Taiwan situation Egypt closes Red Sea beaches after shark attack Peskov: Kyiv will have to agree to the conditions of Russia Protests continue in Sudan against military rule in the country Shoigu briefs Putin about taking control of Luhansk territory Two people killed in Texas: 3 police officers wounded Iranian MFA: Any Turkish military operation in Syria will lead to instability in region Passenger bus plunges into ravine in Pakistan, killing 19 North Korea to further strengthen its military potential due to military cooperation between US, South Korea and Japan Hungary to accelerate its defense development program Bloomberg: Russia's redistribution of ownership of Sakhalin-2 will push Japan to compete with Europe Migrants stage shootout on Serbian and Hungarian border: 1 killed, several people injured German State Minister urges to maintain openness towards culture of Russia Ryanair airline head predicts rise in airfare over next 5 years European countries to help Greece in fight against forest fires The Sun: Chaos reigns at London Heathrow Airport Russia lifts entry ban for 47,000 citizens of Kyrgyzstan Armenian protester released on bail of AMD 2.5 million Paris airport workers set to go on strike again Missing private helicopter Robinson found in Russia: Pilot is alive Boris Johnson at focus amid another sex scandal around UK Conservatives Protests break out in Uzbekistan autonomous region over constitution reform plan Azerbaijan FM to visit Tehran Germany fears complete stoppage of Russia natural gas deliveries Armenian National Committee of America presents findings from fact-finding mission in Artsakh Bordachev: Russias surrounding area, where Armenia is also present, will be part of general conflict space Ministry aims to combine establishment of stable economy in Armenia with building of green economy Timofei Bordachev: Russia, Armenia are linked by one of worlds closest relations Political scientist: If Armenian authorities had goal to keep Berdzor they would have found way to keep it Mikhail Gorbachev hospitalized US, South Korea discuss Russia oil price cap New York state tightens rules for carrying weapons in public places Syria accuses Israel of rocket attack on Tartus Governorate Bulgaria President commissions finance minister to form new government 5 dead, 19 injured after two quakes jolt Iran in one day Libya protesters storm parliament, set part of building on fire Newspaper: What disrupted show planned in legislature by Armenia authorities? Newspaper: Even Armenia ex-President Sargsyan is used in having opposition MP join fellow opposition Albania in talks with NATO to build naval base Firefighters contain forest fire near Machu Picchu after 3 days US hypersonic missile system flight test fails WB approves creation of fund to combat pandemics Resistance Movement to have march on Armenian Constitution Day Australia and France announce new start in relationship Taliban supreme leader urges world to stop telling how to govern Afghanistan Indonesia and UAE sign free trade agreement Norway pledges 1 billion euros to help Ukraine for defense Armenian resistance movement holding march Erdogan: Turkey can re-export grain products from the Black Sea Armenian PM and Tashir group head discuss investments programs BREAKING digest: Armenian opposition MPs announce mass resignations Armenian opposition holding rally in Yerevan Armenia and Turkey agree to ensure possibility of crossing the land border as soon as possible Czech Republic takes over EU Presidency Armenian and Turkish representatives meet in Vienna Armenia National Assembly to convene special session on July 6 Russian billionaires lose almost $36 billion since 2022 Bloomberg: Kyiv is obliged to pay $1.4 billion of public debt by September Armenia Supreme Judicial Council acting head resigns Another opposition legislator resigns from position of deputy chair of parliament committee Turkey closes access to Deutsche Welle and Voice of America Another Armenia opposition MP resigns from post of parliament committee vice-chair Dollar, euro rise after long fall in Armenia Russia company head expresses hope that interesting projects will be implemented with Armenia Armenia opposition lawmaker resigns from position of National Assembly standing committee deputy chair Lavrov speaks on loss of NATO meaning after collapse of Warsaw Pact Finnish FM speaks on timing of country's entry into NATO Lukashenko says other post-Soviet countries should get closer to Union State of Russia and Belarus Dr. Akira Ishiyama is awarded with Armenia PMs letter of thanks Armenia parliament opposition: Authorities removal from power is inevitable EU Toivo Klaar welcomes Armenian and Azerbaijani efforts towards 'peaceful future' Putin: Moscow and Minsk, being pushed to speed up unification processes Armenia opposition legislator submits resignation from position of parliament standing committee chair Erdogan allows sudden start of military operations in Syria Armenia prosecutorial system several employees receive state awards Armenia opposition to have new MP Japan introduces electricity saving mode for first time in 7 years Germany economy minister visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Armenia opposition MP: Parliamentary opposition will resign from other administrative positions Armenia legislature majority faction member says there is heated battle within ruling party Catholicos, Israel envoy discuss preservation of Armenian heritage in territories that came under Azerbaijan control US and Japan conduct drills with strategic bombers 2 Armenia opposition MPs are recalled from their National Assembly leadership positions Armenia President nominates his Constitutional Court judge candidate Karabakh ombudsman: Aghavno village residents may move to Hin Shen, Mets Shen settlements State Department welcomes change of Israeli PM World oil prices are falling slightly Copper prices are falling Pashinyan to Trudeau: Armenia appreciates development of relations with Canada Armenia legislature holding special session, removing 2 opposition MPs from office is on agenda Converse bank will cover the insurance costs within the framework of program lending State Department announces reward of $10 million for reports on foreign interference in elections Armenia opposition movement staging protest outside parliament building Ukraine introduces visa regime for Russia Gold prices are falling Newspaper: Artsakh permanent representation in Russia closing? Newspaper: Armenia ruling, opposition wing representatives meet several times Kissinger outlines 3 possible outcomes of Ukraine conflict Kentucky U.S. Army private Ethan Phelan Melzer has pleaded guilty to charges that he plotted to kill members of his unit in an attack he planned to carry out in 2020 on behalf of a group that "promotes extreme violence to bring about the demise of Western civilization," the AP reports. Melzer, 24, pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan. Sentencing is set for 6 January: he could face up to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder of U.S. military personnel, seeking to support terrorists and illegally transmitting national defense information. In court papers, federal authorities say Melzer was already a member of a radical violent group known as the Order of Nine Angles, or 09A, before joining the Army in December 2018. According to a criminal complaint, the group is an anarchist group founded in the United Kingdom and now operating around the world, including in the U.S. In a press release issued Friday, authorities said he enlisted to infiltrate the military on behalf of the group, which espouses neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic and satanic beliefs and encourages its members to infiltrate the military to train, commit acts of violence and identify like-minded individuals so they can try to "subvert the military from within." Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Saturday lifted the state of emergency he had imposed in the country's six provinces over an indigenous strike, AP writes. The decision to end the state of emergency followed an initial meeting between government officials and Ecuador's largest indigenous organization, which began a strike two weeks ago demanding lower gasoline prices, price controls on agricultural products and an increased budget for education. Lasso accused the indigenous leader leading the strike of seeking to stage a coup. Meanwhile, in a virtual session of the legislature, the opposition party, affiliated with former President Rafael Correa, demanded Lasso's resignation. This demand was based on a state of emergency declared due to "serious internal disturbances," which has now been lifted. To remove Lasso would require the votes of at least 92 legislators, while the opposition has only 47 seats. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Sunday that he would urge his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to open up opportunities for dialogue during a peacekeeping mission to the warring countries and ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to order an immediate cease-fire, Reuters reported. "War has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated," Widodo said before leaving for Germany to attend the G7 summit on Monday. The Indonesian president also said he would call on G7 nations to seek peace in Ukraine and find an immediate solution to the global food and energy crises. Ukraine on its own initiative has once again purchased a batch of weapons directly from the manufacturer in Germany. Kiev purchased about 2,900 RGW 90 Matador portable anti-tank grenade launchers from the Dynamit Nobel Defence concern in North Rhine-Westphalia at its own expense. These weapons have already been delivered to Ukraine, the weekly newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday, citing sources in the German government. According to the newspaper, Kiev purchased 5,100 RGW 90 Matador grenade launchers from DND back in March. This means that Ukraine has already received 8,000 units of such weapons. The fact of supply of these weapons to Ukraine implies that the deal was approved by the German government, the weekly notes. The German Economics Ministry declined to comment on the Welt am Sonntag report. The German government also promised weapons to Ukraine, but already at the expense of the FRG. Meanwhile, of the 2,700 Arrow anti-aircraft missiles promised by Berlin, initially only 500 were delivered, and 1,500 more missiles were handed over only after Kiev's insistent requests. Ukraine also received from Germany 500 Stinger missiles, 3,000 Faustpatrons and 16 million rounds of ammunition. This week, the German government made public a list of the weapons supplied to Ukraine. It shows that since the end of March, Germany has been supplying Kiev mainly with mines, fuses and hand grenades. The only substantial delivery of heavy weapons so far - seven anti-tank howitzers - Ukraine received only recently, although howitzers were promised back in early May. The first 15 Gepard self-propelled air defense systems, which were promised to Kiev back in early April, are not due to be delivered until late July, and the rest are to be delivered by the end of August. In early June, it was also reported that Germany was ready to deliver four Mars II MLRSs to Kiev, but last week the German Defense Ministry said it could deliver only three such systems, according to Deutsche Welle. European Council President Charles Michel was cautious about a plan by Britain, the United States, Japan and Canada to ban imports of newly mined or refined Russian gold, Reuters reported. "On gold, we are ready to go more into the details and to look if it's possible to target gold in a manner that would target the Russian economy and not in a manner that would target ourselves," Michel, who chairs EU summits, told a news conference as G7 leaders arrived. The EU, which plans to ban imports of most Russian oil from the end of the year, also has reservations about U.S. attempts to impose a broad oil price cap or "price exception" to limit Moscow's energy revenues. The price waiver could operate through a mechanism to limit or prohibit insurance or financing of Russian oil supplies above a certain amount. This could prevent side effects on low-income countries struggling with high food and energy prices. Michel said G7 leaders would discuss a technical mechanism that would have the effect of limiting the price of oil through services related to oil insurance and exports. "I'm careful and cautious, we are ready to go into the details. We are ready to take a decision together with our partners, but we want to make sure that what we decide will have a negative effect (on Russia) and not a negative effect for ourselves," Michel said. U.S. Treasury Undersecretary Wally Adeyemo visited Turkey from 22-24 June to discuss Western sanctions against Russia with representatives from Turkey's finance and foreign ministries, the Treasury Department said in a statement Saturday. Adeyemo visited Turkey from Wednesday through Friday, the Treasury said, meeting with officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and of treasury and finance in Ankara and speaking with financial institutions in Istanbul. During Adeyemo's meetings with ministries and financial institutions, "all parties expressed a desire to ensure that Turkey is not used as a haven for illicit financing and that the integrity of its banking sector continues to be protected," the statement said. Turkey did not join the U.S. and the European Union in imposing tough sanctions against Russia. Real estate sales to Russian buyers rose 96 percent in February, and by May, annual sales had increased tenfold. Russia's largest banks and lenders, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, have been targeted by Western sanctions. Turkey has supported Ukraine by supplying it with drones and military equipment, but has refrained from imposing sanctions. The two countries continue to cooperate on a number of key projects, including Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Ahval noted. Egypt has signed a contract to buy 180,000 tons of wheat from India, Supply Minister Ali Moselhi said on Sunday, Reuters reported. Egypt, one of the world's biggest wheat importers, is looking for alternatives to Black Sea grain exports, which are facing disruptions due to the situation around Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have been Egypt's main wheat suppliers. The crisis in Ukraine has also raised the cost of imports for Egypt, which heavily subsidizes bread for its population of 70 million. In May, Moselhi said Egypt had agreed to buy 500,000 tons of wheat from India, but the contract had not been signed. In turn, India banned wheat exports in May because of declining domestic production, but made concessions for countries like Egypt in need of food security. "Based on what the supplier said, the condition was that the wheat had to be in the ports, then it would be available. We agreed on 500,000 tons, and it turned out that [the supplier] had 180,000 tons in the port," the minister said. Moselhi added that Egypt is also negotiating an agreement with Russian suppliers to buy wheat. Egypt is also looking for ways to extract more flour from the grain, Moselhi said, raising the extraction percentage of flour used for subsidized bread to 87.5 percent from 82 percent. He added that he plans to save about 500,000 tons of imported wheat and import 5 to 5.5 million tons of wheat in fiscal year 2022/23. Current wheat stocks will be sufficient for 5.7 months after buying 3.9 million tons in the local crop, Moselhi said. Indonesian president to meet Putin and Zelensky Joko Widodo set off on Sunday to Europe where he said he plans to visit Russia and Ukraine. File photo: AFP Indonesian President and G20 chairman Joko Widodo set off on Sunday to Europe where he said he plans to visit Russia and Ukraine and meet with the countries' leaders to urge peace talks. Widodo departed for Germany to attend as a guest for the G7 summit from June 26 to 27, and he will then go to the Ukraine capital Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky. "The mission is to ask... President Zelensky to open a dialogue forum for peace, to build peace because the war has to be stopped," he told a press conference in Jakarta. The two leaders will also discuss the food supply chain "that needs to be reactivated" soon, Widodo said. From Kyiv, Widodo is scheduled to visit Moscow and meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin. The visit to Moscow is planned for June 30, Indonesian authorities said earlier. "With the same mission, I will ask President Putin to open a dialogue and to immediately have a ceasefire and to stop the war," he said. Earlier in April Widodo announced he had called Zelensky and invited him to join world leaders at G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022 as a guest. Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year and has been pressured by Western countries, led by the United States, to exclude Russia from the meeting. Widodo, however, did not rescind the invitation to Russia and said that Putin has expressed his intention to attend the November summit. Indonesia, like most major emerging economies, has tried to maintain a neutral position and has called for a peaceful resolution to the months-long conflict. Widodo refused to send weapons to Ukraine in response to a request from Zelensky, instead offering humanitarian aid. After concluding the European visit, Widodo will head to the United Arab Emirates before returning to Indonesia. (AFP) S Korean president to have Nato trilateral meeting Yoon Suk-yeol will meet leaders of the United States and Japan on Wednesday during the Nato summit in Madrid. Photo: AFP South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet leaders of the United States and Japan on Wednesday during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) summit in Madrid, an official at the presidential office said on Sunday. The trilateral meeting, which would be the first such gathering since September 2017, is scheduled to for 2:30 p.m., though changes can be made, the official said. President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are not likely to hold a separate meeting, the official added. Separately, a Japanese government official also told Reuters that the three leaders will hold a meeting on June 29. Earlier this week, South Korea said it planned to set up a delegation to NATO in Brussels as Seoul pushes to strengthen its partnership with the organisation and play a bigger role on the global stage. Yoon, who was sworn in on May 10, will be the first South Korean president to attend a NATO summit, as the country, along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, has been invited as the organisation's Asia-Pacific partners. While the June 29-30 meeting in Madrid is expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis, Yoon plans to drum up international cooperation against North Korea's nuclear programme, the presidential office said. (Reuters) 'Ishaqzaade' actor Arjun Kapoor gave real couple goals as he shared some serene pictures with his ladylove, actor Malaika Arora, all the way from Paris. "Eiffel good... I knew I would..." captioned Arjun on Instagram. The power couple looked so-in-love as Malaika acted coy and hid behind her beau, Arjun with a smile on her face. Arjun also flashed a grin, wearing a chic black cap. In the second picture, Malaika seemed to inch closer to Arjun as the latter gave a broody look with his on-spot beard against the excellent Paris backdrop. The star couple looked smitten by each other in the fourth picture as Malaika kissed Arjun on his cheek while the latter leaned towards her. Malaika pointed at the distant Eiffel Tower in the fifth picture as Arjun seemed to slightly raise his eyebrows as if amused. Both the actors looked completely in love, while the beautiful backdrop of Paris made the picture absolutely perfect. Malaika and Arjun landed in the beautiful destination of Paris to celebrate Arjun's 37th birthday. Arjun and Malaika have been dating each other for a long time and are often seen sharing heartwarming posts on their respective social media handles. Meanwhile, on the work front, Arjun will be seen in Mohit Suri's much anticipated 'Ek Villain Returns', which also stars John Abraham, Disha Patani and Tara Sutaria. The film is a sequel to the 2014 film 'Ek Villain' starring Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor. The cast wrapped up shooting last year and the film was earlier supposed to release on July 8, however makers earlier this month postponed the date to July 29. Apart from 'Ek Villain Returns', Arjun will also be seen in Aasman Bhardwaj's Kuttey and Ajay Bahl's 'The Ladykiller'. Talking about Malaika, she is all set to become an author after glamorizing the film industry with her sexy moves. She will soon write her debut book which is going to be all about nutrition. The actor, who also serves as a judge on the reality show 'India's Best Dancer', will be sharing her wellness tips in the book. (ANI) Glenn Jacobs, who spent more than two decades in the WWE ring as the sadistic and disfigured wrestler 'Kane,' has faced a lot of backlash from wrestling fans after he exuberantly endorsed the US Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Jacobs, a Republican who is currently the mayor of Knox County, Tenn., rejoiced in a tweet about the court's historic decision eliminating federal protections for abortion rights, as per Variety. "Roe v. Wade has been overturned! This clears the way for states like TN to pass stronger protections for the unborn, and is an answer to a prayer for so many. #RightToLife #Victory," Jacobs wrote in the post. Jacobs' praise about the demise of Roe v. Wade elicited dismay and sharp rebukes on social media, as per Variety. "Respectfully @WWE, please never have Kane return to TV again. It's a real shame you chose to be a monster inside and outside the ring," tweeted SUPERZOMGBBQ, a U.K. wrestling fan and digital content creator. Some users also called out Jacobs' hypocrisy on the issue. In January, Jacobs had tweeted, "Your health decisions should be between you and your doctor - not mandated down from a bureaucrat in Washington." As per Variety, a user with the handle 'Gabbie the dimensional spacecat' responded to his tweet on Friday, pointing out, "This runs completely opposite to that reasoning you gave when you explained why you considered yourself a Libertarian. 'I just want government to leave me alone.' But I'm sure you know that. I'm sure you don't care either." Last year, Kane was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE's official bio of him reads, "At 7 feet tall and weighing in at more than 300 pounds, Kane is a monstrous abomination that seems to have been extracted directly from your childhood nightmares." (ANI) One of the most loved couples in Bollywood, Malaika and Arjun are currently in Europe to celebrate the latter's birthday. The duo has been posting cute snaps of each other, giving fans a glimpse of their time there. As Arjun Kapoor turns a year older, Malaika penned a heartfelt note for him. Sharing a picture and video on Instagram, Malaika wished her beau in the cutest way! In the picture, Arjun can be seen sitting in a restaurant, with his eyes closed and a million-dollar smile on his face. Wearing a black T-shirt, the birthday boy looks happier than ever! And, in the video that Malaika posted, Arjun is seen relishing the food that he is being fed by his lady love! Malaika attached a lovely caption to the post and wrote, "Make a wish my love...... may all ur wishes n dreams come true happy birthday." Yesterday, Arjun took to his Instagram to share lovey-dovey pictures with Malaika and captioned the post "Eiffel good... I knew I would..." The power couple looked so-in-love as Malaika acted coy and hid behind her beau, Arjun with a smile on her face. Arjun also flashed a grin, wearing a chic black cap. The couple was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Thursday evening as they flew off to Paris. Amidst rumours of the couple tying the knot by the end of this year, the couple keeps giving their fans a glimpse of their personal lives on Instagram. On the work front, Arjun will be seen in Mohit Suri's much anticipated 'Ek Villain Returns', which also stars John Abraham, Disha Patani and Tara Sutaria. The film is a sequel to the 2014 film 'Ek Villain' starring Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor. The cast wrapped up shooting last year and the film was earlier supposed to release on July 8, however makers earlier this month postponed the date to July 29. Apart from 'Ek Villain Returns', Arjun will also be seen in Aasman Bhardwaj's Kuttey and Ajay Bahl's The Ladykiller. (ANI) A lot of celebrities took to their Instagram to wish Arjun Kapoor as he turns a year older today. Ananya Panday uploaded a throwback picture with the 'Ishaqzaade' actor and wrote, "The one you can count on to always make you laugh! Happy birthday Arjun!!!" She added, "PS I've been using the same picture to wish you for 3 years now" Ananya is close to Arjun's sisters Janhvi, Khushi and Shanaya and is often spotted hanging out with the Kapoors. Actor Ayushmann Khurrana also posted a cute photo with Arjun and wrote, "Happy birthday, Arjun bro." Bhumi Pednekar, who will be seen sharing the screen with him in the upcoming film 'The Ladykiller' also had sweet things to say about him. She posted a 'behind the scenes' selfie with him and wrote, "Happy Birthday to the wittiest, sweetest, kindest and the most compassionate fellow cancerian @arjunkapoor may this year be full of things beautiful and tons of joy." Choreographer-director Farah Khan posted a funny picture of the duo pouting and added the funniest birthday wish to it. Farah wrote, "Happy Birthday @arjunkapoor giving me tough competition in the sense of humour category (laughing emoji)". Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is best friends with Arjun's beau Malaika Arora, posted an adorable black and white picture of the couple and wrote a heart-warming message for him. Kareena wrote, "Happy birthday to one of my favourite people..I mean Malla but aaj aapka birthday hai...so I'm saying you (balloon emoji) love you Arjj (heart emoji" Kareena and Arjun were paired together in R. Balki's 'Ki & Ka' which was released in 2016. Known to share a fun camaraderie with Arjun Kapoor, Katrina Kaif also had a delightful message for him on his birthday. Katrina posted a photo of him on her Instagram story and wrote, "Happiest birthday @arjunkapoor, keep soaring to new heights. All the love and happiness to you always" Looking forward to her next release alongside Arjun, Tara Sutaria shared an adorable video of him styling her hair during the shoot of 'Ek Villain'. Tara posted a cute yet funny message for him in the caption. She wrote, "Happy Birthday to my partner in crime and hairstylist extraordinaire. But most importantly, my biggest fan... Thank you for being just the best Arjulu!!!" Arjun's 'Panipat' co-star Kriti Sanon posted a photo from when they were promoting the film together and wrote, "Happiest Birthday Arjun!". She added, "One of my fav ppl! You know I always wish only and only the best for you! Happiness, love and all the success in everything you do! (pink heart emoji)" Arjun turned 37 on Sunday and is currently in Europe to celebrate his birthday with beau Malaika Arora. (ANI) Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has reportedly been offered a whopping USD 301 million deal by Disney to return as the iconic 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' franchise character, Captain Jack Sparrow, claimed poptopic.com. The Australian pop-culture gossip site claimed that "Disney has allegedly offered Johnny Depp a USD 301 million contract deal for him to return as Jack Sparrow in another Pirates film and a Disney Plus series!" Poptopic.com reported that as per a trusted source close to the company, "Disney are very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp. They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another Pirates film or two." "I know corporate sent him a gift basket with a very heartfelt letter, but I'm unsure how it was received. But what I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow -- so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character," alleged the insider. The site's source also claimed that Disney is even willing to go beyond this deal to get Depp back into Jack Sparrow's shoes, exceeding the amount Heard's lawyer claimed that the actor would refuse. Poptopic.com's Disney insider added, "Disney are prepping a deal for USD$301 million deal that will include a sizable donation to a charity of Depp's choice. The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl." It should be noted that this reported amount of USD 301 million is just a million over the one quoted by Heard's lawyer, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, during Depp's defamation trial. She had said, "Is Disney aware that Mr Depp has testified under oath that he would not take another 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise role for USD 300 million and a million alpacas?" As of now, Disney has not given any confirmation or hints about Depp's return to the franchise, nor have they given any statement regarding this USD 301 million offer. Hence, there's a possibility that this might just be a rumour. Further, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was not the only franchise from which the actor was dropped, as Warner Bros also removed him from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise following the Washington Post op-ed by Heard, which was at the centre of Depp's highly publicised USD 50 million defamation case. In lieu of the public defamation trial, the jury reached a verdict on June 1, deciding that Depp, proved that Heard defamed him in the 2018 op-ed. Depp has maintained that he never assaulted Heard and claimed she physically harmed him. The jury awarded Depp USD 15 million in damages but Heard will only have to pay USD 8.4 million due to a Virginia law limiting punitive damages. In her countersuit, Heard won one of the three defamation counts and was awarded USD 2 million in damages, as per People magazine. (ANI) On Sunday, a glimpse of these stars was posted from the account of Ram's pet Rhyme. In the picture, Upsana was seen holding Rhyme in her arms, the picture was captioned as, "I'm one lucky puppy. Love, hugs & cuddles--all for me." In the glimpse, Ram Charan could be seen posing happily for the lens along with actors Pooja Hedge, Ram Charan's wife Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Salman Khan, Rhyme and Venkatesh Daggubati. In the photo, Salman could be seen sporting a black T-shirt pairing it up with matching hued pants and shoes. Venkatesh could be seen standing next to Salman, posing happily for the camera, donning a black and olive green attire. Bollywood and South diva Pooja Hegde opted for a beige top, white slim pants and shoes. While Upasana opted for a salmon top and blue skirt. And Ram Charan went for a royal blue tight-fit shirt and black slim pants for the get-together. Prior to this, earlier this month, Salman Khan met Telugu stars Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh in Hyderabad and a picture from the trio's meet-up went viral on social media at that time. The 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' is currently busy shooting for his upcoming movie 'Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali' in Hyderabad. The movie is helmed by Farhad Samji and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. This film's title, 'Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali', was initially announced by Salman back in 2022. The movie, which will have Pooja Hegde and also reportedly Shehnaaz Gill, as the female lead, alongside Aayush Sharma and Zaheer Iqbal, is scheduled to release on December 30, 2022. (ANI) An oral antiviral drug that targets a key part of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) polymerase and inhibits the synthesis of viral genetic material has been identified, a finding that could provide an effective treatment against RSV disease. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, identify AVG-388 as the lead drug candidate, which effectively blocks the activity of the viral RNA polymerase, an enzyme responsible for replication of the viral genome. RSV is a leading cause of lower respiratory infections in infants and immunocompromised individuals, but no efficient therapeutic exists. The virus caused an estimated 33.1 million cases worldwide in 2015 that required 3.2 million hospitalizations and resulted in 59,800 deaths. Finding effective drugs to fight RSV has been challenging. Through mutations, RSV has escaped advanced candidate classes that prevent the virus from entering a cell. To overcome this issue, recent drug development efforts have focused on the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complex of RSV because of the possible broader window of opportunity to fight the virus during viral genome replication and transcription. "We have identified the AVG class of inhibitors of RSV RNA synthesis," said Dr. Richard K. Plemper, senior author of the study, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Translational Antiviral Research in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State. "Through chemical optimization, we have developed the clinical candidate AVG-388, which is orally efficacious against RSV in animal models of infection." In addition, the researchers demonstrated potent antiviral activity in human airway epithelium organoid cultures. "In this study, we have mapped an exciting druggable target in the RSV RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase and established the clinical potential of the AVG inhibitor class against RSV disease," said Dr. Julien Sourimant, first author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State. The research team investigated the effect of treatment on viral replication at different oral doses intended to prevent or cure disease. They demonstrated that treatment reduced virus load by several orders of magnitude in the different disease models. "Our results lay the foundation for formal development of the AVG class and the structure-guided identification of companion drugs with overlapping target sites but distinct resistance profiles," Plemper said. (ANI) Amid the reports of Shiv Sainiks allegedly ransacking the offices of rebel legislators, Mumbai Police on Saturday imposed section 144 of CrPC in the city. Mumbai Police issued a high alert and directed all police stations to ensure security at all political offices in the city. It has been directed that officer-level Police personnel shall visit every political office to ensure their safety. Shiv Sena workers protested against rebel MLAs of the party and burnt effigies outside the party office in Kharghar. Shiv Sena workers ransacked the office of rebel party MLA Tanaji Sawant in Pune on Saturday. Sawant is one of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of the Eknath Shinde faction and is currently camping in Guwahati, Assam. "Our party workers vandalised Tanaji Sawant's office. All traitors and rebel MLAs who have troubled our chief Uddhav Thackeray will face this type of action. Their office will also be attacked. No one will be spared," said Sanjay More, Shiv Sena Pune city head. Following this, Pune Police issued an alert and directed all police stations to ensure security at offices related to Shiv Sena leaders in the city. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena leader and state cabinet minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the alleged 'malicious' withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him in a Guwahati hotel. In his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Shinde claimed that the security provided to the MLAs at their residence as well as to their family members as per the protocol has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn, as an act of revenge. However, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil refuted Shinde's claim of withdrawal of security. "Neither the Chief Minister nor the Home Department has ordered the withdrawal of security of any MLA. The allegations being levelled through Twitter are false and completely baseless. No MLA's security has been withdrawn. Keeping in view the prevailing situation, the Home Department has decided to provide security at the residence of MLAs to keep their families safe," said Patil. Shinde along with 38 party MLAs and nine independent MLAs are campaigning at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam from June 22. Notably, the Eknath Shinde faction, earlier on Friday, gave notice of a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Narhari Jhirwal, after the Uddhav Thackeray faction submitted a plea before the deputy speaker to disqualify the rebel MLAs. (ANI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday instructed the forest officials to move out of their offices and stay in forests for 15 days a month to boost the morale of other department personnel. The Chief Minister was speaking at a function to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Karnataka State Forest Development Corporation Limited. "Senior officials are rooted in Bengaluru. You are not coming out of your offices. Go to the forests, and stay there for 15 days a month. it will boost the morale of other personnel of the department. It will send the message that the senior officials are engaged in protecting the forests," Bommai instructed. He also wanted the officials to work more vigorously to improve the forest cover in the state from the present 23 per cent to at least 30 per cent over the next five years. The Chief Minister advocated the need for change in the objectives of the Forest Development Corporation and said that there is no need to focus on profit making, the focus should be more on extending the forest cover. "We need not grow Eucalyptus for paper manufacturing. Stop planting Eucalyptus and Acacia trees which are not conducive to our ecological balance. Think about planting alternative species of plants and trees," he said. Bommai also said that the Karnataka government has an exclusive ecological budget this year which seeks to offset the ecological damage. "For the first time in the country, about Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the ecological budget or the green budget to take up initiatives that would offset the ecological damage on an annual basis. Ecological balance could be maintained if the initiative is sustained for the years ahead. The State government is ready to grant an additional Rs100 cr if the allocated Rs100 cr is utilised effectively," Karnataka CM added. He assured complete cooperation of the state government to improve the financial condition of the corporation and called upon the officials to take up afforestation drives on a vast scale, especially in arid areas and the north Karnataka region. A special scheme has been formulated to encourage farmers to cultivate Sandal trees. It should enable the farmers to boost their income, Bommai said and asked the officials to simplify the regulations for Sandal cultivation. He also emphasised the need for greater thrust on AgroForestry. Stressing the importance of preserving the biodiversity in the Western Ghats and increasing the green cover in the state, Bommai also instructed the officials to prepare a Vision Document on Forest Development for the next 50 years. (ANI) The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura, an ally of the BJP in the North-eastern state, will merge with a regional political party Tipra Motha on July 2 ahead of the State Assembly elections due next year, a senior IPFT leader said on Saturday. The Tipra Motha, headed by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, demands a separate state for the indigenous people of Tripura. Addressing a press conference here, IPFT vice-president Jibanjoy Reang said, "After a long discussion, we have decided to merge with Tipra Motha at a programme in Agartala on July 2 to realise the dream of achieving Greater Tipraland." The Tipra Motha, formed early last year, swept the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections took place in April 2021, winning 18 of the 28 seats over the 'Greater Tipraland' demand in a direct contest with the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance. "The main objective of the regional political party, Tipra Motha, is a separate state, as Tipra Land for the indigenous people, tribes of Tripura," Reang stated. It is to be mentioned that IPFT workers have been unofficially split into two groups, a major portion is being ruled or led by, Mebar Kumar Jamatia, the ex-Forest minister of the BJP-ruled government and a small part is by NC Debbarma, a senior leader of the IPFT party. Earlier in March, Royal scion and Chairman of TIPRA Motha Pradyot Kishore Debbarman said that his party would like to fight the electoral battle alone in the forthcoming assembly elections if national parties do not agree to give written commitment for the party's core demand "Greater Tipraland". He also appealed to the Government of India for dialogue on the issue of Greater Tipraland. He also clarified that his fight was not against any particular community and after his party came to power, not a single non-tribal community person living in the ADC areas faced persecution. "On the other hand, people of Agartala fight with each other over politics. In ADC no one is harmed", said Debbarman. Among the 20 reserved seats, the ruling BJP now has 11 indigenous MLAs while its junior ally IPFT has eight. The rise of Motha may cause serious electoral blows for the party in power. In the rest of the 15 seats, indigenous votes play the deciding factor. It is to be seen how the political equations play out ahead of the 2023 polls. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 90th episode of his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, at 11 am today. Earlier, PM Modi had expressed happiness over the inputs for this month's Mann Ki Baat. The Prime Minister had also urged people to keep sharing ideas on Mann Ki Baat either on MyGov or the NaMo App. In the 89th episode, the Prime Minister expressed pride that the number of Unicorns in the country has reached the hundred mark. PM Modi had 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. Meanwhile, PM Modi has currently departed for Germany to attend the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27, where he will hold meetings with G7 and guest countries and exchange views on contemporary issues. PM Modi will also travel to UAE while coming back to India. (ANI) Amid twists and turns in the political drama of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a potshot on the Eknath Shinde-led faction of rebel MLAs and asked how long they will hide in Guwahati in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Assam finally they have to return to Mumbai. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the party, thus achieving the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena. Taking to Twitter, Raut said, "Kab tak chhipoge Gauhati mein...Aana hi padega Chowpatty mein (How long will you hide in Guwahati, you have to come back to Chowpatty)." According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership. Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp's suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu. Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'. The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that the leaders who have left Shiv Sena should not ask for votes in the name of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray. Ask for votes in the name of your father. Maha Vikas Aghadi is united," Sanjay Raut said earlier. "People will come to know what actions will be taken against those who have left the party by the evening. The work that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has done is commendable. We will all fight the elections under his leadership," he added. Eknath Shinde claims to have the support of 38 MLAs of the 56 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar claimed that their faction has two-thirds majority while denying merger talks with any party. "We are still in Shiv Sena, there is a misunderstanding that we have left the party. We have just separated our faction. We have the two-thirds majority to follow the path we wanted. Our new leader is chosen by the majority. They didn't have more than 16-17 MLAs," Kesarkar said. "There is no need to merge, our faction will be given different recognition and we aren't merging with any other party. Recognition should be given to our faction, if it isn't given, we will go to court and prove our existence and numbers. We have numbers, but we respect CM Uddhav Thackeray, we won't speak against him. We must follow the path on which we fought Assembly elections," he added. Notably, Eknath Shinde was unanimously elected as the leader of the faction recently which is revolting against the Uddhav faction. The Uddhav Thackeray faction recently submitted a plea before the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs. (ANI) Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has called a meeting of MLAs camping with him at a hotel in Assam's Guwahati on Sunday to discuss the strategy ahead. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership. Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp's suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu. Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'. The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. Earlier on Saturday, rebel MLA Chimanrao Patil on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over Shiv Sena's alliance with its "traditional rival" parties, Congress and NCP and said that they had urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to stitch a "natural alliance".The leader, however, added that there was no response from the Chief Minister which is why Eknath Shinde, who is leading the faction, "took a stand". "We are traditionally the rivals of NCP and Congress, they are our primary challengers in constituencies. We requested CM Uddhav Thackeray that natural alliance should be done," said Shiv Sena rebel MLA Chimanrao Patil in a video tweeted by Eknath Shinde. Patil claimed that the faction has the support of two-thirds of the Shiv Sena MLAs along with 10 independents. The Uddhav Thackeray faction recently submitted a plea before the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs. The Shiv Sena national executive meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray adopted six resolutions as the political crisis deepens in Maharashtra. "We strongly condemn the treachery that a few Shiv Sena legislators have displayed and express that the party and its organisation is strongly standing behind party leader Uddhav Thackeray. The party gives all the rights to Thackeray to exercise control over the emerging scenario and to implement decisions required for the same," the resolution read. "The national executive expresses its pride in the work Uddhav Thackeray has done as the chief minister of Maharashtra and the fame that he has earned for his taking care of the Maharashtra populace during Covid," read the second resolution adopted by the national executive. According to another resolution, Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray are two sides of the same coin which are inseparable. Hence, besides Shiv Sena, no one else can use Balasaheb's name. Another resolution, Shiv Sena has always stayed true to Hindutva, the idea of a united Maharashtra and Marathi Asmita. As rebels continue to camp in Guwahati, some of their offices were vandalised allegedly by Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra. Following this, Shinde on Saturday wrote to Uddhav Thackeray over the alleged 'malicious' withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him in the Guwahati hotel. (ANI) The incident took place at 2 am and as many as 23 fire tenders were rushed to the site. The cause of the fire is yet to ascertain. No casualties were reported in the incident and the fire has been brought under control. "A fire call was received at 2:18 am about a fire in a plastic godown in the Badli area behind Rohini jail. A total of 23 fire tenders were rushed to the site, fire is now under control," said Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Service. Further details are awaited. Earlier in May, a massive fire broke out in a factory in Mundka. As per the reports at least 27 bodies were recovered after the incident took place, of which 22 dead bodies have already been handed over to their respective families. The four-storey building was used as office space for multiple companies. According to the Delhi Police's FIR, the building did not have a fire safety protocol in place. Following the incident, North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) suspended two officials including a section officer. On May 23, a Delhi court granted three days of police custody of the building's owners-- Harish Goyal and Varun Goyal in the said fire tragedy case. (ANI) As per the data shared by the state government, with the addition of new cases, the active caseload in the state stands at 173. A total of 2,28,895 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state so far and as many as 702 people have succumbed to the virus. A total of 2,28,020 people have been recovered so far in the state. Meanwhile, a dip in the cases of coronavirus infection was observed in India on Saturday as it reported 15,940 new cases of covid-19 in comparison to the 17,336 reported total cases on Friday, the Union Health Ministry informed. With the latest reports from the Health Ministry, India's active caseload stood at 91,779 at the rate of 0.21 per cent, which was 88,284 at the rate of 0.20 per cent a day before. The country's daily positivity rate stands at 4.39 per cent, whereas its weekly positivity rate is reported as 3.30 per cent. In view of an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in India, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday reviewed the COVID-19 and vaccination situation in the country. In a high-level meeting, Mandaviya advised strictly to monitor the COVID-19 situation in the country focusing on vaccination of the elderly population, school-going children and surveillance and genome sequencing. India has been witnessing a high number of COVID-19 cases over the last couple of weeks. (ANI) According to the Karnataka police, seven people were killed near Belgaum Taluk Kanabaragi in Belagavi on Sunday's early morning after a cruiser lost its control. The Belagavi incident had left several people injured in the accident. Whereas, three persons, including a village accountant, were killed after the car collided with a truck near Nagamangala in the state's Mandya. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday visited the flood-affected Barak valley area where a resident braved flood waters to greet him with a 'Gamusa'. The flood situation in Assam has been marginally improving, but more than 25 lakh people of 27 districts of the state are still affected by the deluge. In central Assam's Morigaon district, 285 villages and nearly 11,000 hectares of cropland are still under flood waters of Kopili and Kolong river. "It's been 2-3 weeks and we are in big trouble. I am a second-year student of Higher Secondary and all my books have been ruined due to this flood", Nitumoni Nath, a local. Dr M Ali," Me and team have come from Laharighat because the situation here is very intense. Due to floods, most of the people have lost their homes. Fever, cold and cough and diarrhoea has become most common diseases this time". He further added, "skin diseases are also one of the concern in this flood situation. We are trying to help the victims in all possible manner." Many flood affected people of Jagi Bhakatgaon area in the district are taking shelter on roads, embankments and high lands since last couple of days after the devastating flood damaged houses of many villagers and inundated the entire area. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), four people including two children died after drowned in flood waters in Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang and Golaghat district in last 24 hours. The devastating flood and landslides have claimed 121 human lives in the state this year so far. The Assam cabinet on Saturday decided that teams led by Ministers of Assam government and supported by the senior secretaries will visit the affected areas in the state shortly to oversee the damage assessment followed by the severe flood in Assam. The Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of the entire state would also be arranged for damage assessment. The cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. On the other hand, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel of Itanagar and Bhubaneswar as well as prepositioned NDRF teams in Assam along with Indian Army, SDRF, Fire & Emergency personnel, Police Force and AAPDA MITRA Volunteers are helping the district administrations in rescue operations and relief distributions. The water level of Kopili is still flowing above danger level mark at Kampur in Nagaon district and Dharamtul in Morigaon district and Brahmaputra river in Dhubri. (ANI) In a major setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader Simranjit Singh Mann on Sunday claimed victory in the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll, the home turf of Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Singh Mann. "This is a great win for our party. We have defeated all national parties in this bypoll. My priority will be to raise the issue of the poor economic condition of Sangrur including the condition of farmers under debt. We will work with the Punjab government," said Mann. "I am grateful to our voters of Sangrur for having elected me as your representative in parliament. I will work hard to ameliorate the sufferings of our farmers, farm-labour, traders and everyone in my constituency, he added. The final outcome is yet to come but the trends are signalling victory for Simranjit Singh Mann. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal congratulated Mann and said, "I sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann and his party on their electoral victory in Sangrur parliamentary bypoll and offer them our best wishes and cooperation. We bow before the mandate of the people in a true democratic spirit." Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also congratulated Mann."Humbly accept people's verdict in Sangrur bypoll. My congratulations to Simranjit Singh Mann Ji for his victory. I am sure he would keep raising Punjab's voice in his new role. The result reflects displeasure of public with Aam Aadmi Party insensitive and inept governance," tweeted Warring. On the other hand, Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu took a pot shot at Sukhbir Badal-led SAD for its candidate's defeat. "Kamaldeep Rajoana, representative of violent terrorists and sinking Akali dal is set to forfeit her security deposit and face huge loss getting roughly only 5 per cent votes. Sukhbir Badal, Pannu 2020 and Rajoana should come and try now to save their candidates' deposit," Bittu said in a Twitter post. BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the Sangrur Bypoll results indicated that Punjab has rejected the Delhi model of the AAP government."Punjab has clearly rejected Delhi Model. AAP Punjab losing Sangrur Bypoll is a warning signal to Bhagwant Mann to take command in his hand," Sirsa said in a Twitter post. Sangrur is known as the stronghold of AAP incumbent Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from where he had won the parliamentary seat in 2014 and 2019. The seat fell vacant after Mann resigned as MP following his victory from the Dhuri constituency in the state assembly polls. The counting of votes on Sunday began amid tight security. "A company of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 600 police personnel are deployed," said Superintendent of Police, Barnala. Besides Sangrur, counting of votes of bypolls in two other Lok Sabha constituencies - Rampur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh began on Sunday. Further, the counting of votes is also underway for the bypolls of seven assembly seats spread across Tripura, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. The bypolls were held on June 23. In Tripura, assembly bypoll was held in Agartala, Jubarajnagar, Surma and Town Bardowali. The other constituencies where assembly bypolls were held were Rajinder Nagar in Delhi, Mandar in Jharkhand's Ranchi district and Atmakuru in Andhra Pradesh. The bypolls were necessitated in these seats due to the resignations of the legislators in two seats, disqualification of an MLA in one, and the death of one of the MLAs midterm. The bypolls in Tripura were crucial for Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha who replaced Biplab Kumar Deb last month. The dentist-turned politician himself is a candidate and is fighting his first-ever direct election to save his CM seat. The bye-elections to the Azamgarh seat were necessitated due to the resignation of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly as an MLA in the elections earlier this year. Seats fell vacant in Azamgarh and Rampur after Samajwadi Party (SP) leadersAkhilesh Yadav and Azam Khan resigned as MPs from the seats after winning in the 2022 Assembly elections. Akhilesh was elected as an MLA from the Karhal assembly seat while Azam Khan was elected from the Rampur Sadar constituency. Delhi's Rajinder Nagar seat remained vacated after the AAP MP Raghav Chadha was nominated for the Rajya Sabha from Punjab on March 21. The AAP had fielded Durgesh Pathak for filling the Chadha's vacant seat of Rajinder Nagar against the former Bharatiya Janata Party councillor Rajesh Bhatia and Congress' Prem Lata. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday held a review meeting on the flood situation and rescue operations in the state at the District Collector's office in the Cachar district. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister visited the flood-affected Barak Valley area where a resident braved flood waters to greet him with a 'Gamusa'. The flood situation in Assam has been marginally improving, but more than 25 lakh people of 27 districts of the state are still affected by the deluge. In central Assam's Morigaon district, 285 villages and nearly 11,000 hectares of cropland are still under flood waters of Kopili and Kolong river. "It's been 2-3 weeks and we are in big trouble. I am a second-year student of Higher Secondary and all my books have been ruined due to this flood", Nitumoni Nath, a local. Dr M Ali," Me and team have come from Laharighat because the situation here is very intense. Due to floods, most of people have lost their homes. Fever, cold and cough and diarrhoea has become the most common diseases this time". He further added, "skin diseases are also one of the concerns in this flood situation. We are trying to help the victims in all possible manner." Many flood-affected people of the Jagi Bhakatgaon area in the district are taking shelter on roads, embankments, and high lands for the last couple of days after the devastating flood-damaged houses of many villagers and inundated the entire area. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), four people including two children died after drowning in flood waters in Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang and Golaghat districts in the last 24 hours. The devastating flood and landslides have claimed 121 human lives in the state this year so far. The Assam cabinet on Saturday decided that teams led by Ministers of the Assam government and supported by the senior secretaries will visit the affected areas in the state shortly to oversee the damage assessment followed by the severe flood in Assam. The Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of the entire state would also be arranged for damage assessment. The cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Assam Chief Minister. On the other hand, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel of Itanagar and Bhubaneswar as well as prepositioned NDRF teams in Assam along with the Indian Army, SDRF, Fire and Emergency personnel, Police Force and AAPDA MITRA Volunteers are helping the district administrations in rescue operations and relief distributions. The water level of Kopili is still flowing above the danger level mark at Kampur in Nagaon district and Dharamtul in Morigaon district and Brahmaputra river in Dhubri. (ANI) Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian, TN Health Secretary Senthil Kumar(I.A.S) and DPH Director Selva Vinayagam and other health department officials were among the dignitaries present. After laying the foundation stone, Mandaviya said that the construction of Avadi CGHS will be completed by December 22. "People living in the nearby areas of Avadhi will be benefited a lot from this CGHS. We have released a website and an app of CGHS exclusively for health," said Mandaviya. "Our Prime Minister always gives the main priority to health and we are working to strengthen health service across the country," he added. Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said, "I am honoured to welcome Union Minister of Health and Family welfare Mansukh Mandaviya who has come on a 2-day visit to Tamil Nadu. Ma Subramanian said, "We have given the Request letter to the Union Minister for Health Mansukh Mandaviya that Tamil Nadu should have one medical college at least in one district and Tamil Nadu already has 32 medical colleges in 38 districts. He added, "In 6 districts we don't have colleges so we need medical colleges in that district like Perambalur Kancheepuram, Thirupathur, Mayiladuthurai, Tenkasi, Ranipet and I believe that he will surely provide needful help for Tamil Nadu to get more medical colleges in the future. (ANI) "The CM and his staff are safe and will be travelling to Lucknow by another aircraft," he added. The Chief Minister had come to Varanasi on Saturday and had paid obeisance at Kashi Vishwanath temple, besides holding a review meeting. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday hailed the Supreme Court order upholding the clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat as a "victory of truth". Taking to Twitter, Adityanath said, "The clean chit given by the Honourable Supreme Court to the prime minister in the Gujarat riots is a declaration of the success and victory of truth. The conspirators should tender a public apology to the people of the country." Referring to the 'Mahabharata', he said, "The Shakunis decorated the 'Lakshagriha' against the truth but the truth came out safely." The apex court on Friday, while rejecting an appeal by Zakia Jafri, wife of Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the violence, said that the appeal was "devoid of merits." A three-judge bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar, upholding the Special Investigation Team or SIT's 2012 clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Gujarat riots case, said that Setalvad, co-petitioner in the case, exploited the emotions of Zakia Jafri. (ANI) Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, security forces has been deployed outside the office of Samadhan Sada Sarvankar, son of rebel Shiv Sena MLA, Sada Sarvankar. Earlier today, Shiv Sena workers held 'joote maro andolan' against rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Pune, Maharashtra, today. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Shiv Sena workers held bike rallies to protest against the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs outside the Saamana office. On the other hand, supporters of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde blackened posters of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Thane on Sunday. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership.Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp's suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu. Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'.The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. Earlier on Saturday, rebel MLA Chimanrao Patil on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over Shiv Sena's alliance with its "traditional rival" parties, Congress and NCP and said that they had urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to stitch a "natural alliance". The leader, however, added that there was no response from the Chief Minister which is why Eknath Shinde, who is leading the faction, "took a stand". "We are traditionally the rivals of NCP and Congress, they are our primary challengers in constituencies. We requested CM Uddhav Thackeray that natural alliance should be done," said Shiv Sena rebel MLA Chimanrao Patil in a video tweeted by Eknath Shinde. Patil claimed that the faction has the support of two-thirds of the Shiv Sena MLAs along with 10 independents. The Uddhav Thackeray faction recently submitted a plea before the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs. The Shiv Sena national executive meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray adopted six resolutions as the political crisis deepens in Maharashtra. "We strongly condemn the treachery that a few Shiv Sena legislators have displayed and express that the party and its organisation is strongly standing behind party leader Uddhav Thackeray. The party gives all the rights to Thackeray to exercise control over the emerging scenario and to implement decisions required for the same," the resolution read. "The national executive expresses its pride in the work Uddhav Thackeray has done as the chief minister of Maharashtra and the fame that he has earned for his taking care of the Maharashtra populace during Covid," read the second resolution adopted by the national executive. According to another resolution, Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray are two sides of the same coin which are inseparable. Hence, besides Shiv Sena, no one else can use Balasaheb's name. Another resolution, Shiv Sena has always stayed true to Hindutva, the idea of a united Maharashtra and Marathi Asmita. As rebels continue to camp in Guwahati, some of their offices were vandalised allegedly by Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra. Following this, Shinde on Saturday wrote to Uddhav Thackeray over the alleged 'malicious' withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him in the Guwahati hotel. (ANI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar will leave for Delhi on Sunday to join opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha in the filing of his nomination on June 27. Earlier on Friday, Sinha promises to raise his voice for farmers, workers, unemployed youth, women and all marginalised sections of society if he wins the election. In a letter to Opposition parties on Friday, Sinha thanked them for choosing him unanimously as their common presidential candidate and assured them that he will conscientiously uphold, without fear or favour, the basic values and guiding ideals of the Constitution. "I am overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude towards you and leaders of all the Opposition parties for choosing me unanimously as your common candidate to contest the Presidential Election, to be held on July 18, 2022. I thank you for the trust and confidence they have reposed in me. I assure you -- and the People of India --- that, if elected, I shall conscientiously uphold, without fear or favour, the basic values and guiding ideals of the Indian Constitution. In particular, as the Custodian of the Constitution, I shall not allow the light of democracy and secularism to be dimmed by the executive," Sinha said in a letter. On June 21, Sinha was named as the common candidate of the Opposition for the Presidential elections. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had made the announcement of his name as the presidential candidate of the opposition during a meeting. The announcement comes shortly after Sinha hinted that he has accepted the proposal made by a section of Opposition leaders to make him their presidential candidate. Sinha, who had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2018, joined the TMC last year. He was later appointed as the party's vice-president. The election for the office of the President of India is scheduled for July 18 and the counting of votes, if needed, will be done on July 21. (ANI) Punjab Minister of Jails, Mines and Geology, Harjot Singh Bains, on Sunday said that 27 brand new and seven old SIM cards were recovered from digging during a special search operation in Patiala Jail. An FIR has been lodged and Patiala Police has been asked to book the dealer and owner of SIM cards immediately, Bains added. Taking to Twitter, Bains said, "During a special search operation in Patiala Jail, while digging, we have recovered 27 brand new and 7 old SIM cards covered in a plastic bottle and buried under the soil. FIR has been lodged and has asked Patiala Police to book the dealer and owner of SIM cards immediately." (ANI) Just after the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday won the Rampur Parliamentary bypoll, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed gratitude to the people of the state by saying that the by-election result puts a seal of public's faith in the double engine BJP government. "The victory of Rampur Lok Sabha seat in the by-election is a seal of public's faith in the double engine BJP government on public welfare policies under the successful leadership of respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi," tweeted Adityanath today. The tweet further read, "This victory is the result of the successful leadership of the BJP, the tireless hard work of dedicated workers and the good governance established by the double engine BJP government. Thanks to the people of Rampur from the bottom of my heart!" In a major political development in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi on Sunday won the Lok Sabha bypoll in Rampur under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanatah, the bastion of Samajwadi Party (SP) big shot Azam Khan. In Rampur, BJP had fielded Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi who recently joined the party. Whereas, SP candidate Asim Raja was handpicked by Azam Khan. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not contest from Rampur. "Lodhi has won by over 42,000 votes," Rampur District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar told reporters after giving the winning certificate to Lodhi. The fate of many bigwigs including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha was sealed today as the counting of votes took place for three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats spread across five states. Counting began at 8 am under heavy security arrangements. The postal ballots were counted first and then EVMs were opened. The three Lok Sabha seats which witnessed bypolls include Azamgarh and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab's Sangrur, while assembly by-elections were held in Tripura, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. As per the current trends, Simranjit Singh Mann of SAD (Amritsar) has won from Punjab's Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. Sangrur Lok Sabha seat was vacated by Bhagwant Mann who came to power as the state chief minister after the Aam Aadmi Party secured a landslide victory in the recently-held assembly polls in Punjab. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manik Saha won the assembly poll from the Town Bardowali constituency by a margin of 6,104 votes, the Election Commission said. BJP has bagged victory on three out of four seats in the Tripura bypolls while the Congress won one seat. Congress candidate Sudip Roy Barman won from Agartala seat by 3,163 votes. The BJP won Town Bordowali, Jubarajnagar and Surma seats respectively. The bypolls in Tripura were crucial for Manik Saha who replaced Biplab Kumar Deb last month. The dentist-turned politician himself was a candidate and fought his first-ever direct election to save his CM seat. The bypolls were necessitated in these seats due to the resignations of the legislators in two seats, disqualification of an MLA in one, and the death of one of the MLAs midterm. Saha was sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura on May 15. The BJP decided on leadership change in the state a year ahead of the Assembly elections by replacing Biplab Kumar Deb with Saha as the Chief Minister. After Manik Saha was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tripura, the BJP has once again taken recourse to its old mantra to beat anti-incumbency by changing the face in a poll-bound state. Saha joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March this year. Meanwhile, BJP national president JP Nadda congratulated Manik Saha on his victory in the elections. Taking to Twitter, Nadda wrote, "Congratulations to CM Shri @DrManikSaha2 for winning the assembly poll from his constituency and to all @BJP4Tripura leaders for winning 3 out of 4 seats in the bypolls. This is the result of your hardwork and the faith of the people in the vision of Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi," Nadda tweeted. (ANI) Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Sunday informed that the party has initiated legal action and served notices to concerned MLAs. Addressing the reporters today, Sawant said, "Political turbulence is going on in Maharashtra, many MLAs defected and have gone to Assam. We have initiated legal action against them and notice has been served to 16 MLAs till now." Advocate Devdutta Kamat, Shiv Sena's Senior Counsel also said to reporters, "Proceedings have been initiated by Shiv Sena against 16 MLAs, under the provision in the Constitution which says that if a person gives up the membership of a party then he's eligible for disqualification." "There were several meetings that were called by Shiv Sena at different times, none of which were attended by them. Visiting BJP-ruled states, meeting BJP leaders, and attempting to topple government amounts to a violation by rebels," Advocate Devdutta Kamat said. Kamat said the concept of 2-3rd (to surpass anti-defection law) applies only if there is a merger. "Until the MLAs, don't merge with another party, disqualification applies. Till today there's no merger, they have voluntarily given up membership," Adv Devdutta Kamat said. Notably, the national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena on June 25 passed six resolutions giving absolute rights to Maharashtra Chief Minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebels to bring the revolt within party under control. The meeting was called in the wake of Sena MLA Eknath Shinde's rebellion, which has not only destabilised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in the State but also poses a risk of the Thackerays losing control of the party. The advocate said that under the constitution, the deputy speaker has the power of the speaker in the latter's absence and can adjudicate on such matters. "No confidence motion was sent through an unauthorized email address by rebels," he said. Amid the ongoing power tussle in Maharashtra, two MLAs on June 26 called for the removal of the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, who could be the key decision-maker about the disqualification of the rebel MLAs. Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal, both independent MLAs and said to be close to the BJP, have moved for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran assembly constituency reached Vidhan Bhavan today and submitted a letter to the office Deputy speaker saying that he cannot disqualify the 12 MLAs. In his letter, he has cited several judgements of the Supreme Court. "The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government doesn't have the majority and they can't disqualify any MLA. I am against Congress and NCP and if the MLAs are disqualified, we will also go to the Court," he said. Notably, the Maharashtra assembly doesn't have a Speaker since February 2021. Also, the Deputy Speaker also approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as leader of the ruling party Shiv Sena in the assembly in place of Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde has called the appointment illegal as Chaudhary's name was proposed by the "minority faction" as he represents the "real Sena". Shinde, who has been replaced by Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena's legislature party leader on Friday, is currently camping with over 40 rebel MLAs in Guwahati. In a jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs revolted against the party on Monday night and camped in Surat. The rebel MLAs have shifted base to a hotel in Guwahati. On Friday, in his virtual address to the party's district unit chiefs and 'sampark pramukhs', CM Uddhav Thackeray said "despite the rebellions that the party has faced earlier, it came to power twice. I may have left 'Varsha', the Chief Minister's official residence, but not my determination". Meanwhile, party MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Sena is ready to quit the MVA government if the group of rebel legislators camping in Assam returns to Mumbai in 24 hours and discusses the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "You say you are real Shiv Sainiks and will not quit the party. We are ready to consider your demand provided you come back to Mumbai in 24 hours and discuss the issue with CM Uddhav Thackeray. Your demand will be considered positively. Don't write letters on Twitter and WhatsApp," Raut told reporters. (ANI) A government girls' school in Hyderabad provides digital classes, free school uniforms, books, and mid-day meal facilities to the students. The facilities in the school are at par with any private school in the city including a playground, trained teachers, good infrastructure and others. Speaking to ANI, the Headmaster of Government Girl high school Golkonda, Syed Abdul Wajid Hashmi said that nearly 500 students study in the school where students are taught in English and Urdu. "In this school, we have highly qualified teachers and we give standard and quality teachings more than any private school nearby. We have smart class facilities and a playground for children for physical activities. We have a school management committee where we discuss all the issues pertaining to the school. In today's generation, computers are mandatory. We have one of the best computer labs here with qualified teachers. Students here get the best quality education and they make use of all the facilities available here. We thank the TRS government for giving us the best infrastructure here in the government school," he said. Meanwhile, a student, Saba Anjum thanked the TRS government in the state for providing them with free-of-cost books and other facilities. "I am studying in 9th standard, I thank the government of Telangana for giving us free books, and dresses. We also get a free lunch from the government. I hope this will continue further," she said. Lauding the facilities of the school, another student Sania Ashraf said that they have the best teachers who clear all their doubts. "We have many facilities in our school like midday meal. We have the best teachers, they teach us very well and clear all the doubts whatever we have in subjects. We are getting free school books and school uniforms. We have digital class facilities, a computer lab and other lab facilities. I was awarded the best cyber smart award, how to prevent cybercrime using social media," she said. (ANI) It can neither be called an election nor an election result, said Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Sunday after the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha by-polls. Khan's angry response came after Samajwadi Party suffered a major jolt when its candidate from Rampur Asim Raja's lost to BJP's Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi. The party also lost in its bastion Azamgarh when BJP's Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua' beat SP's Dharmendra Yadav. Speaking to ANI after the declaration of the result, Azam Khan said, "It can neither be called an election, nor an election result. Polling station of 900 votes, and only 6 votes were cast? The area is of Muslims, and just one vote cast? What reason should I cite?" "Indeed," he said when asked if he considers his party's candidate victorious from Rampur. Meanwhile, in a major political development in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi on Sunday won the Lok Sabha bypoll in Rampur under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanatah, the bastion of Samajwadi Party (SP) big shot Azam Khan. In Rampur, BJP had fielded Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi who recently joined the party. Whereas, SP candidate Asim Raja was handpicked by Azam Khan. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not contest from Rampur. "I dedicate my victory to the workers of the party. They have been working continuously day and night. I want to thank the people of Rampur. BJP has always been working for the development of the public," BJP's winning candidate Lodhi said. "History is being made. BJP wins Rampur LS by-election by 37,797 votes. Azamgarh is also about to win. The death knell to communal, divisive, minority appeasement politics. The mandate for politics of Vikas practised by PM Narendra Modi ably assisted by CM Yogi Adityanath," said BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh. "We have won in Rampur. We're also ahead of others in Azamgarh. I'd like to thank the voters who're handing us this victory based on PM Modi's numerous welfare schemes and the performance of the CM," said Brajesh Pathak, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister. "People are sick and tired of the Samajwadi Party. People don't want any more riots. They want peace. They want development," he added. Rampur Lok Sabha seat went vacant due to the resignation of veteran SP leader Azam Khan after he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the recently held state election.Khan was elected MP from Rampur seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The vacancy in the Lok Sabha seat has been created by the resignation of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav after he was elected an MLA in recently held state Assembly polls. (ANI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Sunday blamed the downfall in the vote share of other political parties including Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP behind his party's loss in Sangrur bypolls, saying that others loss became gain of winning candidate Simranjit Mann. Taking to Twitter, Chadha, who was instrumental in AAP's landslide victory in Punjab Assembly elections held earlier this year, said though AAP has lost the seat, it retained its vote share with a meagre fall from 37 per cent to 35 per cent. It was a battle of prestige for both AAP, the ruling party in Punjab, and Bhagwant Mann who represented the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat since 2014 and resigned after taking over as the Chief Minister earlier this year. "We humbly accept Sangrur's verdict. We will certainly work harder. While AAP retained its vote share with a meagre fall from 37% to 35%, all other parties INC, SAD & BJP lost deposits! Vote share: SAD from 24% to 6% INC from 27% to 11% Others loss became Simranjit Mann's gain," Chadha, aRajya Sabha MP from Punjab tweeted. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader Simranjit Singh Mann on Sunday won the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll with 2,53,154 votes. AAP had fielded its Sangrur district president Gurmail Singh. The bypoll in Bhagwant Mann's stronghold Sangrur was necessitated after he resigned as Member of Parliament following his victory from the Dhuri constituency in the state assembly polls. "This is a great win for our party. We have defeated all national parties in this bypoll. My priority will be to raise the issue of the poor economic condition of Sangrur including the condition of farmers under debt. We will work with the Punjab government," said Simranjit Mann. "I am grateful to our voters of Sangrur for having elected me as your representative in parliament. I will work hard to ameliorate the sufferings of our farmers, farm-labour, traders and everyone in my constituency, he added. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal congratulated Mann and said, "I sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann and his party on their electoral victory in Sangrur parliamentary bypoll and offer them our best wishes and cooperation. We bow before the mandate of the people in a true democratic spirit." Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also congratulated Mann."Humbly accept people's verdict in Sangrur bypoll. My congratulations to Simranjit Singh Mann Ji for his victory. I am sure he would keep raising Punjab's voice in his new role. The result reflects displeasure of public with Aam Aadmi Party insensitive and inept governance," tweeted Warring. On the other hand, Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu took a pot shot at Sukhbir Badal-led SAD for its candidate's defeat. "Kamaldeep Rajoana, representative of violent terrorists and sinking Akali dal is set to forfeit her security deposit and face huge loss getting roughly only 5 per cent votes. Sukhbir Badal, Pannu 2020 and Rajoana should come and try now to save their candidates' deposit," Bittu said in a Twitter post. BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the Sangrur Bypoll results indicated that Punjab has rejected the Delhi model of the AAP government. "Punjab has clearly rejected Delhi Model. AAP Punjab losing Sangrur Bypoll is a warning signal to Bhagwant Mann to take command in his hand," Sirsa said in a Twitter post. Besides Sangrur, the counting of votes for bypolls in two other Lok Sabha constituencies - Rampur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh held on Sunday where the BJP emerged as the winner. Further, the counting of votes was also held for the bypolls of seven assembly seats spread across Tripura, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. The voting for bypolls was held on June 23. (ANI) Amid the continuing political crisis in Maharashtra, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari wrote to the state Director General of Police (DGP) to provide security to the MLAs of Eknath Shinde camp and their families on an immediate basis. "I have received a representation dated 25 June 2022 from 38 MLAs, of Shiv Sena, 2 MLAs of Prahar Jan Shakti Party and 7 Independent MLAs stating that the police security of their families has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn," the Governor said in his letter to DGP. "They have also raised serious concerns about the safety of their homes and families in the context of the provocative and threatening statements being made by certain political leaders," Koshyari said. Already, offices and homes of some of the MLAs have been vandalised with the police being a mute spectator, he added. "I, therefore, direct you to provide adequate police protection to the MLAs, their families and homes on an immediate basis," the Governor said. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has called a meeting of MLAs camping with him at a hotel in Assam's Guwahati on Sunday to discuss the strategy ahead. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership. Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp's suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu. Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'. The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. On Sunday, supporters of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde blackened posters of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Thane. On the other hand, Shiv Sena workers held 'joote maro andolan' against rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Pune, Maharashtra. (ANI) The BSF conducted search-outs at various locations and seized material worth Rs 20 lakhs. "Acting on reliable information, BSF troops deployed at International Border of West Jaintia Hills planned an operation and foiled the smuggling attempt by seizing medicines consisting Tab Ista20, cap Mon Q, Oint Drone TM, Oint Cesol, Syrup VB3 and many others total amount to Rupees 10 lakh 90 thousand," read an official statement. In other incidents, BSF troops confiscated a huge quantity of cosmetics and clothing from bordering areas of South West Khasi Hills and East Khasi hills and confiscated cosmetics worth Rs 9 lakhs. The officials also apprehended a Bangladeshi national namely Feroz Ali (18) under PS- Pynursla for carrying cosmetics illegally from India to Bangladesh. Further investigations are underway. (ANI) India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and is expected to double in the next nine years to a 6.5 Trillion economy. It is expected to reach USD 30 trillion in the coming 30 years, said Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday. "If India grows at 8 per cent every year on a compounded annual growth basis, the economy will double in about nine years, he said. The country's economy at present stood at about USD 3.2 trillion and in nine years from today, it will be about USD 6.5 trillion," he said. Goyal said that in another nine years, that is 18 years from now, "We will be about USD 13 trillion economy and then another nine years after that, that is 27 years from now, we will be a USD 26 trillion economy. 30 years from today, confidently we can all expect that the Indian economy will be a USD 30 trillion economy." Goyal further said that some "naysayers have raised questions on these numbers but they should come to places like Tiruppur to see the significant jump in the growth of sectors like textiles". He also said that Tiruppur has become a global apparel hub and is exporting goods worth over Rs 30,000 crore from Rs 15 crore 37 years back. Citing the need to create 75 such textile cities in the country, Goyal, who also holds the textiles portfolio, said the textile industry creates huge job opportunities. "Huge job and investment opportunities can be created in the textiles sector. There is immense potential in the sector," the minister said. Goyal said the industry size at present is about Rs 10 lakh crore and exports are about Rs 3.5 lakh crore. Given the potential, the industry targets reaching Rs 20 lakh crore in terms of industry size and Rs 10 lakh crore exports in the next five years. (ANI) Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray claimed that on May 20, CM Uddhav Thackeray had asked Eknath Shinde to become CM if he wanted to, but at that time he did drama and now just a month later, he rebelled. Aditya Thackeray said this at the Yuva Sena national executive meeting. "But they (Shinde faction) aren't capable of doing so, this isn't rebellion, this is separatism. They took undue advantage of CM Uddhav Thackeray's ill-health to do all this," he said. While terming rebel MLAs as "traitors", Thackeray said Maharashtra will never forgive those who have betrayed Shiv Sena. "Shiv Sena's doors are open for those who want to leave and those who want to return to the party. Those rebel MLAs who are traitors will not be taken back into the party," he said. Attacking the group of MLAs who are currently in Guwahati hotel, Aaditya Thackeray said it is good that some dirt has gone away from the party. He challenged rebel MLAs and asked them to resign and fight the election. "This is happening for the first time in the state that the ruling party MLAs left the party to sit in the opposition. People are telling their numbers but I want to say that we have the figures. I challenge them to resign and contest the elections. The truth will come out," Shiv Sena's leader said. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claimed of having the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to sources, Maharashtra deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification. Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership. Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp's suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu. Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'. The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. Meanwhile on Sunday, supporters of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde blackened posters of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Thane on Sunday. On the other hand, Shiv Sena workers held 'joote maro andolan' against rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Pune, Maharashtra. (ANI) Opposition leaders will hold a meeting on Monday in Parliament annexe for Presidential elections, sources said. It may be noted that the Opposition's joint candidate Yashwant Sinha is scheduled to file his nomination for the presidential election tomorrow. "Opposition leaders to hold a meeting at 11:30 am tomorrow, June 27, in Parliament annexe building for the Presidential elections," sources said. The Presidential elections will take place on July 18 and the counting of votes will take place on July 21. Pointing out that India is currently going through extremely difficult times, Opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha promises to raise his voice for farmers, workers, unemployed youth, women and all marginalised sections of society if he wins the election. In a letter to Opposition parties on Friday, Sinha thanked them for choosing him unanimously as their common presidential candidate and assured them that he will conscientiously uphold, without fear or favour, the basic values and guiding ideals of the Constitution. "I am overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude towards you and leaders of all the Opposition parties for choosing me unanimously as your common candidate to contest the Presidential Election, to be held on July 18, 2022. I thank you for the trust and confidence they have reposed in me. I assure you -- and the People of India --- that, if elected, I shall conscientiously uphold, without fear or favour, the basic values and guiding ideals of the Indian Constitution. In particular, as the Custodian of the Constitution, I shall not allow the light of democracy and secularism to be dimmed by the executive," Sinha said in a letter. He said that he will do his utmost to ensure that the majesty of the Indian Parliament remains safe from attacks by the forces of authoritarianism. "I shall not allow the independence and integrity of democratic institutions to be weaponised against political opponents, as is happening now. I shall do my utmost to ensure that the majesty of the Indian Parliament remains safe from attacks by the forces of authoritarianism. I shall not allow the ongoing assaults on the Federal Structure of the Constitution, whereby the government is attempting to rob the state governments of their legitimate rights and powers," he said. Sinha on Friday reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking their support for the July 18 elections. Sinha was earlier with the BJP but he left the party in 2018. Sinha also reached out to veteran BJP leader LK Advani. From the opposition, Sinha also dialled Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for the support of his party - Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which is reportedly leaning towards NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu who comes from the Santhal tribal community. Earlier, he shared a letter to the leaders of the Opposition thanking them for choosing him as their common candidate for the presidential elections. "I assure you - and the people of India - that, if elected, I shall conscientiously uphold, without fear or favour, the basic values and guiding ideals of the Indian Constitution," he said. Two days ago, the Centre has provided the Opposition's presidential candidate, Yashwant Sinha, with 'Z' category armed security cover of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The former Union Minister was announced as the Opposition's presidential candidate on June 21. After Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, and Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, refused to contest the elections, Sinha's name suddenly came into the limelight. (ANI) Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde has approached the Supreme Court against the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker against rebel MLAs. The plea also challenges the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as the Shiv Sena's legislative leader in the House in place of Shinde. The petitioner, Shinde has sought to issue direction to Deputy Speaker to not take any action in the disqualification petition under Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules seeking disqualification of the rebel MLAs and also not to take any action on the same until the resolution for removal of the Deputy Speaker is decided. The petition also sought direction to hold and declare that the letter/order dated June 21 passed by the Respondent Deputy Speaker accepting the appointment of Respondent Ajay Choudhary, as Leader of Shiv Sena Legislature Party is illegal and unconstitutional. It also sought an appropriate direction to stay the effect and operation of the letter/order dated June 21 passed by the Deputy Speaker recognising the appointment of Respondent, Ajay Choudhary as Leader of Shiv Sena Legislature Party. The plea also sought direction from concerned authorities to provide security to the family of the Petitioner and all his supporters within the Shiv Sena Legislature Party (SSLP). In the petition, Shinde termed the action against him and others as arbitrary and illegal exercise of provisions of Schedule X of the Constitution of India read with Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on ground of Defection) Rules, 1986 (MLA Defection Rules) and said that it is completely violative of Article 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India as well as the illegal and unconstitutional action of the Deputy Speaker insofar as recognizing Ajay Choudhury as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party (SSLP) despite the said request being admittedly made by a minority faction of the SSLP. The petitioner also challenged the disqualification proceedings initiated against him at the instance of Respondent Sunil Prabhu and said that he had no authority to issue any whip having been removed as the Chief Whip of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party and the consequent issuance of summons dated June 25 issued by the Deputy Speaker without verifying the matter. The Deputy Speaker, who is in charge of the House in the absence of the Speaker and has issued the notice dated June 25, 2022, in the disqualification petition against the petitioner. Shinde said he is aggrieved by the notice/summon dated July 25, 2022, as the same is grossly illegal, unconstitutional and in utter disregard of the judgment of the top court. The petition also sought an interim stay on the operation of the notice dated June 25, 2022, issued to the petitioner by the Deputy Speaker. "Respondent Sunil Prabhu, who is a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Dindoshi constituency of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, has filed the plea before the Deputy Speaker under Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules seeking disqualification of the Petitioners Shinde under Para-2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India. He is also the illegally appointed Chief Whip of the party," read the plea. Shinde, who a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency of Thane, said that the present petition has been necessitated in view of the complete breakdown of the government machinery and the ongoing political instability in the state of Maharashtra where constant threats are being given to the members of the SSLP as well. "It is submitted that the Respondent No. 5 (Prabhu) has filed malicious and prime facie not maintainable, Petition under Schedule X read with Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules seeking disqualification of the Petitioners under Para-2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India despite the fact that the Petitioner enjoys 2/3rd support of the members of SSPL. Further, Respondent number 5 has already been removed as the Chief Whip vide a resolution dated June 21, 2022, passed by a majority of the members of SSPL (as well as a subsequent affirmation by way of affidavits), " read the plea. "Pertinently, on 21st of June, 2022, the majority members of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party held a meeting and passed a resolution appointing Mr. Bharat Gogavale as the Chief Whip of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party and also reaffirmed the Petitioner herein as the 'Gatneta'/Leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party," the petition said. The Petitioner submitted that the whip contemplated under Paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule is for a vote on the floor of the House and no whip could have been issued for a meeting admittedly held outside the House. He also said that a meeting of the party no concerned with business or vote on the Floor of the House cannot be converted into a weapon to disqualify duly elected members under the garb of the Tenth Schedule. One more petition has been filed by Bharat Gogawale and other rebel MLAs who also claimed that they are aggrieved by summons dated June 25, 2022, initiating disqualification proceedings as the same are grossly illegal and unconstitutional.Gogawale, in his petition, said that the petitioners along with other members of the Shiv Sena Party of the MVA government sensed that the principles of the Shiv Sena, which is a Hindu Marathi Regional Political Party is being compromised due to an unruly coalition of political parties in which MLAs of Shiv Sena were suffering the most. "During the time period of the last two and half years, the party and its leadership have compromised party principles with different ideologies that of INC and NCP. The ideology of Late Balasaheb Thackray was to give a clean and honest government to the people of Maharashtra, without compromising on the principle of national interest, the rebel MLAs said. Meanwhile, two MLAs, on June 26, called for the removal of the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, who could be the key decision-maker about the disqualification of the rebel MLAs. Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal, both independent MLAs and said to be close to the BJP, have moved for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran assembly constituency reached Vidhan Bhavan today and submitted a letter to the office Deputy speaker saying that he cannot disqualify the 12 MLAs. In his letter, he has cited several judgements of the Supreme Court. "The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government doesn't have the majority and they can't disqualify any MLA. I am against Congress and NCP and if the MLAs are disqualified, we will also go to the Court," he said. Notably, the Maharashtra assembly doesn't have a Speaker since February 2021. Also, the Deputy Speaker also approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as leader of the ruling party, Shiv Sena, in the assembly in place of Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde has called the appointment illegal as Chaudhary's name was proposed by the "minority faction" as he represents the "real Sena". Shinde, who has been replaced by Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena's legislature party leader on Friday, is currently camping with over 40 rebel MLAs in Guwahati. (ANI) With an aim to discuss and deliberate ideas and innovations that can propel India's blue economy, a three-day 'Chintan Baithak' was organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), informed the officials on Sunday. The Baithak was chaired by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (PSW) and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal including Chairpersons of all major ports, and senior officials of MoPSW attended the meeting to take part in the deliberations in the brainstorming session. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to develop and promote the marine economy. "The vision of PM Modi is to enable the development of the coastal areas, improve coastal infrastructure and protect and promote the marine economy. All these steps are aimed at the transformation of the blue economy and the realisation of the rationale behind transformation through transportation," he said. He also emphasised that it is imperative that utmost care is taken to optimally utilise the huge opportunity of the Indian marine economy to make an Atmanirbhar Bharat. "Our role - as a ministry of ports, shipping and waterways - is to empower and enable conduits through which these economic transformations can be achieved. Through this Chintan Baithak, the best minds of India have come together so that all of us can deliberate, discuss and decide various challenges and opportunities," he added. He further lauded the sincere efforts of Cochin Shipyard Ltd. in promoting the spirit of Hon'ble PM's initiative of Atmanirbhar Bharat through the development of indigenous and green technology vessels. "This will go a long way in preparing the roadmap for smooth & swift implementation of our plan to develop & modernise our ports. We must look at the PPP model for this that will also ease up government resources for Greenfield port development, comprehensively develop the coastal regions of India for ease of living for people living in these areas and, at the same time, helps businesses avail best services through ease," said Sonowal. The Union Minister also admired the Karnataka State government and expressed gratitude towards the Chief Minister of Karnataka for extending their cooperation in organizing this 'Chintan Baithak'. A total of 157 road connectivity projects and 137 rail connectivity projects are being undertaken for promoting multimodal connectivity at Ports. The Union Minister exhorted all the port authorities to identify, initiate and complete one important project for modernisation and mechanisation. This will augment port capacity and improve functional efficiency. These completed projects, the Minister said, would showcase the efforts taken by the Major Ports to complement the impetus provided by the Hon'ble Prime Minister towards infrastructure development and its multiplier effects by boosting the capital expenditure by Rs. 7.5. Lakh crore the current fiscal - an increase of 35.4 per cent over the previous year. (ANI) As uncertainty looms over the future of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government following the rebellion of a majority of Shiv Sena MLAs, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that his party will support Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray till the last minute. "Eknath Shinde and other MLAs were there with the NCP in the government. They didn't have any problems in the last 2.5 years. Why does it happen today only? It's just an excuse. We will support CM Uddhav Thackeray till the last minute," said Pawar. As the power tussle in the western state continued on Sunday, Pawar also said that the new alliance by the rebel MLAs hardly held any importance. "Eknath Shinde and other MLAs who've gone with him (to Guwahati) have said to form a new alliance but NCP and Congress policy are clear to support the coalition government that we had formed. MVA government is there (in Maharashtra) and we want to continue supporting it," he added. The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the party, thus achieving the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena. Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'. The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. Eknath Shinde claims to have the support of 38 MLAs of the 56 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar claimed that their faction has a two-thirds majority while denying merger talks with any party.Notably, Eknath Shinde was unanimously elected as the leader of the faction recently which is revolting against the Uddhav faction. The Uddhav Thackeray faction recently submitted a plea before the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs. Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Sunday informed that the party has initiated legal action against rebel MLAs and notices have been served as well. (ANI) It is a victory of party workers and the teachings of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, said Simranjit Singh Mann after winning Sangrur Lok Sabha by-poll on Sunday. He also said that he will raise in Parliament the issues of "Indian Army committing atrocities in Kashmir," "killing of tribal people in Bihar and Chhattisgarh calling them Naxalites." Mann was a candidate from Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and won the by-poll defeating Aam Aadmi Party's candidate in Sangrur, the home turf of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. Speaking to the media after his victory, he said, "It is a historic victory with which all the parties including BJP, Akali Dal, Congress, AAP will be perplexed because we have won after a long time. We will oppose the political parties in Parliament. Now there will be protests against us because we were mocked that we will not be able to win." "It's a win of our party workers and of the teachings that Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale has given. The Sikh community is very upset with the death of Deep Singh Sidhu and Sidhu Moose Wala and now the Indian government will not behave in the same way that it is behaving with the Muslims, like their localities are being questioned, like the Indian Army is committing atrocities in Kashmir and killing Muslims on a daily basis. The tribal people in Bihar and Chhattisgarh are being shot dead calling them Naxalites. I will meet the candidate who is contesting for the presidential poll and discuss this," Mann said. The leader demanded resignation of Punjab's Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and said, "He used to say that we will never be able to win, now he should resign because they have lost badly in their area." Mann said that he wants trade with Pakistan to resume via Attari-Wagah border so that the farmers of Punjab could benefit. "For me, the most important thing is to highlight the problems of farmers in Parliament. I want that the road to Pakistan be opened via Wagah border so that trade could be increased and the crops of our farmers could also be sold in Pakistan. I will raise the issues relating to China also because the BJP does not know anything about the Army. China has occupied much of our land," he said. Meanwhile, Mann won the bypoll with 2,53,154 votes thus defeating the ruling party's candidate on a Lok Sabha seat held last by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. "This is a great win for our party. We have defeated all national parties in this bypoll. My priority will be to raise the issue of the poor economic condition of Sangrur including the condition of farmers under debt. We will work with the Punjab government," said Mann. "I am grateful to voters of Sangrur for having elected me as your representative in parliament. I will work hard to ameliorate the sufferings of our farmers, farm-labour, traders and everyone in my constituency, he added. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal congratulated Mann and said, "I sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann and his party on their electoral victory in Sangrur parliamentary bypoll and offer them our best wishes and cooperation. We bow before the mandate of the people in a true democratic spirit." (ANI) The Delhi Commission for Women took suo-moto cognizance of a video being circulated on social media and issued a notice to Delhi Police Cyber Crime cell seeking urgent registration of FIRs and arrests in the matter. In the said video, a man can be heard hurling extreme abuses at a little girl and making hurtful comments about the girl's religious community. The man is clearly intimidating the little girl who can be seen as visibly frightened and shocked. The man also threatens a little boy in the same video and verbally abuses him and targets him for belonging to a particular religious community.In the video, the man asks the girl child whether she belongs to a particular religion, then threatens to beat her and menacingly asks her to abuse her religion. "The Delhi Commission for Women Chief Ms Swati Maliwal has issued a notice to Delhi Police Cyber Crime cell seeking urgent registration of FIR as well as arrests in the matter. The Commission has also sought the steps taken by Delhi Police to remove the said video from circulation on social media. The police have been asked to provide a detailed action taken report in the matter latest by 29th June 2022, read an official statement. "Increasingly, we are witnessing several cases of communal hatred, both online and offline. This video is extremely disturbing as little children are being targeted by a man simply because they belong to a particular religion. The video shamelessly depicts the vile, dangerous and hateful mentality of the man, who needs to be urgently arrested and put behind bars, before he hurts and traumatises anyone else," said Maliwal. (ANI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday announced that his government is setting up a special task force headed by an additional director general of police to curb the menace of drugs. "Drug addiction has become a matter of grave concern. We are constituting an anti-drug task-force. The peddlers would be nabbed and prosecuted. Besides, we plan to spread awareness. We don't want the young generation to get sucked into drug addiction," Jairam Thakur said. Addressing a gathering after launching the 'Nasha Nahin, Zindagi Chunne' initiative of the Department of State Taxes and Excise and the Himachal Pradesh Nasha Nivaran Board here, Thakur also administered an oath against drug abuse on the occasion. CM Jairam Thakur also lashed out at its neighbouring state, Punjab over its deteriorating law and order situation. He said, "The AAP-led Punjab government has become a laughing stock. They have created a law and order situation that they can't control. A Punjab minister had to be sacked following graft charges. AAP has no future even in Punjab, let alone on the national political landscape." Notably, in May this year, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann sacked the state health minister Vijay Singla on Tuesday on a corruption charge after receiving a complaint from a government officer over the minister demanding 1 per cent commission in award of government tenders. Mann followed the example set by his party president and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who had sacked his food and civil supplies minister Aseem Ahmed Khan on live television in 2015 on corruption charges and had ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. In December last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) asked states to immediately form dedicated Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTF) under the Directors General of Police to fight the menace of drugs and realise the dream of a 'drug-free India'. (ANI) Former minister and Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar, who is now in the Eknath Shinde camp, said MLAs of the Shinde camp are ready to face the floor test in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly at any time, but first recognition should be given to Eknath Shinde faction. In an exclusive interview to ANI today over the phone, Kesarkar said, "MLAs of the Shinde camp are ready to face the floor test in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly at any time, but first recognition should be given to Eknath Shinde faction. We will not go with the MVA government." Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde has approached the Supreme Court against the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker against rebel MLAs. The plea also challenges the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as the Shiv Sena's legislative leader in the House in place of Shinde. Kesarkar further said, "One to two more MLAs will come and join us. With their support and other independents, our strength will be increased to 51. We will arrive at a decision in 3-4 days and thereafter, we will directly go back to Maharashtra." Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut continues to issue threats to dissident party MLAs led by Eknath Shinde currently staying in Guwahati. Speaking at the 'Shiv Sena Melava' (party gathering) of workers at Sahisar in Mumbai, Raut went on to say, "40 bodies will arrive from Guwahati and they will be directly sent for post-mortem," in a remark directed at the rebel Sena MLAs. Reacting to this, Deepak said, "It is a very indecent statement. What kind of language has he used? He is a member of Parliament. By using such language, he is inciting the Shiv Sainiks. Our camp's majority is increasing day by day." The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the party, thus achieving the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena.Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb'.The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder. (ANI) As Assam is affected due to floods, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Sunday said that the Central Young Mizo Association are on their way to deliver drinking waters to the neighbouring state. The Chief Minister said the Mizoram will ensure all possible help. Taking to Twitter, Zoramthanga wrote "The Central Young Mizo Association are on their way to deliver drinking waters to our neighbouring #AssamFloods2022 victims. The Govt. of Mizoram will ensure all possible help from the end. Mizoram will always be with #Assam in this trying time." The overall flood situation in Assam has improved but over 33.03 lakh people in 28 districts continue to remain affected due to the natural calamity in the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) informed on Saturday. According to ASDMA, a total of 117 people have lost their lives so far in the flood and landslides in the state this year; of which 100 people died in flood alone, while the remaining 17 died due to landslides. The report also stated that 8.76 lakh people have been affected in Barpeta district alone, followed by 5.08 lakh people in Nagaon, 4.01 lakh in Kamrup, 2.76 lakh people in Cachar, 2.16 in Karimganj, 1.84 lakh in Dhubri, and 1.70 lakh people have been affected in the Darrang district of Assam. The Indian Airforce deployed seven types of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in various flood-affected areas, informed the officials on Sunday. Earlier in the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Silchar to monitor the flood situation and took stock of the condition of people who have been affected by the flood. (ANI) Congress on Sunday strongly condemned the "mindless attack" on Congress Bhawan and "brutal assault" on Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee President, Birajit Sinha and other Congress workers allegedly by "BJP goons", after the thumping victory of Congress party candidate Sudip Roy Barman in the Agartala bypoll. A three-member senior leaders delegation of the Congress party led by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi and Naseer Hussain will visit Tripura tomorrow to take stock of the situation and make a report on this "heinous attack". "This barbarous attack happened even as the police passively looked on while BJP goons vandalized properties and carried out blatantly violent attacks on our party office bearers. It is utterly shameful that the police stood as mute and complicit spectators while the goons stormed the office and attacked our office bearers. The BJP goons were freely roaming with rods and sticks and threw stones inside the office," the official statement by the Congress party read issued by party secretary KC Venugopal. The PCC President sustained injuries and is admitted in hospital following the attack. "This cruel act happened after the Congress Party candidate Sudip Roy Burman emerged victorious in the prestigious bypoll for the Agartala assembly seat. Earlier, the BJP goons had mercilessly attacked Burman and he has sustained serious injuries. The desperate BJP is unable to accept the verdict of the people and they are once again letting loose their goons to attack our offices and office bearers," the statement read. The Congress party demanded an apology from the BJP President JP Nadda and an investigation by Home Minister Amit Shah into why these attacks occurred. "If the state government is unable to handle law and order then President's Rule will be necessary," it read. Congress urged the authorities to take strict action against the culprits and ensure safety to Congress Party offices and office bearers. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday condemned the 'vicious' attack on party leaders and workers allegedly by BJP goons following Congress' win in the Agartala assembly bypoll. "I strongly condemn the vicious attack on our leaders and workers by BJP goons following @INCIndia's win in the Agartala bypoll. The people are with us. Shameful that the police stood as mute spectators instead of stopping the attack. These BJP goons must be brought to justice," Rahul Gandhi tweeted. Earlier today, the Congress party tweeted pictures of Tripura Congress party chief Sudip Roy Burman and wrote on Twitter, "Frustrated by our good performance in the by-elections and the historic victory of Shri Sudip Roy Burman ji, the BJP has now turned to hooliganism and violence. This bloody politics is the real face of Bharatiya Janata Party." Counting of votes was completed in Tripura bypolls in four Assembly constituencies on Sunday. Bharatiya Janata Pary won 3 out of 4 constituencies and Congress bagged one. Chief Minister and BJP candidate Manik Saha won in Town Bordowali while Sudip Roy Barman secured the Agartala seat for Congress. Voting for the Tripura bypolls in four Assembly constituencies took place on Thursday. The fate of many bigwigs including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha was sealed today as the counting of votes took place for three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats spread across five states. Counting began at 8 am under heavy security arrangements. The postal ballots were counted first and then EVMs were opened. The three Lok Sabha seats which witnessed bypolls include Azamgarh and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab's Sangrur, while assembly by-elections were held in Tripura, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. (ANI) As the political tug of war in Maharashtra continued on Sunday, Maharashtra's Bhandara MLA Narendra Bhondekar's birthday celebrations were attended by the rebel MLAs at a hotel in Guwahati, said sources. The celebrations also included the presence of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs, the sources added. Earlier, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister for Higher and Technical Education Uday Samant joined Eknath Shinde faction at Guwahati. "Uday Samant, Maharashtra Minister of Higher and Technical Education joined Eknath Shinde faction at Guwahati. He is the 8th minister to join the Shinde camp," sources earlier said today. Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Sunday informed that the party has initiated legal action and served notices to concerned MLAs. Addressing the reporters today, Sawant said, "Political turbulence is going on in Maharashtra, many MLAs defected and have gone to Assam. We have initiated legal action against them and notice has been served to 16 MLAs till now." Advocate Devdutta Kamat, Shiv Sena's Senior Counsel also said to reporters, "Proceedings have been initiated by Shiv Sena against 16 MLAs, under the provision in the Constitution which says that if a person gives up the membership of a party then he's eligible for disqualification." "There were several meetings that were called by Shiv Sena at different times, none of which were attended by them. Visiting BJP-ruled states, meeting BJP leaders, and attempting to topple government amounts to a violation by rebels," Advocate Devdutta Kamat said. Kamat said the concept of 2-3rd (to surpass anti-defection law) applies only if there is a merger. "Until the MLAs don't merge with another party, disqualification applies. Till today there's no merger, they have voluntarily given up membership," Adv Devdutta Kamat said. Notably, the national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena on June 25 passed six resolutions giving absolute rights to Maharashtra Chief Minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebels to bring the revolt within party under control. The meeting was called in the wake of Sena MLA Eknath Shinde's rebellion, which has not only destabilised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in the State but also poses a risk of the Thackerays losing control of the party. The advocate said that under the constitution, the deputy speaker has the power of the speaker in the latter's absence and can adjudicate on such matters. "No confidence motion was sent through an unauthorized email address by rebels," he said. (ANI) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said the Lok Sabha bypoll results of Rampur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday clearly show that the Samajwadi Party (SP) is incapable of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "UP by-poll results show Samajwadi Party is incapable of defeating BJP, they don't have intellectual honesty. The minority community shouldn't vote for such incompetent parties. Who is responsible for BJP's win, now, whom will they name as B-team, C-team," Owaisi told ANI. He also blamed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for the party's defeat in the Rampur and Azamgarh bypolls. "Akhilesh Yadav has so much arrogance that he did not even visit people. I would appeal to the Muslims of the country to make a political identity of their own," the AIMIM chief added. In Uttar Pradesh by-elections, the ruling BJP won both Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituencies. BJP candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi defeated Samajwadi Party candidate Mohammad Asim Raja in the Rampur seat while BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua won in the Azamgarh constituency. Bahujan Samaj Party candidate in Azamgarh Guddu Jamali gave a tough fight and came in the third position. Both seats were considered Samajwadi Party bastions. The bypolls were necessitated by the resignations of Akhilesh Yadav and Azam Khan from Azamgarh and Rampur seats, respectively. Both leaders quit as Lok Sabha MPs following their election to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the elections held earlier this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the by-poll wins in Azamgarh and Rampur are historic. In a tweet, PM Modi said, it indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the double engine Governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister said he is grateful to the people for their support. He also appreciated the efforts of BJP Karyakartas in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that victory in bypolls has sent an optimistic message regarding the 2024 General Elections. "Victory in by-polls has sent an optimistic message regarding 2024 General Elections. People have shown their trust in the double-engine government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People have given a clear message to 'parivarvadis', casteist and communalist elements," Adityanath said. (ANI) The poor performance by the Trinamool Congress in the by-polls in four assembly constituencies in Tripura, results of which were declared on Sunday, has left the party leadership clueless about their plan of action for the organisation's expansion in the country's northeastern region in the coming days. The question that is also haunting the party leadership is whether these results are signs of what the Trinamool Congress could be facing in the Tripura assembly polls next year. The by-polls were held in four assembly seats in Tripura -- Agartala, Jubarajnagar, Surma and Town Bordowali. Chief Minister Manik Saha contested from Town Bordowali and has won. As per the results, Trinamool Congress has finished fourth in all the four assembly constituencies where the by-polls were held. In Agartala and Town Bordowali constituencies, the votes secured by Trinamool Congress have not even crossed the 1,000-mark. In four constituencies, the deposits of Trinamool Congress candidates have been forfeited. A senior member of the West Bengal cabinet, on the condition of anonymity, told IANS that from the results "it is clear that in none of these four constituencies in Tripura, the voters considered us even as the main opposition". "If this is an early indication, our probable performance in the 2023 Tripura assembly polls is a foregone conclusion," he said. Trinamool Congress national general secretary and party MP, Abhishek Banerjee, while accepting the defeat said that this was not the real reflection of the people's mandate in Tripura by-polls. "There were massive election malpractices on the polling day. Our agents were beaten up and thrown out of the polling booths... but we accept the verdict of the people," he said. However, he was silent on why in all these four constituencies, his party finished in fourth position and the Trinamool Congress candidates got their deposits forfeited. Trinamool's West Bengal general secretary and party spokesman, Kunal Ghosh on Sunday, however, presented an unconventional analysis on the party's disastrous performance in the Tripura by-polls. "The growing popularity of Trinamool Congress in Tripura has not only left BJP worried but also the CPI-M and Congress. So, both CPI-M and Congress provided a clandestine cushion to BJP in the Tripura by-polls. But the results would be different in the 2023 assembly polls," Ghosh said. BJP's West Bengal unit president and party MP, Sukanta Majumdar said Trinamool Congress just went to play the role of cheerleader in Tripura. "The results have proved that. Now the Trinamool Congress leaders are posing weird logic of BJP- CPI-M - Congress understanding to conceal their own failures," Majumdar said. --IANS src/pgh ( 437 Words) 2022-06-26-21:16:05 (IANS) Hailstones weighing up to three kilograms were recently discovered in Odisha''s Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts. Several septuagenarian residents of Bhimdaa village, which is located along the banks of the Gangahara River in Mayurbhanj district, told this correspondent that in their memory they had not seen storms of this kind. They said they the heavy hailstones making holes in asbestos and CGI sheeted roofs, and causing damage to property in several villages. Badasahi block and Remuna experienced the brunt of nature''s fury. The possible impact of climate change was also seen in Arunachal Pradesh. This north eastern state is experiencing a severe cold wave since the start of the year. For example, the village of Chambang, criss-crossed by the Rivers Chatey, Peri, Patee and Kurung, has been experiencing heavy snowfall since January 4. Mechuka and Damin also experienced heavy snowfall this year. Earth scientist Professor Trilochan Singh said, "Climate change is the buzz word today. Though the weather continues to change every moment, changes in the climate take place over a long period of time." He added, "The earth existed 4.5 billion years ago, though human life came into existence only about 10,000 years ago. Climate change is a circle known as the Glacier Phase and the Inter-Glacier Phase. Glaciers are formed in the first phase and melt in second phase due to various factors. This melting has not been uniform," he discloses. Scientists have found that the present inter-glacier phase begun 11,000 years ago and will continue till 18,000 years. However, because human activity has a direct bearing on the climate, the period may extend to 20,000 years, they added. Professor Singh was a member of the Gondwanaland Expedition, an international expedition from Shimla to Cape Agulhas in South Africa to trace the great Gondwanaland that existed as a single landmass about 250 million years ago and drifted to its present position in different continents. ''Lucy'' fossils in Addis Ababa''s National Museum provide a link between man and the ape, he informed. (ANI) A new population of polar bears documented on the southeast coast of Greenland use glacier ice to survive despite limited access to sea ice, according to a new study by the University of Washington. This small, genetically distinct group of polar bears could be important to the future of the species in a warming world. "We wanted to survey this region because we didn't know much about the polar bears in Southeast Greenland, but we never expected to find a new subpopulation living there," said lead author Kristin Laidre, a polar scientist at the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory. "We knew there were some bears in the area from historical records and Indigenous knowledge. We just didn't know how special they were." The study, published in the June 17 issue of Science, combines seven years of new data collected along the southeastern coast of Greenland with 30 years of historical data from the island's whole east coast. The remote Southeast region had been poorly studied because of its unpredictable weather, jagged mountains and heavy snowfall. The newly collected genetic, movement and population data show how these bears use glacier ice to survive with limited access to sea ice. "Polar bears are threatened by sea ice loss due to climate change. This new population gives us some insight into how the species might persist into the future," said Laidre, who is also a UW associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences. "But we need to be careful about extrapolating our findings, because the glacier ice that makes it possible for Southeast Greenland bears to survive is not available in most of the Arctic." The genetic difference between this group of bears and its nearest genetic neighbor is greater than that observed for any of the 19 previously known polar bear populations."They are the most genetically isolated population of polar bears anywhere on the planet," said co-author Beth Shapiro, a professor and geneticist at the University of California, Santa Cruz and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "We know that this population has been living separately from other polar bear populations for at least several hundred years, and that their population size throughout this time has remained small." Part of the reason the population is so isolated, researchers believe, is that the bears are hemmed in on all sides: by the sharp mountain peaks and massive Greenland Ice Sheet to the west, the open water of the Denmark Strait to the east, and by the fast-flowing East Greenland coastal current that poses a hazard offshore. Before starting the fieldwork, the team spent two years soliciting input and gathering information from polar bear subsistence hunters in East Greenland. Hunters participated throughout the study, contributing their expertise, and providing harvest samples for genetic analysis. The satellite tracking of adult females shows that, unlike most other polar bears that travel far over sea ice to hunt, Southeast Greenland bears are homebodies. They walk on ice inside protected fjords or scramble up mountains to reach neighboring fjords over the Greenland Ice Sheet. Half of the 27 tracked bears accidentally floated an average of 120 miles (190 kilometers) south on small ice floes caught in the East Greenland coastal current, but then hopped off and walked back north on land to their home fjord. "In a sense, these bears provide a glimpse into how Greenland's bears may fare under future climate scenarios," Laidre said. "The sea ice conditions in Southeast Greenland today resemble what's predicted for Northeast Greenland by late this century." Southeast Greenland bears have access to sea ice for only four months, between February and late May. Sea ice provides the platform that most of the Arctic's roughly 26,000 polar bears use to hunt seals. But polar bears can't fast for eight months. For two-thirds of the year, the Southeast Greenland polar bears rely on a different strategy: They hunt seals from chunks of freshwater ice breaking off the Greenland Ice Sheet. "The marine-terminating glaciers in Southeast Greenland are a fairly unique environment," said co-author Twila Moon, deputy lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. "These types of glaciers do exist in other places in the Arctic, but the combination of the fjord shapes, the high production of glacier ice and the very big reservoir of ice that is available from the Greenland Ice Sheet is what currently provides a steady supply of glacier ice." The fact that bears can survive here suggests that marine-terminating glaciers, and especially those regularly calving ice into the ocean, could become small-scale climate refugia -- places where some polar bears could survive as sea ice on the ocean's surface declines. Similar habitats exist at marine-terminating glaciers on other parts of Greenland's coast and the island of Svalbard, a Norwegian territory located east of Greenland. "Even with rapid changes happening on the ice sheet, this area in Greenland has the potential to continue to produce glacial ice, with a coast that may looks similar to today, for a long time," Moon said. The authors estimate that there are roughly a few hundred bears in Southeast Greenland, similar to other small populations. Body measurements suggest that adult females are smaller than in most regions. They also have fewer cubs, which may reflect the challenge of finding mates in the complex landscape of fjords and mountains. Laidre cautioned, however, that longer-term monitoring is needed to know the future viability of Southeast Greenland bears and to understand what happens to polar bear subpopulations as they become increasingly cut off from the rest of the Arctic by declining sea ice. "If you're concerned about preserving the species, then yes, our findings are hopeful -- I think they show us how some polar bears might persist under climate change," Laidre said. "But I don't think glacier habitat is going to support huge numbers of polar bears. There's just not enough of it. We still expect to see large declines in polar bears across the Arctic under climate change." The government of Greenland will decide on any protection and management measures. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which helps oversee protected species, is responsible for determining whether Southeast Greenland bears are internationally recognized as a separate population, the 20th in the world."Preserving the genetic diversity of polar bears is crucial going forward under climate change," Laidre said. "Officially recognizing these bears as a separate population will be important for conservation and management." (ANI) United Nations Ocean Conference is set to take place in Lisbon, Portugal from June 27-July 1 and will be co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, said the UN in its press release. The Ocean Conference comes at a critical time as the world is seeking to address many of the deep-rooted problems of our societies laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. These problems require major structural transformations and common shared solutions that are anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "To mobilize action, the Conference will seek to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action," it added. Liu Zhenmin, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, will serve as the Secretary-General of the Conference, and Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, will serve as the Special Adviser to the Presidents of the Ocean Conference on the ocean and legal matters. In 2017, the United Nations Secretary-General Guterres appointed Ambassador Peter Thomson of Fiji as his Special Envoy for the Ocean, aiming at galvanizing concerted efforts to follow up on the outcomes of the 2017 United Nations Ocean Conference, maintaining the momentum for action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The United Nations has designated 8 June as World Oceans Day - a day for humanity to celebrate the ocean. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted, "The ocean can be our biggest ally in responding to planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Next week's UN Ocean Conference is an opportunity to commit to a sustainable blue economy that can create jobs while protecting our planet." The ocean covers over 70 per cent of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity's sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50 per cent of the planet's oxygen, it is home to most of earth's biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030. Even though all its benefits, the ocean is now in need of support. (ANI) Good morning, Chicago. When 9/11 happened, it was hard to imagine anything could eclipse its impact. Yet here we are, living through year three of a global pandemic, monumental shifts in law at the nations highest court and televised hearings of an insurrection at the Capitol. Every time we think were covering the story of the century, life hands us another. We hope youve enjoyed this look back at the Chicago Tribunes first 175 years. While this special anniversary edition of Daywatch ends today, sign up for our Vintage Tribune newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox, for more stories of Chicagos past, and check out our newly-published Chicago history timeline here. Advertisement While its been fun to look back at how the Tribune covered the city through the years, we hope youll keep looking forward with us too. Not a subscriber yet? Make sure to sign up here. Because weve got a lot more stories to share with you. Jocelyn Allison, Marianne Mather and Kori Rumore Advertisement More anniversary coverage | Vintage Voices | Pulitzer Prizes | Famous front pages | Vintage Tribune newsletter | 175th merchandise An abandoned desk chair sits at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street during what would have been the evening rush hour on March 17, 2020, in Chicago's Loop. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) The horror came early in the morning on Sept. 11, 2001, when just a few people had arrived to work at Tribune Tower, writes Rick Kogan. What happened next is a vivid memory for most of us. But that defining event of the 21st century would later be rivaled by another a global pandemic still unfolding. People run from the collapse of World Trade Center Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City. (Suzanne Plunkett/AP) A pall of smoke, dust and sadness settled over lower Manhattan at nightfall Sept. 11, 2001, as rescue workers, police and firefighters pressed their desperate search for survivors of the worst terrorist attack in United States history, a coordinated airborne assault that destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center and left a portion of the Pentagon in smoking ruins. The Sears Tower under construction, circa 1973. (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Barclays Bank, a venerable British investment house, once said cities build their tallest structures on the eve of their decline, writes Ron Grossman. As downtown Chicago struggles to recover from the ongoing global pandemic, how accurately does that algorithm measure the building still known to many as Sears Tower and the city it looks down upon? Advertisement Housekeeper Tonia Harvey cleans a bed in the Roseland Community Hospital intensive care unit after a COVID-19 patient passed away, April 17, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois topped 33,000 at the two-year mark and is still climbing. With each new variant and scientific breakthrough, risk calculations have changed. Now, for the younger and boosted, risks of dying from COVID-19 may be less than the risk of dying in a traffic crash, while for those older and unvaccinated, the risks may be exponentially higher. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama with his family at the Election Night Rally in Grant Park on Nov. 4, 2008, in Chicago. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) Voters turned out in extraordinary numbers in the 2008 presidential election, sensing a historic moment and stung by economic crisis. Barack Obama supporters, many of them holding flags, watched returns roll in on giant television screens in Grant Park and roared every time another state was called for their candidate. When networks called the election at 10 p.m., tears streamed down their faces. Chicago Police officers scuffle with protesters while preventing them from walking eastbound on Balbo Drive after they turned from Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Nov. 24, 2015. Protesters took to the streets after the release by the city of the 2014 dash camera video of Laquan McDonald being shot and killed by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) During the most tumultuous 11-day span of his tenure as Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel went from backing his police chief, defending the citys investigation of police shootings and resisting a federal civil rights investigation of his police department to abruptly backtracking on all three positions. Lori Lightfoot, the citys first Black female mayor, would later be elected his successor in the aftermath. Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich waves to the crowd as he leaves his home in Chicago for Englewood federal prison near Littleton, Colorado, on March 15, 2012. (William DeShazer / Chicago Tribune) The Chicago political jester who rose from life as a scrappy city kid to the states highest office then was secretly taped by the FBI in a corruption probe, arrested at home before dawn, tried (twice), convicted and sentenced and was sprung from prison more than four years early when Trump commuted his sentence. Cleveland Indians second baseman Michael Martinez (1) jogs away as the Chicago Cubs celebrate a 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians to take the World Series on Nov. 3, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Tears flowed across Cubs Nation after the final out, and fans responded with the worlds biggest group hug, remembering all the loved ones who could only imagine what it would be like to experience this moment of pure bliss. UK is providing 2.5 million euros aid for immediate life-saving support to people in Afghanistan affected by the devastating earthquake this week, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced. "A total of 2 million will go to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) to provide shelter, medication, water, sanitation, and other basic needs. The IFRC already has staff and volunteers working on the ground to respond to the crisis and help address the urgent humanitarian needs - including in Khost and Paktika, the 2 provinces most heavily impacted," said a UK press release on Friday. A further 500,000 euros will go to the Norwegian Refugee Council, who are already working on the ground, to provide shelter and cash assistance to those affected, it added. The government said that this support will come from the UK's aid fund for Afghanistan, which is 286 million euros this financial year, one of the largest bilateral programmes. Last year, the UK's funding supported emergency health services, water, protection, shelter, food, and education through the UN Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund and World Food Programme. International partners, including the United Nations and World Food Programme, are coordinating the global response and rapidly assessing the humanitarian needs. The UK is in direct contact with them to offer assistance and stands ready to consider any requests for aid or other help. UK aid was already delivered to the affected areas prior to the earthquake via the UN, NGOs and Red Cross. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said, "The recent earthquake is a tragedy for the people of Afghanistan. The scale of need was already severe before the earthquake struck, with more than half of the population requiring humanitarian assistance." "UK support will enable lifesaving supplies to be provided on the ground. Our aid budget for Afghanistan is one of the UK's largest bilateral programmes and we will continue to work urgently with our international partners to respond to the unfolding humanitarian crisis," she added. The UK co-hosted a high-level international pledging summit with the UN in March 2022, to provide more vital funds. This helped the response to the UN's appeal of nearly USD 4.5 billion for Afghanistan, their largest appeal on record for a single country, reflecting the magnitude of the humanitarian challenge that was already facing the country before the earthquake. UK funding is channelled through UN partners and NGOs. No funding goes to or through the Taliban, the government clarified in the press release. (ANI) Amid assassination rumours of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, a spying attempt on him by an employee of Bani Gala was foiled when the employee was trying to install a spy device in Khan's room, local media reported. Citing sources, Pakistan's local media outlet ARY News reported that an employee of Bani Gala was paid to install a device in the former prime minister's bedroom. However, the spying attempt was foiled after another employee informed the security team about the installation of the device. Bani Gala security team detained the employee post receiving the information of him trying to spy on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan. The security team handed him over to the federal police. This development comes amid rumours of a plot being hatched to assassinate former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Earlier the security agencies were put on high alert in adjoining areas of Bani Gala in the city in view of this alleged threat. Many from PTI have been asserting that Imran Khan's life is in danger. "In this regard, we have informed all relevant agencies, including the government," PTI leader Shehbaz Gill said. Speaking to the media portal, Shehbaz Gill claimed, "An employee - who cleans the former premier's room - was paid to install a spy device," terming the act ' heinous and unfortunate'. "Our people are being threatened to get information. Such shameful acts should be avoided," he added. The PTI leader further said that the 'arrested' employee has made several revelations - which he refused to share at the moment. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, earlier on June 23, rubbished the claims of life 'threats' to Imran Khan. In a conversation with media, the Interior Minister said that there was no threat alert against Imran Khan, adding that Imran Khan was being offered security and protocol at the same level he enjoyed while he was the prime minister. Earlier, Hassaan Niazi, nephew of Imran Khan had said that if anything happens to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, the act will be treated as an attack on Pakistan. "Anything happens to our leader Imran Khan, will be treated as attack on Pakistan. Response will aggressive - the Handlers will also regret," Niazi had said. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Faisal Vawda had also made similar claims that there was a conspiracy developed to assassinate the Pakistani PM over his refusal to "sell the country". (ANI) Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh who was sentenced to death for spying by a Pakistan court in 1991 and passed away in 2013 in Lahore, has died on Saturday night. Her last rites will be conducted today at Bhikhiwind in Punjab. Sarbjit Singh was a farmer from Bhikhiwind in Punjab near the India-Pakistan border, who mistakenly crossed over the border after having a couple of drinks. However, he was sentenced to death by a Pakistan court in 1991. Singh was kept in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore for 22 years and after that, he was beaten up by his inmates and was taken to hospital. Singh was declared dead by doctors at Lahore's Jinnah Hospital after being comatose for five days due to severe injuries in the head after an attack on him on the jail premises in 2013. During his 22 years in jail, his older sister Dalbir Kaur had fought against the system to release her brother. Dalbir Kaur had always insisted that her brother, Singh was innocent and had strayed into Pakistan by mistake when he was arrested. She also went to Pakistan to see her brother. Then Ministry of External Affairs had asked the Pakistani government to conduct a probe into Singh's death, while his sister, Dalbir Kaur had also called for an inquiry into the case and said: "If the attack was planned by the government itself, then there is no need for an inquiry. But if Sarabjit was attacked without the knowledge of the authorities, then an inquiry is definitely needed." (ANI) Ahead of the Sindh province local government election, Pakistan Peoples' Party Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accused the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of threatening violence due to frustration arising out of consistent losses and urged the supporters to remain peaceful and not get provoked. Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Foreign Minister said, "Our opponents after consistent losses are growing frustrated and threatening violence. I call on our supporters to remain peaceful and not get provoked, vote, democracy is our revenge." The first phase of the local body election is to start today in four divisions of Sindh, Geo News reported. "Good luck to all Peoples Party ticket holders taking part in local body elections phase one in 15 districts of Sindh. Tomorrow is Election Day, get out and vote for Bhuttoism, a peaceful, prosperous & progressive," she added. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan also urged the citizens to vote for his party and eliminate the 'Zardari mafia'. Taking to Twitter, Imran Khan wrote, "LBEs (Local Body Elections) are to be held in 4 divs of Sindh. Despite PPP terrorising our candidates & not following SC orders to devolve authority to local reps under Art 140A, we are taking part in the elections. I ask people of Sindh to vote for PTI candidates & eliminate the Zardari Mafia." The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed preparations for organising the first phase of local government (LG) polls in 14 districts of Sindh. 21,298 candidates will contest for 5,331 seats in 14 districts of Sindh, whereas, 946 candidates have been elected unopposed before the electoral battle, as per ARY News. The total number of registered voters is 1,149,2680. The election commission printed 2,950,000 ballot papers for the first phase of the Sindh LG polls. Meanwhile, Pakistan political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) supremo Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that his party had gathered all political parties to a platform against the previous government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). While addressing a seminar, Fazlur Rehman said, "It was necessary for the political parties to gather their force on a single platform after the 2018 general elections. The PTI government had created the economic crisis in the country under a plan." He alleged that Imran Khan had initiated a false narrative of a threat letter and his assassination plot which was even rejected by the United States. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Germany, received a grand welcome from the Indian diaspora at the Hotel in Munich on Sunday where he will be staying during his trip. "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan reverberated at the hotel premises as people from the Indian diaspora cheered and waved their flags seeing the Prime Minister. Several children along with their parents were present at the hotel, waving their hands at the Prime Minister's arrival. The Prime Minister also interacted with one of the kids present there and signed an autograph for her as she presented a sketch of the Indian flag. He also interacted with many children in the hotel. A woman who was present there to welcome the Prime Minister said, "I am very excited to meet PM Modi and he will be addressing the Indian diaspora in today's afternoon. I am also looking forward to that." Pawan, who will be presenting the performance at today's event, said that he is very excited to meet PM Modi. "Heartily welcome Modi to Munich. We have prepared a beautiful performance for PM Modi and am looking forward to that event." Earlier this morning, arrived in Munich to attend the G7 summit where he will be holding meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on energy and counter-terrorism among other issues. During his visit from June 26 to June 27, PM Modi will see interaction with the Indian diaspora and hold a meeting with world leaders. Taking to Twitter, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "At the invitation of @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz, PM @narendramodi arrives in Germany for the G7 Summit." He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," MEA added. Meanwhile, the Indian community in Germany is eagerly waiting to perform for PM Modi in Munich. It will be the largest gathering of the Indian diaspora in Germany post-pandemic. Hundreds of performers will be participating in the event and the Audi MDome will be embellished with the 'Vande Matram' song. After attending the G7 Summit, Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. Before his departure for the G7 Summit, PM Modi said that it will be a pleasure to meet Scholz again after the productive India-Germany IGC. (ANI) Amid the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) gas on Sunday decided to increase the fuel prices with effect from 2 am. The prices of a litre of petrol 92 octane have been increased by Rs 50 while a lite of petrol 95 octane has been increased by Rs 100, Daily Mirror reported. According to the publication, the auto diesel has also been increased by Rs 60 and a litre of Super Diesel has been increased by Rs. 75. Accordingly, the new price of a litre of Petrol Octane 92 is Rs. 470 and Octane 95 is Rs. 550. At the same time, the Lanka IOC, a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation, has also increased the fuel prices and now both the CEYPETCO and the LIOC fuel prices stand equal, reported Daily Mirror. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has decided to limit fuel for private vehicles as the fuel shortage continues to worsen in the Island nation. Sri Lanka will not receive the shipments of petrol, diesel and crude oil, scheduled for this week and next week due to banking and logistic reasons. "Sri Lanka will not receive shipments of petrol, diesel and crude oil, scheduled for this week and next week," Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said on Saturday.The minister said that suppliers have informed state-owned fuel importer and distributor Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) that they will not make the scheduled deliveries due to banking and logistic reasons. In a further statement, Wijesekera said that public transportation, power generation and industries would be given priority until the next shipments arrive. Therefore, limited stocks of diesel and petrol will be distributed to a few gas stations throughout next week. The minister urged the general public not to queue up for fuel., adding that the refinery operations will also be halted until the next crude shipment arrives. "We are working with all new and existing suppliers. I apologize for the delay and inconvenience," he said. Sri Lanka has been facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, leading to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and fuel across the island nation. The nearly-bankrupt country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, had 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. The economic crisis has particularly impacted food security, agriculture, livelihoods, and access to health services. Food production in the last harvest season was 40 - 50 per cent lower than last year, and the current agricultural season is at risk, with seeds, fertilizers, fuel and credit shortages. Sri Lanka is one of the few nations named by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which is expected to go without food due to the global food shortage expected this year. (ANI) Opposing the fiscal budget 2022-23 passed by the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan announced to hold a protest meeting on July 2 at the Parade Ground, Islamabad, against the 'super tax' imposed by the government. Through a video link from his Bani Gala residence, he said "The nation should be clear that there was no preparation on the rulers' part to fix the economy, reduce prices," emphasising that the government had only one thing in their mind as to how to take another 'NRO' as the first 'NRO' was taken from Musharraf. Imran Khan will be holding a protest meeting on July 2 at the Parade Ground, Islamabad, against the government and its policies to showcase his discontentment over the super tax. According to him it would increase pressure on industries and add to unemployment, The News International reported. High net worth individuals will also be subject to a "poverty alleviation tax". Those whose annual income exceeds Rs150 million will be subject to 1pc tax; for Rs200 million, 2pc; Rs250 million, 3pc; and Rs300 million will be taxed 4pc of their income. Due to super tax, the corporate tax would go up to 39 per cent while India and Bangladesh had 25 per cent that meant that this tax would make the things costlier, Imran said, pointing out that the cost of making things would be expensive and this would have the biggest impact on employment amid the already existing economic crisis. Raising concerns over difficulties faced by salaried class, Imran Khan said load-shedding would affect farmers and Pakistan's production as diesel is expensive, targetting the Sharif government for not taking important measures to tackle the same. The PTI chairman said: "The taxation will force people to evade taxes while we collected record taxes and had found out the mortgage of people through artificial intelligence. We had planned how to bring them into the tax net and increase the tax net. We had brought in a track and trace system to end sales tax evasion and had selected 20 industries and started track and trace system on 3 and planned to go to the entire 20." The PTI chief also criticized the government for NAB law amendments and said that "we have gone to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to challenge the amendments they have made to the NAB Act and I have full faith in our judiciary" alleging the incumbent government for the destruction of the country. NAB had recovered Rs 280 billion before 2018 and then made recoveries worth Rs 480 billion in the PTI government. The News International said, quoting Imran Khan as saying. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has previously lambasted the recent amendments made by the incumbent government of Shehbaz Sharif and called for throwing rulers in jail for 'shamelessly' passing National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws. He also announced approaching the Supreme Court against the NAB amendments. Khan also bashed the leaders of the two big political parties, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would be "saved" after the changes -- said the government amended section 14 of the law, which now states that a person will only be held accountable for the "money left in the fake accounts (when a person is arrested)". The PTI chairman said under the current tax laws, a person has to provide the trail of his money as the onus lies on them, not the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). (ANI) Pakistan's Finance Ministry on Sunday said that their deal with International Monetary Funds (IMF) will be sealed by tomorrow as the organization plan to hand over the economic and financial policy for the renewed deal providing economic relief package to Islamabad. Pakistan Finance Minister Miftah Ismail in the National Assembly said that although the country is common with the negative comments made by the financial quarters it looks very likely that the restoration of the IMF programme is in the offing, ARY News reported. Moreover, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had asserted that the terms with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been finalised and the deal will close soon, barring any other conditions set by the global lender. Earlier on Friday, the Shehbaz Sharif government increased the tax rates for the salaried class to fulfil the demand of the IMF. It had withdrawn the tax relief to the salaried class announced on June 10 and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR's) collection target was increased to Rs 7,470 billion, reported Geo News. On Personal Income Tax (PIT), the government raised a tax amount of Rs 80 billion as first, the government abolished tax relief of Rs 47 billion and then raised a tax amount of Rs 35 billion, so the FBR was going to collect Rs 235 billion from salaried class in the next budget against a collection of Rs 200 billion in the outgoing fiscal year. The Ministry of Finance high-ups disclosed to The News that all IMF's demands on the fiscal front were almost fulfilled and now it was expected that the Fund staff would share a draft of the Memorandum of Financial and Economic Policies (MEFP) next week on Monday. The IMF and the Ministry of Finance as well as the State Bank of Pakistan are holding parleys continuously. Finance Minister Miftah Ismail also chaired a meeting related to the government's strategy for hiking power tariffs, reported Geo News. The government slapped a 10 per cent super tax on 13 big industries including cement, sugar, steel, oil and gas, RLNG Terminal, textiles, banking, auto industry, tobacco, fertilizer, aviation, chemicals and beverages. The Fund has objected to the government's estimates of allocating Rs 225 billion for Price Differential Claims (PDCs) for the next budget as the IMF assessed that it might escalate to over Rs 350 to Rs 450 billion. The government has proposed a tax on jewellery shops as on-premises of shops, it has been fixed at Rs 40,000 per shop of jewellery. There are nearly 30,000 jewellery shops and only a few shops are registered. The Withholding Tax on the sale of gold by consumers was cut to 1 per cent from 4 per cent, reported Geo News. The Imran Khan-led PTI government had made a commitment with the IMF for raising the tax amount of Rs 335 billion through an increased rate of slabs for the salaried class but the PDM-led coalition government convinced the IMF for collecting Rs100 billion less than agreed by the previous PTI-led government with the IMF. (ANI) All those four terrorists were actively involved in terror activities against security forces, according to The News International citing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). According to the military's media wing, the security forces recovered weapons and ammunition from the terrorists killed during the security operation. Earlier on Friday, the security forces killed two terrorists during an exchange of fire in the general area Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan. The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the terrorists during the encounter. Meanwhile, on June 1, a Pakistani soldier was killed when terrorists targeted security forces in the North Waziristan district of the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. "On night June 1-2, terrorists fired at a military post in general area Datta Khel, North Waziristan District," the statement read on Thursday. During an intense exchange of fire, a young soldier who was 28 years old lost his life. Actions had been carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area, said the statement. Hamid Ali, 28 was a resident of Sargodha city in Pakistan's Punjab province. In a similar incident, on May 23, two Pakistani soldiers died in an attack carried out by terrorists at a check post in North Waziristan, a local media reported. "On May 23, terrorists carried out a fire raid on a military post in general area Mir Ali, North Waziristan District. Troops initiated a prompt response," said the ISPR statement. During an exchange of fire, Sepoy Zahoor Khan (20) and Sepoy Rahim Gul (23) died. Earlier on April 15, seven Pakistan Army soldiers had died after terrorists ambushed a military convoy near the Afghanistan border in North Waziristan. Recently, terrorist activities have been increased in Pakistan border areas, especially in the North Waziristan district, according to the country's vernacular media. The rise in the number of terrorist attacks has been costing the lives of several Pakistani soldiers. Reportedly, these militants have their bases in Afghanistan. They enter Pakistan from Afghanistan and after launching attacks on the former, retreat to their bases in Afghanistan. (ANI) In the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return of Taliban rule, the West is now contending with a resurgent terrorist threat. Kyle Orton, a British security analyst who focuses on the Middle East geopolitics and Islamist terrorism said in a blog that Afghanistan is now a devastated land enduring the worst combination of political terror and disorder, which has forced millions of its people to become refugees, creating challenges for international stability. Ten months on from the NATO abandoning Afghanistan to Pakistan's jihadists--the integrated coalition of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda--the outcome has been as depressing as it was predictable: a hideous combination of brutal Islamist rule and chaos prevails, as the economy collapses and various groups challenge them. The crisis in Afghanistan is not confined to Afghanistan, with a refugee wave underway, and a clear terrorism threat, both because the perpetrators of 9/11 are once again controlling the state from which they launched it and their most potent challenger is another transnational jihadist group, the Islamic State's Khorasan Province (ISKP). The media might have largely moved on, but the situation in Afghanistan is one that will require serious attention from Westerners--for our own sakes--for the foreseeable future. Orton in his blog questioned whether Afghanistan will get this attention, and if it does, how much and how good is the information Western governments have access to about the internal dynamics of Afghanistan? ISKP, which ferociously hates the Taliban-Qaeda forces, is a more pressing concern. ISKP was able to get involved in several terrorist operations across the world when NATO was in Afghanistan and putting the group under severe pressure. During the Taliban takeover, as was predictable, the prisons were broken open and thousands of ISKP jihadists went free. The impact of this was quickly seen within Afghanistan. Unsurprisingly, the Taliban has been unable to rein in ISKP. So, if we can see the broad outlines of developments in Afghanistan since August 2021, what kind of visibility do Western intelligence services have at a more granular level? This was the question Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations officer, recently took up for the Hoover Institution. Gerecht began by noting that when Americans are "traumatized by the unexpected abroad, discussions inevitably start about the inadequacy of American intelligence collection and analysis". This is not to take away from the deep structural problems with the CIA, three in particular: in analysis, politics, and practice. First, the analytical problem--which is also somewhat political--is phrased by Gerecht this way: "Langley has a way of confidently repackaging establishment biases, in both analysis and operations". Second, the political problem is the extreme risk-aversion of the Agency. As Gerecht says, "It is far better that case officers lose their lives trying (to infiltrate jihadist organizations) than American civilians die by the hundreds, or thousands, later". A further complication: when the US is not directly present in theatre, it becomes "more dependent on foreign intelligence and security services, which always have their own axes to grind", as Gerecht writes. "Their enemies may not be ours". Which is the third problem. The CIA has become very reliant on liaison relationships with security services in the Greater Middle East. CIA officers under official cover who are restricted to Embassies, with no unilateral, have no easy way of evaluating the information given to them, which, even if given in good faith, might be wrong. That's just in friendly countries; as mentioned above, the situation with "hard" targets is much worse. In sum, says Gerecht, "Without troops and case officers on the ground [in Afghanistan], the United States is probably flying blind." The Taliban-Qaeda forces that control most of the country are a standing menace to Western states, and the main challenger to this de facto regime, ISKP, is a more determined menace still, with its capabilities to launch international terrorism seemingly developing even more quickly. The uncertainties that surround this are because of the collapse of the US and allied intelligence networks--to the extent they ever existed--when the US helped the jihadists push the Afghan government into its grave. For various operational and political reasons, it is unlikely that Western intelligence will gain any serious visibility into Talibanized Afghanistan. (ANI) The Willis Tower was built with cutting-edge technology and ageless chutzpah, a word that could be translated as an intoxicating sense of omnipotence. When planning for what was originally called Sears Tower a name many still use began, the company had 350,000 employees. Half of Americas households had a Sears credit card. The companys future seemed to carry a lifetime guarantee. Advertisement Being the largest retailer in the world we thought we should have the largest headquarters in the world, Gordon Metcalf, its board chairman, said in 1969. His words echoed the Biblical account of what inspired the Tower of Babels builders: Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves. Advertisement [Follow along with all of our 175th anniversary coverage] A worker navigates the Sears Tower as work continues on the building on April 13, 1973. (William Yates / Chicago Tribune) By that standard, the Sears Tower was a success. The 110-story skyscraper at 233 S. Wacker Drive was the worlds tallest for more than two decades and remains popularly known by its maiden name, even though it was renamed for a London-based insurance brokerage in 2009 But Sears Roebuck and Co. has all but vanished. The Tower has had multiple owners, and its appeal was at least momentarily diminished in the months following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 more than 20 years ago. Today the citys tallest skyscraper faces the same pandemic-related issues as office buildings throughout the Loop as workers continue to work from home, throwing the continuing vitality of downtown Chicago into question. Advertisement Barclays Bank, a venerable British investment house, once posited skyscrapers as an economic forecaster. Its data crunchers said that cities build their tallest structures on the eve of their decline. How accurately does that algorithm measure Sears Tower and the city it looks down upon? In the beginning, the massive building gave a shot in the arm to its immediate environs. It replaced the unsightly remnants of Chicagos garment district on the western edge of the Loop. A jumble of 15 grime-blackened buildings, the Tribune called it. Their demolition surely enhanced a visitors image of Chicago. People watch as construction begins at the site of the future Sears Tower on June 3, 1971, in Chicago. (Walter Neal / Chicago Tribune) Sears Tower emblematized the staggering power of its corporate parent. As the high-rise was going up in the early 1970s, the company had about $9 billion in annual sales revenue. Its Tower was similarly voracious. At 1,451 feet, it was the worlds tallest building and held that distinction for more than two decades. To reach that height required 76,000 tons of steel, 2.5 million cubic feet of concrete, 25,000 miles of plumbing, and 43,000 miles of telephone cable. On behalf of the people of Chicago I want to thank Sears for the confidence they are showing in the future in planning and designing the building which will adorn the West Side, Mayor Richard J. Daley said in 1970. Advertisement Sears Tower spurred the redevelopment along the Chicago Rivers west banks and in adjoining neighborhoods. But it didnt ring the corporate cash registers. By 1991, Walmarts sales had overtaken Sears, which went through a long decline before filing for bankruptcy in 2018. The company sold Sears Tower and closed stores but couldnt make a payment on the loan keeping it afloat. Sears left the building for corporate campus in Hoffman Estates in the 1992, a move that bruised Chicagos civic pride and complicated commutes for many employees. How will I get there? was the most asked question from staffers, recalled Barb Lehman, the Sears executive who directed the exodus of 5,000 from Chicago to suburbia. Sears was founded in 1892 and virtually invented home shopping with a catalog as thick as Chicagos telephone directory. It enabled rural families to enjoy the same consumer goods as their urban counterparts with access to stores. Sears provided the model that Amazon would later capitalized on, but it wasnt nimble enough to adapt to the digital age. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 33 Three covers, showing different years, of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog. From left is 1894, 1927 and 1896. The 1927 cover is a Norman Rockwell painting. (Sears, Roebuck and Co.) Instead it focused on bricks-and-mortar stores, famed for replacing tools if they broke, and down-to-earth clothing and appliances. Their shelves reflected the same spread of good-better-best offerings as the Sears catalog. Rival department stores specialized in a segment of the retail market: Marshall Fields on high-end offerings and fashion-conscious customers, Goldblatts on inexpensive products and budget-conscious shoppers. In 2002, Sears bought Lands End, known for hip casual wear, but sales continued to dive. Advertisement Sears is like a dinosaur, Joe Cushman who retired as Sears chairman in 1967, once observed. You hit it five times on the tail with a sledgehammer, and 11 years later the impulse will reach the brain. His successors ignored Cushmans diagnosis. Perhaps ambitious architects seduced them into thinking of Sears as too big to fail. Sears Towers architects gave their client a far larger building than the companys honchos likely envisioned. Looking down Wacker Driver, the Sears Tower looms above all the other high-rises on the street on Oct. 9, 1991. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) Sears probably would have settled for a squatty 50- or 60-story building something sturdy, efficient and durable, said Fazlur Khan, the structural engineer who, with architect Bruce Graham, drew plans for the tower. But we wanted something that wouldnt be too prismatic. Khan was apparently taking a dig at the Loops more nondescript buildings, a mold Paul Gapp, the Tribunes Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, agreed they broke away from by designing a skyscraper whose exteriors are a bold, vital, and exciting departure from orthodox mediocrity. After Sears cut its Tower loose, others bought and sold it, even when it teetered on a precipice of bankruptcy. Trizec Properties inherited Sears responsibility for loan payments due MetLife and, unable to make a 2003 installment, gave the keys to the building to the insurance company. Advertisement There is some tarnish on the diamond now, but it will come back, Kenneth Szady, an executive with the Trammell Crow realty company, told the Tribune. And in the long run there is some potential upside. Evidently Szady knew how the real estate market works. Prospective buyers continued to make offers, and financial institutions were willing to cover bets on Sears Towers value. Blue-chip companies took over the 1.5 million square feet vacated by Sears. When tenants moved out, others moved in. United Airlines reversed Sears suburban flight, transferring its operations centers 2,000 flight controllers and support staff from Elk Grove Township to Willis Tower in 2009. It was tempted to make the move in part by Chicagos offer of about $25 million in incentives, the Tribune reported, while also noting: United is drawing fire from aviation experts who question why it would locate its nerve center in a building identified as a potential target of terrorists. That year, five would-be American terrorists were convicted of plotting to bomb Sears Tower. Jan Stephens, a paralegal at Latham & Watkins, in front of the Sears Tower after it was evacuated on Sept. 20, 2001. The tower was evacuated after a rumor spread that a hijacked airplane was headed for Chicago. (Heather Stone/Chicago Tribune) Indeed, the Towers appeal was previously impacted by Al Qaidas 9/11 leveling of New Yorks World Trade Center towers. Advertisement You can completely forget about Sept. 11, but as soon as you go back into that building, you think about it again, said Alain Coque, an executive of New Mark Co., whose clients were looking at office space in Sears Tower. The Tower got an emotional lift in 2015, when the Blackstone Group bought it for $1.3 billion, a record for an office building beyond Manhattan. The New York private equity group softened its hard-edge persona with touches of color and a lower-level mall, putting $500 million into a renovation project dubbed the Catalogue. Restaurants, a food court, and shops reintroduced the Tower as more than just a place to work. COVID struck as the project, just completed in May, was well underway. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 17 Catalog, a newly renovated multilevel retail and amenity space inside Willis Tower, is seen on May 19, 2022 (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) Two years after leaving downtown offices, employees return to Willis Tower on March 15, 2022. At the Tower, office occupancy rose by about 45% between the first week in February and the first week in March. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) On Thursday between 8 and 9 a.m., Tribune reporters counted 75 people passing through its main entrance, the paper reported on September 25, 2020. Before the epidemic, 15,000 employees arrived there daily. So the storys next chapter is unclear. Has working from home become the new norm? Managements upbeat forecasts of the Towers rebound are diluted by unintended cautionary notes such as ballyhooing shared workspaces. That sounds like a franchised motel touting its business center rather than a sales pitch for an exclusive skyscraper. It would be more convincing if the Towers flacks spoke with the authoritative self-assurance of Sears founder Richard Sears, who built an empire with his catalogs no-ifs ands-or-buts promise of customer satisfaction. Advertisement Once he saw a trolley conductor drop his pocket watch, which was smashed. Was it a Sears watch? he asked. Yes, the distraught fellow replied. Whereupon Richard Sears handed him a new one, saying: We guarantee our watches not to fall out of anyones pocket and break. Sign up to receive the Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter at chicagotribune.com/newsletters for more photos and stories from the Tribunes archives. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Ron Grossman and Marianne Mather at rgrossman@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com. One person was killed and eight were hurt, including two policemen in a missed gun and bomb attack on Frontier Constabulary (FC) vehicle in Jacobabad on Saturday. The attack was carried out by a lone terrorist at the Mauladad level-crossing in Jacobabad. The attacker was caught by people and handed over to the police, reported Dawn. Officials at the Saddar police station said the attacker, later identified as Mohammad Usman, missed the target because the FC vehicle was moving at a fast speed. No one riding the vehicle sustained any harm, they said. The suspect, Mohammad Usman, was caught by residents of the nearby Garhi Sabayo village while he was trying to flee the site amid scare and panic caused by the firing and blast, the police said. He is said to be a resident of Balochistan, they added, reported Dawn. "The people severely beat him up before handing him over to the police," they said. They said that the suspect first opened fire on the FC vehicle and then threw a hand grenade on it. He, however, missed the target, they added. All the persons wounded in the attack were taken to the Jacobabad Institute of Medical Science (JIMS) for treatment. Balochistan has long demanded independence from Pakistan, and the multi-billion-dollar China-initiated One Belt One Road (OBOR) Project has further inflamed passions. The Baloch, who are opposing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of OBOR, are facing oppression and genocide by the Pakistan Army. There are uncounted incidents of enforced disappearances and killings of Baloch political activists, intellectuals and students by the Pakistani security forces and secret agencies. A large number of Baloch youth and political activists have migrated abroad to save their lives. They have been raising their concerns on international platforms, but there is no ray of hope. (ANI) Aghan's senior police officer Mullah Abdul Ghani Haqbin on Sunday said that more than a dozen assault rifles and ammunition were found by security forces across the southern Kandahar province during a series of operations. The firearms that were recovered included a total of six stokes of AK-47, 13 pistols, thousands of rounds of bullets and 19 mines of rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), Xinhua reported citing the official. Haqbin added that three people were arrested by the security forces for keeping arms illegally. The Taliban-run administration would spare no effort to collect arms from individuals as part of the efforts to ensure law and order in Afghanistan, the senior police officer said. In August 2021, the US left much of the military equipment and weapons at the disposal of the Afghan forces which eventually fell into the hands of the Taliban. After capturing Kabul, the Taliban not only took political control of Afghanistan but had also gained control of all the US-made weapons and military equipment that were left behind by the fleeing Afghan forces. The US-made arms and military accessories are openly traded in shops by Afghan gun dealers. The traffickers are collecting the weapons from the abandoned Afghan army bases, and procuring them from the Afghan government soldiers and Taliban fighters. These weapons are then mostly sold in weapons markets or arms bazaar in tribal areas of the Afghan-Pakistan border, according to a Canada-based think tank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) said. The arms smugglers within Pakistan's borders are having a field day. The weapons from Afghanistan are smuggled into Pakistan in trucks carrying fruits and vegetables. The main points of entry through which the arms are smuggled are Torkham border crossing Torkham (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Chaman (Baluchistan), Ghulam Khan (North Waziristan) and Nawa Pass (Bajaur), it added. Meanwhile, Afghanistan is the prime source of opium supply to the world drug markets and Pakistan is the transport hub with drug networks operating from the country using its drug routes to reach international markets, according to an article in Islam Khabar. (ANI) United Nations has allocated USD 10 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Funds (UNCERF) on Sunday to support the people of Afghanistan affected by the earthquake that struck this week in the eastern part of the country. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths stated that the UN has released USD 10 million from UNCERF for the affected people of Afghanistan to help with the immediate response, The Khaama Press newspaper reported. "Hundreds of people killed. Many more injured. Homes destroyed. Children buried in the rubble. The #AfghanistanEarthquake is the latest tragedy to befall the country. I released $10 million from @UNCERF to help with the immediate response," Griffiths said in a tweet. UN's assistance comes as several organisations from all over the world have been supporting the people badly affected by the earthquake by providing large sums of money. On Wednesday, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Afghanistan including the capital city Kabul. At present, over 1000 people are estimated to have been killed across Barmal and Giyan districts in Paktika province, and Spera district in Khost province. In addition, at least 1,455 people have been injured across three of the six most affected districts of Barmal, Giyan, and Spera - many of them seriously. Over 10,000 houses have been destroyed. In wake of this, India handed over the second batch of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan on Friday in the presence of Taliban officials. The relief assistance handed over by the Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary (PAI), JP Singh consisted of essential items including family ridge tents, sleeping bags, blankets, sleeping mats, etc to support the people of Afghanistan in quake-affected regions. The first consignment from India was handed over on Thursday. India also deployed a team to the Embassy in Kabul to coordinate the efforts of stakeholders for the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Taliban welcomed India's decision to return its technical team to continue humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. Earlier, the European Commission also announced 1 million euros in humanitarian funding for an estimated 270,000 people living in the affected areas requiring emergency assistance. Immediate humanitarian assistance was dispatched to affected areas on June 22, including 10 tons of medical supplies sufficient for 5,400 surgeries and medical treatments covering 36,000 people for three months by WHO. (ANI) Norwegian police are investigating the Oslo shooting incident as a possible terrorist attack. Oslo's annual Pride parade was cancelled on Saturday following a deadly shooting at a gay bar, reported CNN. Norway's domestic intelligence service said it was working to clarify whether more acts of violence may be planned after the shooting. The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) announced in a tweet Saturday that it was "informed about the shooting in Oslo on Saturday." "We are now contributing all the relevant information we have to the Oslo police district and are working to clarify whether more acts of violence may be planned. We do not currently have any indications of that," the PST said. Two people were killed and eight others were taken to hospital after the shooting near the London Pub, which describes itself on its website as "the largest gay and lesbian venue in Oslo". Police received multiple calls about the shooting at 1:14 am local time, and arrived at the scene minutes later. They apprehended the male suspect three minutes after arrival, police said. The suspect, charged with terrorism, is a Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, and was "known to the police," but has only received "minor convictions" up until now, prosecutor Christian Hatlo told reporters in Oslo, reported CNN. Hatlo said police had charged the suspect with "murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts". He said the terrorism charge was justified on the basis of the number of injured and dead people, the number of crime scenes and an "overall assessment" indicating that the accused intended to "create serious fear in the population". The suspect was armed with two weapons during the shooting, police said. They did not confirm what weapons he used due to the pending investigation. There were wounded people on the ground inside and outside the bar when the police arrived. "The scene was chaotic, it was a warm evening and a lot of people were outside, so there were people running everywhere," police told CNN. Among the eight in the hospital, three people are in critical condition. Another 14 victims sustained minor injuries. In a statement published on Facebook after the shooting, the London Pub condemned the incident as "absolutely awful and pure evil." The bar said all its employees were safe and expressed condolences for the victims and their families. Oslo's annual Pride parade, scheduled to take place on Saturday, was cancelled in the wake of the shootings after "clear advice and recommendation from the police." Writing on Facebook, organizers asked everyone not to attend and said all events in connection with Pride were also cancelled. "We will follow the police's recommendations and take care of each other. Warm thoughts and love go to relatives, the injured and others affected," said the leader of Oslo Pride, Inger Kristin Haugsevje, and leader of the Association for Gender and Sexuality Diversity, Inge Alexander Gjestvang, in a joint statement. "We will soon be proud and visible again, but today we will hold and share the pride celebrations from home." Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store also expressed his condolences to the victims, calling the shooting "a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people," reported CNN. Store later called for unity and said "even though we do not know if the queer environment was the goal, the queer environment is regardless of the victim". "This day, June 25th, we were to celebrate love, we were to fill the streets in the colors of the rainbow, we were to showcase our community and our freedom. Instead, we are filled with grief," he said. "Let there be no doubt. We are a community, we are a diverse and strong community, and we will never be threatened or give up our values." According to CNN, Store re-reiterated that the perpetrator belonged "to an Islamist environment" but emphasized that "if this is Islamic terror, as PST (the Norwegian Police Security Service) points out, then many Muslims will feel vulnerable today and, in the time ahead. And I know that many Muslims in our country are also scared and in despair. It is our common responsibility to make it clear that no one other than the person or the people behind the attack is responsible for it". The White House said it was shocked by the killings. "We're all horrified by the mass shooting in Oslo today, targeting the LGBTQI+ community there. And our house our hearts obviously go out to all the families of the victims, the people of Norway, which is a tremendous ally," John Kirby, the NSC coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters aboard Air Force One as President Biden was flying to Europe. (ANI) According to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters, a total of 302,000 residents were forced to relocate during the period after the latest round of rainfall affected 74 counties of the province, Xinhua News Agency reported. The extreme weather condition has caused a direct economic loss of 6.79 billion yuan (about 1.01 billion US dollars), after destroying 150,000 hectares of cropland. The province initiated its level II flood-control emergency response starting at 10 am (Beijing time) on Saturday, said the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters as quoted by Xinhua News Agency. Authorities said that around 71,000 pieces of relief supplies including tents, folding beds, towels and clothes were supplied to the people in the affected areas. China has a four-tier colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. (ANI) Karachi-based social media activist, Arsalan Khan, who went missing from the city's Clifton area was released by the Sindh Rangers on Saturday morning within 24 hours of his detention. Taking to his Twitter handle, Arsalan confirmed that he has returned home safe and thanked "everyone for all the help and support" extended to his family. "I'm back home safe & sound. Thank you everyone for all the help & support you people extended to my lone family in this testing time. I'm truly short of words. Love you all," he tweeted. Arsalan's wife, Ayesha confirmed that Arsalan was dropped outside their residence at approximately 4 am, The Express Tribune reported. "He is fine but not completely well," she said, adding that her husband was released after 24 hours. According to a statement from the paramilitary force, Arsalan was arrested by them and was subsequently released, The Express Tribune reported. The statement said, "Rangers arrested Arsalan-- known as AK-47, on Twitter-- from the Clifton area of Karachi and claimed that he was "in contact with a terrorist group". "The initial investigation has revealed that the suspect has allegedly been in contact with a terrorist group and received financial assistance", the statement claimed, The Express Tribune reported. The paramilitary force stated that as the crime was a 'clear white-collar', it was handed over to relevant authorities for further investigation. Earlier, in the wee hours on Friday, Arsalan went missing from his residence in Clifton. His wife had claimed that around 14 to 15 government officials barged into their house and took Khan away with them. Arsalan -- known as AK-47 on Twitter -- has worked for several Pakistani broadcasters and was currently associated with a Karachi civil society organisation. On Friday, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the arrest of Arsalan and said, "Such illegal abductions and detentions are condemnable. The state must end the practice of enforced disappearances." London-based Amnesty International also issued a statement, expressing concern about his alleged disappearance. The group said Pakistan must end this abhorrent practice of punishing dissent by wrenching people away from their loved ones. In the statement, Amnesty stressed that the newly-appointed Inter-Ministerial Committee on Missing Persons must take note of the jarring disconnect between what they are saying and what is actually happening on the ground. The "arrest" of the social media activist and termed it a serious attack on freedom of expression, said the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ). (ANI) The warplanes, which include 17 fighter jets, six bombers and other supporting aircraft, have entered the island's air defence identification zone on Tuesday from the southwest, The Star newspaper reported citing the island's defence ministry. "In response, the air force scrambled jets, issued radio warnings and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor their activities," the ministry said in a statement. Earlier on Friday, a US Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flew over the Taiwan Strait. The flyover of surveillance plane over the Taiwan Strait was a demonstration of the US "commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," amid recurrent Chinese incursion in Taiwan's ADIZ, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. The issue of Taiwan has been at the forefront of US-China relations in recent months. Tensions between Washington, which is committed to supporting the island's self-defence, and Beijing over Taiwan were in the open earlier this month when their respective defense chiefs met at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore. Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since the defeated Nationalists retreated to the island at the end of the Chinese civil war more than 70 years ago. But China's ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views the self-ruled island as part of its territory -- despite having never controlled it. Beijing has not ruled out military force to take Taiwan and has kept pressure on the democratic island over the past few years with frequent warplane flights into the island's ADIZ. An ADIZ is unilaterally imposed and distinct from sovereign airspace, which is defined under international law as extending 12 nautical miles from a territory's shoreline. (ANI) It is the largest gathering of the Indian diaspora in Germany post-pandemic. Most of the people came dressed in traditional attire. Earlier in the day, PM Modi received a grand welcome from the Indian diaspora at the Hotel in Munich on Sunday where he will be staying during his trip. "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan reverberated at the hotel premises as people from the Indian diaspora cheered and waved their flags seeing the Prime Minister. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," the MEA said. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (ANI) At least two people including the brother of a PTI candidate were killed in the clashes that broke outside the polling stations in Pakistan's Sindh province, local media reported on Sunday. Divisional president PTI from Tando Adam, Mushtaq Junejo claimed, "I can confirm the death of Qaiser, brother of our party's candidate Asghar Gandapur in Tando Adam. Qaiser has been subjected to violence which caused his death." Qaiser's brother Zafar was contesting on ward-13 of the municipal committee, Tando Adam. The supporters blocked the Tando Adam road as the killing sparked a protest in the district, the Dawn reported. According to the media report, Director General Health Dr Juman Bahoto confirmed that the body was received in Tando Adam Taluka Hospital. He said, "The cause of death can be ascertained only after a post-mortem is conducted." Meanwhile, the counting of the votes in the first phase of local bodies' elections has begun after polling ended at 5 pm amid the aerial firing at polling stations, scuffles and deaths, the Dawn reported. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that the voters at polling stations, where the voting process was suspended, will be given time equivalent to the period of disruption in the polling process. Dawn newspaper reported that there were reports of sporadic violence, with broadcasters airing footage of two groups attacking each other with sticks in Kandhkot. Voting for the first phase of local government elections was held in 14 districts of Sindh. The total number of registered voters is 1,149,2680. The election commission printed 2,950,000 ballot papers for the first phase of the Sindh LG polls. While polling began in the morning in all 14 districts, reports of violence, scuffles and ECP mismanagement started pouring in from upper and lower Sindh regions. These clashes were said to emerge out of missing election symbols as well. Polling was suspended at various polling stations. The 14 districts of four divisions -- Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas -- include Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot and Tharparkar. Voting will take place in the Hyderabad division -- part of lower Sindh -- along with provincial metropolis Karachi in the second phase on July 24. Hyderabad division has nine districts. Separately, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Waseem Akhtar called on the Election Commission of Pakistan to suspend the elections in three districts, namely Sukkur, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas. While addressing a press conference in Karachi, he alleged that the bandits had seized ballot boxes and papers in some parts of the province and made election staff disappear while election symbols were also not printed on some of the ballot papers. "There is chaos and violence. Is this how elections are conducted?" he asked, saying that free and fair elections could not be carried out in such a situation, the Dawn reported. He lamented that the genuine candidates, who wished to work for the betterment of the province, would not get the chance to be elected, and said that all political parties were questioning the election process. He said that if law enforcement agencies were unable to handle the situation, then the army should be called in. He called on the Sindh government to take notice of the situation saying that its silence raised questions about its governance. (ANI) Addressing the Indian diaspora community programme in Munich on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Indian democracy while mentioning the "Emergency" declared by the Indira Gandhi government on 25 June 1975. In an exhilarating atmosphere in Munich, PM Modi described how the DNA of democracy is inscribed in Indians. "Today is June 26 which is also known as the day when India's democracy-- that's is in the DNA of every Indian-- was trampled and suppressed 47 years ago. Emergency was a black spot on the vibrant history of India's democracy," said PM Modi. He said that 47 years ago an attempt was made to hold that democracy hostage, and crush democracy; however, Indians answered all the conspiracies to crush democracy. "The people of India answered all the conspiracies to crush democracy, done in a democratic way. We Indians take pride in our democracy wherever you are. Every Indian proudly says India is Mother of Democracy," said the Prime Minister. It is the largest gathering of the Indian diaspora in Germany post-pandemic. Most of the people came dressed in traditional attire. Earlier in the day, PM Modi received a grand welcome from the Indian diaspora at the Hotel in Munich on Sunday where he will be staying during his trip. "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan reverberated at the hotel premises as people from the Indian diaspora cheered and waved their flags seeing the Prime Minister. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," the MEA said. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (ANI) Most of Tarell Alvin McCraneys plays such as the exquisite The Brother/Sister Plays are poetic, passionate dramas wherein freewheeling symbolism dances on a lush, metaphoric landscape. But Choir Boy, a 2012 drama you can see now in a superb production from director Kent Gash at Steppenwolf Theatre, is closer, really, to the movie Moonlight, for which McCraney, who spent many of his formative years in Chicago, won an Academy Award. Advertisement The play, rooted in American realism, is set in the fictional Charles R. Drew School, dedicated to the preparation of strong, ethical, Black men, and it centers on the senior-year experience of one gay young man, Pharus, played in Chicago by the Broadway actor Tyler Hardwick. Pharus leads the school choir and thus the play is suffused with choral arrangements. Choir Boy is almost a jukebox musical of the sacred sound. McCraney is interested here in how elite Black education and its moral values surrounding manhood intersects with the needs of a hyper-talented gay kid. But the play is also a closely observed picture of Black male adolescence in totem, and, to go yet further, Ill assert that anyone of any race who underwent the inevitable traumas of single-sex education (that would include this writer) will utterly be able to relate to all that happens in this play. Advertisement Sheldon D. Brown, Richard David, Tyler Hardwick, Samuel B. Jackson and Gilbert Domally in Steppenwolf Theatre's "Choir Boy." (Michael Brosilow / HANDOUT) On some levels, the themes of this work are ubiquitous now in nonprofit American theater; this years Tony winner for best musical, A Strange Loop, focuses on a very similar characters relationship to dominant Black and majority culture, albeit later in life, and you can stream many a progressive piece lamenting authoritarian educational institutions. And, yes, you intuit at the start of Choir Boy when the headmaster (played with a kind of worried sadness by La Shawn Banks) instructs the boy that manhood inherently involves repression that Drew will not be the happiest place for Pharus, a hyper-positive kid who knows exactly who he is but inevitably is thrown in with those who do not. But McCraney is a poet, not a moralistic ideologue or a political propagandist happy to play to the choir. His vision in this piece is strikingly inclusive and warmhearted, suffused as it is with compassion for all struggling teens, especially during high-pressure transitions to college and adulthood. He even introduces a teacher, played by William Dick, whom you expect to be the standard-issue old white racist (the audience even reacted that way at first on Saturday), but he turns out to have a similar heart to the playwright. None of that is to say that Choir Boy stints from its beliefs, especially its conviction that self-obfuscation leads only to personal strife and that those who fear their own sexuality can often turn into unconscious aggressors (I recall). And its astute in its exploration of how young Black men can feel pressured to to achieve, often in terms that are, in part, a legacy of our shared racist past. But the piece is also affirmative and, as with so many great plays, it is mostly concerned with flawed but decent people who did not create the past and who are all doing their best to survive in the present. Gilbert Domally, Richard David, Sheldon D. Brown, Tyler Hardwick and Samuel B. Jackson in Steppenwolf Theatre's "Choir Boy." (Michael Brosilow / HANDOUT) The work has had an interesting history. Written a decade ago, it played mostly regional and smaller houses (I first saw it at Raven Theatre in Chicago) before a pre-pandemic Broadway stand in 2019 greatly raised its profile. The play has been revised and updated a little and now feels very much of the present. The cast of mostly young performers Richard David, Gilbert Domally, Samuel B. Jackson is uniformly strong. Aside from Hardwick, who is riveting, theres also a deeply kind, gentle and warm performance from Sheldon D. Brown, playing a young gay mans straight friend, in the truest sense of that word. What I didnt expect (with all due respect to Raven) was the beauty of the music in the show now, especially when sung at this level. Singing has always been a rarity on the Steppenwolf stage and Id forgotten how well the mainstage responds. Ive suffered through some lousy sound mixes of late at shows downtown and the audibles here, designed by Pornchanok Kanchanabanca, are superb, as is the set from Arnel Sancianco, featuring portraits of great Black leaders, staring down on the next generation, a tad ominously. Especially if you see them everyday. The excellence of this production is a reminder of what Gash can do as a director. Hes not well known in Chicago, although I remember watching quite a lot of his work some 20 or 25 years ago at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. This is a beautifully staged show only the very last, rushed moment doesnt quite work that is brilliantly cast, excitingly staged and filled with the heart that comes from age. Worth 95 minutes of your time, friends. Advertisement Review: Choir Boy (4 stars) When: Through July 24 Where: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes Tickets: $20-$98 at 312-335-1650 and www.steppenwolf.org Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that 21st century India is at the forefront of Industry 4.0 and asserted that the country is shining at every front whether it is in the field of information technology or digital technology. PM Modi, who arrived in Germany for a three-day visit, said India has the third-largest startup ecosystem and it is the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world. "Today, the New India is at the forefront of Industry 4.0. Be it IT or digital technology, India is shining at every front," the Prime Minister said while addressing the Indian community in Munich. "There was a time when India was nowhere in the race of startups. Today, we are the third-largest startup ecosystem. Similarly, we used to import even the simplest phones, today, we are the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world," he said. PM Modi said India was a "slave" during the industrial revolution but now it will not be left behind in the 4th industrial revolution. "In the last century, Germany and other countries took benefit from the industrial revolution. India was a slave back then that's why it couldn't leverage benefits. But now India will not be left behind in the 4th industrial revolution, it's now leading the world," he said. "Today, India is working on building a new legacy and this is being led by the youth of the country. We have brought 21st-century policies to the youth of New India. Today, our youth will be able to complete their education in their own mother tongues," he said. The Prime Minister also said that India has a unicorn every 10 days, 5000 patents are being filed every month. "We are progressing and we are growing," he said. Speaking about the COVID-19, PM Modi said that there was a time when people used to say that India will take 10-15 years to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus, but at present most of the population in the country has been vaccinated. "Today, 90 per cent of adults have taken both doses and 95 per cent of adults have taken at least one dose," he noted. Earlier in the day, PM Modi received a grand welcome from the Indian diaspora at the Hotel in Munich on Sunday where he will be staying during his trip. "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan reverberated at the hotel premises as people from the Indian diaspora cheered and waved their flags seeing the Prime Minister. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," the MEA said. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (ANI) A White House official on Sunday said that the United States is expecting that the new NATO strategic concept, which will be adopted during the upcoming summit in Madrid, will contain some "strong" language on China. According to Sputnik News Agency, the official said, "So just as teams are continuing to work here on the G7 document teams are continuing to make final tweaks on the strategic concept. So those conversations are ongoing." "I think we're very confident we're gonna get to a good place. And then we're gonna have strong China language in the NATO Strategic Concept, which will be I think, you know, a significant improvement or change from 2010 when China was not mentioned and Russia I think was called a strategic partner or something," the official added. He further said that during the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27 in Germany, China will be discussed widely. "They touched on China, which I think is going to continue to be a broad theme for this trip. A year ago, you remember China was mentioned in the G7 leader statement and was also mentioned for the first time in the NATO leader statement. We expect that that's going to be echoed and enhanced in meetings this week, starting at the G7 and then continuing on at NATO including in the strategic concept," the official said. Separately, after a meeting of US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Scholz, the official told a media briefing that Washington and Berlin have decided that the conflict in Ukraine should be settled diplomatically, Sputnik reported. "There was a continued commitment by both President [Joe] Biden and [German] Chancellor [Olaf] Sholz to continue providing security assistance to Ukraine... I think both of us have the same broad approach to the diplomatic solution," the official said. Biden reached Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 25 to attend the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders' Summit. An official statement earlier stated that, during the summit, the US President Biden and other G-7 leaders will hold discussions on the global issues including the G-7's unwavering support for a democratic, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine, economic and democratic resilience, tackling the climate crisis, development infrastructure, global health security, and the food and energy crisis caused by Russia's war of aggression. The statement added that Biden will travel to Madrid in Spain on June 28 for the 2022 NATO Summit where the allied leader will endorse a new Strategic Concept to guide NATO's transformation over the next decade. This will focus on strengthening deterrence and defence, building resilience against transnational threats including cyber and climate and deepening partnerships with democratic partners in Europe and Asia in order to strengthen the rules-based international order. The G7 Summit is scheduled to be held on June 26-28 this year, at Schloss Elmau, a castle resort in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The G7 comprises Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States and Canada. (ANI) The strike involved more than 5,000 drivers from five companies, out of about 16,000 drivers in 14 bus companies operating Israel's public lines, Israel Ganon, chairman of the Israel Bus Drivers Union, told Xinhua. The drivers demand the government raise wages, improve basic conditions such as allowing breaks for rest and refreshment, and prevent the frequent violence against them, Ganon said. As part of the strike, the drivers shut down bus lines throughout the country from the start of the service to 9 a.m. local time, the rush hour of the first day of a new work week, and blocked roads to aggravate traffic jams, according to the union's head. "To get a reasonable salary, drivers need to work double hours a month," Ganon explained. "The workload makes them nervous and causes them to be late, and therefore the passengers suffer as well," he added. The Israeli authorities have yet to respond to the strike. (ANI/Xinhua) In his address to the Indian diaspora in Munich on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the country's achievements in a short span of time and said India is impatient to fulfil its dreams. "India is now ready, ready, impatient. India is impatient, for progress, for development. India is impatient for its dreams, for the fulfillment of its dreams," said PM Modi. "Today's India has come out of the mentality of 'it happens, it runs like this'. Today India takes a pledge to have to do, have to do, and have to do on time," said the Prime Minister. PM Modi addressed and interacted with the Indian community in Germany at the Audi Dome, Munich. Thousands of members of the vibrant Indian community in Germany participated in the event, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release. He said that India has shown how well democracy is delivering in such a vast and so diverse country. "The way crores of Indians have achieved big goals together, is unprecedented. Today every village in India is Open Defecation Free," said the Prime Minister. "Today electricity has reached every village in India. Today almost every village in India is connected by road. Today more than 99 percent of people in India have a gas connection for clean cooking. Today every family in India is connected to the banking system," added PM Modi. Prime Minister highlighted India's growth story and mentioned various initiatives undertaken by the government to further achieve the country's development agenda. Prime Minister also lauded the contribution of the diaspora in promoting India's success story and acting as brand ambassadors of India's success. "We Indians are proud of our democracy. Today, we can proudly say that India is the mother of democracy... The diversity of culture, food, clothes, music and traditions makes our democracy vibrant. India has shown that democracy can deliver and has delivered," said PM Modi. Speaking about the mindset of people regarding India, he said, "There was a time when people said India will take 10-15 years to vaccinate its population against COVID-19. Today, 90 per cent of adults have taken both doses and 95 per cent of adults have taken at least one dose." He also highlighted free treatment and free rations to 80 crore people since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Today every poor person of India is getting free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh. In this time of Corona, India is ensuring free food grains to 80 crores poor for the last two years," said PM Modi in Munich. Underscoring cleanliness drive, he said, "Today cleanliness is becoming a part of the lifestyle in India. The people of India, the youth of India are considering it their duty to keep the country clean. Today the people of India are confident that their money is spent honestly," said PM Modi. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said sustainable climate practices have become a part of the lives of India's people and climate change is just not a matter of policies in the country. The youth are investing in Electric Vehicles and other similar pro-climate technologies. "Sustainable climate practices have become a part of the lives of India's people. The youth of India are investing in EVs and other similar pro-climate technologies. We have made over 10 crore toilets in the country. Now people understand their duty to keep the country clean," PM said while addressing the Indian diaspora community programme in Munich. The Prime Minister said that India is now no longer lamenting over global problems, but is leading the charge and providing sustainable solutions to the world. He reiterated India's achievement of the 10 per cent ethanol blending target in petrol, five months ahead of the schedule, saying, "We had put an ambitious target of 10 per cent ethanol blending in petrol. We achieved this five months before the target." He said, "India, in 2016 decided that by 2030, out of the total electricity production, 40 per cent of it will be from non-fossil fuel. We are 8 years away from 2030, but India has already achieved this goal." "India is breaking its old records as it is dedicated to achieving its goals within set targets. India is now ready for progress, for development, and for the fulfilment of its dreams," PM added. Earlier in the day, PM Modi received a grand welcome from the Indian diaspora at a hotel in Munich on Sunday where he will be staying during his trip. "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan reverberated at the hotel premises as people from the Indian diaspora cheered and waved their flags seeing the Prime Minister. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," the MEA said. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (ANI) The three-stage satellite carrier Zoljanah, which uses both solid and liquid fuel engines, could compete with its "most modern foreign counterparts," Ahmad Hosseini was quoted by IRIB as saying. The carrier rocket is used for suborbital missions, he added, noting the third development phase of the launch vehicle has started. On June 19, Hosseini said the Zoljanah satellite carrier will be capable of putting "payloads weighing up to 220 kg into the orbit at an altitude of 500 km."A third launch has been planned for the satellite carrier, according to the ministry spokesman. The Iranian defense ministry launched the Zoljanah satellite carrier into space for the first time in February 2021, which was broadcast live on state TV. The satellite carrier, 25.5 meters in length and about 52 tons in weight, utilizes a 1.5-meter diameter solid fuel engine with 74 tons of thrust. All the launches are research-oriented, according to the defense ministry. (ANI/Xinhua) Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) on Sunday conferred the Order of King Abdulaziz on Pakistan's Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that MBS conferred the medal upon Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bajwa in recognition of his significant contributions to defence cooperation between the two countries, reported Geo News. The army chief is currently on a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), where he called on Crown Prince MBS, 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of KSA and General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Saudi Armed Forces at Jeddah. Two sides discussed matters of mutual interests and bilateral defence. "During the meetings, matters of mutual interests, bilateral defence and security cooperation and regional peace and stability were discussed. COAS General Bajwa said that Pakistan values its historical and brotherly relations with the Kingdom and acknowledges its unique place in the Islamic world," the military's media wing stated. It further stated that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed upon enhancing defence cooperation in the fields of joint training, air defence, counter-terrorism and communication and information domain. Meanwhile, Saudi state media shared pictures from the meeting where COAS General Bajwa was awarded, reported Geo News. As per Saudi Press Agency, the meeting was attended by Saudi Deputy Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Fayyad Al-Ruwaili and a number of senior officials both from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the tension between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has been brewing for some time. Pakistan lobbied with the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) for criticising the Indian move of revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir but statements by Saudi Arabia and the UAE were not harshly critical of India. Pakistan tried to rouse the sentiments among the Islamic countries, but only Turkey and Malaysia have publicly criticised India. Pakistan also accused Saudi of failing to deliver on the Kashmir cause and OIC for not playing a leadership role in backing Pakistan against India. Saudi Arabia angered by Pakistan's accusations demanded the return of the USD 3 billion loan and refused to sell oil on deferred payment. Pakistan immediately returned USD 1 billion, displaying the rift. Saudi Arabia's change in position has been a gradual process under Crown Prince MBS as it seeks to diversify from its heavily oil-dependent economy and it sees India as a valuable partner in the region. New Delhi, for its part, has wooed the Arab world over the last six years. From Saudi Arabia to the UAE, it worked the diplomatic levers through high-level visits and dangled opportunities for investment and business. (ANI) People from the Indian diaspora in Germany expressed happiness after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the community at an event in Munich. "We are happy that PM Modi has come to Munich and we welcome him. This is a great opportunity to see him live and speak with him," one of the Indians who live in Munich told ANI. PM Narendra Modi addressed the Indian community in Munich, Germany on Sunday. "It is a sign of unity that PM Modi is here for the G7 Summit and we wish that he does so great things so that he will be a part of the G7 Summit and make all Munich Indians proud," another member of the Indan community said. "Whatever the respect we are getting in a foreign country only because of PM Modi," one person said. Earlier in the day, PM Modi received a grand welcome from the Indian diaspora at the Hotel in Munich on Sunday where he will be staying during his trip. "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan reverberated at the hotel premises as people from the Indian diaspora cheered and waved their flags seeing the Prime Minister. PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, and energy, to counter-terrorism. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," the MEA said.The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (ANI) Amid changing geopolitical situation in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war and Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, former US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo urged the world to form a new "global alliance for freedom." During an online speech on Thursday (June 24), Pompeo suggested that the US recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, the Voice of America (VOA) reported. Pompeo began by saying that war for freedom is taking place in Ukraine and that he supports the country to retain its sovereignty and not be "constrained by another nation's territorial incursions or influence." He said he is confident that Ukraine will live on and that the heroism of its people will forever be remembered, reported Taiwan News. He went on to say that by assisting Ukraine, America bolsters its own security and prevents larger European conflict, a war that would almost certainly involve America's military, because "we have a deep commitment to the NATO treaty and Article 5 therein." "By helping Ukraine we prevent Russia's reconstitution of the Soviet empire, which would dictate world fossil fuel supplies," the former Secretary of State said. "By empowering Ukraine, we demonstrate to China the cost of invading Taiwan." Switching to the topic of China's aggression, saying that Ukraine's bravery resisting Russia has given China pause regarding its intent to conquer Taiwan. "Every president since Truman has believed Taiwan's existence is crucial to America's defense. I believe that with all my heart," he said. "The 1970 Taiwan Relations Act requires that we maintain Taiwan's defensive abilities to thwart an attack." He added that the capture of Taiwan would severely reduce American influence in the Indo-Pacific, and that America's status as a superpower would be placed in jeopardy. "It would eliminate a primary technological and economic partner of the United States, the principal supplier of high-end semiconductors to the United States economy," he said. "It would also remove the key strategic chill point to a Chinese military breakout, which would threaten the entirety of the Indo-Pacific, including Guam, Hawaii, Japan, and Australia." Pompeo said that the US relationship with Taiwan should be reinforced at every turn. He insists that the US should recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, reported Taiwan News. "It is my steadfast view that our government should immediately confer diplomatic recognition to Taiwan because it is a free and sovereign country. Our recognition of Taiwan should not hinge on what will occur. Taiwan's already an independent country and our government should simply reflect that fact," he said. Pompeo said he believes that in the Indo-Pacific, America must continue to expand the quadrilateral security dialogue to incorporate Korea, Britain and France in addition to Japan, Australia, India and the US. In conclusion, he said the US must help in the building of the three lighthouses for liberty: Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, reported Taiwan News. "They can be the hubs of new security architecture that links alliances of free nations globally, reinforcing the strength of each member state in time," he added, believing that linking these three bastions with NATO as well as the new and expanded security framework for the Indo-Pacific will form a global alliance for freedom. (ANI) Prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met with Argentina President Alberto Fernandez on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Munich. The two leaders held talks on bilateral relations between the two countries. Notably, the multifaceted relations between two countries encompass political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation. India opened a trade commission in Buenos Aires in 1943, which was later converted into one of the first embassies of India in South America in 1949. The relations between the two countries elevated to a strategic partnership in Feb 2019. India was ranked as the fourth largest trading partner of Argentina in 2021 worth USD 5.7 billion. With established operations in Argentina, several Indian Companies have a total investment of over USD 1 billion in the country. While Argentina's investment in India stands at about USD 120 million. The two countries hold a cultural connection with Indian culture, yoga, meditation, philosophy, spiritualism, dance and music being widely popular in Argentina. Every year, India extends 40 to 45 Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) scholarships to working professionals from Argentina. About 2,600 Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) reside in Argentina including professionals working with Indian and multinational corporations. Meanwhile, PM Modi arrived in Munich today to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries and will hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, and energy, to counter-terrorism. He was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries. "Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," the MEA said. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. After attending the G7 Summit, the Prime Minister will be travelling to United Arab Emirates (UAE) while coming back to India on June 28, 2022, to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (ANI) PM attends Da Nang 2022 Investment Forum Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on June 25 attended the Da Nang 2022 Investment Forum held in both online and in-person formats in the central city of the same name with the participation of a total of 900 delegates. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at Da Nang 2022 Investment Forum The forum was held to popularise the potential, advantages and chances of investment of the city; and to attract both domestic and foreign investment. Participants spoke highly of the citys business and investment environment and expressed their hope that Da Nang will pay attention to the strategic infrastructure and concertedly implement the laws related to investment so as to create favourable conditions for firms in their investment, business and production. The PM thanked the international community for its support to and positive assessments of Vietnam in the pandemic fight, and stressed his government is committed to continuing the building of an investment environment which is fair, open, and transparent in the win-win spirit. Vietnam will continue its consistent implementation of the foreign policy of independence, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralisation of foreign relations, he reaffirmed and stressed that Vietnam is a trustable partner, friend and an active and responsible member of the international community. The leader proposed a number of tasks and solutions for Da Nang to absorb the investment waves, and ordered relevant ministries, sectors and localities to coordinate in a more effective way so as to create a favourable investment and business environment. They must also consider suitable policies and mechanisms to create a premise for Da Nang to accelerate its development. As for investors and entrepreneurs, PM Chinh asked them to build long-term and sustainable business strategies and to seriously abide by their investment commitments and cooperation agreements. The Vietnamese Government encourages and facilitates every organisation, individual, firm, and investor to conduct legal and legitimate investment and business activities in Vietnam, the leader reiterated. Also at the forum, the PM witnessed the handover of investment certificates and cooperation agreements to 27 projects, both domestic and foreign, with a combined capital of 5.6 billion USD./. OSLO, Norway The suspect in a mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Norway has refused to explain his actions to investigators and will remain in pretrial custody for the next four weeks, police and his defense lawyer said Sunday. The man, whom authorities described as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the shooting in Oslos nightlife district early Saturday. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Advertisement Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act. Oslo police said they tried to question the suspect on Saturday and again on Sunday without success. Norwegian media identified him as Zaniar Matapour. Advertisement Matapours defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, told The Associated Press by email that his client refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped unless police released the entire recording to the public with no time delay so it wont be censored or manipulated. A Norwegian national flag waves over flowers and rainbow flags are placed at the scene of a shooting in central of Oslo, Norway, Sunday, June 26, 2022. (Sergei Grits/AP) Recording interrogations is a standard police practice, Elden said previously said his client did not deny being the shooter but had not divulged any motive. The lawyer said Sunday that Matapour did not object to remaining in custody for four weeks so would not appear in court on Monday. In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks. Norways prime minister and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service Sunday at Oslo Cathedral for the victims of the attack. The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in Oslo. Police investigators said it was too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community. A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was called off because of the shooting. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said during Sundays memorial service that the shooting in the night hours put an end to the Pride parade, but it did not stop the fight and the efforts to fight discrimination, prejudice and hatred. Advertisement He also addressed Norways Muslim community. I know how many of you felt when it turned out that the perpetrator belonged to the Islamic community. Many of you experienced fear and unrest. You should know this: We stand together, we are one community and we are responsible for the community together, Stoere said during the church service, which was also attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Norwegian media said Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s. He had a prior criminal record that included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense for carrying a knife. Investigators said they seized two weapons after Saturdays shootings: a handgun and an automatic weapon. The Norwegian domestic security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST, said Saturday it first became aware of the suspect in 2015 and later grew concerned he had become radicalized and was part of an unspecified Islamist network. On Sunday, Norwegian media outlets reported that Matapour allegedly was in close contact with an Islamic extremist living in Norway whom Norwegian police had been aware of for a long time. Advertisement Tanner reported from Helsinki. Pakistan is currently witnessing a new surge in the COVID-19 cases and amid this the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also tweaked its mask mandates where now the masks are mandatory again for domestic flights with immediate effect. According to a notification from CAA, all concerned quarters must ensure compliance with the new order. The notification added that the other Covid-19 guidelines on domestic air travel remained unchanged. Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan reported more than 400 coronavirus cases for a second consecutive day. Karachi's positivity rate was also recorded at 21.71 per cent -- the highest in the country, reported Pakistan's media. Furthermore, the National Institute of Health (NIH) data showed that 406 Covid-19 cases were reported across the country in the past 24 hours. A day earlier, 435 cases were reported -- the highest number since March 22. A total of 14,437 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours. The positivity rate was recorded as 2.81pc while two more deaths were also reported. In addition, 94 patients were in critical care, up from 87 a day prior. While speaking with Dawn, University of Health Sciences Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram had said the virus was behaving like a "roller coaster". "The country will face similar situations for a few years," Dr Akram said. Akram said that the restrictions must be put back in place to contain the virus. He added that these measures will also help to fight the ongoing energy crisis. A member of the Scientific Task Force on Covid-19, Dr Javed Akram, said the immunity level among people was decreasing and the efficacy of vaccines, which was once 95pc, had fallen to around 80-85pc as the virus was continuously mutating. Dr Akram noted that the vaccines have now lost their efficacy however, he maintained that the vaccines are the only way to deal with the virus. He said that people should go for vaccination and those who were already immunised should get booster shots. The Vice-Chancellor also informed that Moderna vaccine supply is short but its consignment had arrived two days ago. "People should take precautionary measures and strictly adhere to SOPs (standard operating procedures)," he said. He further highlighted Pakistan's energy crisis while adding that the mask mandates and other restrictions will also help in combatting the virus, as per the media portal. (ANI) Samford Hall. An Auburn-area state Senate primary race that saw over $1.5 million in spending could be decided by lot. A committee of the Alabama Republican Party Saturday declared the Senate District 27 Republican primary -- won by Auburn City Council Jay Hovey by a single vote over Sen. Tom Whatley -- a tie following a challenge. The party did not release a reason for its decision. A message seeking comment was sent to Whatley Saturday evening. Hovey in a message Saturday night accused the party of counting an unregistered voter to bring the race to a tie. Certainly every vote is important and its unfortunate if anyone is mistaken that they are registered to vote, Huvey wrote. But if the proper, legal process isnt followed to register, a person shouldnt be allowed to cast a ballot to be considered. In a statement announcing the tie, the Republican Party cited Alabama Code 17-12-23, which says that in ties for circuit judge, senator, representative, "or any state officer not otherwise provided for, the Secretary of State shall, in the presence of the Governor, and such other electors as may choose to be present, decide the tie by lot." Merrill said Saturday night that he had not been contacted by the parties or the candidates, but that his office would do what we need to do under state law. A message seeking comment was left with Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kay Ivey, on Saturday. More: Alabama GOP rejects primary challenges in two Etowah County House districts Senate District 27 includes Lee, Tallapoosa and Russell counties. Whatley spent almost $1.3 million on the race to Hovey's $103,000, and won 81% of the vote in Russell County and 69% in Tallapoosa County. Hovey, however, got 63% of the vote in Lee County, the most populous part of the district, and won by a single vote out of nearly 17,000 cast. The race was one of several challenged after canvassing following the May 24 primary. The party earlier in the day rejected challenges to House district primary races in Etowah County. Story continues Democratic nominee Sherri Reese is also seeking the Senate District 27 seat in the November election. Updated at 10:11 pm with comments from Jay Hovey and John Merrill. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama GOP declares Auburn state Senate primary a tie; winner to be decided by lot City of Amarillo urges citizens to celebrate Fourth of July safely, legally The City of Amarillo (COA) wants residents to celebrate the Fourth of July safely and legally. Due to hot, dry and windy conditions in Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle, fireworks greatly increase the chances for fire, if not wildfires, that can cause destruction and danger in a matter of seconds, according to a city news release. Amarillo residents and residents of the Golden Spread are all too aware of how quickly and dangerously fires can spread, said COA Fire Marshal Jacob Diaz. Fireworks are a significant risk for wildfires and wildfires can threaten an entire neighborhood or community. Fireworks light up the sky over Hodgetown Stadium in Amarillo on July 4. Just as important, Amarillo residents need to know that fireworks are not only dangerous, but illegal within the city limits. It is illegal to possess, sell or shoot fireworks within the city limits of Amarillo even on private property. Violators face a fine of up to $2,000. The protection of the Amarillo community is just too important and the risk posed by fireworks is just too great, said Amarillo Police Department Chief Martin Birkenfeld. We want Amarillo residents to be aware that fireworks are illegal in the city limits to help protect the entire community. In the city limits of Amarillo, it is illegal to shoot fireworks in public right-of-ways and ditches. No public areas are permitted for fireworks use. Fireworks are also illegal in public areas of Potter and Randall counties. Fireworks are legal on private property in Potter and Randall counties with permission of the property owner. For more information, contact City of Amarillo Communications Manager Dave Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov Fugitive with Amarillo ties added to Texas 10 Most Wanted Lists AUSTIN The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added two fugitives to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Lists. Raynaldo Farias Tijerina, of San Antonio, is on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Cecil Colby Smith, of Dallas, who also has ties to Longview, Amarillo and the state of Oklahoma, is on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List. Both are considered armed and dangerous. Story continues Cecil Colby Smith Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Tijerinas arrest and up to $3,000 for Smiths. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous. Smith, 40, has been wanted since August 2021, when the Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office issued a warrant for his arrest for child abuse by injury. The Dallas County Sheriffs Office also issued a warrant in December 2021, for failure to register as a sex offender. In 2002, Smith was convicted of violating a protective order/assault/stalking and was sentenced to four years of probation. In 2003, Smith was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sexual assault of a child for incidents with a 13-year-old girl and was sentenced to five years in a TDCJ prison. In 2011, Smith was convicted of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to eight years. He was released from prison in 2017. Smith is 6 feet tall and weighs about 185 pounds. He has tattoos on his left cheek, neck, chest, both arms, both wrists and left hand. Tijerina, 44, is affiliated with the Tango Blast gang. Hes been wanted since October 2021, when the Bexar County Sheriffs Office issued warrants for his arrest for invasive visual recording and possession of child pornography. The Texas Board of Probation and Paroles issued a warrant for Tijerinas arrest the following month for a parole violation. In 1995, Tijerina was convicted of murder and was sentenced to 30 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison. While in prison, he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to an additional 15 years. Tijerina was released on parole in January 2017. Tijerina is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 195 pounds. He has tattoos on his face, neck, abdomen, left arm and left leg. He has brown eyes but may wear colored contacts. Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governors Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives or Sex Offenders. So far in 2022, DPS and other agencies have arrested 32 people off the lists, including 14 gang members and 18 sex offenders. In addition, $54,000 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests. To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods: Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about and then clicking on the link under their picture. Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the SUBMIT A TIP link (under the About section). TTUHSC School of Nursings Ashcraft named fellow for the Gerontological Society of America The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the driving force behind advancing innovation in aging awarded fellow status to Alyce S. Ashcraft, Ph.D., RN, professor and associate dean for research and scholarship at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences (TTUHSC) School of Nursing. Ashcraft was recognized for her outstanding and continuing work in the field of gerontology, according to a news release. GSA is the worlds oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education and practice in the field of aging. Much of Ashcrafts research focuses on the importance of effective communication of long-term care, residents signs and symptoms by nursing personnel to physicians, nurse practitioners and physicians assistants in an effort to prevent transfer to the hospital. Texas Panhandle War Memorial Center honors Korean War anniversary The Korean war began June 25, 1950, when North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea, backed by the United States. General Douglas MacArthur commanded the U. S. forces. The fighting ended on July 27, 1953, with an armistice that created the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea; however, a state of war still technically exists today. Approximately three million people died during the war. The United States suffered 54,246 military deaths and 103,248 wounded (Defense Casualty Analysis System). 1,789,000 U. S. Soldiers served in the Korean war (Defense Casualty Analysis System). The Panhandle lost 87 service members in the war. There are still a few Korean War veterans in the Panhandle. If you know one, thank them for their service. Our next lecture/seminar series will be Saturday, July 2, at 1:30 p.m. at the War Memorial. Noted local historian Dr. Paul Matney will speak about his fathers (Captain Carl P. Matney) experience landing at Salerno, Italy on Sept. 6, 1943. Captain Matney was commander of Company G, 142 Infantry Regiment, 36th Division. The lecture/seminar is free to the public and made possible by a grant from the Mary E. Bivins Foundation. We invite you to visit our museum Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Our telephone number is 806-350-8387. Follow us on Facebook and visit our website www.TexasPanhandleWarMemorial.com This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area Our Town briefs Hundreds gathered in front of the Arizona Capitol on Saturday morning to celebrate the repeal of Roe v. Wade and demand more efforts from state lawmakers in protecting the unborn. Supporters of the repeal held signs that read "Protection at conception," "Pro-life feminist" and "We are the post-Roe generation." Teenagers, kids and babies were among the crowd. The event was organized by Students for Life Action, a national anti-abortion youth organization, as part of a national mobilization to celebrate "a post-Roe America," according to a statement from the organization. Jordyn Brittain, the regional coordinator of Students for Life in Arizona, said the organization had been preparing for Saturday's event for months. "We knew that whether it was a win or a lose for the pro-life movement yesterday, we wanted to show that we're still going to be fighting as hard as ever to protect life from conception," Brittain said. "Life Is Louder" rallies took place in about 32 states, including Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Alabama, Colorado and California. "That's a huge step in the right direction, with overturning Roe, but we have a lot of work ahead because there are still states that want to legalize abortion up to nine months," Brittain said. "We've got to work to be unified across the country that life in the womb is just as precious as life outside." The rally featured religious demonstrations with attendees gathering to pray throughout the event. A crowd of about 50 counterprotesters also showed up at the northeast corner of the state Capitol, near the House of Representatives building. Rhys Brown, a counterprotester, said both demonstrations happened at the same time by coincidence, and that he was surprised to see the celebration for Roe's overturning taking place. Brown said the Supreme Court decision was "unjustifiable" and that he showed up in support of women choosing whether they want an abortion or not. Story continues Brown, a member of the LGBTQ community, said that he believes the repeal decision demonstrates that politicians who hold positions of power are not representing the desires of the public, particularly minority groups. "I feel like the wrong people are making the wrong choices about a body that's not theirs," Brown said. A brief clash occurred between protesters from both rallies. Demonstrators in favor of abortion rights started chanting, "My body, my choice," as two anti-abortion demonstrators walked through the crowd, waiting to cross the walkway. The anti-abortion demonstrators started filming the crowd with their phones as they said, "You're killing babies. Stop killing babies." 'I used to be pro-choice' Hope Montalvo, who showed up at the anti-abortion demonstration, said she had an abortion four years ago when she was 18. "I thought it was something liberating, freeing. Something that would make me feel good since it was my body, my choice," Montalvo said. "Abortion comes with a price, it wasn't just one quick fix. It was something that spiraled me into addiction, wrong lifestyle choices, and abusive relationships." Montalvo is now 22 and said she now mourns the loss of her unborn child. "I used to be pro-choice," Montalvo said. "I do understand pro-choice, but I also know that it's far from freeing, it's far from making me feel empowered by my body, and it actually made me feel trapped by the choice I made, by the guilt, by the pain." Montalvo said she got her abortion because she was young and scared, and she was afraid her partner would leave her alone with the child. "I don't think it's right for any child and parents not to have the resources available, but I fight for that," Montalvo said. "I don't just fight for pro-life, I fight for, especially for minorities like me, to be equal." Montalvo said she feels happy about the court's repeal decision as she believes it will help other women like her not to feel pressured to get an abortion. 'We just want to support women' Brittain said Students for Life has worked closely with the Arizona Life Coalition, a state affiliation of groups and organizations aimed at helping pregnant women and families. "We just want to support women," Brittain said. "Let them know that they have resources and help in their pregnancy so that they can embrace motherhood and choose life." According to Brittain, there are about 50 pregnancy centers across the state. Brittain said women can find resources at standingwithyou.org, a website created by anti-abortion activists to help pregnant women and mothers find local pregnancy centers, foster and adoption services, financial help, domestic abuse shelters and maternity housing, among other resources. Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at lsepulveda@lavozarizona.com or on Twitter @lauradNews. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Anti-abortion activists laud Roe reversal at 'Life Is Louder' rally Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the impeachment of two Supreme Court justices on Sunday for misleading senators over their views on whether Roe vs Wade should be overturned. Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press, the New York congresswoman called for consequences for Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, who senators Susan Collins and Joe Manchin said last week had indicated both during their private meetings and testimony under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee that they believed abortion rights to be settled case law. Supreme Court justices serve for life, but can be removed via the same impeachment procedures that the House and Senate can employ against a president. Two-thirds of the members of the Senate would have to vote for removal for it to occur, a highly unlikely prospect. What makes it particularly dangerous is that it sends a blaring signal to all future nominees that they can now lie to duly-elected members of the United States Senate to obtain Supreme Court confirmations, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said. I believe lying under oath is an impeachable offense, she added. She also noted that Justice Clarence Thomas had committed a potentially impeachable offense as well by refusing to recuse himself from cases related to White House records on January 6 given that his wife was recently revealed to have been in contact with senior White House staffers around that same time. WATCH: If Supreme Court nominees lied under oath, @repaoc says impeachment should be very seriously considered. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: "There must be consequences for such a deeply destabilizing action and hostile takeover of our Democratic institutions." pic.twitter.com/VLU8jsafw2 Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 26, 2022 Ms Ocasio-Cortezs calls for impeachment proceedings or investigations into whether Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh lied under oath have yet to be taken up by Democratic leadership, which is facing pressure from the partys base as leaders like Joe Biden are being accused of inaction on the issue of abortion rights. Story continues The general sentiment among the partys activist base in recent days, according to multiple news reports and observations from journalists on the ground at protest marches around the nation, is that Democratic leaders have little idea about what to do to protect abortion rights beyond fundraising and campaigning on the issue in the hopes of securing a Senate supermajority in the far future. Other members of the House and Senate have echoed the same general feeling that Ms Ocasio-Cortez outlined on Sunday: That the Supreme Court is facing a historic legitimacy crisis while the justices making up its conservative majority, including Chief Justice John Roberts, appear to care little if at all about their unprecedented unpopularity and the general sense that the institution is corrupted. A multitude of issues are now plaguing the nations highest court, which has remained characteristically aloof and unresponsive even as it takes a new hard right turn and appears to be on the verge of rolling back further rights beyond last weeks abortion ruling. A Phoenix, Arizona homeowner shot and killed two men who were attempting to break into the home Saturday morning, police said, according to reports. When police arrived before 8 a.m. in response to several 911 calls, officers found the two alleged intruders on the ground in front of the home. "Witnesses told the officers the shooter was inside the home next to where the men were lying," Sgt. Philip Krynsky told FOX 10 Phoenix. "The officers were able to successfully carry the men to await paramedics. The officers were able to communicate with the three occupants of the home and they were detained peacefully." DETROIT 3-YEAR-OLD FOUND DEAD IN FREEZER, FAMILY SAYS CPS CALLED TO HOME OVER A DOZEN TIMES OKLAHOMA MAN LEADS AUTHORITIES ON PURSUIT, FOUND HOURS LATER HIDING IN COW MANURE The two alleged intruders were transported to separate hospitals, where they succumbed to their injuries. The men, believed to be in their 20s, have not yet been identified. Krynsky explained that the people detained in connection to the shooting gave consistent stories of self-defense during the investigation into the incident. "In consultation with the Maricopa County Attorneys Office, the suspects were released, and charges will be submitted for review," Krynsky said, which is standard practice. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and President Biden arrive for the official Group of 7 summit welcome ceremony at Castle Elmau in Krun, Germany, on Sunday, opening three days of meetings among leaders of the world's biggest democracies. (Martin Meissner / Associated Press) President Biden and the leaders of the world's most powerful democracies convened here Sunday for the annual Group of 7 summit, displaying resolve and a bit of levity in maintaining their commitment to supporting Ukraine as they seek to address global economic woes, food shortages and the needs of the developing world. As meetings got underway Sunday morning at Schloss Elmau, a historic chateau in the Bavarian Alps, Biden said the U.S. and its allies would announce a ban on imports of Russian gold in a new effort to deny Moscow an economic lifeline amid ongoing sanctions from the West. "We have to stay together because Putin has been counting on, from the beginning, that somehow NATO would and the G-7 would splinter," Biden said, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he began a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "But we haven't and we're not going to." Although a formal announcement of the ban on Russian gold is set for Tuesday, Biden tweeted about it on Sunday, declaring that the move would stop Moscow from profiting from "a major export that rakes in tens of billions of dollars." The G-7 leaders also mocked Putin as they posed for a photo at the start of a meeting. As he sat down at a round table, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the others about whether to keep his suit jacket on. "We have to show we're tougher than Putin," Johnson joked. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joked back: "Bare-chested horseback ride," referencing a photo of the Russian leader from years ago. The jocular banter came just hours after Russian forces launched a brutal missile attack on civilian targets in Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv, a clear signal from Putin that he is not relenting in his ongoing war, despite the pressure campaign from G-7 nations and NATO. Asked moments earlier to comment on the shelling, Biden was more serious, calling it "more of their barbarism." Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled on Monday to deliver a virtual address to the G-7, which also includes the leaders of France, Italy, Japan and the European Union. Story continues Meetings Sunday focused on addressing impacts of the war rising inflation, energy disruptions and worsening food shortages as well as the rollout of a revamped infrastructure bank aimed at offering developing countries financing alternatives to China's $4-trillion Belt and Road Initiative, which has been criticized for increasing corruption and violating labor, environmental and other standards. A year after first declaring their intent to form such an entity, G-7 leaders announced a plan to mobilize nearly $600 billion in global capital over the next five years to help smaller countries fund infrastructure improvements through what's being called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. A third of that $200 billion will come from the U.S. through a mix of grants, public funding and private investments. An administration official who briefed reporters on the initiative wouldn't say how much public money Washington was committing. "Developing countries often lack the essential infrastructure to help navigate global shocks like a pandemic. So they feel the impacts more acutely, and they have a harder time recovering," Biden said. "In our deeply connected world, that's not just a humanitarian concern. It's an economic and a security concern for all of us." With inflation affecting the U.S. and most of the other G-7 nations, Biden made a point of stating that the resources aimed at helping other countries were necessary investments that will enhance global stability by improving public health, expanding economic opportunity and accelerating the development of clean energy. "This isn't aid or charity," he said. "It's an investment that will deliver returns for everyone, including the American people." Short-term challenges like higher prices for consumers "will not divert us away from our affirmative agenda to show the world that democracies, when they work together, provide the single best path to deliver results for our people and people all over the world." But back home, the Supreme Court's rollback of abortion rights Friday continued to dominate the news, overshadowing Biden's high-stakes diplomacy and complicating his determination to carry democracy's torch on the world stage. And the growing domestic unease, including pressure from progressives demanding that Biden and Democrats fight harder to preserve abortion rights, only added to the doubts of the president's G-7 counterparts about the stability of his presidency and American democracy more broadly. Biden, who blasted the 5-4 ruling by the court's conservative majority Friday as "a tragic error," has lamented his lack of authority to protect reproductive rights and called on Congress to codify them in federal law. On Saturday, before departing Washington, Biden again criticized the court for making some "terrible decisions," a day after calling the ruling the "culmination of a deliberate effort over decades to upset the balance of our law." "Its a realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court, in my view," Biden said Friday, noting that the conservative justices were "far removed" from how Americans feel about abortion rights. Just over 60% of Americans believe abortion should remain legal in all or most cases, according to the latest Pew survey this month. The ruling drew responses from several heads of state who are meeting with Biden in Europe this week, evoking explicit laments and even pity about what they viewed as more evidence of America's democratic backsliding. Johnson called the ruling "a big step backwards," reiterating his support for women's reproductive rights. Johnson, however, clarified in an interview with CNN that he does not believe the reversal of Roe undermines Biden's ability to advocate for democratic values around the world. "If you look at what Joe Biden is doing to stick up for people's rights in Ukraine, it's quite extraordinary," he said. "So I don't see I don't see it that way at all." French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that abortion "is a fundamental right for all women" and "must be protected," adding an expression of support for "the women whose liberties are being undermined by the Supreme Court of the United States." And New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who will attend this week's NATO summit along with Biden and most of the other G-7 leaders starting Tuesday night in Madrid, said the loss of abortion rights in the U.S. "feels like a loss for women everywhere." She added: "When there are so many issues to tackle, so many challenges that face women and girls, we need progress, not to fight the same fights and move backwards." On the first day of G-7 meetings, Macron also said that his party plans to propose a bill to inscribe abortion rights in the country's constitution. "What happened elsewhere must not happen in France," he said. Biden, 79, has always considered himself an institutionalist, reluctant to get behind updating the country's governmental framework even as it undermines his agenda. In January, however, he threw his support behind a Democratic attempt to change the filibuster rule requiring 60 Senate votes to advance legislation. He called on his party, which controls the evenly divided Senate because Vice President Kamala Harris breaks tie votes, to pass a bill ensuring federal voting rights protections. The effort failed when two moderate Democrats refused to acquiesce in changing Senate rules. Codifying the rights enshrined in the original Roe decision into federal law would require a similar effort to circumvent the filibuster. As far as alternatives, Biden has long been skeptical of adding justices to alter the ideological balance of the Supreme Court. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Germany on Saturday that Biden "does not agree" with changing the makeup of the court. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Bank of East Asia (BEA), a 104-year-old Hong Kong bank, will move into its 1.4 billion yuan (US$209 million) southern China headquarters in Qianhai next year, which will serve as a launch pad for its expansion in the Greater Bay Area. The 20-storey tower will house the bank's new Qianhai branch, its Greater Bay Area retail banking operation centre and innovation lab. About 500 employees will move in next year, said co-chief executive Adrian Li Man-kiu, a scion of the family that has run the bank for four generations. "The Greater Bay Area has a huge population and its economy is growing at a much faster pace than many Western or Asian countries," Li said. "BEA's new headquarters in Qianhai, which will open next year, marks a new milestone in our bank's century of development on the mainland. This new investment signifies our commitment to the region and the nation." 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. Bank of East Asia co-CEO Adrian Li. Photo: K.Y. Cheng alt=Bank of East Asia co-CEO Adrian Li. Photo: K.Y. Cheng> Li disclosed the bank's plan for Greater Bay Area in an interview with the South China Morning Post ahead of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover on July 1. Since the handover, BEA has expanded its mainland branch network from 11 to 70 at present, underscoring the Chinese market's importance for the Hong Kong- based lender where it competes with over 160 banks including some of the world's major banks. BEA has over 1.3 million customers in Hong Kong and another 600,000 in the Greater Bay Area. "The mainland business is important to BEA," said Everbright Securities International strategist Kenny Ng, pointing out that operating income from the mainland business accounted for 29 per cent of the group's total revenues and 35 per cent of its net interest income. Story continues Ng said BEA's strategy to focus on the Greater Bay Area was spot on, as it can benefit from its tie-up with AIA China to sell investment products in the region and also from the Wealth Management Connect scheme. BEA Tower, the Hong Kong-based lender's new headquarters in Qianhai, Shenzhen. Photo: Handout alt=BEA Tower, the Hong Kong-based lender's new headquarters in Qianhai, Shenzhen. Photo: Handout> Since 2019, Beijing has introduced measures to link Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities in Guangdong province into an integrated economic and business hub. "We have a sizeable branch network covering all 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area, as well as a joint venture securities firm in Qianhai. We will continue to expand the range of services and products in the region," Li said. Li, 48, is the fourth-generation scion of the family that founded BEA, the city's first Chinese-owned bank. The lender was co-founded by his great grandfather Li Koon-chun, great uncle Li Tse-fong and seven others on November 14, 1918, just three days after the end of the first world war. His father David Li Kwok-po, 83, joined the bank in 1969 and was its chief executive from 1981 to 2109, when he handed over the reins to him and his brother Brian Li Man-bun. The brothers act as co-chief executives while their father serves as executive chairman. "Our bank has seen a lot of changes since 1997 in terms of the technology, products and services we provide. What is unchanged over this period is the priority we place on our customers and our people," Li said. David Li Kwok-po, chairman of Bank of East Asia, pictured in November 2018. Photo: Winson Wong alt=David Li Kwok-po, chairman of Bank of East Asia, pictured in November 2018. Photo: Winson Wong> The company has doubled its staff in Hong Kong and the mainland from 4,100 in 1997 to 8,800 currently. And it continues its tradition of offering staff free lunch. Employees at its headquarters in Central and BEA Tower in Kwun Tong are served lunch from Monday to Friday, while the branch staff receive a food allowance. Li, who studied law at the University of Cambridge and has master of management degree from Northwestern University in the US, worked as a lawyer for a few years before joining the bank in 2000. He started in corporate banking for a decade, helping companies to issue bonds and get loans before being promoted to deputy chief executive in 2009 and later as co-CEO in 2019. BEA introduced internet banking in 1999, soon after the handover, and mobile banking in 2010. Li said that digitalisation has helped the development of the city's banking sector. "Digital banking is the way forward as it offers an enhanced customer experience. It also enables us to improve efficiency and reduce costs while protecting the environment," he said. "For example, last year alone we reduced paper use by 30 per cent." Since the pandemic started over two years ago, as well as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's promotion of digital banking, an increasing number of people have started using banks' mobile apps for transactions, cutting down on the need to visit branches. HKMA data showed that 98 per cent of retail bank transfers were done digitally in the second half of last year, with only 2 per cent conducted at bank branches. "The trend is going to continue. BEA will continue to invest and develop more data-driven technologies to provide new products and services to customers," Li said. As customers shift to online banking, BEA has cut its branch network in Hong Kong from 98 outlets in 1997 to 56 at present, mirroring the trend seen across the industry. However, Li said branches were an integral part of its omnichannel service platform. BEA will open a new branch at the 11 Skies commercial complex adjoining Hong Kong International Airport next year, which has been designed keeping in mind the needs of customers from the Greater Bay Area, who can receive wealth management services once the border with mainland China reopens. "We will continue to open new branch concepts in new locations, but the design and purpose will be different," he said. 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. Jun. 26Bemidji Chamber Ambassadors recently congratulated the owner of ArtEsthetic Skin Care on her new business. Owner Maria Moen has a decade of experience in advanced face and body contouring and skin rejuvenation treatments, a release said. ArtEsthetic Skin Care, located at 1317 Paul Bunyan Drive NW, Suite 101, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Follow ArtEsthetic Skin Care on Facebook or visit artestheticskincare.com for more information. With rainbow flags adorning the streets around Montrose Avenue and Broadway and rainbow-clad people staking claims to sidewalk spots near colorful floats, it became official: The annual Chicago Pride Parade was back. The parade was canceled the past two years due to COVID-19 restrictions. But at noon Sunday it returned, stepping off in the Uptown neighborhood and ending at the corner of Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road at Lincoln Park, traversing its traditional route along Broadway and Halsted Street. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets, with many of their signs, T-shirts and chants pointing to ongoing political tensions in the country over reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Advertisement [ Chicago Pride Parade 2022: Map, transportation details and a brief history of gay rights in Chicago ] Organized Chaos, a womens motorcycle group based in Chicago, was among the groups showcased in the parade. For member Kala Cullaras, 32, celebrating Pride is one of the few spaces where people can truly express (their) authentic self and be who (they) really were intended to be as opposed to trying to fit into a very monotone world. Its always so moving and touching, she said. I end up in tears usually, because its such a momentous occasion that we get to embrace this brave space in spite of everything happening around us, that were still here and vibrant and just as colorful as usual, and not being muted or suppressed or anything. We are who we are. Advertisement Other paradegoers reflected on the political moment during which the parade was taking place this year, as the country continues to react to a Supreme Court decision Friday overturning abortion rights granted in Roe v. Wade and as concerns mount over the future of other rights that could be challenged, including those affecting the LGBTQ+ community. A person holds a sign reading "Abort the courts" at the Pride Parade. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Messages such as Trans Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter appeared across floats, in front of businesses and in the crowd. Fight like its 1969, a sign from one spectator read, referencing the origins of the countrys Pride parades at the Stonewall Riots in New York in 1969. Some held signs that read Abort the court on one side and Protect Griswold, Lawrence, Obergefell on the other, referencing three cases that Justice Clarence Thomas argued the Supreme Court should reconsider in his concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. The three cases currently protect rights related to contraception, same-sex intercourse and same-sex marriage. For Sidney Bogue, this years Pride served as a respite from the weekends political developments. It just feels so good and meaningful and hopeful to be with all of this love and support right now, especially after the decision on Friday, which has been a dark cloud, she said. Hopefully, we can all channel this energy to make change. Garrett Credi, 20, who was celebrating Pride with his boyfriend and friends, expressed a similar hope that paradegoers would be able to find joy in Pride despite heightened tensions and anxieties due to Roe v. Wade. Im not somebody with a uterus so I can just (come) out here and celebrate, Credi said. But there are people that are having to deal with the reality that their bodies arent going to be controlled by themselves anymore, so having that in the context, its going to be a different Pride. I dont know how thats going to turn out, but hopefully it will turn out for a way for people to feel like they have agency and some way to have fun at a time like this. [ Illinois activists and legal scholars say Supreme Court abortion decision means LGBT rights and contraception could be in danger ] Sundays parade is the first organized by Tim Frye, of PRIDEChicago. Since 1974, the parade had been organized by Fryes husband, Richard Pfeiffer, who died of cancer in October 2019 at 70. The 2022 parade was held in Pfeiffers honor. Advertisement One of the things that has always been my goal and it was Richards too, was that as far as I was concerned, the parade was a rousing success if one person in the crowd suddenly said, Look at that. I think I can have a happy life. Im OK after all. One person. Thats it Im a very happy person, Frye said in an interview with the Tribune before the parade. Credi described Pride as an occasion in which he can fully embrace his identity and his relationship. People cheer as the Pride Parade passes by on Chicago's North Side. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Pride is a moment where I dont have to be afraid of being who I am, of loving my boyfriend, he said. There are times when were walking around, even ... back in our college campus, were afraid to just hold hands or even just show affection. And (during Pride) we just know we can be who we are, and that is something that we need. The parade kickoff was headed by the Chicago Police Department and included a banner marking Chicagos 51st Annual Pride Parade. An early appearance by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her wife, Amy Eshleman, sparked a wave of voices calling out Lori as the couple passed. The first part of the parade featured numerous LGBTQ+ interest groups like the Chicago Gender Society, LGBT Veterans, the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and the Chicago Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, which broke its rigid band formations for a brief dance routine that won cheers from the crowd. Advertisement Numerous floats featured people dancing and singing to different pop hits, including Beyonces new single, Break My Soul, which has been dubbed a gay anthem by fans and could be heard playing from multiple groups floats. People walk the parade route with colorful balloons. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) In Lakeview late Sunday morning, streets filled up with people wearing rainbow apparel, holding hands and trying to fan themselves with the Pride flags they bought on street corners. The sun was out in full force. Brianna Griffin, who traveled from Aurora, spoke to what Pride means to her. Im very colorful, you know, and I had to hide that a lot, she said, gesturing to her all-pink outfit with a Pride flag. So being here, seeing everyone be themselves, it (means) a lot. Eduardo Alvarez, 30, and David Dominguez, 29, watched the parade from near its kickoff, eagerly awaiting their friends appearance in the Asian Alliance float and celebrating what Pride means to them. Pride is always looking at the sun, instead of the darkness, Alvarez said. We keep it positive. I know life is full of ups and downs, but we just move forward and just make the world happy. Advertisement A person waves a rainbow flag as the parade passes by. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) As the celebration wrapped up and people began leaving for home, Nichole Clark, 41, who attended with Alex Lau, 31, reflected on what her expectations had been for the parade. I expected it to be everything it is. I come here because, obviously, I want to support everybody and their choices. I dont really believe in labels, Clark said. But just that everybody has the option to choose for themselves and like (Lau) said, more for those that are still figuring themselves out, this is a very safe place to come and just be who they are and not feel judged. So, I think it did every bit of that. The Daily Beast CNNRepublican Gov. Kristi Noem ducked and dodged Sunday morning when asked if South Dakota would force a raped 10-year-old to give birtheventually suggesting that tragic situation shouldnt change her states restrictive abortion laws. The law today is that abortions are illegal except to save the life of the mother, Noem told anchor Dana Bash on CNNs State of the Union.Bash had pressed Noem about the case of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who was denied an abortion because she was three days Construction workers walk past a building that is being refurbished as housing for veterans on the Veterans Affairs West L.A. campus. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) With its donations swelling, a charity formed by the older brother of a firefighter who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center was ready to up its game. Its mission of paying the mortgages of fallen first-responders' families and building housing for critically injured veterans was no longer enough, Tunnel to Towers founder Frank Siller decided. "We must expand our mission to eradicate homelessness among our veterans nationwide," Siller told his board late last year. That goal has brought the New York-based nonprofit to Los Angeles, where it is making a key contribution to expedite the agonizingly slow redevelopment of the Department of Veterans Affairs' West Los Angeles campus into a community for 3,000 veterans. An undisclosed grant from Tunnel to Towers will fill a multimillion-dollar gap in the financing for construction expected to continue over the next decade to build at least 1,700 units of housing for homeless veterans. A homeless veteran walks along a homeless encampment known as Veterans Row in West Los Angeles in October 2021. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) "Their contribution will accelerate the building of those units by hopefully a year or so," said Steve Peck, chief executive of U.S. VETS, one of three developers on the team selected by the VA to build the housing and oversee the services and governance that will make the development a community. The project grew out of the 2015 settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the VA misused the 388-acre property by leasing parts of it for non-veteran uses while failing to serve veterans. But since its unveiling in a 2016 master plan, there has been little tangible progress. Although a tiny-home village has been built, allowing the VA and local authorities to relocate homeless veterans who had formed an encampment nearby on San Vicente Boulevard, that was not part of the master plan. In November, the VA inspector general took the agency to task for completing only one building, with 55 housing units, out of the 480 projected in the master plan's four-year target. When completed, the 28 new and rehabilitated buildings on the campus will be operated by the developers on long-term, or in VA terminology "enhanced-use" leases. Story continues "Reasons for VAs limited progress include required environmental impact studies, needed infrastructure upgrades, the need to establish a principal developer enhanced-use lease, and challenges faced by the developers in raising needed funds from public and private sources," the inspector general found. The Wadsworth Chapel will be refurbished and used as a center for mental health services. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) After initially issuing leases for individual buildings, the VA in 2018 selected the West Los Angeles Veterans Collective to complete the remainder of the master plan that includes a projected 1,694 housing units, a town hall, space for service providers and restoration of a Victorian-era chapel. Along with U.S. VETS, the collective is made up of Century Housing, a nonprofit that builds and finances affordable housing, and Thomas Safran and Associates, a Brentwood-based for-profit affordable housing developer. The first hurdle the team faced was upgrading underground utilities dating to the prewar housing on the campus that was abruptly shut down following the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. "Hundreds of millions poured in, a lot of it is underground," said Laney Kapgan, U.S. VETS vice president for development and communications. "Opening up the trunk lines and putting all that in, it's not what people care about or want to see." Once that was done, money remained an obstacle. Most of the $1.1-billion projected cost will come from state and federal housing grants, tax credits and bonds. But to apply for those funds the West Los Angeles Veterans Collective first has to line up the difference from private sources. Veterans David Bunche, left, Joey Meece and Jeremy Spear spend time at the historic Trolley House that will remain as part of the new Town Center on the Veteran Affairs West L.A. campus. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) The three partners are working independently on individual buildings in the plan, meaning each would have had to raise that gap funding for its projects. In stepped Tunnel to Towers, named to memorialize the fateful trip of Brooklyn firefighter Stephen Siller, who left his vehicle behind and ran through the blockaded Brooklyn Tunnel on Sept. 11, 2001, to get to the twin towers. Formed by his older brother in 2001, the nonprofit grew moderately, reporting just over $7 million in donations on its 2015 tax return. In 2019, donations doubled to nearly $40 million and have more than doubled in each of the succeeding two years, reaching $258 million last year. "Our ability to do more good and to branch out comes from the successes we've had in showing the American people that Frank Siller delivers," said Brad Blakeman, a senior advisor to the organization. "He doesn't go small-ball. He goes big on everything. Our heroes deserve it." In its new initiative, Tunnel to Towers found an ally in Los Angeles-based U.S. VETS, a national veterans housing and services provider that operates 30 residential sites where veterans receive counseling, career services and case management. Together, they are building veterans' housing in Florida, Texas, Arizona and at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside. The collaboration brought Siller's attention to the VA's West Los Angeles campus, a gem of real estate amid L.A.'s priciest neighborhoods with a truncated history as the housing of last resort for veterans of America's wars. From its donation to the U.S. government in 1887, the campus has treated and housed veterans of the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. After the removal of more than 1,000 residents in 1972, the Roaring 20s- and Depression-era buildings were refashioned as outpatient clinics, research facilities and a domiciliary where veterans with ongoing health needs live after being discharged from the VA hospital on the south portion of the campus. But several remained vacant and, over the decades, fell into disrepair. Because of their historic value, the master plan calls for 14 buildings to be brought up to current standards but preserved in their original form with another 14 built from the ground up. "When we became aware of the need in Los Angeles and we became aware of this sacred ground, Frank Siller and the board said we must be a part of this," Blakeman said. "We have historic buildings that will be given a new life and be restored and we'll be able to house many veterans in the L.A. area." A construction worker walks down a hallway inside Building 207, the West Los Angeles Veterans Collective's first project, a building for senior veterans and their families. It is scheduled to open this fall. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) The model for the VA master plan comes from another thread of L.A. history that is hardly remembered outside the small circle of veterans and housing cognoscenti. As the Century Freeway, now Interstate 105, was built, thousands of homes were cleared in its path. A federal lawsuit challenging the project culminated in a 1979 settlement establishing the Century Freeway Housing Program with a charge to create 4,000 replacement homes. After achieving that goal, the state agency was converted to a nonprofit, Century Housing Corp., a social impact lender that has helped finance thousands of affordable-housing units in California, and one of the three partners in the collective. Its flagship is Century Villages at Cabrillo, a 27-acre campus in Long Beach where last year more than 1,500 adults 42% of them veterans and 400 children occupied permanent, transitional and short-term housing. Dozens of nonprofit groups, among them U.S. VETS, keep staff on site providing healthcare, counseling, job training and case management. "That is our model for this project," said Peck of U.S. VETS. "We'll expand that model." The donation from Tunnel to Towers, which will be spread over several years to ensure access to tax credits and bonds, comes at a time when progress on the master plan is at last materializing. Two more buildings that were commissioned before the collective came on board are expected to open by the end of the year, adding 122 more units. The collective's first project, a 60-unit building for senior veterans and their families, is scheduled to open this fall. By early next year, construction will be underway on five more buildings with nearly 400 more units. "We're finally bringing veterans home," said Kapgan of U.S. VETS. "And this is a good time to tell the story." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Cooper Raiff and Dakota Johnson in Cha Cha Real Smooth. Apple "Cha Cha Real Smooth" is a coming-of-age film starring Dakota Johnson and Cooper Raiff. Insider spoke with Johnson and Raiff about the movie, which hit Apple TV+ on June 17. Warning: Light spoilers ahead for "Cha Cha Real Smooth." "Cha Cha Real Smooth" takes its name from the most iconic part of DJ Casper's "Cha Cha Slide," an essential track in the party canon that's all but guaranteed to bring anyone who can follow directions to the dance floor. It's fitting that getting people on the floor is the primary job of the film's protagonist Andrew, played by 25-year-old writer-director-producer Cooper Raiff. Twenty-two years old and fresh out of college, Andrew takes a job as a "party starter," working the local New Jersey bat and bar mitzvah circuit while he attempts to figure out what to do with his life. After meeting Domino (Dakota Johnson), the mother of autistic teen Lola (newcomer Vanessa Burghardt), Andrew seemingly attempts to find himself through his relationship with them. "Cha Cha Real Smooth" premiered in January at Sundance and sold to Apple for $15 million after a competitive bidding war among distributors including Netflix and Amazon Studios. Produced by Dakota Johnson and her producing partner Ro Donnelly's TeaTime Pictures, it's Raiff's second feature after his 2020 film "Shithouse." After a run at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York earlier this month, "Cha Cha Real Smooth" hit Apple TV+ on June 17. Insider spoke with Johnson and Raiff about producing the coming-of-age film, including Raiff's reaction to meeting Johnson in person the first time and the movie's defining shot. Warning: Light spoilers ahead for "Cha Cha Real Smooth." Dakota, you produced this film in addition to starring in it. What about "Cha Cha Real Smooth" and working with Cooper as a producer really appealed to you from the get-go? Dakota Johnson: I really appreciate the art of collaboration. I like to champion people and their ideas, like Cooper. And I really love being involved in making a movie from the very beginning to the very last breath. So I think "Cha Cha" just happened kinda organically Story continues Cooper Raiff: I came to you on my knees. I said, "Please make a movie with me." Johnson: Yeah, pretty much. He told me I was his favorite actress. And then we cast Leslie Mann in our movie and he told her that she was his favorite actress. Raiff: That's not true. Johnson: Yeah it is, it's on camera. Raiff: I said one time, I was like, "Yeah, she's my favorite actress." And then everyone just decided to really run with it. Johnson: That's how he gets all the girls in those movies. Cooper, you originally pitched Dakota's producing partner Ro Donnelly on this as a concept, right? And then had to write an actual script in about a week. What was that process like? Raiff: So I pitched an idea to Ro, and then Ro told Dakota something like Johnson: "I met this idiot." Raiff: "I met this idiot. You gotta meet him, see what an idiot he is." And then I told them in the meeting with all three of us that I had a script. Johnson: No, you didn't. Raiff: Yeah, I told you guys, I was like, "I have something that I'm working on." You were like, "Okay, great, let's see." Johnson: No, you did not. Raiff: I was gonna go away and write something. I remember I gave you 50 pages. Johnson: Yeah, but when we met, you didn't have something. You had an idea. Raiff: I didn't have anything. Maybe you guys knew that I didn't have an idea. Johnson: He just said he had something. You're lying. Raiff: No no, I didn't have an idea, but I had told you guys, I'd made it seem like I did have something. Remember, I sent you like 50 pages and I was like, "I don't think the rest is good." But I didn't have the rest. Johnson: You're conflating the truth. Raiff: But I did go away and I wrote 50 pages in one week and then I sent that to them. And then the next week after I wrote the next 50 of whatever pages, and I sent that to them. So I really wrote the script, the first draft of the script, in two weeks. It had a lot of work to be done. Johnson: Then we worked on it for like eight months. After going through that whole process of pitching and starting to collaborate, what was it actually like to meet in person for the first time? Raiff: We met on Zoom, it was really nice and lovely. And then we met in person and I looked like an idiot. Johnson: Why? Raiff: When I first met you, I acted super weird, do you remember that? You do remember, 'cause you described it as, it looked like I had never seen a human being before. So I met her in person and I immediately said something like, "I have to go to the bathroom." And everyone was like, "OK." And I looked in the mirror and I was like, "Pull yourself together." It was also right out of COVID and I wasn't seeing a lot of people in person, right? And Dakota is really pretty. Cooper Raiff in "Cha Cha Real Smooth." Apple TV Dakota, I also understand that you played a role in convincing Cooper to star in this film as well, and obviously you've collaborated across the course of this entire production both on and off screen. Was there any wisdom that you passed down to Cooper? Raiff: Lots of wisdom exchanged. Johnson: He's so wise. I think from his first experience to his second experience, directing was very different. And perhaps he didn't have people around him on the first one that really could have his back when he was on camera. And we really did when he was on "Cha Cha." Also, you like, fully wrote Andrew for yourself. Raiff: I did not, but it's... I'm not a good writer. So when I write a 22-year-old, it sounds just like me and it's the same sense of humor. Who else is going to have this dumb sense of humor? But I always like to write something and then someone comes in and really changes it. That's what we did with every other character. But I think Andrew really didn't evolve because I was playing it. He just kinda stayed the same dummy. Vanessa Burghardt is wonderful in this movie, and she's spoken about what it's felt like to play, in her words, an autistic character who's a "fully formed person." What was front of mind for you when it came to writing an autistic character like Lola? Who did you consult with, and what role did Vanessa herself play? Raiff: She played every role in it. What I say is that I don't want to put the onus on her and be like, "Hey, can you write this for me?" But just talking to her, and the same thing with Dakota having conversations with her and literally writing down what she says in those conversations into the script. And so they inform every part of it. We had consultants at this place called Respect Ability and they were great to work with, but I had this extreme aversion at first when working with them. I remember we started having these conversations about who's gonna be with the actor who's playing Lola on set, when it comes time. I'm like, "We're gonna ask her and her mom what's gonna happen, and they're gonna tell us." It's so easy to just have that be the intention. And I think there's so much of, "Are we doing things the right way?" Johnson: Just behave like it's all normal, 'cause that's what it is. Vanessa Burghardt and Dakota Johnson in "Cha Cha Real Smooth." Apple TV Dakota, one of your most intimate and tender scenes in this film occurs when Domino has a miscarriage while at a party. What was it like putting that sequence together and navigating that intimacy while shooting it? Johnson: With situations like having a miscarriage, there are infinite possibilities for how someone can feel about that. So I feel like we had the opportunity to let silence speak for itself, to allow someone to have such extremely complicated feelings without having to spoon feed the information to the audience. Raiff: I do remember one thing about that scene, when we were talking about filming it, was you just randomly had this vision of the shot of me on my knees. And that was a moment that really defines that scene. When I open the door, I'm just looking at her. It's important to take your time. I remember that moment. That was just a really nice tableau. Johnson: We were trying to shoot it at the end of the day really quickly. And they had already set up the rig in the bathroom stall and the side that they set it up on, the door swung open. And I was like, "No, we have to have the door swing inward because he has to lean on it so that it opens, like otherwise he would have opened the door and it wouldn't have worked." So we didn't get to it that day. But it was absolutely vital that the door swung. Then we tried to undo the door and re-rig it so that it swung a different way, but it wasn't gonna work. Raiff: It's the defining shot in my mind of the movie. Just like a kid realizing in the moment, this is not at all what I thought it was, with just the widest eyes. And then just growing up so much in just one second. And I think that is the plot of the movie. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length. "Cha Cha Real Smooth" is now available on Apple TV+ and in theaters. Read the original article on Insider Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, becomes emotional as she testifies before the committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol on June 21, 2022. Left is Ruby Freeman, Moss' mother. We watch too much TV. From cowboy and cop shows to the cartoons, we have been weaned on clear-cut stories of good versus evil, heroes versus heels. They've taught us that the White Hats always win in the end; that consequence for bad behavior is as sure as sunrise. Through TV, we've been taught that being courageous is easy-peasy, that good deeds are always recognized and rewarded, and that everything ends happily ever after. It set us on a collision course with reality. But every now and then, television shows us authentic courage. This month marks the 50th anniversary of Watergate. Back then, television showcased Republicans who had the courage to face down their own corrupt president. In 2001, we witnessed the sacrificial bravery of first responders in the hours and days following Sept. 11 terror attacks. In Vietnam and other far-flung places, we watched as young Americans served and died in service to the country. Last week, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers shared with the Jan. 6 Select Committee how he refused to do the bidding of the former President Donald Trump by reusing to declare Arizona's 2020 election results as invalid. More Charita Goshay: Sometimes, a plan walks right into a punch Mr. Bowers Goes to Washington Not even the virulent harassment of Bowers' family by Trump supporters including his terminally ill daughter could move him to betray his oath to the Constitution. Some pundits compared his refusal to accede to Trump's demands, and his plain-spoken, passionate defense of his oath to that of Jimmy Stewart who played the idealistic Sen. Jefferson Smith in the 1939 classic, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." But the Greeks taught us that every hero has a tragic flaw. Homer wrote: "Ah, how shameless the way these mortals blame the gods. From us alone they say come all their miseries yes but they themselves with their own reckless ways compound their pains beyond their proper share." Story continues Bowers showed the world his Achilles' heel last week when he also informed the committee that if Trump is the candidate in 2024, he will vote for him again. Make it make sense. Critics pointed out that while the house speaker was shedding tears over the Constitution on TV, he has made voting more difficult for Indigenous, Latino and Black Arizonans. But his refusal to fold under Trump's pressure when so many others have caved like a $10 pup tent still qualifies as courageous. Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told the committee he has repeatedly disproved Trump's false claims that Georgia's 2020 election was rigged. Raffensperger said that his staff chased every "rabbit trail" and conspiracy that Trump espoused, but the result was the same: It wasn't subterfuge. It was math. Like Bowers, Raffensperger said his wife, his widowed daughter-in-law, and staffers have been harassed and threatened even as the self-appointed defender of Christendom has remained silent. Ordinary people doing big things Being courageous can blow up your life. Committee co-chair Liz Cheney knows she could lose her congressional seat for daring to serve. Member Adam Kinzinger's wife and newborn son now require security. Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, mother-and-daughter election workers from Georgia, have become the poster children of Trump's false claims that he was cheated. Because they dared to stand up to Trump, Freeman told the committee that the former president has all but destroyed her life. Publicly accused by Trump and Rudy Giuliani of everything short of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby, the women have been driven out of their homes and repeatedly threatened. Moss testified that protesters even broke into her grandmother's house. Trump has publicly called Moss "a professional vote hustler," a dog whistle which checks all the boxes. But the two women maintained their courage and stayed true to themselves, even as the heavens fell. As long as such Americans continue to exist, we have a chance. More Charita Goshay: This flag is your flag. This flag is my flag. This stretches far beyond Jan. 6. Courage is about our walking the talk that the Constitution must be preserved, protected and defended from all enemies, foreign and domestic. It's about the funhouse mirror we find ourselves trapped in, where Americans who refuse to violate their oath of office are treated as villains, and those who behave with impunity are lionized. It's about understanding that exhibiting courage always exacts a price. It's about speaking truth to power, knowing it will outrage some people and scare off others who should be fighting at your side. Courage is about pressing forward, even when you're scared. Even if a president doesn't like it. Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and a member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP This article originally appeared on The Repository: Charita Goshay: Jan. 6 hearings showed us real courage Chris Hemsworth at the "Thor: Love and Thunder" Los Angeles premiere on June 23, 2022. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Chris Hemsworth said seeing his butt on screen in "Thor: Love and Thunder" was a dream come true. The actor spoke with Variety about "Thor" at the Hollywood premiere of the film on Thursday. "It was 10 years in the making, that scene kind of a dream of mine," Hemsworth said. Chris Hemsworth said that seeing his character Thor's butt on screen in the new "Thor: Love and Thunder" movie was a dream "10 years in the making." Hemsworth spoke with Variety on the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the film on Thursday. When asked what it was like seeing his butt on for the first time in a Marvel, the Australian actor joked that it wasn't a big deal to see his "very big pair of cheeks" on the big screen. "I don't know, I've seen them before. Whatever," he said. Hemsworth said he did "a lot of everything" to prepare for the scene, noting that getting his bare derriere in the film was a long time coming. "It was 10 years in the making, that scene. It was a dream of mine. The first time I played Thor, I took my shirt off and I thought, 'You know what's going to sweeten this ... a decade from now, it's all going to come off.' And here we are," the star said. This isn't the first time the Australian heartthrob has flashed his backside on screen. He told Variety that his butt was on display in the 2013 movie "Rush." "Thor: Love and Thunder" director Taika Waititi also talked with Variety on the red carpet Thursday, saying that he wanted to show Hemsworth's physique in the film. "My whole thing was like, Chris works so hard, you've got to show it off. Don't cover it up with all these suits and the cape and stuff, it's not fair," he said. "Thor: Love and Thunder" premieres in theaters on July 8. Read the original article on Insider At least four people have been killed and more than 300 were injured after a stand collapsed during a bullfight in central Colombia. Footage showed the three-storey wooden stand filled with spectators falling at a stadium in El Espinal, Tolima department. A bull continued to roam the ring as people fled the wreckage. The traditional "corraleja" event involved members of the public entering the ring to engage the bulls. The dead included two women, a man and a child, Tolima Governor Jose Ricardo Orozco said. The region's health official said hospitals had treated 322 people of whom four were in intensive care. Sunday's event was part of celebrations of the popular San Pedro festival. Outgoing President Ivan Duque said there would be an investigation, while President-elect Gustavo Petro urged local officials to ban such events. "I ask mayors not to allow more events involving the death of people or animals," he said. It was not the first time such an accident had happened, he added. On Saturday several people were injured during corralejas in El Espinal. Earlier this month one person died after being gored by a bull during a corraleja in the town of Repelon. Mr Orozco said his regional authority would move to ban the corralejas, saying they were dangerous and cruel to animals. Incoming leader Mr Petro banned bullfights in the main bullring of Colombia's capital Bogota during his stint as the city's mayor. PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura said on Sunday he wanted to keep the 2022 state deficit from rising above 330 billion crowns ($14.1 billion) in a budget amendment being worked up to take in the impact of war in Ukraine and soaring prices. The war in Ukraine has led to a downturn in growth in the central European country, as well as more spending on defence and aid for hundreds of thousands of refugees. Fast-rising energy bills are also pushing the government to seeks ways to aid households and companies, costing tens of billions. Stanjura is set to put forward an amended budget next month that he has already said would push the deficit above 300 billion crowns, from a planned 280 billion crown gap. Asked on Czech Television's Sunday debate show whether a budget gap of around 330 billion was likely, Stanjura said: "I will try so that the deficit will be as low as it can be, and that it will be below 330 billion." After taking power in December, the centre-right government pledged to cut deficits fuelled by pandemic spending and wage and pension hikes by the previous administration. The deficit hit a record 420 billion crowns in 2021, pushing the overall fiscal gap to 5.9% of gross domestic product, almost twice the European Union-mandated ceiling of 3%. Stanjura told Reuters this month he aimed to keep the 2023 budget deficit target below this year's original plan and bring the fiscal gap within EU limits by 2024. ($1 = 23.4240 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has been tapped to lead a delegation to the Philippines for the inauguration of newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In a statement on Sunday, the White House said that Emhoff will attend Marcos inauguration on Thursday along with a delegation including Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.). Marcos clinched his countrys presidency in a landslide victory in May, which observers credited to a savvy social media campaign that spread misinformation about his familys history of human rights abuses and plundering state coffers. Marcos father was forced from power in 1986 and died in exile in Hawaii, with his families and cronies accused of amassing $5 billion to $10 billion while he was in power. However, the Biden administration was quick to congratulate the new Philippines president, as it seeks to counter Chinas influence in the region. Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, who remained widely popular during his term in office, maintained closer ties with China and Russia, while at times railing against the United States. Marcos has said in prior interviews that he wants his country to have a better relationship with the U.S. but also reiterated that he wants to maintain a positive relationship with China as well. In a phone call after his election win, Biden also expressed his interest to work with Marcos on expanding relations between the two countries. President Biden underscored that he looks forward to working with the President-elect to continue strengthening the U.S.-Philippine Alliance, while expanding bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, including the fight against COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, promoting broad-based economic growth, and respect for human rights, the White House said in a statement at the time. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A memorial sits June 26, 2022, in front of a home in the 4000 block of West Potomac Avenue, where a 4-year-old boy died in an overnight fire. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) A 5-year-old boy was killed and five other people three of them children were injured in a fire in the citys West Humboldt Park neighborhood, authorities said. The blaze in a two-story brick two-flat in the 4000 block of West Potomac Street started about midnight, police and fire officials said Sunday. Advertisement Firefighters initially said they rescued four children from the homes basement where the fire is believed to have started, along with two adults, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Aiden Cruz was taken to St. Marys Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Chicago police. Three other boys, ages 4, 6 and 11, were hospitalized with smoke inhalation injuries and were each listed in critical condition, police said. Advertisement All three later died. Aidens brothers, 6-year-old Jayden Cruz and 11-year-old Angel Rodriguez, died at the hospital in the following days, according to information from the Cook County medical examiners office. The fourth and youngest brother, Axel Cruz, 4, died Wednesday at 6:42 p.m. at Lurie Childrens Hospital, according to the medical examiners office. Days after the blaze, the 4-year-old was identified as Axel Cruz of the same block where the fire occurred, according to information from the Cook County medical examiners office. A 40-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man were each listed in good condition for smoke inhalation injuries, authorities said. A Fire Department spokesman said the home did have working smoke detectors, but said the investigation was still ongoing. A neighbor told WGN-TV that all of the boys, including the one who died, were siblings. ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will attend a round of talks with the leaders of Sweden and Finland, as well as NATO on Tuesday ahead of the summit in Madrid, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Sunday. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the bids have faced opposition from Turkey, which has been angered by what it says is Helsinki and Stockholm's support for Kurdish militants and arms embargoes on Ankara. Speaking to broadcaster Haberturk, Kalin said he and Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal would also attend another round of talks with Swedish and Finnish delegations in Brussels on Monday. "There will be a four-way summit at the leader level with the attendance of our president in Madrid upon the request of the NATO secretary general," he said. Kalin said Erdogan attending the talks with Sweden, Finland and NATO on Tuesday "does not mean we will take a step back from our position." Kalin said Turkey and the Nordic countries had largely agreed on issues and would be in a better position in Madrid if they could agree on them during talks on Monday. "We have brought negotiations to a certain point. It is not possible for us to take a step back here," he also said of the talks on Monday. Earlier this month, Turkey has said documents it received from Sweden and NATO in response to the earlier written demands it presented the two candidates were far from meeting its expectations and any negotiations must first address Turkish concerns. Kalin has previously said the Madrid summit is not a deadline. NATO leaders will convene in Madrid on June 29-30. Any NATO membership requires approval of all 30 members of the alliance. Turkey has been a NATO ally for more than 70 years and has the alliance's second biggest army. (Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Daniel Wallis) A pregnancy center in Colorado was vandalized and set on fire early Saturday morning, officials said. Longmont Public Safety A Colorado pregnancy center was set on fire and vandalized on Saturday. Local officials said they are investigating the incident as arson. The incident happened shortly after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade. A pregnancy center in Colorado was set on fire and vandalized shortly after Roe v. Wade was reversed in the early hours of Saturday morning, officials said. Public safety officials said they responded to Life Choices in Longmont, Colorado just after 3:00 a.m, according to a press release from the city. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered that the building was defaced. "The building sustained fire and heavy smoke damage," the press release said. " At the arrival of police and fire staff, the front of the property had been vandalized with black paint." A photo shows the building was spray-painted with the message: "If abortions aren't safe, neither are you." It comes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion. Longmont Public Safety, along with the FBI, is investigating the fire as arson. Officials are also requesting any information from the public, including tips and video, in connection to the incident. In a statement on Facebook, Life Choices said that their facility is temporarily closed and that they will let the public know "as soon as operations return to normal." The establishment is described as a "Christ-centered ministry providing education, support, healing, and limited medical services for sexual life choices," according to its website. Read the original article on Insider ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports For weeks, two teams have been linked to Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield the Panthers and the Seahawks. With all teams in position to study film from offseason workouts and with plenty of teams perhaps not having clear answers at the position, which teams should be at least pondering the possibility of a potential upgrade [more] Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks to the media during a press conference, May 24, 2022 Joe Raedle/Getty Images Stacey Abrams said in a CNN interview that she had changed her perspective on abortion rights. The Georgia gubernatorial candidate was raised in a religious household and grew up being anti-abortion. She said she understands religious people, but that ideology has no place in medical decisions. Georgia Democratic nominee for governor Stacey Abrams explained in a Friday interview with CNN how her perspective on abortion rights has evolved over the years and how she came to support the right to abortion services after being raised in a religious household. "I was very much on the side of anti-abortion, through much of my upbringing. I grew up in Mississippi, in a very religious family, in a religious community," Abrams told CNN host Sara Sidner. "And I was raised to have a very uncritical eye to this question." She went on to explain she had a change of heart after watching a friend face "the very real consequences" of an unwanted pregnancy that made her question her beliefs about abortion. "I understand the sincere concerns. But those are religious concerns, or often concerns driven by personal morality. And that should be your choice," Abrams said in the CNN interview. "But abortion is a medical issue. It is about a medical decision. And there is no place, in that medical decision, for ideology, or for politicians." Abrams is again running against incumbent Brian Kemp to whom she narrowly lost the 2018 election for Georgia Governor. In 2019, Kemp signed into law a controversial "fetal heartbeat bill" which restricted abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and criminalized women who pursued abortions at home or out of state. A federal judge permanently struck down the law in 2020, but it is unclear if a similar law will be passed following the overturning of Roe vs. Wade on Friday. "The governor of Georgia has already said, he does not care about women, and their bodily autonomy. He does not care about their health," Abrams added in the interview. "Because he not only has already adopted and signed into law the most restrictive abortion law in Georgia's history, with the constrictions at six weeks. He has said in interviews that he intends that he also supports eliminating access for incest and rape." Story continues Other Georgia politicians, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and congressional hopeful Herschel Walker have praised the Supreme Court's decision and called for even more restrictive abortion laws in the state. Walker, who is currently running for Senate, said in May the state should adopt a total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Representatives for Abrams did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Pet Shop Boys Other Stage a a a a a No one brings the Eighties and 2022 together quite like the Pet Shop Boys. From the moment Neil Tennant walks on the stage, inviting us to a world of memory as the thumping drums of Suburbia begin, we know were about to straddle eras. Chris Lowe, along with an excellent live band, join later. There are Eighties synths, an appearance from Years and Years (although not singing Its A Sin as predicted) and nostalgic anecdotes about holidays in the Caribbean. The big tracks get the Other Stage crowd jumping higher than half the late-night DJs at this festival. A Losing My Mind/You Were Always On My Mind remix soars as does Love Comes Quickly and penultimate track West End Girls. Opportunities, for all its high-camp joy, is a personal highlight. After the last five days, Im not sure any of us have much of the brain, looks, brawn or lots of money they mention left yet it still gets us singing. Their closing track, Being Boring, is an empowering tribute to the victims of the attack on a gay bar in Oslo, Norway. The words you can always rely on a friend close out the set, a fitting finish to Glasto 2022. IL Fontaines DC Other Stage (PA) a a a a a My childhood was small, but Im gonna be big! These were the words promised on Fontaines DCs debut album. With a steady build in the last few years and then one gigantic swoop of success following their No 1 album, this years Skinty Fia, the band have become just that. And on a hot Sunday afternoon at Glastonbury, the swarm of twitching fans who buzz around the Other Stage only serve to reaffirm it. A true showman, frontman Grian Chatten wearing his usual Pogues T-shirt throws his arms upwards to summon a cheer. The Dublin-formed group have landed a tough time slot, clashing with Diana Ross in the Legends Slot over on the Pyramid. Its testament to their fearsome reputation as a live act that theyve attracted such a huge crowd. Story continues Now three albums deep, the five-piece have been at the forefront of the recent rock resurgence. Theyve also stubbornly resisted categorisation, instead defining themselves by Chattens sharp, observational lyrics and their intense, driving instrumentation. They throw out a few numbers from their 2019 debut, Dogrel, along with the sonically moodier, yet lyrically hopeful tracks of follow-up A Heros Death. Usually an unflinchingly cool collective, they cant help but grin as mosh pits broil up in front of them. At the cue of Jackie Down the Line, a sea of sticky bodies bash into one another. Fontaines wont be dying a death any time soon. McFly Avalon a a a aa I know were living in an age of nostalgia, but even I (a former superfan) am shocked how big the crowd for McFlys first Glastonbury set is. Youve got to give it to em. Almost two decades since the sort-of-pop, sort-of-emo band burst into the scene with their debut single Five Colours in Her Hair, the four-piece have packed out the Avalon stage at Worthy Farm. Things kick off, surprisingly, with Red, giving the band a chance to flex their live guitar skills. More rock-heavy deep cuts follow straight after: Song for the Radio, Lies. Its some of their best material, but you can tell the audience is impatient for the hits. I think I might be the only person in a 10-metre radius singing along. At least the band are self aware. If you enjoyed that, were Mcfly. But if you didnt enjoy that, we are Busted, the crowd are told, before a rendition of Obviously that perks everyone up no end. A trio of crowd-pleasers follows: All About You, Room on the Third Floor and the bands cover of Dont Stop Me Now. Star Girl gets the biggest reception for its eternally juvenile lyric: Theres nothing on earth that could save us/ When I fell in love with Uranus. Anything post-2008 falls a little flatter. In short: a perfect McFly set for me, specifically. Others in the audience were left wanting more. Monkeypox isn't a international public health emergency "at present," the World Health Organization said Saturday, adding that both its leader and an emergency committee convened Thursday on the matter are in agreement. The situation, however, should be "closely monitored" and the decision "reviewed after a few weeks," committee members agreed, noting the global outbreak's "emergency nature" and the "intense response efforts" required to control it. One of more of the following conditions should trigger a reassessment, the committee determined, according to a news release from the organization: Evidence of an increased growth rate in cases in the next three weeks. Cases identified among sex workers. An increase in cases in vulnerable groups like immunosuppressed individuals, those with poorly controlled HIV infection, pregnant women, and children. An increase in morbidity or mortality and hospitalization rates. Evidence of re-entry into the animal population. Evidence of significant mutation affecting how the disease presents itself. Evidence of clusters of cases of different clades with more significant virulence detected outside of West and Central Africa. The WHO "may have missed the opportunity to be aggressive and get ahead of the epidemic," Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told Fortune on Saturday. The committee has stated "they will be more assertive and forward-leaning if they find it had escaped their detection and they begin to see it in new at-risk populations. A recipe for failure," Benjamin said via text. Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine and an ICU doctor, told Fortune on Saturday that he had "no concern" with the decision. There is a "good emphasis on understanding what to do with cases," as well as on making vaccines available, he said via text. Story continues "It's not being underminedit is at epidemic levels and countries are taking it seriously," he added. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Fortune on Saturday shortly before the WHO's announcement that no deaths have been reported outside of an endemic country in the current global outbreak, and that there have been few hospitalizations. "In general, this has been mild," he said of the outbreak, adding that the lack of severity may be due to cases in developed nations with good healthcare and cases occurring in younger individuals. "Monkeypox doesn't have the ability to cause death and destruction in a way we saw during COVID," he said. WHO emergency committees only currently exist for COVID-19 and polio. Seven additional past emergency committees have previously been convened for diseases including Ebola, H1N1, and MERS. There have been more than 3,000 cases of monkeypox reported from nearly 50 countries over the past six weeksan increase of 52% over the week prior, the WHO announced Thursday as it convened its emergency committee in Geneva. The cases included one death, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during opening remarks, provided to the media via news release. As of Friday 201 confirmed cases had been reported in more than half of U.S. states, according to CDC data. The fact that an emergency committee was convened "tells you that the director is worried," Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told Fortune earlier this month. The WHO has often been accused of reacting too slowly, Benjamin said, adding of Adhanom Ghebreyesus, "I think he's trying to get his hands around this." "When you see something this different, you want to know what you're missing," Benjamin said. "You want to lay out a strategy to understand what you don't know, evaluate what you do know." As the virus continues to move beyond Africa, where its endemic, via an atypical pattern, scientists are rushing to figure out just how its spreading. Monkeypox is usually found in rural African areas where people have close contact with infected rats and squirrels. Recent cases, however, have occurred in countries were the virus has not previously been seen, and in individuals without a travel history, indicating that it may have been circulating unnoticed for some time. The majority of cases have been seen among young men who have sex with menanother oddity, the WHO emergency committee noted. With smallpox declared eradicated by the WHO in 1980 and the vaccine, which works on monkeypox, no longer widely administered, the population has a low level of immunity against poxviruses, the committee said, according to the release. That means transmission into the wider population could occur. Another question given the current global outbreak: just how it's spreading. It is typically transmitted from human to human through close contact, which may include sex and could include contact with personal items like sheets and clothing. Airborne transmission is known to be possible but has yet to be confirmed. But human-to-human transmission can occur via respiratory droplets (and possibly short-range aerosols), the WHO wrote in a June 4 situation update, in which it cautioned against large gatherings, which may promote transmission. And earlier this month, the CDC raised its alert level for potential monkeypox transmission among travelers, advising them, among other things, to wear a mask while traveling. But the masking advice soon disappeared from its website. When asked why, the CDC told Fortune it had removed the phrase because it caused confusion. The agency did not respond to a request for further elaboration, nor did it respond when asked if there was concern about airborne transmission. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Google is warning of a sophisticated new spyware campaign that has seen malicious actors steal sensitive data from Android and iOS users in Italy and Kazakhstan. On Thursday, the companys Threat Analysis Group (TAG) shared its findings on RCS Labs, a commercial spyware vendor based out of Italy. On June 16th, security researchers at Lookout linked the firm to Hermit, a spyware program believed to have been first deployed in 2019 by Italian authorities as part of an anti-corruption operation. Lookout describes RCS Labs as an NSO Group-like entity. The firm markets itself as a lawful intercept business and claims it only works with government agencies. However, commercial spyware vendors have come under intense scrutiny in recent years, largely thanks to governments using the Pegasus spyware to target activists and journalists . According to Google, Hermit can infect both Android and iOS devices. In some instances, the companys researchers observed malicious actors work with their targets internet service provider to disable their data connection. They would then send the target an SMS message with a prompt to download the linked software to restore their internet connection. If that wasnt an option, the bad actors attempted to disguise the spyware as a legitimate messaging app like WhatsApp or Instagram. What makes Hermit particularly dangerous is that it can gain additional capabilities by downloading modules from a command and control server. Some of the addons Lookout observed allowed the program to steal data from the targets calendar and address book apps, as well as take pictures with their phones camera. One module even gave the spyware the capability to root an Android device. Google believes Hermit never made its way to the Play or App stores. However, the company found evidence that bad actors were able to distribute the spyware on iOS by enrolling in Apples Developer Enterprise Program . Apple told The Verge that it has since blocked any accounts or certificates associated with the threat. Meanwhile, Google has notified affected users and rolled out an update to Google Play Protect. The company ends its post by noting the growth of the commercial spyware industry should concern everyone. These vendors are enabling the proliferation of dangerous hacking tools and arming governments that would not be able to develop these capabilities in-house, the company said. While use of surveillance technologies may be legal under national or international laws, they are often found to be used by governments for purposes antithetical to democratic values: targeting dissidents, journalists, human rights workers and opposition party politicians. E.J. Dionne, Jr. Note to every politician in the GOP: You have to decide. You can be a Rusty Bowers Republican. Or you can be a Donald Trump Republican. You can be someone who says to Donald Trumps consigliere Rudy Giuliani: Look, you are asking me to do something that is counter to my oath, when I swore to the Constitution to uphold it. And I also swore to the Constitution and the laws of the state of Arizona. And this is totally foreign as an idea or a theory to me. Thats the road Arizona House Speaker Russell Rusty Bowers took when he refused to set aside the decision of his states voters to support Democrat Joe Biden even though Bowers had supported and campaigned for Trump. Or you can be someone for whom it is oaths, laws, the Constitution and the preservation of democracy that are entirely foreign to his worldview. For Trump, power and self-interest are all. And so Trump encouraged violence against election workers, asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes for him that didnt exist, and encouraged his campaign to support fake electoral college slates that would back him even though their states had supported Biden. Many moments in the Jan. 6 committee hearings have underscored that there is a moral vacuum where Trumps conscience should be. But there is something even worse than the attempted cheating and lawbreaking and lying. It is the former presidents willingness to target public servants who do their duty and egg on supporters to threaten them with violence. Every Republican officeholder should listen to the words of Ruby Freeman, a Georgia election worker falsely accused of wrongdoing by Trump and his cronies: Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States target you? Her daughter, Shaye Moss, who also did civic service as an election worker, testified about Trump supporters breaking into her grandmothers home to perform a citizens arrest. She told of how hateful, racist threats turned her into a recluse and made her gain 60 pounds. Story continues Republican politicians have been stunningly quiet about the big doings at the Jan. 6 hearings. Their reticence speaks to the success of the investigative committee. It has put forward so much convincing evidence of Trumps wrongdoing with most of the testimony coming from Republicans that GOP leaders are finding few ways of either defending him or discrediting the work of the committee. Its just the facts, maam approach leaves little room for dissent. But silence is not the right response. Anyone who has read accounts of the hearings, let alone watched them in detail, can come to only one conclusion about Trump, what he tried to do with power and what hed do if he ever came close to power again. Refusing to break with Trump now, forcefully and definitively, is to demonstrate a complete indifference to what the ethics of a constitutional republic and democracy require. Remaining aloof is the opposite of being an Edmund Burke conservative the sort who, like that 18th-century politician and philosopher, understands that institutions must be nurtured and that rule by mobs is dangerous. Their terror of Trumps power in Republican primaries can no longer be their excuse. Burke was right: No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear. They should let Bowers set them free to reason and act. A solid conservative, he stood up for his oath and what he saw as the demands of his faith when doing so was hard, when he was besieged by Trump and his henchmen. Is he not the sort of Republican a patriotic American could tell their children about with pride? They should let Raffensperger, who beat a Trump-backed candidate in a Georgia primary early this year, set them free. He offered a simple but weighty reason that Trumps election fabrications and manipulations must be rejected despite Trumps threats and lobbying. The numbers are the numbers, Raffensperger said. The numbers dont lie. And the testimony of Freeman and Moss cries out to Republicans: Turn back from Trumps path once and for all. To hang on to power, Trump was willing to use threats and lies to destroy the lives of two grass-roots citizens dedicated to the most basic work of democracy. Can any Republican in good conscience defend what Trump did? The Jan. 6 committee has done Republicans a great service. It has lifted up members of their party who showed integrity and courage. And it has laid out in lurid detail exactly how egregious Trumps behavior was. This is the moment for Republicans to rid themselves of Trump. I wish I had more confidence that the party would seize the opportunity. E.J. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: GOP lawmakers' silence on Jan. 6 Committee hearings is deafening Guernsey County Sheriff's Department cruiser CAMBRIDGE The Guernsey County Sheriff Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting, which started with a pursuit on Friday night. Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden said shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday his deputies were requested to assist in a vehicle pursuit on US 22 near Ohio 800 in Northeastern Guernsey County. Paden said his Communications Center was notified officers from the Barnesville Police Department were in pursuit of a vehicle being operated by a female wanted on an active arrest warrant for Assault on a Police Officer from a prior incident involving Barnesville Officers. The driver, a 47-year-old woman from Barnesville, failed to stop after officers identified her driving in Barnesville. The vehicle pursuit was initiated at that time and continued into Guernsey County on US 22, when deputies and troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol became involved at the request of Barnesville Officers. Deputies attempted to spike the tires on the suspect's vehicle on US 22 near Rainbow Road, but the driver was able to avoid the spike strips and continued westbound on US 22 near the Salt Fork State Park region. As the pursuit approached Lake Ridge Road, troopers were able to successfully spike the tires on the vehicle. The driver then turned onto Beeham Run Road then onto National Road then finally onto Ohio 285 (Wintergreen Rd.) where the vehicle became disabled due to the tires being totally disintegrated. At that time deputies, troopers and Barnesville Police Officers began shouting verbal commands to the female driver to exit the vehicle. She reportedly became very agitated, failed to obey the commands and began shouting at the officers. A Cambridge Police Officer and his K-9 were requested to the scene. After several minutes of failed negotiations, the Cambridge Officer approached the vehicle in preparation of deploying his K9 to extract the female from the vehicle. As the officer and his K9 partner approached the vehicle, the officer notified other officers the female had a gun and pointed it at him. He and the K9 quickly retreated and took cover. Story continues Sheriff Paden then arrived at the scene, was briefed on the situation and informed of the female having a firearm. He requested Old Washington Volunteer Fire Department be notified to have their squad with medics stage in the area. Sheriff Paden then began attempting to communicate with the female and encourage her to exit the vehicle. She reportedly continued to be belligerent and uncooperative. Sheriff Paden then activated the Guernsey County SRT (special response team) and requested they respond to the scene. Once the team arrived, Sheriff Paden continued to encourage the female to exit the vehicle, but her behavior continued. During this time officers could see the female pointing a firearm out the drivers side window of her vehicle. The decision was made after tactical plans were devised for the SRT to approach the vehicle in an attempt to remove her from the car. SRT members approached with less lethal and lethal munitions as well as distraction devices. As the SRT made contact with the female, a taser was deployed and reportedly was ineffective after several attempts. The female still armed with the handgun, reportedly exchanged gunfire with the officers and she was wounded. An SRT member believed to have been shot, was pulled from the scene and tended to by other officers as SRT medics began life saving measures on the female. Sheriff Paden reported the deputy was not injured. The female was transported by Old Washington Medics to Southeastern Ohio Medical Center and pronounced dead a short time later. Detectives from the Sheriffs Office Investigations Division were then requested at the scene. Lieutenant Sam Williams, of the Investigations Division said the BCI Crime Scene Unit and Investigators from the Officer Involved Shooting Unit of the Attorney Generals Office was notified and requested to respond to the scene. Lt. Williams said this is the protocol of the Guernsey County Sheriffs Office when any of their deputies are involved in a shooting to allow for an impartial investigation. The investigation continues and Sheriff Paden said he will not be releasing the identity of the female or the deputies involved at this time. This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Guernsey County Sheriff investigating officer-involved shooting after pursuit Correction: This story was updated to reflect that the DSSA supports a bill expanding background checks. A few hundred gun rights activists gathered at Legislative Mall in Dover on Saturday to decry legislation they say will penalize gun owners rather than address the real problems of crime. "People in the state of Delaware feel that their right to keep and bear arms is being infringed by the folks passing legislation in Legislative Hall," said Jeff Hague, president of the Delaware State Sportsmen Association (DSSA), Delawares NRA state affiliate. DSSA, which organized the event, opposes much of the package of gun reform legislation passed by Delaware lawmakers recently including banning the sale of assault weapons and limiting high-capacity magazines. Democrats introduced several gun measures after a series of mass shootings including the one in Uvalde, Texas, in which a gunman shot and killed 19 elementary schoolchildren and two teachers. Republicans have been against much of this legislation and have alluded to a possible legal fight. However, Republicans and the DSSA both supported a bill expanding background checks. The legislation now heads to the governor, who has said he supports these bills. Plenty of politicians running for office were in attendance at Saturday's rally to show support for gun advocates, including Sen. Colin Bonini, a Dover Republican, who slowed down Senate voting last week in disapproval of the voting by mail and gun legislation. People listen to speakers during a pro-gun rights rally on the Legislative Mall in Dover, Saturday, June 25, 2022. NEW GUN LAWS: Delaware lawmakers pass historic gun legislation, including ban on sale of assault weapons Don Quill of Newark (left) and Robert Ashby of New Castle are armed as they attend a pro-gun rights rally on the Legislative Mall in Dover, Saturday, June 25, 2022. Chad Hastings, a self-described gun enthusiast and avid hunter from Sussex County, said the rally was the first he's ever attended. He said that despite the hurdles, he was able to obtain a concealed carry permit and he enjoys hunting using an AR-style rifle. The same type of weapon that new gun owners would no longer be to legally purchase. Story continues He explained that the law fails to recognize that while this class of weapon gets a bad rap, it's actually a good option for someone who'd have difficulty managing the recoil from firing a handgun. Hastings said that the problem with the new law prohibiting "large-capacity magazines" is that the government buyback program doesn't give people back the money they paid for their magazines. He believes it'll also discriminate against people who are not able to complete the process to obtain a concealed carry permit. Jeff Hague of the Delaware State Sportsmen's Association speaks at a pro-gun rights rally on the Legislative Mall in Dover, Saturday, June 25, 2022. Both Hague and Hastings said they feel that legislators need to spend more time addressing problems that cause people to commit crimes. The way to reduce crimes starts with more drug treatment programs, education, and addressing dysfunction in families, they said. "It's easy to go after the object, to demonize the object, because the object can't fight back," said Hague. He also pointed to gangs and a lenient criminal justice system as those that are causing problems. Gun owner Chad Hastings attends a pro-gun rights rally on the Legislative Mall in Dover, Saturday, June 25, 2022. "You go after the people that are causing the problem... They need to go to prison and not be given third and fourth and fifth chances," Hague said. Other rally attendees, like Sarah Coleman of Bridgeville, said they were there because they support gun ownership and that any attempt to weaken their rights is just a small step closer to authoritarianism. "We're just not happy with our rights being taken away," Coleman said. "And we're just kind of out here in unison and trying to bring awareness to it." Delaware's gun reform measures may face another challenge. Read more: Supreme Court strikes down New York gun law, making it easier for Americans to carry handguns In a major expansion of gun rights the Supreme Court said Thursday that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, a ruling likely to lead to more people legally armed. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware gun rights advocates rally in Dover against gun reform One day after the historic ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court removed the national protection for abortion, hundreds of pro-choice supporters again took the streets in Chicago to express their rage and sadness about the ruling while also vowing to never give up the fight for abortion rights. Groups throughout the day Saturday gathered at Federal Plaza and marched through downtown streets, chanting and holding up signs that read, Forced motherhood = female enslavement and, in Spanish, Aborto a solicitud y sin pedir disculpas! meaning, Abortion on demand and without apology! Advertisement Patricia Willin, from El Salvador, said pro-choice allies can learn from protesters in Latin American countries who in recent years have taken to the streets and demanded decriminalization of abortion. Many protesters wore green, a color that in Latin American movements represents the right to legal abortions, Willin said. Advertisement We take inspiration for our sisters in Latin America, by showing up and telling everyone that this is how we feel and were not gonna take their laws that theyre trying to implement, Willin said. That were not OK with having human rights taken away from women. Mari Garcia has been to every protest she could attend since former President Donald Trump was elected in 2016. The young Afro-Latinx said they feel less alone when they protest. Its definitely a way that it helps me cope, to see that there are other people out there that actually care, you know, and want the same things that I do, they said. They said its important for people in marginalized groups to speak up and show up to protest. Honestly, its gonna affect us first, Garcia said. A lot of these laws and bans are affecting all of those marginalized communities first, and honestly, if were not going to fight for our rights, or were not going to do anything about it, no one really will. Earlier Saturday, a couple hundred people gathered at Federal Plaza in between rain showers to protest the Supreme Courts 6-3 ruling decision. Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said its important to recognize the power of people coming together to fight back peacefully. She said she attended the protest not just as an elected official but as a Black woman and mother to four Black daughters who deserve more rights, not fewer. Its important to understand that Black women and other people of color and poor women and immigrant women and disabled women and trans and nonbinary people will suffer the most in this post-Roe world, and its these voices that we must prioritize and uplift in the fight ahead, Stratton said. Advertisement Abortions are still legal and available in Illinois, Stratton said, because reproductive freedoms (are) enshrined into state law. But, she added, abortion rights will be a major issue in the coming midterm elections in races up and down the ballot. As protesters rallied, researchers who have studied the effects of access to reproductive care say theyre worried the decision will create even greater barriers for youths and marginalized members of society who are forced to travel to access abortion care. Amy Krauss, who has researched reproductive rights in Latin America and studied institutional inequality after Mexico City legalized abortion while other Mexican states further criminalized it, said she expects states to intensify their laws in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. She said thats already started to happen. Krauss, who taught gender, sexuality and human rights at the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights at the University of Chicago, said restrictive laws will burden people disproportionately based on race, class, and immigration status. So its not going to be people with money. Its not going to be people who are able to travel easily and access private health care, Krauss said last month after the draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. Its going to be people who are already marginalized by U.S. institutions of all kinds. While states with already restrictive laws will continue to make abortion access nearly impossible, Krauss said she expects states such as Illinois and California to increase access. Advertisement In her research about Mexico, Krauss said people traveled to Mexico City for safe and legal abortions. She said health care systems were overburdened, which led to practices that were not ideal and affected marginalized groups disproportionately. She worries something similar could happen in the U.S. as those seeking abortion cross state lines. I think we also need to have in mind models of care that affirm peoples dignity in the situation of abortion, and make sure that moral stigma doesnt affect peoples experiences, Krauss said. Because as criminalization gets more intense alongside these pockets, where the right is protected, and where its legalized, people who are traveling between these different spaces are then kind of carrying a lot of moral weight and pressure. Krauss has also seen feminist and reproductive rights movements strengthen and organize networks of care in the wake of abortion criminalization. More recently, that has looked like circulating abortion pills to people who dont have the means to travel across state lines. Those networks have also existed in the U.S. before and during Roe and she hopes they will continue to exist and strengthen, she said. Lee Hasselbacher, interim executive director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health, or Ci3, is worried about the added barriers young people will face in seeking safe abortions. Advertisement Its something that I think a lot of people who are working in this field have been expecting for a while, Hasselbacher said after the Roe draft opinion was leaked. Hasselbacher works with researchers on policy reform covering access to contraception and abortion, consent and confidentiality for young people, among other research topics surrounding youth and health care. Ci3 focuses on research to better understand adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Illinois recent repealed the states parental notification law for minors seeking abortions. But while youth in states with more restrictive abortion laws will be allowed to seek care in Illinois, traveling across state lines can be difficult for youth making abortion access even more limited if surrounding states pass total abortion bans, Hasselbacher said. Everyone has their own story. Everyone has their own reasons, Hasselbacher said. Everyone has a situation that theyre in that this is the best decision for them and the best way for them to move forward. scasanova@chicagotribune.com Advertisement sahmad@chicagotribune.com GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters marched in the southern German town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Sunday, near where leaders of the Group of Seven countries are meeting, demanding action on climate change. Leaders of the G7 - the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan - started a three-day summit on Sunday at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian mountains, set to be dominated by the war in Ukraine. Under a banner reading "Global Justice, Saving Climate Instead of Arming" several speakers addressed a crowd of protesters, calling for more action to fight climate change. "I'm protesting here today for climate justice and for the right decisions to be made so that I have a future," said Theresa Stoeckl, one of the protesters. Seven of the protesters, holding an Oxfam banner which said "Stop Burning Our Planet", were wearing traditional Bavarian costumes and masks depicting the G7 leaders. They clutched beer mugs while holding a model of the earth over a barbecue grill. Benedikt Doennwagen said: "Seven heads of government from different countries negotiate about the entire world. And we have already seen before that what they negotiate is not always to the benefit of the entire world." Another protester Erich Utz said the G7 leaders should include young people in the summit and its decisions. "I'm 17 years old - there are people sitting there who are four times my age, discussing my future without asking any young people what we want even once," Utz said. Around 1,000 people were expected to take part in the protest but police said there were 250 people at Sunday's demonstration. "We assume that there will probably be more. But we'll just have to wait and see," police spokesperson Carolin Englert told Reuters. A group of women protesters, wearing rose garlands and waving Ukrainian flags, held a pro-Ukraine rally on the sidelines of the G7 protests calling for a complete embargo against Russia. Story continues "We are here to remind the public and somehow the heads of state of the G7 states meeting here that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing," said Ilya Bakhovskyy. Some 4,000 people marched in Munich on Saturday calling on G7 leaders to take action to fight poverty, climate change and world hunger. Greenpeace activists projected a giant peace symbol on top of Waxenstein mountain near to Schloss Elmau late on Saturday to send a pro-peace and anti-fossil fuel message to the G7 summit. On Monday a small group of protesters will be allowed to hold a rally 500 metres from the castle where the G7 summit is taking place. (Reporting by Oliver Barth, Timm Reichert and Max Schwarz; Writing by Riham Alkousaa. Editing by Jane Merriman) Police lights The identity of a 26-year-old man stabbed to death Thursday night was released Saturday by Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. Thomas Shephard of Springfield died from multiple stab wounds at 11:19 p.m. Thursday at HSHS St. John's Hospital, Allmon said. An autopsy was conducted Friday, Allmon said. The stabbing occurred in the 1500 block of East Cook Street. Earlier: Springfield man dies after being stabbed Thursday night Police were called to the hospital at 10:32 p.m. after Shephard arrived with stab wounds to the upper torso. Springfield police and Allmon are investigating the homicide. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Identity of man stabbed to death Thursday in Springfield released Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey speaks to voters during a campaign stop in Athens, Ill., on June 14. Bailey is seeking the Republican nomination to face Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November. (John O'Connor / Associated Press) The race to be Illinois' next governor is also a battle among billionaires, including two whose names won't appear on Tuesday's primary ballot. Republican candidates Darren Bailey, who as a state lawmaker fought pandemic measures such as mask mandates, and former prosecutor Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Chicago's largest suburb, each has a benefactor who has pushed a different vision for the GOP and put their money behind it. Billionaire businessmen Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein among the countrys biggest Republican donors have combined to pour more than $60 million into the race. Griffin backs Irvin and Uihlein supports Bailey. Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, meanwhile, along with the Democratic Governors Assn., has spent millions trying to ensure Irvin, an Army veteran and Aurora mayor, isn't the GOP nominee. The money has funded a months-long barrage of ads that have attacked Irvin and propped up Bailey, the opponent Pritzker would rather face in November. The ads note Bailey's strident far-right positions, including being 100% pro-life," and his allegiance to former President Trump qualities that may help Bailey in a Republican primary but would be a liability for a general election in a state Trump twice lost by double digits. Trump endorsed him at a rally Saturday night in Mendon. Although rich men in politics certainly arent rare, there may never have been a battle of the billions to match this one in a state election, particularly in a primary. It's left Irvin, once considered the front-runner, scrambling to convince GOP primary voters that he's the only one who can beat Pritzker. J.B. Pritzker is telling you that every time he takes out an ad. He's telling you that This is the guy Im the most most afraid of, Irvin said during a stop at an Illinois manufacturing plant. Irvin's downfall may be a record that is considerably more moderate than that of his GOP rivals. Unlike Bailey and the four other men in the race, Irvin avoids saying if he voted for Trump or talking much about issues such as abortion, focusing instead on steps he would take to reduce crime and taxes. He has been criticized for saying, Black Lives Matter, during protests over police brutality that turned destructive in his hometown, then filming a TV ad where he said, All Lives Matter. Story continues Bailey has built a reputation during three years in the Legislature as an uncompromising conservative unafraid to take people on. People say J.B. Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he believes that Im the easiest opponent to beat," Bailey said during a campaign stop at a restaurant. "Well, Ive got news for J.B. Pritzker: Be careful what you wish for because its coming. Friends, were going to win on Nov. 8. Bailey, a farmer from rural Xenia, jumped onto the statewide scene in summer 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued to slow transmission of the virus. Bailey was seen by supporters as a maverick when he was escorted from the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask in defiance of Democratic leaders. His backers like that he speaks often of his faith. Bailey, who speaks with a prairie twang, ends his nearly daily online video messages with prayer. Hes a godly man. He isnt afraid to put his faith out there, said supporter Ruth Bast, 63, of Springfield. The three billionaires Pritzker, Griffin and Uihlein have a long history of clashing politically in Illinois and elsewhere. Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund company Citadel, has been a vocal critic of Pritzker's administration, particularly over the issue of crime in Chicago. In addition to the $50 million he gave Irvin this cycle, he also spent millions to help get former Gov. Bruce Rauner elected in 2014 and on Rauner's loss to Pritzker in 2018. He bankrolled a successful campaign to block Pritzker and other Democrats from changing Illinois' tax structure to levy more on the highest earners. In 2020, Griffin gave $37 million to the GOPs Senate campaign arm, making him the PACs second-largest individual donor, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending. Asked at a forum last year if he would support Trump should he run for president in 2024, Griffin replied, I think it's time for America to move on, adding that Trump had been pointlessly divisive. In a statement to the Associated Press, Griffin criticized Pritzker for interfering in the GOP primary, saying, spending tens of millions of dollars in cahoots with his cronies attacking the most successful Black political leader in Illinois is despicable. Pritzker has defended his actions, saying an ad attacking Irvin is telling the truth. Uihlein, a founder of the office supply company Uline Inc., is a major Trump supporter who has a long record of donating to far-right candidates and groups. That includes PACs and people strongly opposed to abortion, and the House Freedom Fund, which backs the most conservative candidates and strongest Trump backers. The other candidates seeking the GOP nomination are businessman Gary Rabine, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon. Pritzker's only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Johns Lyng Group Limited (ASX:JLG) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model. View our latest analysis for Johns Lyng Group The model We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$39.2m AU$63.7m AU$68.1m AU$97.5m AU$106.2m AU$112.6m AU$118.0m AU$122.6m AU$126.6m AU$130.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x6 Analyst x5 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 6.07% Est @ 4.79% Est @ 3.89% Est @ 3.26% Est @ 2.82% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 6.1% AU$36.9 AU$56.6 AU$57.0 AU$76.9 AU$78.9 AU$78.9 AU$77.9 AU$76.3 AU$74.2 AU$71.9 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$685m Story continues After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.8%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.1%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2031 (1 + g) (r g) = AU$130m (1 + 1.8%) (6.1% 1.8%) = AU$3.1b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$3.1b ( 1 + 6.1%)10= AU$1.7b The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$2.4b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of AU$5.6, the company appears quite undervalued at a 39% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. dcf Important assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Johns Lyng Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.018. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Looking Ahead: Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Johns Lyng Group, we've compiled three pertinent items you should further examine: Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Johns Lyng Group that you should be aware of before investing here. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for JLG's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the ASX every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. 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. TEHRAN, Iran Iranian state television said Sunday that Tehran had launched a solid-fueled rocket into space, drawing a rebuke from Washington ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehrans tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Its unclear when or where the rocket was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Irans rural Semnan province, the site of Irans frequent failed attempts to put a satellite into orbit. State-run media aired dramatic footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Tehrans nuclear program, which is racing ahead under decreasing international oversight. Iran had previously acknowledged that it planned more tests for the satellite-carrying rocket, which it first launched in February of last year. In this frame grab from video footage released Sunday, June 26, 2022 by Iran state TV, IRINN, shows an Iranian satellite-carrier rocket, called Zuljanah, blasting off from an undisclosed location in Iran. State TV on Sunday aired the launch of the solid-fueled rocket, which drew a rebuke from Washington ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehrans tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for Irans Defense Ministry, said Zuljanah, a 25.5 meter-long rocket, was capable of carrying a satellite of 220 kilograms (485 pounds) that would ultimately gather data in low-earth orbit and promote Irans space industry. Zuljanah is named for the horse of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The White House said it was aware of Irans announcement and criticized the move as unhelpful and destabilizing. The launch comes just a day after the European Unions foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, traveled to Tehran in a push to resuscitate negotiations over Irans nuclear program that have stalemated for months. A few significant sticking points remain, including Tehrans demand that Washington lift terrorism sanctions on its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Borrell said on Saturday that talks over the nuclear deal would resume in an unnamed Persian Gulf country in the coming days, with Iranian media reporting that Qatar would likely host the negotiations. Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed crushing sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by greatly ramping up its nuclear work and now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Story continues In a further escalation that limits the international communitys view into its nuclear program, Iran removed over two dozen International Atomic Energy Agency cameras from its nuclear sites this month. The agencys director called the move a fatal blow to the tattered nuclear deal. Tehrans rocket launches have raised alarm in Washington amid the unraveling of the nuclear deal. The U.S. warns the launches defy a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on Iran to steer clear of any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The White House on Sunday said it was committed to using sanctions and other measures to prevent further advances in Irans ballistic missile program. The U.S. intelligence communitys 2022 threat assessment, published in March, claims such a satellite launch vehicle shortens the timeline to an intercontinental ballistic missile for Iran as it uses similar technologies. Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, maintains its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component. Even as Irans government has sharpened its focus on space, sending several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launching a monkey into space, the program has seen recent troubles. There have been five failed launches in a row for the Simorgh program, a type of satellite-carrying rocket. A fire at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in February 2019 also killed three researchers. The launch pad used in the preparations for the launch of the Zuljanah rocket remains scarred from an explosion in August 2019 that even drew the attention of then-President Trump. He later tweeted what appeared to be a classified surveillance image of the launch failure. Satellite images from February suggested a failed Zuljanah launch earlier this year, though Iran did not acknowledge it. Meanwhile, Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in April 2020 revealed its own secret space program by successfully launching a satellite into orbit. The Guard operates its own military infrastructure parallel to Irans regular armed forces. DeBre reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Tom Strong in Washington contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nuclear deal in Iran: Tehran launches rocket before talks restart By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran and Iraq have agreed to seek stability in the Middle East, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said in Tehran on Sunday, a day after he visited Saudi Arabia in a bid to revive talks between the regional rivals to ease years of hostility. Iran and Saudi Arabia, the leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East, severed ties in 2016, with both parties backing allies fighting proxy wars across the region, from Yemen to Syria and elsewhere. "We have agreed to work together to bring stability and calm to the region," Kadhimi said in a joint televised news conference with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. An Iranian official told Reuters earlier on Sunday that "the resumption of talks between Tehran and Riyadh will be discussed during Kadhimi's trip to Iran". "Dialogue with regional officials can resolve the regional issues," Raisi said, without elaborating. The fifth round of talks between the regional rivals were held in April, after Iran suspended the negotiations in March without giving a reason but the decision was made following Saudi Arabia's execution of 81 men in its biggest mass execution in decades. Tehran condemned the executions that activists said included 41 Shi'ite Muslims. On Saturday, Kadhimi held talks with Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah that the state news agency SPA said included bilateral relations and "boosting security and stability in the region". Kadhimis visit comes as a months-long impasse in the indirect talks between Tehran and Washington is expected to break in the coming days to secure a 2015 nuclear pact which curbed Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to visit Riyadh in mid-July and talks are expected to include Gulf security concerns over Iran's ballistic missiles programme and network of proxies across the Middle East. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi;Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) A person using Camero-Tech's Xaver 1000 system to see objects behind a wall. Camero-Tech New Israeli military technology allows users to detect objects and people behind walls in real-time. Camero-Tech's Xaver 1000 uses an advanced AI-based tracking algorithm. The company says it is an "essential system" for militaries, law enforcement, and intelligence units. New Israeli military technology allows users to detect objects and people behind walls by using an AI-based tracking algorithm, according to a report. The Xaver 1000, produced by the Israeli imaging solutions company Camero-Tech, was unveiled for the first time at the Eurosatury 2022 exhibition in Paris, France. It's part of the "See Through Walls" family of products which, according to the company, provide real-time information on objects and people concealed behind walls. Camero-Tech claims the new XAVER-1000 is an "essential system" for militaries, law enforcement, intelligence units, and search and rescue teams. The company said it is a new tool for tactical operations, as it can detect the presence of life in rooms, the number of people and their distance from the system, target height and orientation, and the general layout of a space. The technology can display live objects, behind walls, in such high resolution that it can detect whether a person is sitting, standing, or lying down, even if they have been motionless for a significant period. Specific body parts are also detectable, the company said. Operating it is easy and requires minimal training, Shephard Media reported, and it only requires a single user to make use of a simple interface on an embedded 10.1-inch touchscreen display. It can penetrate through most common building materials, Camero-Tech said. Insider reached out to Camero-Tech for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Read the original article on Business Insider VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Francis on Sunday hailed as a martyr an Italian missionary nun slain in Haiti, where she cared for poor children. The diocese of Milan says Sister Luisa DellOrto, 64, was slain during an armed aggression, probably with the aim of robbery," in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. The Vatican's official media said Dell'Orto, gravely wounded, was taken to a hospital, where she died soon after. Francis in remarks to the public in St. Peters Square expressed his closeness to the nuns family members and noted she had lived there for some 20 years, dedicating herself above all to helping poor children who lived on the street. I entrust her soul to God, and I pray for the Haitian people, especially the little ones, so they can have a more serene future, without misery and without violence, Francis said. Dell'Orto "gave her life to others, until the point of martyrdom,'' the pontiff said. The nun, who was born in Lombardy, northern Italy, had run a home for children in a very poor suburb of Port-au-Prince, the Milan diocese said. Haiti, a Caribbean country, is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's coalition government was rocked by fresh turmoil Tuesday after the largest party in parliament split, with the foreign minister starting a breakaway group. Luigi Di Maio said his decision to leave the Five Star Movement (M5S) -- the party he once led -- was due to its "ambiguity" over Italy's support of Ukraine following Russia's invasion. But it follows months of internal tensions in the party, which has lost most of the support that propelled it to power in 2018 and risks being almost wiped out in national elections due next year. As many as 60 former Five Star lawmakers have already signed up to Di Maio's new group, "Together for the Future", media reports said. "Today I and so many others... are leaving the Five Star Movement," the foreign minister announced at a press conference. "We are leaving what tomorrow will no longer be the first political force in parliament." Di Maio played a key role in the rise of the once anti-establishment Five Star Movement, but as Italy's chief diplomat has embraced Draghi's more pro-European, pro-Atlanticist views. He has backed the premier's strong support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion, including sending weapons for Kyiv to defend itself. In this he has clashed with the head of Five Star, former premier Giuseppe Conte, who has argued that Italy should focus on a diplomatic solution. But a majority of lawmakers -- including from the Five Star Movement -- backed Draghi's approach in March and again in a Senate vote on Tuesday. - A diplomatic solution - Despite Italy's traditional ties to Russia, Draghi's government has sent weapons and cash to help Ukraine, while strongly supporting EU sanctions against Russia. Conte had warned against Italy getting involved in an arms race. "We have contributed by sending three lots of weapons. Now it seems to us our contribution would be more precious on the diplomatic front," he said earlier this month. But Di Maio had harsh words for his party and its leader, without citing Conte by name. Story continues "In these months, the main political force in parliament had the duty to support the diplomacy of the government and avoid ambiguity. But this was not the case," he said. "In this historic moment, support of European and Atlanticist values cannot be a mistake," he added. The Five Star Movement, he said, had risked the stability of the government "just to try to regain a few percentage points without even succeeding". Despite the friction, senators agreed by 219 votes to 20 a resolution Tuesday in support of Draghi's policy, just days before an EU summit later this week. The compromise resolution grants more involvement by parliament in decisions, including over weapons shipments -- something sought by Conte. Draghi, a former European Central Bank chief who visited Kyiv last week with the leaders of France and Germany, had earlier Tuesday made clear his course was set. "Italy will continue to work with the European Union and with our G7 partners to support Ukraine, to seek peace, to overcome this crisis," he told the Senate, with Di Maio at his side. "This is the mandate the government has received from parliament, from you. This is the guide for our action." The Five Star Movement stormed to power in 2018 general elections after winning a third of the vote on an anti-establishment ticket, and stayed in office even after Draghi was parachuted in to lead Italy in February 2021. But while it once threatened to upend the political order in Italy, defections, policy U-turns and dismal polling have left it struggling for relevance. "Today ends the story of the Five Star Movement," tweeted former premier Matteo Renzi, who brought down the last Conte government by withdrawing his support. ar-ams/ah The family of software pioneer John McAfee has stepped up their demand for answers a year after his mysterious death in a Spanish jail cell . McAfees corpse still remains unclaimed in a Spanish morgue. He was awaiting extradition to the US on tax evasion charges when he was found dead in a Barcelona cell. He was 75 years old. More from Deadline The software developer of the first commercial anti-virus software, McAfee had a strange last few years, globetrotting and immersed in the cryptocurrency and conspiracy worlds. Its difficult to put into words what life has been like this past year, McAfees widow, Janice, tweeted Thursday. McAfee was arrested in Spain and was jailed for eight months prior to his death, which authorities claimed was a suicide. His family disagreed and is pressing for a more detailed investigation. His body is being held while legal deliberations continue. A former third-party candidate for US president in 2016 and 2020, McAfee at one time had a fortune estimated at $100 million. While much of that was lost in the market crash of 2008, he still lived a lavish lifestyle from his base on the Belize island of Ambergris Caye. There, Belize police declared him a person of interest in the killing of American Gregory Faull, 52, who had complained about McAfees dogs before being discovered in his home with fatal gunshot wounds. McAfee was never charged in that case, but Belize authorities said they were actively looking for him. He lost a wrongful death suit in Florida brought by Faulls family. They won an award of $25 million, but never collected. Best of Deadline Story continues Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Former President Donald Trump attends a Save America Rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022. Trump endorsed Darren Bailey for Illinois governor and also campaigned for U.S. Rep. Mary Miller in her bid against fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis. (Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images) MENDON, Ill. Former President Donald Trump used a rural west-central Illinois fairgrounds rally Saturday night to endorse Darren Bailey for the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesdays primary as he also restated his backing for U.S. Rep. Mary Miller and took a victory lap for the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Darren is a farmer and hes a fighter and he has been an outstanding warrior in the Illinois State Senate where hes totally, totally respected by all of them, Trump told a crowd of thousands at the Adams County Fairgrounds near Quincy. Advertisement He will crack down on the violent crime that is devouring our Democrat-run cities and restore the state of Illinois to greatness. Darren has my complete and total endorsement, Trump said, labeling first-term, reelection seeking Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker one of the worst governors in America. MENDON - Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for Illinois governor, and U.S. Representative Mary Miller have a word after receiving an endorsement from Donald Trump during a Save America Rally with former President Donald Trump at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022. (Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images) Bailey, an ardent Trump supporter who has actively sought the former presidents endorsement as the capstone for success in a six-way GOP primary race, said he will work to have Illinois welcome a new White House bid by Trump in 2024. Advertisement Heres the deal. I will not lie to anyone and I will not let anything go unnoticed. And when I see it, I will name it, Bailey said after Trump told the story of Bailey plucking a misplaced hair out of the former presidents head during pre-rally picture taking. We have our work cut out for us here in Illinois, friends, Bailey said. Ive made a promise to President Trump that in 2024, Illinois will roll the red carpet out for him because Illinois will be ready for President Trump. Trump lost Illinois by 17% of the vote in his winning bid for the presidency in 2016 and his losing reelection run in 2020. Trump, who has often delayed endorsements unless he was sure of a candidates victory, predicted Bailey would win the primary very big and youre going to go on and win the election. Bailey, a 2020 Trump presidential nominating delegate, comes from a downstate region of Illinois where voters have solidly supported the former president, and he has sought to cultivate their backing in his bid for governor as a base of support that has gradually grown across the state. [ [Dont miss] Illinois primary 2022: What to know before Tuesdays Election Day ] Hes also been the most demonstrably outspoken critic of Pritzker, starting with lawsuits ultimately unsuccessful that sought to block the Democratic governors pandemic mitigation orders while promoting an evangelical rural populist candidacy that decries the cultural policies of urban Chicago. Bailey is in a field of candidates that includes Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, investor Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, businessman Gary Rabine of Bull Valley, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo and Hazel Crest attorney Max Solomon. Trumps visit also was aimed at bolstering turnout for Miller, whose freshman term has been buffeted by controversy, in a contest against five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis in the newly drawn 15th Congressional District. The match up between Miller and Davis, an offshoot of Democratic redistricting following the 2020 Census, is the only one between Republican congressional incumbents in the states primary election on Tuesday. Advertisement Trump endorsed Miller on Jan. 1 and held a subsequent fundraiser for her at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But Davis has support from much of the local GOP establishment, including 31 of the districts 35 county GOP chairmen as well as neighboring GOP Congressmen Darin LaHood of Peoria and Mike Bost of Murphysboro. With Mary, you get to elect a fearless America First Patriot, Trump said. Shes an incredible woman, somebody Ive gotten to know very well. Shes been with me from day one. No bad back statements, you know, saying bad things about me two years ago, three years ago, one year ago, Trump said, adding she is a warrior for our movement. Going on to attack the two Republicans on the House select committee investigating Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, the former president told the crowd, If you want to send a message to (Wyoming U.S. Rep.) Liz Cheney, (Illinois) U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger and (Democratic U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and the fake news media, then this Tuesday you need to cast your vote for a truly wonderful person, Mary Miller. Miller said that on behalf of the MAGA patriots in America, she wanted to thank Trump for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court but did not elaborate on what she meant. A campaign spokesperson said after the rally that Miller meant to say right to life but misspoke. [ [Dont miss] U.S. Rep. Mary Millers white life comment is latest controversy in her short two years in Congress ] The courts decision, Miller said, would never have been possible if the Never-Trump RINOs had gotten their way, using the term to label Davis a Republican In Name Only. After Trumps speech, Davis predicted hed win on Tuesday even as he sought to stress his support of the former presidents policies while in the White House. Advertisement Ive always said Im proud of my conservative record of working with Trump when he was in office. Together we protected the unborn, defended the Second Amendment, cut taxes, secured our border, supported our police and farmers, and so much more, Davis said in a statement. MENDON - Supporters wait to enter prior to the Save America Rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022 in Mendon. Former President Donald Trump campaigned for U.S. Rep. Mary Miller for Congress and also endorsed Darren Bailey for Illinois governor. (Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images) Trump sought to take credit for the appointment of three conservative justices during his presidency and their role in the 6-3 decision Friday that overturned the courts 1973 ruling that gave women the right to seek an abortion without undue government interference. The court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law and above all, a victory for life, Trump said. Citing generations of the anti-abortion movement as well as constitutional conservatives, your boundless love, sacrifice and devotion has finally been rewarded in full. The crowd chanted, Thank you, Trump. Trump, as is usual at his post-White House rallies, continued to try to push his unproven claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election while also attacking the House select committees investigation into his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Advertisement Thousands of Trump supporters gathered inside and on the periphery of the fairgrounds, not far from the Mississippi River bluffs across from Missouri. Many sported red Make America Great Again hats, while some others wore shirts proclaiming Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president and God, Guns and Trump. [ [Dont miss] billionaire ] Clad in a shirt declaring hes a Free American, Andres Rios, who said he grew up in Chicagos Humboldt Park neighborhood before moving to Florida several years ago, maintained his belief in Trumps unproven claims that his reelection was stolen due to widespread vote fraud, saying his belief was based on a cynical attitude toward Chicago politics. I just got tired of that stuff, you know? Rios said. Symbolizing the sway Trump still holds over Republican voters, Rhonda Goodwin of nearby Quincy, admitted to not knowing much about Millers two years in Congress but said the former presidents endorsement was good enough for her. Anybody Trump endorses is probably going to be the winner, Goodwin said. I didnt do a whole lot of my own research. I figured his people have vetted her way more than I ever could and if hes endorsing her, thats all I need. Advertisement Miller, who was born and raised in suburban Naperville, has aligned herself with the far-right extremes of the national GOP, a factor in winning Trumps endorsement, and the former president and their allies were prominently featured at the rally. MENDON - U.S. Representative Mary Miller from Illinois cheers with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado during a Save America Rally with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022. Trump stumped Miller of downstate Oakland in an Illinois congressional primary versus fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty) Freshman U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who voted against state Electoral College vote certification, and has criticized the Jan. 6 investigation, told the crowd, My girlfriend, Mary Miller, is the bomb. Illinois, if you want a fighter, Mary is your girl. Boebert, like Miller an opponent to gun regulation, attempted to criticize Davis as a Republican in Name Only in calling herself a professional political RINO-hunter, but ended up instead delivering a criticism of her colleague, MiIller. Now if you really want someone whos just going to go to Washington, D.C., and play these political games and eat fancy steak dinners I heard the beef is better, in Illinois, is that right? Its better here, than it is in D.C.? you want Mary Miller, Boebert told the crowd. Pearson reported from Chicago and Gorner reported from Mendon. rap30@aol.com Advertisement jgorner@chicagotribune.com Candidates for Lenawee County district judge participate in a forum Thursday at Adrian High School. Pictured from left are District Judge Todd M. Morgan, Lenawee County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Fleming, attorney David Lacasse and attorney Ashley Hanson-Grimes. ADRIAN Candidates running for Lenawee County district judge shared their experience and judicial philosophies with voters during a forum Thursday in Adrian. Lenawee County District Judge Todd M. Morgan is looking to retain his position. He was appointed to the bench this spring by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to fill a vacancy created by Judge Jonathan L. Poers retirement. His appointment is until Jan. 1, 2023. Attorneys Christopher Fleming, Ashley Hanson-Grimes and David Lacasse are looking to complete the unexpired term. Two candidates will advance from the Aug. 2 primary. Whoever is elected in November will serve through the end of 2026. All four candidates appeared at the forum hosted by the Lenawee County branch of the NAACP at the Julianne and George Argyros Performing Arts Center at Adrian High School. Dale Gaertner of radio station WLEN in Adrian was the forums moderator. Candidates for the new 34th District in the Michigan House of Representatives, the new 5th U.S. House District and the new 16th Michigan Senate District also took part in the forum. A story on the candidates in the Republican primary in the 34th District appeared in Saturdays edition of The Daily Telegram. Only one candidate appeared for each of the other two races. The Telegram will publish profiles of those candidates separately. More: Republicans seeking Michigan House seat discuss issues Before becoming judge, Morgan worked in the Lenawee County Public Defenders Office. His earlier work experience includes being a forensic security aide in a mental health hospital prison and being a financial analyst for Michigan Rehabilitative Services, a state agency that helps people with disabilities get or keep jobs. He opened his private practice in Adrian in 2011 after receiving his law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing. He also is a U.S. Navy veteran and a past member of the Clinton Village Council. Lenawee County District Judge Todd M. Morgan speaks during a candidate forum Thursday at Adrian High School. He is running to retain is position as district judge. Fleming has been an assistant Lenawee County prosecutor since 2018. He worked in private practice before joining the prosecutors office. He has been an attorney since 2012 after receiving his law degree from Southern Illinois University in 2011. Story continues Lacasse graduated from the Michigan State University College of Law in 2007. He works in private practice in Adrian but also serves as a township attorney. Hanson-Grimes graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2011 and first became a licensed attorney in Indiana in 2011. She joined the Michigan Bar in 2013. She is a juvenile court referee in Lenawee County and a defense attorney in the sobriety and enhanced treatment courts in district court. The following are responses to some of the questions asked during the forum. Sentence agreements Morgan said sentencing agreements as part of plea deals, called a Cobbs agreement, can help move cases along, particularly when a jail term is not expected, but there may be cases where the judge would not agree to a particular sentence as part of a plea. Fleming said that because the judge, prosecution and defense are involved in discussions about a possible Cobbs plea, he is in favor of them because it does foster efficiency in the courtroom. Christopher Fleming, a candidate for Lenawee County district judge, answers a question during a forum Thursday at Adrian High School. Since we were shut down from the pandemic, the cases that we have now are just voluminous. Its just insane how many cases that have hung around since 2020, 2021, unfortunately, and to be able to efficiently handle those cases with a Cobbs agreement from a judge is extremely helpful. Cobbs agreements have their place because they provide a defendant with some certainty, but they are not appropriate in all cases, Lacasse said. The judge has to have the wherewithal and the wisdom to be able to discern when they are appropriate and when they are not, he said. Cobbs agreements should be the exception and not the rule in district court, Hanson-Grimes said. I believe that, although they are a useful tool, that justice and accountability need to take precedence in district court, she said. District court is the place where we can really get at the forefront of why criminal behavior is occurring, and if we are just trying to deal that away in order to clean up the docket, that is at the expense of our community and our public safety. Agreements are most effective when the defendant might be best served by being sentenced to one of the treatment courts or intensive probation, she said. Sentencing philosophy Sentencing is about making sure people are held accountable, Fleming said, and is done on a case-by-case basis. The facts are taken into account when I would sentence, he said. Lacasse said sentences should be appropriate for the crime and proportional to the severity of the crime. Sentences should also consider programs that could help the offender not continue their criminal behavior. "That will help not only them personally but also society as a whole, he said. To ensure restitution is paid, Hanson-Grimes said probation should be tailored to require a monthly or weekly payment and to make sure defendants are working. Ashley Hanson-Grimes, a candidate for Lenawee County district judge, answers a question during a forum Thursday at Adrian High School. We have many jobs in Lenawee County that are not being fulfilled, but we do have people that are able to fulfill them, she said. We would get people to work and allow that obligation to be met. Offenders should be treated as individuals to ensure their obligations to their victims are met, she said. Ensuring victims receive restitution starts with listening to the victims, Morgan said. But it also means looking at the offenders situation, such as mental health, alcohol or substance abuse problems that could be addressed by counseling or some other treatment. Bonds Lacasse said how bonds are set should be reviewed. He said one of the reasons to set a bond is to ensure the defendant will appear at later court dates. David Lacasse, a candidate for Lenawee County district judge, answers a question during a forum Thursday at Adrian High School. It has to be a reasonable bond, he said. What may be reasonable for someone who makes less money may not be a deterrent at all for someone who makes a lot more money. Bonds need to be set based on the individual and the crime, he said. As juvenile court referee, Hanson-Grimes said she makes these kinds of decisions when deciding whether to detain a defendant. When I look at those criteria, I look to the risk to the person and the risk to the community if the person is out, she said. In district court, the cost of jail and the chance someone might lose their job or home if they are in jail awaiting a resolution of their case also should be considered, she said. Are we able to put services in place that keep our community safe from you but still keep you on the street? she said. I do believe that there are ways to do that without imposing cash, and I think that I am willing as district court judge to look at all avenues in order to ensure appearance in court and the safety of the community. Morgan called bond a major issue. Being in jail for a short time can cause someone to lose their home or car, he said, so the court has bond hearings to allow defendants' attorneys to argue for their release. Bond is also determined on a case-by-case basis, he said, considering the crime, the defendant, the victim and society. Fleming said bond is set not only ensure future appearances in court but also to protect the community. He said the prosecutors office has been screaming from the mountaintop that bonds are not being set appropriately. He said there have been many cases involving serious charges when a personal recognizance bond has been allowed. Thats just not acceptable to me, he said. That won't happen if I am district judge. This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Candidates for Lenawee County district judge meet voters at forum Palm Beach Daily News As deputies arrived at the house west of Boca Raton, they could hear a woman screaming for help. The man was shot after refusing to drop the knife. Bay Area Rapid Transit passengers in Oakland wait for a train in this 2013 photo. (Ben Margot / Associated Press) One person was injured Saturday in a shooting aboard a BART train in Oakland, transit officials said. The incident was reported just before 1 p.m. on a San Francisco-bound train as it reached the West Oakland station, Bay Area Rapid Transit officials said. A male patient was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. The BART train on which the shooting occurred was removed from service to a maintenance yard for the investigation. BART officials said no suspect was in custody. The incident was the second reported on a Bay Area public transit line this week. Wednesday morning, one person was killed and another injured in a shooting aboard a Muni Metro train in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. The shooting reportedly arose out of an argument, city officials said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File Many Republicans celebrated Friday's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Four Republican Governors told the Washington Post they would support abortion rights. Gov. Phil Scott of VT and Gov. Charlie Baker of MA were "deeply disappointed" by the decision. After Friday's Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling, which revoked the constitutional right to abortion, many Republicans celebrated it as a win. The GOP has long been at the forefront of the fight to restrict abortion access and many Republican-led states have enacted or will enact abortion bans as a result of the decision. The Republican governors of Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maryland, however, all told The Washington Post they would continue to uphold the right to seek abortions in their states. Governor Phil Scott of Vermont and Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts both said they were "deeply disappointed" by the decision to overturn Roe. Vermont currently has no time restriction on abortions and Massachusetts allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Scott, who signed a law that codified pregnancy in the state, told the Post that a "woman's right to choose is a principle we will uphold in Vermont." Larry Hogan, who opposes abortion himself, also told the Post that he would uphold the abortion laws of Maryland, including a 1992 law that protects the right to have abortions. Maryland allows for abortions up to the point of viability. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, who described himself as a "pro-choice Governor" told the Post abortion would remain legal despite there being no law codifying it. New Hampshire has no time restriction on abortions. Representatives for Scott, Baker, Sununu, and Hogan did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider A ninth grader in Mission, Texas is bringing a queer youth conference to his rural hometown after winning a $10,000 grant from the nonprofit group the It Gets Better Project. Marz Gamez told TODAY that he was inspired to apply for one of the LGBTQ advocacy group's "50 States, 50 Grants, 5,000 Voices" initiative after learning about them from his club advisor Alexander Hernandez and seeing the program advertised online. The initiative, in partnership with American Eagle, aims to provide fifty grants to student projects. Gamez, the president of the Warrior Prism Alliance, the schools equivalent of a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) group, said the students decided to do a conference because of how small their own community is. Marz Gamez, 14. (It Gets Better Project) "(In our town) you know most people, coming into this whole entire school," Gamez said. "It's really difficult to just present ourselves to our parents, because they have this cultural division ... The (conference) will provide a safe space and support for everybody." Hernandez, the schools advanced placement computer science teacher and faculty leader of the Warrior Prism Alliance, said that the conference isn't just for kids. "Our goal is to be able to create a bigger space, to have a conversation, to be able to learn from each other ... to just help create a stronger support system throughout the region," Hernandez said. Hernandez said that the grant isnt the only way the club is making a change at their small school. The alliance has taught students about influential members of the LGBTQ community, held events to discuss representation and community building and more. Hernandez, the schools advanced placement computer science teacher and faculty leader of the Warrior Prism Alliance. (It Gets Better Project) Justin Tindall, director of programs and operations at the It Gets Better Project, said other grants have been provided to schools in 40 states around the country, as well as the District of Columbia. The winners were selected from a pool of 128 applications. The applications were for everything from the establishment of gender-inclusive closets (where students can access clothes that match their gender identity on their school campus), the construction of gender-inclusive restrooms or the creation of GSAs. Story continues "Every applicant had something different, or a different angle, or a different ideas of how they make it work at their school, which is what makes us really excited," said Tindall. "Rather than the It Gets Better Project going into any given community or school saying, 'This is what you need to do,' The students spoke to us and they said, 'This is what we want to do. This is what we think can make a difference at our schools.'" During a time of increased legislation targeting LGBTQ people, particularly focusing on youth and schools, Tindall said the grants and the choice they offer are a way to empower students. According to NBC News, nearly 240 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed in 2022 so far. Ross von Metzke, director of communications for the It Gets Better Project, brought it all back to the youth, adding that part of the purpose of these 50 grants is to just let kids be kids in a safe environment. As simple as that may be, it also's quite vital. "So much of the (political situation) is not about education. It's not about bathroom bills. It's not about you know, trans participation in sports, it's just about kind of going after an easy target and trying to dehumanize and diminish them," von Metzke said. "So much of what we do just sort of gives (kids) a platform and a space to just be kids and show everybody how special they are." CORRECTION (June 27, 2022, 2:59 p.m.): An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of Marz Gamez. His first name is spelled Marz, not Mars. Related: Little appears to have changed for Alexei Andrusenko, the head of a foundry in Ukraine's southern city of Berdyansk, who is happy to have kept all his staff since Moscow took control of the city. Andrusenko and his 50 or so employees continue showing up to work every morning to the grey building in the outskirts of the port city on the shores of the Sea of Azov. But now the factory's produce -- once sold to Ukrainian or international steel groups -- will likely be bound for Russia and Kremlin ally Belarus. Since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24 and captured territories in the south of the pro-Western country, Moscow has sought to strengthen their economic ties. "We have no other supply chain," Andrusenko told AFP during a press trip organised by the Russian army. He also raised concerns about the depleting stocks of their raw materials that previously came from neighbouring Mariupol, another key Ukrainian city on the shores of the Sea of Azov. Andrusenko says they are "interested" in working with the Alchevsk steelworks, a large factory with over 10,000 employees that since 2014 has been under the control of pro-Russian separatists of eastern Ukraine's Lugansk region. Before Russia sent troops to Ukraine, these deals would never have been possible. "The most important thing is to build the right supply chain and to be able to work," Andrusenko said. - Port '100 percent ready' - The southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have been largely under Russia's control since the first weeks of Moscow's military campaign, and are now being forcefully integrated into Russia's economy. The main economic asset of Berdyansk is its port, which has remained mostly intact unlike that of Mariupol, the scene of a devastating siege. In late March, an attack attributed to Ukrainian forces reportedly sank a Russian warship in Berdyansk waters, but today the port is "almost 100 percent ready" to ship grain, says Alexander Saulenko, the Moscow-installed head of Berdyansk. Story continues Ukraine has accused Russia and its allies of stealing its wheat, contributing to a global food shortage caused by grain exports blocked in Ukrainian ports. According to Saulenko, grain will soon be shipped out from the port, since silos will need to be freed up for the new harvest. "We have prospects for contracts with Turkey. Russia is an agricultural country, it has enough grain of its own so it would be more profitable to trade elsewhere," Saulenko said. But the most tangible influence of Moscow on the local economy is the introduction of Russia's national currency since last month. "Now you can buy everything in both rubles and hryvna," Ukraine's currency, the pro-Russian official added. According to him, Berdyansk received some 90 million rubles ($1.7 million) from Russia, but state employees are still paid in hryvna and it is impossible to withdraw cash rubles from ATMs. - Ties with Russia 'resuming' - Neighbouring Melitopol, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Berdyansk that came under Russian control on March 1, also uses the Russian ruble that is delivered from Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. "It's a two-currency zone.... The ruble is delivered thanks to the open road to Crimea. Commercial ties with Russia, interrupted after 2014, are resuming," says Melitopol's pro-Russian mayor, Galina Danilchenko. "People are happy to accept the ruble... I don't see any problems," she added, but for reporters on the press trip it was difficult to speak freely with the city's residents. Back at the Berdyansk foundry, 41-year-old worker Sergey Grigoryev says he just hopes to get paid his salary. "In cash, not to my card, because you can't withdraw from it. In hryvnas or in rubles -- I don't care". bur-ab/rl Why not stay home? When my daughter was in kindergarten, the day after a tornado drill, she sobbed about not wanting to go to school. She said, Yesterday we practiced a tornado and today the real one comes. Cant I just skip school today? In middle school, during an active shooter drill in the library, students were hustled into a book storage room where the door was locked, lights turned off, and they hid between shelves, on their knees, tucked in little balls. I asked if they talked while hiding so it wasnt so scary. She said, No, Mom. If you talk, you die! After years of this, she is afraid that every day is the day she has to face a kid who is hurt and angry and has a gun. Students at her high school have the daily reminder that today could be the day that they are shot to death as they enter the school, place their computer in a bin and walk through the metal detector. Any day, anywhere: school, concert, or church, my daughter knows there could be an active shooter. Why not stay home if today is the day of the tornado? Ashley Brown, Charleston Reform sentencing My research reveals that in 2010, felony DUI was added to the S.C. violent crimes list in the S.C. Omnibus Crime Reduction and Sentencing Reform Act. Felony DUI was classified Level A Highest Violent Category under the subtitle Extreme Drug Crimes, serving 85% of their 25-year maximum sentence with no parole and no work or good behavior credits given. Before 2010, felony DUI could result in involuntary manslaughter, a non-violent crime of five years max, serving 51% of that time. Texting drivers get minor penalties for loss of life and felony DUI drivers face up to a 25-year penalty. Quite a discrepancy. Reckless homicide in South Carolina results in zero to 10 years, nonviolent, serving 51% of the sentence with parole which better fits the punishment for the crime. In May 2021, the S.C. House passed H-3623, a drug offender sentencing reform bill. It was sent to the Senate, asking for 85% to 65% of sentence served, behavior credits, parole and max sentence reductions. Story continues South Carolinas Senators failed in May 2022 to move H-3623 forward for debate, causing inmates and their families to lose hope. Now is the time for the pendulum to swing toward sentencing reform. Donna Jarrell, Hanahan Male accountability? Abortion is being discussed by men and women all over our country, but I never hear any talk about male accountability. Its almost as if a girl or woman becomes pregnant on her own. It amazes me how so many people rail about big government forcing them to wear a mask, but are perfectly OK with the government forcing a girl or woman to have her entire body and hormones changed physically for nine months. Lets talk about male accountability. How about we make a law that it is unlawful for a man to have sex without a condom unless he is married? What about house arrest for the male for nine months? All suggestions are welcome. Linda Kalinowski, Chapin Guns and tyranny The Second Amendment is not about guns for hunting or for personal protection from criminals. Its about armed citizens checking and resisting a tyrannical government. Because governments are manned by sinful and narrowly self-interested people, they naturally tend to abuse and oppress the governed. A governments size and firepower should not be allowed to exceed and overawe the firepower of its citizenry. Americans, by sacred right, may make, purchase or otherwise acquire and wield whatever weaponry is needed to counter governmental aggression. Winston McCuen, Landrum A look at the shareholders of Xero Limited (ASX:XRO) can tell us which group is most powerful. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. I generally like to see some degree of insider ownership, even if only a little. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb said, 'Dont tell me what you think, tell me what you have in your portfolio. With a market capitalization of AU$12b, Xero is rather large. We'd expect to see institutional investors on the register. Companies of this size are usually well known to retail investors, too. In the chart below, we can see that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about Xero. Check out our latest analysis for Xero What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Xero? Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index. As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Xero. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Xero's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Xero. From our data, we infer that the largest shareholder is Rod Drury (who also holds the title of Top Key Executive) with 13% of shares outstanding. Its usually considered a good sign when insiders own a significant number of shares in the company, and in this case, we're glad to see a company insider play the role of a key stakeholder. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 6.3% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 6.0% by the third-largest shareholder. Story continues Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 50% of the ownership is controlled by the top 18 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership. While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. Insider Ownership Of Xero While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Xero Limited. Insiders own AU$2.1b worth of shares in the AU$12b company. That's quite meaningful. Most would say this shows a good degree of alignment with shareholders, especially in a company of this size. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 44% stake in Xero. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. Next Steps: I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Xero you should know about. But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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. Designer Dilan Lurr declared this season his tabula rasa by digging through a treasure trove of historical references and filtering them through a futuristic lens. He pulled in Asian and Greek references in shapes and draping, mini-tunics over trousers and fuzzy floral knits with protective arm overlays. Japanese style geta shoes met slashed-up sweaters with removable arms; clingy bodysuits were topped with oversized blazers. More from WWD Outerwear had light militaristic touches, embodied in a leopard print coat with a single broad lapel that read as a sash, or a gray coat banded with contrasting straps. Traditional silver jewelry served as chains over conservative button-downs. Raffia hats came from Madagascar. It was a cultural smorgasbord. The Kurdish Swedish designer looked to his home country of Iraq and the ethnicities that have occupied the Middle East over time. The collection is a reflection on imperialism without judgment, he told WWD backstage after the show. Today we live in a world where we are getting bombarded with different images, different information everywhere, always, he said. What Im stressing with my background is that its the same thing, but it has just been stretched over the history of time. Everyone has left their traces in the area one way or another, so its looking at it from a different perspective. Hes careful not to get caught in the past with anything too prosaic, experimenting with rubberized smocks and cuts with sleeves that bind the arms to the body, cocoon style. It all played to a discordant soundtrack from Thomas Artiguenave. Lurr balanced the dissonance. Launch Gallery: Namacheko Men's Spring 2023 Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Good morning, friends. This is Tennessean storytelling columnist Brad Schmitt. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, I've thought many times about what the men in Ukraine are facing. The government there stopped men from leaving the country and forced them to join the military. Unless they have three or more children, all Ukrainian men ages 18 to 60 must fight. Can you imagine, guys, one day working at your job, the next holding a rifle and trying to kill invading soldiers? Then, there are volunteers like Nashville airline pilot Chris Tiller who traveled to Ukraine to help civilians under attack. A bombed out coffee stand in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on the day Nashville airline pilot Chris Tiller found himself doing something extraordinary to try to save a ciivilian's life Tiller, 30, did so with no military training, no medical training, no combat experience of any kind. While delivering food and medical supplies exactly one month ago, Tiller and other volunteers stopped to eat at a restaurant in Kharkiv. BOOM! A Russian rocket destroyed a coffee stand next to the restaurant. Ears ringing, Tiller and his colleagues rushed outside and saw five badly wounded civilians. What happened next took my breath away. Check out that story and others below. And thank you for reading The Tennessean. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville volunteer in Ukraine faces gruesome choice Billionaire Ken Griffins decision to move his Citadel hedge fund to Florida, only days before a Tuesday Republican primary hes heavily invested in, could become a major turning point in the future of the Illinois GOP, and especially the fate of Republican campaigns and fundraising. Griffins departure from Chicago also could radically shift the balance in the battle of the billionaires thats been waged between himself and his political nemesis, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, as each has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to affect the outcome of elections. Advertisement Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel, at his office on Nov. 5, 2014. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tri / Chicago Tribune) Pat Brady, a former state GOP chairman, acknowledged that if Griffin departs the Illinois political scene, it will create difficulties for Republicans in the short term. But, he said, it also could force the party to be less reliant on a few wealthy donors and go back to a more traditional, broad-based fundraising effort. Weve got to get back to the fundamentals, and one of the fundamentals of politics is raising money. And I think theres a whole generation, new generation of donors that Republicans havent tapped into that maybe dont like the way things are going on in this state, Brady said. Advertisement I think probably in the long run, its a good development if were not relying on one guy, not that we wouldnt welcome Ken Griffins money and are appreciative of it, he said. But what happens is you get lazy and thats why I think the Democrats are in that trick bag with Gov. Pritzker. Theyve got a guy whos going to write all the checks, and thats not good. Parties are supposed to be bottom-up organizations. Thats how you get people out to vote. Griffin, who is worth $25.2 billion, according to Forbes, has spent nearly $180 million on state and local candidates and groups largely aligned with Republicans since 2002. He spent $129 million of that in just the last four years, including $50 million on his current slate of GOP primary candidates headed up by Aurora Mayor Richard Irvins bid for governor. Pritzker, an entrepreneur and heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, is worth $3.6 billion, according to Forbes. He spent more than $170 million to win the governors office in 2018 over Griffin-backed, single-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Pritzker also has pumped millions more into Democratic campaigns and organizations. Richard Irvin, Aurora's mayor and a Republican candidate for Illinois governor, speaks with the media before participating in the inaugural Pride Flag Raising Ceremony in Aurora on June 10, 2022. (Mark Black / for the Beacon-News) Griffins stunning timing so close to primary day of Citadels move to Miami suggests he could be ceding not only the electoral outcome of his slated candidates but also his billionaire battle to Pritzker. An Irvin loss would represent a spectacular political flameout. Griffins decision also points to a renewed financial emergence of a third billionaire, Richard Uihlein, the ultraconservative megadonor who founded the privately held Uline office supply company. Uihlein is backing state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia in the GOP primary for governor and has contributed $9 million to Baileys campaign Uihleins largest-ever personal donation to a candidate. Uihlein also has given an independent expenditure political action committee allied with Bailey nearly $8.1 million. Industry spending figures showed Griffins investment with Irvin paid for more than $28.5 million in TV ads since the Aurora mayor announced his candidacy in January. But the effect of those Griffin-funded Irvin ads was offset by an onslaught of commercials that backed Bailey and attacked Irvin. That included nearly $8 million in ads run by Baileys campaign, $5.5 million in commercials attacking Irvin and paid for by the Bailey-affiliated independent expenditure PAC, $24.6 million in ads from Pritzker, including many that attacked Irvin, and $16.1 million in ads from the Pritzker-supported Democratic Governors Association. Pritzker and the Democrats think Bailey will be easier to defeat in the general election in November so their ads criticized Irvin and offered backhanded support for Bailey with the GOP base by calling the Downstate senator too conservative for Illinois. Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey talks with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on May 17, 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) The effect of the Uihlein-Pritzker tag team might have been too much to overcome, said one person knowledgeable about the Aurora mayors campaign who was not authorized to speak publicly. In addition, the person said, if Irvin wins the nomination following a bruising primary, it could cost Griffin another $100 million to try to repair the damage and keep Irvin competitive with Pritzker. Advertisement Now, the question becomes, if Bailey wins the Republican nomination to face Pritzker in November, how much money would Uihlein give the Downstate farmer and state senator to counter the incumbents self-funding? Uihlein did not respond to a request for comment. Griffin aides also did not respond to questions about his future involvement in funding Republican candidates and causes in Illinois. But if Griffin gives up funding politicians, one prominent Illinois Republican said, Its going to be tough for fundraising in the future. I think its gonna be more difficult to make the case to Ken Griffin that Illinois is a good place to invest in for politics when hes leaving because its a bad state for his business, said the Republican, who asked not to be identified, to not jeopardize his relationship with Griffin. Weve all wondered whether or not Ken Griffins going to just toss his hands up and say, Ive tried and now Im going to move on to better, greener pastures. But Ronald Gidwitz, a major Republican fundraiser, including for former President Donald Trump, said it is premature to write off future support from Griffin for Illinois Republicans. He noted Griffin has contributed $40 million to groups involved in congressional races across the country. Just because hes relocating to Florida, doesnt mean that he wont have an interest in certain candidates in Illinois or in Chicago, said Gidwitz, who was Trumps ambassador to Belgium. But in the future, it seems to me that if weve got candidates that deserve support, hell give it. Gidwitz called Griffins departure a tragic loss for Chicago because of his leadership and philanthropy. Advertisement The money from Griffin, Pritzker and Uihlein means Illinois will be holding its second consecutive $100 million governor primary election, even though only the Republican race is contested. Nearly half that money is coming from Democrats trying to help Bailey. Four years ago, a combined $124.5 million was spent as Rauner narrowly won renomination against former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, while Pritzker won a six-way battle for the Democratic nomination. Pritzker spent $68 million and Rauner spent $37 million, according to campaign records assembled by Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert and a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. This time around, television and radio ad spending from the start of 2022 through Tuesdays primaries show $90.4 million has been spent as six men compete for the Republican primary nomination, according to industry records. Pritzker, facing nominal opposition, and the Democratic Governors Association have spent at least $40.7 million on TV ads that are largely trying to influence the GOP outcome. At least another $30 million has been spent on social media advertising, such as YouTube and Facebook, based on routine campaign spending practices, with even millions more spent on mailings to voters. Only a dozen years ago, with competitive primary races for governor in both parties, total spending was $25 million, according to Redfields research. In addition to the billionaires spending, other factors included that the primary was moved from March to June, which provides more time for spending, and the Democratic involvement in the GOP primary, Redfield said. Advertisement For this primary, industry records from the first of the year show, nearly $59 million was spent on TV ads in the governors race on Chicago broadcast and cable stations. The spending was led by Pritzkers $15.1 million, Irvins $15 million and the DGAs $7.45 million. But the spending has been so pervasive that even in Rockford, the nations 139th-largest media market, nearly $8 million was spent on ads, led by $2.8 million by Irvin, $1.9 million by Pritzker and $1.75 million by the DGA. Redfield said the increased spending represents the shift from what had been a patronage-led, party-organized effort to get the faithful to the polls to a more technology-driven, product-selling-style model in which you can substitute capital for labor to get people to vote. With a disparity of wealth, Redfield said he expected a few wealthy individuals to continue to be the basis for political fundraising in the future, regardless of Griffins departure. Youve got a huge concentration of wealth and wealth disparities and we know theyre becoming intensified, Redfield said. I dont know whose line it was but essentially, everybodys got to have a hobby. Rich people can take up all kinds of things, but one of them they take up is politics. rap30@aol.com Spain is lobbying for NATO to pay more attention to security threats on its southern flank when the military alliance gathers for a summit in Madrid later this week. But with the war in Ukraine entering its fifth month, the priority for Spain's NATO partners remains firmly on deterring Russian in the east. When NATO leaders convene in Madrid on June 28-30 they are due to revamp the alliance's strategic concept, which outlines its main security tasks and challenges but has not been revised since 2010. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has been pushing for NATO to broaden its scope to help deal with non-military threats such as "the political use of energy resources and illegal immigration" in Africa. "The threats are as much from the southern flank as from the eastern flank," he told a Madrid news conference on Wednesday. Madrid is also concerned about lawlessness and violent Islamist movements in the Sahel region, a vast territory stretching across the south of the Sahara Desert. "We have this war in Europe, but the situation in Africa is really worrying," said Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles. The issue is particularly acute for Spain, a main gateway into Europe for irregular migration from Africa and a country which relies on Algeria for gas supplies. Last year Morocco allowed thousands of migrants to enter Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta during a diplomatic crisis over the disputed Western Sahara, prompting Madrid to accuse Rabat of "blackmail". Although the two countries recently normalised their relations after Spain ended its decades-long position of neutrality over Western Sahara to publicly support Morocco's stance, the migration crisis hasn't come to an end. On Friday at dawn, around 2,000 African migrants tried to storm the border with Melilla, the other Spanish enclave on Morocco's northern coast. At least 23 died in the incursion, making it the deadliest incident to occur at the borders of the two Spanish enclaves -- the only borders between the EU and Africa. Story continues And earlier this month Morocco's arch-rival Algeria suspended a co-operation treaty with Spain in response to Madrid's U-turn over Western Sahara. - 'Uphill struggle' - But with an active conflict on NATO's eastern flank, it is going to be "an uphill struggle" to convince member states to make a commitment to the southern flank, said Sinan Ulgen, a NATO expert at the Carnegie Europe think-tank in Brussels. "The war in Ukraine has changed the equation. The threat from Russia has become the main preoccupation for almost all the countries," the former Turkish diplomat told AFP. In Washington, US national security spokesman John Kirby said "the focus right now is on the eastern flank". "But there remains a continued effort to make sure we are also paying attention to the southern flank," he added. In an interview published Saturday by Spanish daily El Pais, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the Alliance would "strengthen (its) cooperation with southern countries", mentioning Mauritania in particular. Aside from Russia, Washington's other major concern is China, which is expected to be mentioned in NATO's strategic concept for the first time. To try to convince its NATO allies, Spain has sounded the alarm over the growing presence of Russian mercenaries in African nations like Mali and the Central African Republic, arguing instability could increase African migration to Europe. Madrid has also suggested that Russia was behind Spain's recent diplomatic spat with Algeria. "Unfortunately the threats from the south are increasingly Russian threats from the south," Albares said. - Different agendas - Ulgen said that another difficulty is that while other southern European nations want a greater NATO engagement in Africa, they have different priorities, making it hard to set a common alliance-led strategy. "Rome, Paris, Madrid, Ankara still assess the political and security challenges differently. That is the fundamental reason why there is not a stronger push for NATO to have a bigger role" in the southern flank, said Ulgen. In addition, many top US policymakers believe NATO should focus on territorial defence, not non-conventional threats, said Angel Saz, the director of the Centre for Global Economy and Geopolitics at Spain's Esade business school. "And the only threat to territorial defence is Russia. The Sahel can destabilise Europe, but it will not conquer Spain or Italy," he said. Spain has "perhaps put too much emphasis" on the call for a greater NATO role in the southern flank and "it runs the risk of under accomplishing," he added. bur-ds/mg/chz/har/dl San Joaquin County residents like many people across the nation learned early Friday of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe V. Wade. We took a huge step back as a country with supporting women, Kimberly Robinson, Community Liaison Northern California Black Women for Wellness said. Robinson has worked in the medical field for more than 20 years, including a women's health clinic for 14 years where abortion services are provided. She works with Black Women for Wellness a nonprofit committed to the health and well-being of black women and girls through health education, empowerment, and advocacy. She said the decision was disappointing in that it showed a lack of support for women. My heart goes out to those states like Texas and Louisiana and Mississippi. You know, and the other states that have really strict abortion laws. My heart goes out to those women because now they are faced with that reality. Robinson said. A group of about 75 people protesting for abortion rights march from Fremont Square Park to the San Joaquin County Courthouse. On the West Coast, the Democratic governors of California, Washington and Oregon issued a joint multi-state commitment, saying they will work together to defend patients and care providers. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill intended to shield abortion providers and volunteers in California from legal decisions in other states that limit reproductive rights, part of a package of more than a dozen bills intended to make California a sanctuary for those seeking abortions. What does overturning Roe mean? Breakdown of the Supreme Court's abortion ruling He said the states budget will include $20 million over three years to help pay for women from other states to get abortions in California. The money will go to nonprofits that help women pay for expenses such as travel, lodging and child care. I think it's important to let folks in California know that abortion is still legal here," Robinson said. In a country where Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, stripping away the right to abortion care is downright cruel. This decision denies our humanity and dignity. Story continues Others did not share Robinson's view. "This has been our prayer, the church's prayer for the last 50 years," Bishop Myron Cotta of the Diocese of Stockton said in a written statement. "While I applaud the Supreme Court's decision and the countless lives that will be saved because of it, we, as the Diocese of Stockton will look to increase our work to protect every life and support California's women, children and families." Weekend protests planned Advocacy groups including the Breakthrough Project for Social Justice in Lodi and A New Lodi plan to protest at Lodi City Hall at 6 p.m. Friday in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to Nancy G. St. Clair, a candidate for the District 4 Board of Supervisors seat who works with both groups. Another rally is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, June 25, at Stockton City Hall. "The only reason abortion rights were achieved was because of the struggle of tens of millions of women demanding justice in the 1960s and early 1970s," organizer Firoz Azizi said in a written statement. "The peoples struggle will be the path to win and secure abortion rights and all other rights once again." Abortion rights advocates protested in downtown Stockton last month after a draft of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to Politico. I am a feminist and have been fighting for women's rights (since) the 70s, and I cannot believe that we are going back 50 years, Stockton resident Jo Bailey, 67, said at the May protest. I believe that abortion rights are womens health rights. 'We are going back 50 years': Protesters in favor of abortion rights rally in downtown Stockton Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers business, housing, and land use. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow. This article originally appeared on The Record: Overturning Roe v Wade: Stockton reacts to Supreme Court decision Actress Nicole Kidman celebrated her 16th anniversary with Keith Urban. (Photo: Emma McIntyre/WireImage) Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are celebrating their sweet 16th anniversary. The star of The Northman, 55, took to Instagram to celebrate the joyful occasion with a rare throwback photo from the couple's wedding. "Sweet XVI. Remember this like it was yesterday," Kidman captioned the photo, which featured the couple lighting candles together at their 2006 wedding ceremony in a church in Manly, Australia. Kidman wore a stunning one-shoulder wedding gown, with a long veil trailing behind her. A dapper Urban sported a black suit and tie as he smiled in the photo. "Forever." Urban, 54, marked the milestone with a more recent shot of the longtime couple. "HAPPY SWEET 16 BABY xxxxx," the country singer captioned a selfie that shows his Oscar-winning wife waving to the camera. Urban's post comes just five days after he celebrated Kidman's 55th birthday with another sweet shot. "Happy birthday babygirl," he captioned the photo, which features him planting a kiss on Kidman's forehead. While the longtime couple have shared some of their joyful times on social media lately, they haven't been without any struggles during their relationship, which began when they first met at G'Day LA, a Hollywood event honoring Australians. Back in April, Urban spoke candidly with the Sunday Times about how influential the encouragement of his wife was in his lengthy battle with alcoholism. While he first checked into treatment in 1998, he returned to rehab a few months after marrying Kidman in 2006, at her insistence. Video: Kidman makes surprise appearance during Urban's Las Vegas show My dad was an alcoholic, so I grew up in an alcoholic house and it took me a long time to believe I was wired the same, Urban shared. I had to find a different way to be in the world. Im glad it didnt change anything about my music. I wrote plenty of hit songs while drunk. I wrote plenty sober. I feel lucky it hasnt defined my creativity. Back in the present, Urban recently gave his wife credit for helping him get back on track in the ballad, "Thank You," which he has stated was written in her honor. The couple have two daughters together: Sunday Rose, 13, and Faith Margaret, 11. Kidman also has two children, Connor, 27, and Isabella, 29, from her first marriage to Tom Cruise, which ended in 2001. A jury found one man guilty during a trial last week at the Marion County Judicial Center, and another man elected not to take his chance with a trial and instead resolved his case with a plea bargain. Brian Carl Vanepps was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty by jurors on Wednesday, prosecutors said. Vanepps was adjudicated guilty by Circuit Judge Peter Brigham on charges of sexual battery and lewd, lascivious molestation on a child younger than 12. No bond: Ocala judge denies bail for man facing witness tampering and battery charges A long sentence: Ocala man sentenced to 20 years in prison for woman's 2018 drug overdose death Suspicious: Marion County Sheriff's Office investigates shooting death of man in Citra Arrest The 38-year-old was deemed a sexual predator. His trial lasted a day, officials said. In January 2018, Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies were told that a man had molested a child. Kimberly's Center for Child Protection The victim was interviewed at Kimberly's Center for Child Protection, where she told officials that Vanepps had touched her several times, according to his arrest report. Vanepps was found by sheriff's deputies and questioned about the girl's statement. He denied touching her. Released on bond, Vanepps was re-arrested last month when he failed to show up for a hearing relating to his case, according to court documents. He has been locked up at the Marion County Jail since his latest arrest. State records show the Ocala man has a conviction for aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. A plea bargain Two days before Vanepps' trial, Freddie Lee Honor Jr. was scheduled for jury selection on charges of principal to robbery with a firearm and principal to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Instead, Honor, who also was facing multiple charges of principal to burglary of a conveyance while armed and other offenses, decided to skip the process. He entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for all of his charges, according to court records. Story continues Presently in the jail, Honor has 669 days of credit for time already served while at the facility. Arrests The 20-year-old Ocala man was first arrested by law enforcement officials in March 2020 in connection with the shooting and robbery of a teenage boy in Ocala. A second person, 20-year-old Keiunte Cooper, who allegedly was involved with the incident, was also apprehended, according to authorities. He's facing charges of robbery with a firearm and aggravated battery with a firearm. His case is ongoing, court records show. Law officials arrested a third person, whose charges were dropped due to witness issues, court records indicate. Picture of a potential vehicle burglary In August 2020, sheriff's deputies and Ocala police officers arrested Honor and several teens in connection with a string of vehicle burglaries in both the city and county. The group members were accused of snatching valuables from multiple unlocked vehicles. One member of the group, Edward Johnson, 19, of Ocala, pleaded guilty earlier this month and was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Another member, now 17, is awaiting resolution to his case, court records show. His name is not being released by the Star-Banner because of his age. No information could be located in the court records for the other two individuals, who at the time of arrest were juveniles. Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala, Florida felony court cases resolved with prison terms Orange County detectives are trying to crack a cold case thats nearly 40 years old. WATCH: Dashcam video shows troopers stopping boy, 16, accused of threatening to kill Orlando detective Investigators said someone shot a woman and dumped her body in a wooded area near Avalon Park Boulevard and Colonial Drive in 1984. Detectives have not been able to identify her. We are hoping someone will see her face and recognize her, said Detective Scott Lowen. We just need someone from that time that will help in our investigation. READ: Florida man convicted of killing librarian with church van while fleeing attack on her son To aid detectives, forensic experts recently created a rendering of what she may have looked like. Detectives teamed up with the University of South Florida Institute of Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science, which used Jane Does skull to create a digital rendering of her face. WATCH: Intense body camera video shows deadly officer-involved shooting in Titusville Anyone who may recognize her is asked to call Central Florida Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477). Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV. Jun. 25Justin Florence was sworn in as the new mayor of Palestine in a special called meeting of the Palestine City Council Friday, June 24. "I am very honored and excited that the citizens of Palestine have elected me as mayor," Florence said. "I look forward to working with City Council and our city manager towards improving our city. We have great people that live here and know how great our city is, now it's time for us to show the rest of East Texas how great Palestine is!" With his family in attendance, Florence was sworn in by Judge Michael Davis of the 369th Judicial District. "Today is a new day for Palestine," Davis said. "I am proud of Justin for answering the call to serve Palestine as our mayor. He understand the challenges we face as a community, the importance of working together with council to find common sense solutions, and he is ready to lead us forward in a positive manner. "I also want to thank all council members and city personnel for their service and efforts to make Palestine a better place for us all." Florence won the June 18 Mayoral runoff election with 56.26% of the votes over Mitchell Jordan's 43.74%. According to the city of Palestine, Florence had a total of 701 votes to Jordan's 545 votes. The election was canvassed prior to Florence being sworn in. In the May 7 Mayor Election, Jordan received 30% of the vote and Florence garnered 34% leading to the runoff election. Also running for mayor, Alex Nemer received 14%, Ava Harmon had 12% and Vickey L. Chiver came in with 8% of the votes. Florence was elected to the Palestine City Council in the District 6 position in May 2021. District 6 covers a large southeast section of the city that includes Palestine High School, where he teaches health science classes and a dual credit program that offers an emergency medical technician course of study. Florence is a lifetime resident of Palestine and has a family of five daughters. Story continues Florence completed a bachelor's degree in business and organizational management at Texas A&M University-Commerce and has more than 20 years experience of running his own small business as an emcee and deejay at weddings, proms and class reunions. Before joining the PHS faculty Florence worked as a paramedic for 22 years at Palestine Regional Medical Center and has one to two years of flight training. The Palestine City Council will call a special election to fill the District 6 vacancy during its meeting on Monday, June 27. Paul McCartney performed at the Glastonbury Festival on June 25. Harry Durrant/Getty Images Paul McCartney performed at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday in Somerset, England. McCartney featured a clip of Johnny Depp performing lyrics in sign language. Fans on social media had mixed reactions following Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard. Paul McCartney played a clip of Johnny Depp while headlining a set at Glastonbury, a five-day performing arts festival in England. McCartney, 80, performed a medley of his greatest hits when he took to the stage on Saturday and performed on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage. Glastonbury first began in 1970 and currently takes place each year in Somerset. At one point during the performance, McCartney transitioned to his 2012 song, "My Valentine," and shared music video clips on the jumbo screen. The clips featured Natalie Portman, 41, and Depp, 59, sharing McCartney's lyrics using sign language. Representatives for McCartney did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The performance was livestreamed on BBC and clips were later shared online, where fans expressed mixed feelings about McCartney including Depp. "Johnny Depp on the pyramid stage onscreen behind Sir Paul McCartney! Two kings!!" one Twitter user wrote, while another added: "To see @PaulMcCartney showing support for Johnny Depp @glastonbury was brilliant. Well done to everyone involved." While some fans praised McCartney for featuring Depp, others criticized the move following Depp's highly-publicized defamation case against Amber Heard. "Deeply disappointed in both @PaulMcCartney and @glastonbury for the Johnny Depp video. Feels like it goes against everything Glastonbury stands for," "Paul McCartney was insane but I wish he didn't play a music video featuring Johnny depp during one of his songs," Another wrote: MTV reported in April 2012 that Depp and Portman were criticized for using incorrect sign language in the music video. The British Deaf Association noted that both Portman and Depp signed the word "tampon" instead of "appear" in one line, while Depp signed the word "enemy" instead of "valentine" in another one. Story continues "The sign for tampon does seem to come up from both Johnny and Natalie, which causes some confusion, especially as American and British sign languages are different," a spokesperson told MTV. The Independent reported that McCartney and Depp are longtime friends, with McCartney using clips of Depp during his recent US tour. In 2019, Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard after claiming her 2018 Washington Post op-ed included domestic abuse accusations that hurt his career. Heard countersued for $100 million in January 2021. The six-week trial began in April 2022, and jurors reached a verdict in early June. Jurors found both Depp and Heard liable for defamation. Depp was awarded $15 million in damages and Heard received $2 million. Read the original article on Insider Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff who was in the role on Jan. 6, 2021, said he had no reason to believe that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) was personally involved in attempts to hand a list of fake electors to Pence in order to overturn election results the former vice president was overseeing. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack displayed a text exchange during one of its public hearings last week showing that Johnsons chief of staff texted Chris Hodgson, Pences then-director of legislative affairs, on that day saying the senator had an alternate slate of electors for Michigan and Wisconsin and needed to give them to Pence. Short told CBS Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan that the scheme was a staff-to-staff conversation, reiterating comments Johnson made on the matter himself. I have no reason to believe that the senator was directly involved, Short said, adding that he advised Hodgson to ensure the list would not be delivered to Pence. The incident has embroiled Johnson in controversy as he faces questions about how much he knew of the scheme. Hours after the revelation, the senator said on Tuesday that he was basically unaware of the scheme but the next day declined to say whether he had authorized his aide to hand the list of electors to Pence or whether he knew of his aides plan beforehand. A spokeswoman for Johnson said on Tuesday that the senator had no foreknowledge that the elector list was going to be delivered to his office. I have no reason to know that Ron Johnson was behind that or not, Short said on CBS. It was a staff-to-staff conversation. But Short added that the Senate parliamentarian has received fake elector lists in past elections and said it was not necessarily shocking at that stage of events. This happens every cycle. The members send in separate fake sets of electors every time, every four years, Short said. But they come into the archives of the parliamentarian, and they dismiss them if theyre not certified. Its kind of meaningless. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Authorities believe there may be additional victims after a Phelan man was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of sexually abusing at least five children. Martin Castillo, 60, was arrested Thursday and booked into county jail in lieu of $1.7 million bail. He is suspected of multiple crimes: Continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, willful cruelty to a child, oral copulation wiith a child under 14, sending harmful matter to a minor and sexual penetration with a foreign object. Investigators began an investigation in May into the physical abuse of multiple victims ranging from 5 years old to 14 years old, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department. The abuse of the five children took place from 2010 to 2020, detectives said. The sheriffs department released Castillos booking photo to assist in finding more victims. Castillo is scheduled to appear at the Victorville Superior Courthouse on Monday. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Wendy Winegar of the Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children Detail at 909-387-3615. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com. Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio may be reached at 760-955-5358 or MEstacio@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio. This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Phelan man suspected of sexually abusing 5 minors A man was fatally shot Sunday in Kansas City. Police were dispatched around 3:30 p.m. on a shooting call in the 5200 block of East 29th Street, according to Capt. Leslie Foreman, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department. Officers found Sterling Simpson, 26, lying on the ground unresponsive after being shot. Officers began lifesaving measures, but emergency medical crews pronounced Simpson dead at the scene. There is no suspect information, Foreman said. Sundays killing was the 75th this year in Kansas City, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes police shootings. At this time last year, the city had recorded 71 homicides. Anyone with information can anonymously call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477. U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Downstate Oakland speaks as former President Donald Trump stands behind her on stage at a rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon on June 25, 2022. (Mike Sorensen/AP) MENDON, Ill. When freshman U.S. Rep. Mary Miller took to a county fair stage Saturday night to thank former President Donald Trump for appointing conservative justices who led the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade, she called it a historic victory for white life. Miller, who has Trumps endorsement in challenging five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis in Tuesdays primary, did not elaborate on the white life comment she made onstage. Later, a campaign aide said she meant to say right to life, but misspoke. Miller: President Trump I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday pic.twitter.com/RqxmbT8jx5 Acyn (@Acyn) June 26, 2022 Millers quote, with its racist overtones, was delivered on a national stage amid a time of deep political divisions exacerbated by the high courts abortion ruling. In Congress, Miller has aligned herself with the far-right extremes of the national GOP, a factor in winning Trumps endorsement. Her comment Saturday quickly spread on social media to become the top trending political subject on Twitter. That prompted her campaign to complain that the fake news vultures are out to get her. But other Illinois Republicans also criticized Miller. U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Channahon, a frequent target of Miller due to his opposition to Trump and role in being a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, retweeted the video of Millers remark along with a reminder of one of her previous controversial statements. [ [Dont miss] Illinois primary 2022: What to know before Tuesdays Election Day ] And Davis, her primary opponent, said in a statement that her comment was part of a disturbing pattern of behavior shes displayed since coming to Congress. Miller has demonstrated she is not fit for public office. This is why its so important to vote in our Republican Primary on Tuesday and show the country Millers behavior is unacceptable, Davis said. Intentional or not, it was the latest in a string of major controversies for Miller, who was born and raised in suburban Naperville and now lives in Oakland in east-central Illinois. Just days after taking office in January 2021, Miller was facing calls for her resignation after she cited Adolf Hitler in a speech to a conservative womens group in referring to the political indoctrination of young people. Each generation has the responsibility to teach and train the next generation, she said. You know, if we win a few elections, were still going to be losing unless we win the hearts and minds of our children. This is the battle. Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future. Miller eventually apologized and said she regretted using the reference to the mastermind of the Nazi Holocaust while she also blamed others for intentionally trying to twist my words. [ [Dont miss] Donald Trump endorses Darren Bailey in GOP primary for governor during downstate rally ] More recently, Miller, a member of the Second Amendment Caucus opposed to gun regulation, had an explanation for what she and the group think is the cause of mass shootings following the May 24 killings of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. We cannot let those who are trying to destroy our societys central pillars of faith, family and freedom succeed, she said of renewed efforts for gun regulations. Young men need fathers at home. So do our daughters. Our country must be guided by our Judeo-Christian faith, she said. The Second Amendment Caucus will continue to fight to defend our Second Amendment rights and we will continue to speak out about what really ails our country. We need to go back to God. On June 11, when thousands marched in rallies across the nation against gun violence, Miller posted on Twitter that she had spent the day visiting gun shops in her district and criticized her opponent for supporting red flag laws that allow a gun to be taken from someone if they present a danger to themselves or others after a due process procedure. Miller has not spoken out against Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. She voted against a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine, saying, Were not taking care of the immediate needs, the things that Americans care about, like funding our EMT or our police or our schools. [ [Dont miss] As billionaire Ken Griffin leaves state, Illinois records another $100 million primary election ] Miller also blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats for failing to vote on a Senate-passed plan to increase security for U.S. Supreme Court justices. But when Democrats put it up for a vote and it overwhelmingly passed, Miller missed the vote while she was campaigning back in her district. On Saturday night, speaking before Trump at a rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds outside Quincy, Miller said, The news media calls us names. Big Tech censors us. The global elites are determined to destroy our way of life, including the family farm. We will not let them destroy us. Miller operates a family farming operation with her husband, state Rep. Chris Miller. It has received more than $1 million in federal farm subsidies, records show. We are Americans. This is our beautiful country. And we will never surrender to the Marxists in Washington, Miller said. We are the Christians who put our faith in God, not in the government. Miller is also the subject of a House Ethics Committee complaint for using House floor footage for political purposes, in violation of congressional rules. A Miller campaign ad critical of Davis, who is from Taylorville, showed him with former President Barack Obama following a State of the Union address. Responding to the complaint, Miller accused Davis of trying to beg one of Nancy Pelosis House committees to block conservatives from seeing the footage. Miller also has repeatedly criticized Davis for supporting the investigation into Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Davis did support an independent, 9/11-style commission to look into the insurrection, but that measure never passed the Senate. Davis voted against the measure creating the current House select committee investigation. Miller didnt vote. Rick Pearson reported from Chicago and Jeremy Gorner reported from Mendon. rap30@aol.com jgorner@chicagotribune.com LONDON (AP) Prince Charles' office has denied there was any wrongdoing in the heir to the British throne accepting bags full of cash as charity donations from a Qatari politician. The Sunday Times said the prince was given a total of 3 million euros ($3.2 million) by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar. It said the money was handed over to Charles at private meetings between 2011 and 2015 on one occasion in a suitcase, and on another in shopping bags from Londons Fortnum & Mason department store. The newspaper said the money was deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Waless Charitable Fund. It did not allege that anything illegal was done. Charles office, Clarence House, said in a statement that the donations were passed immediately to one of the princes charities who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed. The princes charitable fund told the newspaper it had verified that the donor was a legitimate and verified counterparty and our auditors signed off on the donation after a specific enquiry during the audit. There was no failure of governance. Qatars government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As Qatars prime minister between 2007 and 2013, Hamad oversaw the oil-rich states sovereign wealth fund, which has major property investments around the world, including Londons Shard skyscraper, Heathrow Airport and Harrods department store. London police are currently investigating a separate allegation that people associated with another of the princes charities, the Princes Foundation, offered to help a Saudi billionaire secure honors and citizenship in return for donations. Clarence House has said Charles had no knowledge of any such offer. One day after the historic ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court removed the national protection for abortion, hundreds of pro-choice supporters again took the streets in Chicago to express their rage and sadness about the ruling while also vowing to never give up the fight for abortion rights. Groups throughout the day Saturday gathered at Federal Plaza and marched through downtown streets, chanting and holding up signs that read, Forced motherhood = female enslavement and, in Spanish, Aborto a solicitud y sin pedir disculpas! meaning, Abortion on demand and without apology! Patricia Willin, from El Salvador, said pro-choice allies can learn from protesters in Latin American countries who in recent years have taken to the streets and demanded decriminalization of abortion. Many protesters wore green, a color that in Latin American movements represents the right to legal abortions, Willin said. We take inspiration for our sisters in Latin America, by showing up and telling everyone that this is how we feel and were not gonna take their laws that theyre trying to implement, Willin said. That were not OK with having human rights taken away from women. Mari Garcia has been to every protest she could attend since former President Donald Trump was elected in 2016. The young Afro-Latinx said they feel less alone when they protest. Its definitely a way that it helps me cope, to see that there are other people out there that actually care, you know, and want the same things that I do, they said. They said its important for people in marginalized groups to speak up and show up to protest. Honestly, its gonna affect us first, Garcia said. A lot of these laws and bans are affecting all of those marginalized communities first, and honestly, if were not going to fight for our rights, or were not going to do anything about it, no one really will. Earlier Saturday, a couple hundred people gathered at Federal Plaza in between rain showers to protest the Supreme Courts 6-3 ruling decision. Story continues Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said its important to recognize the power of people coming together to fight back peacefully. She said she attended the protest not just as an elected official but as a Black woman and mother to four Black daughters who deserve more rights, not fewer. Its important to understand that Black women and other people of color and poor women and immigrant women and disabled women and trans and nonbinary people will suffer the most in this post-Roe world, and its these voices that we must prioritize and uplift in the fight ahead, Stratton said. Abortions are still legal and available in Illinois, Stratton said, because reproductive freedoms (are) enshrined into state law. But, she added, abortion rights will be a major issue in the coming midterm elections in races up and down the ballot. As protesters rallied, researchers who have studied the effects of access to reproductive care say theyre worried the decision will create even greater barriers for youths and marginalized members of society who are forced to travel to access abortion care. Amy Krauss, who has researched reproductive rights in Latin America and studied institutional inequality after Mexico City legalized abortion while other Mexican states further criminalized it, said she expects states to intensify their laws in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. She said thats already started to happen. Krauss, who taught gender, sexuality and human rights at the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights at the University of Chicago, said restrictive laws will burden people disproportionately based on race, class, and immigration status. So its not going to be people with money. Its not going to be people who are able to travel easily and access private health care, Krauss said last month after the draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. Its going to be people who are already marginalized by U.S. institutions of all kinds. While states with already restrictive laws will continue to make abortion access nearly impossible, Krauss said she expects states such as Illinois and California to increase access. In her research about Mexico, Krauss said people traveled to Mexico City for safe and legal abortions. She said health care systems were overburdened, which led to practices that were not ideal and affected marginalized groups disproportionately. She worries something similar could happen in the U.S. as those seeking abortion cross state lines. I think we also need to have in mind models of care that affirm peoples dignity in the situation of abortion, and make sure that moral stigma doesnt affect peoples experiences, Krauss said. Because as criminalization gets more intense alongside these pockets, where the right is protected, and where its legalized, people who are traveling between these different spaces are then kind of carrying a lot of moral weight and pressure. Krauss has also seen feminist and reproductive rights movements strengthen and organize networks of care in the wake of abortion criminalization. More recently, that has looked like circulating abortion pills to people who dont have the means to travel across state lines. Those networks have also existed in the U.S. before and during Roe and she hopes they will continue to exist and strengthen, she said. Lee Hasselbacher, interim executive director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health, or Ci3, is worried about the added barriers young people will face in seeking safe abortions. Its something that I think a lot of people who are working in this field have been expecting for a while, Hasselbacher said after the Roe draft opinion was leaked. Hasselbacher works with researchers on policy reform covering access to contraception and abortion, consent and confidentiality for young people, among other research topics surrounding youth and health care. Ci3 focuses on research to better understand adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Illinois recent repealed the states parental notification law for minors seeking abortions. But while youth in states with more restrictive abortion laws will be allowed to seek care in Illinois, traveling across state lines can be difficult for youth making abortion access even more limited if surrounding states pass total abortion bans, Hasselbacher said. Everyone has their own story. Everyone has their own reasons, Hasselbacher said. Everyone has a situation that theyre in that this is the best decision for them and the best way for them to move forward. scasanova@chicagotribune.com sahmad@chicagotribune.com It is usually uneventful when a single insider buys stock. However, When quite a few insiders buy shares, as it happened in Kaiser Reef Limited's (ASX:KAU) case, it's fantastic news for shareholders. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. View our latest analysis for Kaiser Reef The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Kaiser Reef Notably, that recent purchase by Timothy Neesham is the biggest insider purchase of Kaiser Reef shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$0.15 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. While Kaiser Reef insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Kaiser Reef Insiders Bought Stock Recently Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at Kaiser Reef. Specifically, insider Timothy Neesham bought AU$189k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. This makes one think the business has some good points. Story continues Insider Ownership Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that Kaiser Reef insiders own 22% of the company, worth about AU$4.9m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. So What Do The Kaiser Reef Insider Transactions Indicate? It is good to see the recent insider purchase. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Kaiser Reef insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Case in point: We've spotted 5 warning signs for Kaiser Reef you should be aware of. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. 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. (Bloomberg) -- Reliance Industries Ltd. is in talks with several global banks to raise as much as $8 billion for its planned leveraged buyout of Walgreens Boots Alliances international arm, according to a report from Mint on Sunday. Most Read from Bloomberg The report, which cited two people familiar with the discussions, said that Reliance is in talks with Barclays Bank Plc, Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank to buy the Boots drugstore chain. A consortium of Apollo Global Management Inc. and Reliance made a binding offer for Boots earlier this month that valued Boots at more than $6.1 billion, Bloomberg News previously reported. Reliance declined to comment to Mint, which said it didnt receive responses to queries emailed to the lenders. The Walgreens Boots Alliance board is likely to meet in the next few days to discuss the potential deal with the consortium, and following that, the Reliance board will meet to approve the proposed takeover, one of the two people told Mint. Walgreens had been seeking a valuation of about 7 billion ($8.6 billion) for Boots, Bloomberg News reported earlier. The business runs a network of more than 2,200 stores across the UK, as well as private-label brands like No7 Beauty Co. and operations in a smattering of other countries. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. The Supreme Courts decision to reverse 50 years of constitutional protection for the right to get an abortion is more than 200 pages long. Morgan Marietta, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and editor of the annual SCOTUS series at Palgrave Macmillan, studies the ideas and ideology of the court. We asked him to illuminate the thinking that lies behind the momentous decision. What does this ruling mean? This is a revolutionary ruling. Not just for abortion, but for the ongoing debates over the nature of rights under the Constitution. The ruling signals a massive change in how we read the Constitution, from a living reading to an original reading. The court has firmly rejected the theory of the living Constitution, which argues that the meaning of the documents language changes as the beliefs and values of Americans change. The living view, which prevailed at the Supreme Court during the second half of the 20th century, means that additional rights can emerge over time, including abortion, privacy and same-sex marriage. The living Constitution is updated through the judgment of the justices of the Supreme Court, who determine when public values have changed, and hence new rights have emerged. Originalism, which is the approach taken by the justices who overruled Roe, rejects the living Constitution. In the originalist view, the Constitution is static until officially altered by amendment. It does not evolve on its own without public approval. The role of the justices is to determine the original public meaning of the text, but to leave other decisions to democratic representation through elections. Regarding abortion, the conclusion of Dobbs is clear: The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives. Story continues Arrogated is an unusual word; it means to take without justification, implying that it is done in an arrogant way. That is the core argument of Dobbs: Roe was the court being arrogant, taking power the justices didnt have, which rightly belongs with the people, a Revolutionary-era term in a revolutionary ruling. Why is there now no right to abortion, when Roe recognized it? The new originalism of the courts majority argues that if a right is present in the text and original public meaning of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights and any other amendments, then the decision is beyond the reach of majority rule. But rights must be clear and established in order to wield that sort of influence. The explicit rights clearly described and enumerated in the Bill of Rights freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms and others are rising in influence, specifically because they have been approved and ratified by the people. But the other evolved or implicit rights that have been recognized by the court over time abortion and gay marriage, among others are simply not constitutional rights in the view of the new majority. Enumerated rights the ones specifically spelled out in the Bill of Rights will be accorded stronger protections, while the recently recognized rights of the living Constitution will not be protected. Under Roe, the majority saw abortion as within the category of rights. Hence it received constitutional protection. But under the new abortion decision, it should be governed by majority rule, the kind of question that is to be determined by the citizens of each state through their legislatures. Even the originalist justices, however, recognize that there are some unenumerated rights which, though not spelled out in the Constitution, should be given constitutional protection. The Ninth Amendment explicitly argues for their existence: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. So how do we know what those rights are? The court has settled on something known as the Glucksberg standard from 1997: Americans hold those additional rights that are deeply rooted in the Nations history and tradition. In other words, if during the early phase of American history roughly the 100-year period between the founding and the 14th Amendment, the 1770s to the 1870s Americans publicly asserted the existence of a right, then it exists. But if they did not, then it does not exist. Under the Glucksberg standard, there has to be clear historical evidence from public debates, political speeches or judicial rulings that the right was asserted and recognized. In Justice Samuel Alitos majority opinion in Dobbs, he provides a review of the history of abortion: The inescapable conclusion is that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nations history and traditions. On the contrary, an unbroken tradition of prohibiting abortion on pain of criminal punishment persisted from the earliest days of the common law until 1973, Alito writes. In the future, the court may rely on its own reading of history to determine which rights exist under the Constitution. But if the record is uncertain, the justices are far more likely to allow states to decide for themselves, rather than usurp the power to address a question of profound moral and social importance that the Constitution unequivocally leaves to the people, wrote Alito. Is a fetus now a person? Each state will decide. The abortion debate has two core questions: Is there a right to abortion? And is a fetus a person? Even if a right exists, this does not justify the killing of a person who is another holder of rights. In Roe, the court decided for the nation what the boundaries of fetal personhood were in the early stages of pregnancy: A fetus could not be considered a person before viability at approximately six months, but states could decide during the last trimester. In Dobbs, the court changes course and allows each individual state to make its own determination. Whether the court should decide disputed realities is a deeply divisive question. There was a fascinating case called Kahler v. Kansas decided in 2020, which addressed the specific question of who gets to decide disputed social facts. In that case it was the boundaries of insanity: Could Kansas define mental illness and hence the insanity defense differently than other states? Does there have to be one definition throughout the nation about such matters as what counts as legally insane, or can we have variation? In a decision written by Justice Elena Kagan, the court ruled that when realities are uncertain, individual state legislatures could decide for themselves. The same now applies to the personhood of a fetus. The power of individual states to decide social realities within their borders is the future of many constitutional disputes. As Alito writes: In some states, voters may believe that the abortion right should be even more extensive that the right that Roe and Casey recognized. Voters in other States may wish to impose tight restrictions based on their belief that abortion destroys an unborn human being. What effect will the ruling have on other issues? In overturning Roe, the majoritys opinion offers a new and weaker standard for overturning the past rulings of the court. Simply put, precedents will be easier to overturn in the future. For 30 years, the Casey ruling, which upheld the core of Roe in 1992, has been considered the precedent on precedent. It established four considerations for the legitimate discarding of a previous decision: the ruling misunderstood the Constitution; it proved to be unworkable in practice; new facts have emerged; and it accounts for what are known as reliance interests, where citizens had been guided by a ruling in making decisions about their lives. Dobbs reverses Roe by rewriting the law of precedent. This will open up many other cases for reversal. The most significant change is what Alito calls the quality of reasoning. Rulings that looked like legislation, offered faulty history or created standards unjustified by the Constitution can be overruled under the Dobbs standard. The ruling includes a footnote describing all of the recent cases in which the court has overturned precedents. It may be the longest footnote in contemporary Supreme Court history, coming in at over a page and a half. The conclusion is that the meaning of the Constitution is more important than the history of the court, so precedent does not compel unending adherence to Roes abuse of judicial authority, Alito wrote. Contrary to much speculation and worry, the Dobbs ruling and the new majority will not overturn protections of interracial marriage, especially the landmark ruling in Loving v. Virginia. That ruling hinges on the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which is also enshrined in the text and is clearly protected under an original reading. But other nonenumerated, evolved or created rights that are not textually protected are now up for question. This includes the right of same-sex marriage recognized by Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015. Questions of rights not explicitly protected by the Constitution and therefore now in the hands of state legislatures will rely much more heavily in the future on local democracy. Social movements, campaigns and elections, all at the state level, will become the main battleground of American rights. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Morgan Marietta, UMass Lowell. Read more: Morgan Marietta 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. A Republican candidate for Rhode Island state Senate suspended his campaign on Saturday after a video was posted that appeared to show him hitting an opposing candidate at a protest in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Jeann Lugo, a police officer who was off duty at the time, is shown on video hitting opponent Jennifer Rourke amid a large Providence, R.I., rally in response to Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the decision overturning Roe. The Providence Police Department (PPD) announced on Saturday that it was criminally investigating the behavior of an off duty officer last evening during a protest where a female was assaulted. The officer has served for 3 yrs and placed on administrative leave w/pay this morning, pending a criminal investigation and administrative review, the department wrote on Twitter. The PPD confirmed to The Providence Journal that Jeann Lugo was the officer involved and the outlet reported that Lugo was charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct later Saturday. Lugo told the Journal that he is not going to deny the claims that he hit Rourke. It was very chaotic, so I cant really tell you right now. Everything happened very fast, he said. Lugo added in a statement to The Boston Globe: As an officer that swore to protect and serve our communities, I, unfortunately, saw myself in a situation that no individual should see themselves in. I stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking. Rourke wrote on Twitter that Lugo had violently attacked her, saying, This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I wont give up. Lugo announced on Saturday afternoon that he is ending his campaign for state Senate. Ive decided now is the right time to seek office, therefore I will not be running for any office this fall, Lugo tweeted, according to multiple outlets. His account appears to have since been deleted. The Hill has reached out to both Lugo and Rourke for comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Karin Strohecker, Andrea Shalal and Emily Chan LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -Russia defaulted on its international bonds for the first time in more than a century, the White House and Moody's credit agency said, as sweeping sanctions have effectively cut the country off from the global financial system, rendering its assets untouchable. The Kremlin, which has the money to make payments thanks to oil and gas revenues, has rejected the claims, and accused the West of driving it into an artificial default. Earlier, some bondholders said they had not received overdue interest on Monday following the expiry of a key payment deadline on Sunday. Moody's credit agency later on Monday said that the missed coupon payment constituted a default. "Further defaults on coupon payments are likely," Moody's analysts wrote. Russia has struggled to keep up payments on $40 billion of outstanding bonds since its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. "This morning's news around the finding of Russia's default, for the first time in more than a century, situates just how strong the actions are that the U.S., along with allies and partners, have taken, as well as how dramatic the impact has been on Russia's economy," the U.S. official said on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Germany, which U.S. President Joe Biden is attending. Russia's efforts to avoid what is its first major default on international bonds since the Bolshevik revolution more than a century ago hit a roadblock in late May when the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) effectively blocked Moscow from making payments. A formal default would be largely symbolic given Russia cannot borrow internationally at the moment and doesn't need to thanks to plentiful oil and gas export revenues. But the stigma would probably raise its borrowing costs in future. With Russia going into sovereign default the international community has moved into a new, more aggressive phase of its sanctions campaign against Moscow," said Adam M. Smith, partner at Gibson Dunn in Washington. Story continues The payments in question are $100 million in interest on two bonds, one denominated in U.S. dollars and another in euros, that Russia was due to pay on May 27. The payments had a grace period of 30 days, which expired on Sunday. "Russias default already determined by the failure to pay interest last month had been largely priced in and bonds have been in the 10-20 cents area for a long time," said Gabriele Foa, portfolio manager of the Global Credit Opportunities Fund at Algebris. "I do not expect creditors to organize and hold talks for a restructuring soon, as these talks are likely not possible amid political tensions." Russia's finance ministry said it made the payments to its onshore National Settlement Depository (NSD) in euros and dollars, adding it had fulfilled obligations. In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the fact that payments had been blocked by clearing house Euroclear because of Western sanctions on Russia was "not our problem". Euroclear did not respond to a request for comment. Some Taiwanese holders of the bonds had not received payments on Monday, sources told Reuters. With no exact deadline specified in the prospectus, lawyers say Russia might have until the end of the following business day to pay these bondholders. Credit ratings agencies usually formally downgrade a country's credit rating to reflect default, but this does not apply in the case of Russia as most agencies no longer rate the country. "I think the market convention will be that it is a default though the technical issues are rather complex," said Kaan Nazli, portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman, which has a small exposure to Russian sovereign debt but does not hold the bonds that were due a payment on May 27. "It is a somewhat politically driven default." Emerging markets trade group EMTA recommended on Monday that bonds issued by the Russian government should be traded without accrued interest, the way bonds in default are typically traded. LEGAL TANGLE The legal situation surrounding the bonds looks complex. Russia's bonds have been issued with an unusual variety of terms, and an increasing level of ambiguities for those sold more recently, when Moscow was already facing sanctions over its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and a poisoning incident in Britain in 2018. Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal, chair in banking and finance law at Queen Mary University in London, said clarity was needed on what constituted a discharge for Russia on its obligation, or the difference between receiving and recovering payments. "All these issues are subject to interpretation by a court of law," Olivares-Caminal told Reuters. (Reporting by Karin Strohecker in London, Andrea Shalal in Elmau and Emily Chan in Taipei and Sujata Rao in London; Davide Barbuscia and Rodrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Megan Davies and Howard Goller) A prohibition in the City of Evanstons public nudity ordinance that disallows the exposure of female breasts may be dropped after discussions had during a recent meeting of the citys Human Services Committee. The possibility of dropping the prohibition was discussed during the June 7 meeting of the citys Human Services Committee after 8th Ward council member Devon Reid cited the states adoption of the an equal rights amendment to the Illinois Constitution in 1970. Upon studying the amendment, Reid said that as it bars discrimination on the basis of gender, that this could apply to women being topless in the same way that men can be in public. Advertisement He further said that by making this change it could afford greater liberties to those in the transgender or nonbinary communities who dont necessarily fall into the cisgender male or female mold. I dont think our current ordinance is narrowly tailored because what is so inherently sexualized about the female body that is not inherently sexualized about the male body, said Reid. I think we just really need to get clear on what this law is. Advertisement If the change were adopted, the topless prohibition would lift throughout the city, not just on beaches to allow topless sunbathing. 5th Ward council member Bobby Burns stated that the term indecent would have to be specifically defined in order to interpret the law properly. His greatest concern was that the citys ordinance not be in conflict with the state constitution. I have no issue with this. I want to hear what other people have to think, said Burns. 7th Ward council member Eleanor Revelle explained that laws similar to the current one in other municipalities have been upheld as constitutional. She went on to say it is based on the local community standard and that a federal appeals court in New Jersey ruled that as long as laws dont place artificial constraints on women that the physical differences between genders can be acknowledged. A person sits and reads a book at Clark Street Beach during COVID-19 in Evanston, Ill., on June 23, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP) The question is, men and women are not the same with respect to the traditional understanding of what constitutes nudity, said Revelle. Im not willing to approve this until I know that weve got community support for what this could mean. Burns backed Revelles desire for community feedback on the issue. In a call with Pioneer Press, Revelle stated she hopes the change does not pass, saying she has not had any residents come to her and say they wanted to see this happen. Id like people to come to our beaches because they want to enjoy our beaches for the natural resource that it is rather than coming because its a topless beach, said Revelle. Advertisement In an interview with Pioneer Press, Reid said neighbor municipalities like Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka and Kenilworth currently have no laws on the book against toplessness regardless of gender and there isnt widespread nudity in those cities or on their beaches. For Reid, this is simply a matter of neutralizing gendered terms in city laws to minimize negative interactions between police and residents. Another change he proposed includes the ordinance on burglar tools which prohibits the possession or burglar tools, a term that Reid considers vague as there arent tools specifically designated for that purpose. In light of what is going on with our Supreme Court, that its rolling back the rights of citizens and quoting state and local laws from the 1800s, my goal is to remove laws that are blatantly unconstitutional that blatantly curtail, limit and abridge the rights of citizens and make sure that 100 years from now, 150 years from now, some court isnt looking back at policies Evanston has to justify limiting the rights of people in our country, he said. Reid later pointed out that New Jersey differs from Illinois as it does not have an equal rights amendment on its books. The court that oversaw the mentioned case also does not have jurisdiction over Evanston according to Reid. He did mention the case of Tagami vs. City of Chicago, where topless activist Sonoku Tagami sued the city in 2014 after being cited for violating the citys public nudity policy. However, her case did not reference Illinois equal rights amendment, instead citing the United States Constitutions 14th Amendment. The item was tabled until the next meeting of the committee which will be held on Tuesday, July 5 at 5 p.m. and can be viewed live online. Russian Tu-95 (illustrative image) Read also: Russian missile strike hits apartment block in Kyiv(UPDATED) According to Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat, speaking during a briefing following the attack, multiple X101 missiles (NATO: AS-23 Kodiak) were launched by Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombardiers. Some of these missiles were intercepted by Kyivs air defense system, but not all. Read also: Russians launch 20 missiles against town 60km north of Kyiv, destroying infrastructure These missiles are able to travel as far as 5,500 kilometers, and are less visible to air defense radars than many other missile types. Each is driven by an engine and has a digital component able to correct targeting and adjust trajectory in-flight. The Russian military has previously used X101 missiles in Syria. Tu-95 and Tu-160 are both Soviet-era bombardiers, created during the Cold War to counter possible Western threats. Both are copies of bombardier models used by the U.S. Army post-World War II - the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and the Rockwell B-1 Lancer, respectively. Read also: Ukraines intelligence agency calls for a no fly zone in response to Russia's threats to attack US embassy in Kyiv Ignat went into some details of this operation during the briefing: most likely, the Russian bombers launched the rockets from the Caspian Sea region, where the Russian military has an aircraft facility in the city of Astrakhan. Details of the attack At around 6:20 am, Kyiv residents heard several explosions throughout the city. One missile struck the roof of a 9-story residential building near the Lukianivska metro station, located in a district in the central part of the city. The upper floors of the building were severely damaged. So far, the death of one person has been confirmed, while another four individuals were wounded. Read also: Why hasnt the Ocean Plaza shopping mall in Kyiv reopened? Emergency service began search and rescue operations at around 6:30 am. Their first success was digging a 7-year-old girl out of the rubble. She had sustained injuries in the attack. Later, her mom, who is a Russian citizen, was also rescued. Story continues For the past several days, the Russian military has increased its usage of cruise missiles to target those Ukrainian regions that are considered to be relatively safe like Kyiv, Cherkasy, or Rivne Oblasts. Read also: Resident of building on Lobanovsky Street in Kyiv recalls how his family survived missile strike On the evening of June 26, residents of downtown Kyiv were warned by presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych, in a video address,that ignoring air sirens could be dangerous. Help NV continue its work reporting on the Russian invasion The World Health Organization announced Saturday that the global monkeypox outbreak does not constitute a public health emergency of international concern for the time being. WHO convened an emergency committee on Thursday to discuss whether the designation, which has been given to just six disease outbreaks since 2007, was appropriate for monkeypox. "The emergency committee shared serious concerns about the scale and speed of the current outbreak," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. "Overall, in the report, they advised me that at this moment the event does not constitute a public health emergency of international concern, which is the highest level of alert WHO can issue," he added. WHO said in another statement that the Director-General agreed with the committee's advice, though a few members of the committee "expressed differing views." WHO reserves this kind of emergency alert for serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected events that constitute a health risk to more than one country and may require an immediate, coordinated international response. The organization previously gave the designation to Covid-19, as well as Ebola, Zika, H1N1 flu and polio. More than 4,000 monkeypox cases have been reported globally across 47 countries and territories since the start of May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. alone had recorded more than 200 cases across 25 states and Washington, D.C. as of Friday. Previously, monkeypox was largely confined to Africa, where it is endemic in 11 countries. Most monkeypox infections have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which saw more than 1,200 cases from January to May, according to WHO. The version of the virus spreading internationally, the West African strain, has a fatality rate of 1%. No deaths outside of Africa have been reported in connection to the current outbreak. The other, the Congo Basin strain, has a fatality rate of 10%. Story continues Image: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference at the WHO headquarters in December, 2021 in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images file) "The committee noted that many aspects of the current multi-country outbreak are unusual, such as the occurrence of cases in countries where monkeypox virus circulation had not been previously documented, and the fact that the vast majority of cases is observed among men who have sex with men, of young age," WHO said on Saturday. Some committee members said there was a risk of "further, sustained transmission into the wider population," WHO added, given low levels of population immunity. Tedros said the committee might reconvene "in the coming days and weeks" depending on how the outbreak evolves. The committee recommended taking a look at the outbreak again in a few weeks to observe any major changes, such as significant increases in the number of cases or evidence of more severe or transmissible disease. What monkeypox symptoms look like The name monkeypox is misleading: Although the virus was first discovered in laboratory monkeys in Denmark in 1958, it is much more common in small rodents. Earlier this month, an international group of scientists called for the virus to be renamed to avoid discriminatory associations. Tedros said last week that WHO was working with experts to change the name of the virus, its strains, and the disease it causes. The organization also said that in the recent outbreak, many people are "presenting with atypical symptoms," including a localized rash with as little as one lesion. Traditionally, monkeypox patients have developed flu-like symptoms such as fever and body aches, followed by a widespread rash, including on the face, arms and hands. But some recent patients have reported tiny bumps that resemble a pimple or blister as the first or only symptom. Some patients develop flu-like symptoms later, while others do not. Many recent cases have developed rashes around the genitals or anus, along with painful, swollen lymph nodes. CDC officials said last week that some U.S. patients have reported pain in or around the anus and rectum, rectal bleeding, inflammation of the rectum lining, or the feeling of needing a bowel movement even though the bowels are empty. Monkeypox cases may resemble chickenpox, herpes or syphilis, so the CDC recommends that anyone who develops symptoms associated with those illnesses get checked for monkeypox. The virus appears to be spreading primarily through sexual activity among men who have sex with men, but some cases have been reported in women. Anyone who has close physical contact with an infected persons lesions or rashes, as well as through respiratory droplets and contaminated items like clothing or bedding, can be infected. WHO said Saturday that the emergency committee was concerned about the rights to privacy, non-discrimination, physical and mental health, of affected population groups, which would further impede response efforts." What vaccines and treatments are available? Monkeypox and smallpox are both orthopoxviruses, so smallpox vaccines can be used to prevent monkeypox. One shot in particular, called Jynneos, is specifically approved for use against monkeypox in Canada and the U.S., and has been approved for off-label use against the disease in Europe. WHO does not recommend mass vaccination for monkeypox right now. Instead, it advises countries to vaccinate close contacts of infected people, ideally within four days of exposure, which can prevent the onset of symptoms and disease. WHO also recommends vaccines for healthcare workers who have been exposed to monkeypox and laboratory staff who perform diagnostic tests for the virus. New York City opened a clinic on Thursday to vaccinate people who may have recently been exposed to monkeypox, including all gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men "who have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days." U.K. health officials also said earlier this week that doctors there could consider vaccinating some gay or bisexual men who are at higher risk of exposure, including men with multiple partners or who participate in group sex. "By expanding the vaccine offer to those at higher risk, we hope to break chains of transmission and help contain the outbreak," Dr. Mary Ramsay, head of immunization at the U.K. Health Security Agency, said in a statement. Doctors can also administer smallpox antivirals and supportive care to monkeypox patients. Symptoms usually resolve after two to four weeks, though the lesions can leave scars. WHO advises infected people to isolate until scabs from any lesions "have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed." It also recommends using condoms "to reduce the potential transmission of monkeypox, for which the risk is as yet not known." By Pavel Polityuk and Valentyn Ogirenko KYIV (Reuters) -Russian missiles struck a residential building and the compound of a kindergarten in central Kyiv on Sunday, killing one person and wounding six more, officials said, as Moscow stepped up its air strikes on Ukraine for a second day. Firefighters put out a fire in a badly damaged nine-storey residential building in the central Shevchenkivskiy district, the emergency services said. Debris was strewn over parked cars outside a smouldering building with a crater in its roof. "They (rescuers) have pulled out a seven-year-old girl. She is alive. Now they're trying to rescue her mother," Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said "There are people under the rubble," Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app. He added that several people had been hospitalised. Deputy Mayor Mykola Povoroznyk later updated the casualty toll to one person killed and at least six wounded and said the missile struck near the site of a similar attack in late April. About 400 metres away, a Reuters photographer saw a large fresh crater by the playground of a private kindergarten that had smashed windows. Some privately-held storage garages in the area were completely destroyed. Blasts were heard in other parts of Kyiv on Sunday, but these were the sound of air defence destroying other incoming strikes, the deputy mayor said on national television. There was no immediate comment from Moscow, which denies targeting civilians. Russia's defence ministry said it had used high-precision weapons to strike Ukrainian army training centres in the regions of Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Lviv, an apparent reference to strikes reported by Ukraine on Saturday. A Ukrainian air force spokesperson said between four to six long-range missiles were fired on Sunday from Russian bombers more than a thousand kilometres away in the southern Russian region of Astrakhan that looks out onto the Caspian Sea. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Group of Seven countries at a three-day summit should respond to the attack by ramping up sanctions on Russia and providing more heavy weapons to Ukaine. Story continues The last major strike on Kyiv was on June 5 when a rail car repair facility was hit on the outskirts. In late April, a Radio Liberty producer was killed in a strike that hit the building she lived in. The Shevchenkivskiy historic district is home to a cluster of universities, restaurants and art galleries. Russia abandoned an early advance on Kyiv in the face of fierce resistance bolstered by Western arms. Since then Moscow and its proxies have focused on the south and Donbas, an eastern territory made up of Luhansk and its neighbour Donetsk, deploying overwhelming artillery in some of the heaviest ground fighting in Europe since World War Two. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Valentyn Ogirenko, Alessandra Prentice; Writing Lidia Kelly and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Michael Perry, David Clarke and Toby Chopra) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency in 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said she introduced a bill that would ban telemedicine abortion pills. South Dakota is a trigger law state, that strictly restricts abortions. Noem says she would prosecute doctors who perform abortions within the state, but not the mother. South Dakota may ban telemedicine abortions, a service that delivers patients abortion pills to end their pregnancy. On Sunday, Gov. Kristi Noem told host Margaret Brennan on CBS's "Face the Nation" that she brought a bill to ban abortion via telemedicine in the state. This bill would block people from being prescribed the FDA-approved abortion pill. "These are very dangerous medical procedures," Noem told Brennan. "We don't believe it should be available because it is a dangerous situation for an individual without being medically supervised by a physician." South Dakota is one of many states with trigger laws that enacted bans on abortion immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. In South Dakota, doctors who perform abortions would face a felony charge unless the procedure was performed to save the life of the mother. Noem told Brennan that they would focus prosecution on doctors who perform abortions in the state, not their patients. "We'll continue to have those debates on how we can support these mothers and what it means to really make sure that we're not prosecuting mothers ever in a situation like this when it comes to abortion, that it will always be focused towards those doctors who knowingly break the law to perform abortions in our state," Noem told Brennan. Biden has stated that his administration would defend Americans' rights to abortion pills. Read the original article on Insider (Reuters) -Ethiopia on Monday denied Sudan's accusation that its army had captured and executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian, instead blaming the killings on a local militia. Skirmishes between the neighbouring countries have erupted in recent years over the contested and fertile al-Fashqa border region. Sudan's foreign ministry said on Monday the men had been seized on Sudanese territory on June 22 and taken into Ethiopia where they were killed. In a statement on Monday, Ethiopia's foreign ministry said the facts of the incident were misrepresented and that the deaths were a result of a skirmish between Sudanese soldiers, who they said had staged an incursion into Ethiopian land, and a local militia. The incident would be investigated, it said. Accusing Ethiopia of displaying the bodies in public, Sudan's foreign ministry said it was summoning the Ethiopian ambassador in Khartoum and calling its own ambassador back from Addis Ababa for discussions. Sudanese government sources said late on Monday that Sudan had filed a formal complaint with the Security Council. Following a visit to the area, Sudan's military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said "the response would be felt on the ground," and that "no new movements or trespasses into Sudanese land would be allowed." The Ethiopian statement said the Ethiopian government "hopes that the Sudanese Government would restrain itself from any escalation of the incident and would take measures that could de-escalate the situation." Tensions have been particularly high in recent years due to Ethiopia's construction of a hydropower dam on the Blue Nile, which Sudan and Egypt fear could affect their main water supply. A conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region has also sent tens of thousands of refugees over the border into eastern Sudan. (Reporting by Moataz Mohamed, Khalid Abdelaziz, and Addis Ababa bureau; Writing by Nafisa Eltahir and Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Andrew Heavens, William Maclean and Sandra Maler) Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty History may look back at the period in which we are living and call it the Great Regression. It is a time in which on issue after issue, we are seeing decades and sometimes centuries of progress reversed. If the term regression feels too academic, we may just as easily call it the Great Leap Backwards. If it continues at its current pace, it may end up being known as the American Dark Ages or worse, to borrow from another historical saga, the Decline and Fall of the United States. We have seldom seen anything like this before in our countrys history. One example might be that in the wake of the Civil War, Reconstruction saw efforts throughout what had been Confederate states to, wherever possible, restore the old order and to once again put down newly freed Blacks in the South. More recently, thanks to a concerted campaign by Americas right wing, sometimes with the help of centrists from both U.S. political parties, we have watched as a long list of the signature milestones of American social advancement in the post WWII era have been reversed, undone or blunted. The Supreme Court, now one of the most active, pernicious agents of this period of anti-progress, demonstrated this again on Friday by, for the first time in history, stripping away a right that had been granted to the people, the right of a woman to control her own body. In so doing, they imposed a new burden, one that by and large American women had been freed from for half a centurythat of forced birth. They even framed this giant step backwards in language that made clear that all their clocks stopped in the 17th, 18th or early 19th centuries, that they saw their twisted memories of that time as the only legitimate parameters for establishing our social standards. In the majority decision handed down on Friday for example, citations were made referencing abortion cases as far back as the 13th Century and relying on legal sources like 17th-century judge Sir Matthew Hale, a man who once presided over a witchcraft trial and who asserted a woman could never be raped by her husband because she had transferred control of her body to him. Story continues People Fleeing Abortion-Ban States Are Desperate for Our Help For many of us, Roe and recognizing a womans right to choose was a major milestone in our lives, a clear sign that activism plus education plus conscience and decency could drive America forward and make it a better place. Roe was a symbol to several generations that our system worked. It was also a transformational decision that increased the autonomy of women, playing a not insubstantial role in increasing womens labor force participation from 43 percent in 1970 to nearly 57 percent today. That is why they sought to tear it down. It was a shift in the power structure of America from the original white, Christian-dominated patriarchy to which much of Americas Republican Party has long yearned to return. But, make no mistake, right-wing-driven regression has been going on for years, even as they laid the groundwork in our courts and legislatures to dismantle Roe. For example, the greatest step forward of the 1960s was the Voting Rights Act and our strides toward greater racial justice. This too has been targeted for pushback. In its Shelby County decision of 2013, the Roberts court perversely ruled that we had outgrown the need for such protections even as the sponsors of that court worked to limit and strip away voting rights, especially for people of color, throughout America. In its wake, new restrictions in red states have made it much harder for many, especially in communities of color, to cast their votes. Progress toward social equity and equal opportunity sustained other blows. Since the 1980s, the leave it to the markets politics of Reaganomics (and the GOP and Dem center) have resulted in inequality skyrocketing in the U.S: social mobility has declined; the rich are richer; the rich have benefited from laws that reduce their share of the tax burden (capital gains taxes) and empower their companies to act without regulation. The top economic tier of our society also gained political clout when the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United that money is speech, thus giving those with more money more influence in choosing our leaders. They have used this power to increase the hold of the minority in America over the majorityand of course, that too reverses centuries of progress toward inclusion and fairness in American life. The right has also pushed back on the full inclusion and protection of gay and trans people in our communities. In his concurrence to the majority opinion that undid Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas indicated that next on the agenda might be stripping away the right granted in the courts Obergefell decision that allowed gay Americans to marry. Thomas even sought to revisit whether American women should have access to contraception, another way to diminish them and put them at the mercy of a patriarchy that, in a number of states now, says that a woman who is raped must turn over control of her body to her rapist by bearing his child. You Know Whats Missing From the Dobbs Opinion? Women. It is worth noting that one decision that could be targeted by the current backward thinking of the courts radical right majority was the 1967 Loving vs. Virginia decision permitting interracial marriage, which made Thomas own marriage to his notorious seditionist wife Ginni possible. Do not call this band of reckless revisionists on the court conservatives, by the way. Nothing about what they are doing is conservative, nor should you call them strict constructionalists or originalists, as their decisions disregard legal precedent, the spirit of the Constitution, and often craft citations for their decisions from whole cloth. One recent example, last weeks decision ending New Yorks restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun, offers a prime example of this. In it, Thomas cited the Second and 14th Amendments as guaranteeing Americans the right to carry a handgun. Go read them. They do nothing of the sort. Handguns are not mentioned in the Constitution. But then again, as many have pointed out, neither are women. And it seems unlikely Thomas would like to return to the original view of the Constitution that permitted his relatives to be held as slaves. The hard rights gun policies are also a big step backwards, returning us to the murderous free for all of the American West. It should also be noted that they are profoundly out of step with the opinion of Americansas are many of this Supreme Court majoritys views (like those of their GOP sponsors.) Major majorities of Americans support sensible gun controls, the right of a woman to get an abortion, and even decisions like Roe itself. Also last week, as I wrote in a recent column in The Daily Beast, the ourt took another major step backwards by gutting the separation of church and state, an idea that dates to the 18th century and is literally written into the Constitution. Another similar setback is likely in the week ahead as the court is expected to strip away the ability of the federal government to impose environmental regulations which have been an essential tool in the battle to combat climate change and to preserve our countrys natural bounty. These are huge regressions for American society. No doubt there are many others not cited in this column. And the scariest part is that they are proof the right wings campaign to obliterate social progress over the past four decades has thus far been scarily successful. If they are not stopped at the polls, they may someday turn back the clock so far that we and the world wonder once again whether the United States is an idea that can long survive. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Crooked politicians Just say you won, said Rudy Giuliani to Trump after the 2020 election. The fix was already in and about to be implemented by an army of crooked lawyers. They failed after 60 cases in court and an unsuccessful attack on our Capitol only because a handful of decent, honest state election employees stood firm and refused to overturn the election. Yet, Trump continues the ruse, riling his base still. Eight-hundred-sixty-one of his followers at the Jan. 6 insurrection have charges against them. Some of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have been charged with sedition. I thought Trump was the most evil, vile, lying human being ever to be president until I watched CNN's two-hour documentary on Nixon. I had forgotten just how repugnant Nixon was. Trump takes the No. 1 spot, but "Tricky Dick" is a close second. Both of them are a cancer on our nation with a willingness to do "anything" to get elected. Well, at least we have the Jan 6 commission televised hearings. Yeah, right! The people who should watch it won't, and those of us who already know about Trump's criminality will watch it. But, we may get lucky; perhaps some reasonable Republicans or independents tuned in. I think if some of the kids who are being killed in these school shootings were the children of politicians, we would have had gun safety rules enacted 20 years ago. Their kids all go to private schools, which are much safer. So, Republicans continue to receive tens of millions of dollars from the NRA for their campaigns every cycle, and kids keep getting shot. It is sickening. How can these 50 U.S. senators look at themselves in the mirror? Just look up the money that Rubio and Scott get from the NRA you will be repulsed! Just raise the purchase age to 21 for these rifles. Wake up! Fifty percent of us do not even vote, so I am not expecting much in the future. I have grown impervious to ignorance. Meanwhile, Trump has hand-picked 17 lackeys to run for secretary of state in 17 states. All the easier to switch "elector slates," my dear. Story continues But, have no fear. Ryan Zincke, Trump's disgraced former Interior secretary, was running in a primary in Montana. You may remember he had 18 investigations into his conduct before he got out of dodge. Keep voting these Republican crooks in office Michael Perham, Clermont AR-15s and the Second Amendment Turnstiles have been used in many different descriptions or situations involving crime and laws, usually in a negative connotation as to the same crime committed over and over again. So, here we are again after another barrage of hideous crimes perpetrated on innocent people, accomplished with the use of an assault weapon. As with many mass shootings in the past few decades, the weapon of choice has been the AR-15. After each occurrence, we hear the same old insincere sympathies and scripted outrage by our political leaders who continually refuse to follow through with a solution for fear of negative political repercussions. Many years ago, Second Amendment proponents would defend its right to allow AR-15s for sale to the general public by declaring if we give in and ban one gun, the bleeding-heart liberals will come after all of our guns. Of course, they never mentioned the 10 years or so (mid-1990s to 2004) AR15s were banned from sale in the U.S. and these bleeding-heart liberals never pursued anything further banning of any kind of weapon. Nor was it mentioned that, during the ban on those AR-15s, mass shootings were virtually eliminated. Again, the same political leaders never mentioned that machine guns also were banned for almost 100 years without any talk of eliminating legitimate firearms. So, what do we have left for the defense of maintaining the status quo while our children are dying? One contributor suggested limiting access to schools by eliminating some entrances to the school building and installing turnstiles that would prevent a weapon from entering the school. Of course, the writer never gives a solution on how to evacuate hundreds and sometimes thousands of students in case of an emergency like a fire or a severe weather event with so few exits. This time we hear the solution is to arm and train teachers in defending our children from a shooter using a military-style weapon, build schools like fortresses, create a whole bureaucracy and scrutinize every gun purchase, and then hope for the best. What are we doing to our children and their education? Now, I could intellectually understand these career politicians who want to hold onto their jobs so badly that theyre willing to jeopardize our childrens welfare by not banning the AR-15s. What in the world motivates an individual civilian, considering everything that's happened in the last 20 years, to continue to support a weapon Im sure they don't own themselves? Bob Del Castillo, Leesburg Zone for academic success The public education system in America traces its roots back to a time before the Internet. The Boston Latin School was established in 1635 and for most of the time since, factors such as geographic location (zoning), economic status, race and gender have played defining roles in determining who could attend which institutions. Although government-run education has changed significantly, one negative has remained: The neighborhood where your child lives still determines the quality of their education. Despite nearly 400 years of advances, geography remains stubbornly determinant of the quality of a childs education. Homeschooling works for many students. There are some, however, who could benefit from an alternative at-home instructional system, one that provides both structure and opportunities for individualized learning and social interaction. I talk every day with parents who want something better for their kids. I have three school-aged sons myself, so I served on our county school board, founded and served on educational boards and organizations, and launched a network of charter schools in Florida. Recent advances in technology specifically virtual reality have allowed us to launch a first-of-its-kind school that eliminates the problem of zoning. We created Optima Classical Academy as a tuition-free third-through-eighth-grade classical charter school option for students to get high-quality instruction in virtual reality classrooms. This approach could eliminate our zoning issue. Our concept isnt for every student. It is, however, one example of what can happen when parents involve themselves in their childs education and look outside the box for solutions. Erika Donalds, national school choice advocate and wife of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19) Write to us Send a letter to the editor (up to 250 words) to letters@dailycommercial.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Guest columns of up to 750 words are also accepted on a limited basis. More information on submitting letters and columns can be found at dailycommercial.com/opinion. This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: June 26 letters: Readers comment on the GOP, AR-15s and school zoning The following is a transcript of an interview with Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that aired Sunday, June 26, 2022, on "Face the Nation." MARGARET BRENNAN: One of the state's finding a restrictive abortion ban that predates Roe vs. Wade is Michigan. Its Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer joins us this morning from Lansing. Good morning, Governor. MICHIGAN GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER: Good morning, Margaret. MARGARET BRENNAN: So in your state abortion is still temporarily available due to a court injunction on a 1931 law that was already on your books that would outlaw it with no exceptions for rape or incest. I know there's confusion in your state. What exactly is the status of your appeal to the state Supreme Court? GOV. WHITMER: Well, this is precisely why I filed my lawsuit a few months ago, a lot of people questioned whether or not it was timely or even necessary. And it's become very clear that both it is timely, not only that, it is urgent and absolutely necessary. There is a lot of confusion about what this means for IVF, for practitioners and some hospitals are interpreting it trying to understand with prosecutors all over the board. And that's why our Supreme Court needs to act. I've teed up this lawsuit asking them to recognize a fundamental due process and equal protection right to privacy, and right to bodily autonomy and reproductive health care. And it is time for them to weigh in and recognize this right under our state constitution. MARGARET BRENNAN: So what happens if you lose? GOV. WHITMER: Well, we've got- we're going at it, we're pulling out all the stops. This is a fight like hell moment. So our partners filed this other lawsuit, they got the injunction that is on appeal, so it's precarious. And there's an effort to collect signatures and amend our constitution. So we are taking, using every tool we have to fight for reproductive rights for Michigan women, and Ohio women and Indiana women who come to Michigan for their health care. Story continues MARGARET BRENNAN: So in every state, now state capitals are going to make these decisions. So I want to get to the specifics. Roe vs. Wade, previously guaranteed abortion up to viability, roughly 24 weeks of pregnancy. If the courts strike down this- this ban you are fighting, and you have to craft a new law here. Is there compromise that is- is possible here? Can you settle on 20 weeks, 15 weeks, anything less than roe? GOV. WHITMER: What I'm trying to fight for is the status quo in Michigan and there are reasonable restrictions on that. With the current legislature that I have, there is no common ground, which is the sad thing. They've already introduced legislation to criminalize and throw nurses and doctors in jail. They've all endorsed the 1931 law. Has- has all of the Republican people running for governor. They want abortion to be a felony, no exceptions for rape or incest. That's the kind of legislature that I'm working with. That's the kind of matchup I'm going to have this fall. And that's why this is such a scary moment for Michigan women and our families. MARGARET BRENNAN: So according to the CBS polling, most recent we did. Most Americans feel abortion should be legal within the first trimester. So 12 weeks of pregnancy, roughly, a third say it should be legal after that as well. If you're saying you can't talk this out with your state legislature, can you at least you know, put it on the ballot? Did- does the public get to decide here? How do you move forward? GOV. WHITMER: Yeah, so 70% of the people in our state do support a woman being able to make that choice herself. Whether that's a choice that they individually would support or not, would make or not. I am horrified, as are so many women who are 50-years-old, or in my generation, that the thought that my daughters will have fewer rights than I've had virtually my whole life. But I take heart in the fact that the vast majority of people in this state support a woman having that right to choose. I was raised by a pro-choice Republican father, and there are pro-choice Republicans and independents out there. We need them to join this fight. MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, but then if you put it out there to the public, they've got to pick and make a specific statement here. Is anything less than roe possible? Is compromise possible? GOV. WHITMER: I think compromise is possible. We've already seen Michigan enact some some re- some restrictions on abortion, we have a waiting period, there's beyond viability, you know, there- is not accessible unless it's for the life of the mother but- the woman, but this is a moment where we are seeing how extreme the Michigan GOP has gotten. This- this radical agenda to deprive women of the ability to make their own most important economic decision they'll make in their lifetime, when and whether or not to have a child. MARGARET BRENNAN: But I mean, how much do you think that the Democratic Party or Democratic leadership failed here? This was telegraphed for so long. Should the federal government now do more? GOV. WHITMER: Well, I've been urging for months, Democratic leaders to use every tool of their disposal to fight to protect women's reproductive autonomy and right to make our health care decisions. I've used every tool in my toolbox, we all have different sets, this has now been pushed down to the states. And that's why I'm fighting so hard to- to protect this right in Michigan. MARGARET BRENNAN: But you aren't looking for more from the federal government at this time? GOV. WHITMER: As I said, I am urging every, every pro-choice leader to use every tool in their toolbox. So I'm hopeful and believe that the Biden administration is going to do that. I can just tell you what I am doing here on the ground in Michigan. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about this homeland security warning that domestic violent extremists may intensify violence. In the bulletin that CBS obtained, it specifically mentioned an incident in Michigan, related to a pro abortion rights group. How concerned are you about violence? What are you seeing on the ground? GOV. WHITMER: I am concerned about a lot of things happening in the United States right now. And frankly, the last couple of decisions that came out of this United States Supreme Court are- make America a lot more dangerous, more guns, fewer rights, less health care, it is scary. And as a lawyer it- it crushes me to say that even I am losing faith that these important institutions that are supposed to be above the politics of the day, are now being corrupted. And that's what we're seeing out of our United States Supreme Court. And I am very concerned about our long term prosperity, our homeland security and our safety. MARGARET BRENNAN: But, this warning about fed- threats to federal state government officials, including judges, are you concerned about active threats in Michigan? GOV. WHITMER: Of course, I am. I- Margaret, I have been the recipient of so much ugliness and hate often stoked by the former president. This is a really scary moment. And with the proliferation of the ugly rhetoric, the scary proliferation of guns in America and fewer and fewer restrictions. I think that any parent who sends their child to school, any politician or policy maker who makes a hard decision, we now have to be much more fearful on a whole new level. MARGARET BRENNAN: And I'm assuming you can't get your state to establish a Red Flag Law at this point, despite the federal incentive? GOV. WHITMER: I'm still pushing but when- considering the makeup of the legislature that I have to work with, it's been very hard to even get them to protect themselves by- by forbidding guns in the state capitol. So it is- that's a part of this gerrymandered legislature in this kind of radicalized Republican Party in Michigan. MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor Whitmer, we will be watching what happens next in your state. Thank you. Face nation. We'll be back in a minute so stay with us. Former Pence chief of staff says Meadows was "telling different audiences all sorts of stories" after 2020 election Aguilar says Jan. 6 committee hearings are about "piecing together the puzzle for the American public" Crawford: Abortion rights will now "depend on where you live" after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade A Whiting man was sentenced to 180 years Friday in connection with a 1998 Hammond triple murder. James Higgason III, now 52, claimed innocence and said he would appeal. Advertisement Prosecutors alleged he and David Copley, 47, beat Elva Tamez, then 36, Jerod Buddy Hodge, 18, and Timothy Midnight Ross, 16 to death on Jan. 18, 1998 with pieces of wood or metal pipes, records state. They were trying to get drugs and cash in Tamezs home, a suspected crack house on the 4600 block of Torrence Avenue in Hammond, according to court documents. The case went uncharged for 23 years. Advertisement The victims had their skulls bashed in a drug-fueled frenzy, prosecutors alleged. Copley flipped and testified for the prosecution in exchange for a single 45-year murder term. Tamezs older sisters Yolanda Tamez and Imelda ONeill said Friday their sister was an artist, inventor and seamstress who loved animals. ONeill said the sheer brutality and animalistic violence that led to her sisters death was incredibly difficult to bear. She couldnt watch movies where someone was severely beaten, because it reminded her of Elvas death. Did she cry out in pain ... call out to her mother ... plead for her life, she asked. Elva Tamez left behind a family who loved her and parents who grieved her until their dying day. Hodges mother Linda Hodge said her sons beating death with 2-by-4s was the worst day of my life. My whole world fell apart. After his death, she had to quit her job as a city bus driver, because every young man that boarded reminded her too much of him, she said. Now that I know it was you, she told Higgason, I want you to feel the pain I felt. At the hearings start, defense lawyers Mark Gruenhagen and Matthew Fech asked for a delayed sentencing date as a newly filed motion was considered. Advertisement Judge Salvador Vasquez denied their request, saying if the motion later influenced the case to be reversed, that would also knock out the sentencing. Higgason always expressed remorse, Gruenhagen said after the victims family members spoke. He was friends with Tamez, he said. The lawyers said they advised Higgason not to address the court because of the pending motion and his plan to appeal. They asked for a 45-year term. There are no real words for what occurred, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jovanni Miramontes said, prosecutors would honor the jurys verdict. Higgason valued the victims lives so little, he killed the two teens, partly because he wasnt going to get enough money when he tried to trade them a shotgun. Tamez was killed because she was a witness, he said. He was greedy and was used to getting what he wants, the prosecutor said. During a prison stint, Higgason had joined the Saxon Knights, a white supremacist prison gang, he said. Advertisement Miramontes asked for 180 years 60 years for each victim. Against his lawyers advice, Higgason addressed the court for at least 30 minutes, accusing prosecutors, Hammond Police and Vasquez of helping to build a false case against him. He had been at the house, but left before the murders happened, he said. Tamez was a very good friend of mine, Higgason said, noting his DNA extracted from the scene was a far smaller sample than Copleys. Copley admitted (to) this crime, he said in court. I am an innocent man. While expressing condolences to the victims families, he said it was not the closure they sought. This is not closure, this is a lie, he said. Advertisement Vasquez cited prior criminal history, noting he had been given breaks on other cases. The murders were a horribly, horrible violent crime, he said. Higgasons character was very violent and very manipulative. During his trial, prosecutors argued new DNA evidence linked Copley and Higgason to a lesser extent. Copley made two recorded phone calls in May 1998 where prosecutors alleged Higgason alluded to his involvement. Copley had gone to police in 1998, he said to clear his conscience and testified during Higgasons five-day trial because it was the right thing to do, he told jurors then. Gruenhagen and Fech argued the evidence against Higgason was thin and Copley wasnt credible because he flipped in exchange for his testimony. They said the prosecutions case was hobbled when it was reopened around 2020 leaning on the new DNA hit. The lawyers asked detectives why new suspects were not sought or witnesses werent reinterviewed. Hammond Det. Steve Guernsey testified at trial that Lake County prosecutors told police not to reinterview witnesses apart from what they already had in the 1998 case file, because they could remember what happened differently. Advertisement Guernsey said he believed the 1998 tapes pointed to Higgason as a credible suspect and believed his voice was the man on the other end. Detectives admitted there were no corroborating phone records nor were police staked out to verify Higgason was at either home when the landline calls were made. Did you take Copleys word it was Higgason on the other end, Fech asked. Not solely, no, Guernsey said. During the call, Higgason made numerous admissions of being involved with this crime, the detective later told Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Keith Anderson. Copley said he secretly taped the two phone conversations with Higgason in May 1998 at the request of police where the latter man both denied and vaguely alluded to possible involvement, according to court documents. He repeatedly asked Copley not to go to the police, according to the tapes. The only way out is to get away with it, Higgason allegedly told Copley in one recording. Advertisement At times, Higgason appeared to shift between blaming Copley and telling him to keep his mouth shut, according to the tapes and court records. Well, do you think youd get the (electric) chair if you went and told the police what you did?, Copley asks, per court documents. Yeah, I do, Higgason responded. Defense lawyers said theres no proof Higgason was the other man on the call. At mid-trial, Higgasons lawyers asked for a mistrial after Vasquez inadvertently referred to the tapes as a talk between Copley and Higgason, then corrected himself. I dont think you can unring that bell, Fech told the judge. Advertisement Vasquez told the jury he misspoke and asked them to disregard it, which he had to trust they would, he told lawyers. Copley, their star witness, had played the police, Gruenhagen alleged to jurors. In testimony, Copley denied he pointed to Higgason as a suspect to protect his relatives childrens father, i.e. Higgasons uncle. Miramontes said the man was ruled out because he wasnt there. Both Copley and Higgason were among a handful of early suspects, but were not charged at the time. Back then, DNA tests turned up inconclusive. Decades later in 2020, as technology became more sophisticated, Indiana State Police linked DNA from Tamezs fingernail clippings to Copley. A secondary, but much more limited hit came from Higgason, court records show. Both men were charged in January 2021. Advertisement Copley had gone to the police in 1998 alleging Higgason instigated the murders, threatening to kill him if he did not cooperate, court records show. Charges were presented against Higgason and Copley at the time of the original incident but due to the evidence that could be obtained at that time, charges were not accepted, a Hammond Police news release said previously. At the time, police said they had no suspects or a motive in the slayings. [This story previously aired on December 18, 2021.] Prosecutors say Nikki Kuhnhausen, 17, vanished from Vancouver, Washington, in June 2019, just hours after meeting David Bogdanov, then 25, and exchanging messages on Snapchat. Four months later in a meeting with police, Bogdanov told them the last time he had seen Kuhnhausen was when he asked her to get out of his car, after she told him she was transgender. He told police he was "shocked to find that out. And just uncomfortable and really, really disturbed." Bogdanov told police he had no idea where Kuhnhausen went after she left him. "This is a narrative and a story that plays out all the time," says Devon Davis Williamson, a transgender activist and co-founder of the Justice for Nikki Task Force. "When trans people go missing, they're usually found deceased." Six months after she disappeared, Kuhnhausen's body was discovered by a hiker on Larch Mountain. Bogdanov was arrested after cell tower data placed his phone where Kuhnhausen's body was found. "Most of the time in our culture and our country, if a trans person is killed, there is not an arrest made," Williamson says. "We think it's right around 30% of trans people who are murdered have someone arrested and fully prosecuted." At his trial, Bogdanov said he killed Kuhnhausen in self-defense when, he says, she reached for his gun. He testified that he panicked after realizing she was dead and dumped her body at Larch Mountain. He was found guilty of her murder and malicious harassment, a hate crime. He was sentenced to the maximum, 19-and-a-half years in prison. Kuhnhausen's mother and supporters from the Justice for Nikki Task Force worked with legislators in Washington to pass Nikki's Law. It's designed to prevent defendants charged with violent crimes from using sexual orientation or gender identity as an excuse for violence, the so-called "gay" or "trans panic defense." "I want her death to mean something to someone who may contemplate hurting another transgender person," says Woods. Story continues "SHE WAS ALWAYS NIKKI" Lisa Woods will never forget the day her life changed forever. It was June 6, 2019. That's when her daughter Nikki Kuhnhausen seemingly vanished. Woods says they talked daily before work. Lisa Woods: I would call her every day and talk to her before my shift. She stopped answering. Though many had hoped Nikki Kuhnhausen would come home safe, Nikki's mother Lisa Woods told Immediately, her mother's intuition kicked in. Woods had a bad feeling. Lisa Woods: That first day I took her sweatshirt and I made it into a pillowcase. And I slept with her picture and my Bible. Jamie Yuccas: Did you fear that something had happened? Lisa Woods: I knew something had happened. Woods filed a missing person's report. At first, friend Arielle Fox wasn't too concerned. Arielle Fox: Lost her phone or something. Classic Nikki move. Arielle knew all about Nikki's moves, after all they'd been best friends since childhood. Arielle Fox: She's like the lively friend that's just always high energy. Arielle Fox: When I first met Nikki, she was still going by Nick. But she was definitely still Nikki at heart. Taylor Watts was a childhood friend as well. Taylor Watts: We lived across the street from each other I want to say third and fourth grade. She stood out, you know. She was, like, cheerful. Was caring. She was just Nikki. Becoming Nikki would be something of an evolution, but Woods says she and her large family always knew. Lisa Woods: Very rarely did anybody call her Nikolas. Lisa Woods says Nikki she never struggled with her identity. From a very young age, Nikki began life as Nikolas. But from a young age, Woods says Nikki had a strong sense of self. Lisa Woods: There's this one picture with a blonde wig on because the babysitter was a hairdresser and she snuck into her wigs. Jamie Yuccas: So, she always knew who she was. Lisa Woods: Uh-huh. Yeah. She broke her arm, and she had a pink cast. Her brothers were so mad that I let her pick a pink cast I'm like, "she picked the color! It's her broken arm." It was around sixth grade that Nikki made her gender identity public. Lisa Woods: She decided that she was going to be Nikki all the time, not just at home so she started dressing as herself. Jamie Yuccas: As a woman, young woman? Lisa Woods: As a young woman. Woods says Nikki was widely accepted for who she was, especially among a certain "in" crowd. Lisa Woods: The cheerleaders loved the way that she did her makeup and they wanted her to do their makeup, as well. And she hoped that passion would one day turn into her dream job. Lisa Woods: She wanted to be Nicki Minaj's hair and makeup artist. Jamie Yuccas: That was her goal. Lisa Woods: Mm-hmm. Nikki Kuhnhausen / Credit: Lisa Woods Like most teens, Nikki loved to post online Lisa Woods: One day she came home and told me "Mom, I'm Facebook famous." especially TikTok tributes to her idol, that other Nikki Nicki Minaj. Jamie Yuccas: How important do you think social media was to Nikki? Lisa Woods: It was pretty important. She loved taking selfies. She loved how many likes she got. Woods says Nikki also liked fighting for the underdog. Lisa Woods: I was called to the school on many occasions because she had been suspended for hitting someone, but it was always a situation where she was defending someone else. Nikki's parents had divorced when she was young. Mother and daughter remained close as Nikki became a teen. Lisa Woods: We would go get our nails done. We would just drive around and go by the water and walk by the water. But in high school, things would begin to change. Arielle Fox: Nikki was going to school, but she wouldn't make it all the time. And she'd be hard to get ahold of sometimes. She just wouldn't wake up. She'd miss the bus. Woods says she knew what was wrong. Nikki had started abusing drugs. Lisa Woods: She said to me, "Mommy, I don't think I can do my homework without being high." And she was 16. Friends say Nikki had started using methamphetamine. Lisa Woods: That's when I realized I was talking to an addict instead of my daughter. Woods says there were many attempts to get Nikki into rehab to help her kick drugs for good, but nothing seemed to stick. For months, Nikki continued to struggle. Just how dangerous Nikki's addiction was became apparent to Woods in 2018. Lisa Woods: I got a call at work from a detective. Woods was told Nikki had been shot six times. Lisa raced to the hospital expecting the worst, but when she arrived Lisa Woods: Two of her girlfriends were there and she had her makeup all done. And she was sitting up laughing and they were doing selfies. And I looked at the detective, and I'm like, "I thought you said she was shot six times?" It was a miracle says Woods. None of Nikki's injuries were life-threatening. Lisa Woods: It missed every major artery in her neck, inner thigh, twice in the stomach, in her leg and the back of her calf. Woods says Nikki told her she was shot during a dispute over drugs. Jamie Yuccas: What do you think it says about Nikki, she was able to survive being shot six times? Arielle Fox: She was a Taylor Watts: Champ. Arielle Fox: tough cookie. Taylor Watts: Yeah. Very tough. The man responsible for Nikki's shooting was never apprehended. Woods hoped Nikki's brush with death would serve as the inspiration for Nikki to turn her life around. Jamie Yuccas: Did you think, "OK, you know, we're on a different path now?" Lisa Woods: I did. I mean, she knew it was a miracle. She knew. Now, a year later, Nikki was missing. And Woods was hoping for another miracle. THE SEARCH FOR NIKKI In June 2019, Lisa Woods had just one goal: finding her daughter Nikki Kuhnhausen. All of Nikki's social media accounts had gone silent. Lisa Woods: We start making flyers. Clark County prosecutor Kristen Arnaud. Kristen Arnaud: I remember there were flyers everywhere. You couldn't go to the grocery store without seeing that flyer. News of Nikki's disappearance in Vancouver, Washington, started to get more attention. KOIN NEWS REPORT: She vanished more than two weeks ago and today was listed on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website. Police talked to Nikki's roommates and learned the last time they'd seen her was the day she vanished. Nikki was heading out the door to meet a man she'd met just hours before. But who was he? Clark County prosecutor Colin Hayes says her social media messages provided investigators with their first clue about who Nikki was seeing that night. Colin Hayes: We have their Snapchat messages, so we know that he picked her up. It would have been somewhere 5 a.m.-ish or so. David Bogdanov / Credit: Liliya Bogdanov "He" was 25-year-old David Bogdanov, who worked at his family-owned construction business. Their exchanges gave police their first glimpse of a timeline when he and Nikki met. Kristen Arnaud: That was the last time she was seen alive by anyone else. Kristen Arnaud: So, detectives are looking to talk to him within a couple of weeks of Nikki going missing. The investigators tried his home. Kristen Arnaud: They left, you know, cards. I think they also tried calling him, weren't able to get a hold of him. They also sent Snapchat messages. But Bogdanov did not reply. It seemed he had vanished just like Nikki. Weeks grew into months without any leads. Lisa Woods: I just knew that she was being held against her will or worse. In late September, nearly four months after Nikki went missing, investigators finally heard from David Bogdanov. He said he'd had phone problems and had just gotten their messages. Detectives asked him to come in for questioning, hoping he could help the investigation. Colin Hayes: Until you talk to him and get the story, you don't necessarily know if there might be maybe there was someone else after that may have seen her. So, on October 2, Bogdanov voluntarily met with Detective David Jensen of the Vancouver Police Department. DET. DAVID JENSEN: David, are you aware that this is recording? DAVID BOGDANOV: Yep. In their recorded interview, Bogdanov told Jensen he was out drinking with his brothers on June 6, when he noticed a young woman. It was on a block in Vancouver around 3 a.m. that David Bogdanov claims he first spotted Nikki alone. He says he walked over to her to check to see if she was OK. They started talking. DAVID BOGDANOV: I offered her my jacket 'cause it was really cold outside. Bogdanov also offered Nikki a drink. DAVID BOGDANOV: I said do you want some vodka cause I got some if you want to have a drink, just to relax a little bit. And she said sure. Um, so. I just gave her the bottle. DET. DAVID JENSEN: OK. DAVID BOGDANOV: To take with her. He also gave Nikki his contact information. DAVID BOGDANOV: I did give her my Snapchat name, um, wanted to just exchange Snapchats, and she didn't have a phone with her. Bogdanov says he and Nikki then parted ways. A few hours later, Nikki sent him the address where she was staying with friends. Bogdanov drove over and picked her up. Kristen Arnaud: He said he was going to help her find her phone because her phone was missing. Later that morning, Bogdanov says he and Nikki found themselves alone in his car. DAVID BOGDANOV: We were kinda just parked there in the driveway chit-chatting a little bit and and then she told me that she's not a she. Bogdanov says that's when Nikki told him she was transgender. Nikki Kuhnhausen and David Bogdanov DAVID BOGDANOV: I was shocked to find that out. And just uncomfortable and really, really disturbed. And I asked her to please get out of the car, 'cause this is just really weird for me. She just got out of the car and I took off. Colin Hayes: He's pretty vague about the details at that point and just says that was the last I saw of her. While he was uncertain about some details of that night, Arnaud says Bogdanov was clear on one topic. Kristen Arnaud: He went out of his way to make sure that they knew that he found that anyone who was part of the LGBTQI community, that he found them disgusting. LGBTQI is an abbreviation to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people and communities. DAVID BOGDANOV: For me it's even disturbing when I'm around like a gay person or somebody bi or transsexual or something else. I just got disgusted and I asked her to just get out. Bogdanov offered up another piece of information, though he was never asked. DAVID BOGDANOV: I wish I could help you more but I I I don't know. I'm not the kind of person to I'm not even a violent person at all, you know, nothing. Bogdanov's interview ended, and he left the police station. Then, on December 7, 2019, six months after Nikki vanished, a man walking on nearby Larch Mountain found something that would change this case forever. Det. Joe Swenson: Nobody goes about their day expecting that they're going to find a body. AN UNSETTLING DISCOVERY It was nearly Christmas 2019 and Lisa Woods was aching for one miraculous gift the safe return of her 17-year-old daughter, Nikki Kuhnhausen. She'd been missing for six unbearable months. Lisa Woods: I prayed and prayed to bring my baby home, just bring my baby home to me. But the unsettling discovery of a human skull on December 7, 2019 brought a swarm of local authorities to thickly wooded Larch Mountain, including Detective Joe Swenson from the Clark County Sheriff's Office. Det. Joe Swenson: This was the trail that we actually entered into the area, and there were items found immediately inside the tree line. Underneath the dense canopy of trees, the remnants of a human life had been scattered by animals down a steep ravine. The search stalled until December 2019, when a hiker made a discovery on a remote road on Larch Mountain human remains. / Credit: Clark County Superior Court Det. Joe Swenson: There were a bunch of clothing items found down there specifically, a green jacket, some underwear Det. Joe Swenson: There was a bandana. Det. Joe Swenson: There were more bone jewelry. Jamie Yuccas: You also found a phone cord. Det. Joe Swenson: Correct. Jamie Yuccas: What's the significance of that? Det. Joe Swenson: When we found the phone charging cord, it was tied in a knot, but it was in a circle, about four inches in diameter Tangled inside the knotted cord were artificial, multi-colored hair extensions. After combing the rugged terrain for two days, detectives suspected someone had been murdered. Det. Joe Swenson: We had a couple of missing persons' cases that were kind of on our mind. We started talking with more detectives in other agencies and learning, hey, this could be Nikki Kuhnhausen. And oh, come to find out she's been missing for six months. This jacket found on the mountain was determined to have belonged to Nikki Kuhnhausen. / Credit: Clark County Superior Court That's when the Vancouver Police began another exhaustive search, says Swenson, comparing evidence photos taken on the mountain to Nikki's personal photos found online looking for matches. Det. Joe Swenson: And actually found a lot of images of her wearing the exact items that we had found up here. And so, it was a good confirmation initially to be able to say, yeah, we're pretty sure this is Nikki. About a week later, dental records verified the victim's identity. It was Nikki Kuhnhausen, and it was murder. The medical examiner determined that Nikki had been strangled to death with that cellphone charger cord. DET. DAVID JENSEN [to David Bogdanov]: Sorry for interruptin' your commute this morning On December 17, 2019, Vancouver Police Detective David Jensen once again questioned the last known person to see Nikki alive: David Bogdanov. DET. DAVID JENSEN: Sounded like you said, you were going to go to your job site. DAVID BOGDANOV: I went to work. DET. DAVID JENSEN: Yeah, you went to work. Bogdanov stuck to his story: on the morning of June 6, after Nikki divulged she was transgender, he said he was shocked and disturbed: DET. DAVID JENSEN: And that's when you were like DAVID BOGDANOV: Basically kicked her out of the van DET. DAVID JENSEN: I'm not into thisand kicked her out of the van, sent her on her way. Bogdanov said he then drove straight to work in nearby Portland, Oregon. DET. DAVID JENSEN: So, at the time that we talked, I didn't have the benefit of all of your phone records, OK. But now there's been some initial analysis done. So you left your phone left ... and then went east out past Larch Mountain. DAVID BOGDANOV: [Sits in stunned silence.] DET. DAVID JENSEN: What happened on that trip? His cell phone records suggested he had never driven to work that morning but actually traveled in the opposite direction to Larch Mountain. Det. David Jensen: That trip took about an hour round trip. Up some logging roads. And then back again. DAVID BOGDANOV: Think I wanna talk with a lawyer. DET. DAVID JENSEN: OK, all right. So, you're being arrested today for the murder of Nikki Kuhnhausen, whose remains have been discovered, who was strangled to death, OK. Stand up for me please. David Bogdanov is arrested and charged with Nikki Kuhnhausen's murder. / Credit: Clark County Superior Court A few hours later, Detective David Jensen told Woods they had found Nikki. Lisa Woods: And I fell to my knees and started screaming. And he came in and held me until I could gain my composure. Lisa Woods: After I calmed down, Dave told me " I want to make sure he was charged and behind bars before I came and told you." Colin Hayes: Charges were murder in the second degree and malicious harassment, which is now called a hate crime in Washington. Jamie Yuccas: What were your first reactions when you heard he had been arrested? Devon Davis Williamson: I mean, truthfully, I was pretty surprised. Clinical social worker Devon Davis Williamson and Linden Walls are transgender activists. They launched the "Justice for Nikki Task Force." Devon Davis Williamson: Most of the time in our culture and our country, if a trans person is killed, there is not an arrest made. We think it's right around 30% of trans people who are murdered have someone arrested and fully prosecuted. Linden Walls: Having someone held accountable I think only that can start the healing. Linden Walls: And also bring attention to some of the things that the trans community is burdened with... Part of their burden, says Walls, is living with fear fear of being misunderstood, fear of being attacked. A recent UCLA Law School study concluded that transgender people are four times more likely than non-transgender people to become victims of violent crime an explosion of hate the American Medical Association has called "an epidemic of violence." Lisa Woods: There was a vigil for her. It was really overwhelming to see how much love that the trans community had coming together for my daughter. Lisa Woods: And that's where I met Devon. She helped me find focus and purpose. She told me that she was going to make sure that nobody forgot Nikki's name. And that it was going to make a difference. With help from her new friends, Wood's focus slowly shifted from the horror of facing her daughter's violent death to the hope of finding justice for her murder. Linden Walls: Lisa was so driven to see justice and to do right for her child. Devon Davis Williamson: And I think that's given Lisa purpose and drive to stay alive. LISA WOODS [at press conference]: She was a rainbow of light. She was so confident in who she was. At a press conference just days after Bogdanov's arrest, Lisa Woods became an activist. LISA WOODS | KOIN NEWS REPORT 12/20/19 at vigil: I believe this man I believe he killed her because she was a transgender (sic). I believe that with all my heart. By August 2021, David Bogdanov's day of reckoning was fast approaching. His murder trial was just two weeks away when prosecutors learned he had changed his story dramatically. And he would take the stand to tell it himself. DAVID BOGDANOV [on witness stand]: She's jumping for my gun and all I can think is"Oh my God, I'm gonna get shot right now." BOGDANOV TAKES THE STAND Vicki Matsuk, David Bogdanov's niece, does not believe her uncle is capable of the murder he is accused of committing. Vicki Matsuk: He would always get along with everyone. Always there for everyone, no matter what. Just days before the trial he reassured his sister, Lily. Lily Bogdanov: I just remember him telling us not to worry. He was ready to just face whatever is coming. And Woods was also ready. Lisa Woods: I just prayed. I prayed for God to have his hands in it. The court supplied a zoom feed as the trial got underway in August 2021. Each day, family and friends rallied around Lisa Woods wearing pink masks to court. Devon Davis Williamson: I think sitting in a room with the man that murdered your kid is hard, impossibly hard. Opening statements began with a bold claim from the defense. ERIN MCALEER: Our client did not strangle Nikki Kuhnhausen, causing her death, because she's transgendered (sic). Nikki Kuhnhausen is now deceased because Mr. Bogdanov had to defend himself against her attacking him and possibly killing him. But the prosecution argued that was not the case. They insisted Nikki was the victim of a hate crime. COLIN HAYES: The defendant murdered Nikki after finding out she was transgender. The defendant murdered Nikki because his respect for human life was outweighed by his hatred for those who are gay and those who are transgender. The prosecution laid out its case with experts testifying about those snapchat exchanges leading up to the murder and cell phone records placing Bogdanov's phone at Larch Mountain just hours later. Jurors were shown evidence found at the scene: including that phone charging cord. The defense called just one witness: Bogdanov himself. Attorney Erin McAleer questioned Bogdanov about his religious upbringing and his views about LGBTQI people. DAVID BOGDANOV: I was taught that it is a sin. And it's not OK. Lily Bogdanov: It's not David's lifestyle. But if David comes across anybody, whoever it is, there is no hate. Bogdanov told the jury what happened when he and Nikki were alone in his car. ERIN MCALEER: And what was Nikki doing at that point? DAVID BOGDANOV: She was smoking something out of a pipe. At David Bogdanov's trial in August, he took the stand and said he'd killed Nikki Kuhnhausen in self-defense. He claimed she reached for his gun when he rejected her for being transgender, and he feared for his life. / Credit: The Columbian Bogdanov said Nikki asked him to join her in the back seat. Before he did, he wedged the gun he carried between the driver's seat and center console. DAVID BOGDANOV: That transitioned to us making out. ERIN MCALEER: Was there touching or anything else? DAVID BOGDANOV: Yes. ERIN MCALEER: OK. Who was touching who? DAVID BOGDANOV: There was a little bit of both. At first um ERIN MCALEER: Where was she touching you? DAVID BOGDANOV: [Crying] She started touching me, my private area. Bogdanov said the sexual encounter escalated quickly, and that's when he realized Nikki was transgender. Bogdanov's testimony may be disturbing to some. DAVID BOGDANOV: I was in shock. I just felt deceived. I freak out and I push her back. And I start freaking out saying, "you didn't tell me, you're a dude." And started yelling at her that she's a disgusting piece of crap. He said he told Nikki to get out of his car and he said she reacted with violence. DAVID BOGDANOV: She kinda picked up her foot to try to just kick me with her foot from the passenger side. And she just jumps up and goes towards the center console towards my gun. DAVID BOGDANOV: I'm thinking, you know, I just was deceived by this person and this person's high on meth and all I can think is, "oh my God, I'm going to get shot right now." Devon Davis Williamson: The suggestion that Nikki might have gone for the gun kind of defies logic. Bogdanov said he tried to restrain Nikki by grabbing her jacket, but the material was too slippery to get a good grip. He claims in a desperate attempt to save himself, he reached for a cell phone charging cord. Investigators discovered this cord with hair extensions stuck in a knot alongside the remains. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be strangulation. / Credit: Clark County Superior Court DAVID BOGDANOV: I grab that cable and put it around her and pull her back like that and hold her hold her from going forward, to the gun. Bogdanov said he placed the phone cord around Nikki's arms and chest during their struggle, but as he pulled, the cord slipped up to her neck. DAVID BOGDANOV: The whole time she's trying to fight me and just reaching back and scratching at my face, trying to gouge my eyes. ERIN MCALEER: So, at some point does she stop struggling? DAVID BOGDANOV: Yes. Devon Williamson: The ligature used to kill Nikki was a phone cord that was tied to a space of 3.97 inches which ends up being about like this (demonstrates making a small circle with both hands). And if you can image the physical sensation of having your throat constricted to a space this size, and then have it triple-knotted. After realizing Nikki was dead, Bogdanov said he panicked. DAVID BOGDANOV: First thing I think is I need to call the police. And then I think that they're not going to believe me. You know, I've been up all night, not sober. There's drugs in the car. There's a dead person in the backseat. At that point, I thought I need to get rid of the body. DAVID BOGDANOV: This was a very humiliating thing that happened to me I just wanted to put this behind me, like wishing it never happened. Bogdanov said that's when he drove Nikki's body to Larch Mountain. DAVID BOGDANOV: I pulled her out of the car and there is that spot by the road, where the hill just went down really steep, I just kind of pushed her down that. Then Bogdanov told the court he left the country just hours after killing Nikki, buying a last-minute ticket to Ukraine. ERIN MCALEER: Can you tell the jury why, why you left the country? DAVID BOGDANOV: I was scared. An emotional wreck. And I was thinking I knew I needed to quit my drinking. And that I likely would not have been in this situation if I hadn't been drinking And I just wanted to get away. Kristen Arnaud: The fact that he had multiple different stories that he had had at least two opportunities to give this explanation to detectives and hadn't, the fact that he dumped the body, the fact that he ran from the country, all things kind of point to a guilty conscience and not someone who thinks that their actions are justified. Both sides made their case one last time during closing arguments. KRISTEN ARNAUD: His motivation the entire time has been his hate, his rage, his shame for finding out that Nikki was transgender. It's not about fear. This case is NOT about self-defense. Defense attorney Matthew Hoff strongly disagreed. MATTHEW HOFF: Nikki Kuhnhausen is not here today, not because she was transgender, but because Mr. Bogdanov was put in a life and death situation. JUSTICE FOR NIKKI Lisa Woods: She just loved the camera, you know? Jamie Yuccas: It seemed like the camera liked her back. Lisa Woods: Mm-hmm. Lisa Woods: Nikki was just Nikki. She kind of led the way. I just followed. Devon Williamson: She was very empowered and very steadfast in her identity and I think very strong, probably in a way that society struggles to handle. After two weeks of an emotional trial and more than two years after Nikki Kuhnhausen's death would jurors believe David Bogdanov's claim of self-defense? Lily Bogdanov: David is not the person that they made him out to be. David is kind, David is caring. Or the prosecution's case, that he murdered Nikki after he learned she was transgender. Kristen Arnaud: She was so strong in her identity and that's ultimately why she was killed. The jury deliberated for more than two days. Linden Walls: We weren't sure how it was going to go, there was a possibility of a hung jury. Finally, on day three, they informed the judge they had reached a unanimous decision. JUDGE DAVID GREGERSON: We the jury find the above-named defendant guilty of the crime of murder in the second degree, as charged in count one. Verdict form count two: we the jury find the above-named defendant guilty of the crime of malicious harassment. A hate crime in Washington. Devon Williamson: It's a win, it's a really big win. Colin Hayes: I'm just happy to get justice for Nikki's family. Jurors found David Bogdanov guilty of murder in the second degree and malicious harassment, a hate crime in Washington. / Credit: AP Images Two weeks later, Lisa Woods would ask the judge to impose the maximum sentence. LISA WOODS | VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT: [Crying] I won't see her smile, watch her graduate, see her married or watch her grow. Lisa Woods: I wanted to show how Nikki could have been And so many things that were stolen from us. So many milestones that she'll never get to do. And I miss her every day. Before handing down the sentence, Judge David Gregerson addressed the court saying he was "struck by the darker nature of this crime." JUDGE DAVID GREGERSON: It conjures up old childhood legends of the boogeyman, of trust gone terribly wrong. Fighting back tears, the judge continued for almost 15 minutes. JUDGE DAVID GREGERSON: The movement towards something resembling justice may be seen as a step in the greater overall movement from darkness toward light. In this court's view, that can and should be Nikki Kuhnhausen's legacy. Bogdanov was sentenced to the maximum 19-and-a-half years for Nikki's murder with 12 concurrent months for the malicious harassment charge. Kristen Arnaud: I think it was appropriate in this case. Colin Hayes: It doesn't necessarily seem like a long amount of time when you think about what he took from Nikki and Nikki's family. Family, friends and supporters gathered outside the courtroom after David Bggdanov's sentencing. / Credit: KOIN After sentencing, family, friends and supporters gathered outside the courtroom. Lisa Woods: She was just a baby. She was just a teenager. He took her life, and you know he got the maximum. And that's what he deserves. DEVON DAVIS WILLIAMSON [addressing at a vigil held after sentencing]: Nikki's story has allowed us to take a giant leap forward. Woods' and Nikki's supporters have tried to find a way for her legacy to help and protect others. Linden Walls: Finding a way to memorialize Nikki and empower other trans teenagers to pursue their dreams I think is the next step. And that happened with the passing of legislation in Washington State known as Nikki's Law. It's designed to prevent defendants charged with violent crimes from relying on a victim's gender identity or sexual orientation the so-called gay or trans panic defense. Kristen Arnaud: Nikki's law makes it impossible to use what's called the trans panic defense in court where someone says that they were so out of control when they found out that someone was trans that you essentially aren't culpable for your actions. Washington is one of 16 states to pass similar legislation. Nikki's supporters hope her law will inspire even more states to follow suit. Jamie Yuccas: What's it like to know that your daughter's legacy there's a law named after her? Lisa Woods: I'm glad it will help other people. I want her death to mean something to someone who may contemplate hurting another transgender person. Williamson and Walls are proud of what they achieved with the Justice for Nikki Task Force, and hope Nikki's story will help the transgender community. Devon Davis Williamson: My hope is that this work has created a domino effect and this will hopefully lead to other trans kids and teens in similar life situations having a different life outcome. As Lisa Woods moves forward without Nikki, she carries a special reminder of her daughter a necklace she wears every day. Lisa Woods: I just got this for my birthday from my son, Alex And he made it to put Nikki's ashes in Jamie Yuccas: You always have Nikki close to your heart. Lisa Woods: Yes. Lisa Woods and Nikki Kuhnhausen / Credit: Lisa Woods Jamie Yuccas: How do you want Nikki remembered? Lisa Woods: For her loyalty to what she believed in, staying true to who she was, just staying true to her family and friends no matter what. Unconditional love for everyone. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there were more violent deaths of transgender and non-binary people in the U.S. in 2021 than any other year on record. Produced by Susan Mallie. Mead Stone is the producer-editor. Jennifer Terker is a producer. Gayane Keshishyan Mendez is the development producer. Emma Steele is the field producer. Greg Kaplan, Marcus Balsam and Phil Tangel are the editors. Lauren Turner Dunn is the associate producer. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer. Group rides in honor of legendary Black cyclist Major Taylor "Trigger laws" halt abortion access in several states Norway raises terrorism alert after deadly Oslo attack A truck driver was found fatally stabbed Saturday at a remote gas station off Interstate 5, with the Fresno County Sheriffs Office saying the suspect may be responsible for two earlier carjackings. Deputies responded at 7:30 a.m. to the parking lot of the EZ Trip Travel Center at 44779 Lassen Ave. Avenal Police, California Highway Patrol and Kings County Sheriffs officers and deputies arrived at the scene near the city of Avenal and the Fresno-Kings county border, and found a man with stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies said another man, determined to be the suspect, was at the gas station and detained by officers. Isaiah Christopher Harley, 21, was booked into the Fresno County Jail on Saturday evening on a murder charge. His bail was set at $1 million. The person who was killed was described as a truck driver, who apparently had given the other man a ride. Detectives have not determined where the two met or what led up to the stabbing. Although the Sheriffs Office said it was considered a random attack, detectives are looking into the possibility that the suspect recently committed carjackings in Oakland and Bakersfield before going to Fresno County. The name of the victim will be released later, deputies said. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact sheriffs Det. Juan Galindo at 559-600-8215 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 or valleycrimestoppers.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. By Andrea Shalal SCHLOSS ELMAU, Germany (Reuters) -Group of Seven leaders pledged on Sunday to raise $600 billion in private and public funds over five years to finance needed infrastructure in developing countries and counter China's older, multitrillion-dollar Belt and Road project. U.S. President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders relaunched the newly renamed "Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment," at their annual gathering being held this year at Schloss Elmau in southern Germany. Biden said the United States would mobilize $200 billion in grants, federal funds and private investment over five years to support projects in low- and middle-income countries that help tackle climate change as well as improve global health, gender equity and digital infrastructure. "I want to be clear. This isn't aid or charity. It's an investment that will deliver returns for everyone," Biden said, adding that it would allow countries to "see the concrete benefits of partnering with democracies." Biden said hundreds of billions of additional dollars could come from multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, sovereign wealth funds and others. Europe will mobilize 300 billion euros ($317.28 billion) for the initiative over the same period to build up a sustainable alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative scheme, which Chinese President Xi Jinping launched in 2013, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the gathering. The leaders of Italy, Canada and Japan also spoke about their plans, some of which have already been announced separately. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were not present, but their countries are also participating. China's investment scheme involves development and programs in over 100 countries aimed at creating a modern version of the ancient Silk Road trade route from Asia to Europe. Story continues White House officials said the plan has provided little tangible benefit for many developing countries. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian defended the track record of BRI when asked for comment at a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday. China continues to welcome all initiatives to promote global infrastructure development," Zhao said of the G7's $600 billion plan. "We believe that there is no question that various related initiatives will replace each other. We are opposed to pushing forward geopolitical calculations under the pretext of infrastructure construction or smearing the Belt and Road Initiative. Biden highlighted several flagship projects, including a $2 billion solar development project in Angola with support from the Commerce Department, the U.S. Export-Import Bank, U.S. firm AfricaGlobal Schaffer, and U.S. project developer Sun Africa. Together with G7 members and the EU, Washington will also provide $3.3 million in technical assistance to Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal as it develops an industrial-scale flexible multi-vaccine manufacturing facility in that country that can eventually produce COVID-19 and other vaccines, a project that also involves the EU. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will also commit up to $50 million over five years to the World Banks global Childcare Incentive Fund. Friederike Roder, vice president of the non-profit group Global Citizen, said the pledges of investment could be "a good start" toward greater engagement by G7 countries in developing nations and could underpin stronger global growth for all. G7 countries on average provide only 0.32% of their gross national income, less than half of the 0.7% promised, in development assistance, she said. "But without developing countries, there will be no sustainable recovery of the world economy," she said. ($1 = 0.9455 euros) (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Martin Quin Pollard in Beijing; Editing by Mark Porter, Lisa Shumaker and Muralikumar Anantharaman) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade a backward step on Sunday but said the U.S. remains a guarantor of freedom. Appearing on CNNs State of the Union in Krun, Germany during the G7 summit, the conservative lawmaker told co-anchor Jake Tapper that he supports a womans right to have an abortion. I want to stress that this is not our court, its not our jurisdiction, Johnson said. So, in a sense, its for the United States, its not for the U.K. But the Roe v. Wade judgment, when it came out, was important psychologically for people around the world, and it spoke of the advancement of the rights of women, I think. And I regret what seems to me to be a backward step, he continued. But Im speaking as someone looking in from the outside. The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Mississippi state law banning abortion at 15 weeks in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. A majority of justices also voted to overturn Roe, the landmark case that guaranteed abortion rights nationwide for nearly half a century, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the abortion right guaranteed by Roe. Johnson is slated to meet with President Biden and other leaders of the worlds wealthiest democracies at the G7 summit this week, which will be followed by a NATO summit in Spain. When asked if the decision hurt the United States as a representative of rights and freedom, Johnson said he didnt think that was the case, pointing to the countrys support of Ukraine. For me, it remains a shining city on the hill, Johnson told Tapper. And its an incredible guarantor of values, democracy, freedom around the world. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By John Irish SCHLOSS ELMAU, Germany (Reuters) -After clashing last year over sausages and submarines, France's Emmanuel Macron and Britain's Boris Johnson were all smiles at a G7 summit on Sunday, with disputes over Brexit not even coming up at bilateral talks focused mainly on Ukraine. The leaders of Europe's two main military powers jovially exchanged pleasantries at the start of their meeting, reflecting what a French presidency official described as a deliberate attempt to "revitalise the relationship and warm it up". The two had decided to focus on Ukraine and the consequences of the war there, rather than issues that had divided them in the past. "The word Brexit wasn't mentioned, nor was the Northern Ireland protocol," the official said, referring to terms Britain negotiated for trade between the EU and the British-ruled province, which Johnson has threatened to tear up. At the last G7 summit a year ago, held on the coast of western England, Johnson demanded new rules to import cold meat into Northern Ireland, a quarrel dubbed the "sausage wars". In September, Paris became furious at London for agreeing a trilateral deal with the United States to supply submarines to Australia, replacing plans for Canberra buy French ones instead. Johnson's office said he and Macron agreed to provide more support for Ukraine. "They agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war," a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement. Ahead of the meeting with Macron, Johnson was asked whether France and Germany were doing enough to help Ukraine. Johnson, praised by Kyiv for providing support viewed as more robust than that of some other European leaders, focused his answer on Germany without mentioning France. A second French presidency official said Macron had brought up the subject of a European Political Community, an idea the president brought up last month. Story continues The aim would be to create a new structure, allowing closer cooperation with countries seeking EU membership or wanting closer ties with the bloc, suggesting post-Brexit Britain could be part of it. The official said Johnson had shown "a lot of enthusiasm" for the idea because it could ease cooperation on specific subjects with Europe without being part of the union, saying he had previously suggested such an initiative in 2016. The official said Johnson was welcome to claim the idea was his. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Toby Chopra and Angelo Amante) Sailors aboard a SeaArk patrol boat fire an LA51 warning device from an M500 shotgun during an weapons qualification course in Djibouti. National Museum of the U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons The US said it will provide Ukraine with 18 patrol boats to help protect its riverways. The boats are part of the US' latest $450 million security aid package to Ukraine. The latest security assistance packages have focused on helping Ukraine boost its coastal and river defenses. The United States said it would provide 18 patrol boats to help Ukraine protect its riverways as part of the latest $450 million security aid package. The package includes two 35-foot small-unit riverine craft, six 40-foot maritime combat craft, and ten 34-foot Dauntless Sea Ark patrol boats, the Department of Defense said on Thursday. "These are largely to protect the riverways and to enable Ukraine to maintain its control of the riverways. They can also be used in close-in coastal areas," a senior defense official said during a briefing at the Pentagon. Several 34-foot Dauntless Sea-Ark's from Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 3 patrol the waters of San Diego Bay, Feb. 19, 2009. The U.S. recently pledged ten of these vessels to Ukraine as part of a $450 million security assistance package. US Nanvy In addition to the boats, the package includes artillery such as four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 36,000 rounds of 105 mm ammunition, 18 tactical vehicles with which to move 155 mm artillery, 1,200 Mk 19 grenade launchers, and 2,000 machine guns. "Obviously, with each of these packages, we [also] provide a lot of spare parts," the official said. "We want to make sure they can keep the systems up and running." A soldier finishes firing the Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher, March 15, 2019, at Camp Atterbury, Ind. The U.S. pledged delivery of 1,200 Mk 19 automatic grenade launchers to deliver. . Photo By: Army Maj. Dan Marchik Earlier this month, the US committed to providing two truck-mounted Harpoon systems to Ukraine to contribute to coastal defense. Other allied nations will send the Harpoon missiles themselves. Ukraine recently claimed to have sunk a Russian tugboat in the Black Sea using two Harpoon missiles. "This will be helpful in enabling the Ukrainians to defend Odesa and other positions along the Black Sea coast," the defense official said. A high mobility artillery rocket system is offloaded from a C-17 Globemaster III, Jan. 27, 2022, at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif. Four similar HIMARS were recently sent to Ukraine a Photo By: Marine Corps Cpl. Jailine Alicea-Santiago As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, the conflict in the Black Sea has intensified. Russia has imposed a blockade on Ukrainian ports, leading to the disruption of global wheat exports and exacerbating a global food crisis. Last week, Ukraine launched missile strikes against three Russian gas rigs in the Black Sea. "On those towers, Russia had organized small garrisons and stored equipment for air defense, radar warfare, and reconnaissance," Sergiy Bratchuk of Odesa's regional military administration told an online briefing, according to Deutsche Welle. Read the original article on Business Insider The Vatican has praised the U.S. Supreme Court for standing for life and reversing the countrys nearly 50-year stance on abortion. In a pair of statements, the Vatican also encouraged activists to understand being "pro-life" means supporting other issues, including all those that threaten life, like guns, poverty and rising maternity mortality rates, Reuters reported. "Being for life, always, for example, means being concerned if the mortality rates of women due to motherhood increase," said Andrea Tornielli, the Vatican's editorial director. Pope Francis waves to the faithful as he leaves St. Peter's Square at the end of the 10th World Meeting of Families closing Mass on June 25, 2022 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images) Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images Being pro-life requires a more holistic approach than simply being anti-abortion, he continued. SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ROE V. WADE IN LANDMARK OPINION: LIVE UPDATES "Being for life, always, means asking how to help women welcome new life," he wrote in a media editorial Saturday. The editorial director also said those who identify as pro-life should challenge their own views on gun ownership and gun safety. "Being for life, always, also means defending it against the threat of firearms, which unfortunately have become a leading cause of death of children and adolescents in the U.S." he added. COLORADO PREGNANCY CENTER VANDALIZED, SET ABLAZE HOURS AFTER SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCED ABORTION DECISION: POLICE Torniellis statement was preceded by a statement from the Vatican's Academy for Life, which was posted the day before. "The fact that a large country with a long democratic tradition has changed its position on this issue also challenges the whole world," said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who heads the Pontifical Academy for Life, Reuters reported. A view of St. Peter's Square during the 10th World Meeting of Families closing Mass on June 25, 2022 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images) Paglia described the Supreme Court's decision as a "powerful invitation to reflect" on the value of life in a society that "is losing passion for life." "By choosing life, our responsibility for the future of humanity is at stake," Paglia added. Pope Francis attends the 10th World Meeting of Families closing Mass in St. Peter's Square on June 25, 2022 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images) Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images Pope Francis previously compared the act of abortion to "hiring a hit man" but has steered the Catholic Church to see pro-life as a larger issue than just abortion. President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, called Friday, as the Supreme Court announced it was overturning Roe v. Wade, a "sad day" for America. Authorities arrested a Washington man on Tuesday after he allegedly threatened to blow up an elementary school. Thomas Gabbard, 19, had previously gone on Instagram Live, where he claimed to be a gang member. However, a viewer on the stream insisted that Gabbard was not, to which the suspect responded he was "going to pull up and bomb a school," police said. No school or location was specified during the stream. Gabbard, however, proceeded to claim he had bombs in his possession. The viewer became concerned and called the local police regarding Gabbard's threats. SHOOTING OUTSIDE RAVE IN WASHINGTON INJURES AT LEAST 8, POLICE SAY The viewer also told police Gabbard called him using the phone number on the viewer's account. He told police the call lasted approximately two minutes, during which time he tried to get information from Gabbard on the unnamed school he had previously referenced. The Instagram user added that Gabbard did not provide any info on the school and continued calling the viewer "racially derogatory names." The viewer also notified police that Gabbard had several active Facebook and Instagram profiles. Police reports indicated that a search into Gabbard's criminal history showed he had a juvenile conviction that prohibited him from legally possessing firearms. MEMPHIS 4-YEAR-OLD DIES AFTER SHOOTING IN HOME: POLICE Police said they found three specific photos on Gabbard's various social media profiles in which the suspect was shown holding firearms two pistols and a rifle. Several officers and armed personnel arrived at Gabbard's home serving a high-risk search warrant, and a SWAT team arrested Gabbard without incident. No explosives or firearms were located at the scene. During an interview with police, Gabbard said he was not serious about bombing a school. He also denied having any firearms or explosives in his possession and insisted that the firearms shown in his social media posts were air powered. SAN FRANCISCO TRAIN SHOOTING LEAVES ONE DEAD, ANOTHER WOUNDED; MANHUNT UNDERWAY Story continues He later admitted that the rifle shown in his post was taken at his sister's home when he knew he was not allowed to possess a firearm per his conviction. Gabbard also admitted his claim of being a gang member was untrue. A police officer comforts family members at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Thursday, May 26. Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The arrest came just a few weeks after gunman Salvador Ramos shot and killed 21 individuals at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Wilmington police are investigating a shooting in the 1500 block of S. 11th St. The Wilmington Police Department is investigating a shooting after a 20-year-old male was found dead between two vehicles on Greenfield Street. According to a Sunday news release, officers responded to the 1500 block of South 11th Street on Saturday night in reference to a ShotSpotter notification, which detects gunshots in the city. They found the victim lying face down suffering from a gunshot wound. Police later identified the victim as Jakai Dekine. Officers started CPR until paramedics arrived. Dekine died at the scene from his injuries. WPD officials are asking anyone with information to call the department at 910-343-3609 or to send an anonymous message to 847411 by using the keyword WPDNC, adding a space, and typing the information. Information may also be submitted using the department's app. "We send our condolences to the victims family and friends during this tragic event," WPD officials said. Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington police officers investigating shooting on Greenfield Street Advertisement New Delhi: Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh who was held for spying in Pakistan, passed away on Saturday night. Sarabjit Singh was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court and after being beaten up by his jail inmates, he was declared dead at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. Dalbir Kaur fought the system for 22 years to get her brother released. The story of the struggle faced by Sarabjit and his sister was captured with due respect in the 2016 film Sarabjit. It was not just a film about struggle, but also catered to the theme of brother-sister relationship. The film was directed by Omung Kumar, who made his directorial debut with Mary Kom (2014). In the film, Randeep Hooda played the role of Sarabjit Singh and the role of Dalbir Kaur was played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The film also featured Richa Chadha as Sukhpreet Kaur, Sarabjits wife. The film followed the story of Sarabjit, a farmer who by mistake crossed the indo-Pak border after having a few drinks. He was mistaken to be an Indian spy in Pakistan, but her sister fought the system and the boundaries to prove his innocence. Eventually, in 2013, after 22 years in jail, Sarabjit was beaten up by his inmates and he succumbed to his injuries. Sarabjit (2016) proved to be a critical as well as a financial success. The film is available on Amazon Prime Video. Dalbir Kaurs last rites will be conducted on June 26 in Bhikhiwind, Punjab. Sarabjit was a farmer in the town of Bhikhiwind in Punjab. People also tweeted expressing their condolences and recognising Dalbir as a brave woman. Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh who was convicted to death by Pakistan for alleged spying, died last night. SS was killed in 2013 when he was attacked by other prisoners in a Lahore jail. She was a brave woman. jatindesai (@jatindes) June 26, 2022 A Crown Point man was sentenced to 35 years Friday for fatally stabbing his girlfriends daughters boyfriend. Mark Jaramillo, 47, was convicted last fall in the April 16, 2021, death of Rafeal Jose Marcano, 27, of Hobart. Advertisement His lawyer Herb Shaps said Jaramillo would appeal. Senior Judge Kathleen Lang sentenced Jaramillo to 20 years for voluntary manslaughter and another 15 for a habitual offender enhancement. Advertisement Lawyers said previously the pair had bad blood between them and had argued in the past over a young boy, who typically stayed with his grandmother, Jaramillos girlfriend Koreena Henry. Marcano was stabbed twice in the back, with one wound puncturing a lung, lawyers said. As he lay on the ground fatally injured, Henry and Jaramillo sped off, taking her grandson to school, a criminal affidavit alleged. Henry told police Marcano was abusive, allegedly beating her daughter days before his death, documents said. Henry signed a plea agreement. Her sentencing is scheduled July 8. Shaps said Friday the fight was a mutual combat situation. Jaramillo had no intent to hurt Marcano that day. He asked for 27.5 years. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kasey Dafoe said Jaramillo was the worst of the worst and asked for a 50-year term. Marcanos girlfriend told police her mother, Henry, and mothers boyfriend, Jaramillo, came over that morning to take her son to school, the affidavit states. Soon after Marcano called Henry, who was on her way, Jaramillo appeared at the back door puffed up like a tough guy who was on bad terms with him, court documents state. Henry was livid Marcano beat her daughter, sarcastically asking how she was feeling, pointing to her chest where he allegedly struck her, documents said. Advertisement A verbal fight between the two men soon turned physical, with Henry grabbing the woman to take her outside, it said. The woman threatened, then punched her mom to get free, documents allege. The woman opened the door, because her son was still inside, to see Jaramillo with a knife dragging Marcano with blood gushing from him out of the house, charges state. The woman ran to Henrys car, thinking she could run Jaramillo over, it said. Henry forcibly pushed her over to the passenger seat. The child was in the back seat. Henry got out of the tan Saturn briefly before Jaramillo yelled for her to get back inside and they took off, taking the boy to school, court documents state. Jaramillo had a cut on his middle finger, it said. Once the boy was dropped off, the woman asked why Jaramillo attacked Marcano. He shouldnt have swung on you, Jaramillo said, according to the woman. I did it for you, Jaramillo allegedly said to the woman. I was trying to protect you, because RJ hit you. Advertisement Later in police interviews, Henry said Jaramillo told her afterward the monster is dead when she asked what happened. The plan was not to kill him, Henry and Jaramillo said. Jaramillo was recently on parole from Wisconsin for armed robbery and didnt want to go back to prison, according to Henry and court documents. Henry and Jaramillo went afterward to the Motel 6 where they were both arrested, it said. Henry had a white powder, which tested positive for meth, the affidavit alleges. Jaramillo was scared to go back to prison and had three years left on parole. Henry said she was surprised her car was destroyed, assuming it was hidden in Garys Black Oak section. He didnt go there to kill that kid, Henry said to police. That is not what he went there for. Kamp to present at P.E.O. Chapter LP luncheon TuesdayChapter LP of the P.E.O. International Sisterhood met on Tuesday, June 14 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church to address an agenda of current and upcoming chapter business related to membership development, fundraising, future programs and special events. The 1 p.m. meeting was organized and conducted by president Beverly Fletcher who first recognized the hostess of the day, Carol Collins, for the provision of delicious refreshments enjoyed by members and guests. Programs chair Joanne Becker introduced the afternoons guest speaker, Dr. Richard Warner, retired local dentist and historian in his presentation of The Middle Years in the citys history. Warner presented an illustrated lecture highlighted by color slides, video clips and enlarged black-and-white photographs to cover four decades in the citys history, which coincided with Chapter LPs program series in recognition of the citys 176th birthday. Dr. Warner is president of Preserve Council Bluffs and vice president of the Pottawattamie County Historical Society. Earlier on May 10, with commentary by Joanne Becker, Chapter LP focused on the works and life of Iowa artist George W. Simons (1834-1917). Simons sketches, paintings, and depictions of the Iowa landscape, native Americans living on the land, log cabins, town structures, tepees, steam boats, the Mormon Settlement, wagon trains and a myriad of other impressions brought him national recognition for his unique style of regionalism. His earlier association with the railroad pioneer, Grenville Dodge, and his need for employment, prompted Simons to relocate his family in 1853 from Illinois to what was known as Kanesville now Council Bluffs. With the exception of joining the Union Army in 1862 and his tenure in the military throughout the Civil War, Simons lived and worked at his artistic trade, including a stint as a photographer, in the greater Council Bluffs region for a total of 53 years. The works of George Simons can be found on view at the Council Bluffs Public Library, the Dodge House and within the permanent collections of the Hoff Family Center for Arts and Culture (PACE) and the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. Chapter LP members, guests and prospective members will meet again on Tuesday, June 28, at noon for a Summer Salad luncheon in the Fellowship Hall of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 600 Bluffs St. Special guest speaker will be Drew Kamp, president of the Greater Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, who will present an illustrated talk entitled Where we have been and where are we going as a City. P.E.O. Chapter FK discusses state conventionP.E.O. Chapter FK met on June 10 at the Council Bluffs Country Club. Thirty members were in attendance. Linda Frost and Kathy Mahan were hostesses with spring flowers decorating the table and cupcakes for dessert. Julie Morton provided the fundraiser, which was a selection of wine accessories. Beth Keenan was the lucky winner! Programs were given by President Patti Ford, with the assistance of Jan Stone and Marsha Grandick, who had served as guards at the State Convention. A Powerpoint presentation was given showing the highlights of the State Convention, held June 4 in Des Moines. A daisy and stars bouquet was given to sister Pat Peterson. Pat has been a member of P.E.O. since 1946. A set of coasters, that will be the 2023 state fundraiser, was given to Linda Tapke as the newest member in attendance. Corresponding Secretary Kathy Thompson shared a thank you note from Charmaine Kaiser for her gift as our outgoing Vice-President. Kathy shared an invitation to a Zoom meeting on June 27 at 6:30 p.m. to meet and greet our new Iowa State P.E.O. Executive Board. There will be a visit day at Cottey College, Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for any member wishing to attend. More details to follow. Linda Frost gave a report on the Iowa P.E.O. Project Fund. Our next meeting will be on July 8 at the Council Bluffs Country Club. P.E.O. Chapter MF discusses skin careP.E.O. Chapter MF met on June 2 at the Council Bluffs Country Club for its regular monthly meeting, with Nancy White as hostess. Discussion was held regarding proposed amendments slated for the Iowa State Convention, which was held June 4 in Des Moines. Representing the chapter were Mary Stuhr and Judy Hughes. The program was presented by Lauren Lakatos, daughter of our own Cindy Lakatos, on skin care for the face and the importance of understanding SPF is your BFF, especially as we age. We thank Lauren for her time and for the skin care samples. The STARS scholarship program recently recognized the 2022 scholars who finished their programs. Celebrating its 25th year, STARS is a program of the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation thats an initiative of the Iowa West Foundation. It gives low-income parents and custodial grandparents in Pottawattamie County an opportunity to earn college credentials. The scholarship supports adult learners by providing $3,500 in scholarship funds that can be used for direct and indirect expenses, including tuition, fees, books, childcare and living expenses. A recognition ceremony was held at the PACE Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center on June 16, and it featured remarks by STARS Program Director Mia Laustrup, CBSF Executive Director Chris LaFerla, Iowa West Foundation Program Officer Michelle Wodtke Franks and guest speakers Jenny Hecker and Amelia Henry, who are both former STARS scholars. Many adult learners with children face systemic barriers that impair their ability to secure a job that pays a livable wage, Laustrup said. This is why the STARS program is imperative to Pottawattamie County to address barriers by providing assistance with expenses like tuition, gas cards, child care, living expenses and more. I am proud to be part of such an impactful program. STARS scholarship addresses barriers by providing high-quality programming and support, according to a news release. STARS scholars engage in educational seminars that are rigorous, hands-on and relevant. Throughout their enrollment, they are provided with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in both postsecondary education and in their careers. Only 33.5% of Pottawattamie County residents ages 25-64 have an education or training beyond high school, according to the program. STARS empowers scholars with self-confidence and a belief that they can pursue a career path that will change their trajectory in life. What our graduates have achieved is significant, LaFerla said. Ninety percent of our scholars are single parents and, while graduating from college is a feat in and of itself, doing so as a single parent is an absolutely incredible accomplishment. Were proud of the graduates, and I hope they exit the program knowing that there is an entire network of supporters who are cheering them on. The STARS Scholarship Program is Iowa Wests longest-running initiative. Since 1997, STARS has celebrated more than 260 graduates and has awarded more than $1,000,000 in scholarships. The STARS scholarship program has remained steadfast in our community for the last 25 years, Franks said. The amount of financial support has been increased, and there have been program improvements and modifications, but the one thing that hasnt changed is its purpose. The program provides support to help scholars meet the plans they have for themselves. The real success is in those scholars who leveraged the assistance and went on to advance their education and chart a brand new course for their families. STARS is currently seeking applications for the 2022-23 school year. For more information or to apply, visit cbsf.org or call the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation at 712-322-8800. The STARS graduates from 2021-2022 included the following: Certificates John DeWindt, IWCC, Certified Nursing Assistant Emma Fielder, IWCC, Certified Nursing Assistant Alycia Jepperson, IWCC, Licensed Practical Nurse Shawntelle Kuhlmann, IWCC, Licensed Practical Nurse Ashley McClary, IWCC, Licensed Practical Nurse Heather Heatherly, IWCC, Licensed Practical Nurse Hannah Seifert, IWCC, Licensed Practical Nurse Celia Wright, IWCC, Licensed Practical Nurse Associate Degrees Leticia Huber, IWCC, Addictive Studies Jennifer Koedam, IWCC, Registered Nurse Lisa Smith, IWCC, Paralegal Taylor Stanfill, IWCC, Education Nicole Wright, IWCC, Graphic Design Bachelors Degrees Jasmine Dunkirk, College of St. Mary, Education Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Significant wildlife conservation bill could benefit IowaThe U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act, a bill to prevent wildlife extinctions by funding locally-led conservation efforts. If it becomes law, Iowa will receive around $13.4 million annually to help 405 species of concern, including the Regal Fritillary and Monarch butterflies, the Wood Turtle and the Ornate Box Turtle, the Horned Lark, and the Indiana Bat. This is the most important piece of wildlife legislation in the past 50 years. Wildlife in Iowa and across the country is in crisis. This bold, bipartisan bill will tackle the problem at scale without adding new taxes or regulations. Funding from the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act will be used to implement Congressionally mandated state wildlife action plans which identify more than 12,000 wildlife and plants nationwide that need conservation assistance. The bipartisan passage of the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act affirms there is consensus across the political spectrum that we can, and we must, prevent extinctions from our backyards to the backcountry, said Collin OMara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. Inaction is the ally of extinction, and the time to act is now. The bill has strong bipartisan support in the Senate, with 35 cosponsors. The Senate bill would be paid for out of federal environmental penalties. I want Iowas children to enjoy our diverse and plentiful wildlife just as I did as a young boy. I would encourage Senators Grassley and Ernst to act now to get this historic legislation over the finish line this summer, said Iowa Wildlife Federation (IWF) Board Rich Leopold Iowa Wildlife Federation Board Chairman Ashamed, angry and terrified by Supreme Court decisionThe Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade has left many citizens, including me, filled with a mix of emotions; as an American, I am ashamed; as a person I am angry; as a woman, I am terrified. I am terrified to have a uterus in a country that grants guns more rights than women. I am terrified at the number of people who have spoken in favor of the Supreme Courts decision. I am terrified of the people who havent spoken at all. Need I remind you all that indifference in the face of injustice is an injustice in and of itself? Need I remind you of your mothers, of your sisters, of your daughters, who will all face the wrath that is the hypocritical hand of SCOTUS? Need I remind you that you do not need to be affected by an injustice to fight for justice? If you do not have a uterus you may think that this does not affect you, but let me be clear when I say that SCOTUS will not stop with abortion. Justices have already ignited flames under several other landmark decisions such as same-sex marriage and contraceptive rights. The question is not whether the Supreme Court will end these rights but rather which right will it end first. This may have been the first time the United States has revoked a constitutional right but it has become clear that it will not be the last. June 24th will forever be known as the day that the Supreme Court of the United States turned its back on women. Just 10 days before Independence Day we were shown what little freedom we have in this county. Fifty years ago the continuous fight for womens rights resulted in the original ruling of Roe v. Wade. Now that it has been overturned, we must fight once again for the freedom of choice. We must fight for the codification of this right so we never have to fight again. We must fight with our votes and our voices. We must fight for our own Independence Day. Krista Meyer Council Bluffs Reynolds supports my family valuesIve lived in Iowa all my life, and Ive always been proud to call it home. Thats why I am writing this letter today. We have an important campaign for Governor coming up and there are two very different candidates. Deidre DeJears leadership would bring us down a dangerous path and threaten the prosperity of our state. She will raise our taxes. She does not support our law enforcement, and she would vote to eliminate voter ID. She would rather advocate for Bidens woke agenda than address the issues concerning Iowans and their families. Its a good thing we have Governor Reynolds. Shes raised her own family in this state and will fight to keep it the best place for us to raise ours. Reynolds advocates for Iowas parents and will keep more money in our pockets. While Bidens reckless policies fail Americans, Governor Reynolds has worked to cut our taxes and support home-grown American energy. This is what leadership looks like. In November, we have a choice regarding the Iowa we want to live in. I choose the Iowa that will support my familys values, financial future, and independence. Thats why Im voting for Governor Kim Reynolds. Patricia Hanna Ottumwa Choose candidates with spinesTonight, I say to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain. Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack. Recently, Senator Grassley and Representatives Hinson and Feenstra proudly announced their Trump endorsements. They deserve them for defending outrageous conduct or remaining silent in the face of threats to democracy. In just the first of seven hearings on the Jan. 6 investigation, it was clear that legions of Trump enablers will forever be associated with the dishonor of their devotion to the one public servant in 246 years to be impeached twice, to trade in the currency of conspiracy theories, to install as Senior Counselor a woman who called lies just alternative facts, to tell a Washington Post-calculated 30,573 lies of his own in four years. In short, to flood the landscape with so many falsehoods that a divided America would abandon democracy in favor of Trump totalitarianism and not remember the difference. Its not that Iowas GOP legislators were never offered offramps. These are the ones they rejected in their respective offices: *impeachment of Trump for inciting insurrection, *conviction of Trump for abuse of power, obstruction of Congress, and incitement of insurrection, *holding four of Trumps ardent foot soldiers in contempt of Congress for non-compliance with subpoenas. Consider this for November: have Iowas GOP legislators demonstrated independent thinking, leadership, or love of country over party? Will you re-elect The Dishonored or will you choose candidates with spines? Karen Heidman Sioux City Juul isnt coolFantastic news. Juul is responsible for hooking a new generation on nicotine. It is beyond time for the FDA to pull such dangerous products off the market. Well done Paul Bacon Hallandale Beach, Florida Omahas transit authority is shifting to become a regional entity, inviting further engagement from other communities in the metropolitan area. While the move shouldnt directly impact Council Bluffs, which contracts for Metro for bus service in the city, it reflects the importance of interconnectedness and with working across jurisdictional lines on public transportation. The board overseeing Omahas Metro transit voted Thursday, June 23, to convert from the Transit Authority of the City of Omaha into a Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority of Omaha, taking advantage of a change in state statute approved by lawmakers in 2019. The change takes effect Aug. 1. Were taking on the challenge to provide for the people in the community and connect them to the places that matter, board member Daniel Lawse said in a news release. Lauren Cencic, Metros CEO, said the conversion open the door for Metro to bring its public transportation services beyond Omahas city limits although the fact that it is a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska means that authority wont extend beyond the Missouri River or the state line separating Carter Lake from Omaha. Even so, Metro still plans to include service in Iowa as part of its operations. We have longstanding, good partnerships with Council Bluffs through interlocal agreements to provide service in Council Bluffs, Cencic said in an interview. Those options will absolutely still remain on the table. Metro provides contracted services in Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista and Ralston. Those other cities in the metro area in Nebraska, as well as those without existing contracts, will have the opportunity to join the regional transit authority, although Metros service area will remain the same for now. Cencic said the change acknowledges that our region goes beyond downtown Omaha, which is a vital step in creating a more connected, prosperous region. The move also provides flexibility for Metros funding, allowing it to levy up to 10 cents per $100 in taxable valuation within its jurisdiction. As part of that, Metro will shift to having an elected board, likely starting in 2024. Metro had already been a part of multiple regional initiatives, such as the Heartland 2050 plan developed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency. Those planning efforts have stressed the importance of transportation. For example, MAPA found that expanding regional transit could add up to 8,000 new jobs and create an economic impact of $1.8 billion in business revenue for the region by 2050. Those conversations and those efforts have really emphasized and reiterated the need to think about how people move throughout the whole region, and not just within a city, Cencic said. This is an opportunity for us to continue to make improvements on some of those big ideas that have been shared for years. One of those ideas involves bringing either rapid bus transit or a streetcar from Omaha to downtown Council Bluffs along First Avenue, utilizing a city-owned former railroad corridor thats being developed into a trail from Interstate 29 to Indian Creek and thats situated a block south of Broadway, albeit intersecting with the Broadway Hy-Vee and the Thomas Jefferson High School campus. As Council Bluffs is outside of the service area under Metros jurisdiction, coordination with Council Bluffs officials should continue as further plans develop for the corridor, Metro stated in its MetroNEXT plan spanning 2022 to 2030. Cencic said it may require being a little bit more creative, but Metro has had some wonderful meetings about the First Avenue corridor and is committed to supporting the project in whatever way it can. First Avenue is a very exciting opportunity for the Council Bluffs area, and really an exciting opportunity for the region overall, Cencic said. Metro is certainly excited to help support the Council Bluffs in that project and other future transit needs in whatever way we can. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. King Mohammed VI has sent on Saturday a message of condolences and compassion to the family and friends of late French anthropologist Yves Coppens, who was member of the Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Techniques. In his message, the King said he learned with emotion the passing of the renowned pundit in paleontology and prehistory, who worked throughout his career to make the history of Man accessible to the general public. The Sovereign expressed his deepest condolences and feelings of compassion to the family, relatives, and friends of the late Professor Yves Coppens. An eminent member of the Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Techniques, he always made contributions imbued with profound wisdom, stated the King. The Sovereign said he particularly remembers his meeting with Coppens, during one of his visits to Morocco, adding that he has been impressed by the elegance of the soul of this academic who had a lot of affection for humanity. Yves Coppens passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87. He was specialized in the study of ancient hominids. He published numerous academic works and produced a film titled A Species Odyssey. Renowned globally as a revered expert in his field, Coppens received four honorary doctorates from universities in North America and Europe, and has had an asteroid named in his honor. Among his most famous achievements, Yves Coppens was part of the team that discovered the fossil of Lucy in 1974. The fossil was dated to over 3 million years ago and is considered a big piece of evidence in support of evolution. The Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Rabat celebrated this week its 100th anniversary with a mapping show inside the building, under the theme Weave a Fire. The video show with sound effects was projected on an architectural installation in the form of an inverted candle, giving visitors visual experiences derived from representations of fire such as flames, ashes, smoke, heat, and lights. The French Institute of Morocco, which co-organized the event in cooperation with the Diocese of Rabat said in a press release that celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Cathedral means bringing the public together around the values of dialogue and sharing that characterize it. This light installation is a celebration of the past and future evolution of the monument with the city and the communities that co-exist there, said the IFM in a press release. Head of the Cathedral of Rabat, Father Daniel Nourissat expressed, in a statement to MAP, his joy to see this show being celebrated inside the church to encourage people to enter and watch this candle and this light which symbolize the love of God in our hearts. The French ambassador to Morocco, Helene Le Gal, emphasized the symbolism of being in a cathedral in Morocco. This openness to all religions, this is what makes it special and I find it very beautiful, she said. Saint-Pierre Cathedral, inaugurated on November 17, 1921, has accompanied and witnessed the great political, cultural and social changes in Morocco and is undeniably part of the cultural and historical heritage of the Capital. It was designed by architect Adrien Laforgue, who had also drawn the Post Office in down town Rabat as well as the former Palais de Justice, which currently hosts the headquarters of the Moroccan Parliament. The monument is inscribed in an architectural tradition specific to the city of Rabat, a fruitful dialogue between the Arab-Muslim tradition and Western art deco modernism, explains the French Institute. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares reaffirmed on Saturday that the position of his country supporting the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara is very clear and sovereign. Spain considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for the resolution of the Sahara dispute. The position of the Spanish government on the Sahara is very clear and has been confirmed by the President of the Executive, Pedro Sanchez, to King Mohammed VI, said Albares, who was speaking at an event organized in the Spanish Congress of Deputies on the NATO Summit, which will be held on June 29-30 in Madrid. Spain is a free and sovereign country to make its own decisions on foreign policy, said the head of Spanish diplomacy, adding that Spain thinks by itself. In this sense, he rejected the meddling of third countries in internal debates on the foreign policy of the government, ensuring that Spain advocates good relations with its neighbors based on the same principles of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and non-interference in internal affairs. Albares described as false the debate on the position of Spain regarding the Moroccan Sahara, stressing that this debate is motivated by spurious interests. BEIJING (AP) President Xi Jinping will participate in next week's celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China, the government said Saturday, but it left unclear whether he will visit the former British colony for the highly symbolic event after a crackdown on a pro-democracy movement. Xi, who also is general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, will attend a meeting for the anniversary and the inauguration of Hong Kong's government led by newly appointed Chief Executive John Lee, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The announcement gave no other details. The anniversary is one of the highest-profile political events in a year when Xi is widely believed to be trying to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as party leader. He already is the most powerful Chinese leader since at least the 1980s and wants to be seen as leading a national rejuvenation amid a military buildup and more assertive policy abroad. Xi hasn't made a trip outside the Chinese mainland since the start of the coronavirus pandemic 2 1/2 years ago. Hong Kong faces a renewed rise in infections after a flood of cases earlier this year threatened to overwhelm its hospitals. Lee and his predecessor, Carrie Lam, both issued statements thanking Xi for participating in anniversary celebrations but didn't clarify whether he would visit Hong Kong. The anniversary follows a crackdown led in part by Lee, a former Hong Kong security chief. Activists have been sentenced to prison, scores of others arrested and Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy newspaper shut down. The tighter controls under a national security law imposed in 2020 have prompted some people to leave for Taiwan, Britain and other countries. That has led to concerns the ruling party is ruining Hong Kongs status as a global business and financial center. Hong Kong, one of Asia's richest cities and a global business center with thriving film, publishing and other creative industries, returned to China on July 1, 1997, under an agreement that promised a high degree of autonomy for 50 years. Activists and foreign governments say Beijing has reneged on that. The United States suspended agreements that treated Hong Kong as a separate territory for trade, saying the city no longer had enough autonomy from Beijing. Two years after Hong Kong, the neighboring Portuguese territory of Macao also returned to China in 1999, allowing the ruling party to say it had ended foreign colonialism. Since the Hong Kong handover, ordinary people in the territory have struggled with soaring living costs that inflamed political tension. Beijing imposed the sweeping national security legislation in 2020 following protests that erupted over a proposed extradition law and spread to include demands for more democracy. The territory has banned commemorations of the ruling party's violent 1989 crackdown on Beijing's Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement. Those sentenced to prison include Jimmy Lai, former publisher of the defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. Hong Kong's 90-year-old former Roman Catholic bishop, Joseph Zen, was among those arrested. The crackdown adds to tension between Beijing and the United States, Europe, Japan and other Asian governments over human rights, Taiwan and conflicts with its neighbors over Chinese territorial claims in the South China and East China seas. Hong Kongs final British colonial governor, Chris Patten, expressed heartbreak this month over the crackdown. I thought there was a prospect that (China) would keep its word, and Im sorry that it hasnt, Patten told The Associated Press on June 20 in London. I just find it intensely difficult. I do believe that Hong Kong is a great city, I hope it will be a great city again. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The death of former President Lyndon B. Johnson on Jan. 22, 1973, tended to overshadow the decision legalizing abortion that the U.S. Supreme Court handed down that very same day. Almost everyone noticed on June 24, 2022, when a differently constituted high court consigned that 1973 decision Roe v. Wade to the dustbin of history. It lies there with Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which declared Blacks had no rights which the white man was bound to respect, and Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which perpetuated American apartheid with its separate but equal lie. The issuance of Dobbs v. Jacksons Womans Health Organization ought to be deemed a watershed moment in ensuring equality and dignity for all Americans. We renew our prediction from last September that too few will see it that way. But now that Roe is gone, Nebraska and its lawmakers can once more fulfill the words that have begun Article I of our state constitution since 1875: All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain inherent and inalienable rights; among these are life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness ... Youll recognize its quote of the Declaration of Independences self-evident clause (except for the absence of and after liberty, removed because Nebraskans added the right to keep and bear arms after liberty in 1988). Would that the U.S. Constitution did likewise. Perhaps our nation one day will write those words of Thomas Jefferson into the highest law of our land. For now, we must reflect soberly on the profound damage Roe has done to our common understanding of humanity. And do better. Weve said here before that the greatest evils in human history have resulted from one group of humans declaring another group not fully human and thus ripe for exploitation, abuse or annihilation. Dred Scott, like Roe, gave such thinking the force of federal law. It took a bloody civil war and the 13th Amendment to root it out, at least as far as slavery went. Then the Plessy decision supercharged racism against African Americans until another Supreme Court threw it out with Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement pushed to redeem what King called the Founding Fathers promissory note of human freedom. Americans still suffer from the legacy of racism against Blacks. And against Native Americans, who werent considered legal persons until Nebraska Ponca leader Standing Bear got U.S. District Judge Elmer Dundy to say they were in 1879. And against many others. Its far easier, in devaluing any humans as other, to inflict the greatest inhumanities upon them. But the unborn are utterly unable to defend themselves against otherness. We wish Justice Samuel Alitos 6-3 majority opinion Friday had explicitly disavowed the blatant otherness of Roes declaration that the word person, as used in the Fourteenth Amendment, does not include the unborn. Those words, as we see it, are most responsible for Roes disastrous impact. They powerfully reinforced the eternal double standard of opposing abortion at least in words but shrugging ones shoulders at the big lie of sex without consequences absent permanent commitment. Their defense by pro-choicers has closed pro-life ears when liberals correctly speak of equality and justice for humans born. But pro-choicers also dismiss pro-lifers who seem to stop caring about the unborns full humanity once theyre born. All Americans must redouble their commitment to the health and well-being of all women single or married, before and after birth, unexpectedly pregnant or not as well as their children, born and unborn. Any abortion law Nebraska might now pass must uphold this absolute commitment. Its criminal penalties must be directed at those who perform an abortion, not the women who might seek it. And it must decisively shield physicians when the lives of both the mother and child are at stake or (in cases like ectopic pregnancies) the mothers life cannot be saved without an abortion. We do not expect Roes passing to be accepted without strife. But in Nebraska, were free now to live up to our state constitution. Do we truly believe life is the first inalienable right, more important even than liberty or the pursuit of happiness? Its time to prove it. The Alabama Republican Party Candidate Committee has declared the State Senate District 27 election between Jay Hovey and incumbent Tom Whatley a tie. The winner will be decided by lot, according to state code. Hovey clung to a four-vote lead over Whatley on election night after all the votes were tallied from the polling places in Lee, Russell and Tallapoosa counties. After the provisional ballots were counted on May 31, Hovey remained in the lead by just one vote. Shortly afterward, the election was contested by Whatleys father, Charles Whatley, and Dr. Gary Hunt, a campaign contributor from Opelika. On Saturday in Birmingham, the committee held hearings for the contested Senate District 27 race, as well as for contested three election contests that were filed after the Alabama Republican Primary Election in May, including Senate District 27, House District 28 and House District 29. Hovey and Whatley each had the opportunity to present his case for or against the election results and answered questions from the committee. Afterward, they were allowed to make a closing statement, and then the committee declared the race for State Senate District 27 a tie. The party did not release a reason for its decision. Hovey in a message to The Montgomery Advertiser on Saturday night accused the party of counting an unregistered voter to bring the race to a tie. Certainly every vote is important and its unfortunate if anyone is mistaken that they are registered to vote, Hovey wrote. It was unclear if he would challenge the decision. A release from the Alabama Republican Party stated that the tie will be broken in the same manner established for general elections set forth in Alabama Code 17-12-23. The code, according to the Alabama Secretary of State website, states: In all elections where there is a tie between the two highest candidates for the same office, for all county or precinct offices, it shall be decided by lot by the judge of probate of the county in the presence of the candidates; and in the case of the office of circuit judge, senator, representative, or any state officer not otherwise provided for, the Secretary of State shall, in the presence of the Governor, and such other electors as may choose to be present, decide the tie by lot. One method of deciding a tie by lot is to have the candidates draw slips of paper with one of them being marked as the winner. According to Probate Judge Bill English of Lee County, at least one past race that ended in a tie was decided by a coin flip. It could be a roll of a dice, high card or rock-paper-scissors, Secretary of State John Merrill told AL.com. The GOP news release did not provide details on when the winner would be selected or the method to be used. The winner of this race will run against Democrat candidate Sherri Reese of Opelika in the general election in November. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Plans to reopen bus route connecting Thailand-Laos-Vietnam Thai authorities are discussing the opening of new bus routes with Laos and Vietnam to link popular destinations in the three countries, according to news website laotiantimes.com. The distance from Nakhon Phanom to Ha Tinh is approximately 300 kilometres. (Photo: Google Maps) Laotian media noted that the Thai Government has approved expediting negotiations to open a bus route connecting the three countries via route R12 from Nakhon Phanom in Thailand to Thakhek in Laos before progressing on to Ha Tinh in Vietnam. The distance from Nakhon Phanom to Ha Tinh is approximately 300 kilometres. The website also revealed that the Thai Ministry of Transport has requested that Laos host the second Trilateral Working Group Meeting as soon as possible in order to discuss the service model before coming to formal agreements. The three cities are especially attractive to tourists, with local arts and culture attractions, temples, and sacred sites, as well as natural wonders such as waterfalls, mountains, and beaches, the laotiantimes.com shared. The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, held a video conference on Friday to discuss the protection and inheritance of the excellent culture and art of ethnic minorities. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. The excellent culture and art of ethnic minorities are treasures of the Chinese culture, Wang said, calling for the coordinated efforts of the government, market and society to strengthen their protection and inheritance. Political advisors called for the correct concept of the history of the Chinese nation to be laid out, and for content that is in line with national unity, ethnic solidarity, and the exchanges and interactions among different ethnic groups to be highlighted. 4817 people who think they're "woke" and "not racist" by liking that comment. Reply Thread Link Many of those people seem to be in this post. It is very interesting how dismissive people get about racism when about racism when a black person is doing something bad. Reply Parent Thread Link Right like it's not 90% of ONTD's place to call him out like that. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't like the man, but it's not my place to question a black man's identity, especially in America, where people can't trace their ancestory or still have the last names of slave owners. Martha has always been a raging asshole, her identity is very consistent. Reply Parent Thread Link It's wild how some people think the next step of being progressive is to 'acknowledge an oppressed group can be made of shitty people too', like that's some kind of revelation and no one has ever thought that before. We saw it with Amber Heard, like believing a man unquestioningly and demonising a female accuser is the next step in feminist justice - and we're seeing it here, like singling out the one black man in a shitty group of justices and demonising him as a black man is the progressive take. (Obviously in this case Clarence Thomas is the shithead, unlike Amber Heard - but the laser focus on him from white people to the exclusion of the white shitheads is completely unnecessary and yet very predictable.) Edited at 2022-06-26 08:30 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'm sure at least some of them are racist and proud of it. Reply Parent Thread Link idk maybe she wasn't the right messenger but she didn't say anything that wasn't true. Clarence Thomas has made it abundantly clear how he feels about the black community and blackness in general. He's literally Samuel L. Jackson's character from Django Unchained. Reply Thread Link Hows Uncle Clarence feeling about Overturning Loving v Virginia??!! Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 25, 2022 Edited at 2022-06-26 02:50 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link clarence thomas certainly is, but miss old white lady stewart has no place commenting on that. that's between him and his community and non-black people shouldn't be inserting themselves into it, least of all for a zinger for social media likes Reply Parent Thread Link Yet, Clarence Thomas has inserted himself in women's issues and lgbt issues and unlike Martha Stewart actually has the power to harm those communities in a material way. Real power not just social power. Can we stop acting like he's not one of the most powerful people in this country??? He doesn't need black people to defend him. And he's not part of the black community, he made every effort he could to make sure that he was not aligned with us. He is black in skintone only. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Justice Clarence Thomas followed up with "oh and btw sodomy laws decision is going to be overturned, gay marriage will be overturned, and purchasing of contraceptives decision is going to be overturned". I don't care what people say about me, I will talk about those facts. And the fact that his wife, Ginny Thomas, is an insurrectionist. Edited at 2022-06-26 02:49 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link That's unfortunate that you believe criticizing racism is synonymous with criticiing gay rights. No one's going to criticize you because we know Thomas is looking at gay rights. I'm just wondering why people are using racism to attack these ideas. Edited at 2022-06-26 03:35 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link No one should use racism against Thomas, I should have made that clear. His wife is terrible, for instance, but she's a white woman. Amy Coney Barrett is a horrible person who is a cult leader, and she is on SCOTUS. It's awful all around. Reply Parent Thread Link Clarence Thomas just said the court should now go after gay marriage, birth control, and the basic right to privacy. Notably absent: interracial marriage. No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) June 24, 2022 fuck you roberts. fuck you thomas. fuck you alito. fuck you kavanaugh. fuck you gorsuch. fuck you coney barrett. Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) June 24, 2022 universally i wish all of them the worse in life Reply Thread Link I hope these fuckers know no moment of peace for the rest of their entitled zealot lives. Reply Parent Thread Link you know someone in their family is going to need access to abortion as part of their healthcare. you know someone in their family who is in a same-sex relationship will be impacted by this. you know someone in their family who uses contraception for health reasons will be worse off. it'll come back to them. it'll impact everyone around them first, but it always finds its way back. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Not racist. Uncle Clarence Ruckus has been in blackface his whole career. He gives no fucks about black people. Edited at 2022-06-26 02:54 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Think the whites who are making these sort of comments also care about black people? People are using this situation to be racist. Clarence Thomas is a sellout, and this was a racist comment. Both things can be true at the same time. Reply Parent Thread Link How exactly is what she said racist? Because she mentioned his race? That was the fucking point. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Its giving Bidens you aint black Also havent seen that name (TFJ) since like 2013??? Reply Thread Link I'm not in the mood to pretend I care about Martha's comment. Reply Thread Link I wish all of them nothing but the worst pain and suffering this life has to offer Reply Thread Link ugh.... I'm still reeling from this decision. 6 motherfucking religious assholes decided to null and void rights to millions of women. Fuck them to hell and back. Reply Thread Link How he is allowed to stay on that court when his wife literally tried to overthrow the election baffles me. They all can burn. Reply Thread Link Because Republicans decided they should never face consequences for anything and for some reason Democrats agree. Reply Parent Thread Link "we'd be seen as mean if we make them face consequences :(" Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Even if Clarence is being quoted, and his face is spread all over social media, he isn't the only one who has those same views on same-sex marriage, contraception, and abortion. People should also use that energy on the 4 White justices who overturned Roe vs. Wade. Also, as a cis gay man, I was really mad at many of the gay men (who were mostly White -- surprise, surprise) who didn't say a thing about Roe vs. Wade being overturned, but the minute Clarence's threat to same-sex marriage came out, they were like, "NOT OUR RIGHTS!" I swear, I had to check in on my girls, and one of them said, "Some of the most misogynistic men are gay men," and I swear. We gotta do better. Reply Thread Link As with always people only respond to what physically effects them and their group. Im thinking how many people (white women) responded furiously to the overturn but maybe were quieter with things like BLM, dreamers, police brutality, stop Asian hate, etcetc. Cause the roars of the people are always different depending on the situations. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, you're right. It's just disheartening. It'd be nice if people just cared for everyone, but people really don't seem to care as much unless it impacts them directly or someone they love. I mean, you hit the nail on this one because Martha's comment is pretty much White feminism. She could have also said the same about the White women with their own internalized sexism. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Im thinking how many people (white women) responded furiously to the overturn but maybe were quieter with things like BLM, dreamers, police brutality, stop Asian hate, etcetc. why did i immediately think of taylor swift Reply Parent Thread Expand Link "Im thinking how many people (white women) responded furiously to the overturn but maybe were quieter with things like BLM, dreamers, police brutality, stop Asian hate, etcetc." Facts. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I am feeling this way with so-called liberal/leftist men who are reposting on their Instagram to share their "woke" thoughts, but are the same men who demonized Amber Heard and other DV survivors on social media. So y'all only care about women when you might get saddled with a kid too? Me calling them out and asking why didn't they care about women's issues when they were happily DMing abuse jokes to Heard and other women a month ago and getting blocked instantly lmfaooo. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Some ppl mentioned this on my tl and I was confused bc I was like wait cant I worry about both at the same time, roe v wade affects people in the lgbt community as well, but it didnt click that some gay men were being dismissive of roe v wade and strictly focusing on the same sex ruling. I kind of forgot how selfish cis gay men can be tbh. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link People are going after him because the majority decision written by Alito says that they are distinguishing from other rights (although I'm sure that's bull). Thomas wrote a concurrent decision specifically saying that the court should reverse decisions on same-sex marriage, sodomy laws and contraceptive. So I'm sorry it's not racism to go specifically after him in this instance. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Like my dad. He told me while he understands why I care about Roe vs Wade, he doesnt care about it at all. He then proceeded to complain about how upset he was that he wasnt able to donate blood because hes a gay man (which is understandable and upsetting to me too). So many people are so fucking selfish and dont care unless something directly affects them. And I just dont get it. I cannot imagine being so fucking self absorbed. Apathy is a dangerous thing. Reply Parent Thread Link Meh, sure not the right person to say pero likeI dont care that his hypocritical self gets insulted. I think on Milla Jovovichs IG, a news person tweeted that law cleric or clerk(?) that worked(?) for Thomas said that he allegedly said liberals made me miserable for 42 years, now Im gonna make them miserable. Its allegedly but I dont put it past conservatives to be petty. Reply Thread Link Its giving that post we had on here about Keegan Michael Key supporting Buttiget and a lot of non-black users making subtle remarks about his blackness based on false information. I wish that wasnt deleted. Edited at 2022-06-26 03:37 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/96324229.html#comments Also the Shondra Rimes post where she stated that an executive told her "Don't you have enough"! when she, a woman who made that network a billion dollars, asked for an extra Disney land pass. It became not about micro aggressions, but about a rich woman asking for to much. https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/119209473.html I always go back to the post where Morrissey said that Obama seemed to be white on the inside when talking about police brutality and users agreeing with him.Also the Shondra Rimes post where she stated that an executive told her "Don't you have enough"! when she, a woman who made that network a billion dollars, asked for an extra Disney land pass. It became not about micro aggressions, but about a rich woman asking for to much. Reply Parent Thread Link I forgot about the shonda post Reply Parent Thread Link idk that ontd is the place for a post like this because i don't trust too many non-black users to not use his involvement in this and him being a piece of shit as an excuse to decide that his black identity doesn't deserve respect. there's too many non-black people in general who don't care about the black community (unless they're appropriating it) who think it's cool for them to call black people like him and candace owens coons or worse just because they're bad people. i get the hyper focus on him because he's gunning to overturn more than just women's rights, but martha's comment feels less about making sure that he's mentioned and more about being on some "it's not ONLY white people" bullshit Reply Thread Link also since she and snoop dogg are a duo, it has big 'i'm allowed to say these things because my black friends said it' energy Reply Parent Thread Link i feel like too few people realize her relationship with snoop is business and nothing more, they would absolutely not be friends if she couldn't profit from it Reply Parent Thread Link That's very evident. Thanks for the thoughtful response. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I agree. I (for the most part because I dont care about Clarence rn) dont like having discussions like these because most non-black ppl jump at the chance to callout black people for not performing blackness in a way that benefits them. Especially on here. I found the KMK posts harry_headband made during the election cycle to be more problematic than this Martha comment because they were made based off of false info, left up when they were told the info was false, and then only deleted a day later after she made a new post about see how funny this negro can be when he stays in line basically. Just call the man a coon, I know you wanted to. Hell, Ive seen users on here wonder if they can call black ppl coons. And the fact the post had hundreds of comments. I dont even wanna see non-black ONTDers pretend they give a shit about this comment because yall are ready to toss out black ppl when YOU think theyre done tap dancing for you (its happening now too, look at posts about Rege-Jean Page to see how ppl on here act when black ppl dont do what they want them to do). Like fuck Clarence because I as a black woman cant bring myself to care about this re-animated corpse but I just know most comments well get from non-black folk will be performative. Edited at 2022-06-26 03:36 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The loan could finance as much as one-fifth of the countrys planned gas imports for 2022. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has granted Moldova a 300 million loan to help bolster its energy security. Russias war in Ukraine has sparked a number of supply disruptions in Europe. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending Moldova 300 million euros ($316 million) to help it secure additional gas reserves that could offset possible supply disruptions caused by Russia's war against Ukraine. Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, is almost completely dependent on Russian gas deliveries for its industry and heating needs. Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom and Moldova have signed a gas delivery contract valid until 2026 following difficult negotiations over pricing. "The loan will finance up to one-fifth of Moldovas planned gas imports for 2022, which are vulnerable to potential interruption as a result of the war on Ukraine," EBRD said in a statement. The loan to the pro-Western President Maia Sandu's government will be disbursed in two installments -- 200 million euros to avoid disruptions and a further 100 million euros to build up a strategic reserve in Ukraine or Romania. Related: France Sees Nuclear Energy Output Plummet At The Worst Possible Moment "We are working in the summer so we have fewer worries in the winter," Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said in a post on Facebook. The EBRD said its loan would finance up to 20 percent of Moldova's planned 2022 gas imports and would be provided to state-owned energy trader JSC Energocom to secure gas on EU hubs. Moldova, sandwiched between EU and NATO member Romania and Ukraine, introduced a state of emergency shortly after Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The country has received hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war. On June 23, it received, together with Ukraine, an invitation to start accession talks with the European Union. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: As a young man in Memphis, Tennessee, Robert Dabney Jr. wanted to blaze a path that could set his family up for a better life. So two weeks after high school graduation in 1998, at age 18, he joined the U.S. Army. During nine years of service that included two tours in Iraq, Dabney was a combat medical specialist. But after he left the Army in 2007 and returned to Memphis, married with children, he struggled to see what hed gained from his service. I had exchanged my youth, ambition and vigor for a future that is limited just because of my mental health, said Dabney, who was formally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in 2013. His experience seeking treatment through the veterans health care system was plagued with challenges, he said. After navigating the system as a Black veteran, he wondered if he might help others find more culturally competent services that the federal government seemed ill-equipped to provide. Testimonies like Dabneys were shared at the first-ever national policy conference for Black veterans in Washington on Thursday. Representatives from nearly 20 advocacy groups for service members of color plan to collaborate on a legislative agenda to address longstanding racial, economic and social inequities facing more than 2 million Black American veterans. For many people from Black and brown (veterans) communities, were starting from a different place in life, the 42-year-old war veteran said. Being able to talk to people who started from that place, who have a mindset similar to yours as they went through the military, has a different meaning to us. In addition to disparities in the military justice system, homelessness and unemployment, federal veterans benefits data show that Black service members post-Sept. 11 disability claims have been granted at lower rates than their white counterparts. Advocates say racial inequality in veterans benefit access stifles or, worse, upends the lives of those who proudly served their country. The system isnt accommodating us, were accommodating it, said Victor LaGroon, chairman of the Black Veterans Empowerment Council, which organized Thursdays conference. Weve got to have these systemic and legislative discussions because, until theres full transparency and accountability, people are going to continue to skirt the issues. Richard Brookshire, a former Army combat medic who served in the Afghanistan War, said a major goal of the conference is to help the Black veterans community coalesce around whats actionable in a broader agenda that also targets historic inequity that dates back to Black veterans serving in World War II. There needs to be a critical mass in the Black veteran community to demand it, said Brookshire, who co-founded the Black Veterans Project. The seed has been planted, and were going to begin to see the tree bear fruit. WASHINGTON A Republican who was backed by Donald Trump at the last minute prevailed Tuesday in an Alabama Senate runoff. But in neighboring Georgia, the former presidents losing streak deepened. Meanwhile, moderate Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser won her Democratic primary, offering a fresh warning to progressives. Takeaways from the latest round of midterm primary elections: Loyalty runs one way Throughout his life, Trump has demanded loyalty, and over the decades, hes repeatedly shown that hes less eager to return the favor. Rep. Mo Brooks, one of the former presidents most ardent defenders in Congress, felt the sting of that when he lost a runoff for the GOP nomination for a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama. Trump initially backed Brooks, but rescinded that endorsement after the campaign got off to a lackluster start. Then, less than two weeks before the runoff, Trump backed Katie Britt, a candidate more oriented toward the GOP establishment but someone whose victory seemed more assured. Britt is now the prohibitive favorite in the deep-red state to succeed retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, for whom she formerly worked. Her victory allows Trump to take credit for the win even if he waited until the last minute to back her. On paper, Brooks checked all of the boxes that Trump looks for. He implored election deniers at a Washington rally before the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack to start taking down names and kicking ass. He voted in Congress against certifying President Joe Bidens victory. And hes remained a denier of the outcome of the 2020 election. But Brooks also landed in Trumps bad graces after he said last August that it was time to move on from the 2020 presidential race and focus on coming elections. Trump pointed to those comments to accuse Brooks of being woke. Trump went down in Georgia Trump extended his losing streak in Georgia on Tuesday, after two U.S. House candidates he endorsed were blown out in runoff primary elections that represented a continuation of the drubbing he received in the state last month. Vernon Jones, a former liberal Democrat turned MAGA warrior, was crushed by trucking company owner Mike Collins, while Jake Evans also lost in dramatic fashion to emergency room physician Rich McCormick. Georgia has been a fixation of Trumps ever since he lost the 2020 election and mounted a pressure campaign to get Republican leaders in the state to overturn results. When they rejected his efforts, Trumps interests shifted to retribution. He recruited candidates to challenge Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, as well as GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgias top elections official. Both incumbents prevailed. Trumps meddling even went so far as to ask Jones, who initially ran for governor, to step aside for his handpicked candidate, former Sen. David Perdue, while offering his endorsement to Jones if he ran for an open House seat instead. Jones, the former executive of DeKalb County, took him up on the offer and declared himself the Black Donald Trump! while challenging his opponents to Bring it on, liars! But Jones baggage, including accusations that he raped a woman in 2004, became a liability in the campaign. The woman dropped charges against Jones but never recanted. Jones said the encounter was consensual. But Collins, whose late father represented Georgia in the U.S. House in the 1990s, handed out rape whistles to keep the allegation fresh. Meanwhile, in the other Atlanta-area runoff, McCormick easily beat Trump-backed Jake Evans. McCormicks name was already well known to many in the district after narrowly losing a 2020 House race to Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux. Warning for progressives In Washington, Bowser fended off a progressive rival in the citys Democratic primary, overcoming a tough primary campaign that focused on rising crime. Her victory virtually guarantees that she will win a third consecutive term as mayor in the heavily Democratic city. The results could also be interpreted as the latest warning to progressives that voters in the partys own base are wary of their criminal justice policies at a time of rising anxiety about public safety. Bowser defeated at-large council member Robert White, who harshly criticized her response to spiraling violent crime rates, and council member Trayon White, who represents the poorest and most crime-ridden area in the district. Bowser largely stood by her police department at a time when activists called to defund the police, 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. She also pushed for funding to hire hundreds more police officers over the next decade. CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Democratic gubernatorial nominee Joe Cunningham is proposing an age limit for South Carolina politicians a cap that would cut off the 75-year-old incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster and making a veiled argument that even fellow Democrats like President Joe Biden are staying in office way past their prime. Our country and our state are being run by a geriatric oligarchy, people who stay in office way past their prime," Cunningham says in a campaign video, provided Wednesday to The Associated Press ahead of its public release. Some of these folks have been clinging onto power for 30, 40, even 50 years," Cunningham says. The folks who are making a career out of politics are making a mess of our country. Cunningham proposes instituting a 72-year-old age limit for South Carolina politicians, a retirement bar already in effect for the state's judges, and one that would take a constitutional amendment, approved by voters, to implement. South Carolina currently requires judges to retire officially at age 72, although jurists are allowed to stay on the bench in a fill-in capacity beyond that age limit. Cunningham ends the two-minute video by making a bipartisan appeal for support from those who may have previously voted for Biden, former President Donald Trump, or McMaster sometime in the last 40 years. Cunningham, who recently turned 40, has frequently jabbed at McMaster's age, arguing that the Republican who has served in a variety of public roles including lieutenant governor, U.S. attorney and South Carolina attorney general, for the majority of the past four decades has been in politics longer than I've been alive. But Cunningham's campaign wouldn't answer questions Wednesday about whether the Democrat would argue that Biden who has supported Cunningham since his 2018 run for Congress is too old to serve. When he took office last year at age 78, Biden was sworn in as the oldest president in the nations history, displacing Ronald Reagan, who left the White House in 1989 when he was 77 years and 349 days old. According to an AP-NORC survey conducted in January, more than three-quarters of Democrats said they felt confident that Biden has the mental capability to serve effectively as president or is healthy enough to serve effectively as president. However, 8 in 10 Republicans do not have much or any confidence in either his physical health or mental capacity. Republicans including U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, have called on Biden to resign, calling him incoherent, incapacitated and confused. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley who served the Trump administration as U.N. ambassador proposed some sort of cognitive test for aging politicians, following a series of gaffes by Biden. McMaster campaign manager Mark Knoop told the AP that South Carolina had benefited from the leadership, hard work and ingenuity of people of all ages and backgrounds" and called Cunningham's notion "an insult to every senior in this state. In the video, Cunningham also floats ending South Carolina's income tax a practice already undertaken in a handful of other states to keep more money in your pocket. Cunningham, who served one term in the U.S. House before losing his 2020 reelection bid to Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, won a five-way primary June 14 to secure South Carolina's gubernatorial nomination. McMaster defeated his primary opponent Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Is North Korea preparing to deploy tactical nuclear weapons along its tense border with rival South Korea, which is only a short drive from the 26 million people living around Seoul, its capital? That's how it looks to many experts paying close attention to a high-profile North Korean military meeting this week. The possible deployment, just two months after a veiled threat by leader Kim Jong Un to preemptively use nuclear weapons, would be a major development in the decades-long standoff on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea already has thousands of conventional weapons aimed at South Korea and the nearly 30,000 U.S. forces stationed there, but moving its short-range nuclear missiles to the border would be the clearest sign yet that Kim is looking to use his nuclear weapons to both threaten South Korea and wrest concessions from outside nuclear negotiators. Together with North Koreas apparent preparations for its first nuclear test in five years, there's deep skepticism among observers that diplomacy can convince the country to abandon its nukes. Critics are calling on Seoul and Washington to formulate a new approach to deal with North Korea's fast improving nuclear program. Here's a look at Kims latest nuclear moves. NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON THE BORDER? During a military meeting that ended Thursday, Kim and other senior officials confirmed additional operation duties and modified operation plans for military units near the border with South Korea. State media dispatches didnt mention nuclear weapons directly. But outside experts believe North Korea's vague language signals its intention to forward-deploy tactical nuclear weapons systems. They base their assessment in part on recent public comments from North Korea about such plans, and on a slew of tests of short-range nuclear-capable missiles designed to attack strategic facilities in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there. One big hint came in April, when North Korea test-fired a newly developed guided weapon that it said would improve the efficient operation of tactical nukes and boost the firepower of front-line artillery units. Later that month, Kim said he could use his nuclear program preemptively if provoked. North Korea now has a much higher chance to use its tactical nuclear weapons on a battlefield if a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, said Kim Yeol Soo, an expert at South Koreas Korea Institute for Military Affairs. The weapons likely to be deployed at the border are some of the more mobile, solid-fueled, short-range missiles that North Korea has test-launched since nuclear diplomacy with the United States collapsed in 2019. North Korea has called those missiles -- which foreign experts say are potentially capable of evading South Korean and U.S. missile defenses -- tactical weapons, implying its intent to arm them with lower-yield nuclear weapons. North Korea has likely already acquired the technology to arm its missiles with nuclear warheads, so its deployment of tactical nuclear weapons could happen any time, said Kim Taewoo, former head of the state-funded Korean Institute for National Unification in Seoul. Some experts, however, said North Korea might not deploy nuclear-armed missiles because of possible problems maintaining them. WILL SOUTH KOREA RESPOND BY DEPLOYING NUCLEAR WEAPONS? North Koreas apparent push to deploy tactical nuclear weapons may be part of Kims recent vow to counter the United States strength for strength amid stalled nuclear diplomacy. It also comes as Washington and Seoul work to strengthen their combined defense capabilities to cope with North Korean nuclear threats. South Koreas new conservative government, which took office last month, has said it will expand its conventional arms capabilities and strengthen its defenses in conjunction with the United States. While the Koreas have avoided major conflict since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, there have been deadly skirmishes and attacks in recent years that have killed dozens. North Korea has a history of escalating threats and provocations when a new government is inaugurated in South Korea or the United States to create a potentially favorable environment for future negotiations. The country has often then dialed down its rhetoric and launched charm offensives. That may happen this time. But nuclear weapons on the front lines would complicate how South Korea responds to any future North Korean provocation. New South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, during a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden last month, secured a U.S. commitment on the regional deployment of U.S. strategic assets such as long-range bombers and aircraft carriers in response to provocations by North Korea. The allies may also conduct their largest combined military training in years in August. But Yoon has said he wont pursue nuclear development or ask the United States to redeploy nuclear weapons in South Korea as a deterrence against potential aggression by North Korea. The South Korean military said its closely monitoring North Korean activities over the possible move to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, but didnt elaborate. Some experts say North Koreas expansion of tactical nuclear weapons and pursuit of long-range missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland have reduced the credibility of Americas nuclear umbrella, though the Biden administration has repeatedly reaffirmed a U.S. commitment to defend South Korea with its full range of military capabilities. There are also calls for the reintroduction of U.S. nuclear weapons in South Korea. We should switch to a strategy of terminating North Korea's nuke threats through a nuclear balance, said Kim Taewoo, the former head of the Korean Institute for National Unification. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons means that North Koreas nuclear threat would be right in front of us. WHAT'S NEXT? Tactical nuclear weapons were part of a five-year arms development plan Kim Jong Un announced last year. He has ramped up ballistic missile testing to an unprecedented pace this year to boost his countrys ability to attack both the U.S. mainland and South Korea. For weeks, U.S. and South Korean officials have noted signs of an imminent nuclear test by North Korea, which would be its first since 2017 and seventh in total. Such a test could be part of an attempt to build a warhead that could fit on tactical missiles or multi-warhead missiles. But North Korea hasnt carried out such a test yet, possibly because of its continuing COVID-19 outbreak and opposition from China, its last major ally and biggest aid provider. North Korea has so far rejected the Biden administrations offers of open-ended talks, calling for Washington to first abandon its hostile policy, a term it uses in reference to U.S.-led economic sanctions and joint U.S.-South Korean military drills. Experts say it's only a matter of time before North Korea conducts a nuclear test, which is seen as an essential step in enlarging its nuclear arsenal under Kims five-year plan. Such a test would likely further complicate a push to resume nuclear diplomacy. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Flash In today's globalized and information-oriented world, translation and interpreting have effectively enhanced friendly exchanges and mutual trust among countries, as well as promoted world peace, development and the common progress of humanity, underlined Du Zhanyuan, president of the Translators Association of China (TAC) and China International Communications Group (CICG). Du made the remarks at the 10th Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum (APTIF), which opened in Beijing on June 25 with the aim of providing a platform for communication and cooperation for the translation community in the Asia-Pacific region. Bridging linguistic and cultural gaps In international communication, translation enables information to spread accurately, quickly and widely, thus playing an important role in enhancing trust and dispelling doubts, Du said, adding that he hopes the translation community in the Asia-Pacific region can work to remove barriers between different languages and build bridges between diverse cultures to promote prosperity and development in the region. Gao Anming, chair of the APTIF Joint Committee, executive vice president and secretary general of TAC, vice president and editor-in-chief of CICG, and council member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) echoed Du's remarks, saying that translation is becoming a bridge for promoting cultural communication, economic and trade exchanges, knowledge sharing and social progress. Professor Li Yuming from Beijing Language and Culture University expressed similar views, along with a belief that language constructs, interprets and records culture. "Language is also a medium for cultural communication and transmission," Li said. "The mission of translation is to promote accessibility in communication, and exchange knowledge between community A and community B, and eventually turn it into knowledge shared by all humanity." Making translation and interpreting more intelligent and efficient FIT President Alison Rodriguez commented that translation and interpreting skills are no longer just language skills although these are still the most important strength, translators and interpreters should also "excel in technical skills," which can help understand the purpose, process, complexities and nuance of the relevant work. Du Zhanyuan also emphasized the importance of using new technology in translation. "In recent years, the continuous development of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing and other new technologies has provided new impetus to translation. I hope that the translation community of the Asia-Pacific region will closely follow the development trends of translation technology, strengthen the construction of translation technology platforms such as AI-assisted translation systems, create new application scenarios and models, and deepen technical cooperation to advance the translation industry to a higher level of digital and intelligent application." The importance of technology in translation was also reflected by Gao Anming, who pointed out that technological advancements have empowered translation and interpreting activities, injecting vitality into the industry. "People with business foresight and tech savvy entrepreneurs are eager to harness new technologies and apply 'internet plus'-thinking to the language service industry and have hence opened a vast ocean for language technologies to help build both a more globalized and localized future." Professor Lynne Bowker from the University of Ottawa in Canada looked back at some of the major twists and turns in human-computer collaboration in the context of machine translation, and considered how to get the most out of human-computer cooperation in the age of neural machine translation. Cooperation guiding translation and interpreting activities Professor Yang Dan, president of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), noted that cooperation is the principle guiding all types of translation and interpreting activities. "From a small task to a country's translation strategy and the translation function of the United Nations and other international organizations, cooperation is a must." Yang elaborated that different roles are needed and coordinated to accomplish various tasks, whether it is the translation of the Bible in the West or the Buddhist sutras in China in the past, or the language services during the COVID-19 pandemic in modern times. Professor Ji-Hae Kang from Ajou University of the Republic of Korea echoed the view regarding the specific basis of audiovisual materials. Kang said that collaborative translation work is indispensable in the streaming age with the rising popularity of such platforms as Netflix, YouTube, iQIYI and Tencent Video, and motivated by the needs for speedy translation, quality control and to fulfill new functions related to increasing the economic value of media products. According to Kang, the translation of audiovisual materials can increase linguistic and cultural diversity within the media landscape, especially for languages and cultures that have previously received little attention in the global media industry, thereby potentially decentralizing the existing hierarchy in the media system and diversifying cultural flows. Professor Ren Wen from BFSU explained that a country's translation capacity (NTC) is positively correlated with its economic hard power and cultural soft power. She concluded that cooperation is needed between NTC-related stakeholders and decision-makers to enable more and better contribution of NTC to a country's economic and cultural development. The forum is being hosted both online and in-person by the International Federation of Translators and the Translators Association of China, and organized by Beijing Foreign Studies University. Sabrina Hodak grew up in a Modern Jewish Orthodox family but only truly embraced Judaism at age 16, around the same time she understood she was bisexual. It was an upsetting and confusing time, because the same religious mentors who helped her strengthen her beliefs kept saying her sexuality would conflict with her faith. That was very frustrating, because I also knew that a lot of other religious people believed that," said Hodak, now a 19-year-old psychology major at Florida International University. In her journal, she kept asking, Can I please just find someone whos like me who wants to be religious and is able to embrace their queer identity? Hodak found the support she needed by joining Beloved Arise, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and empowering LGBTQ youth of faith. It's one of a number of online groups whose members are sharing their stories during Pride Month as part of a campaign aimed at encouraging others who have been shunned by religious communities. In video and written testimonies, the young advocates' message to their peers also comes at a crucial moment for LGBTQ youth as states like Florida and Texas are adopting legislation or policies that critics say marginalize them. I want to show that these identities arent a contradiction and for younger people to know that theres hope, said Hodak who in addition to Beloved Arise belongs to another group, Jewish Queer Youth. Florida's legislation, dubbed the Dont Say Gay law by critics, bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade. Supporters say parents, not teachers, should broach these subjects with children; opponents say the law demonizes LGBTQ people by excluding them from classroom lessons and recently sued to block it. In Texas, meanwhile, the state child welfare agency has been ordered to investigate reports of gender-confirming care for minors as abuse, a directive that opponents say is a first of its kind by any governor amid widespread GOP efforts to restrict transgender rights. Texas is definitely one of the hot spots for anti-LGBTQ rights and that has definitely been really hard, especially given that my faith can also be similar not the most accepting, said Roswell Grey, a 16-year-old from Sherman, Texas who identifies as queer and nonbinary and was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Utah-based religion, also known as the Mormon church, has tried in the last decade or so to create a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ members. Still, some church stances remain painful for many LGBTQ members, such as its teaching that while being gay is not a sin, engaging in same-sex relationships is against Gods commandments. Its really difficult to not act upon who I am and not to be who I am, Grey said. He was recently named a Beloved Arise youth ambassador and has shared his story as part of the campaign through interviews and social media, in hopes of inspiring other young queer people of faith and remind religions that reject them that they should be welcoming. The original church that Christ created on Earth was really diverse. He taught sex workers and he taught disabled people, anyone and everyone, said Grey, who is also a member of the Rainbow Connection, a group that focuses on queer young people in his faith. Across the U.S., circumstances vary widely for LGBTQ youth seeking religious engagement. Some major Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, condemn same-sex unions and say all sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman is sinful. But thousands of houses of worship, including many mainline Protestant churches and synagogues, have LGBTQ-inclusive policies. Another who has been telling her story publicly is 21-year-old Lily Clifford, also a youth ambassador for Beloved Arise, who was raised Southern Baptist in Missouri in what she called a very fundamentalist, very homophobic environment where she often heard that gay people would end up in hell. Last year Clifford, who identifies as pansexual, came out while attending Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon, and began a club on campus with other queer youth of faith. Meetings are private because they fear reprisals from other students at the Christian college. If you have everyone telling you that God hates you and youre going to hell and your family disowned you, or you get fired from a religious job ... it causes a lot of depression and you feel isolated, Clifford said. So just one person telling you God does love you ... listening to you, can make all the difference. Christine Wehner, 22, grew up in northern Virginia and attended a Presbyterian church with her family until she came out as gay in 2019, during college. As a child she never questioned her church's teachings that homosexuality was a sin, she said. Once I realized I was gay, two core identities my sexuality and my faith felt like they were in deep conflict. I felt like I had to choose one or the other, she said via email. But I couldnt; they were both too deeply ingrained in who I am. The result was feelings of guilt, shame and cognitive dissonance that took years to overcome through prayer, therapy and guidance from mentors that helped her reconcile her queerness. She is not involved with the awareness campaign but spoke to The Associated Press with a similar aim of inspiring others. Seeing someone in a happy, healthy, God-honoring queer relationship may help relieve that shame for someone watching, Wehner said. Similarly, queer people who arent Christians might be able to have a more positive experience of Christianity. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) The Alaska Division of Elections has determined that Republican state Rep. David Eastman of Wasilla is eligible to run for reelection. Eastman's candidacy faced challenges over his affiliation with the far-right Oath Keepers group. Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai in a written response to the complaints said a preponderance of evidence supports his eligibility. The division on Wednesday in response to a records request from The Associated Press provided copies of complaints that were filed challenging the eligibility of candidates, along with responses from Fenumiai. Fenumiai said the division received 24 timely filed challenges to Eastman's candidacy. A challenge also was filed to the residency of state Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a Bethel Democrat. The division determined that Hoffman, a long-serving member of the Legislature who is seeking reelection, is an eligible candidate. Identifying information of those who challenged Eastman's eligibility was redacted. It was not redacted for the man who challenged Hoffman's eligibility. The division determined that the identities of those who challenged Rep. Eastmans eligibility should be protected because of the nature of their allegations, Fenumiai said by email. Challenges to Eastman's candidacy centered on his affiliation with the Oath Keepers. Many of the complaints were similarly worded and pointed to provisions of the U.S. and state constitutions. A provision of the Alaska constitution disqualifies from holding public office anyone who advocates, or who aids or belongs to any party or organization or association which advocates, the overthrow by force or violence of the government of the United States or of the State." An Oath Keepers leader and other members or associates have been charged with seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Eastman has said he attended a rally in Washington, D.C., for outgoing President Donald Trump. But he has said that he did not participate in the riot. Eastman has not been accused of any crimes. Eastman, in a statement Wednesday, said efforts to repurpose the constitution to remove legislators from office and ban others from running should everywhere be defeated because it is a fundamental right of the people to make good choices, as well as bad ones, on Election Day. Fenumiai said in response to challenges to Eastman's candidacy that the division reviews the relevant evidence it has, including candidate registration records and declarations of candidacy, and that it can review public records held by other state agencies. She said in her response letter that the division reviewed Eastman's voter registration records and declaration of candidacy and was unaware of any relevant records held by other state agencies. She said the division is aware that Eastman reportedly is a member of the Oath Keepers organization and attended a rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. But she said the division does not have specific information about that in its possession. But even assuming these allegations are true, DOE has determined that they do not without more provide a basis to prevent Representative Eastman from running for state office, she wrote. DOE is the Division of Elections. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The Supreme Court says that a high school football coach who knelt and prayed on the field after games is protected by the Constitution. It's a decision that opponents say will open the door to much more coercive prayer in public schools. The court ruled 6-3 for the coach with the courts conservative justices in the majority and its liberals in dissent. The justices in the majority emphasized that the coachs prayer happened after the game was over. The liberal justices in the minority said there was evidence that the coachs prayer at the 50-yard-line had a coercive effect and it let him incorporate his personal religious beliefs into a school event. BOSTON (AP) A tomahawk once owned by Chief Standing Bear, a pioneering Native American civil rights leader, has been returned to his tribe after being housed for decades in a museum at Harvard University. Members of the Ponca tribes in Nebraska and Oklahoma visited the Massachusetts university on June 3 for the ceremonial return of the artifact, the tribes said in a recent announcement. Standing Bear had originally gifted the pipe-tomahawk to one of his lawyers after winning the 1879 court case that made him one of the first Native Americans granted civil rights. The tomahawk changed hands several times before being acquired by Harvard in 1982. This is a good homecoming and a good step in the many steps we have to do to get back to our identity, to our ways of our people, Angie Starkel, a member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska who made the trip to Cambridge, said in a statement. Stacy Laravie, a descendant of Standing Bear who is also the historic preservation officer for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, agreed. We talk about generational trauma, but we dont talk about generational healing, and thats what were doing now, she said in a statement. This is healing. Jane Pickering, director of Harvards Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, said the tomahawks return reflects the institutions desire to repair past harms. The Peabody directly benefited from collecting practices that we acknowledge today ignored the wishes and values of families and communities, she said in a statement. Harvard and the museum have faced criticism over the pace of repatriating Native American remains and other significant objects to tribes, as required under federal law. The museum and tribes have been working on the tomahawks return for more than a year; tribal members were slated to travel to campus before pandemic-related restrictions last year delayed it. The Ponca tribes say they will announce plans to exhibit the tomahawk at a later date. They were among many forcibly relocated from their homelands to other territories by the federal government in the 1800s. Standing Bear was arrested 1878 for leaving the tribes Oklahoma reservation in order to fulfill a promise he made to bury his eldest son back in their tribes homeland in Nebraskas Niobrara River Valley. In his landmark federal trial, he successfully argued for the recognition of Native Americans as persons entitled to rights and protection under law. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. LAS VEGAS (AP) Elected officials in one rural Nevada county decided Thursday to postpone until Friday certifying results of the 317 ballots cast in their jurisdiction during the states June 14 primary election. The decision in Esmeralda County, the least populous county in the state, comes a week after lawmakers in a Republican-leaning rural New Mexico county initially refused to certify their primary election results. Esmeralda County Commission Chairman De Winsor and Vice-Chairman Timothy Hipp responded to complaints about the voting process with a promise to recount the votes themselves before an end-of-day Friday deadline set in state election law. The grassroots effort starts right here, Winsor said midway through a contentious 90-minute meeting at which the three-member commission in the Republican-leaning county met to sign off on the results of the vote. This is where we proved we do it right. Hipp was out of town and participated in the meeting by teleconference. He said he could be back in the county seat, Goldfield, by 2 p.m. Friday to begin counting ballots. Audio of the meeting was streamed on the internet. County District Attorney Robert Glennen III advised Winsor and Hipp that they could suspend the meeting to reconvene Friday at 2 p.m. He said they have until 11:59 p.m. under state election law to finish. The third commissioner, Ralph Keyes, said he was already willing to accept the count of the vote conducted by county officials including a hand-count on Wednesday by county employees of the 177 paper ballots and paper records of 140 ballots that county Clerk-Treasurer LaCinda Elgan said were cast by machine. In a telephone interview, Elgan noted that a deputy clerk, Michelle Garcia, administered the primary because Elgan was on the Republican ballot for reelection. She drew 57.5% of the vote. Elgan called the primary in Esmeralda absolutely safe and fair. One vote cast on one ballot was unintelligible, she said, but all ballots were tallied and reported. None was rejected. It did not appear the number of votes in question could affect results of primary contests that chose candidates for federal and state offices including U.S. Senate, Congress, governor, state attorney general and the top elections official in Nevada, the secretary of state. State attorney generals office spokesman John Sadler confirmed that Nevada law sets 11:59 p.m. Friday as the deadline to certify results of the June 14 primary, and said any hand-count of ballots before then would be considered part of the county canvass process. Sadler said that to his knowledge, no Nevada county had ever refused to certify results. State law makes county lawmakers roles ministerial only, Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a Wednesday statement responding to questions from AP. If county commissioners or elections officials refused based on posturing designed to undermine faith in our democratic process, the statement said, the state will proceed with legal options. Facing the Friday deadline, eight rural Nevada counties have certified the primary vote, including Lyon County on Thursday afternoon. Canvassing is scheduled Friday in Esmeralda and eight others including Clark, covering the Las Vegas area; Washoe covering the Reno area; and Nye, a Republican-leaning county including Pahrump and Tonopah. The results from Nevada's 17 counties go to the secretary of state, who cannot reject or otherwise not accept the results, said Jennifer Russell, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a Republican. If a Nevada county refuses to certify, we would work with the (state attorney generals) office to determine a path forward, Russell said. The standoff in Nevada bore echoes of concerns raised in rural New Mexicos Republican-leaning Otero County, where commissioners stalled before splitting their vote and approving election results. Officials there cited unspecified concerns with Dominion voting systems, a target of widespread conspiracy theories since the 2020 presidential election. New Mexico's Democratic secretary of state appealed to that states Supreme Court to intervene before two commissioners relented complaining that they felt they were little more than rubber-stamps. The three commissioners in Esmeralda voted in April to join commissioners in neighboring Nye County calling for elections to be conducted using paper ballots and without Dominion machines. Elgan and the elected county clerk in Nye County, Sam Merlino, both said they did not believe it was feasible to stop using electronic voting machines this year. In email and in-person comments protesting the Esmeralda County primary vote, resident Mary Jane Zakas made no reference to New Mexico. But she alleged that hot dog tongs could have breached ballot boxes that she said didnt meet security standards; that partisan workers drove ballots from a remote polling place to Goldfield; and that a Dominion representative provided assistance to an election worker. Zakas said that showed the poll worker wasn't properly trained. Elgan and Garcia responded that the worker was trained, but the Dominion representative was there to help. The county clerk said no computer malfunctioned. Zakas also alleged in her email that the vote could have been flipped or tampered with during the five minutes she said a poll worker carried a thumb drive from a vote tally computer out of a room. In audio streamed from the meeting, Elgan and Garcia responded that a printer was in the other room. Elgan said a printer will be installed in the counting room for the general election. Weve got a problem. People dont trust the system, Zakas told the commissioners. Weve got a situation where a lot of people are really concerned about the safety of their votes. Esmeralda County, a former mining boom area, is about halfway between Las Vegas and Reno. It is home to fewer than 1,000 residents. Nearly 54% of the county's 621 active registered voters are Republicans, according to the Nevada Secretary of State, and more than 25% are non-partisan. President Donald Trump won 82% of the vote in Esmeralda County in 2020. This story has been updated to correct that no computer malfunctioned. This story also was updated to correct that the last name of the county district attorney. He is Robert Glennen III, not Glennon. Associated Press writer Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. MADISON, Wis. (AP) A man accused of driving his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more, this week served notice he will try to persuade a jury that he was mentally ill during the incident and if convicted should go to an institution instead of prison. But Darrell Brooks Jr.'s new insanity defense could be a tough sell in Waukesha County, which is still recovering from the horrors of that November day. Here's a look at how insanity pleas work in the Wisconsin justice system and what Brooks' attorneys would have to prove to avoid prison. WHAT ARE THE CHARGES? Court documents allege Brooks beat the mother of his child just before the parade began in downtown Waukesha on Nov. 21 because she hadn't bailed him out of jail several days earlier. He had been arrested for running her over with his SUV. He then drove the vehicle into the parade route, ignoring police orders to stop, according to a criminal complaint. He crashed into people head-on and ran them over as they lay on the ground, the complaint said. He finally turned off the parade route, left his vehicle and tried to get someone to let him into his house. Police captured him there. Prosecutors have charged him with more than 80 counts, including multiple counts of reckless endangerment and six counts of intentional homicide. Each of the homicide counts carries a mandatory life sentence. No potential motive has emerged thus far, although his attorneys have said the officers who arrested him noticed he smelled of marijuana and his eyes were red and glassy. His public defender, Jeremy Perri, didn't return a message. WHAT DID BROOKS PLEAD? Brooks initially pleaded not guilty. His attorneys asked Judge Jennifer Dorow on Monday to move his trial out of Waukesha County due to negative publicity. When Dorow refused he changed his plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. That's Wisconsin's equivalent of an insanity plea. Brooks is essentially saying he was suffering a psychotic episode and didn't realize what he was doing was illegal or was incapable of obeying the law. WHAT COMES NEXT IN COURT? Dorow will appoint a psychologist to examine Brooks and issue findings on whether there's enough evidence to support his plea. If the psychologist finds he was competent, Brooks' attorneys can ask Dorow to appoint an examiner of their choosing. If there's ultimately enough evidence to support the plea, Dorow will conduct a jury trial to determine whether Brooks committed the offenses. If he's found guilty, she will hold another trial with the same jury to determine whether he was so mentally ill that he didn't know he was breaking the law or couldn't conform his actions to the law. If the jury makes such a finding, Brooks would avoid prison and instead be committed to a mental institution for the duration of the sentences that accompany the criminal charges. He would be allowed to eventually petition for his release, however. WHAT DOES THE DEFENSE HAVE TO PROVE? Brooks' attorneys will have to show by a preponderance of the evidence that during the parade Brooks essentially lost touch with reality, said Dr. Ziv Cohen, a New York-based forensic psychiatrist who has consulted on more than 50 homicide cases. They will need to show Brooks has a history of mental illness and what happened to him on the day of the parade that caused the psychotic episode, Cohen said. His current mental state is irrelevant. HOW DIFFICULT WILL THAT BE FOR BROOKS? Extremely difficult, according to Daniel Adams, a former Milwaukee County prosecutor who handled a dozen insanity cases during his tenure. Even notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who admitted strangling and butchering 17 men or boys over 13 years and dismembering some of the victims, failed to prove he was insane during his trial, Adams noted. The first hurdle for the defense will be finding a psychologist willing to declare Brooks was mentally ill, he said. They have their reputations on the line, he said. Prosecutors probably won't concede insanity given the high-profile nature of the case, Adams said. They can argue Brooks' decision to eventually turn off the parade route and try to hide shows he understood his actions were illegal, Adams said. Somebody who was so mentally ill they didnt know what they were doing was wrong wouldn't have done that," Adams said. HAS ANY EVIDENCE EMERGED THAT SUGGESTS BROOKS HAS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES? No. Nothing has been released publicly by either the defense or prosecution suggesting he was of sound mind or mentally ill. WHAT IF HE WAS HIGH ON MARIJUANA? That wouldn't support an insanity defense, Cohen said. Defendants can't become intoxicated voluntarily and then argue that the drug caused the break with reality unless they can show it caused an unexpected reaction, he said. HOW WILL A WAUKESHA COUNTY JURY REACT? The incident sparked multiple fundraisers for survivors and families of the dead. People erected a makeshift memorial, attended prayer vigils and city officials have hung paintings of the six people who were killed in City Hall. And anger toward Brooks still runs hot. Juries often view insanity defenses as weak excuses, Cohen said. A Waukesha County jury will almost certainly greet Brooks' arguments with deep skepticism, he said. It's going to be hard to overcome that skepticism with a local jury, he said. You have to have a pretty severe mental disturbance to not know at all what youre doing is wrong. HAVE ANY HIGH-PROFILE CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS SUCCESSFULLY ARGUED THEY WERE INSANE? Yes. One of the most famous is John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity in federal court. He was released from psychiatric care in 2016. Outrage over the finding led to the passage of the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984, which made it harder to win a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity by lowering the standards of evidence for prosecutors to prove sanity. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) With about two months before Floridas primary, the most exciting event to watch outside the Democratic nomination for governor is the mad scramble to fill congressional seats. The departure of four U.S. House members, Floridas acquisition of a new seat in Congress and a redistricting process that has shaken up the states political maps have combined to create interesting races in the Aug. 23 primaries. Qualifying for Floridas ballot ended Friday, and while theres a competitive primary between U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Democratic nomination to face Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, congressional races will get a lot of attention as Republicans try to regain power in the U.S. House. One of the most crowded primaries is for an Orlando-area district that favors Democrats. Former U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson and Corrine Brown are among 10 candidates. Brown of Jacksonville recently served two years in prison in a charity and tax fraud case. The conviction was thrown out and she pleaded guilty to a single tax fraud count to avoid a second trial. Grayson, known for his inflammatory remarks, was first elected to Congress in 2006, but lost reelection. He returned to Congress in 2011 for two more terms before giving up the seat for an unsuccessful Senate bid. Two years later, he lost an attempt to be elected to the U.S. House again. The seat is open because Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings is running for Senate. Among other Democrats on the ballot are state Sen. Randolph Bracy. There are six Republicans seeking the nomination. In a district between Tampa and Lakeland that should favor the GOP, five Republicans are seeking the nomination, including former Secretary of State Laurel Lee, state Sen. Kelli Stargel and state Rep. Jackie Toledo. Five Democrats are seeking the nomination. Several Democrats were hoping to replace Crist in a St. Petersburg seat, but the district was redrawn to favor Republicans, and all dropped out other than Eric Lynn, who served as an adviser to secretaries of defense during President Barack Obamas administration. On the Republican side, Anna Paulina Luna and Amanda Makki who came in first and second respectively in the 2020 GOP primary lead a field of five. U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick will face a primary to keep the South Florida seat she won in a January special election. Former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, who lost last years primary to Cherfilus-McCormick by five votes, is on the ballot, as is state Rep. Anika Omphroy. In a redrawn district extending from the Orlando area to the Atlantic coast, eight Republicans, including state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, are seeking the nomination. Four Democrats are also facing off in the district that leans Republican. The seat is open because Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy is leaving office. Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, who is in his sixth term, is facing a primary challenge from far-right activist Laura Loomer in a central Florida district. Two years ago, Loomer easily beat five other Republicans to face Democratic U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel in a Palm Beach area district. Loomer lost the general election by 20 percentage points. Jared Moskowitz, a former state representative who has served as the states emergency management director under DeSantis, is the best known of six Democrats hoping to replace retiring Rep. Ted Deutch in a heavily Democratic South Florida district. Six Republicans are also on the primary ballot. In legislative races, seven candidates for Senate and 28 House candidates are already guaranteed victory with no primary or general election opponents. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Friday ended constitutional protections for abortion that had stood in America for nearly a half-century. The decision by the court's conservative majority overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The ruling, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court that has been fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump. Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue, in state capitals and in Washington, and Justice Clarence Thomas, part of Friday's majority, called on the court to overturn other high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, gay sex and the use of contraceptives. Clinics in at least two states, Wisconsin and West Virginia. stopped performing abortions after Friday's decision. Abortion foes cheered the ruling, but abortion-rights supporters, including President Joe Biden, expressed dismay and pledged to fight to restore the rights. "It's a sad day for the court and for the country," Biden said at the White House. He urged voters to make it a defining issue in the November elections, declaring, "This decision must not be the final word." The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step. It puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favored preserving Roe, according to opinion polls. Alito, in the final opinion issued Friday, wrote that Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed the right to abortion, were wrong the days they were decided and must be overturned. "We therefore hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives," Alito wrote, in an opinion that was very similar to the leaked draft. Authority to regulate abortion rests with the political branches, not the courts, Alito wrote. Joining Alito were Thomas and Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett. The latter three justices are Trump appointees. Thomas first voted to overrule Roe 30 years ago. Four justices would have left Roe and Casey in place. The vote was 6-3 to uphold the Mississippi law, but Chief Justice John Roberts didn't join his conservative colleagues in overturning Roe. He wrote that there was no need to overturn the broad precedents to rule in Mississippi's favor. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan the diminished liberal wing of the court were in dissent. "With sorrowfor this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protectionwe dissent," they wrote, warning that abortion opponents now could pursue a nationwide ban "from the moment of conception and without exceptions for rape or incest." The ruling is expected to disproportionately affect minority women who already face limited access to health care, according to statistics analyzed by The Associated Press. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department "will work tirelessly to protect and advance reproductive freedom." He said in a statement that in addition to protecting providers and those seeking abortions in states where it is legal "we stand ready to work with other arms of the federal government that seek to use their lawful authorities to protect and preserve access to reproductive care." In particular, Garland said that the federal Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Mifepristone for medication abortions. "States may not ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about its safety and efficacy," Garland said. More than 90% of abortions take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, and more than half are now done with pills, not surgery, according to data compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Mississippi's only abortion clinic, which is at the center of the case, continued to see patients Friday. Outside, men used a bullhorn to tell people inside the clinic that they would burn in hell. Clinic escorts wearing colorful vests used large stereo speakers to blast Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" at the protesters. Mississippi is one of 13 states, mainly in the South and Midwest, that already have laws on the books that ban abortion in the event Roe is overturned. Another half-dozen states have near-total bans or prohibitions after 6 weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. In roughly a half-dozen other states, the fight will be over dormant abortion bans that were enacted before Roe was decided in 1973 or new proposals to sharply limit when abortions can be performed, according to Guttmacher. In Wisconsin, which has an 1849 abortion ban on the books, Planned Parenthood immediately halted all scheduled abortions at its clinics in Madison and Milwaukee following the high court's ruling. The decision came against a backdrop of public opinion surveys that find a majority of Americans oppose overturning Roe and handing the question of whether to permit abortion entirely to the states. Polls conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and others also have consistently shown about 1 in 10 Americans want abortion to be illegal in all cases. A majority are in favor of abortion being legal in all or most circumstances, but polls indicate many also support restrictions especially later in pregnancy. The Biden administration and other defenders of abortion rights have warned that a decision overturning Roe also would threaten other high court decisions in favor of gay rights and even potentially, contraception. The liberal justices made the same point in their joint dissent: The majority "eliminates a 50-year-old constitutional right that safeguards women's freedom and equal station. It breaches a core rule-of-law principle, designed to promote constancy in the law. In doing all of that, it places in jeopardy other rights, from contraception to same-sex intimacy and marriage. And finally, it undermines the Court's legitimacy." And Thomas, the member of the court most open to jettisoning prior decisions, wrote a separate opinion in which he explicitly called on his colleagues to put the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage, gay sex and even contraception cases on the table. But Alito contended that his analysis addresses abortion only. "Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion," he wrote. Whatever the intentions of the person who leaked Alito's draft opinion, the conservatives held firm in overturning Roe and Casey. In his opinion, Alito dismissed the arguments in favor of retaining the two decisions, including that multiple generations of American women have partly relied on the right to abortion to gain economic and political power. Changing the makeup of the court has been central to the anti-abortion side's strategy, as the dissenters archly noted. "The Court reverses course today for one reason and one reason only: because the composition of this Court has changed," the liberal justices wrote. Mississippi and its allies made increasingly aggressive arguments as the case developed, and two high-court defenders of abortion rights retired or died. The state initially argued that its law could be upheld without overruling the court's abortion precedents. Then-Gov. Phil Bryant signed the 15-week measure into law in March 2018, when Justices Anthony Kennedy and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were still members of a five-justice majority that was mainly protective of abortion rights. By early summer, Kennedy had retired and was replaced by Justice Brett Kavanaugh a few months later. The Mississippi law was blocked in lower federal courts. But the state always was headed to the nation's highest court. It did not even ask for a hearing before a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ultimately held the law invalid in December 2019. By early September 2020, the Supreme Court was ready to consider the state's appeal. The court scheduled the case for consideration at the justices' private conference on Sept. 29. But in the intervening weeks, Ginsburg died and Barrett was quickly nominated and confirmed without a single Democratic vote. The stage now was set, although it took the court another half year to agree to hear the case. By the time Mississippi filed its main written argument with the court in the summer, the thrust of its argument had changed and it was now calling for the wholesale overruling of Roe and Casey. The first sign that the court might be receptive to wiping away the constitutional right to abortion came in late summer, when the justices divided 5-4 in allowing Texas to enforce a ban on the procedure at roughly six weeks, before some women even know they are pregnant. That dispute turned on the unique structure of the law, including its enforcement by private citizens rather than by state officials, and how it can be challenged in court. Roberts was among the dissenters. Then in December, after hearing additional arguments over whether to block the Texas law known as S.B. 8, the court again declined to do so, also by a 5-4 vote. "The clear purpose and actual effect of S. B. 8 has been to nullify this Court's rulings," Roberts wrote, in a partial dissent. In their Senate hearings, Trump's three high-court picks carefully skirted questions about how they would vote in any cases, including about abortion. But even as Democrats and abortion rights supporters predicted Kavanaugh and Gorsuch would vote to upend abortion rights if confirmed, the two left at least one Republican senator with a different impression. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine predicted Gorsuch and Kavanaugh wouldn't support overturning the abortion cases, based on private conversations she had with them when they were nominees to the Supreme Court. *** *** Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko, Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston, Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report. TOKYO (AP) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday that talks with China's leader are key to regional and international peace and stability amid growing tensions over territorial disputes and Beijing's increased military activity around Japan. It is important to maintain stable and constructive relations between Japan and China, Kishida said at a party leaders' debate in Tokyo ahead of July 10 parliamentary elections. Asked about a possible summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in September, Kishida said nothing has been decided, but "Dialogue is important. I hope to think in concrete terms. Japan sees Chinas increasingly assertive military activity in the East and South China Seas as a threat to some of the worlds busiest sea lanes. Japan is especially concerned about Chinese military and coast guard activity in the East China Sea near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which Beijing also claims and calls Diaoyu. Japan's government said Tuesday it protested to Beijing after finding that China has set up a new oil drilling rig in a contested area of the East China Sea. Dialogue with South Korea, despite troubled relations stemming from Japan's actions during World War II, is also important considering the worsening) security environment in the region, Kishida said. Asked about a possible meeting with new South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol when both leaders are invited to the June 29-30 NATO summit in Madrid, Kishida said nothing has been decided, but dialogue is important. Kishida said stable relations between the two sides depend on efforts by Seoul to settle their disputes, including one over South Korean court decisions awarding compensation to wartime Korean workers in Japanese factories. Kishida also said he will prioritize policies to ease surging energy and food prices triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Official campaigning for the election for about half of parliament's upper house, the less powerful of its two chambers, begins Wednesday. More than 500 candidates are expected. Kishida's governing Liberal Democratic Party has included a sharp increase in military capability and spending in its campaign platform. I will protect the people's lives and livelihoods," said Kishida, who with popular support ratings of around 60% is expected to lead his party to victory. That could allow him to stay in power uninterrupted by another election for up to three years. Kishida has largely maintained his popularity by avoiding divisive policies while being helped by the slowing of COVID-19 infections and growing concerns about security issues following Russia's Ukraine invasion, experts say. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Flash History abounds with formidable challenges from which the world has emerged as an even safer and better place, and those triumphs over adversity have testified that cooperation and common development are crucial in turning the tide. The world is now living through drastic changes and a COVID-19 pandemic, both unseen in a century. Various security challenges continue to surface, while the global economy is still battling against significant headwinds on its path to recovery. Meanwhile, global development has experienced major setbacks. "Where is the world headed: Peace or war? Progress or regression? Openness or isolation? Cooperation or confrontation? These are choices of the times that we are confronted with," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum. He then went on at that forum and later at two other related high-level events in the following days to share his thoughts on how to tackle global challenges and advance common development. Experts worldwide said they are inspired by Xi's insights into the choices of the times, and expect BRICS cooperation to add impetus to global prosperity. PROMOTING GLOBAL UNITY, COOPERATION Experts told Xinhua that they are impressed by Xi's emphasis on and China's commitment to promoting global unity and cooperation, and the BRICS partnership has set an example of South-South cooperation and of seeking strength through unity among emerging markets and developing countries. In his keynote speech on Wednesday, Xi said despite changes in an evolving global environment, the historical trend of openness and development will not reverse course, and the shared desire to meet challenges together through cooperation will remain as strong as ever. When hosting the 14th BRICS Summit via video link on Thursday, Xi stressed that the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, follows the philosophy that humanity is an indivisible security community, and aims to create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum. "China would like to work with BRICS partners to operationalize the GSI and bring more stability and positive energy to the world," said Xi. Xi's call for global cooperation and solidarity, as well as true multilateralism, is a positive step toward world peace and security, said Samer Khair Ahmed, a Jordanian writer and expert on Arab-China relations. The experiences of recent years have demonstrated that global security is an integrated issue that cannot be achieved by antagonizing or isolating a country or a group of countries, and it has become necessary for the world to build true international solidarity for the sake of security and peace, said Ahmed. Jose Ricardo dos Santos Luzin Junior, CEO of Sao Paulo-based company LIDE China, said China has been playing a key role in upholding multilateralism and helping shape a new global governance order that stresses mutual cooperation. CHARTING COURSE FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT To muster concerted efforts and chart the course for global development ranks high on the agenda of the BRICS cooperation. When chairing the High-level Dialogue on Global Development on Friday in virtual format, Xi called for forging high-quality partnership for a new era of global development. "We must get a good grasp of the overarching development trend in the world, firm up confidence, and act in unison and with great motivation to promote global development and foster a development paradigm featuring benefits for all, balance, coordination, inclusiveness, win-win cooperation and common prosperity," he said. Xi noted that at last year's UN General Assembly session, he put forth the Global Development Initiative (GDI). "China will take pragmatic steps to give continued support to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Xi said. The GDI proposed by Xi sets out to tackle such development issues as food security, environment, climate change and poverty, said Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, hailing China for sharing Chinese expertise in the eradication of poverty and food security with the rest of the world. Xi's speech has demonstrated China's commitment to sharing development opportunities with the rest of the world in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, chairman of a Dhaka-based think-tank Research and Policy Integration for Development, told Xinhua. Describing China's proposals at the forum as "very timely and thoughtful," Razzaque stressed that China has already been playing a critical role in helping other countries integrate with the global economy. For Sudheendra Kulkarni, former chairman of Mumbai-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation, the GDI means development for all without any discrimination. "Whether the country is small or big, whether the country is rich or poor, whether the country is militarily strong or weak, all have to be treated equally, and the fruits of development, the fruits of technological revolution must reach all," he added. POSITIVE FORCE FOR A BETTER WORLD The BRICS mechanism has been taken by many around the world as an important cooperation platform for emerging markets and developing countries, which is expected to bring positive, stabilizing and constructive strength to the world. At Wednesday's BRICS Business Forum, Xi noted that BRICS cooperation has now entered a new stage of high-quality development, calling on BRICS members to deepen cooperation to better safeguard food and energy security, seize opportunities presented by the new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, help developing countries speed up development of the digital economy and green transformation, and engage in cooperation on COVID-19 response to beat the virus at an early date. In the view of Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and chairman of German think tank Schiller Institute, BRICS countries respect each other, firmly support multilateralism, and are committed to win-win cooperation. BRICS cooperation in such fields as food supply and public health is of great significance to the world, Zepp-LaRouche said, adding BRICS countries can play an important role in eradicating global hunger and strengthening the construction of modern global health systems. Lawrence Loh, Director for Centre for Governance and Sustainability of the National University Singapore Business School, said another notable area for BRICS cooperation is in innovation, technology and education. In this regard, the BRICS can play a major role in spearheading new development for the next phase of post-pandemic global growth, said Loh. Noting that BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation, Xi said when hosting the 14th BRICS Summit on Thursday that BRICS countries need to uphold openness and inclusiveness and pool collective wisdom and strength. Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of a Manila-based think tank Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies, said the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, which focuses on openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit and represents the voice and interest of the developing countries, will provide an essential impetus to global development. Nourhan el-Sheikh, professor at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, said that China has a sound understanding of what the world is confronted with. "The world shares the same interests and challenges. We either live together or we will be ruined together," said El-Sheikh. "This is a very accurate vision and understanding of President Xi and China, stressing the need to co-exist and live together. It is a different vision from that of the West, which seeks to grow at the expense of others." ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The Alaska Supreme Court on Saturday upheld a lower courts ruling that will keep Republican Tara Sweeney off the ballot for the August special election in Alaskas U.S. House race. In a brief written order, the high court said it affirmed the decision of Superior Court Judge William Morse, who agreed with a decision by Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai to not advance Sweeney, the fifth place finisher in the June 11 special primary, to the special election after the third place finisher suddenly dropped out. The court did not elaborate on its reasoning but said a full opinion will follow at a later date. Morse on Friday ruled in favor of the elections division. The decision was appealed by the plaintiffs in the case. Forty-eight candidates ran in the special primary for Alaskas House seat, which was left vacant by the death in March of Republican Rep. Don Young, who held the seat for 49 years. The special primary was the first election held under a system approved by Alaska voters that ends party primaries and institutes ranked-choice voting in general elections. In this case, the top four vote-getters due to advance to the special election were Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich, independent Al Gross and Democrat Mary Peltola. That changed when Gross abruptly withdrew Tuesday. Fenumiai had said that because Gross withdrew less than 64 days before the scheduled Aug. 16 special election, state law did not permit the division to put the fifth-place candidate on the ballot in his place. On Thursday, three voters sued to have Sweeney put on the ballot, claiming elections officials misinterpreted the law and that the timeline to withdraw did not apply to special elections. Messages sent to three attorneys representing the plaintiffs were not immediately returned to The Associated Press on Saturday. The law was clear, and Im pleased the courts affirmed such. Now, its time to take our campaign to the voters in the general election and earn their support, Begich said in an email to the AP. Peltola said her campaign was focused on our own race. Well let the Republicans sort themselves out, she said in an email to the AP. Sweeney said in a statement that she was disappointed not to be among the four to advance in the special election to serve the remainder of Young's term, but she was still running in an August regular primary and November general election to determine who will serve a new, two-year term, starting in January. Alaska politics has a history of comeback stories, and I look forward to writing the next chapter by fighting to represent Alaska, she said. The Palin campaign did not immediately return a request for comment. The division will finalize the ballot design this week, as scheduled, said Department of Law spokesperson Patty Sullivan. Judges saw that the law allows only the top four candidates to advance unless someone withdraws by the deadline, she said, and Gross simply withdrew too late. Attorneys for the state said in court filings that while the division was sympathetic to the public expectation that under the new system four candidates would advance, it lacks the discretion to relax an unambiguous statutory deadline to effectuate this goal. Morse in his written order said the timeline under which a substitution could occur in this situation could hardly be briefer. But, he wrote, that is the period set by statute and the one the Division must apply. Sweeneys campaign did not sue over the issue, but she had said that she believed she should be moved into fourth place and that voters should have four candidates to choose from. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted an Indianapolis member of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group with conspiracy and other charges for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The indictment unsealed Friday charges Michael Greene, 39, with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and tampering with documents or proceedings, prosecutors said. Greene was arrested in Indiana on Thursday. He was expected to make his initial court appearance later Friday. Greene, also known as Michael Simmons, was named in a superseding indictment returned Wednesday that also includes seven previously charged defendants from Ohio, Florida and North Carolina. All have pleaded not guilty. The indictment said Greene, who also used the monikers Whip and Whiplash, participated in an online meeting on Nov. 9, 2020, in which Oath Keeper founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 57, of Granbury, Texas, outlined a plan to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power. Greene later was chosen by Rhodes to be an operations leader for activities on Jan. 6, and over the preceding five days; and Greene and others transported firearms, ammunition and related items to the Washington area, the indictment said. On Jan. 6, Greene and Rhodes left a Virginia hotel and drove to the Capitol area. At 1:42 p.m., Greene sent a text message to an acquaintance saying, Storming the capital, along with a photograph that depicted the advancing mob on the west side of the Capitol grounds. At about 3:09 p.m., Greene texted an acquaintance: Congress evacuated, the indictment said. After teams of other Oath Keepers entered and exited the Capitol, Greene and Rhodes met them in a plaza outside the building. The indictment alleges that sometime on or after Jan. 6, Greene deleted from his cellphone certain media, files, and communications that showed his involvement in the activities. At least 11 other people with Indiana ties have been arrested and charged in connection with the riot. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. BOISE, Idaho (AP) The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court with a 6-3 vote on Friday triggers a 2020 Idaho law banning all abortions except in cases of reported rape or incest, or to protect the mothers life. That law takes effect 30 days after the courts decision, negating the state's current law allowing most abortions up to viability at about 24 weeks. Idaho has been at the forefront of enacting new laws to protect preborn babies, Republican Gov. Brad Little said in a statement, noting he signed the 2020 trigger law. However, we fully acknowledge this monumental moment in our country's history means we must confront what (we) know will be growing needs for women and families in the months and years ahead, he said. We absolutely must come together like never before to support women and teens facing unexpected or unwanted pregnancies. Specifically, Idahos trigger law requires a judgement from the U.S. Supreme Court, which follows the courts Friday opinion and allows time to allow requests for a potential rehearing. Its not clear when the court will issue its judgement, but its expected fairly soon, starting the clock on Idahos trigger law. Under the trigger law, the person performing the abortion could face a felony prosecution punishable by up to five years in prison. I never expected to see such a grave rollback of our rights in the 21st Century, said Democratic Rep. Lauren Necochea, who also chairs the Idaho Democratic Party. This law is especially cruel because it only applies to those who dont have the resources to find a way around it. People of means will be able to flee the state to receive abortion care, while Idahoans facing low wages, including a disproportionate share of people of color, will face involuntary pregnancy. Planned Parenthood in a statement said it would continue to provide abortion care in Idaho as long as it was legally able to do so. It is my promise to every person in Idaho that Planned Parenthood will never back down," said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky. "We will keep fighting with everything weve got to ensure that everyone can access the care you need to control your body and your life. I want to be clear: Planned Parenthood will always be here to help you get the care you need. Planned Parenthood before the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling had already closed its clinic in Boise, Idahos largest city, and merged it with one in Meridian about 15 miles away. There's another clinic in Twin Falls. It is opening a new clinic in Ontario on the Idaho-Oregon border, about a 45-minute drive from Boise. Officials said resources saved by closing the Boise clinic will be used to help with telemedicine and for women to get abortion access in states where it remains legal. In cases of rape or incest, the law requires pregnant women to file a police report and provide a copy of the report to the provider prior to an abortion. Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, Idaho State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, said most sexual assaults are not reported. She also said victims who do report them will face difficulty getting the report from a law enforcement agency as agencies typically don't release reports involving active investigations. We all know that abortion is a really time sensitive procedure, she said. So these exceptions become really in name only. Theyre not very effective and not going to be very helpful for survivors of sexual assault. This year, Idaho lawmakers also passed a Texas-style ban prohibiting abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and authorizing family members to sue medical providers for performing an abortion. That law is on hold following a challenge by Planned Parenthood. The Idaho Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in August. If the Idaho Supreme Court upholds the states Texas-style abortion ban, with Roe v. Wade now tossed aside, a medical provider who performs an abortion in Idaho could face a lawsuit and criminal charges. Today we celebrate 50 years of incredible effort to reverse a flawed 1973 ruling from an activist Supreme Court that violated states rights guaranteed by the 10th amendment, the Idaho Republican Party said in a statement. That power is now rightfully returned to the states. Pregnant women in Idaho seeking abortions will have to travel out of state, with the nearest abortion providers in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. No one should have to flee their state to access safe healthcare, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said on Twitter. I remain steadfast in my support for all people who need access to abortion care & stand with them in fighting for privacy in health care decisions. Republicans hold super-majorities in the House and Senate and oppose access to abortion. Idaho lawmakers have said theyll potentially consider legislation banning medication abortion and emergency contraception when the part-time Legislature convenes early next year. Democratic House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel at a Democratic rally Friday afternoon in the Idaho Statehouse attended by about 150 cheering supporters urged voters to elect Democrats in November. The truly effective way to reduce abortions is not to commandeer womens bodies, but rather to improve access to contraception, to improve access to sex education and make motherhood financially feasible, she said. Ironically, those are all things that our GOP super-majority has fought tooth and nail for years. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The Golden State Killer never saw the law coming. Police had never connected Joseph James DeAngelo to a spree of 13 murders, 50 rapes and more than 120 burglaries across California during the 1970s and 80s. Then, in 2018, investigators uploaded a DNA profile of one murder victims rapist into a commercial database, similar to those created by companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com. Bingo. Several people in the database shared a common ancestor with the killer, and police created a family tree. They quickly honed in on DeAngelo, then 72, and arrested him after confirming that his DNA matched the killers. He confessed to numerous crimes and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The capture of the Golden State Killer put this technique, called genetic genealogy, in the headlines. Police now regularly use it to catch cold case killers, and to identify the remains of murder and accident victims from decades ago. It also raised a question for historians and forensic anthropologists at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which has labs at Offutt Air Force Base and in Hawaii: Could they use the same method to identify the war dead from World War II, Korea and Vietnam? Four years later, the answer appears to be yes. The accounting agency, working with its partners at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) in Dover, Delaware, has begun to use a highly sensitive next-generation DNA sequencing test developed by scientists at AFDIL and Parabon NanoLabs, a pioneering genetic genealogy firm. Someday, it may help Carrie LeGarde, a forensic anthropologist at the Offutt lab, tie a bow around DPAAs largest and most successful project to date: the identification of the unknown dead from the battleship USS Oklahoma, sunk in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Over six years, she led a team of anthropologists that examined more than 13,000 bones recovered from the ship and later buried in Hawaii in graves marked unknown. They identified 361 of 394 missing sailors and Marines. The 92% identification rate far exceeded the 80% goal set when the first remains were disinterred in 2015. LeGarde said she was proud to have returned so many World War II heroes to their families, nearly 80 years later. But the fact that 33 could not be given names gnaws at her just a bit. We have done everything we can at this point, LeGarde said. Of course, I would love to identify everybody. But thats a pretty difficult task. Traditional mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA testing involves extracting snippets of DNA from the unidentified bones and comparing them to DNA samples taken from one or more family members. Those samples are processed at AFDIL and buttressed with traditional forensic work by DPAA anthropologists and historians, such as examining the size and shape of the bones and where and how they were found. This process has allowed DPAA to meet or exceed a goal of 200 identifications per year some from field excavations in former war zones, and others buried as unknowns in military cemeteries. But this method has some drawbacks. The requirement for family-reference DNA means the Defense Department must spend time and money tracking down relatives and persuading them to submit a DNA sample from a cheek swab. That can be hard to do. Some relatives may be suspicious of giving a sample to the government. Some of the missing service members were adopted, so their DNA doesnt match living relatives. And in some cases, family members just cant be found. The other significant problem is the DNA itself. DNA decays with time, making it harder to extract readable samples from bones that have been buried for decades. It deteriorates even faster when burials take place in acidic soil or in warm, wet climates like most burials from Korea, Vietnam or World War II in the Pacific. If you dont act, you might lose it forever, said Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer for Othram, a private genetic genealogy lab in Houston that specializes in cold case IDs. Also, chemical treatments historically used in burials to preserve bodies have had the perverse effect of destroying DNA. This has hampered several of the accounting agencys major projects. One example: the identification of 859 Korean War unknowns whose remains were retrieved from battlefield graves during and after the war. They were soaked in formaldehyde and treated with other chemicals before they were reburied in Hawaii, and DPAA analysts have had difficulty extracting DNA from them. In 2016, AFDIL and Parabon introduced a far more sensitive next-generation DNA test. It let investigators capture samples from as many as 60% of even highly degraded samples 10 times the rate of earlier tests. Later innovations have allowed the lab to accurately match samples with more distant relatives, and to extract DNA from even some of the most highly degraded samples. We mimic what 23andMe and Ancestry were trying to do, said Tim McMahon, director of the Armed Forces DNA Lab. Were good at getting DNA from the samples they send us. Mittelman and her husband, David, who is the CEO of the Othram DNA lab, have suggested that genetic genealogy could also offer a path to identification not only of the USS Oklahomas 33 remaining unknowns, but also 85 unidentified dead from the USS Arizona. Moored just a few hundred yards from the Oklahoma, the Arizona blew up in a cataclysmic explosion just minutes into the attack when a Japanese bomb exploded in the ships magazine. Of the Arizonas 1,500-man crew, 1,177 were killed, the highest death toll at Pearl Harbor. Just 105 bodies were recovered and identified. Most of the rest are permanently entombed in the sunken hull, which is now part of the USS Arizona Memorial. But 85 sets of recovered remains could not be identified and were buried as unknowns. Currently there are no plans to identify the Arizona unknowns, because doing so would require obtaining DNA reference samples from the families of all of the 1,177 dead. The Mittelmans believe genetic genealogy could allow DPAA to bypass that step by using their proprietary testing protocol, which they said already has been used to crack hundreds of cold cases. David Mittelman said they use multiple methods, plug into large DNA databases, and turn over their results to authorities. They charge $5,000 per sample. Our success rate is extremely high, he said. We pride ourselves on taking unsolvable problems and bringing them to conclusion. Theyve pitched their idea to officials at the Armed Forces DNA Lab. In a recent report to MIA families, DPAA called it a fruitful meeting but has not announced a partnership. Hope still remains for the 33 Oklahoma unknowns, too. When the Oklahoma Project wrapped up last year, the unidentified bones were placed in four caskets and reburied at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. They were lowered into the earth after a solemn ceremony on Dec. 7, 2021, the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. LeGarde said one of the caskets contains an assortment of bones considered too small to be worth identifying. They will remain permanently buried. But the three other caskets contain individual sets of remains linked by DNA, segregated and wrapped in blankets awaiting new technology that will allow them to be identified and returned to their families. We know what casket they have gone into, LeGarde said. They could be accessed in the future if needed. Thats encouraging news for relatives of brothers William and Robert Sellon, USS Oklahoma sailors who grew up in Randolph, Nebraska. William, 25, known to family as Billy, was killed in the attack. He is one of the 33 who remain unknown. Robert, known as Bobby, survived. But he never escaped the shadow of Pearl Harbor. Ive been watching the paper, so hopeful, said Diann Sellon Gliem, 72, of Randolph, whose father, Monte, was the brothers first cousin. Theres always been a sadness in our family, and kind of a mystery. Billy and Bobby were the only two sons of a cabinetmaker and his wife who had moved from Randolph to Missoula, Montana, in search of work during the 1930s. That is where the brothers joined the Navy. Its not clear today how they came to be serving together on the Oklahoma, but it wasnt uncommon in the pre-World War II Navy. At least seven other sets of brothers were assigned to the ship, according to the website PearlHarbor.org. Family stories differ about exactly what happened to them that morning. One account says they were together that Sunday morning but split up when one decided to go to church and the other skipped it. Another story says Bobby slipped out of a porthole of the ship before it capsized and swam back in a vain attempt to find Billy. They do know Bobby never really recovered from the loss of his brother. He was wounded in the war perhaps on board the USS Northampton, to which he was transferred after Pearl Harbor. The ship was torpedoed and sunk almost a year later during a disastrous naval battle near Guadalcanal. After the war, Bobby returned to Montana, married, fathered two daughters, split up with his wife and remarried. He liked bars and guns, and once got shot by another man. His behavior reminds relatives today of post-traumatic stress. On June 28, 1952, he walked into a bedroom at his parents house in Missoula with a high-powered rifle and fatally shot himself. He was 31. A newspaper account quoted his parents as saying he had been despondent ever since World War II. I was paralyzed with grief when he killed himself, recalls Glenda Rock III, Bobbys younger daughter, who was 6 when he died. He always called me Happy Jack. He was safety, was warmth. She said no one would mention her fathers name for several years. It took time, but she has worked through her familys tragedy. Its not painful anymore. Its a saga, Rock said. Although she lives in Idaho, Rock said she would like to see her uncles remains buried in Nebraska if he can be identified. Thats the ending Gliem is hoping for, too. The story just got sadder and sadder. It was hard for me to shake it, she said. It would be a closure on one of those open-ended questions from World War II. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Kearney Police Department is the first in Nebraska to test out some of the latest technology for investigating crime: automated license plate reading cameras. Kearney is working with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company that offers the technology known as ALPR aimed at helping law enforcement agencies with crime prevention and investigation. Kearney Police Chief Bryan Waugh said he came across the company while at an FBI National Academy conference in Omaha, and had heard from other law enforcement officers that the technology had aided their investigation capabilities. Through a pilot program, Kearney is testing out 25 of Flocks ALPR cameras for 60 days at no cost, said Holly Beilin, public relations specialist for Flock. Were OK with doing these pilots, because we know that citizens and the Police Department are going to see it works pretty quickly, and are going to see the value of the technology, she said. Waugh said the pilot program was approved by the Kearney City Council and the city will be installing the cameras in the next eight to 10 weeks. Specific camera locations havent been selected yet, he said. After the 60-day trial, police and city officials will decide whether to pay to continue to use the cameras. Flock offers plans for both law enforcement agencies and neighborhood organizations like homeowners associations, according to the companys website. Flocks solar-powered, motion-sensor cameras capture still images of passing vehicles and record vehicle make, type, color, license plate and state, according to the companys website. The captured data is uploaded to the cloud, where law enforcement agencies can use the data for identifying vehicles involved in a hit-and-run and identifying when a stolen or wanted vehicle has entered a community, Beilin said. The technology can also be used in tracking down vehicles associated with alerts for missing and endangered children and seniors. Because most instances of crime involve a vehicle, Waugh said he thinks the cameras will help the Kearney Police Department with investigations. Its kind of like a police multiplier, he said. We cant be everywhere at once, so it adds this extra set of eyes, so if were not in the area we can follow up on it using that technology. The use of ALPR technology has spurred controversy in some communities outside Nebraska due to concerns about surveillance and the potential for misuse. The City Council in Austin, Texas, canceled the police departments ALPR contracts over such concerns in 2020, according to reporting by the nonprofit news outlet the Austin Monitor. In California, the Marin County Sheriffs Office recently settled a lawsuit that will limit the sharing of data gathered by ALPR, according to reporting by the Marin Independent Journal. The suit alleged the Sheriffs Office was sharing data with with outside agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Beilin said Flock doesnt consider its ALPR cameras to be surveillance technology. The cameras only take still photos, never any video, Beilin said, and do not capture speed or information that can be used for traffic violations. The technology also doesnt capture information about the vehicles driver and can only be searched using vehicle information characteristics like car type and color, Beilin said. The data is also owned by the law enforcement agencies who capture it, not by Flock, Beilin said. Any data for a vehicle that isnt connected with a criminal investigation is automatically deleted after 30 days and the data retrieval system requires officers to enter a reason for retrieving data. We always think about data, because we are capturing a lot of data, Beilin said. We want to make sure were being really good stewards of that data. Nebraskas Automatic License Plate Reader Privacy Act, which was established in 2018, also sets parameters for how Nebraska law enforcement agencies can use this data. The American Civil Liberties Union has raised concerns about the potential applications of Flocks data, such as the ability for HOAs to create their own hot lists of vehicles and the ability for immigration agencies to use the data to conduct deportations. Flock Safety is building a form of mass surveillance unlike any seen before in American life, a March 2022 report from the ACLU stated. Over 1,500 communities have installed Flocks cameras so far, and Flock reports that communities have seen crime reduction rates of up to 70% after installing the cameras, Beilin said. Law enforcement are constantly telling us about cases they solve using Flock, she said. Beilin said Flock hopes to expand to other agencies in Nebraska, such as the Lincoln and Omaha Police Departments. Were starting with a mid-sized agency, but we certainly hope to grow in the state, she said. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LONDON (AP) The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a balding father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. That was clear two weeks ago when William took center stage at the extravaganza concert marking Queen Elizabeth IIs 70 years on the throne, lauding his grandmother as an environmental trailblazer as he delivered a call to action on climate change. Tonight has been full of such optimism and joy and there is hope," he said, as images of wildlife, oceans and jungles were projected on the walls of Buckingham Palace behind him. Together, if we harness the very best of humankind, and restore our planet, we will protect it for our children, for our grandchildren and for future generations to come." Get ready to see more of this. Slowed by age and health problems, the 96-year-old queen is gradually handing over more responsibilities to her son and heir, Prince Charles. That in turn gives William, his eldest son, a more important role to play and more opportunities to put the stamp on a new generation of the monarchy. William has been very keen to kind of show how he will treat things differently," said royal expert Pauline Maclaran, author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture." And so we see that more and more, where the future of the line is being emphasized, with Charles being put more in a kind of holding position for William. Were always reminded that William is after Charles, she added. Williams position as the eventual heir to throne was, of course, sealed at his birth on June 21, 1982, the first son of Charles and the late Princess Diana. That put him in the public eye from the second that Charles and Diana presented him to the TV cameras outside the Lindo Wing of St. Marys Hospital in London. The world has watched William from his school days in London to his courtship of Kate Middleton at St. Andrews University in Scotland and their spectacular marriage at Westminster Abbey. He paraded before the cameras once again when he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, then went on to active duty in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force. Finally, he became a civilian air ambulance pilot before moving into full-time royal duties five years ago. His charities and causes from mental health to the environment have given hints of what sort of monarch he might one day be. But events just before and during the celebrations of the queens platinum jubilee started to give a clearer indication of Williams vision of the future. William and Kate represented the queen last March when they made an eight-day tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, three of the 14 independent countries where the British monarch still serves as head of state. They were met with brass bands and gala dinners, but also demonstrations by protesters demanding reparations for Britains role in the enslavement of millions of Africans. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the royals his country intended to become a republic, severing ties to the monarchy. After the trip, the young royals were criticized as tone deaf for perpetuating images of Britains colonial rule. But rather than falling back on the House of Windsors traditional response of never complain, never explain, William took the unusual step of issuing a statement reflecting on all that had happened. I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future, William said. In Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon. Catherine and I are committed to service, he continued. For us, thats not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best. That willingness to be approachable is critical for the House of Windsor as it seeks to remain relevant to younger people and cement its role in British society, Maclaran said. Its important that William shows there are going to be changes to the monarchy," she said. Otherwise, you know, I suspect it really cant survive. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. NORMAL Music was made in Uptown Normal this weekend with roots reaching far across the world. The towns free Make Music Normal festival returned Friday to its pre-COVID attendance levels, according to Normal Civic Arts Manager Adam Fox. He said it was really fun to be back at full capacity, adding it was really lovely. He estimated over 5,000 people made it to the first day of the event. Friday featured local rock bands like Bury Thy Wicked, Great Value Jesus, and The Recombinants. Dexter ONeal and the Funk Yard brought out the funk, and the Peoria Rhythm Kings sang the blues too that evening. Saturday afternoon crowds picked up just a few hours after the rain was cleared. Fox said absolutely miserable morning weather gave way to an idyllic afternoon, which then led to a miserable, wet evening. Performances stopped early at 7 p.m. Saturday due to continued weather-related safety concerns. Thats Central Illinois weather, he noted. But it didnt stop bands and music fans from making the most of the sunny day. Paddys Favorite Sons performed Irish folk songs, young rockers with Sad Rat played punk music, and Straight Answer Jazz Trio served smooth guitar licks and jumping keyboards. Fox said organizers were seeing audiences really enjoying coming back out to summer live music events. People seem really, really happy to have those options back and we're so happy to be able to provide them, he said. One visitor who made an unplanned stop Saturday at the Brandon Cattle and The Branding Irons show was Hayden Cseve. He said he came from Gibson City to shop at Graham Cracker Comics in Uptown Normal, and didnt expect to enter a music festival. Cseve said Brandon Cattle and The Branding Irons had a different sound and you could really feel the bass. Normals Donna DeBose was digging the Straight Answer Jazz Trio set. She said their second piece made her feel both energetic and calm, but also rhythmic and warm. DeBose loves how jazz melodies are both repeated, but also improvised because it takes you on a journey, she said. She added the improvisation usually leaves you satisfied, and agreed that its unique as well. Todd Willoughby, of Normal, saw Sad Rats show with his son, Joe Willoughby. The father said the band had a good, 1960s vibe with psychedelic sounds. He also said he loves that they put on live music events in town. Willoughby said he moved here three years ago and was searching for what outings the Twin Cities were providing. This is great, he said, adding he planned to walk around the fest and explore. Forty bands were scheduled to play the event, though a few didnt perform because of inclement weather concerns. Fox said organizers would book those bands again at the Normal Theater or Connie Lake Amphitheater. Were going to make sure Make Music Normal 2 and Make Music Normal 3 happen at some point so that all of those acts get a chance to get in front of everybody, he said. Brazilian beats People of all ages became immersed in the rhythm of the Bloco Gaviao Afro-Brazilian percussion workshop, which was moved into the third floor of the Childrens Discovery Museum due to morning rain. Families were invigorated in dance and drumming of samba reggae, plus tapping of maculele sticks. Instructor Mark Becker said the Bloco Gaviao class is an outreach program of the Capoeira Angola Center of Mestre Joao Grande, which is based in Urbana. He said he was mentored the group's contra-mestre, Denis Chiaramonte, who has been practicing Capoeira Angola music and dance for 30 years. Becker said they did simple choreography, adding that both samba reggae and maculele are different manifestations of Afro-Brazilian. One of the things I love about it is its a welcoming of all people, he said, adding he lived and studied in Brazil and too was welcomed into their traditions. It's just welcoming to all people from all backgrounds, and I've always really appreciated that, Becker continued. He said they really liked Saturdays workshop, because it was fun to work with kids that enjoy it. The highlight for me is always seeing the joy that people walk away with when they hear the music, Becker said. It's almost instant you get to see that look on their faces. What makes the Afro-Brazilian music different from a standard concert hall experience, he said, is the audience participation. That participation is a way of showing respect, and showing interest and support for the musicians, Becker continued. It's good for people to be clapping, dancing, and participating. Married couple Noeli and Paul Anderson, of Normal were handed maculele sticks, and then joined in to drum and dance in the circle. Noeli Anderson, 76, is from the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. She said she met her husband on a blind date in San Francisco. Her husband added theyve been married 52 years. What she loves most about the music is how lively it is. She also said it makes you want to dance. So when Noeli Anderson was handed the maculele sticks, she said she had to participate. Paul Anderson, 78, is a retired ISU professor, and said he has taught at the University of Brasilia for over 4 years. Weve seen it, we like it, we love it, and thats why we came here, he said of the percussion workshop. What he loves most about it: The beat. It just kept on going. Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON People from near and far demonstrated at noon Sunday for reproductive healthcare rights at a Twin Cities reproductive healthcare center. At least 100 showed up at Bloomingtons Planned Parenthood location off of Clearwater Avenue at Veterans Parkway to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's Friday reversal of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that made abortion a constitutional right. Carson Belle, an Illinois State University student studying early childhood education, was among the demonstrators. She agreed that reproductive healthcare policies are personally important to her in her field. To Belle, Roe v. Wade means freedom for women, she said, and our ability to do what we want with our own bodies. Its taking back our power, I think. Belle, of Bloomington, said its heartbreaking that people had have to fight for these rights for several generations. My heart just sank, Belle said of learning the news Friday. This is what like my grandma and great grandma were fighting for, and now I'm out here having to do the work again, that they fought so hard for. She was awed by Sundays turnout. Bell said: I think it just shows how much we're all paying attention to the news and what's going on now. And we're not staying silent about it. We're speaking up. The rally was organized by Sabrina Cavanaugh, of Normal, who said she was devastated and in tears on Friday. But on Saturday, she said, she took time to prepare for Sundays demonstration and advertise it, so we could get our voices out. Cavanaugh said shes always been very passionate about choice and had previously worked at Planned Parenthood. She is additionally passionate for women having an equal say in everything, she said. She said she was also concerned about the possibility that the high court would reconsider other landmark rulings, such as Loving v. Virginia, which found laws banning interracial marriage to be unconstitutional. Cavanaugh has a mixed-race child. Just everything is scary. We're just going so backwards, she said. Another attending protester was Grace Miller, of Napavine, Washington, who carried a sign that said forced birth is violence. She said many people would be forced to carry pregnancies now that Roe v. Wade is gone. Its just messed up that we dont have the freedom to have our own future now, said Miller. Moss Brown traveled two hours away from the small village of Oblong in Crawford County to attend the Sunday rally. To Brown, Roe v. Wade means having the safety and privilege to accessing necessary care, and having the choice over what happens to your body. They also said that it will affect the LGBTQ community, which they are part of as a non-binary person. Brown said they want to make people understand not just abortions are being stopped. Theyre also they're also stopping people from doing other things, and that might cause them to kill themselves. Also present was Cardella Joyce, a junior at Bloomington High School. She said she has attended an abortion rights protest every day since Friday. To Joyce, Roe v. Wade means reproductive rights for women and all people with uteruses. She added Fridays ruling is a gateway to other U.S. Supreme Court decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which barred racial segregation in schools. It's not just reproductive rights; it's going to affect Black and brown people as well, said Joyce. Jarintzy Lua came up from Chatham to attend the rally. She said she served in the U.S. Navy, and losing her rights after serving is frustrating. It makes me upset. Im passionate enough that Im here, and Im going to speak my mind any way that I can, she said. She carried a sign that called for mandatory child support at the first heartbeat. Everyone needs to have safe access to healthcare, Lua continued. Thats only right. Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Flash The 10th Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum (APTIF) kicked off both online and in-person in Beijing on Saturday, gathering world-renowned experts to discuss the theme of "Collaborating in the World of Translation and Interpreting: New Changes and New Modes in the New Era." Du Zhanyuan, president of the TAC and CICG, delivers opening remarks at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] In his speech, Du Zhanyuan, president of the Translators Association of China (TAC) and China International Communications Group (CICG), spoke highly of translation's role in facilitating exchanges, mutual learning and social progress. "Translation activities, by bridging linguistic and cultural gaps, have effectively enhanced friendly exchanges, mutual trust and cooperation among countries, and helped promote world peace, development and the common progress of humanity," Du said. He proposed that the Asia-Pacific translation community serve regional prosperity and development, improve industrial standards, enhance exchanges and mutual learning, and promote new technology applications. Alison Rodriguez, president of the FIT, delivers opening remarks at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] "Translators are continually adapting, to harness technology, to adapt it to our needs and aid our work," Alison Rodriguez, president of the International Federation of Translators (FIT), highlighted how technology empowers translators' work, adding that besides language skills, technical and human skills also aid the ability to understand the meaningful use of translators' work. Yang Dan, president of BFSU, delivers opening remarks at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Yang Dan, president of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), also delivered opening remarks, calling for translators and interpreters in the Asia-Pacific region to pool wisdom and utilize technologies, and emphasized the role of cooperation in promoting translation's development. Bart Defrancq, president of CIUTI, delivers a speech at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Bart Defrancq, president of International Standing Conference of University Institutes of Translators and Interpreters (CIUTI), also called for greater collaboration among translators, especially in the context of the pandemic, as well as more reliable science and experience to back up the collaboration. Sun Youzhong, vice president of BFSU, presided over the opening ceremony of the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Gao Anming, chair of the APTIF Joint Committee, executive vice president and secretary general of the TAC, vice president and editor-in-chief of CICG, and council member of the FIT, delivers a speech at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Gao Anming, chair of the APTIF Joint Committee, executive vice president and secretary general of the TAC, vice president and editor-in-chief of CICG, and council member of the FIT, echoed Du's views on the significance of translation. "Translation is growing into an important part of national core competitiveness and cultural soft power and becoming a bridge for promoting cultural communication, economic and trade exchanges, knowledge sharing, and social progress," Gao said. Additionally, he envisioned that next-generation translation will make the language service industry more equal, diverse and inclusive, be empowered by and in due course propel more intelligent, efficient and greener technological innovation, attract more people to the sector, and help build a more scientific, rational, specialized and standardized support system. Lynne Bowker, professor of Translation and Information Studies at the University of Ottawa, delivers a keynote speech at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Lynne Bowker, professor of Translation and Information Studies at the University of Ottawa, looked back at some of the major twists and turns in the collaborative relationship between humans and computers in the context of machine translation and looked ahead to what changes may be necessary to boost the collaboration in the age of neural machine translation. Li Yuming, professor at BLCU and president of the Lexicographical Society of China, delivers a keynote speech at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Li Yuming, professor at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) and president of the Lexicographical Society of China, shared his opinions on how translators can facilitate "barrier-free communication in society" by building bridges between native and non-native speakers, locals and non-locals, young and old, people with and without visual, hearing, and other language-related impairments, and humans and machines, in order to reduce communication barriers, misunderstandings and linguistic conflict. Ji-Hae Kang, professor of Translation Studies and director of the Ajou Center for Translation and Interpreting Studies at Ajou University, delivers a keynote speech at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Ji-Hae Kang, professor of Translation Studies and director of the Ajou Center for Translation and Interpreting Studies at Ajou University of the Republic of Korea, examined the evolving modes and effects of collaborative practices in relation to streaming platforms and the changing global media landscape. Ren Wen, dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation at BFSU, delivers a keynote speech at the forum on June 25, 2022. [Photo by Yang Jia/China.org.cn] Ren Wen, dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation at BFSU, shed light on national translation capacity. She noted that only through the collaboration and coordination of different translation-related actors in social networks can a country's translation and linguistic diversity become mutually supportive factors. The APTIF has been held every three years since 1995. The current 10th session comprising 10 keynote speeches and 16 parallel sub-forums has been organized by BFSU under the aegis of the FIT and the TAC, and lasts two days. SPRINGFIELD Gov. J.B. Pritzker will call a special session of the General Assembly in the coming weeks to focus on legislation to strengthen womens access to abortion and other reproductive health services in Illinois. Pritzker made that announcement Friday, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court released an opinion overturning the landmark 1973 abortion rights case Roe v. Wade. We knew this day was coming, Pritzker said at a hastily called news conference in Chicago. The extremists on the Supreme Court have made an abhorrent decision, one rooted in partisanship, leaving an indelible stain on our nation. Pritzker had already been scheduled to hold a news conference Friday to highlight legislation he signed recently expanding access to medication that protects against HIV infection. But the Supreme Courts decision, released shortly after 9 a.m., upended those plans and set off a flurry of reaction, both for and against the ruling. Today, Illinois Right to Life joins millions of Americans in celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that has denied over 63 million preborn children their most fundamental right: life, the Illinois Right to Life organization said in a statement. With todays ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health, states have regained the ability to protect preborn children and their mothers. Attorney General Kwame Raoul criticized the decision in a statement. I am extremely disappointed with todays Supreme Court decision, which jeopardizes the health, the safety and the lives of millions of women in the United States especially those who already have the least access to health care and other resources, he said. This single decision rolls back 50 years of court precedent and with it, decades of progress toward reproductive autonomy. Illinois is among the states with laws already on the books protecting access to abortion. In 2018, the state adopted a law allowing public funding of abortion through its Medicaid program. And in 2019, lawmakers passed the sweeping Reproductive Health Act which, among other things, enshrines abortion access as a fundamental right in Illinois law. Finally, during last years veto session, lawmakers passed a bill repealing the states Parental Notice of Abortion law, removing the last legal restriction on abortion in Illinois. Fridays Supreme Court decision will have no effect on those laws. In fact, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurring opinion, specifically pointed to Illinois and other states as being unaffected by the decision. But Illinois laws stand in stark contrast to those of some neighboring states that already had so-called trigger laws on the books that would either ban or severely restrict access to abortion upon reversal of Roe v. Wade. It wasnt immediately clear what types of legislation lawmakers would pursue in a special session. * * * TUESDAY PRIMARY: The Primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28. Voters looking to find their polling place can visit the state board of education website at bit.ly/ILpollingplaces. Capitol News Illinois has recent coverage of the secretary of state race available at its website, capitolnewsillinois.com, as well as a rundown of the candidates in the GOP race for governor. * * * CULLERTON SENTENCED: A federal judge in Chicago handed down a one-year prison sentence Tuesday for a former state senator who once chaired the Senate Labor Committee. Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park Democrat, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of embezzlement for receiving salary and benefits from Teamsters Joint Council 25 as a purported union organizer even though he admitted to doing little or no work for the union. Cullerton, 52, was first elected to the General Assembly in 2012 to represent the 23rd District, which at that time spanned a portion of northern DuPage County. He had previously worked as a truck driver and was a member of a local Teamsters union. In March 2013, shortly after being sworn into office, he was given a job at Teamsters Joint Council 25 and he remained on the payroll until February 2016. In addition to receiving a salary, monthly car and telephone allowances and bonuses, prosecutors said, Teamsters Joint Council 25 also funded Cullertons health and pension benefits through Teamsters Local Union 734, all totaling $248,828. Cullerton was indicted in August 2019 on 40 counts of embezzlement. But he maintained his innocence and continued to serve in the Senate, although he was stripped of his chairmanship of the Labor Committee. In March of this year, however, he entered a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in which he admitted to one count of embezzlement. He then resigned his Senate seat and was replaced by former state Rep. Diane Pappas, who is not running for a full term in that office. In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman also ordered Cullerton to repay the union $223,828, an amount that reflected the fact that he had previously made a $25,000 restitution payment. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek forfeiture of his Villa Park residence Prosecutors initially asked for an 18-month sentence, which they said would reflect the seriousness of the crime. In a court filing earlier this month, they noted that after Cullerton lost his job at Teamsters Joint Council 25, he took another do-nothing job as a salesman for a video gaming company in 2017 where he received a salary of $1,000 a week, an amount that was later doubled to $2,000 a week, even though he brought in little if any business for the company. He was not charged in relation to those payments. He continued to receive those payments, prosecutors argued, until the investigation into his Teamsters employment became public. Cullertons defense attorney, however, argued for a more lenient sentence of three years probation, with an order to perform community service and pay restitution, arguing that Cullerton was currently employed doing shift work at a warehouse and that money continues to be a source of stress for his family. * * * FOID RULING: In a 4-3 decision with a blistering dissent from the Republican minority, the Illinois Supreme Court declined to rule on a question of whether Illinois Firearm Owners Identification Act is unconstitutional. It was the second time the case of the People v. Vivian Brown came before the court and the second time the court declined to rule on the constitutionality of the state statute requiring Illinoisans to receive a permit to legally own a gun. The majority opinion released Thursday was written by Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and was procedural in nature. It contended that the White County Circuit Court failed to adhere to the Supreme Courts previous 2020 ruling in the case, so it once again vacated the lower courts ruling that the FOID Act was unconstitutional. Burke was joined in the majority by Democrats Mary Jane Theis, P. Scott Neville Jr. and Robert Carter. Justice Michael Burke who is not related to the chief justice wrote the dissent. He argued the majority decision was based on a misunderstanding of the record and a misreading of this courts precedents, and that it could keep the defendant in legal limbo for an untold period of years. The case involves a White County resident, Vivian Claudine Brown, who was charged in March 2017 with possession of a firearm without a FOID card. A circuit judge in White County threw out the charge, ruling that the fees and forms required to receive a FOID imposed an unconstitutional burden on Browns Second Amendment right to keep a firearm in her own home. But an alternative ruling from the court contended that the Illinois General Assembly, when it passed the FOID Act, never meant for it to apply in the home, because if it did, it would mean anybody with knowledge of a firearm and exclusive control over the area where it was kept could be construed as possessing the gun. Because the circuit court ruled on an aspect of the FOID Act pertaining to state law, the Supreme Courts 2020 decision vacated the order pertaining to constitutionality and sent the matter back to White County to permit the normal appellate process to run its course. The ruling was essentially a win for Brown, but her legal team contended it wouldnt stand up to an appeal. Thus, Browns attorneys filed a motion to reconsider, arguing that the inevitable loss on appeal would delay clarity in the case. The circuit court agreed and reinstated the charges. Browns attorneys then filed a new motion to dismiss on constitutional grounds, which the judge upheld, finding that any fee associated with exercising the core fundamental Constitutional right of armed self-defense within the confines of ones home violates the Second Amendment. Thus, the state appealed the ruling back to the Supreme Court, leading to the Thursday ruling in which the majority decided the lower court had no authority to reconsider the case after the Supreme Courts 2020 ruling. In his dissent, Michael Burke predicted the case will ultimately end up back at the Supreme Court on the constitutional basis, only after a significant delay to Browns detriment as the case moves through the appellate court. * * * UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD: A state audit released Thursday found nearly $2 billion in federal money intended to help unemployed Illinoisans during the pandemic was lost to fraudulent claims in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Employment Security blamed insufficient and flawed federal guidance and a lack of controls on a hastily constructed program put together by the Trump administration. The federally-funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program provided up to 39 weeks of benefits for unemployed individuals who ran out of regular unemployment benefits and for self-employed individuals, gig workers and others not eligible for regular unemployment. The report released Thursday by Auditor General Frank Mautino covered much of the life of the program, July 2020 through June 2021. In the early days of the pandemic, amid business shutdowns and high unemployment, states struggled under a crush of claims from those laid off during those shutdowns. Amid this volume of claims, IDES was forced to try to weed out the fraudulent claims while under pressure to get money into the hands of the recently unemployed. The Pritzker administration has said the PUA program was designed hastily and does not give employers an opportunity to challenge fraudulent claims because the type of workers applying for benefits do not technically have employers. The PUA program also eliminated existing controls, including income and employment verification, according to a statement by IDES. Much of the fraud, up to $163 billion estimated nationwide, involved identity theft. Scammers filed unemployment claims using false identities and then had the payment method switched from the debit cards that people receive when they qualify for benefits to direct deposit into an account accessible by them. The audit found that, of the $3.6 billion in PUA paid out from July 2020 through June 2021, nearly $1.9 billion was found to be fraudulent, mostly due to identity theft. The audit found IDES failed to implement general information technology controls over PUA, failed to maintain accurate and complete claimant data and failed to perform timely cash reconciliations. IDES responded that the system used to manage the PUA program is independent of the system used to manage regular unemployment benefits. From the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 through the end of 2021, IDES stopped $40 billion in fraudulent payments from both state and federal programs, according to the agencys statement. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MENDON, Ill. Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is headed into Tuesday's primary election with what will be a major boost for many voters after former President Donald Trump offered a full-throated endorsement. During a rally on Saturday night in Adams County, Trump also offered his support to U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, as she faces fellow incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in 15th Congressional District. The former president endorsed Miller in early January and appeared at a fundraiser she held at his Mar-A-Lago resort in April. But Trump's endorsement of Bailey, a state senator from Xenia, was a new development, one Bailey has been openly seeking for months. The former president suggested in an interview with The Center Square earlier this week that Bailey would likely be his man if he did endorse. On Saturday, he went further: "Darren is just the man to take on and defeat one of the worst governors in America, J.B. Pritzker." He will crack down on the violent crime that is devouring our Democrat-run cities and restore the state of Illinois to greatness," Trump said. "Darren has my complete and total endorsement. Bailey has opened a large lead in the Republican primary over the past few weeks, according to most public and private polling. He faces Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, paving magnate Gary Rabine, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf, attorney Max Solomon and cryptocurrency venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan. Trump described Bailey as a farmer, a fighter, "an outstanding warrior in the Illinois State Senate," as well as "a fearless supporter of the Second Amendment and a tireless champion of religious liberty." He also took shots at Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who released a video criticizing the former president ahead of Trump's visit. Calling Pritzker "pathetic," Trump criticized the governor's response to the coronavirus pandemic and compared gun violence in Chicago to the military situation in Afghanistan during his presidency. "Everybodys fleeing your state. This is a disaster," Trump said. He told a story about meeting Bailey earlier in the day, saying Bailey yanked a hair out of the former president's head after commenting that it was hanging across Trump's face. "Which tells you a lot about Darren theres no games, right?" Invited onstage to address the crowd himself, Bailey agreed: "I will not lie to anyone and I will not let anything go unnoticed." "I made a promise to President Trump that in 2024, Illinois will roll the red carpet out for him because Illinois will be ready for President Trump," Bailey added. Support for Miller Trump's in-district visit held about 15 miles north of Quincy at the Adams County Fairgrounds offers Miller a significant boost in the final stretch of the campaign against Davis. "Mary is a warrior for our movement and our values," Trump said, calling her a "fearless, America-first patriot." Speaking to the crowd on Saturday, Miller said Davis "betrayed us." "My friends, this race is between MAGA and a RINO establishment member," she said, using the acronyms for Trump slogan Make America Great Again and Republican in Name Only. "Dont you miss President Trump?" Miller, however, could not escape controversy Saturday as she thanked Trump, who appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices, for the high court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, calling it "a victory for white life." Miller's campaign said Sunday that the congresswoman meant to say victory for right to life but misspoke. They also released a picture of Miller with her grandchildren, some of whom are people of color, while accusing the news media of jumping on the remark. "To suggest that she is somehow not committed to defending all life is disgusting," said campaign spokesman Isaiah Wartman. Still, it isn't the first time Miller's words have sparked backlash. In early January 2021, Miller stoked controversy with remarks about Adolf Hitler at a pro-Trump rally outside the Capitol. ("Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future, she said, speaking about the need to reach young people.) This drew widespread condemnation, some calls for her to resign and eventually an apology. Davis, in a statement Sunday, said Miller's comments are "just another part in a disturbing pattern of behavior she's displayed since coming to Congress," adding that her behavior is "unacceptable" and that she "has demonstrated she is not fit for public office." Miller and Davis have been locked in a heated incumbent-versus-incumbent primary contest, the result of a congressional redistricting process controlled by legislative Democrats and the state losing a district following the 2020 U.S. Census. The new 15th is a sprawling district that stretches west to east across Central Illinois from the Iowa and Missouri state lines to the Indiana state line. It also includes some outlying portions of the Metro East region. Trump won about 68% of the vote in the district in the 2020 election. Welcomed in Quincy The former president's trip was well-received by many in Quincy, the quaint river town of just under 40,000. About two-thirds of voters there supported Trump in 2020. Nick Dooley, owner of Dooley's Fly Fishing in downtown Quincy, said that "every hotel here is completely booked up" with Trump supporters. He attempted to reel them in with a 24% off "MAGA" sale. "Obviously, conservative business owners attract conservative customers," said Dooley, 34. Dooley said he planned to vote for Bailey in the governor's race and "probably" Miller for Congress. Trump's support is a factor here. "I think from the background he has as a businessman, he knows how to read people," Dooley said. "And he has a very good way of judging people." At an art festival in a downtown park just across the street, friends Diana Mixer, 77, and James Richards, 77, both of Quincy, proudly wore their Trump gear as they ate and listened to music. When asked who she was supporting for Congress, Mixer said Miller. And for a pretty simple reason: "Because of Trump." "If it's good enough for Trump, it's good enough for me," Mixer said. "Whatever he decides is the best for our country." Mixer said she was "kind of for" Davis before, but she will back Trump's candidate. "If he supports her, then she must be good," she said. Contentious race Though there have been some high-profile losses by Trump-endorsed candidates this cycle, most with the former president's stamp of approval win their elections. Miller, a freshman firebrand, is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Davis, a five-term incumbent who is in line to chair a committee if Republicans take the House majority, is a traditional conservative with a bipartisan streak. Davis voted Trump's position 89% of the time during the former president's term in office. He also served as an honorary chair of Trump's 2020 campaign. He even appeared with Trump at a rally in Southern Illinois in the waning days of the 2018 campaign. But he had previously rescinded his support of Trump in 2016 following the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape in which the then-Republican nominee described sexually assaulting women. Davis has not said whether he voted for Trump that year or not. Davis also voted to certify President Joe Biden's electoral college victory and was among 35 Republicans who supported the creation of a 9/11-style independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. That effort stalled in the Senate, and Davis later voted against the creation of the Jan. 6 select committee. Miller, on the other hand, supported Trump's efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election in several states. Davis is viewed as a more seasoned retail politician with the stronger political organization. He's raised more money, though spending from outside groups on Miller's behalf has evened the playing field. Miller, on the other hand, has Trump. Her campaign has been more low-profile, shunning local media and being less visible on the trail in hopes that the former president's backing would be enough to get her across the finish line. Her campaign has been bogged down by controversies, such as a campaign volunteer who drove her around to campaign events who was convicted of during a child for sex in 2005. However, she appears to have momentum in the campaign's final days. According to a poll from McHenry-based Victory Geek published in The Illinoize last week, Davis leads Miller 38%-35% with 27% undecided. However, when voters were told of Trump's endorsement, Miller led 47% to 39%. Trump's visit will be another test of the former president's hold over his party, especially in a deep-red district where his popularity is still high. Rally atmosphere Hundreds of Trump supporters arrived early to ensure a spot at Saturday's event. It had the festive feel of a college tailgate at times, except team attire was replaced with "Make America Great Again" hats and Trump flags. Trump remarked that his rallies are "like being at a great football game." The crowd included both supporters of Miller and people who traveled from outside of the 15th Congressional District to see the former president. "She's going to fight for everything that I would fight for," said Nikki Buehler of Camp Point, who described Miller as "one of us." Buehler, 42, said she had concerns that Davis was not a true conservative. She thought Trump's appearance would help her preferred candidate gain more momentum heading into Election Day. "A lot of people will rally behind him and what he stands for, knowing that that's the president they most liked and most think alike to," she said. "His values line up with ours." Doug Rowe and his wife Merry Higgin, who woke up at 7 a.m. and drove four hours from Marengo in McHenry County. "We've watched all his rallies; big supporters," said Rowe, 65. "(This is) the first opportunity we've had to come see him." Speaking before Trump's remarks, Rowe was interested to learn whether the former president would endorse a GOP gubernatorial candidate something he said would be the deciding factor in earning his vote. Without a confirmed endorsement, Rowe said he was leaning toward voting for Bailey. "I think he's the most closely aligned with Trump," Rowe said. "My values are aligned with the president's." In addition to stumping for Bailey and Miller, Trump also pushed baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election and took credit for the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. "I promised to nominate judges and justices who would stand up for the original meaning of the Constitution and who would honestly and faithfully interpret the law as written," Trump said. "We got almost 300 federal judges and three great Supreme Court justices confirmed to do exactly that." The former president also took shots at the January 6 Select Committee, calling it the "unselect committee" and deriding its two high-profile Republican members, Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon. "These RINOs are in many ways worse than the Democrats because you don't really know where they're coming from," Trump said, using an acronym that stands for "Republican in name only." Beyond Trump, high-profile speakers including My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and far right U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Co., who called herself a professional political RINO-hunter." Missouri Senate candidate and former Gov. Eric Greitens also attended the rally but did not speak. Greitens' "RINO hunting" advertisement, which debuted last week, was widely condemned for promoting political violence. Contact Brenden Moore at 217-421-7984. Follow him on Twitter: @brendenmoore13 Love 0 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Eight candidates are running for the Congressional seat soon to be vacated by outgoing U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, who announced last April she would not seek a sixth term. The primary election on June 28 will determine which Democrat and Republican candidates will be on the ballot for the Nov. 8 general election. The crowded field of six Democratic candidates who will face off in the primary are Rock Island County board member Angie Normoyle, former WQAD meteorologist Eric Sorensen, Rockford resident and former Illinois state Rep. Litesa Wallace, Rockford Alderman Jonathan Logemann, Marsha Williams of Channahon and cannabis lobbyist Jacqueline McGowan. Rockford Alderwoman Linda McNeely was removed from the ballot in early May after the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled some of the signatures on her nominating petitions were invalid, leaving her short of the required 400 signatures. The Republican primary will see a matchup between attorney Esther Joy King and insurance broker Charlie Helmick, both of East Moline. The newly drawn C-shaped 17th Congressional District winds from Rockford to the Quad Cities and down to Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, picking up several smaller college and industry towns in between. Democrats Jonathan Logemann Jonathan Logemann, 35, is a two-term 2nd Ward Rockford alderman and a business and economics teacher at Auburn High School. He also is an Illinois National Guard captain who served a nine-month tour in Afghanistan. Logemann grew up in Lancaster, Wis., and graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies education. Logemann said he was inspired to run for Congress because he felt a call to serve. "My country is very important to me, and my community is very important to me," Logemann said in October. "As a teacher, and with my service in the Illinois National Guard and as an alderman ... none of these are glamorous jobs at all, but service to community is something that's very important to me." Jacqueline McGowan Born and raised in California, Jacqueline McGowan moved to Chicago after high school and now resides in Palos Hills. McGowan, 47, worked as a stockbroker for 18 years nine in New York and nine in Illinois before leaving to become a cannabis policy expert and lobbyist. She ran unsuccessfully for California governor last year before moving back to Illinois. "I am running for United States House of Representatives in District 17 because I can not sit idly by and allow this seat to be turned over to a Trump Republican," McGowan said. "I am a former stock broker and cannabis lobbyist and feel I am the most qualified to handle the enormous responsibilities that comes with being a lawmaker. "I look forward to continuing on the esteemed work of Congresswoman Cheri Bustos in order to honor her legacy. My soul has always been satisfied the most when I am of service to others and I look forward to being the tough Democrat that this District is yearning for." Angie Normoyle Angie Normoyle was elected to the Rock Island County board in 2019 representing District 14. Normoyle, 55, is a native of Roscoe, near Rockford. She graduated from Augustana College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and went on to earn master's and doctorate degrees in communications from Northwestern University. Normoyle has worked part-time as an assistant professor at Augustana College teaching communications for 19 years. She also has been active as a volunteer in the community, having served on the Moline school board from 2007 to 2011, volunteering for The Junior League and for St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport. "I want to serve in Congress to help more people fulfill the dream my great-grandmother had: that with hard work, you will have the opportunity to earn a good living, raise a family and retire with dignity and youll be able to do it right here in Northwest Illinois," Normoyle wrote on her website, NormoyleforCongress.com. Eric Sorensen After 22 years as a meteorologist and broadcast journalist, Sorensen left his job with WQAD, Channel 8, in July. Born and raised in Rockford, Sorensen, 46, graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications and a minor in meteorology. Sorensen is an advocate for the LGBTQ community, serving on the boards of Clock, Inc. and The Project of the Quad Cities. As a weatherman, Sorensen said he earned the trust of the communities he served. He said in November that his science and meteorology background made him uniquely qualified to tackle the climate change crisis. "Climate change policy gets made at the federal level," he said. "Local and state governments are still really important, but we need someone with a science background speaking in Washington." Litesa Wallace Litesa Wallace, 44, was born and raised in Chicago but moved to Rockford nearly 17 years ago. Wallace earned a bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University, a master's degree in marriage and family counseling from Northern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in educational psychology. She served as chief of staff to former State Rep. Charles E. Jefferson from 2011 to 2014 before being elected herself as state Representative for the 67th District from 2014 to 2019. During her time in the state legislature, Wallace said she "strengthened the child care assistance program, fought against food insecurity, advocated for affordable housing and fought for a $15 minimum wage." She co-founded the Rockford Anti-Racism Network and serves as a fellow for the Diversifying Faculty in Higher Education Board. "As a single mom, social worker and former state representative, I know the challenge of finding affordable child care and the impacts of the rising cost of food and rent on our families," Wallace said in November. "And that's why Im running for Congress to continue the fight for working families in (District) 17. I've always said that families are the bedrock of our communities." Marsha Williams Marsha Williams was born in Joliet and is now a resident of Channahon. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in legal studies from Purdue Global University and works as an admissions adviser at the 160 Driving Academy in Bensenville. As a community organizer and activist, Williams became active in the abortion rights movement in 2002 when she volunteered as an abortion escort for women and organized events to protect Planned Parenthood. She later would need a late-term abortion when her unborn son died at 38 weeks of pregnancy. She also has volunteered as the Minooka Community High School alumni board chair from 2013 to 2016, served on the planning committee for the Bold Urban Renaissance Network from 2014 to 2017 and volunteered for the Chiditarod Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at alleviating hunger through direct action, from 2015 to 2017. Williams said she considered herself one of the more progressive candidates in the race, supporting the Green New Deal and universal health care. "Illinois (District) 17 deserves a representative who will truly stand up for and be accountable to the people, not corporate donors and lobbyists," she said in November. "Corporate PACs are going to be gunning for this open seat, but Im not taking any of their money." Republicans Esther Joy King Esther Joy King, 35, is an attorney from East Moline and small-business owner of her own marketing firm. King is taking a second shot at the 17th Congressional District. As the Republican nominee in 2020, she came within 4 percentage points of defeating Bustos, losing 52% to 48%. As the daughter of Christian missionaries, King lived with her family in a converted school bus during her childhood, later moving to the U.S.-Mexico border. She earned her law degree and a master's of law in taxation from Northwestern University in Chicago, beginning her legal career as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago. She was named to Crain's Chicago Business Magazine's annual "20 in their 20s" feature in May 2016, while she was a partner with Summerset Group Communications. After graduating from college, King moved to Kabul, Afghanistan, where she served as an aid worker. She then joined the U.S. Army Reserves as a member of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, leading to her relocation to the Rock Island Arsenal a few years ago. "We need a battle-ready leader. We need a fighter who wont back down, someone who knows that the residents of the 17th District matter more than Washington, D.C., special interests," King said when she announced her candidacy in April 2021. Charlie Helmick Charlie Helmick, 58, lives in East Moline with his wife, Shirley, and together the couple co-owns two Country Financial Insurance franchises. Helmick retired from FedEx after 29 years as a route manager and worked one year for the TSA within the Department of Homeland Security. Helmick said he espoused conservative Republican values through lower taxes, smaller government, strong borders and the support of law enforcement and stiffer jail sentences. "I've always wanted to serve in some capacity," Helmick said in April 2021 when he announced his candidacy. "I wanted to get involved and see if I couldn't make a difference and get some representation in our area for a change that I felt I wasn't getting before. I look forward to the race." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) lacks a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner (MRI), a situation, which is affecting health care delivery. Mr Emmanuel Donkor, Director of Administration of TTH, who announced this, said, "According to experts, the MRI we have now is out of date and it is better to replace it." He was speaking at a meeting with Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, who visited the facility in Tamale to learn about its operations and challenges. Mr Donkor mentioned other challenges facing the hospital, which included high residential accommodation fees, inadequate water supply and delays in payment of health insurance claims aside from the fact that health insurance charges were not competitive. Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, said it was heartbreaking to know that the TTH did not have MRI, adding "It is unpardonable for a teaching hospital not to have MRI because it is a basic requirement of every teaching hospital." He expressed worry over the lack of investment and leadership in the health sector and called on the President and Parliament to urgently address the challenges of the TTH, saying "We, the Health Committee are doing our best but they are the keepers of the public purse." Nana Ayew Afriye, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, commended the Management and Staff of the TTH for their sacrifice while working in uncomfortable situations. He noted that "teaching hospitals produce 97 per cent of health workers in the country but little is given to them in terms of infrastructural development" and gave assurance that "The Committee will engage the Health Ministry to press forward what is due them." Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video At least 23 migrants have died and others were hurt on Friday when a huge crowd tried to cross into Spain's North African enclave of Melilla, officials from neighbouring Morocco say. Reports say some of those who died had fallen from the top of a border fence. Several security personnel and migrants were admitted to hospital for treatment following clashes early on Friday. It was the first such attempted mass crossing since Spain and Morocco resumed diplomatic ties in March. The thaw in relations came after Spain supported Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed region of Western Sahara. Spanish officials say several hundred people tried to break through into the enclave after cutting fencing. Most were forced back but more than 100 got through and were being processed at a reception centre, they added. Originally 18 deaths were reported, but officials said on Saturday that five more people had died of their injuries. Melilla and Ceuta, another Spanish enclave, have in recent years become a focal point for mostly sub-Saharan migrants attempting to reach Europe. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In line with Tullow Ghanas deep-rooted commitment to support Ghanaian suppliers and subcontractors in the oil and gas industry, the company in collaboration with the Petroleum Commission (PC) has held the third session of its webinar workshops on security and man guarding services. Organized under the Tullow Ghana and Petroleum Commission Business Academy Partnership, the session focused on local content requirements, contracts and procurement process, technical requirements, environment, health & safety evaluations, and due diligence requirements. Over 80 participants drawn from the local security and man guarding services community took part in the webinar to get adequate information on Tullows requirements for the provision of security and man guarding services. Opening the webinar, Dr. Jennifer Bruce-Konuah, Tullow Ghana Local Content Manager said, Tullows collaboration with the Petroleum Commission on local capacity development is part of Tullows local content commitment which aligns with the governments local content delivery targets. The workshop aimed at building the capacity of local companies, demonstrating transparency in the contracts and procurement processes, and highlighting key requirements for companies who want to provide security and man guarding services for Tullow Ghana, she disclosed. Mr. Kwaku Boateng, Petroleum Commissions Local Content Director, expressed appreciation to Tullow for the partnership and for taking practical steps to deepen local content participation by supporting indigenous companies. The Petroleum Commission is committed to ensuring that the governments local content agenda in the extractive industry is implemented and benefits local companies, he stated. Webinar Takeaways On local content requirements, participants were taken through the eligibility criteria which a strong focus on indigenous Ghanaian businesses, local content questionnaire and the local content development plan. The topic on contracts and procurement explained the prequalification structure, commercial requirements and tentative timelines stating the start and end of the entire tendering process until contract is awarded. Further, the technical requirements session of the webinar focused on the scope of work, locations, and Tullows facilities of focus, services required and contractors responsibilities. To ensure that selected contractors have the requisite capacity to carry out the task safely and to ensure that they have commitment to prevent injury, protect assets, environment, and promote good occupational health, participants were taken through the Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) requirements. Finally, ethics and compliance constitutes key aspects of Tullows operations, hence suppliers were trained on Tullows due diligence requirements and expectations from contractors in the execution of work. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Police have filed a case in court against the planned demonstration by pressure group, Arise Ghana due to a disagreement on the time frame and also the location. The Police explained in a statement issued on Sunday June 26 that in the interest of Public Order and safety, they entreated the organizers to reconsider the time frame and start the demonstration early in the day and end before night falls. But Due to the lack of agreement between the Police and the organizers on the time for demonstration and location for their planned picketing, the Police have had no option but to submit the process to the court for a determination. This was duly communicated to Arise Ghana in a letter on June 20, 2022. The case has since been filed at the court and hearing is scheduled for tomorrow Monday June 27, 2022. The groups planned to start the series of demonstrations on 28th June, 2022, starting from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange/ Obra Spot and end at the frontage of the seat of government. We shall move through the Nima Police Station street to the Arko-Agyei inter-change and end at the Frontage of the Jubilee House where we will picket until 10PM, a statement issued by the group earlier said. The purpose of the demonstration, they said, is to protest against persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government that has imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians; protest against the imposition of the obnoxious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people by the insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. Demand a full scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures; 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. 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. Police Statement on Arise Ghana's Intended Demonstration A group calling itself Arise Ghana, notified the Police of its intention to hold a demonstration in Accra for two continuous days and for its members to also picket in front of the Jubilee House during the night. pic.twitter.com/UIkufvD1V6 Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) June 26, 2022 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. Featured Video Mr Pious Yaw Osei, the Headmaster in charge of Academic Ebenezer Senior High School, says stalled projects at the school need to be completed to enhance teaching and learning. He said the school had about three projects, including a girls dormitory, a science laboratory and a seven-unit classroom block that had stalled at various stages of completion. Mr Osei, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the commissioning of six renovated classrooms of the school by the Padua North America Association, said the girls dormitory, which is about eighty-five percent complete, started in 2008 while the science laboratory started in 2016. The school is now soliciting from individuals who could donate doors and louvre blades to fix the windows, he said. The Assistant Headmaster said the school lacked adequate classrooms hence the need for the completion of the seven-unit classrooms. He said many people were surprised that the school had not been made a boarding school because it had been in existence for almost eighty years, adding that it had boarding facilities when it was moved from its previous location. Mr Osei appealed for boarding facilities to ensure safety and discipline because some of the students lived in rented rooms with no control and some were from far and had to commute for hours before getting to school. The Assistant Headmaster applauded the Old Students Association for its continuous support to the school. He said some old students of the school had repainted some of the classrooms to give it a facelift and had undertaken a tree planting exercise to restore its lost vegetation cover. Mr Osei added that the old students had also begun refurbishing washrooms for the student. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Osu Stool has announced the dismissal of Ishmael Nortey Adumuah, otherwise known as Nii Nortey Adumuah IV as a member of the Kinkawe Dzaase and also as the Oshiahene of Osu Kinkawe for his repeated acts deemed to be subversive to the Osu Stool. A statement copied to Peacefmonline.com and jointly signed by Nuumo Noi Osikan III, Nadu/Klottey Wulomo; Nii Saban Atsen VIII, Kinkawe Dzaasetse and Nii Nortey Otututse II, Ashinte Dzaasetse notified the general public on the decision of the Osu Stool to revoke the appointment letter of Nii Nortey Adumuah IV as the Oshiahene of Osu Kinkawe dated April 19, 2021. In the dismissal letter copied to Ishmael Nortey Adumuah Adjuate We and signed by Nii Saban Atsen VII, it was stated that the former was suspended indefinitely on 15th March 2022 by the Osu Kinkawe Dzaase for writing to the Police, purportedly on behalf of the Osu Kinkawe Dzaase on a false Osu Kinkawe letterhead seeking the Police assistance to install a new Osu Mantse. Nii Saban Atsen VII also in the dismissal letter stated that Nii Nortey Adumuah IV in spite of the indefinite suspension on June 21, 2022, together with his family head superintended over an unauthorized launch of a strange seal for the Osu Stool. You have overstepped your bounds as Oshiahene whose role is only restricted to the Osu Mantse Stool roomThe Osu Kinkawe Dzaase led by Nii Saban Atsen VII (Dzaasetse) has, therefore, decided to revoke your letter of appointment as Oshiahene of Osu Kinkawe dated 19th April 2021. You are, hereby, notified of your dismissal with immediate effect and advised to cease, henceforth, from holding yourself as such in your own interest, captured in the dismissal letter. The statement copied to the media however informed and warned the general public to avoid any dealings with Nii Nortey Adumuah IV in any matter relating to the Osu Stool. All those who deal with him in such matters do so at their own risk, the statement warned. The statement however advised the general public to ignore any report indicating that a new seal has been introduced for the Osu Stool. For the avoidance of doubt, the Seal of Osu remains the same as indicated above; there have neither been any discussions on the introduction of a new seal nor the contemplation or a launch of a new Seal for Osu, the statement announced. Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former US president, Donald Trump has taken a victory lap after his appointed Suprem court Justices, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling that outlaws abortion in the United States. On Friday, the US Supreme court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which before now made abortion legal in the United States. During a rally in Illinois Saturday, June 26, Trump took the credit for the abortion ban while also endorsing two Republicans for Congress. "The court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law and above all, a victory for life," Trump told a crowd of his supporters at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon, referencing Friday's abortion decision. In his address, the former president applauded the efforts of pro-life activists and other conservatives: "Your boundless love, sacrifice and devotion has finally been rewarded in full." "Thank you, Trump!" the thunderous crowd chanted back. Watch the video below- Former President Donald Trump addressed the Supreme Court's Roe V. Wade decision at tonight's Save America rally in Illinois. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/E2X9WDU8KR No Jumper (@nojumper) June 26, 2022 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Flash After the earthquake disaster in Afghanistan, the Chinese government has decided to provide 50 million yuan (about 7.46 million U.S. dollars) of emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday. Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks in response to a query on the progress of China's emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The earthquake that struck Afghanistan Wednesday is the most serious to hit the country in more than 20 years. It has caused at least 1,500 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries, and destroyed more than 3,000 houses, Wang said. The number of casualties continues to rise. Aid provided by China will include tents, towels, folding beds and other materials urgently needed by the Afghan people, he said. The first batch of aid is scheduled to be shipped by charter flight on June 27. In the next step, China will coordinate closely with the Afghan interim government to ensure that relief supplies are delivered to those in need as soon as possible, and to help the Afghan people tide over their current difficulties, Wang said. "We firmly believe that with the concerted efforts of the Afghan interim government and people from all walks of life, and with the help of the international community, the people in the affected areas will be able to prevail over this blow at an early date, accelerate the reconstruction of their homes and resume normal production and life," he added. Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh has been chosen as the running mate to Tonte Ibraye, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Rivers State, for the 2023 election. The actress in an Instagram post on Friday expressed gratitude to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). I thank Mr. Tonte Ibraye the Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Rivers State for nominating me as his running mate. We are looking forward to investing massively in social protection, creating a social value system for young people, increasing womens inclusion in our governance system, supporting small businesses and strengthening our traditional institutions to be active players in the drive to bring sustainable development to the good people of Rivers State. I am glad to be a proud member of the #RiversRescueMission2023. Please get your PVC and join the movement. You are the Future and The future is now! TonteTonto2023, Tonto Dikeh said in an Instagram post. Ibraye won the ADC governorship ticket during the primary elections in early June. The vice-chairman of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Abuja chapter defeated Dr. Warmeth Wright and Joyce Barida in a primary election organised by the party in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. Ibraye, an advocate for maternal, newborn, and child health, polled 187 votes out of 188 votes. A representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Emmanuel Isong, who monitored the exercise, described it as free and fair. Ibraye called for full implementation of the Electoral Act in all processes leading to the general election, especially the enforcement of the provision for electronic transmission of results during the poll. Addressing the delegates, he said: One thing I must tell you is that, you have made history today. It will no longer be business as usual. I believe some of you are aware some people will contest and they go to the ruling party to endorse them. I must assure you that I will not use your votes to trade with anyone. Source: The Guardian Nigeria Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video At least 22 people have been found dead inside a nightclub in South Africa amid claims they were poisoned. South African authorities said police rushed to the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, a township in the southern city of East London, in the early hours of Sunday after receiving reports from the public.Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said those killed in the club were all aged between 18 and 20. The Eastern Cape provincial community and safety department official Unathi Binqose ruled out a stampede as cause of death. He said he understood the patrons were students 'celebrating pens down, a party held after writing (high school) exams'. Read Full Story .... dailymail >>> : Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video AIRLINE passengers may have to pay more for their tickets next month. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) announced that it is set to impose fuel surcharges starting July 1 which will range from P355 to P1,038 due to the ongoing rise in jet fuel prices in the world market. During a virtual public briefing, CAB Hearing Examiners Division chief Atty. Blem Moro cited that a plane trip from Manila to Cebu, for example, will have a surcharge of P706. Many airlines, especially our local airlines, have applied surcharges, including Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines, as well as foreign carriers, the ofof said. Moro said surcharges are also based on the distance of a flight both domestic and international. Moro said the CAB revised its surcharge matrix amid the rise in global fuel prices. CAB earlier said July rates may reach Level 11 from the current Level 7 in the fuel surcharge matrix. Under Level 11, airlines may collect a fuel surcharge of P355 to P1,038 per passenger for a one-way domestic flight and from P1,172 to P8,714.84 for international flights originating from the Philippines. According to Moro, base fares had not changed as airline companies continued to offer promotional and cheap fares. Saint Hilarion monastery is one of the heritage sites in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory home to rich, if under-developed, archaeological treasures. While workers labored on a large construction site in the Gaza Strip, a security guard noticed a strange piece of stone sticking out of the earth. "I thought it was a tunnel," said Ahmad, the young guard, referring to secret passages dug by the Islamist group Hamas to help it battle Israel. In the Gaza Strip, ruled by Hamas and repeatedly ravaged by war, people are more familiar with burying the dead than digging up their heritage. But what Ahmad found in January was part of a Roman necropolis dating from about 2,000 years agorepresentative of the impoverished Palestinian territory's rich, if under-developed, archaeological treasures. After the last war between Israel and Hamas in May 2021 left a trail of damage in Gaza, Egypt began a reconstruction initiative worth $500 million. As part of that project in Jabaliya, in the north of the coastal enclave, bulldozers were digging up the sandy soil in order to build new concrete buildings when Ahmad made his discovery. "I notified the Egyptian foremen, who immediately contacted local authorities and asked the workers to stop," said Ahmad, a Palestinian who preferred not to give his full name. With rumors on social media of a big discovery, Gaza's antiquities service called in the French non-governmental group Premiere Urgence Internationale and the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem to evaluate the site's importance and mark off the area. The last war between Israel and Hamas in May 2021 left a trail of damage in overcrowded Gaza, whose population in 15 years has ballooned from 1.4 million to 2.3 million. "The first excavations permitted the identification of about 40 tombs dating from the ancient Roman period between the first and second centuries AD," said French archaeologist Rene Elter, who led the team dispatched to Jabaliya. "The necropolis is larger than these 40 tombs and should have between 80 and 100," he said. One of the burial sites found so far is decorated with multi-colored paintings representing crowns and garlands of bay leaves, as well as jars for funereal drinks, the archaeologist added. 'Treasures' of Gaza Archaeology is a highly political subject in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and discoveries are used to justify the territorial claims of each people. While the Jewish state has a number of archaeologists reporting on an impressive number of ancient treasures, the sector is largely neglected in Gaza. Authorities periodically announce discoveries in the territory, but tourism at archaeological sites is limited. The Gaza Strip's archaeological site of Saint Hilarion. Authorities in Gaza periodically announce discoveries in the coastal enclave, but tourism at archaeological sites is limited. Israel and Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, tightly restrict the flow of people in and out of the enclave administered by Hamas since 2007. "However, there is no difference between what you can find in Gaza and on the other side of the barrier" in Israel, Elter said. "It's the same great history." "In Gaza, a lot of sites have disappeared because of conflict and construction, but the territory is an immense archaeological site which needs many teams of experts," he added. Stakes and fences have been erected around the Roman necropolis, which is watched over constantly by guards as new buildings go up nearby. "We are trying to fight antiquities trafficking," said Jamal Abu Rida, director of the local archaeological service tasked with protecting the necropolis and which hopes to find investors for further excavation. Since Hamas took control 15 years ago, Gaza has endured four wars and numerous escalations of tension. "The image of Gaza is often associated with violence, but its history is bursting with archaeological treasures that need to be protected for future generations," said Jihad Abu Hassan, director of the local Premiere Urgence mission. Since Hamas took control 15 years ago, Gaza has endured four wars and numerous escalations of tension. Demographics add to the pressure. Gaza is a tiny, overcrowded strip of land whose population in 15 years has ballooned from 1.4 million to 2.3 million. As a result, building construction has accelerated. "Some people avoid telling authorities if there is an archaeological discovery on a construction site out of fear of not being compensated" for the resulting work stoppage, Abu Hassan said. "We lose archaeological sites every day," which shows the need for a strategy to defend the enclave's heritage, including training local archaeologists, he said. Over the last few years, his organization has helped to educate 84 archaeological technicians. Doing so also offers employment prospects, in an impoverished territory where youth joblessness exceeds 60 percent. Still hunting stones One rare success is the preservation of the Byzantine monastery of Saint Hilarion. The archaeological site of Saint Hilarion includes an atrium, baths and multiple churches -- testament to an era when Gaza was a crossroads for Mediterranean pilgrims. It opened several years ago to the public and includes an atrium, baths and multiple churches, standing as testament to an era when Gaza was a crossroads for Mediterranean pilgrims. "We receive around 14,000 visitors a year, including school students," said Fadel al-Otol, 41, a Palestinian archaeologist whose early passion for ancient ruins was formalized with training in France. As a child during the first Palestinian intifida, or uprising, Otol said he hunted stones to hurl at Israeli soldiers. "Today I look for stones to prove to the military that we have a great history," he said. Wandering around the Saint Hilarion site, Otol pondered his dream: "That we excavate all the archaeological sites of Gaza and that they be accessible to the public to show our history and culture to the entire world." If nothing is done, he said, "the sites would disappear forever." Explore further Gaza construction workers find 31 Roman-era tombs 2022 AFP King was arrested by the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office on Dec. 19 after police received numerous complaints of thefts in the area of 17 Jones Road in Wilton. King was observed in the area and police found him in possession of items taken from the vehicles. I watched one of my favorite movies the other night, Quo Vadis. Despite the cheesy costumes and over-the-top acting, it has important historical value, in that it describes a critical but faded episode of inhumanity: The persecution of Christians. We know about it, we have some vague memories of the people who had to dance around the lions in the Colosseum, but the events are generally filed under news too old to care about. Except, the news too old to care about is todays headline. No lions, no Colosseum, just the massacre of Nigerian Catholics in a church on Pentecost Sunday, 2022. Nigeria is a country whose Christians have been under assault for over a decade. According to the website Genocide Watch, over 45,000 Christians have been assassinated in the last 13 years, making that country the most dangerous in Africa for members of the faith. Catholics are in particular danger, because we represent a large percentage of Christians in the country and attract most of the attention. This time, they waited until the worshippers entered St. Francis Church in Owo, Ondo State, and then started shooting at them from both inside and outside of the building. Reports state that some of the attackers were disguised as parishioners. Some have attributed the assault to random violence. But dont be misled. The history of anti-Christian violence in Nigeria is a part of the fabric of the nation, something that mirrors a similar wave of persecution that has engulfed much of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Central America. A lot of it is fueled by a particularly extreme and virulent form of Islam, such as that practiced by the Boko Haram in Nigeria and ISIS in the Middle East. Some of it is rooted in hostility toward the social justice mission of many Christian churches, such as those who evangelize against gang violence in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. In my 25 years practicing immigration law, Ive handled a lot of asylum cases. But the ones that cause me the largest number of sleepless nights are the ones that involve religious persecution. Just this past week we were successful in obtaining asylum for a Catholic youth leader from El Salvador who had a gun held to his head as he was counseling young boys in church. He was told that if he didnt stop trying to keep the boys from joining Mara Salvatrucha, the most violent gang in that country, he would end up like Romero. That was a clear reference to the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero who was assassinated at the altar while celebrating Mass in San Salvador over 40 years ago. Ive also represented Protestant preachers whove been kidnapped, threatened and in one case orphaned (mother and father murdered) because of their ministries in Honduras and China. The most heart-wrenching case was that of a young Salvadoran woman who was raped by her boyfriend, a police officer, and became pregnant. When he demanded that she abort the child, she refused because of her Catholic beliefs, at which point he beat her so severely that she miscarried. And when she tried to report him to his fellow police officers, she was told that she should have gotten an abortion (this, in a country that sacrificed martyrs for the church). Somehow, these stories rarely make it up through the media magma, the dense layers of preferences that the people who run the newspapers and cable networks impose on the rest of us. The fact that someone thinks she was assaulted by Bill Cosby in 1975 is more interesting, they think, than the stories of missionaries being kidnapped in Haiti. People magazine will give its cover over to the juicy details of Meghan Markles latest grievance, while the massacred bodies of churchgoers will make it to page 5 of The Washington Post. The truth is uncomfortable, but its still the truth. The vast majority of Christians persecuted for religious reasons are killed by non-Christians, including Muslims, Hindus and Chinese atheists. The statistics are quite clear on this, even though Amnesty International (which thinks that abortion is a human right) will try and avoid naming names. And Ill go even further. The last acceptable prejudice in America is anti-Catholicism. Its not persecution, but the level to which it infects our current society is insidious. Instead of cracking jokes about how misogynistic, bigoted and backwards Christians are, it might be a better idea to notice the bleeding bodies. Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times, and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 HAMMONTON Blueberry season is in full bloom in South Jersey. The Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with AMI and AtlantiCare, hosted its 36th annual Red, White & Blueberry festival Sunday. People and families from across the Delaware Valley thronged into the area just outside Hammonton High School for an assemblage of patriotism, music and a wide array of blueberry confections made from local produce. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director John Runfolo said about 10,000 people came through the festival over the course of the day. He estimated that vendors at the festival went through 900 crates, each of which contained 12 pints with 200 blueberries per pint good for more than 2 million total blueberries sold. There is everything blueberry here, Runfolo said. There is so much going on at this time, we have something for everyone. The lot was lined with rows upon rows of blueberry-baked goods, including blueberry crisps, blueberry jelly, blueberry muffins, blueberry pie and even blueberry cannoli something Runfolo said reflected Hammontons Italian American heritage. Other food was available, including summer staples such as hamburgers, hot dogs, funnel cakes and topped french fries. Water ice also was sold, and, of course, it was available in blueberry flavor. Children at the festival could play in a bounce castle and and ride the merry-go-round. The band Stealing Savanah energized the festival with live music. Sue Totino, who runs her bakery S&S Kitchens, was selling different sorts of blueberry food, including cakes, pies, jam, muffins and a line of gluten-free items. She said her business has been open for about 20 years and that she has been a regular at the festival, having come for the last 15 years. Were glad to promote the blueberry festival, the growers and everything thats involved with it and hopefully make a couple bucks, Totino said. Montana Macrie was selling blueberry sauce, something comparable to cranberry sauce, from her company Blu Tana. She said she comes from a family of blueberry farmers and decided to strike off on her own and start a business. It was her first time at the festival, and she said she was happy to be running her business in the blueberry capital of the world. Helping local businessesWhile helping blueberry vendors in particular, the event is designed to help all types of local business. Cheryl Young was at her first blueberry festival and first show ever, selling custom-made embroideries, including, of course, some that were blueberry themed. She said she had previously attended the event as a patron and said she figured her stand would make an impression. Ive always wanted to do it (be a vendor at the blueberry festival) for the past six, seven years because I love to sell and make things, and this year I decided to buckle down and actually do it, Young said. Several businesses at the event were pairing their food with a good cause. Jackie Kincaid was selling blueberry crisps to raise funds for the Hammonton chapter of Soroptimist, an international group that provides education and job-training resources to women and young adults. She said the festival was a great opportunity to support the town and the surrounding area while fundraising for their cause. The Hammonton Lions Club was out raising money by selling a mix of baked goods homemade by members, including blueberry streusel cookies and blueberry cinnamon rolls, as well as items from Liscios Bakery, including blueberry hand pies. The Lions Club helps raise money to for a variety of causes, including the environment, treatment for pediatric cancer and care for juvenile diabetes. Anytime we have a chance to get our names out there and make a positive impact, were going to be there, Sam Seitles, a Lions Club member from Hammonton. The central charitable cause of the day was to honor military veterans. There was a tent near the stage for the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 66 Hammonton, and for Last Salute, an organization that helps provide funeral services for late veterans. At about noon, Last Salute held a ceremony that concluded with a cannon fire in honor of local military veterans. Disabled American Veterans Commander Larry Adair said he was there to help make sure that veterans are put in a better place today than they were yesterday. We show up here every year and we set our tent up and were just trying to get our name out there to people who need help, Adair said Hammonton Town Councilperson Jonathan Oliva delivered an address at the festival to accompany the ceremony. He thanked the blueberry farmers, pickers, packers and shippers, as well as local businesses, for their support of the town and its famous produce. We cannot say thank you enough for making this event special and for making the Hammonton blueberry something that is coveted all over the United States, Olivia said. Oliva was accompanied by Town Councilperson Steven Furgione; Atlantic County Commissioner James Bertino; county Clerk Joseph Giralo; county Surrogate James Curcio; and state Assemblyman Michael Torrissi Jr., R-Atlantic, Burlington, Camden. Runfolo said he appreciated the support from the town, county and state. He said he considered the Red, White & Blueberry festival an overwhelming success. Its Americana at its best, Runfolo said. Attendees seemed to be in agreement. We should have a lot more of these, said Lewis Dimattesa, of Clementon, Camden County, who was there with his children and his partner, Stacy Evans. It brings a lot of people together. Contact Chris Doyle cdoyle@pressofac.com Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A nationwide surge in substance abuse is creating new challenges for addiction treatment centers, who now must overcome people's fears that treatment could mean a return to the isolation first brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Recovery Centers of America at Lighthouse, CEO Corey Richey said the organization has seen the need for substance abuse treatment consistently increase since the pandemic began 27 months ago in March 2020, but has seen patient response to treatment options change. She said more people struggling with addiction are loath to enter treatment, something she attributed to how COVID and public-health shutdowns are now less salient in peoples lives. A lot of the feedback that were getting from people when theyre calling in is that theyre not ready to essentially isolate themselves again when theyre just getting back to normal life, Richey said. Richey said Lighthouse in Mays Landing and other RCA facilities have been working to adapt to the emerging skepticism. She said staff is working to make prospective patients aware of the different levels of care offered at Lighthouse when they do push back against the idea of enrolling in an inpatient treatment program. The highest level of care is an inpatient detox program for opiates, alcohol and benzodiazepines, which provides patients with taper and comfort medication and lasts for five to 10 days, depending on the addiction being treated and medication being used. The inpatient residential program typically lasts for 30 to 40 days, during which time patients participate in different therapy programs and have access to full-time nursing care. Partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and general outpatient programs are other options. People enrolled in outpatient programs attend therapy at a hospital for several hours a day for multiple days a week over an extended period. Outpatient sessions can be attended virtually, an innovation motivated by the pandemic that could have long-term benefits for patients with work or family obligations. Four graduate from recovery high school in Cape MIDDLE TOWNSHIP Four seniors graduated from Coastal Preparatory High School last week, sai Lighthouse also is working to expand its family programs that help people detect early warning signs that a loved one might be struggling with substance abuse. Lighthouse Alumni Coordinator Jill Showers can testify to the importance of picking up on warning signs and having a strong social support structure. As part of her job, she routinely connects people struggling with substance abuse to others who have experience with addiction. Showers herself has had experience with addiction. She entered treatment for addiction to drugs and alcohol at Lighthouse in July 2016. Her mother, who had past experience dealing with people who struggled with substance abuse, helped connect her with another person with experience with addiction, who in turned helped advise Showers about how to go about treatment. People with the disease of addiction and alcoholism are taught that we think a little bit differently, Showers said. We run across it all the time, like, Why cant you just stop? Why cant you just stop? and for us its different because we dont kind of know how to do that on our own. Thats not our baseline. A crucial feature of Lighthouse is its alumni network. After people leave treatment, they can connect with alumni from Lighthouse or affiliated RCA programs. There are regularly scheduled events for alumni and daily meetings that can be attended in person or online. Showers said another factor interfering with treatment has been a tendency for younger people struggling with addiction to not be cognizant of the severity of the situation. She urged people struggling with addiction to prioritize treatment before their situation worsens. Millville chosen to test state pilot program for addiction services TRENTON Millville will serve as one of three New Jersey towns where Gov. Phil Murphys adm The need to respond to addiction has reached new heights as of late. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released statistics in May that estimated there were 107,622 overdose deaths in the United States in 2021, an all-time high. The 2021 total amounted to a nearly 15% increase over the 93,655 estimated overdose deaths in 2020 and a 49% increase over the 72,151 deaths in 2019. A May CDC news release said opioids were involved in just under 81,000 of the 2021 overdose deaths an increase from the approximately 70,000 deaths in 2020. In both years, opioid-involved deaths constituted about three-quarters of the total overdose deaths estimated. Overdose deaths in New Jersey have also increased since the start of 2020, but the rise has been less sharp than the national total. The CDC estimates there were 3,044 overdose deaths in New Jersey in 2021 a 7% increase over the 2,846 deaths in 2020 and a 9.2% increase over the 2,811 in 2019. Alaska was the state that saw the largest proportional increase in overdose deaths, rising more than 75% from 2021 to 2020. Richey had previously attributed the national and state spike in deaths to disruptions in peoples livelihoods caused by the pandemic. That these trends have not fully abated makes the newly hardened resistance to treatment all the more worrisome. One particular deterrent to treatment for some patients has been renewed professional responsibilities. Richey said the return to in-person work and a general tendency for employers to be more demanding due to less public concern over COVID-19 has left people feeling like they cannot take time off for treatment. People who were able to maybe take some time off or work remotely or things like that, theyre worried about their employment and how do they continue to stay employed or how do they seek new employment while also taking care of what they need to take care of in terms of treatment at the same time, Richey said. Richey said there is a work-flexibility program for people to enter but acknowledged it was a harder sell to people afraid they will be punished or stigmatized if they are absent from the workplace. Showers said those who know people who struggle with addiction should work to learn more. She urged families to join groups for those close to people with addiction, so they can share their experiences. Theyre not always easy situations, Showers said. When your kids calling you from treatment saying, I dont want to be here, I dont want to be here, you know 90% of the time theyre uncomfortable, theyre getting sober, its not a normal state. So being able to set a healthy boundary and get support in that is crucial as well. Showers continued to urge people to find a healthy community that reminds them about the hope for recovery. I think its really important to be immersed in a community where were able to stay connected and be reminded there is a way out and this is kind of how we did it, Showers said. Contact Chris Doyle cdoyle@pressofac.com Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. All-terrain vehicles have long been misused by some in the legal off-road environments for which they were designed. In the spring the state Department of Environmental Protection again closed sections of five Wildlife Management Areas in South Jersey to off-road vehicles through Sept. 5 to maintain safety. The past several years ATVs have been increasingly seen on streets and in neighborhoods, prompting residents to complain to police and town officials. In Pleasantville and Absecon, in recent months more people have been operating ATVs and dirt bikes where theyre not supposed to, according to their police chiefs. Pleasantville introduced an ordinance this month that would allow police to seize and keep all-terrain vehicles or dirt bikes driven on public streets or highways. Currently they can be impounded and returned after fines are paid. A similar ordinance has been introduced by Absecon City Council, which would also fine gas stations if they fuel a vehicle not road-legal that drives up to the pumps. Beyond safety issues including up to fatal accidents, the improper use of ATVs can create noise problems and damage property. Mayor Judy Ward said Pleasantville has been discussing the problem with other towns and working with the state Attorney Generals Office toward more effective controls. In January, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law designating ATVs, dirt bikes and snowmobiles ridden on public streets or highways as contraband subject to state forfeiture regulations. When forfeited to a municipality, the vehicles shall be destroyed. Enforcement is a challenge, since the highly maneuverable vehicles can flee in many directions and a police officer who chased one would be responsible if the vehicle crashed or caused an accident. New Jersey has eight significant sections in its law regulating ATVs. Neighboring Delaware has 10 sections and Pennsylvania has 10 statutes, according to state information compiled by the Law Offices of Edgar Snyder & Associates. All three states require owners to register their vehicles, and drivers and passengers to wear helmets. All three prohibit operating them on streets and highways. And all three require them to be fitted with an effective muffler to reduce noise. New Jersey and Pennsylvania require operators to purchase liability insurance. They also expressly allow registered vehicles to cross, as directly as possible, public streets or highways, except limited access highways, provided that such crossing can be made in safety and that it does not interfere with the free movement of vehicular traffic, as N.J. law puts it. These requirements serve the publics interest and that of owners and operators. As off-road vehicles have inevitably become more powerful, the safety provisions have become more important. New Jersey needs an addition to its rules, though, in order to make enforcement of its regulations realistic. Pennsylvania requires every ATV to have its own numbered license plate. Visible license plates are the proven method for identifying operators, ensuring they follow the law and punishing them if they dont. In this age of inexpensive cameras keeping watch on much of the public space, visible plates identifying the owner who registered the ATV would do much to discourage problems with its use. About River Valley Cooperative River Valley Cooperative in Davenport, Iowa, provides superior products and services to members because of skilled employees. We recognize the worth of all employees, provide training and support, encourage two-way communication, and promote a safe workplace. Flash A joint initiative on promoting cooperation within the translation and interpreting (T&I) community in the Asia-Pacific region was launched Sunday at the closing session of the 10th Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum (APTIF) held in Beijing. The forum, themed "Collaboration in the World of Translation and Interpreting: New Changes and New Modes in the New Era," attracted around 300 participants from 35 countries and regions both online and offline to conduct in-depth exchanges. They reached broad consensus on the role of translation and interpreting in boosting regional development and agreed to further enhance exchanges and cooperation. The Asia-Pacific region has become the most dynamic area of the global economy and enjoys huge potential for further development, according to the initiative. Last year, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), the organizer of the forum, released the 2021 Global Translation Index, which analyzed the translation capabilities of 193 countries and regions. Among the top 50 on the list, 12 were from the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for 24% of the total, highlighting the growth prospects and momentum of the region's language service industry, the report said. The initiative states that translation, as a bridge between nations and countries, plays an indispensable role in people-to-people and cultural exchanges in the region. In the context of the impact of COVID-19 and uncertainties in the world economy, it suggested the T&I community in the Asia-Pacific region advances communication between associations and personnel through practical T&I programs, explores the latest technological innovations in the T&I industry, strengthens the building of a cooperation mechanism, and joins hands to push forward common development and people-to-people exchanges in the region. The initiative also appeals to members to expand their cooperation with the International Federation of Translators (FIT) and other international organizations, and calls for efforts to prepare the establishment of the FIT Asia-Pacific Center. Experts and scholars hailed the initiative and shed light on the role of T&I in regional development and communication at the forum which was held in Beijing from June 25 to 26. The Asia-Pacific region is home to some 4 billion people 60% of the world's population and includes the greatest linguistic and cultural diversity in the world, said Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of the China Internet Information Center and vice president of the Translators Association of China (TAC). "Therefore, the initiative is of vital importance to pool the strength of the T&I community in the region, which will help give full play to the significant role translation plays in boosting regional economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges." He added that though Asia and Pacific remains the fastest growing region in the world, there is still unbalanced development between advanced economies and emerging markets in Asia. "By utilizing cooperation platforms such as the APTIF, countries like China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, which have built great strength in internet, AI and other sci-tech sectors, will have the opportunities to share their technological innovations in T&I with emerging countries," he said. Alison Rodriguez, president of the FIT, also stressed the importance of using new technologies in translation. "Translation and interpreting skills are no longer just language skills," she said. "Although these are still the most important strength, translators and interpreters should also 'excel in technical skills,' which can help understand the purpose, process, complexities and nuance of the relevant work." Lynne Bower, a professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada, highlighted the presence of human translators in computer-aided translation. She said that although advances in machine translation continue to be made, for the foreseeable future at least, human translators will still have a large role to play in the production of translated texts. "The computer assists translators in their work but does not do the translation for them and therefore does not eliminate the human translator from the process," she said. As the T&I industry has thrived in recent years, it is necessary to further standardize the language services market and promote the overall standardization of the industry, said Ren Wen, dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation of BFSU. The code of professional ethics for translators and interpreters, which was compiled by Ren and released in 2019, outlines the professional ethics and behavioral norms that translators and interpreters should follow when they engage in translation work. Ren hopes that these norms can help guide translators and interpreters as they make professional and ethical decisions in the course of their translation work. "It will also help improve the professional ethics of translators and interpreters, and ensure an overall environment in which the T&I industry functions harmoniously," she said. The Bettendorf Community School Board has approved renewing Superintendent Michelle Morses contract. The vote was 5-1-1, with Paul Castro in dissent and Micheal Pyevich absent. The vote followed a closed session Thursday for Morses evaluation. Several Bettendorf Community School District parents opposed the renewal of Morses contract in wake of behavioral and safety concerns at the middle school. David Fuglseth is one of the parents. He said that student and staff safety should be the districts paramount priority. Learning cant happen if students dont feel safe, Fuglseth said. We can talk about all the wonderful things the district is accomplishing, and there are a lot of academic accomplishments, but that doesnt matter if students and staff members are getting hurt. Those achievements will lessen the more we lose talented teachers and staff members because they dont want to put up with whats happening. Another parent, Analicia Gomes, cited a series of numbers to support her grievances with the board during the forum: 10 administrators leaving, 86 district support staff signatures agreeing with parents petitioned safety concerns and 1,200 signatures petitioning to remove Morse. Gomes seconds that safety and security should be the boards top priority, with legitimate teacher retention and transparency falling next. Why are people leaving? I think if exit interviews were more transparent, if nothing else at least with board members, I think it would be eye-opening to see the actual reason why people are leaving and not sugarcoating it as different administrative positions, Gomes said. Gomes referenced a board meeting on May 12, where parents expressed concerns about safety at the middle school, which she said: fell on deaf ears. Action is not taking place. Weve had countless opportunities with meetings, weve spoken at board meetings and nothing. Nothing has happened, Gomes said. Were tired of excuses. We want action now. Several parents pushed for the board to allow parent hall monitors at the schools as a solution to the recent uptick in behavioral and safety issues at the middle school. Morse shared that the Bettendorf Community School District will continue to update and develop behavior matrices. She also revealed that the middle school is in the process of establishing a Watch D.O.G.S parent volunteer monitor program. Parents are always welcome in our schools, Morse said during the Superintendents Report session. The program is scheduled to begin at the start of the school year. Fuglseth said the Watch D.O.G.S. partnership was a huge step in the right direction but that it should have been done earlier. Were very reactive in this district right now, he said. What it boils down to, and what we've heard numerous times from teachers from administrators, is that the leadership at the top with the superintendent has no support. It's very hush-hush and let's not talk about the challenges we have, so that's why many of us are calling for a change of leadership. Bettendorf School Board President Rebecca Eastman is legally unable to respond to direct claims made by individuals at the meeting during the public comment portion, but she is optimistic about all the district has planned. The board is excited and looking forward to the upcoming school year with Dr. Morse as our leader, Eastman said. Other notable actions held at the meeting included a 2022 Iowa Legislative Review presented by Rep. Gary Mohr, an annual report on Grant Woods Beyond the Bells program, a review of natural gas pricing options and a brief discussion on the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) 2022 Legislative Priorities. The IASD recommended increased supplements and funding for dropout prevention and at-risk students, establishing comprehensive community mental health systems, additional pathways for teacher recruitment and licensure, equitable school funding formulas and reformulating supplemental state aid rates. The next regular Bettendorf School Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. July 28 in the Ray Stensvad Board Room at the Bettendorf District Administration Center. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Billionaire Ken Griffins decision to move his Citadel hedge fund to Florida, only days before a Tuesday Republican primary hes heavily invested in, could become a major turning point in the future of the Illinois GOP, and especially the fate of Republican campaigns and fundraising. Griffins departure from Chicago also could radically shift the balance in the battle of the billionaires thats been waged between himself and his political nemesis, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, as each has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to affect the outcome of elections. Pat Brady, a former state GOP chairman, acknowledged that if Griffin departs the Illinois political scene, it will create difficulties for Republicans in the short term. But, he said, it also could force the party to be less reliant on a few wealthy donors and go back to a more traditional, broad-based fundraising effort. Weve got to get back to the fundamentals, and one of the fundamentals of politics is raising money. And I think theres a whole generation, new generation of donors that Republicans havent tapped into that maybe dont like the way things are going on in this state, Brady said. I think probably in the long run, its a good development if were not relying on one guy, not that we wouldnt welcome Ken Griffins money and are appreciative of it, he said. But what happens is you get lazy and thats why I think the Democrats are in that trick bag with Gov. Pritzker. Theyve got a guy whos going to write all the checks, and thats not good. Parties are supposed to be bottom-up organizations. Thats how you get people out to vote. Griffin, who is worth $25.2 billion, according to Forbes, has spent nearly $180 million on state and local candidates and groups largely aligned with Republicans since 2002. He spent $129 million of that in just the last four years, including $50 million on his current slate of GOP primary candidates headed up by Aurora Mayor Richard Irvins bid for governor. Pritzker, an entrepreneur and heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, is worth $3.6 billion, according to Forbes. He spent more than $170 million to win the governors office in 2018 over Griffin-backed, single-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Pritzker also has pumped millions more into Democratic campaigns and organizations. Griffins stunning timing so close to primary day of Citadels move to Miami suggests he could be ceding not only the electoral outcome of his slated candidates but also his billionaire battle to Pritzker. An Irvin loss would represent a spectacular political flameout. Griffins decision also points to a renewed financial emergence of a third billionaire, Richard Uihlein, the ultraconservative megadonor who founded the privately held Uline office supply company. Uihlein is backing state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia in the GOP primary for governor and has contributed $9 million to Baileys campaign Uihleins largest-ever personal donation to a candidate. Uihlein also has given an independent expenditure political action committee allied with Bailey nearly $8.1 million. Industry spending figures showed Griffins investment with Irvin paid for more than $28.5 million in TV ads since the Aurora mayor announced his candidacy in January. But the effect of those Griffin-funded Irvin ads was offset by an onslaught of commercials that backed Bailey and attacked Irvin. That included nearly $8 million in ads run by Baileys campaign, $5.5 million in commercials attacking Irvin and paid for by the Bailey-affiliated independent expenditure PAC, $24.6 million in ads from Pritzker, including many that attacked Irvin, and $16.1 million in ads from the Pritzker-supported Democratic Governors Association. Pritzker and the Democrats think Bailey will be easier to defeat in the general election in November so their ads criticized Irvin and offered backhanded support for Bailey with the GOP base by calling the Downstate senator too conservative for Illinois. The effect of the Uihlein-Pritzker tag team might have been too much to overcome, said one person knowledgeable about the Aurora mayors campaign who was not authorized to speak publicly. In addition, the person said, if Irvin wins the nomination following a bruising primary, it could cost Griffin another $100 million to try to repair the damage and keep Irvin competitive with Pritzker. Now, the question becomes, if Bailey wins the Republican nomination to face Pritzker in November, how much money would Uihlein give the Downstate farmer and state senator to counter the incumbents self-funding? Uihlein did not respond to a request for comment. Griffin aides also did not respond to questions about his future involvement in funding Republican candidates and causes in Illinois. But if Griffin gives up funding politicians, one prominent Illinois Republican said, Its going to be tough for fundraising in the future. I think its gonna be more difficult to make the case to Ken Griffin that Illinois is a good place to invest in for politics when hes leaving because its a bad state for his business, said the Republican, who asked not to be identified, to not jeopardize his relationship with Griffin. Weve all wondered whether or not Ken Griffins going to just toss his hands up and say, Ive tried and now Im going to move on to better, greener pastures. But Ronald Gidwitz, a major Republican fundraiser, including for former President Donald Trump, said it is premature to write off future support from Griffin for Illinois Republicans. He noted Griffin has contributed $40 million to groups involved in congressional races across the country. Just because hes relocating to Florida, doesnt mean that he wont have an interest in certain candidates in Illinois or in Chicago, said Gidwitz, who was Trumps ambassador to Belgium. But in the future, it seems to me that if weve got candidates that deserve support, hell give it. Gidwitz called Griffins departure a tragic loss for Chicago because of his leadership and philanthropy. The money from Griffin, Pritzker and Uihlein means Illinois will be holding its second consecutive $100 million governor primary election, even though only the Republican race is contested. Nearly half that money is coming from Democrats trying to help Bailey. Four years ago, a combined $124.5 million was spent as Rauner narrowly won renomination against former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, while Pritzker won a six-way battle for the Democratic nomination. Pritzker spent $68 million and Rauner spent $37 million, according to campaign records assembled by Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert and a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. This time around, television and radio ad spending from the start of 2022 through Tuesdays primaries show $90.4 million has been spent as six men compete for the Republican primary nomination, according to industry records. Pritzker, facing nominal opposition, and the Democratic Governors Association have spent at least $40.7 million on TV ads that are largely trying to influence the GOP outcome. At least another $30 million has been spent on social media advertising, such as YouTube and Facebook, based on routine campaign spending practices, with even millions more spent on mailings to voters. Only a dozen years ago, with competitive primary races for governor in both parties, total spending was $25 million, according to Redfields research. In addition to the billionaires spending, other factors included that the primary was moved from March to June, which provides more time for spending, and the Democratic involvement in the GOP primary, Redfield said. For this primary, industry records from the first of the year show, nearly $59 million was spent on TV ads in the governors race on Chicago broadcast and cable stations. The spending was led by Pritzkers $15.1 million, Irvins $15 million and the DGAs $7.45 million. But the spending has been so pervasive that even in Rockford, the nations 139th-largest media market, nearly $8 million was spent on ads, led by $2.8 million by Irvin, $1.9 million by Pritzker and $1.75 million by the DGA. Redfield said the increased spending represents the shift from what had been a patronage-led, party-organized effort to get the faithful to the polls to a more technology-driven, product-selling-style model in which you can substitute capital for labor to get people to vote. With a disparity of wealth, Redfield said he expected a few wealthy individuals to continue to be the basis for political fundraising in the future, regardless of Griffins departure. Youve got a huge concentration of wealth and wealth disparities and we know theyre becoming intensified, Redfield said. I dont know whose line it was but essentially, everybodys got to have a hobby. Rich people can take up all kinds of things, but one of them they take up is politics. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 South Dakotas Republican governor pledged on Sunday to bar mail-order abortion pills but said women should not face prosecution for seeking them. In apparent defiance of legal guidance by the Justice Department after the Supreme Court last week stripped away women's constitutional protections for abortion, Kristi Noem indicated in national television interviews that she would put in place a plan approved by state lawmakers to restrict the pills. The majority ruling Friday by the court's conservative justices triggered abortion bans in South Dakota and elsewhere. But Noem said doctors, not their patients, would likely be prosecuted for knowing violations of what would be one of the strictest laws on abortion pills in the United States. I dont believe women should ever be prosecuted," she said. I dont believe there should be any punishment for women, ever, that are in a crisis situation or have an unplanned pregnancy." At issue is mail-order or so-called telemedicine abortion pills, which have been on the rise in the country since 2000 when the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone the main drug used in medication abortions. More than 90% of abortions take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, and more than half are now done with pills, not surgery, according to data compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Abortion pills are expected to become in higher demand as over half the states are likely to move to ban abortions following the Supreme Court's decision. Noem, a strong opponent of abortion rights who faces reelection in November and is mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential contender, cast the distribution of abortion pills as unsafe and has called a special session to craft new laws. These are very dangerous medical procedures, said Noem, referring to abortion pills. We dont believe it should be available, because it is a dangerous situation for those individuals without being medically supervised by a physician. In a state where Republicans hold super-majorities in both statehouse chambers, South Dakota lawmakers have been floating proposals that also would make it more difficult for women to seek an abortion out of state. South Dakota voters rejected outright bans in 2006 and 2008, and abortion rights advocates are preparing for a similar referendum on abortion access. In a statement Friday, President Joe Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, said the Justice Department will protect abortion providers and those seeking abortions in states where it is legal and will work with other arms of the federal government that seek to use their lawful authorities to protect and preserve access to reproductive care. "In particular, the FDA has approved the use of the medication mifepristone," he added. States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDAs expert judgment about its safety and efficacy. The South Dakota law, passed in March, requires women seeking an abortion to make three separate trips to a doctor in order to take abortion pills and makes it clear that women in the state cannot get the pills through a telemedicine consultation. The law has been on hold after a federal judge in February ruled it likely imposes an undue burden on a persons right to seek an abortion." Two drugs are required. The first, mifepristone, blocks a hormone needed to maintain a pregnancy. A second drug, misoprostol, taken one to two days later, empties the uterus. Both drugs are available as generics and are also used to treat other conditions. The FDA last year lifted a long-standing requirement that women pick up abortion pills in person. Federal regulations now also allow mail delivery nationwide. Even so, roughly 19 states have passed laws requiring a medical clinician to be physically present when abortion pills are administered to a patient. South Dakota is among them, joining several states, including Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee and Oklahoma, where Republicans have moved to further restrict access to abortion pills in recent months. One portion of the South Dakota law, which will take effect in July, contains a section that does not hinge on the federal courts: increasing to a felony the punishment for anyone who prescribes medication for an abortion without a license from the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners. A broader court decision is pending in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. Noem spoke on ABC's This Week and CBS' Face the Nation. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 8 The Navys newest submarine will join the fleet Saturday after being commissioned as United States Ship Montana a final step in a journey that began seven years ago at Newport News Shipbuilding. As the crew practiced Friday for Saturdays ceremony, instead of the flyby by a Montana Air National Guard C-130 to mark the occasion, it was the destroyer USS Mason heading out to sea as sailors lined up on the topside of the boat. For the practice, they sported caps with 3-7-77 on the back a bit of state of Montana insiders knowledge that most of the crew is learning. Sort of. What did everyone else say? asked Petty Office 1st Class Paul Fullmer, a native Montanan and plankholder on the new submarine. Its what theyd paint on your tent if you were an outlaw and you needed to get out of town in hurry, said Master Chief Tim Baldwin, who is a Texan and the senior enlisted sailor on board. Montana legend says the numbers, which feature on Montana Highway Patrol patches, were adopted by miners angered that a crooked sheriff was tipping off robbers. Some tales say it refers to the hours, minutes and seconds a suspected robber has to get out of town, some to the dimensions of the grave of robbers who didnt get the message. And it suits the USS Montana, where the crew has adopted the name vigilantes of the deep, said Cmdr. Jon Quimby, the boats captain. But serving on a Virginia-class sub is a long way from the wide-open spaces of the 41st state. I was on a ballistic sub, Fulmer said. When I got here, it was like, Oh, man, this is really small. Saturdays commissioning comes about a year after Quimby and Fullmer joined the Montana. Baldwin has had two years on board and has seen the sub come together. Construction began in 2015. It is the 10th Virginia-class sub to be delivered by Newport News Shipbuilding and the 21st Virginia-class sub built as part of the partnership of Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boatyard in Connecticut. The Montana also is the third of the 10-ship group of Virginia-class submarines known as Block IV. Those incorporate design changes focused on reduced cost by making it possible to increase the time between maintenance stops. Montanas crew took the ship through sea trials in February and have been working on certifications and training ever since. But commissioning doesnt really mean a new mindset after all that work, Quimby said. Sailors will keep doing the work theyve been doing and refining. A Virginia State Police trooper was arrested Thursday on a charge of driving under the influence on Interstate 64 in New Kent County, according to a Friday release from the New Kent Sheriffs Office. Benjamin Nicholas Canning, 33, was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving by speed and refusal to submit to a breath test. He is being held at Henrico Jail East, according to the sheriffs office. A joint investigation between the sheriffs office and the state police is ongoing. No additional information will be provided at this time, according to the release. A state police spokesperson said Saturday that Canning has been suspended without pay. I got on the waitlist for my dream day care service at the end of 2020 when I was 8 weeks pregnant. Today, as I celebrate my daughters first birthday, I still am waiting for that day care service, or any of the dozens of other providers I contacted before she was born, to call back with an opening. I since have learned that my family is suffering through a nationwide crisis, along with countless others who cant find the child care they need to be able to work. In July 2021, my husband and I welcomed our daughter, Virginia, at St. Marys Hospital in Richmond. Her birth came after a long labor, an unplanned cesarean section and Hurricane Elsa creating a surge of babies born ahead of their due dates. We prepared for the diaper changes and sleepless nights, and planned for a peaceful parental leave together afforded through a combination of maternity leave, short-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave Act time off between our jobs. Adjusting to parenthood was hard, but going back to work was harder. Forget the emotional, hormonal and sentimental aspects of being a brand-new working mom. Consider tactically how a family can manage with two parents who are employed full time. I got on several day care lists before most of my family even knew I was pregnant, thinking I would have no issues returning to work. Our first choice fell through; then our second; and then my mom, my mother-in-law and a neighbor had to play nanny so I could maintain my career. We finally found an opening in March, as Virginia turned 8 months old. Housed in the basement of an old church, it wasnt perfect, but it was something. That solution worked for one month before three teachers resigned, and we were given 10 days to find alternative child care. Many centers we called told us there was no availability until 2023, if they answered the phone at all. Through this process, we were shocked to learn that early-childhood educators currently are paid only $12 per hour on average not even enough to provide for their own families needs. Its unacceptable and unsurprising that they would seek other, better-paying jobs that probably dont involve changing diapers all day. The system is failing. My mother arrived in the United States when she was 7 years old. Her family emigrated from Poland in search of the American dream. What is that dream in 2022? This crisis is just one of many that parents are faced with in todays America. Lucky mothers are given three months to recover before being forced back to work. They then learn how tenuous and expensive quality child care is. Our children get older and our worries quadruple as they enter elementary school. Its a rude awakening from that so-called dream. Its exasperating for me, but Im fortunate to have a flexible job and a supportive family to help. Think about what its like for a single parent, an underemployed family, or someone already living on the margins, and getting assistance just to eat or pay rent. I cant imagine the sacrifices they have to make to provide for their children or someone elses. Questions with no answers haunt us. Why are we losing time and money trying to secure what families in other countries are guaranteed? I was raised believing our country was the best one. Why, then, do families continue to suffer here? Without action, each generation of parents will learn about these issues, and feel as lost as I did seeking solutions that dont yet exist. Raising children is exhausting enough without the burden of taking a stand. Educators and parents are doing everything they can to hold up this fragile infrastructure, but small fixes dont help. Its time for Congress to pass substantial, long-term investments in child care. The U.S. Senate is considering a proposal, led by Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., that would: Triple resources for the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant; Provide grants to states to expand supply, improve facilities and raise compensation for educators; and Invest in establishing and expanding High-Quality Preschool Grants. The only alternative is to stand by and see more program closures, more educators abandoning the field, more women leaving the workforce and more children suffering for all of it. In Virginia, weve spent many years reckoning with our history. Now, its time to focus on our future babies like mine who should be proud to bear the name of our state. The federal governments failure to extend the expanded child tax credit which, for one year, was available to many more low-income families than in the past reveals a bias embedded in both political parties. In setting spending priorities, members of Congress appear to think children and families at the bottom of the economic pyramid are worth less than those above them. As COVID-19 ravaged the country, Congress made the child tax credit more equitable and inclusive. The American Rescue Plan temporarily raised the credit to $3,000 ($3,600 for each child younger than age 6), and made it fully refundable, which allowed more low-income families to benefit. These changes expired at the end of 2021. The law now reverts to provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, through which Congress increased the credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per child for couples making as much as $400,000. As before 2021, those who are too poor to pay income taxes in 2022 can receive up to a maximum of only $1,400. And those making $2,500 or less are not eligible for any benefit. Child tax credit spending once again is heavily tilted in favor of middle- and upper-income families. In 2019, the Tax Policy Center estimated taxpayers with annual incomes between $100,000 and $200,000 received the largest credit more than $3,000 on average. Families with annual incomes under $20,000 received a credit of less than $1,000. Those earning under $10,000 received an average of only $250. Unless Congress acts, a low-income family with two kids waiting for its last installment of a $6,000 to $7,200 credit for tax year 2021 will be eligible to receive only a small fraction of that amount for 2022. Some families might get nothing if Congress decides to impose work requirements proposed by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and others. The American Rescue Plan temporarily increased tax credits for more than 65 million (roughly 90% of) U.S. children. Previously, 27 million kids including roughly half of Black and Latino children, and half of youngsters in rural communities received less than the full credit amount. If continued, the child tax credit expansions were projected to reduce annual child poverty by more than 40%. Letting the expansion lapse puts about 10 million children at risk of slipping back below the poverty line or deeper into poverty, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. While consequences of congressional inaction will be negligible for high-income families and manageable for middle-income households, they will be severe for most low-income families. Both political parties bear responsibility. Many Republicans support cutting assistance to low-income families. Some favor strict work requirements to receive the child tax credit. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a pro-family advocate, is an exception. Romney has proposed replacing the child tax credit with a near-universal subsidy for raising children, administered by the Social Security Administration. For their part, Democrats nested the extension of the expanded child tax credit inside of the seemingly forgotten Build Back Better bill a conglomeration of initiatives, many of which primarily would benefit middle-income people and above. Both parties historically have supported tax breaks and exclusions, particularly for employee benefits, that recycle tax dollars back to higher-income groups, while providing much lower benefits for lower-income families. Asked about his repeated refusal to support relief for struggling families, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. one of Congress wealthiest members recently said he never really felt it was societys responsibility to take care of other peoples children. If Johnson really believes that, why doesnt he lead a charge to get rid of the child tax credit altogether especially since the lions share of lost revenue is going to families that dont need it? The national debt just climbed above $30 trillion. Theres a strong case to target spending wisely, particularly among Republicans. Making sure low-income families have the resources to raise functional children matters a great deal for national productivity and security. Almost half of the future U.S. workforce younger than age 6 is growing up in poor or near-poor families. Families in the lowest 10th percentile have 15 times less annual income than children in the 90th percentile. About 42% of U.S. births are paid for by Medicaid, public health insurance for low-income Americans. Congress shouldnt let any more time pass before getting back to work on the child tax credit. Money could be saved by dropping amounts to somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000 per child, and progressively targeting funds toward low-income families. Tax credits (or other subsidies) also could be weighted toward younger children, who require the most parenting time and costly day care so parents can work. Parents with young kids usually are in early stages of their careers and, on average, they have lower earnings than parents with older children. If lawmakers decide to add a work mandate, it could be softened to require only part-time paid employment for low-income single parents. They might have the hardest time earning a living wage since they have no partner. Alternatively, low-income parents facing work requirements could be provided with adequate child care subsidies, which incidentally would be far more costly for taxpayers than the 2021 credit amounts. Romney and other leaders realize work does not have to be paid to have great value to society. Raising children is hard work, and perhaps the most important contribution parents make to the country. Having enough time to raise their children should not disqualify parents or caregivers from getting government assistance that people who are financially better off receive. Ten years ago, Adam Jones was stuck in traffic on Interstate 40 after going to Raleigh, North Carolina, to buy running shoes. The thought occurred to him then that he couldnt be the only person in Danville who needed a closer place to buy footwear for outdoor recreation. And the idea for The Brick Running & Tri Store in downtown Danville was born. At that time there was a lot of talk about the revitalization of downtown Danville and the River District, the building of the new YMCA and the expansion of the Riverwalk Trail, so I wanted to be in the heart of Danville, said Jones, the owner of The Brick. He said the name of the store was created on a napkin when he was sitting in a Red Lobster and refers to training back-to-back on two disciplines during a workout, which is called a brick. At The Brick, our saying is The Brick is where you never hit the wall, he explained. The store specializes in the sale of shoes, apparel, equipment and nutrition to walkers, runners, triathletes, swimmers and, more recently, bicyclists. Our main lineup is shoes, said Michael Nichols, a sales specialist at the store. From walking to standing at a shift at work, we basically tailor shoes to a persons needs. For the worker at Goodyear we have composite toe shoes, and for waiters, we have slip-resistant shoes. Nichols said the store was blessed to make it through the pandemic. We had complications along the way on everything from restrictions, such as limited capacity, to supply chain issues, but we have come out OK, he said. The store has five employees besides Jones and all of them have previously been involved in some type of running. Group outdoor activities As part of its commitment to outdoors recreation, The Brick is the meeting place for weekly group walkers, runners and bicyclists in the evening. The group walk on Wednesday evenings at 6 has 10 or more people of all ages and with all sorts of paces, said Emily Wallace, a sales specialist. They just show up and walk about 3 miles. They are as friendly as can be. Another group who runs meets at the store at 6 p.m. Thursday. Its the same thing but running," Wallace said. "There are all sorts of paces from a 12-minute mile to a seven-minute mile. A chalkboard at the back of the store lists all the races going on in the area. Anyone who comes in can see the local races, said Nichols. We like to promote health and wellness. He explained, however, that a person doesnt have to be a runner to be helped by them. Weve helped people in wheelchairs and on canes to get the shoes they need, he said. Wallace said the store offers around 120 different types and brands of shoes and inserts. They also have an Aetrex machine that customers step on for an analysis of what kind of insert they need for any kind of shoe. Those customized insoles have been pretty popular, Wallace said. Other products include swimming accessories. We have a wet suit program when people want to swim in the open water, Nichols said. We have a rental program that will save hundreds on buying that equipment. Getting into bikes Since December, The Brick has begun offering bikes and all the accessories, as well as bike repair. A local bike shop shut down, and we started getting a lot of calls about bikes, so we stepped up to bikes, Nichols said. Not everyone can or wants to run. He said the store is now selling mountain bikes, road bikes and a hybrid type of bike. We get a lot of customers in who bike the trails at Dan Daniel, and the Riverwalk is also friendly to bikes, he said of Danville's popular part and trail system. We have bikes and accessories from repair kits to tubes, tires and helmets. We also have a repair shop with a certified repair mechanic. Thats been popular lately, so if you have a bike thats been in the garage for two years, bring it in. He said they try to keep the bikes economically priced around $800. The store has also started a bicycle group to meet on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Were still working out the kinks on that, said Wallace. 'Only place' Steve Scott, a runner, is one of the stores satisfied customers. The Brick is the only place to come for shoes because of the service, he said on a day he was in the store browsing. Ive probably bought 100 pairs of shoes here and pants and hats. He likes the store for reasons other than their products, however. Adam is very supportive of runners, he said. I started running with disabled kids, and I reached out to Adam. He was supportive and cool about it. But, he adds, he always looks at the shoes when hes in the store. Wallace said the misconception is that you have to be a runner to wear good shoes, but she just put her mother, who is a nurse, into a good pair of shoes. People from all over Danville come in here. One customer is a judge who is a walker, and theres an older gentleman who has Parkinsons, and we get a lot of people with a doctors recommendation, she said. Anyone and everybody can come in. Elzey is a freelance writer for the Danville Register & Bee. She can be reached at susanelzey@yahoo.com. Outside, the print and web publication dedicated to outdoor recreation, ranked Roanoke the 23th best Mountain Town in the United States earlier this year. Not bad. Although only 24 locations made the list, Roanoke beat the Alaskan fishing hub Cordova and fell just a few places below Durango, Colorado, and Taos, New Mexico. Its the only place in Virginia dubbed worthy of mention. Author Graham Averill, a freelance writer from Asheville, chose to honor Roanoke based on actual feet-on-the-ground contact with the Star City. He has visited relatives in the area and worked at the outdoor publication Blue Ridge Outdoors. The author described the list as an attempt to rank the best mountain outposts in the U.S., from the southern Appalachians to the Chugach. The list favors communities with close access to a diversity of outdoor activities plus a decent lineup of food and drink for enjoyment afterwards, Graham said. Of Roanokes emphasis on all things outdoors, he said, I hope Roanoke continues to push it and pursue it. Itd be nice if more towns in the south had a progressive take on the outdoor economy. The report appears in the January issue. It can be found at The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Most calls for artists come from museums and galleries. But last year, Section 179 of the American Welding Society put out a call to students, inviting them to produce a welded sculpture for the groups first-ever Sculpted Art Contest. The contest was a literal blend of art and science, with detailed instructions about the types of metal that could be used, a prohibition on fasteners of any kind and extensive documentation requirements, among other specifications. David Shinault is chairman of Section 179, which covers about a third of the commonwealth from the New River Valley to Central Virginia. He said the contest was envisioned to encourage the creative talents of the young people in our community while at the same time helping them learn the processes involved in welding. Participating students came from Section 179s service area, including high schools, technical education centers and New River Community College. That these institutions are involved in preparing tomorrows workforce was another important factor behind the contest. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the participants were guys, but a couple of females took part as well, including the grand prize winner Margaret Ferguson, and one intrepid art student, Sophia Dunleavy, who won fourth place. As Shinault recalled it: When she [Dunleavy] turned her project in, the judge asked her, how long did it take you to make this? and she said, three days. Then the judge asked, how long have you been welding? and she said three days. The public had a chance to view all the results at the Taubman Museum of Art on May 6. Nine entries were exhibited in the museums atrium during one of its first-Friday Late Nights events, while the students, family, friends and sponsors celebrated the exhibit at a reception upstairs. The contests lead sponsor was Banker Steel in Lynchburg. Company employee Bob Campbell and his wife, Tina, strolled past the exhibit on their way to the reception. Im looking at the art. Hes checking out the welds, Tina laughed. Shinault first reached out to The Roanoke Times about the contest almost two years ago a reflection not just of the pandemic but of the complexities of putting together such a project. Organizers enlisted two professionals to review the students work: Dave Beazley, a supplier to the company Shinault works for, Arc3 Gases; and Steve Bickley, a world-class metal sculptor and professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, who has connections with Section 179 and has exhibited at the Taubman. There were also additional sponsors to secure and prizes to line up: a $1,000 scholarship as the top award; and welding-related equipment for second through fourth. Although the opportunity to see the works in person was brief, the impact is longer lasting, as Shinault hopes the contest can help bring new life into his section of the welding society, and indeed the industry itself. We are very pleased with the turnout, and how this has come together for our very first show, he said. Were already getting calls to continue this in subsequent years. A student learns baking during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) Students learn calligraphy during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) Students learn to make handicrafts during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) Students learn to make handicrafts during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) Students learn to play Morin Khuur, a traditional Mongolian bowed string instrument featuring a horse-head carving at its top, during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) Students learn calligraphy during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) Students learn taekwondo during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) Students learn flower arrangement during an after-class activity in a primary school in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 24, 2022. Schools in Baotou organized varied after-class activities to enrich the students' school time. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan) In less than three short weeks, NASA will release the very much anticipated first images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, the most advanced telescope launched. It is not yet known what they will show, but they will surely astound. Beside being just pretty pictures, they will contain valuable information about whatever celestial object is portrayed. After admiring the images, carefully consider what they really show and what they represent. Notice that between the stars, of which there might be many, lies nothing, just the blackness of space. In fact, consider that most of the image will be dark. Yes, the object will be shown in grand detail, but the area just beyond its outlines will be largely black. (A good example of this is the fantastic image commonly known as the Hubble Ultra Deep Field apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210802.html depicting distant, ancient galaxies floating in the darkness.) Consider what this tells us about the general nature of the universe: It is dark. Living on Earth, we naturally have the belief that bright, well-lit scenes are the standard. This is because we live at a relatively close distance from a brighter-than-average star, our sun. Because of the inverse square law of illumination, reaches in the outer solar system receive far less sunlight than we do on Earth. At Saturns distance, for example, the amount of sunlight received is slightly more than one percent of that received on Earth, akin to a deep evening twilight lighting level. Saturn-space is a dark place. Heading into the interstellar depths, darkness is almost a constant. Half way to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, it and our sun both appear about as bright as the winter time star Sirius shines in our sky. A hypothetical planet meandering in that region would rotate in eternal darkness. The scene turns bright again only when the distance from Alpha Centauri is less than Saturns distance from our sun. Intergalactic space where galaxies lie many millions of light-years apart is a place where stars are sparsely populated. The closest large galaxy to our Milky Way is the Andromeda Galaxy, a popular stargazers target in the autumn and winter sky. A hypothetical observer placed midway between these two enormous star systems would see the dull glows of both the Milky Way and Andromeda and little else in the enveloping darkness. Now consider scenarios presented in science fiction films of space ships flying among the stars. As the ship speeds by, often somehow emitting a whoosh or a low rumble in the soundless vacuum of space, it is well illuminated, and easy to see. It is not a dim, silent streak lost in the darkness. This is contrary to what the brightness of deep space tells us. Other than being close to a star, where in the universe is it bright as Earth? Moonless July evenings feature a grand sight when viewed from a dark location, away from city lights at such places as the state parks Natural Bridge and Douthat, or at some overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Milky Way's glow stretches upward from the southern horizon, arcs nearly overhead, then drops to the northeastern horizon. In its southern portion lies the direction of the center of the galaxy, some 26,000 light-years distant. The massive bulge that directly surrounds the galactic center contains far more than 100 millions stars. Surely, lighting levels in this region must be very bright. An observer on a spaceship speeding through the 10,000 light-year wide galactic bulge would see a dim glow from its many millions of stars. The enormity of space quickly diminishes the intensity of all that starlight. The lighting would be just bright enough to dimly reveal a passing ship, making a rather disappointing special effect in a science fiction film. This brings us back to our well-lit world. Space is dark unless you live close to a star! John Goss is the past president of the Astronomical League. In Thursdays column I wondered aloud whether anyone has been watching the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. And I asked readers who did to share their takeaways. Turns out I didnt need to worry. Readers have blitzed my email inbox, in some cases with lengthy essays, outlining their impressions of the hearings. We dont have space to publish everything; what follows are some choice tidbits. And were barely scratching the surface. A distinct minority whined the entire committee is fundamentally unfair, because zero pro-Trump Republicans sit on it. Beverly T. Davis is clearly in that camp. She called the Jan. 6 committee one of the biggest wastes of taxpayers money that has ever been offered. And she added: There are not two sides being discussed, argued or even acknowledged as necessary to make it a fair hearing. But that dog wont hunt. As Davis knows and acknowledged in a subsequent message Republicans fought any kind of inquiry whatsoever into Jan. 6. And In doing so, they passively engineered the House Select Committees makeup. Recall, GOP senators rejected a balanced blue-ribbon commission to investigate the insurrection, similar to one Congress appointed after the 9/11 attacks. Next, Democrats in the House created the Select Committee, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited Republicans to nominate five members. Naturally, she rebuffed appointments of Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Jim Banks, R-Indiana, because they were potential witnesses. Jordan himself made Jan. 6 phone calls to Trump before and after the storming of the Capitol, from which five people died and 140 police suffered injuries. The only kind of Jan. 6 investigation Republicans wanted was none. They seem to want to forget the failed coup as soon as possible. Investigating Hunter Biden is a much higher priority. More commonly, readers who responded sounded aghast, like Gerry McAtavey of Roanoke County. My wife and I have both been watching these hearings in amazement, disbelief and just plain curiosity, he wrote. Were just left wondering what kind of spell Donald J. Trump can exert over supposedly intelligent people to make them act in a manner that most know is wrong and in many cases illegal. Someone once told me the only cure for political ambition is embalming fluid, McAtavey continued. I think that these hearings are laying the groundwork for many people to find themselves in serious criminal liability. Sue Williams of Roanoke said shes heartened by the upstanding role of many state officials at all levels who refused illegal requests. Many of those were incorruptible Republicans. But, William added, I find disheartening the lack of courage and morality among many Congressional Republicans, including my own representative Ben Cline. He was one of the Republicans who voted against certifying Pennsylvanias electoral votes, even after the insurrection. Many readers praised as heroes two Republicans Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Both men testified Trump illegally pressured them to throw out Biden victories in their states, and they refused. As a result, a Trump mob demonstrated outside Bowers house, and another mob broke into Raffenpergers widowed daughter-in-laws home. But Fred Sachs of Roanoke had a slightly different take. Bowers said after the hearing that he would vote for Trump again. And Raffensperger said he could not rule out doing so in the future. What Ive learned is that Raffensberger and Bowers both want to kill democracy by legal means. They wouldnt go along with Trumps effort to steal the election. But . . .they are happy to see democracy die as long as its done through legal vote counts. Apparently they see the Constitution as a suicide pact. He wasnt the only reader who felt that way. Bowers said hed vote for [Trump] in 24, wrote Tom Maynard of Mathews, in Eastern Virginia. That floored me. It also floored Barry Holman of Daleville. What to make of people who may see all the bad in Trump but still say they would vote for him again? Holman asked. Rather scary dont you think? Mary McCarthy of Roanoke County said the hearings have helped her realize the fragility of American democracy. It is frightening, unsettling, anxiety provoking. The unending noise of those continuing to promote the big lie is more than worrisome. Do they prefer the tyranny of an autocrat? A one party system that the founding fathers certainly never envisioned? McCarthy added: Those who have fought and died for our country, its values, etc. would be appalled that we are now fighting with ourselves. Civil discourse is absent. The threats to poll workers etc. are disgraceful to say the least. I pray that more rational, intelligent, courageous, honest persons will prevail. Todd Pruner hails from Roanoke but now lives in Texas. Ive listened to 90% of the hearings so far, and they are mind blowing. Many of us have known that Donald Trump is corrupt well before he ran for President, but these hearings just blow away any narrative he might have about the 2020 elections. He lost, and he tried to get people to ignore their oaths of office and our Constitution to overturn a fair election, he wrote. Its impossible to listen to these hearings and fail to conclude that Trump not only broke the law numerous times, but that he has absolutely no integrity or morals whatsoever. How anyone can want to put this party back in power while this truly despicable human being is still considered their leader is unfathomable to me. Sharon Ellmore of Roanoke sent me a passage from a June 22 article in The Atlantic by Tom McNichol: Trump and his people . . . have made it clear that democracy is a meaningless word. They want what they want and they will hurt anyone who gets in their way. Their goal is to make public service a hazardous undertaking, to create an environment in which people working on elections their fellow American citizens fear for their lives if they dont cough up the results they want. To that, Ellmore added a good question: What would these hypocrites do if Democrats behaved like this? David R. Smith of Roanoke County wrote: I am amazed by the blind herd mentality of GOP voters, and their persistent belief that it is ok to do whatever is possible, regardless of morality or legality, to keep [Republicans] in power. Congressmen [Ben] Cline, [Morgan] Griffith, and [Bob] Good are spineless Trump sycophants, Smith added. As part of the deadly Stop the Steal coalition, they are all co-conspirators to a failed coup and in my opinion, traitors to the United States. Yet conservative Virginians blindly continue their unfaltering support for them. Sandi Saunders of Hardy minced few words in a riposte that called for racketeering charges and/or exile for Trump and his election-canceling enablers. I am appalled at the lengths he went to to intimidate, threaten and brow-beat people into aiding his criminal enterprise and I think a RICO type case could be made here for his attempts to overthrow a valid election. His damage to the republic cannot be underestimated as there are still people who believe there was widespread voter fraud though no Republicans could find it. . . . I too believe our Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were divinely inspired and the people who stomped all over them since Trump managed to be elected should be exiled. Such people have forfeited walking our streets and enjoying our freedom. Billy Reynolds of Christiansburg said hes watched enough to convince me Trump should never be allowed to run for public office again. A lot of Republicans dont watch and are convinced [Trump] is a bad person but they will still vote for him, Reynolds added. I am really surprised at the Republicans who follow Trump to hell. . . . I would vote for Mike Pence today just because he did the right thing and I am a Democrat. In a postscript to his email, Richard Rio of Blacksburg wrote I would vote for Liz Cheney for President. It is beyond sad that the voters of Wyoming intend to kick her out of office for having the courage to buck her party and tell the truth. Tom Long from Staunton taught government, democracy and elections for 30 years. It is shocking how many elected Republicans actively participated in ways great and small in the attempted coup, he wrote. Even more shocking are the number of elected Republicans who actively whitewash the truth, who want to turn a blind eye to facts, and who place raw power over the continuation of representative democracy in the United States of America. Some of those are here in the Commonwealth. Well wrap it up with Revelle Hamilton of Bedford, whos in her 80s. Heres how she answered my question, have you tuned in? Yes, I have been glued to the hearings, she wrote. Thank the Lord for the politicians who upheld the Constitution and told Trump and cohorts NO! I never would have believed this country could come so close to a dictatorship and still could in future. Contact metro columnist Dan Casey at 981-3423 or dan.casey@roanoke.com . Follow him on Twitter @dancaseysblog Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. FLOYD The Floyd County Board of Supervisors voted this month not to join the New River Valley Passenger Rail Authority after much discussion and answers from County Attorney Stephen Durbin. The choice ultimately came down to Board Chairman Joe Turman, who said he still isnt satisfied. Durbin said Floyd County would have two votes on the authority board, the same as other localities involved, and its members would be allowed to suggest bylaws for the body, such as yearly limit increases. The NRV Passenger Rail Authority Board is subject to majority rule for general operations, Durbin said. County Administrator Linda Millsaps said it would cost $5,300 for Floyd to join as of June 14, the same amount that was requested last year, she said. Indian Valleys Kalinda Bechtold voiced concern about entities within localities also having two votes, such as Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Little Rivers Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch said Floyd residents are going to benefit from the Christiansburg station. She said supporting the authoritys efforts is a move in the right direction for transportation in Southwest Virginia. The Courthouse Districts Jerry Boothe said Floyds participation is a matter of having a seat at the table. Interim Locust Grove Supervisor Levi Cox and Turman echoed Bechtolds concern about Floyds benefit. Turman said until theres evidence Floyds citizens would benefit and board members will really have a say in whats going on, he had to vote no. Bechtold and Cox also voted against joining, while DeVito Kuchenbuch and Boothe voted in favor. The rail authority was formed as the governing organization after the return of passenger rail was approved for the New River Valley. A train depot site is currently being studied and the location will likely be in Christiansburg at or near the Uptown Mall and the Huckleberry Trail. This story was produced in partnership with the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. You can learn more about their work supporting businesses in the Santa Maria Valley on their website, santamaria.com. Pope Francis is urging families to shun selfish decisions that are indifferent to life as he closed out a big Vatican family rally a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion COLUMBIA, S.C. The South Carolina General Assembly is returning to Columbia on Tuesday to consider nearly $53 million in local projects that Gov. Henry McMaster wants out of the $13.8 billion state budget. All the money went toward items put in by lawmakers for local concerns, like $25 million to help pay for a quantum computer facility in Columbia, $7 million for a cultural welcome center in Orangeburg and $500,000 to improve the stadium at Summerville High School. McMaster allowed projects where lawmakers detailed exactly who got the money and where it was going. Without sufficient context, description, justification or information regarding the project and how the recipient intends to spend the funds, the public cannot evaluate the earmarks merit, McMaster wrote in his vetoes on Wednesday. Some other items McMaster also struck from the budget, which goes into effect July 1, were $5 million for a park in Myrtle Beach, $2 million for a community center in west Orangeburg and $750,000 for a library in Turbeville, In all, McMaster issued 73 vetoes. Ten were policies that did not involve money and 29 were budget lines that spent $1 procedural moves so the House and Senate can negotiate a final spending plan. The General Assembly meets Tuesday. To override any of the governors vetoes, a two-thirds vote is needed in the House and Senate. There were only a few votes against the budget when the Legislature approved it earlier this month. McMaster again said instead of giving lawmakers the power to control money for local projects, it should be put into one pot for a public grant process and awarded by merit, with the entire system open for transparency. The states $13.8 billion budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 sets aside $1 billion to send hundreds of dollars of rebates to many South Carolina taxpayers. It also spends $600 million to cut the states top income tax rate from 7% to 6.5% and combine other rates to 3%. Lawmakers eventually plan to cut the top rate to 6%. The spending plan also raises the minimum salary for teachers from $36,000 to $40,000, puts $1 billion extra into road repair and expansion and gives state employees a 3% raise and $1,500 bonus. The budget also raises a number of state law enforcement salaries and sets aside about $1 billion in case this is the year the economy craters. McMaster praised lawmakers for most of the budget and thanked them for putting more than 250 of his proposals into the final spending plan. As the weather gets hotter, weeds start popping up, the fungus begins appearing, and insects are everywhere; people are likely to want to reach for the chemicals to do something about it. But unfortunately, many folks hard work goes down the drain by misusing pesticides and ruining their crops and turf from the misapplication of chemicals. Pesticides can include any herbicide, insecticide, fungicide; anything with a -icide at the end is a type of targeted chemical aimed at eliminating or reducing that specific target pest. It is important to remember an herbicide will kill plant pests, and an insecticide will kill an insect pest. It is even more important to remember that no matter what you see on the internet, what your neighbor tells you, or your best guess, the label on those chemicals is the law and must be adhered to. So dont just do what your neighbor advises you to do; you must read the label directions. All the critical information is on that chemical label. The chemical labels are most certainly not a James Patterson best seller. They are long, have a super tiny font, and a lot of the technical words that can get confusing. But the label is the law, which will tell you how much you should legally apply and the safety precautions you must take when using them. Do not think this only applies to commercial-grade chemicals. I have watched people suffer from severe skin rashes, chemical burns, to temporary blindness because they were not wearing the necessary personal protective equipment when applying natural or organic based chemicals. Products with neem oil, sulfur, and crushed rock formulations can be dangerous if not used appropriately. Also, that label will tell you what plants you can and cannot spray around or near. For example, some weed beater chemicals will work fine on St. Augustinegrass but burn the mess out of centipedegrass. Read the fine print. This time of year, you will find that most of your herbicides should not be sprayed above 85 degrees Fahrenheit because it can also damage the desired grass and the weeds at that temperature. Why is this important? Because you are ultimately responsible for what happens if you misapply your chemicals. This includes chemicals drifting into the neighbors yard. Nothing is worse than having that conversation with your neighbor next door about why the weed killer you sprayed also killed their tomato plants. Make sure anyone you pay to spray is also in compliance. Any company being paid to apply chemicals on someones farm or yard absolutely must have a commercial applicators license. These guys know what they are doing. They have participated in comprehensive testing on applying chemicals appropriately and safely. They also hold insurance to protect against any accidental damage. You will know if they are licensed pesticide applicators by the yellow sticker on their truck or by looking them up on the South Carolina Department of Pesticide Regulation website. The bottom line is the label is the law and if you have any questions about applying your chemicals correctly, contact Clemson Extension for assistance. The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. COLUMBIA, S.C. Socastees Jill Dudley entered the Miss South Carolina Pageant as Miss Hartsville. She left the Township Auditorium on Saturday as the outright Miss South Carolina. The Miss South Carolina runner-up was Miss Florence Berkley Bryant of Anderson. Dudley, 22, a graduate of Socastee High School and Coastal Carolina University, also won the talent preliminary with a vocal rendition of Never Enough. And, she was also named Miss Congeniality. Dudley receives $60,000 in scholarships and will compete in the Miss America pageant. Bryant also won a preliminary event this week. She won the red carpet/social impact preliminary on the first night. Preliminary competition started Tuesday night and two Pee Dee-area contestants in the Miss South Carolina competition have won preliminaries, according the Miss South Carolina website https://miss-sc.org/. Other preliminary winners on Tuesday night included Miss Inman, Maria Julianne Phillips, who won the talent in the Miss South Carolina competition. She gave a vocal performance. Miss Clemson Teen, Piper Holt, was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen 2022. Piper is a 17-year-old from Fountain Inn, and attends Woodmont High School. She performed a jazz dance to Canned Heat and was also an evening gown preliminary winner. She will compete in Miss Americas Outstanding Teen Pageant. In the Miss South Carolina Teen competition, Miss Greenville County Teen, Abigail Kate Fowler, won talent on Tuesday night. She performed a lyrical dance. Miss Powdersville Teen, Bayley Burns, won the evening gown/onstage question preliminary. On Wednesday night, Miss Columbia, Jada Samuel, won the red carpet/social impact category of the Miss South Carolina competition. Miss Grand Strand Teen, Ngaarumbidzwe Magombedze, won talent in the Miss South Carolina Teen competition with a vocal performance. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. While some people wonder whether were on the brink of a second Civil War, I sometimes wonder whether we ever really finished the first one. The Juneteenth holiday weekend, a celebration of the ending of legal slavery in the United States, offered ample unfortunate examples, ironically from Republicans, the party I fondly remember as the party of Lincoln. Yes, that was a long time ago. From Illinois, whose license plates constantly remind us is the Land of Lincoln, U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger shared an ugly death threat mailed to his wife saying the two of them and their 5-month-old infant son would soon be executed. Cant we all get along? Sick messages like that are a sign of fear and bitter resentment. Leaders can work to calm fears or turn up the heat. Kinzinger and Wyomings Liz Cheney are the only two Republicans serving on the House committee investigating the boiling pot known as the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Crossing party lines in that way has become an unpardonable sin in the Grand Old Party, especially after the party of Lincoln became the party of Donald Trump. There is violence in the future, Im going to tell you, Kinzinger said on ABCs This Week program. And until we get a grip on telling people the truth, we cant expect any differently. Alarmist? Ah, Kinzinger sounded downright prophetic when former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican running for retiring Sen. Roy Blunts seat, released a video Monday of him holding a shotgun like a suburban Rambo and calling on his supporters to join the MAGA crew and get RINO hunting permits. RINO is Republican-speak for Republican in name only. You know a party is eating its own when its candidates joke about shooting fellow partisans. Among those not laughing was Caleb Rowden, Republican floor leader of the Missouri state Senate. We have been in contact with the Missouri Highway Patrol, Rowden tweeted Monday, and hope that former Gov. Greitens finds the help he needs. Rowden also advised: Anyone with multiple accusations of abuse toward women and children should probably steer clear of this rhetoric. That was a reminder of how the former governor was forced to resign in 2018 after allegations surfaced of campaign violations and an assault of a woman he was dating. That RINO label, a useful tool for bullies, gets around. It was thrown in GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaws face at the Texas Republican convention over the Juneteenth weekend. There he was confronted, jostled and taunted as a globalist RINO and eyepatch McCain, a tag popularized by Fox News host Tucker Carlson after Trump and his followers stopped treating McCain with the heroic respect his memory deserves. Crenshaw clapped back on Twitter to conspiracy theory podcaster Alex Stein, among his other hecklers who posted footage: This is what happens when angry little boys like @alexstein99 dont grow up and cant get girlfriends... Ouch! Democrats and other liberals dont need to tarnish honorable Republicans when childish right-wingers do the job for them. But I was startled, if not shocked, by the Texas GOP platforms call for repeal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Thats the law that gave some teeth to voting rights for racial minorities that were guaranteed by the 14th and 15th amendments. In other words, thats the sort of rollback that could have both Abraham Lincoln and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spinning in their graves. Republicans obviously are feeling their oats as President Joe Bidens national Democrats show pitifully low energy these days, and the GOPs Texas convention shows remarkable zest, enough to revive calls for a referendum on secession from the union. When former Gov. Rick Perry hinted at secession in a tea party rally in 2009 after Barack Obamas election, I wanted to respond as a loyal Northerner with the title of a witty 2012 Manifesto for Southern Secession written by Northerner Chuck Thompson: Better Off Without Em. But I didnt. Im not that cynical. Not yet. I know too many good-hearted Texans who believe as I do that were better off figuring out how to work together. Lincoln understood. Unity is the American way or, at least, it used to be. Email Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com. As security technology continues to become more advanced, it is no longer considered usual to believe that the oddly shaped or placed objects by Bai Xu, Yue Dongxing CANBERRA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Fifty years ago when Jocelyn Chey was among a group of Australians who sent their government a telegram congratulating it for establishing diplomatic relations with China, her life was changed. Speaking fluent Mandarin, she later became the first cultural counselor in the Australian embassy in China, and worked as a senior diplomat in the country three times. She spent nearly 20 years in both the mainland and Hong Kong, during which period she met her Chinese-Australian husband. If she could travel back in time to meet her younger self, Chey said, she would use a very Australian expression "hang in there" as encouragement. "It means that things are not always going smoothly... but never give up," she said in an interview with Xinhua. "There are so many things you can't predict in life, but don't give up hope." Her connection with China started more or less by coincidence. "I sat down with my friend and looked at all the courses that I could do at the University of Sydney, we noticed that was the first time that they had Chinese Studies that you could enroll in," she recalled, beaming. At that time, she knew nothing about China, neither its culture nor the history. But she made the bold decision because she always felt that compared with learning a European language, it was more important for Australia to understand Asia. She and her friend both enrolled in the first Chinese class that the university offered. At the end of the year, her friend gave up, saying the language was too difficult. But for Chey, if something is difficult, she would try harder. She had done so well that her professor later encouraged her to apply for a scholarship. So she went to the University of Hong Kong. It was in Hong Kong that she met her husband. Chey stayed in Hong Kong for six years, before going back to work in Sydney. An opportunity came in 1972 when she was on her first tour to the Chinese mainland. She was in a university delegation looking at education in China, and they spent three weeks in China between November and December. Then she heard the news that Labor government had been elected. Several days later, she was told that then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam established diplomatic ties with China. The excited Chey, in Beijing at that time, went to the telegraph office with her friends and sent a telegram to their government. "We said 'we'd like to congratulate you,' and we signed the message as 'the Australians in China'." She had previously written to the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade, saying, "If you recognize China, you're going to need more people who know something about China, so maybe you would like to offer me a job." She got replies from both departments, and thus moved to Canberra. She then became the person responsible for trade relations with China, with the first thing to negotiate a trade agreement. She accompanied then Minister for Overseas Trade Jim Cairns on a visit to China. In the following years, Chey was posted to work as a diplomat to China three times: twice in the mainland and once in Hong Kong. In comparison, she said she enjoyed the second posting in the 1980s to the mainland more than the first. It was just after the reform and opening-up when China started to grow quickly. Restrictions that foreigners once had were lifted. She made a lot of friends, and traveled to different parts of the country, from Xinjiang in the west to Hainan in the south, to Heilongjiang in the northeast. In fact, compared with being a diplomat, she enjoyed more a job with the International Wool Secretariat, because her responsibility at that time was to work for a common goal that was good for both Australia and China: it meant more demand for Australian wool and more demand for Chinese wool products. "We both had the same project and the same goal in mind," she said. "I have to say that's the time that I enjoyed more than work for the government." In relation to China, Chey said her husband influenced her a lot. He was a collector, so their house was full of Chinese artefacts. He liked to get on with different people, so she had many Chinese friends, including artist Huang Yongyu, whose hometown, the township of Fenghuang in southern China's Hunan Province, left the Australian woman her best traveling memory. Talking about her husband, Chey said, "I wouldn't have made so many good friends in China without him also being involved." During the decades, she also witnessed drastic changes in China. "It's like a different country compared with 50 years ago," she said. In 2019, she went to Beijing with her son and grandson. Her grandson had never been to China before and her son hadn't been there for about 25 years. They not only marveled at the city's physical change, but also felt changes in people. According to Chey, one thing they would always do in Beijing in the past was to take bus. In the past, they used to see passengers being pushed onto bus, but then she saw people getting on in a more orderly way. Talking about the relationship between Australia and China, the former senior diplomat suggested that the two countries could cooperate more. "I go back to what I said about the time that I really enjoyed the most, that was working with friends in China, when you're working on the same project, both as a part of a team," she said. In retrospect, she noted that past experience had opened a new window for her into a completely new world. "Learning another language, learning another culture broadens your mind and allows you to realize the world is much bigger and much richer." This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia. Chey, who witnessed the relationship from the very beginning, believed that it is an opportunity to "look back and see how far we've come." Using the metaphor of mountain climbing, she said philosophically: "It's like... you turn round and look, and said 'I've climbed up so high,' but then you look in front of you and you can see that's not the top of the mountain. You've still got a long way to go. Let's just have a cup of tea and admire the view, and that will give us more strength to go on climbing." Many Alabamians have been waiting to get the COVID vaccine until one is approved by U.S. regulators. Pfizer won approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday. Does that change your mind on getting the vaccine? You voted: Are broad drug user gun dispossession statutes now constitutionally suspect after Bruen? | Main | You be the judge: what federal sentence for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell? June 25, 2022 A focus on local prosecutors as abortions now are subject to broad criminalization after Roe's reversal The modern progressive prosecutor movement had already in recent years brought heightened attention to prosecutorial policies and practices. The Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs overruling Roe and allowing for the broad criminalization of abortion has, unsurprisingly, brought even more attention to whether, when and how prosecutors might seek to charge persons for abortion-related activities. Here are a few recent news article discussing some of these issues: From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Tarrant County DA says she will prosecute any legitimate Texas abortion law violations" From The Hill, "Elected prosecutors vow not to go after women seeking abortions" From NBC News, "Prosecutors in states where abortion is now illegal could begin building criminal cases against providers" From STAT News, "HIPAA wont protect you if prosecutors want your reproductive health records" A few prior related posts: UPDATE : An email from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, pointing to this NACDL webpage, reminded me that the defense bar is also going to have an important role in mapping out future policy and practice when it comes to criminal enforcement of abortion prohibitions. Here is a snippet from the NACDL webpage noting its plans in this legal space: As a leader in the fight against overcriminalization and mass incarceration, NACDL is committed to providing the defense bar with the tools they need to take on the complex and varied cases arising from the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Resources will include legal news, information on in-person and virtual trainings, and court filings focused on the specific issues defenders will encounter in these cases. These tools support lawyers in their defense of cases ranging from child endangerment to homicide brought against a wide array of individuals, including women charged for their pregnancy outcomes or actions while pregnant, abortion seekers, providers, and those caught up in the wide net of related conspiracy and accomplice statutes. June 25, 2022 at 05:10 PM | Permalink Comments No unborn babies in Kentucky were killed today. Its a good day. Posted by: TarlsQtr | Jun 25, 2022 10:16:38 PM Post a comment A focus on local prosecutors as abortions now are subject to broad criminalization after Roe's reversal | Main | After historic week, SCOTUS still has a final few notable criminal justice cases to resolve June 26, 2022 You be the judge: what federal sentence for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell? A high-profile sentencing is scheduled for NYC federal court this coming week. This CNN article from last last, reporting on prosecutors' sentencing filing, provides a partial preview: Federal prosecutors asked a judge in a court filing Wednesday to sentence Ghislaine Maxwell to 30 to 55 years in prison for sex trafficking a minor and other charges related to a sprawling conspiracy to abuse young girls with the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein. "Maxwell was an adult who made her own choices. She made the choice to sexually exploit numerous underage girls. She made the choice to conspire with Epstein for years, working as partners in crime and causing devastating harm to vulnerable victims," prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memo. "She should be held accountable for her disturbing role in an extensive child exploitation scheme." Last week, Maxwell's lawyers asked a judge to sentence her to between 4.25 and 5.25 years in prison, saying her difficult childhood made her vulnerable to Epstein and that she shouldn't face a harsh sentence because of his actions. "But this Court cannot sentence Ms. Maxwell as if she were a proxy for Epstein simply because Epstein is no longer here," her attorneys wrote in their sentencing recommendation.... Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges, was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but died by suicide in prison a month later. Maxwell, his confidante and former girlfriend, was arrested a year afterward and has been held in jail since. In the sentencing memo, the prosecution wrote that the defense's argument was "absurd and offensive." "The lenient sentence the defendant seeks would send the message that there is one system of laws for the rich and powerful, and another set for everyone else," prosecutors wrote.... Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five federal charges in December: sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three related counts of conspiracy. However, she will only be sentenced on three counts after the judge presiding over her case agreed that two of the conspiracy counts she faced were repetitive. The probation department recommended a 20-year sentence, below the sentencing guidelines. At her trial late last year, prosecutors argued Maxwell and Epstein conspired to set up a scheme to lure young girls into sexual relationships with Epstein from 1994 to 2004 in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands. Four women testified during the trial that Epstein abused them and that Maxwell facilitated the abuse and sometimes participated in it as well. Her defense, meanwhile, said she was a "scapegoat" for Epstein's actions and attacked the memories and motivations of the women who said they were sexually abused. The federal prosecutors' sentencing filing, which is available here, contends that "the applicable sentencing range is 360 months to life imprisonment [but] the statutory maximum penalty is 660 months imprisonment, [so] the Guidelines range becomes 360 to 660 months imprisonment." But the defense sentencing memorandum, which is available here, requests "that the Court grant Ms. Maxwell a significant variance below the advisory Sentencing Guidelines range of 292-365 months and below the 240-month sentence recommended by the Probation Department." But, as of this writing on the morning of June 26, it now seem there is a chance the sentencing will not go forward this week. This Reuters article explains: Ghislaine Maxwell has been put on suicide watch at a Brooklyn jail, and may seek to delay her Tuesday sentencing for aiding Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of underage girls, her lawyer said on Saturday night. In a letter to the judge overseeing Maxwell's case, Maxwell's lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, said her client is "unable to properly prepare, for sentencing," after officials at the Metropolitan Detention Center on Friday declared the suicide watch and abruptly moved Maxwell to solitary confinement. Sternheim said Maxwell was given a "suicide smock," and her clothing, toothpaste, soap and legal papers were taken away. The lawyer also said Maxwell "is not suicidal," a conclusion she said a psychologist who evaluated the 60-year-old British socialite on Saturday morning also reached. "If Ms. Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment," Sternheim wrote. Prior related post: June 26, 2022 at 09:51 AM | Permalink Comments If guidelines are over 20 years, my hunch says something in the range of 18-22 years. I am sure that the defense will try to focus on whatever history the defendant has of supporting charities, but that seems to me to implicitly give a break to the wealthy who have the type of discretionary income to permit those activities. If I were the sentencing judge, my thoughts would be what would I give if this were an ordinary sex trafficking situation rather than pimping out to the rich and powerful. Posted by: tmm | Jun 27, 2022 10:49:11 AM Post a comment NORTH SIOUX CITY -- A new mixed-use commercial and apartment building is under construction in North Sioux City. Construction on the over-23,000-square-foot, two-story building, called Sodrac Place -- situated on Sodrac Drive, just off Exit 2 on Interstate 29 -- has been ongoing through most of this year. Project manager Bryant Likness said the developers are hoping to have the multi-million-dollar building finished in September or October. The ground level of the building offers 11,560 square feet of space for commercial tenants, with space built to suit, plus a 2,216-square-foot common area on the first floor with a gym and a kitchenette, according to a property listing. The developer is Kevin Heiss, president and CEO of North Sioux City-based Riverside Technologies Inc. Lease-signing is underway. "We've gained a lot of interest," Likness said. Plans originally called for space for six commercial tenants, Likness said, but one commercial tenant took two spaces. Other commercial tenants could, if they so desire, occupy more than one space. One of the first ground-floor tenants will be Rock Valley, Iowa-based Peoples Bank, which is planning to open a 2,855-square-foot location there this fall. This will be the bank's first North Sioux City location and the first in South Dakota, and its 10th location overall. It will employ four or five people, a Peoples Bank spokeswoman said in an email. Peoples Bank, which had been in the Sioux City market since 2018, had been searching for what they called a "pocket of opportunity." "North Sioux City stood out as one of those pockets, Peoples Bank CEO Al Vermeer said in a statement. The new housing being built, redevelopment of the former Gateway complex, and the beautiful Dakota Valley School District all stood out to us, along with several more projects in various stages of development." Likness was not able to publicly identify any other commercial tenants planning to move into the building. The building's second floor will have a total of 10 two-bedroom, two-bathroom, approximately 950-square-foot apartments. North Sioux City civic leaders have said that South Dakota's low-tax environment has attracted new businesses and residents -- but, as is the case in most places, the city's housing supply has struggled to keep up with demand. "The more housing that we can get in North Sioux City, the better. Housing's been in very high demand," said Andrew Nilges, executive director of the North Sioux City Economic Development Corporation. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WAUCONDA, Ill. (AP) The race to be Illinois' next governor is also a battle among billionaires, including two whose names won't appear on Tuesday's primary ballot. Republican candidates Darren Bailey, who as a state lawmaker fought pandemic measures such as mask mandates, and former prosecutor Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Chicago's largest suburb, each has a benefactor who has pushed a different vision for the GOP and put their money behind it. Billionaire businessmen Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein among the countrys biggest Republican donors have combined to pour more than $60 million into the race. Griffin backs Irvin and Uihlein supports Bailey. Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, meanwhile, along with the Democratic Governors Association, has spent millions trying to ensure Irvin, an Army veteran and Aurora mayor, isn't the GOP nominee. The money has funded a monthslong barrage of ads that have attacked Irvin and propped up Bailey, the opponent Pritzker would rather face in November. The ads note Bailey's strident far-right positions, including being 100% pro-life," and his allegiance to former President Donald Trump qualities that may help Bailey in a Republican primary but would be a liability for a general election in a state Trump twice lost by double digits. Trump endorsed him at a rally Saturday night in Mendon. Although rich men in politics certainly arent rare, there may never have been a battle of the billions to match this one in a state election, particularly in a primary. It's left Irvin, once considered the front-runner, scrambling to convince GOP primary voters that he's the only one who can beat Pritzker. J.B. Pritzker is telling you that every time he takes out an ad. He's telling you that This is the guy Im the most most afraid of, Irvin said during a stop at an Illinois manufacturing plant. Irvin's downfall may be a record that is considerably more moderate than that of his GOP rivals. Unlike Bailey and the four other men in the race, Irvin avoids saying if he voted for Trump or talking much about issues such as abortion, focusing instead on steps he would take to reduce crime and taxes. He has been criticized for saying Black Lives Matter during protests over police brutality that turned destructive in his hometown, then filming a TV ad where he said All Lives Matter. Bailey has built a reputation during three years in the Legislature as an uncompromising conservative unafraid to take people on. People say J.B. Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he believes that Im the easiest opponent to beat," Bailey said during a campaign stop at a restaurant. "Well, Ive got news for J.B. Pritzker: Be careful what you wish for because its coming. Friends, were going to win on Nov. 8. Bailey, a farmer from rural Xenia, jumped onto the statewide scene in summer 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued to slow transmission of the virus. Bailey was seen by supporters as a maverick when he was escorted from the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask in defiance of Democratic leaders. His backers like that he speaks often of his faith. Bailey, who speaks with a prairie twang, ends his nearly daily online video messages with prayer. Hes a godly man. He isnt afraid to put his faith out there, said supporter Ruth Bast, 63, of Springfield. The three billionaires Pritzker, Griffin and Uihlein have a long history of clashing politically in Illinois and elsewhere. Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund company Citadel, has been a vocal critic of Pritzker's administration, particularly over the issue of crime in Chicago. In addition to the $50 million he gave Irvin this cycle, he also spent millions to help get former Gov. Bruce Rauner elected in 2014 and on Rauner's loss to Pritzker in 2018. He bankrolled a successful campaign to block Pritzker and other Democrats from changing Illinois' tax structure to levy more on the highest earners. In 2020, Griffin gave $37 million to the GOPs Senate campaign arm, making him the PACs second-largest individual donor, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending. Asked at a forum last year if he would support Trump should he run for president in 2024, Griffin replied, I think it's time for America to move on, adding that Trump had been pointlessly divisive. In a statement to The Associated Press, Griffin criticized Pritzker for interfering in the GOP primary, saying spending tens of millions of dollars in cahoots with his cronies attacking the most successful Black political leader in Illinois is despicable. Pritzker has defended his actions, saying an ad attacking Irvin is telling the truth. Uihlein, a founder of the office supply company Uline Inc., is a major Trump supporter who has a long record of donating to far-right candidates and groups. That includes PACs and people strongly opposed to abortion, and the House Freedom Fund, which backs the most conservative candidates and strongest Trump backers. The other candidates seeking the GOP nomination are businessman Gary Rabine, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon. Pritzker's only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles. O'Connor reported from Athens, Illinois. Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. ONAWA, Iowa -- An Onawa teen could face up to 30 years in prison after a judge found him guilty of sexually assaulting two girls. District Judge Zachary Hindman ruled Jay Lee Neubaum guilty of three counts of third-degree sexual abuse for raping and assaulting one of the girls and raping the other. However, Hindman found Neubaum, 19, not guilty of seven other counts of third-degree sexual abuse that alleged he had sexually assaulted five other girls. "Evidence presented at trial by the state leaves the court with a reasonable doubt on each of those counts," Hindman said Friday as he read portions of his verdict in front of some of the girls, their families and supporters in Monona County District Court. Some of the families and the girls left the courthouse in tears, appearing shocked by the ruling. None of those present, or their families or supporters, wished to comment, a victims advocate said. Monona County Attorney Ian McConaughey also declined to comment until Neubaum's sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date. Each of the three charges of which Neubaum was found guilty carries a 10-year prison sentence. Neubaum was charged with sexually assaulting six of the girls and forcing sexual contact with the seventh from August 2019 through March 2020 in and around Mapleton, Iowa, where Neubaum attended school. At trial, the girls, who ranged in age from 13-16 at the time the alleged incidents occurred, described how Neubaum forced himself on them. Neubaum denied the allegations. Neubaum waived his right to have a jury hear his case, and Hindman presided over his three-day trial in December. Hindman said that in the cases of the three guilty verdicts, the victims provided credible trial testimony and details of their accounts of the assaults "make intuitive sense," Hindman said. Neubaum's semen was found on the blanket of one of the victims, consistent with her testimony. At trial, McConaughey had argued the alleged assaults all followed a similar pattern, and each of the girls described how Neubaum got them alone, started kissing them against their will, pushed them down, forcibly removed their pants and underwear and sexually assaulted them. During her closing arguments at trial, Neubaum's attorney, Theresa Rachel, said the girls and other witnesses gave conflicting or inconsistent testimony, suggesting that one of the girls may have persuaded the others to make up their stories. Hindman said he did not find the girls colluded against Neubaum. But the judge agreed there were numerous inconsistencies in the testimony and statements given by the girls and other witnesses. "The question here is not whether the court suspects, or even strongly suspects, that Neubaum committed the offenses alleged in these counts," Hindman said in his 74-page ruling. "Rather, the issue that the court must resolve is whether the state has proven that he committed those offenses, and has so proven beyond a reasonable doubt. "... aspects of Neubaum's defenses to these charges ... are sufficient to leave the court with a reasonable doubt about each of those counts," Hindman said. Neubaum was not personally present at Friday's hearing but participated via video from the Anamosa State Penitentiary, where he is serving a 50-year prison sentence for second-degree murder for the Jan. 31, 2020, shooting death of 16-year-old Joseph Hopkins in Mapleton. A Monona County jury convicted him of the crime in May 2021. Hopkins, of Mapleton, was shot once in the forehead with a 12-gauge shotgun while he, Neubaum and two other teenage boys were working on a demolition derby car in a garage at the home of Neubaum's grandmother, with whom he was living at the time. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SIOUX CITY -- Superintendent Paul Gausman will end his 14-year tenure with the Sioux City Community School District this week. Shortly thereafter, he'll begin his "dream job" as the superintendent in Lincoln, Nebraska. Gausman, a Nebraska native, replacing Steve Joel, who announced in September that he would step down after 37 years. This just happened to be the year and I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to apply, interview and be selected, Gausman said previously. The 55-year-old University of Nebraska-Lincoln alum started his career as a student-teacher at Lincoln Southeast High School and taught at Lincoln Northeast, where he also served as the associate band director. Among his Sioux City accomplishments? Gausman pointed to growing the four-year graduation rate to 90%, establishing a career pathways program for middle and high school students centered on over 35 career fields, expanding magnet initiatives in schools and developing groundbreaking anti-bullying policies. Under his leadership, the Sioux City district also built new elementary schools and added science centers at each of its three high schools. In 2014, he was named Iowa's superintendent of the year. The Journal sat down with Gausman to ask about his time with Sioux City schools and his future with Lincoln Schools before his last day, June 30. Q: How did you find out about the job here? And then what was that process like? A: For a period of about eight or nine years, I lived in Sioux Falls, but most of my family still lived in the Omaha area. For every kind of vacation, or holiday time, like Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day, they would drive halfway, and we would drive halfway, and we would always meet in Sioux City. I thought if Sioux City School District ever comes open as a superintendents position, I'm going to apply, they probably wouldn't hire me, but I'm going to apply. In 2008, that's what happened. Larry Williams decided to retire. I put my name in just to see what might happen. It was a challenge back then because I was leading a district, about the size of Sergeant Bluff, with about 1,200 or 1,300 students. I thought that moving to a 14,000-student district would be a lot. And it was, but they took a chance on that. I think we've had a good run of 14, almost 15 years, and Im very, very proud to have served this community. My wife Suzi and I thought when we moved here, that we would only be here for about three years. But this town has a way of growing on you a little bit. Q: When you first came to the district, what were some of the things you noticed at first? A: I did a substantive review of the perspective of the district from community leaders, parents, students and staff. The school board was very clear with me at that time in 2008 they had about three or four things they wanted me to do. No. 1, we needed to balance the budget. The district needed to reduce spending by about $2.5 million that first year alone. That was out of a general fund budget of about $170 million. That was the year when the real estate bubble burst and a lot of economic hard times came. Then, Gov. Chet Culver brought back to the state government 10% of the funding they had given to the school district so another $2.5 million had to be reduced from the budget. So in that first year that I was here, we had to reduce the budget by about $5 million. We did it without laying off staff. We did it through a process of attrition and some early retirement and those sorts of things. But we made our way through that. I'm proud that we've presented a balanced budget each year moving forward from that very difficult year. The second thing that the school board indicated needed to occur was that we needed to speed up the rate of building projects. At that time, the penny sales tax in Iowa had just gone statewide. They had just built West Middle, North Middle, and East Middle, and they had started, but not yet completed, Leeds and Unity slementary schools, and they had already finished Irving Elementary, but they wanted to build more schools faster. In my 14 years here, we have built 18 buildings -- some are renovation and reconstruction projects. No. 19 and No. 20, are underway, but not complete. No. 19 will be the VIBE Academy. That's a space for the teachers. No. 20 will be the trades building on the Harry Hopkins campus. The third thing the board asked me to do was get involved in the community in bigger ways than maybe had been done before. We did a lot of work with the Chamber of Commerce, a lot of work with United Way, and with a lot of the agencies that support the school district. Im very proud of that work here. Finally, the board asked me to work diligently to bring this town together in ways that it hadn't been before. We did a lot of work with that. I think the thing that broke that down the most was the development and implementation of our career programs for kids; our Career Academy. We now serve in our career programs, about 4,000 kids a year. They come from 17 different high schools in three different states. Q: What would you say your biggest achievement while here would be? A: I would say probably the increase in the graduation rate in this district. When I moved here in 2008, our graduation rate was just over 70% and our dropout rate was just under 8%. That just wasn't acceptable. Truly the only acceptable graduation rate is 100% and the only acceptable dropout rate is 0%. But today, our graduation rate is at or near 90% and Im proud of that growth. The team worked hard to make that happen. Our dropout rate is under two percent at 1.85%. Weve still got more work to do, but it was a good start. Q: What was the most challenging part of your tenure here? A: The most challenging part was navigating the pandemic; it was challenging for everybody. When the pandemic first hit we knew that it was likely schools were going to close. We learned on a Sunday night that the governor was closing schools for Monday morning. And from that point forward, it was so challenging, because the information on COVID was changing nearly every hour. A few weeks went by and it was changing maybe every few hours. And then a few weeks went by and it was changing every day or so. And then a few weeks went by and it was changing a little slower, a little slower. But at the beginning, we couldn't educate our students virtually and digitally. Buying devices was something we did quickly, but that was the easy part. If the students can't get to connectivity, the computer does them no good. How the team stepped forward and implemented mobile hotspots where they drive buses and vans into neighborhoods so the kids could get on the internet and continue to learn was amazing. Our food service department was so incredible. Wed normally serve 2,000 to 3,000 meals a day in the summer. During the height of the pandemic, we were closer to 7,000 meals a day and that was so hard to manage and make happen. I would say we came out of it better than we went in and I think we're better as an agency providing services to our community and our students because of it. I don't wish we'd go through it again. It was very, very difficult. But the goal for any leader in any organization is that you come out of something so challenging and so troubling, with better systems in play, and I think we've done that. Q: How does it feel knowing this date you're going to Lincoln is so close? A: It's kind of sad because there are just so many friendships -- professional friendships and personal friendships -- that we've grown while we've been here in Sioux City. I pledged to the board and to the community that I was going to finish strong and that's what I'm working diligently to do. But I am excited as well about the new adventure that awaits. My wife and I have always referred to our marriage as Paul and Suzi's Excellent Adventure. We didn't think it would take us on this big of a move at this time in our journey, but it has. I'm very excited about the adventure that awaits. Q: Final thoughts? A: I'm very thankful to Sioux City, the Sioux City community, Sioux City schools and the school board for what they've offered and what I've been able to do. I know that this community has made an extraordinary investment in the schools and in the people who work in those schools. It has been my desire and pledges to return that investment to the community with improved educational practices and heightened graduation rates and heightened student achievement. I wish everyone the best as they look forward to building the new strategic plan for this district in the future. And I look forward to watching the great things that are happening in Sioux City as time goes forward. Answers were edited for clarity and length. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A day after the Supreme Courts bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils are turning to resolve as several states enact bans and both supporters and foes of abortion rights map out their next moves. Keep scrolling for a gallery of photos from protests across America A Texas group that helps women pay for abortions has halted its efforts while evaluating its legal risk under a ban it says will disproportionately hurt poor and minority women. Mississippis only abortion clinic is continuing to see patients while awaiting a 10-day notice that will trigger a ban. Some elected officials are vowing to protect womens access to abortion, while opponents of the procedure say their fight is far from over. Read the full story and complete coverage of today's developments here: *** *** PHOTO GALLERY Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 JERUSALEM, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Israeli public bus drivers went on strike on Sunday morning to demand a pay rise and better working conditions. The strike involved more than 5,000 drivers from five companies, out of about 16,000 drivers in 14 bus companies operating Israel's public lines, Israel Ganon, chairman of the Israel Bus Drivers Union, told Xinhua. The drivers demand the government raise wages, improve basic conditions such as allowing breaks for rest and refreshment, and prevent the frequent violence against them, Ganon said. As part of the strike, the drivers shut down bus lines throughout the country from the start of the service to 9 a.m. local time, the rush hour of the first day of a new work week, and blocked roads to aggravate traffic jams, according to the union's head. "To get a reasonable salary, drivers need to work double hours a month," Ganon explained. "The workload makes them nervous and causes them to be late, and therefore the passengers suffer as well," he added. The Israeli authorities have yet to respond to the strike. Abortion foes, supporters map next moves after Roe reversal CHARLESTON, W. Va. (AP) A day after the Supreme Courts bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils are turning to resolve as several states enact bans and both supporters and foes of abortion rights map out their next moves. A Texas group that helps women pay for abortions has halted its efforts while evaluating its legal risk under a ban it says will disproportionately hurt poor and minority women. Mississippis only abortion clinic is continuing to see patients while awaiting a 10-day notice that will trigger a ban. Some elected officials are vowing to protect womens access to abortion, while opponents of the procedure say their fight is far from over. Supreme Court conservatives flex muscle in sweeping rulings WASHINGTON (AP) Sweeping Supreme Court rulings on guns and abortion this past week have sent an unmistakable message. And that message is that conservative justices hold the power and aren't afraid to use it to make transformative changes in the law. It was never clearer than when the court took away a womans right to abortion that had stood for nearly 50 years. The conservative majority said no more half measures when they overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to outlaw abortion. And the day before, they ruled for the first time that Americans the right to carry handguns in public for self-defense. The decisions are the latest and perhaps clearest manifestation of the court's control by an aggressive conservative majority. Biden signs landmark gun measure, says 'lives will be saved' WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden has signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades. The bipartisan compromise seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two world leader summits in Europe. The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous. Most of its $13 billion cost will help bolster mental health programs and aid schools Russia fires missiles across Ukraine, cements gains in east KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian forces are seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region while pressing their momentum following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk. The military said Moscow-backed separatists were now in full control of the chemical plant that was the last Ukrainian holdout in the city. Russia also launched dozens of missiles Saturday on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Ukraine's air command says some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed to Belarus for the first time. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow plans to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile system. 'Mitt Romney Republican' is now a potent GOP primary attack SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Mitt Romney isnt up for reelection this year, but his name is surfacing in Republican primaries throughout the nation. Candidates are using the label Mitt Romney Republican to frame opponents as insufficiently conservative and enemies of the Trump-era GOP. Candidates have employed the concept in attack ads and talking points in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Romney's home state Utah, Republican challengers taking on incumbent congressmen are using the attack, even though Romney won overwhelmingly only four years ago. The fact that Romney remains potent attack fodder reflects his singular position in politics and ongoing divisions within the Republican Party. Pope hails families, blasts 'culture of waste' after Roe ROME (AP) Pope Francis is urging families to shun selfish decisions that are indifferent to life as he closed out a big Vatican family rally a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion.Francis didnt refer to the ruling or explicitly mention abortion in his homily Saturday. But he used the buzzwords he has throughout his papacy about the need to defend families and condemn the culture of waste that he believes is behind the societal acceptance of abortion.Francis has strongly upheld church teaching opposing abortion, equating it to hiring a hitman to solve a problem. At the same time, he has expressed sympathy for women who have had abortions and has made it easier for them to be absolved of the sin of abortion. Guns and abortion: Contradictory decisions, or consistent? They are the most fiercely polarizing issues in American life: abortion and guns. And two momentous decisions by the Supreme Court in two days have done anything but resolve them. Instead, they've fired up debate about whether the courts conservative justices are being consistent to history and the Constitution or citing them to justify political preferences, To some critics, the rulings represent an obvious and deeply damaging contradiction: How can the court justify restricting the ability of states to regulate guns while expanding the right of states to regulate abortion? To supporters, the courts conservatives are staying true to the countrys founding principles and undoing errors of the past. Guns in paradise: Ruling could undo strict Hawaii carry law HONOLULU (AP) A U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a New York gun law could mean big changes thousands of miles away in Hawaii, which has strict restrictions on carrying firearms. In 2020, Hawaii had the nations lowest rate for gun deaths. Chris Marvin is a Hawaii resident with the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. He's concerned minor scuffles over things like surf spots could escalate if more people are carrying guns in public because of the high court decision. As Marvin says, Guns and aloha don't mix." Hawaii and California are among states with strict laws limiting carrying guns in public. Those laws will now need to be loosened. WHO panel: Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage' LONDON (AP) The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency. In a statement, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were unusual and acknowledged that monkeypox, which is endemic in some African countries, has been neglected. WHO nevertheless pointed to the emergency nature of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an intense response. The committee said the outbreak should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks. Norway shaken by attack that kills 2 during Pride festival OSLO, Norway (AP) A gunman who opened fire in Oslos nightlife district has killed two men and left more than 20 other people injured during the LGBTQ Pride festival in Norway's capital. The Norwegian security service called the attack early Saturday an Islamist terror act and raised the country's terror alert level from moderate to extraordinary, the highest level. A suspect was arrested. Investigators identified him as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran. The security service's acting chief says the gunman had a long history of violence and threats, as well as mental health issues. A defense lawyer cautioned against speculating on on a motive but says the suspect hasnt denied carrying out the attack. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In recent weeks, you may have noticed an uptick in the number of rainbow flags flying from porches, businesses and even government buildings for LGBTQ Pride Month. But what do all the colored stripes on these flags mean? The Progress Pride Flag is a recent invention designed to make the rainbow pride flag more inclusive by featuring colors that represent different marginalized groups in the LGBTQ community. By flying it, many institutions and individuals are joining the Pride Month celebration with a nod to diversity. What do the rainbow stripes on the Progress Pride Flag mean? The six traditional rainbow stripes on the modern-day rainbow pride flag have the same meaning they always have: a coalition of diverse genders and sexualities making up the LGBTQ community. The original rainbow flag, created by Kansas native Gilbert Baker, had a different meaning assigned to each of eight colorful stripes. Over time, the rainbow flag has been simplified into a six-stripe design with a unified meaning of representing all LGBTQ people. Some still consider these rainbow stripes to have unique meanings: Red: Life Orange: Healing Yellow: Sunlight Green: Nature Blue: Harmony and/or serenity Purple: Spirit Baker's original flag also included pink and turquoise stripes. Pink represented sex, while turquoise represented art and/or magic. What does the triangle on the Progress Pride Flag mean? The triangle on the flag's left side was added more recently by nonbinary artist Daniel Quasar. This chevron design looks like an arrow pointing to the right, symbolizing forward progress. The colored stripes in this design have different meanings. The light blue, light pink and white section represents transgender and nonbinary people. These colors reference the transgender pride flag created by U.S. Navy veteran Monica Helms. The brown and black stripes represent marginalized communities of color. These colors reference the Philadelphia pride flag introduced by Amber Hikes. The black stripe also represents those who have been lost to AIDS and those living with the condition today. This meaning references the Victory Over AIDS flag created by Sgt. Leonard Matlovitch. Some versions of the Progress Pride Flag also include a small yellow triangle containing a purple circle on the far left side of the chevron. This design references the intersex pride flag created by Morgan Carpenter and represents another marginalized group within the LGBTQ community. Doesn't the classic rainbow flag already represent marginalized groups? Yes. The six-stripe rainbow flag you're probably used to seeing is meant to represent the entire LGBTQ community, including transgender and nonbinary people, people of color and intersex people. The addition of the chevron design is merely intended to highlight the unique experiences of these sub-groups. Some LGBTQ community members object to the inclusion of additional stripes and symbols on the classic rainbow flag, arguing that they contribute more to Pride-related marketing and branding than they do to solving challenges faced by the LGBTQ community. But that hasn't stopped the Progress Pride Flag from achieving significant popularity in recent years. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is about to upend the lives of one group that few activists on either side of the debate have consideredwomen in the U.S. military. This is a larger group than many realize, comprising 14 percent of all active-duty armed forces, or about 200,000 women. How many of them seek abortions is unknown. But in a 2011 survey, 7 percent reported having an unintended pregnancy in the previous yeara higher share than the 4 or 5 percent of civilians in the same age bracket. If those statistics are valid today, that would amount to 14,000 annual unintended pregnancies, many of which likely end in termination. Advertisement Military and V.A. medical centers cannot perform abortions due to the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal money from funding the procedure except in cases of rape or incest. But official policy allows them to provide advice and resources on how to get an abortionand this is what concerns many servicewomen, as well as their doctors and commanders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even before the Courts decision on Roe, several states have passed laws making it a crime even to give advice about abortion. One of these states is Texas, which has the countrys second-highest number of military bases. This is a huge concern, says Kyleanne Hunter, a Marine combat veteran, former member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, and now a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. If a commander or [medical] provider tells women about this policy, would they be in legal trouble? Could they be accused of aiding and abetting a crime? Advertisement Advertisement Hunter says these questions have come up in several focus groups and grassroots discussion groups that shes led in recent years, dealing with pregnancy, child care, gender bias in recruitment and other servicewomens issues. At least two friends of hers have turned down plum assignments because taking the jobs would have meant moving to a base in Texas, and the women didnt want to take any chances if they became pregnant. Another friend, a commander at a base in Oklahoma, which also passed a restrictive anti-abortion law, told her he doesnt know what he would say to a servicewoman who came to him about getting an abortion. Advertisement Current military regulations spell out procedures for a servicewoman intending to get an abortion. Under one rule, she must notify her commander that she plans to get the procedure no more than two weeks after learning that shes pregnant. In the days when Roe dominated, many women ignored this regulation, as they could easily get an abortion in less than two weeks time. If a servicewoman has to travel out of state to get an abortion, it would likely take much longer.. In that case, she would have to notify her commanderwhich raises a lot of unaddressed issues about privacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thirteen statesincluding Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kentucky Florida, and Mississippi, all of which have lots of military baseshave trigger laws that outlaw abortion immediately, now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe. What happens to women on those bases? Questions such as these are being asked not only in womens focus groups but also in Congress and the Pentagon. In a House hearing last month, Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston, the services top enlisted member, said that the Armys top officers are drafting new policies to protect military women if the Supreme Court reverses Roe. Advertisement Advertisement On the same day as the hearing, eight Senate Democrats wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging him to ensure that female troops have the ability to continue accessing safe reproductive health care, no matter where in the nation their military service sends them. At a minimum, the senators wrote, women should be given extended leave, so they can travel out of state, if necessary, to obtain abortions. Advertisement Advertisement The defense bill passed earlier this month by the House Appropriations Committee doesnt quite go that far, though it comes close. It prohibits anyone in the Defense Department from denying leave to servicemembersor to DoD civilianswho request it for the purpose of obtaining an abortion. The Senate hasnt yet passed its version of the defense bill, though it will likely contain a similar clause, at least as long as the Democrats are in the majority. In the old days, until the early 80s, Hunter told me, if a soldier got pregnant, the policy was basically, Quit or get an abortion. It was unwritten policy, of coursesomething like the wink and nudge of dont ask, dont tell for gay servicemen and women. Now the military cant ignore the dilemmas. With the repeal of Roe a likely prospect and with restrictive laws already on the books in several states teeming with military bases, the Pentagons leaders have to take a stand on how much they really value women in the military. For more on the legal fight that led to the original Roe versus Wade decision, listen to the latest episode of Slow Burn. This article is part of the Free Speech Project , a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech. Twenty-five years ago, the Supreme Court told the government to keep its hands off the internet. Today, the internet is vastly differentand far more central to everyday lifethan it was on June 26, 1997, but the courts reasoning in Reno v. ACLU is more important than ever. At the heart of the case was a massive overhaul of U.S. telecommunications laws that President Bill Clinton signed on Feb. 8, 1996. While much of the law involved local telephone competition, broadcast ownership, and cable television, one sectionthe Communications Decency Acttried to prevent minors from accessing obscene and indecent material on the nascent internet. Advertisement In recent years, politicians and commentators have focused on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which immunizes websites and other online services for claims arising from third-party content. But in 1996, far more attention was paid to the other part of the CDA, which imposed criminal penalties for the transmission or display of obscene and indecent online content. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The laws fatal mistake was including indecent content. Although the Supreme Court has long held obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment, indecency generally is. Indecency is not an exact term. Allowing the law to stand would have given the government broad and unclear powers to limit expression, including artistic, educational, and unpopular content. Imagine a platform like TikTok or YouTube functioning in a world where the government had broad power to prosecute content. We would have a completely different, and substantially government-controlled, version of the Internet. Advertisement Advertisement When faced with the first significant case about online expression, justices went in a completely different direction than Congress, using the Reno case to confer the highest level of protections on online expression. The case started when a broad coalition of civil liberties groups, business interests, and others, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Library Association, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Microsoft, sued. A three-judge panel in Philadelphia struck down much of the law, and the case quickly moved to the Supreme Court. The federal government tried to justify these restrictions partly by pointing to a 1978 opinion in which the court allowed the FCC to sanction a radio station that broadcast George Carlins seven dirty words. Justices dismissed these arguments. They saw something different in the internet and rejected attempts to apply weaker First Amendment protections to the internet. Justices reasoned the new medium was fundamentally different from the scarce broadcast spectrum. Advertisement Advertisement This dynamic, multifaceted category of communication includes not only traditional print and news services, but also audio, video, and still images, as well as interactive, real-time dialogue, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote. Through the use of chat rooms, any person with a phone line can become a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox. Through the use of Web pages, mail exploders, and newsgroups, the same individual can become a pamphleteer. Advertisement Advertisement Stevens also rejected the governments argument that regulating online indecency was necessary for the internet to grow. The dramatic expansion of this new marketplace of ideas contradicts the factual basis of this contention, Stevens wrote. The record demonstrates that the growth of the Internet has been and continues to be phenomenal. As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. Advertisement Advertisement It was a romanticized view of the internet. Justices looked into the future and saw a technology that could create the elusive, all-inclusive marketplace of ideas they had imagined for decades. Justices saw a wide-open space, where every citizen could take part in democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Thats not exactly what happened. Powerful algorithms and our natural tendency to gather with those we agree with led to echo chambers and increasing levels of extremism as people tend to encounter ideas that reinforce their existing beliefs. The internet transformed the marketplace, changing the way we understand ourselves and others for better and worse. The forums changed as well. The Facebooks, Twitters, and YouTubes of 2022 have far more power than the Prodigys, CompuServes, and AOLs of 1997. Advertisement None of these changes makes Reno any less relevant. Theres never been a perfect marketplace in the U.S., particularly in the decades before the commercial internet, when a shrinking number of companies accumulated greater control over newspapers and broadcasters. Without the internet, countless people could not have told their stories and voice their opinions over the past quarter century. We never will have a perfect marketplace of ideas because we deeply disagree about what the marketplace should look like. Some argue that the largest platforms are too heavy-handed in their moderation and suppress far too much speech, while others argue that the platforms have not done enough to remove harmful content. Underlying much of this criticism is the idea that perhaps the government should regulate internet content a bit more, either by limiting platforms ability to moderate or pressuring them to block content that would otherwise be constitutionally protected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its tempting to toss Reno into the pile of early internet relics, like the AOL CDs we received in the mail, the distinctive dial-up noise modems made, and that creepy 3D dancing baby video. But we should not. The precedents relevance isnt in the cases dated facts or romanticized predictions. Its enduring value is in the idea the internet should generally be protected from government control. Without the Supreme Courts lucid and fervent defense of online free speech, regulators, legislators, and judges could have more easily imposed their values on the internet. The internet has disrupted many aspects of society, and people on all sides of the debate raise legitimate concerns about particular moderation decisions of the most dominant platforms. But having the government step in to determine which ideas are acceptable and which are not would only make matters worse. Advertisement As we grapple with how to live with each generation of new technology, from those AOL CDs to the metaverse and advanced machine-learning technology, Reno remains the constant. It sets the boundaries for how we handle the changes. Thanks to Reno and other key First Amendment rulings, the United States cannot follow the path of authoritarian countries that have passed fake news laws in recent years and used those new powers to suppress criticism and dissent. Advertisement Advertisement Nor can the government limit the ability of private platforms to remove content that the platforms believe is harmful. In December, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking a Texas law that restricted social media companies ability to moderate content. He pointed to Reno in rejecting Texass argument to apply the lower First Amendment protections that broadcasters receive. (The case is on appeal to the 5th Circuit, which temporarily reinstated the law until the Supreme Court vacated the 5th Circuits decision, but a full ruling from the 5th Circuit on the merits is still to come). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if you trust the regulatory agency or legislators or judges who currently are in power, giving them new authority to regulate online content is terribly short-sighted. Those in power come and go, and the next leaders may have ideas about regulating online speech that you find repulsive or dangerous. But once you erode vital precedent like Reno, it is hard to turn back. We can list all the problems that people have with the internet, but we must remember two constants. First, the internet is the most powerful communication technology ever created. Second, theres no going back. Online communication is here to stay. With those constants in mind, do we want a weak or a strong barrier between this powerful and growing communication tool and the governments ability to decide the ideas we encounter? We contend a stronger barrier is best. The views expressed are only the authors and do not represent the Defense Department, Department of Navy, or Naval Academy. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. AMMAN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian King Abdullah II on Sunday said the kingdom is exerting its utmost efforts to place the Palestinian issue on the top of U.S. President Joe Biden's agenda for his visit to the region next month. King Abdullah made the remarks during a meeting in Amman with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, where he said that there is nothing more important to Jordan than the Palestinian issue, according to a statement by the Royal Hashemite Court. The king noted Jordan would fully support the rights of the Palestinian people and their cause during the upcoming summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in July, which would be joined by leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and the United States. King Abdullah said that the two-state solution is the sole solution to the Palestinian issue that entails the creation of an independent Palestinian state at the borders of 1967. The two sides said the next step required now is to cease unilateral measures to open the way to resume negotiations in the future. In turn, Abbas thanked Jordan for supporting the rights of the Palestinian people, noting that wherever Jordan is present on the international stage, the Palestinian cause is represented. National Assembly Chairman arrives in Budapest for Hungary visit A high-ranking delegation of the National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam led by NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue arrived in Budapest on June 25 afternoon (local time), beginning an official visit to Hungary. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hus is welcomed at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport by Hungarian and Vietnamese officials. The visit was made at the invitation of Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary Laszlo Kover. The Vietnamese delegation were welcomed at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport by deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Istvan Jakab, Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Ory Csaba, and other officials of the Hungarian National Assembly. Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Thi Bich Thao and other officials of the Embassy, as well as representatives of the Vietnamese community in Hungary were also present at the ceremony. The visit is expected to deepen the Comprehensive Partnership between Vietnam and Hungary in general and the cooperative relationship between the two legislative bodies in particular, opening up new prospects in bilateral relations as well as close cooperation at regional and international forums. During the visit, both sides are set to sign a cooperation agreement for the next phase, aimed at raising bilateral parliamentary cooperation in the new period to new heights. They will exchange delegations not only at the leadership level but also between their legislative committees, parliamentary friendship groups, and young parliamentarians to share legislative experience as well as to coordinate with each other at international forums. A seminar on educational cooperation will be held as part of the visit to promote strong cooperation in the field of education and training, to generate high-quality human resources for Vietnams national development and international integration in the new period. RIYADH, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met here on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Both sides exchanged views on regional and global issues to promote regional security and stability, according to the report. Al-Kadhimi landed here on Saturday and concluded his visit to the kingdom on Sunday before traveling to Iran. Before the trip, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported al-Kadhimi would discuss several issues, including diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with Saudi and Iranian leaders. To ease regional tensions, Baghdad hosted four rounds of direct talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, and held the fifth round in April this year. On a sweltering summer Saturday night (June 25) at The Meadowlands, tremendous performances were the norm as six divisions of the third leg of the Graduate Series for four-year-olds were sprinkled throughout a high-powered 14-race program. Of those performances, one stood out from the rest at least from a speed perspective as Bulldog Hanover won the second of two $50,000 splits for open pacers in 1:47, equalling the fastest mile of the year in the sport. Nicholas Beach was the first to do it on May 21. After traveling down from his home base of Ontario, Bulldog Hanover landed in the Noel Daley barn and the son of Shadow Play-BJs Squall lowered his previous lifetime best by a full second with Dexter Dunn at the controls. Bulldog Hanover nudged past Linedrive Hanover just after that one hit the quarter in :27 and had little trouble from there, reaching the half in in :55 and three-quarters in 1:22.1 before an incredible final quarter of :24.4 completed the mile. Linedrive Hanover was two lengths back in second with Rockyroad Hanover third. As the 2-5 favourite, Bulldog Hanover returned $2.80 to his backers in winning for 18th time from just 26 outings. His bulging bank account swelled to $1,052,441 I was most surprised by his last quarter, said Dunn. It was very impressive. I asked him at the top of the stretch and he set me back in my seat. Hes got a big, powerful stride. It doesnt even feel like hes doing what hes doing. But that was just one of the incredible performances on this star-studded night. Bella Bellini, the 2021 Hambletonian Oaks champion, sat fifth and last to three-quarters before sprinting her final quarter in :25.4 to record a three-quarter-length win over Herculisa in a $40,000 division for trotting mares in a lifetime-best 1:51. Last week [when third in the Armbro Flight] she raced great coming from a long way back, said Dunn. With only five horses, we went to the back because I believe in her speed, and she showed it. She likes a target. The daughter of Bar Hopping-Bella Dolce, who is trained by "Nifty" Norman, returned $2.60 as the 1-5 public choice, and raised her career numbers to 13 wins from 32 starts, good for earnings of just over $1.2 million. In a thrilling two-horse battle to the wire, Rattle My Cage got past the speedy Cuatro De Julio by a neck in 1:50.3 for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ake Svanstedt in the first of two $50,000 splits for open trotters. Rattle My Cage upped his win streak to three while paying $4.40 to win as the second choice. The son of Love You-Caress The Senses is now seven-for-21 in his career, good for earnings of $163,279. The biggest upset of the night came in a $40,000 division for mare pacers as defending Horse of the Year Test Of Faith, the 1-9 favourite, came up a head short of taking down speedster Mikala and driver George Brennan. Mikala, a Nik Drennan student, took the lead at the half and lasted to the line in a lifetime-best 1:48.3 to remain perfect in four seasonal starts. The daughter of Always B Miki-Shes Some Treasure paid $12.80 as the second choice. Talk about your tough beats. Test Of Faiths final quarter of :24.3 tied the record for fastest-ever quarter time at The Big M (Mach N Cheese did it first) and it still wasnt enough. Ahundreddollarbill surged off cover to win the other $50,000 dash for open trotters in 1:51.1. The gelded son of Chapter Seven-Swinging Royalty, who was driven by Todd McCarthy and trained by Tony Alagna, held off the late-charging Ambassador Hanover by a head while upping his resume to 12 wins from 23 lifetime starts, good for earnings of $808,397. He paid $3.40 as the 3-5 public choice. In the other $50,000 event for open pacers, Charlie May out-gamed 39-1 longshot Whichwaytothebeach by a neck in a lifetime-best 1:47.1 for driver Dave Miller and trainer Steve Carter. I am blown away by that mile, said owner Don Tiger. But it was the right trip. He got to sit second and got to pacing in the lane. He loves to chase. Loves the competition. He is eligible to the Roll With Joe [next week at The Meadowlands], but after this 1:47.1 mile, we may keep him out to get his legs back. We will be in the [July 9] Graduate Final. A gelded son of McArdle-Stipple Hanover, Charlie May paid $7.40 as the second choice, and now has 19 wins from 36 career outings and earnings of $1,267,012. A LITTLE MORE: Dunn led the drivers with three winners on the card. Travis Alexander had a training double. A carryover of $4,971 led to a total pool of $42,461 in the Late 20-cent Pick-6. Those with all six correct collected $1,423.04. The action on the 11th was huge, as a total of $365,098 was pushed through the windows, $101,197 of that on the Late 50-cent Pick-4, but all-source betting for the night ended up just shy of $3 million, as a total of $2,962,043 was put in play. Jessica Ottens $50 win and place bet on Charlie May proved to be enough for the Big M TV personality to record her second win in the tracks Battle of the Masterminds handicapping contest. She finished the night with a mythical bankroll of $645.60. Racing resumes Thursday (June 30) at 6:20 p.m. (EDT), kicking off the first three-program week of the year. (The Meadowlands) Daniel Cortez has a message for both Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, and Republican nominee Yesli Vega as they begin a general election campaign in what promises to be among the most closely watched congressional races in the country: Dont take independent voters for granted. Cortez, 71, a retired U.S. Marine in Stafford County whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, served as co-chairman of Latinos for Youngkin along with Vega, whose parents fled El Salvador during its civil war. The organization helped turn out large numbers of independent and Latino voters to elect Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin as governor last fall. But he said that doesnt mean he will support her in the congressional midterms in November. In the primary, he supported state Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania. I dont know that the independents will flock to her, Cortez said in an interview Thursday. Theyre going to take a real hard look at Abigail Spanberger. I dont think anybody has a lock on it right now, he said. Vega, 36, clinched the Republican nomination to challenge Spanberger in a low-turnout, six-candidate primary Tuesday that was decided by the partys conservative base, but now, she will have to attune her campaign priorities to a broader electorate that is generally new to both candidates. What you need to say to win the primary can create challenges for you when the primary is over, said Stephen Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, which is in the heart of the newly redrawn 7th Congressional District. Primary path Vega won the primary by 5% over political newcomer Derrick Anderson, followed by Reeves and three other candidates. Her base in Prince William County, where she serves on the Board of Supervisors, carried her to victory after she remained competitive in the other 10 localities in the redrawn district that the Virginia Supreme Court established Dec. 28. She won with help from what Farnsworth called blue-chip conservative endorsements from some of the biggest names in national Republican circles: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who campaigned with her the day before the primary; Ginni Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; former Rep. Dave Brat, R-7th, who lost his seat to Spanberger in 2018; and Rep. Bob Good, R-5th, who has established himself as the most conservative member of Virginias congressional delegation in his first term. The endorsements appeared to help Vega particularly in rural counties where she was not well-knownCulpeper, Greene and Orange, which she won, and Caroline and King George, where she finished second behind Reeves and Anderson, respectively. But the endorsements also can cut the other way in the general election with a broader, less ideological electorate, Farnsworth said. It does create an opportunity for Spanberger to frame Vega as the Prince William County version of Ted Cruz or Ginni Thomas. Spanberger It took less than one day for Spanberger to seize that opportunity. The folks she brought to the district to campaign on her behalf speak to the priorities she has, which is certainly not problem-solving, the two-term congresswoman said in an interview Wednesday. Spanberger, 42, has won twice in a district dominated by Republicans for a half-century and anchored in the Richmond suburbs. Now, she has to run in a Democratic-leaning district based in Northern Virginia and the Fredericksburg area in an election cycle that looks inhospitable to Democrats because of the unpopularity of President Joe Biden. In an interview, she focused on her legislation to bring down fuel and food prices, restore supplies of baby formula, lower the cost of prescription drugs and help military veterans exposed to toxic chemicals and people with drug addiction. She talked about restoring supply chains for ocean shipping and long-distance truckers. Ive been working hard and getting results for it, she said. Spanberger also contrasted her record with what she called Vegas extreme views, including alleged support for the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to block the certification of Bidens election and the leaked draft of a pending Supreme Court decision that would overturn the right to an abortion and potential other civil liberties based on personal privacy. Vega Vega said in a statement: Abigail Spanberger is clearly scared. Ive been in the General Election for 48 hours and she is already saying and doing everything she can to distract from her record. As our nation spirals out of control under Joe Bidens leadership, Abigail Spanberger stands with him every step of the way. From skyrocketing gas and grocery prices, to the rising crime and lawlessness throughout our cities, Abigail hasnt wavered from her blind support for the failed Biden Agenda. In an apparent reference to congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 attack, Vega added: The political theater were seeing play out on TV will not address the true problems our nation faces. Americans are too busy sitting at their kitchen tables worrying about how they are going to afford gas and groceries to get them through the week. Spanberger faces voter questions about her support for Biden, especially on such issues as the cost of living in general and energy policy, Cortez said. The independents are just not buying what the president is selling, he said. On the other hand, he is skeptical of Vegas approach to security on the U.S. border with Mexico and the issue of so-called dreamers who were brought into the country illegally when they were children and want to remain legally. Im not an open borders guy, said Cortez, whose parents immigrated legally while other members of the family did not. But I want a path to citizenship. Both sides have failed on that. He added: Theres got to be some compassion. He said he is looking for evidence from both candidates that they would govern like Youngkin or Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, who previously represented many of the localities that are now part of the 7th. I want to see genuine outreach and bipartisanship, Cortez said. Spanberger was ranked the fifth-most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives in a report last month by The Lugar Centernamed for former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.and Georgetown University. Wittman was ranked 203rd and Good at 431st in sponsoring or co-sponsoring legislation with members of the opposing party. Anybody who says Spanberger isnt a moderate Democrat doesnt pay attention to what the other Democrats in Congress are doing, Farnsworth said. Spanberger hasnt taken a position on Bidens proposal to suspend the federal gas tax because she said she hasnt seen the details. Youngkin accused Democrats in the Virginia Senate, who rejected his proposal for a three-month suspension of the state gas tax, of being out of step with a president from their own party. Whos going to pay the price for [the high cost of gasoline]? The incumbents are going to pay for it, Cortez said. Both Spanberger and Vega live outside the boundaries of the new district, although the Republican lives a short distance away in the Manassas Park area. Spanberger and her familyincluding three daughters enrolled in Henrico County Public Schoolscurrently remain in western Henrico in the old district she continues to serve until January, whether re-elected or not. She hasnt said whether she will move into the new district if elected there. I wont be making a shift of where my children go to sleep at night any earlier than January, she repeated this week. Representing part of the outer ring of the Washington suburbs, the new 7th is the kind of district that Farnsworth predicts will determine control of the House of Representatives, as the old helped to do when Democrats took control four years ago. Its where majorities are won and lost, he said. T HE Republican party used to be anchored in the interests of the United States, and its elected representatives were committed to their oaths of allegiance to the Constitution. Republican senators such as John McCain (AZ), Chuck Hagel (NE), Frank Murkowski (AK), and Bob Dole (KS) were proud supporters of unfettered democracy and the rule of law. Not so today. The former president and the Republican Party have insistedand they persist in claimingthat the 2020 election was stolen. Not only that, but they pledge to execute the same challenge to voters, the states, and the Electoral College in 2024 that they attempted in 2020. The recent Texas Republican convention is a bellwether of the partys direction. Note the conventions total rejection of the 2020 presidential election. The convention rebuked the 10 senators who are negotiating bipartisan gun safety measures, even booing Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who later dismissed the convention as a mob. The convention platform also says Texas retains the right to secede from the United States. It calls for prayer and religious discussions in schools, denying LGBTQ rights, repealing or nullifying gun control laws, and implementing extreme anti-abortion measures. There are other unattractive trends afoot. Join the MAGA crew, says the shotgun-wielding ex-governor of Missouri, Eric Greitens, in his Senate campaign ad. Get a RINO-hunting permit. Theres no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesnt expire until we save our country. Has he declared open season on GOP Sen. Liz Cheney (WY)? As the January 6 committee hearings began, she clearly stated, We cannot let America become a nation of conspiracy theories and thug violence. This week, in the fourth committee hearing, retired conservative Judge Michael Luttig testified that he warned then-Vice President Mike Pence not to participate in the scheme to set aside the decision of the Electoral College. Speaking deliberately, gravely and patriotically, he said, Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy. Who is Judge Luttig to speak so sharply? He was born in Texas. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He was associate White House counsel in the Reagan Administration, clerked for Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Warren Burger, worked at the Justice Department, and was appointed to the bench of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals by President Bush, serving there for almost 15 years. That is, Judge Luttig is a conservative lawyer who is highly respected in Republican circles. Of course, we dont have to go to Texas to see where Republicanism is these days. A Star-Exponent interview with hopefuls in last Tuesdays Republican primary showed serious commitment to the Big Lie about voter fraud. Primary winner Yesli Vega, a deputy sheriff in Prince William County, enjoyed endorsements from Ted Cruz, Ken Cuccinelli, Dave Brat, Corey Stewart, and Ginni Thomas. She falsely maintained that there is evidence of significant voter fraud in the 2020 election. In the interview, she disparaged our teachers by claiming that education is indoctrination. She also called the January 6th hearingswhich Fox News has chosen not to broadcasta Democratic diversion. Democracy calls for bipartisanship and compromise. Toxic speech and threats of violence from any side are not worthy of America. Our elected representatives should be the political guardians of our democracy. The voter is the arbiter of their interactions. That is why the vote is the crucial part of democracy and why we should guard against those who want to restrict it. America calls for dialogue, inclusion, respect, and a commitment to the rule of law which Judge Luttig demonstrated in such a heartfelt way. David Reuther, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, is a past chair of the Culpeper Democratic Committee. As tensions rise as a result of Russias occupation of Ukraine and Chinas military exercises in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, our very own homeland security is at risk of being overlooked. Alarming data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reveal CBP encountered a record 239,416 individuals attempting to enter our country illegally at our southern border during the month of May an increase of 32 percent over CBP encounters in May 2021 and a staggering 930 percent over 2020. This volume alone is overwhelming our homeland security agencies, but the risk of dangerous individuals making their way into our country is also rising. Since October 2021, 50 people designated in the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) Terrorist Screening Database have been arrested while attempting to illegally enter the United States. This exceeds numbers from previous years many times over and is a direct result of the assumption around the world our border is not secure. The Wall Street Journal has reported drug overdoses, due mostly to opioids, exceeded 100,000 to reach an all-time high in 2021. CBP has seized over 1 millon pounds of illegal drugs since President Biden took office, including nearly 8,000 pounds of fentanyl to date in Fiscal Year 2022. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, one pound of fentanyl has the potential to cause 225,000 overdose deaths. The problem is greater than ever before, yet actions taken by the Biden administration to repeal policies such as the Remain in Mexico Policy and Title 42, show an agenda which is out of touch with a majority of Americans. A recent survey conducted by CNN, as well as another by POLITICO and the Harvard School of Public Health, show most Americans disapprove of ending Title 42 at this time. Because I also oppose ending Title 42, I am a cosponsor of the PAUSE Act, legislation to prevent the administration from lifting or weakening Title 42. I am also a cosponsor of a bill to use the Congressional Review Act to stop a rule proposed by President Bidens DHS and Department of Justice (DOJ). The rule would direct those who cross the border illegally and claim asylum to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials, rather than immigration judges, to have their asylum application reviewed. Further, under the rule, these individuals would not be detained while their application is pending. This comes alongside a processing backlog and concerning developments, such as the administrations unprecedented and involuntary replacement of the director of the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and other top EOIR officials and immigration judges. One of those judges, Matthew OBrien, has said the administration seems to be dealing with the backlog, by simply not pursuing the cases and releasing these people into the interior of the United States. This is unacceptable. Non-enforcement of our nations laws and neglect of our borders are incentivizing an ongoing crisis at our southern border. Since President Biden entered office, nearly 3 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at our southern border, and caravans of individuals eager to take advantage of loose border security have become commonplace. Our nation was founded by immigrants who sought a better life for themselves and their families. Congress must continue to improve our immigration laws for those who seek to contribute positively to our nation. However, as President Biden fails to protect our southern border, the positive stories of those who immigrate legally will be drowned out by continued alarm about illegal immigration. According to recent media, our National Aeronautics and Space Administration is going to undertake a study of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), popularly called flying saucers. NASA estimates it will take about nine months to complete the study. This is likely the result of last months U.S. House of Representatives subcommittees public hearing on unidentified aerial vehicles a government inquiry which has not been publicly made in more than fifty years. Its about time. Being ahead of the curve in 1962, I undertook my own study of the mysterious aerial objects in the eighth or ninth grade as a science fair project. I won the Mooresville Junior High School fairs 3rd Place (Physical) award, which came with a pin. I still have it. I take pride in this achievement, as I did the whole project by myself, with no adult help, unlike some projects at the fair. As a local winner, I went on to enter my project in the districts science fair in Charlotte, which was a BIG DEAL. An interesting topic UFOs were a part of a mysterious universe I was beginning to explore, which also included Amelia Earharts disappearance, the lost continent Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and similar subjects. I read everything I could put my hands on regarding these topics, which, in those days before the internet, was not a great deal. Accounts of unknown things in the sky go back centuries. Some people regard Ezekiels vision (Ezekiel 1:4-7) to be an early Close Encounter, estimated to have happened around 593 B.C. The modern age of UFOlogy probably began during World War II when American bomber crews began reporting what they called foo fighters. Described as inexplicable lights which followed Allied night fighter squadrons flying over Germanys Rhine Valley. Sometimes they numbered as many as ten, flew in formation at 200 miles per hour and appeared to be very maneuverable. The craft did not show up on radar. The first modern sighting The term flying saucers came from a report by a private plane pilot named Kenneth Arnold (1915-1984) on June 24, 1947. Mr. Arnold was flying his single-engine plane near Mount Rainier, Washington, when he observed, he said, nine shiny objects that flew like a saucer if you skip it across the water. Mr. Arnold estimated the objects were traveling at 1,200 mph. Reporters took his words and modified them to flying saucers. The term caught on. Mr. Arnold had never used those two words together himself, and later maintained he had been misquoted. What if these objects sighted by Mr. Arnold were actually advanced Soviet aircraft, designed by Nazi scientists the Soviets captured at the end of WWII? The U.S. military also rounded up scientists who had worked for the Nazis in what was called Operation Paper Clip at the end of the war. While many people started reporting flying objects that looked saucer-shaped, the objects came in other shapes as well. There is a 1967 chart of 31 common UFO shapes available from etsy.com for $5. While I was in junior high school, I wrote to Dr. J. Allen Hynek (1910-1986), Americas top man on the subject. Dr. Hynek held a Ph.D. in astrophysics and I actually received a letter back from the great man himself. I wish I knew where the letter he wrote to me is today. Dr. Hynek was associated with the Harvard Observatory and is the person who developed the Close Encounter scale with which to classify sightings that he proposed in his book, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry (1972). This, of course, is the source of Spielbergs Close Encounters of the Third Kind movie title. In Dr. Hyneks system, a close encounter occurs when the UFO come within 500 feet of the observer. The First Kind occurs when the UFO does not affect the environment. The Second Kind occurs when the UFO affects inanimate and animate objects, such as leaving crop circles, causing wild life to run, etc. The Third Kind of encounter occurs when the observer actually sees the aliens of the UFO. Dr. Hynek was also a consultant to Spielberg and Columbia Pictures for the movie. His classification system has come into universal usage for UFO reports. O.C. Stonestreet is the author of Tales From Old Iredell County, They Called Iredell County Home and Once Upon a Time in Mooresville, NC. CAPE TOWN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- South African police said 17 people were found dead in a tavern in the country's southeastern city of East London early Sunday, local media reported. "We do not want to make any speculations at this stage, our investigation is continuing," provincial police spokesperson Tembinkosi Kinana told a local television. "We are hoping that at a proper time before the end of the day, we will know what exactly made the accident." HONOLULU (AP) Megan Kau takes occasional weeklong hunting trips to the Hawaiian island of Lanai, where she enjoys watching the sunrise and hearing the distant rustle of deer and mouflon sheep in the tropical wilderness, a rifle ready at her side. As a gun owner, she also goes to shooting ranges several times a year. Those outings are the only times the attorney and Oahu native sees others with guns in this tourist mecca where strict laws make it harder to purchase firearms and restrict carrying loaded guns in public. Thursdays U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning New York's concealed weapon law will likely change things in Hawaii, too, where it's now highly unusual to see people carrying loaded weapons in public. Some say the change will lead to more gun violence in a state that traditionally sees very little. In 2020, Hawaii had the nation's lowest rate for gun deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Were culturally accepting, were racially accepting, Kau said. But within our culture, were fighters. We have passion. That passion can boil into physical altercations typically done up and up local lingo for fistfights. If youre born and raised here, you get into a fistfight, you dont expect there to be a weapon, Kau said. Chris Marvin, a Hawaii resident with the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, said road rage dustups, clashes over surf spots and other confrontations are a part of life in Hawaii and are rarely fatal. He's worried that will change. When you introduce guns, its so often immediately death," he said. Guns and aloha dont mix. Under current law, county police chiefs in Hawaii have the discretion to determine whether to issue a carry permit. Without such a permit, people in Hawaii are only allowed to keep firearms in the home and can transport them unloaded and locked up to shooting ranges, hunting areas and other limited locations such as for repairs. The Supreme Court ruling says local governments cant require those seeking a license to carry a gun in public to demonstrate a particular need, such as a direct threat to their safety. Hawaii and California are among states with such a requirement. Hawaii police chiefs have issued only four carry permits in the last 22 years, said attorney Alan Beck, who represents George Young, a Big Island man suing to be able to carry a gun for self-defense. Its a huge deal, Beck said of the ruling. Not only does it mean Mr. Youngs case will prevail, it also means the door has been opened to challenging numerous aspects of Hawaii firearms law. State officials were determining what effect the courts ruling could have on Hawaii, Gov. David Ige said. However, some believe they know the ultimate outcome. Bottom line is, Hawaii is about to become a more dangerous place, state Sen. Karl Rhoads said. Hawaii will go from a place where the right to carry in public is the exception to a place where not having the right to carry on the street is an exception. The high court ruling does allow local governments to impose certain rules limiting who can have permits to carry and where weapons may be banned, such as parks, stadiums and other places where people gather. Hawaii lawmakers will look at adding additional background screening, training stipulations and legislating ways to keep guns out of certain public spaces, said state Sen. Chris Lee. There are already gun-handling training requirements for obtaining a firearm, but carrying something in a public place is a different matter altogether, Lee said, so hed like to see mandated training on how to de-escalate conflicts and enhanced training for law enforcement in dealing with situations where people are armed. Hed also like to see restrictions on bringing guns into public meetings on emotionally charged issues. Denise Eby Konan, dean of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a member of the states Gun Violence and Violent Crimes Commission, said guns in public places like beaches and hiking trails could affect Hawaiis reputation as a safe tourist destination. I think many of our visitors are coming from countries where gun laws are quite strict, she said. At least one couple visiting Waikiki on Thursday said looser restrictions wouldnt deter them from returning. Rebecca Donahue said she and her husband have concealed carry permits where they live in Titusville, Florida. I think Hawaii is very laid back and relaxed from what weve seen, she said. The Hawaii Tourism Authority declined to comment on the courts ruling and any possible impact on tourism, the economic engine that drives the states economy. Kainoa Kaku, president of the Hawaii Rifle Association, said the decision will help ensure law-abiding people can carry guns guys like me who put in a lot of time and effort into training and honing my craft so that I can defend myself and my family and even my community at large if its required. Joseph Robello, who uses a pistol and a rifle to hunt pigs, said he doesnt expect Hawaii to turn into the Wild West. Most people wont just carry to carry around, to wear it on your hip and walk around in the store to say, I got a gun, and I can use it, he said. Thats dumb. Ridiculous. Freelance journalist Marco Garcia contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is urging Republican voters in Southwest Washington to reject Joe Kent and state Rep. Vicki Kraft in the upcoming Congressional primary because of their statements and actions questioning the outcome of the 2020 election. In an interview with The Daily News on Thursday, the Democratic governor singled out the two Republican candidates by name as a clear and present danger to democracy. Kent, R-Yacolt, and Kraft, R-Vancouver, are two of the eight candidates running to unseat incumbent Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler from Washingtons 3rd Congressional District. The two candidates have questioned the election results at both the national level and for Washington state specifically throughout their campaign appearances and have pushed to relitigate the states 2020 election count. We have candidates running for the U.S. Congress who are part of a continuing insurgency to ignore our election results. We are calling on all good Republicans and independents to come to the aid of democracy and reject these candidates who refuse to accept the results of the last election, Inslee said. No widespread voter fraud has been found in Washington, especially on the scale needed to flip the result for a reliably Democratic state. Joe Biden received roughly 800,000 more votes from Washingtonians than Donald Trump did during the 2020 election. Kent signed onto multiple lawsuits filed by Washington Election Integrity Coalition United questioning Washingtons votes in the election. One of the larger suits was dismissed by the Washington state Supreme Court and the court fined the coalition and its attorney $28,000 for making baseless, unsupported claims. Kent told The Daily News Friday that asking for election audits and opposing voting by mail was not the same as an insurgency. The people should be able to question the manner that our elections are conducted. Inslees an elected official, he should want to make sure we have full confidence and transparency in our elections, Kent said. Kraft did not respond to The Daily News phone calls or email requesting comment on Inslees statements by Saturday afternoon. Kraft remains an active state representative, representing Vancouver and Clark County in District 17. Inslee acknowledged it was unusual for him to call out a sitting elected official as a threat to democracy and said he made the claims advisedly. Those candidates who refuse to honor our votes, which they have both done, are a clear and present danger to democracy and Im here to raise a red flag, Inslee said. Kent and Kraft arent the only two people in the race who have questioned state election results. In a video posted on her campaign website, Republican candidate Heidi St. John claimed that mail-in ballots in Washington have been rife with fraud since Dino Rossi lost the recount for the governors race in 2004. St. John added that the solution to the mail-in ballots was for more Republicans to be engaged and vote. The other candidates in the 3rd Congressional District race are Oliver Black, of the American Solidarity Party from Longview; Chris Byrd, an independent from Toutle; Leslie French, a Republican from Vancouver; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat from Washougal; and Davy Ray, a Democrat from Stevenson. Love 9 Funny 7 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In less than a month, Cowlitz County residents in mental health crisis or emotional distress can call or text a three-digit number for help thats not 911. On July 16, calls made nationwide to 988 will connect to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. In Washington, the rollout of 988 is part of a larger state effort to redesign the patchwork crisis response system, according to the states draft plan. Leaders of regional and local organizations that provide crisis services expect the change to lead to more calls and responses in Cowlitz County. I think thats the goal, ease of access, said Drew McDaniel, Columbia Wellness CEO. The opportunity to identify behavioral health as being an essential service, especially for the individuals in this level of need, and having something as simple as 988 to call, I think we will get more calls. The plan In 2020, Congress designated 988 as a new dialing code that will route callers to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and required states to launch the program by July 16. Last year, the Washington Legislature passed a bill to develop the states plan and partially fund the service through a tax on phone and internet lines. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline trained counselors will answer calls, provide support and connect callers to resources. Once 988 goes live, calls to that number will continue go to three state call centers that answer National Suicide Prevention Lifeline calls based on callers locations. The new 988 line will not replace existing national, state, regional or local crisis lines. In Washington, three organizations receive calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Connections serving King County, Frontier Behavioral Health serving six Eastern Washington counties and Volunteers of America of Western Washington serving the remaining 32 counties. The protocol for Volunteers of America, which takes National Suicide Prevention Lifeline calls for Cowlitz County, will remain the same after 988 goes live, said Pat Morris, senior director of behavioral health. Trained staff will provide services to callers, who will most often not be transferred to a different line, she said. If a call comes to 988 and if we cant deescalate and provide that person with a safety plan, then our goal is to connect them to their communities via crisis line and the resources we have to make sure those individuals get support within in own community, she said. For callers in need of an in-person response, Volunteers of Americas protocol is to keep that person on the line while staff reach out to the local mobile crisis team, Morris said. McDaniel stressed 988 does not take away any services, but provides an easy-to-reach option for individuals and their families. I think the motivation behind the 988 system is much like 911, where a call operator, no matter where you are, will pick up that line, he said. That person be able to say, How can we help you? And based on what the caller says they will connect them with the appropriate resource. As suspected most of the time that will be the community mobile crisis teams that will go out and provide that service. Where to get help 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, chat available at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Great Rivers regional crisis line: 1-800-803-8833. Cowlitz County crisis line: 360-425-6064. Washington Recovery Help Line: Anonymous, confidential 24/7 help line for state residents experiencing substance-use disorders, problem gambling and mental health challenges. Call 1-866-789-1511 or text 1-866-789-1511 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekdays. Over the past year, some Cowlitz County law enforcement agencies have also implemented a crisis coordination team to help police respond to a growing number of crisis calls. The 988 line, and other changes outlined in the states related legislation, aim to connect people in crisis with appropriate help while reducing the use of assistance from police and emergency rooms, according to the state Health Care Authority. Right now, Columbia Wellness more frequently gets calls transferred from 911 than the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, in part because its a familiar and easy number to remember, McDaniel said. Increased calls There is already a large volume of crisis calls for Cowlitz, Lewis, Wahkiakum, Pacific and Grays Harbor counties without 988. The region had the highest number of crisis line calls per capita in the state in 2020 and 2021 and the highest number of mobile outreach events per 100,000 residents, according to a report from the Crisis Response Improvement Strategy Committee, set up to help implement the state 988 plan. The five-county area, known as the Great Rivers region, is one of 10 regional behavioral health administrative service organizations in the state that provides certain mental health services, including crisis response, to all residents, regardless of income or insurance. The regional organization contracts with Columbia Wellness to provide crisis services. Great Rivers CEO Trinidad Medina said the number of calls is somewhat skewed because not all regions collect the data in the same way; however, the region does have a higher than average per capita call volume. Challenges Crisis agencies are looking to hire more staff as a result of the expected calls. Volunteers of America is on track to triple its staff, Morris said. McDaniel said Columbia Wellness is presently staffed to meet the need, though the company is hiring for multiple crisis positions according to its website. McDaniel said the organization will coordinate with Great Rivers to hire additional positions as they come up, which may be difficult. Every entity that provides behavioral health services that I know of is trying to get as creative as possible for recruitment and retention, he said. Cowlitz County police, mental health providers concerned about new law's changes to crisis response Cowlitz County police and mental health service providers are concerned a new state law that aims to make police and suspect interactions safe Another statewide challenge is developing signal capacity to allow people to call from anywhere in the state, Great Rivers CEO Medina said. Implementing interconnected call centers and referral systems as outlined in the state legislation will take time, he added. I think its important that as a state we ... move forward in a very thoughtful manner, Medina said. This is a system that needs to save peoples lives, and we need to implement it right the first time. Staff training will also affect the crisis systems effectiveness, McDaniel said. I think were eager to see what it offers and how it helps, he said. That to me is the litmus test. Does it do what its intended to do? If it allows the calls to transfer appropriately, no dropped calls, interruptions, if allows for information sharing to take place as to resource capacity, bed capacity, and if it allows the system to better get an individual the level of care they need at right time, I think well be able to call this a success. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Flipkart is offering discounts and other offers on Apple iPhone SE 2020, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini. Check details here. Apple offers iPhones in several storage and colour variants and that too in different sizes. From Pro Max to mini, you can choose the one which suits you the most. If you prefer iPhone 13 mini or iPhone 12 mini because of their compact size and want to buy any one of them, then you can get it today. Flipkart is offering great discounts and other offers on iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 12 mini. If you have a budget crunch and want to go for the iPhone SE 2020 model, then it too is being offered at a discounted rate. Check the price cut and offer details on iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone SE 2020. Apple iPhone 13 mini price cut on Flipkart The 128GB variant of iPhone 13 mini is available at a discount of 7 percent for Rs. 64,999 on Flipkart. However, you will have to pay an extra Rs. 29 as secured packaging fee. The price of iPhone 13 mini can be reduced further if you get it on exchange by up to Rs. 12,500. Apart from this the bank offers and freebies that you can grab along with the phone include: 10 percent off on SBI Credit Cards, up to Rs. 1000 on orders of Rs. 5000 and above; 10 percent off on SBI Credit Card EMI transactions, up to Rs. 1500 on orders of Rs. 5000 and above; 5 percent cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank Card; and Rs. 100 off on 1st transaction through Flipkart Pay Later. While the freebies include BYJU'S 3 Live classes worth Rs. 999; Gaana Plus subscription for 3 months; and Hotstar for free. Also Read: Waiting for iPhone 14 Pro? Us too! These leaks make the wait harder, check them out Apple iPhone 12 mini price cut on Flipkart The 64GB variant of iPhone 12 mini is available at a huge discount of 16 percent for Rs. 49,999 on Flipkart. The price of iPhone 12 mini can be reduced further if you have an older phone to exchange. You can get up to Rs. 12,500 if you avail buy with exchange offer. Apart from this the bank offers and freebies that you can grab along with the phone are 10 percent off on SBI Credit Cards, up to Rs. 1000 on orders of Rs. 5000 and above; 10 percent off on SBI Credit Card EMI transactions, up to Rs. 1500 on orders of Rs. 5000 and above; 5 percent cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank Card; and Rs. 100 off on 1st transaction through Flipkart Pay Later. The freebies include BYJU'S 3 Live classes worth Rs. 999; Gaana Plus subscription for 3 months; and Hotstar for free. Also Read: Animated backgrounds on Telegram; Know how to make texting interesting Apple iPhone SE 2020 price cut on Flipkart With a discount of 22 percent, the 128GB variant of iPhone SE 2020 is available for Rs. 34,999 on Flipkart. On availing the exchange offer, you will be able to reduce the cost of the phone further by up to Rs. 12,500. The bank offers being provided on the phone are 10 percent off on SBI Credit Cards, up to Rs. 1000 on orders of Rs. 5000 and above; 10 percent off on SBI Credit Card EMI transactions, up to Rs. 1500 on orders of Rs. 5000 and above; 5 percent cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank Card; and Rs. 100 off on 1st transaction through Flipkart Pay Later. The freebies include BYJU'S 3 Live classes worth Rs. 999; Gaana Plus subscription for 3 months; and Hotstar for free. An Italy-based firm's hacking tools were used to spy on Apple iPhones and Android smartphones in Italy and Kazakhstan, Google said Thursday, casting a light on a "flourishing" spyware industry. Google's threat analysis team said spyware made by RCS Lab targeted the phones using a combination of tactics including unusual "drive-by downloads" that happen without victims being aware. Concerns over spyware were fueled by media outlets reporting last year that Israeli firm NSO's Pegasus tools were used by governments to surveil opponents, activists and journalists. "They claim to only sell to customers with legitimate use for surveillanceware, such as intelligence and law enforcement agencies," mobile cybersecurity specialist Lookout said of companies like NSO and RCS. "In reality, such tools have often been abused under the guise of national security to spy on business executives, human rights activists, journalists, academics and government officials," Lookout added. Google's report said the RCS spyware it uncovered, and which was dubbed "Hermit", is the same one that Lookout reported on previously. Lookout researchers said that in April they found Hermit being used by the government of Kazakhstan inside its borders to spy on smartphones, just months after anti-government protests in that country were suppressed. "Like many spyware vendors, not much is known about RCS Lab and its clientele," Lookout said. "But based on the information we do have, it has a considerable international presence." - Growing spyware industry - Evidence suggests Hermit was used in a predominantly Kurdish region of Syria, the mobile security company said. Analysis of Hermit showed that it can be employed to gain control of smartphones, recording audio, redirecting calls, and collecting data such as contacts, messages, photos and location, Lookout researchers said. Google and Lookout noted the spyware spreads by getting people to click on links in messages sent to targets. "In some cases, we believe the actors worked with the target's ISP (internet service provider) to disable the target's mobile data connectivity," Google said. "Once disabled, the attacker would send a malicious link via SMS asking the target to install an application to recover their data connectivity." When not masquerading as a mobile internet service provider, the cyber spies would send links pretending to be from phone makers or messaging applications to trick people into clicking, researchers said. "Hermit tricks users by serving up the legitimate webpages of the brands it impersonates as it kickstarts malicious activities in the background," Lookout researchers said. Google said it has warned Android users targeted by the spyware and ramped up software defenses. Apple told AFP it has taken steps to protect iPhone users. Google's threat team is tracking more than 30 companies that sell surveillance capabilities to governments, according to the Alphabet-owned tech titan. "The commercial spyware industry is thriving and growing at a significant rate," Google said. Add the notorious cybercrime Lazarus Group to the list of concerns fueling the crypto meltdown. The world of crypto isnt just suffering from a market malaise that has seen the price of Bitcoin drop from $69,000 to around $20,000 today it also faces a troubling number of security risks. There have been dozens of breaches in the past few years showing that cybercriminals are gravitating toward the world of cryptocurrencies. In many cases, we dont know who the attackers are, but one culprit that keeps coming up is the band of state-backed hackers from North Korea known as the Lazarus Group. According to a new book by Geoff White, The Lazarus Heist, the regimes hackers have been become increasingly sophisticated over the past decade, managing to steal an estimated $2 billion worth of cryptocurrency to date. Crypto investors should expect the gang to continue exploiting blockchain targets, or the the soft underbelly of the financial system, according to White, who believes the $2 billion figure is a vast underestimate. It stands to reason the hacker group would target crypto networks: Lazaruss modus operandi for years has been to generate as much cash as it could to help prop up the North Korean regime and its nuclear weapons program. In the past decade, its schemes have included sophisticated ATM hacks and ransomware, including the infamous WannaCry cyber attack. Now decentralized finance, or DeFi, has become a more lucrative target than banks, thanks to the billions of dollars locked up in its various applications. But the move-fast-and-break-things culture still prevalent in web3 development hasnt helped the security of those networks. Neither does the fact that building web3 apps is unusually hard for programmers, who can create gaping financial vulnerabilities with simple coding errors. Across the board, the amount of money lost through hacks of DeFi projects more than doubled in 2021, with security website CrytpoSec listing 102 reported breaches between Jan. 2020 and June 2022, totaling $3.4 billion lost. Lazarus has gone after several crypto networks, including a Slovakian crypto exchange in 2020 from which it stole virtual currency worth $5.4 million. The hackers went on to launder the funds through the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, according a Reuters investigation. They were also behind the more-than-$600 million hack on play-to-earn-game Axie Infinity, which when measured by money stolen could be one of the biggest single hacks of all time. (The U.S. Treasury Department blamed Lazarus as being behind the attack.) I spoke to White in a Twitter Spaces discussion this past week about the group, and some of its strategies for targeting DeFi networks in the future. Below is an edited excerpt from that discussion: Parmy: Do we have any idea of how many people are in the Lazarus group? How are its members selected and trained? Geoff: In terms of how many there are, theres a publicly quoted figure, which is 6,000, which has come from analysis of testimony from defectors whove come out of North Korea. To train these people, the North Korean government cant rely on hackers in hoodies in bedrooms, kids who just go on YouTube, because in North Korea you cant just pick up a laptop and go on the Internet. All the computer hackers in North Korea have come up through the school system. They've been spotted and groomed by the regime to go into elite universities, to hone their skills. A lot will go into either the nuclear program or government hacking. Parmy: North Korean hackers went after Axie Infinity in March. It seems that unlike other state-backed hackers theyre not targeting any particular country. Who or what do you expect them to go after in the future? Geoff: Cryptocurrency is absolutely the direction of travel. If youre looking at how much was stolen in one fell swoop, I think the $625 million stolen from Axie Infinity may be the biggest single hack of any amount of money from one company, in one hit, ever If you look at the banks that theyve hacked into, youre talking Vietnam, the Philippines, Chile, Bangladesh. They will go anywhere where the security is weakest. Parmy: They seem opportunistic in terms of scope. Given that blockchain networks have experienced a number of breaches and vulnerabilities, thanks in part to their difficult coding environment, do you expect blockchain to become an attractive target to North Korean hackers in the next few years? Geoff: I think so. There have been reports coming out from alleged North Korean hackers advertising jobs and targeting cryptocurrency workers and saying, Hey, Ive got a great job for you. A perfect job. And then tricking cryptocurrency workers into downloading malware and getting into the cryptocurrencies that way. Bizarrely, it also seems that North Koreas hackers are trying to get jobs at cryptocurrency companies. Theres been an alert put out by the US Treasury warning cryptocurrency firms about North Korean hackers turning up and applying for jobs. Weve interviewed somebody who claims he actually interviewed a North Korean hacker who applied for a job at his company and realized halfway through the interview what was afoot. But when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. If youre inside a cryptocurrency company, you might be able to steal money from them directly. You might be able to get the passwords, and even if you dont, you might be able to introduce a flaw or vulnerability into that companys code, which allows you to extricate money later on. And even if none of that works, if youve got a company email address, you can email other people in the crypto industry and say, Hey, I just started work for company X. Have you seen this exciting news? See attachment to the email. And thats how you get your viruses out. 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. The City of College Station currently has four areas where dogs are allowed to roam free and be off their leash, including a small area in Lick Creek Park. During a previous College Station City Council meeting, members discussed implementing more leash-free areas and potential areas where the enforcement of dogs on their leash is necessary in the event of someone or another animal getting hurt. The current off-leash ordinance for the city states that all dogs must be kept on a leash and under control, unless they are in a designated leash-free area, according to Steve Wright, College Stations director of Parks and Recreation. We have designated 3.7 areas in our parks that are leash-free areas: Barracks Park, University Park, Steeplechase Park and over at Lick Creek Park, the majority of that park requires the dog to be on a leash, Wright told the council. There is a certain [space] located on Raccoon Run that is located within Lick Creek Park that is currently allowed to have dogs off leash. He went on to note that the citys code enforcement officers and animal control can issue citations if residents are not following the current ordinance. Council member Linda Harvell asked Wright if there is currently a demand for more off-leash parks. Wright said this topic was being discussed in regard to Lick Creek Park, where it has been hard for residents to determine and understand which areas they can have their dog on and off their leash and keep them in those areas. Its hard to control and a couple of patrons had reached out with some complaints about having all dogs under control, Wright said. We did research to see if there were calls from Lick Creek to Animal Control. There werent any phone calls made but that doesnt mean there wasnt an issue. I periodically visit it, and people do want to make sure their animal is safe. We had an unfortunate incident in Houston with one dog on the leash and one not and the little [dog] didnt make it. Its not a problem until it is a problem. We like to think we have them under control but it is a shared space. Councilmember John Crompton urged the parks department to look into potentially doing away with the off-leash area in Lick Creek Park, and instead designating the Smith Tract Park in College Station as a shared space for people to hike and for their dogs to roam off leash. Some of the other councilmembers agreed with Cromptons proposal. I think we need to terminate the off-leash area at Raccoon Run, Crompton said. When that big dog comes along and bangs down my 2-year-old granddaughter and knocks her to the floor and she damages herself, and I sue the city for a million dollars, we dont have much of a defense if we are enforcing this everywhere else in the park and not there. I was initially in favor of this, but as more people move in, it is not a question of if there will be an incident but when. The citys lawyers assured the council that if in the event someone was injured in a park by someone elses animal, the city would not be held responsible for the incident. Councilmember Elizabeth Cuhna liked Cromptons idea about utilizing Smith Tract; however, she said she was hesitant to make Lick Creek an on-leash only area without substituting it with another space. These other dog parks are not hikeable really. They are just a space, so I would like to wait until we can work out Dr. Cromptons thoughts and see if we can maybe trade instead of just closing it, she said. Regarding if additional enforcement was necessary in the parks, the council agreed to revisit the idea if there are calls being recorded with residents expressing safety concerns with the dogs in Lick Creek; or elsewhere where they are not on a leash. Cunha suggested that the parks department keep a track when or if calls arise. Councilman Bob Brick noted that Lick Creek Park used to be designated as a wildlife conservation area and wanted to see what could be done about the wildlife in the park and how they are affected. Mayor Karl Mooney concluded the councils discussion and remembered how many of the citys parks used to be empty and are now filled with patrons. We have a considerable amount of land that is now park space. I would like to look at not just Smith Tract but some of those other areas where somebody could take their dog and put them off leash somewhere; I am hoping that we can see that, Mooney said. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. About 45 people gathered on the corner of Texas Avenue and George Bush Drive on Saturday for a peaceful protest against the Supreme Courts decision the day before to overrule Roe v. Wade. The decision turns abortion to individual states, overturning the federal case that protected a womans right to an abortion before the unborn baby is considered viable. Protest organizer Lorraine Madewell said she wanted to create the event to let representatives know they want to have a choice. I dont want the government telling me what I can and cant do with my own body, she said. The next thing is just going to be our right to privacy, and were not going to have that anymore very soon. Justice (Clarence) Thomas has already come out and said hes going for these next cases, so its not going to be long before we lose more rights. The protest included chants of abort the court and abortion is health care and health care is a human right. The crowd was met with supportive honks from passing drivers, but also saw some people rev their engines as they went by with some yelling at protestors, showing support for the Supreme Courts decision. Robby Bounds of College Station said the landscape is different than it has ever been and said he never expected his views in support of womens rights, LGBTQ rights and interracial marriage would make people consider him on the left. This is a fight for the most basic of all of our rights, the right for bodily autonomy, he said. If we dont have that, all the other rights are nonexistent. He said he was glad to see the turnout and the support, but emphasized the need for people to vote. You got to get out in the midterms and make your voices heard, he said. If you go to these events and dont follow your passion with some action, it does no good. Chris Roldan, who drove to College Station from Spring for the protest, also emphasized the need for people to vote in the November election. First, I think people should register to vote, and people show up to vote, she said. I think that thats fundamental in securing the rights that we fundamentally believe that we should have. Saturday was the first protest Roldan has attended since going to No blood for oil protests in high school, she said. I really felt just the shock wave, I think, yesterday of the ruling that came over, she said. I have four children, and I think its not just about abortion. I think its just about our own privacy and about what we can do for our own medical decisions, and I want my kids to be able to make medical decisions that are fitting for their families and for them. I think that this just took us light years away from what I took for granted. Roldan said she showed up to use her voice and represent her children, ranging in ages from 17 to 28. She said it is also important to know how to talk to people who have dissenting opinions, acknowledging a person in a passing car who yelled an opposing opinion at the gathered protesters. Its OK that we all have conflicting opinions and we can have civil discourse about it, she said. I think that thats something thats missing right now is to be able to sit down with the people that you disagree with and have a conversation. Too much of the battle is going on on social media, and that does not allow for that dialogue, to understand where the other person is coming from and really learn and hear what they have to say also. Madewell said she understands how people feel about abortion, but said the feelings represented by the protest go beyond abortion. A mother now if she has a child and it doesnt develop life-sustaining organs, she now has to carry that child to term, and people walking on the street will congratulate her, and shell have to live every day until she gives birth, she said, adding some of these complications in pregnancy lead to a Caesarean section delivery, which carries with it more risks for the mother. Madewell said she is scared the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will lead to other landmark cases concerning the right to contraceptives and same-sex marriage to be overturned. Roldan said Saturdays protest, and the others taking place throughout the country show how disconnected the Supreme Court and some politicians are from how citizens feel. Cassy Johnson held signs that read Keep abortion legal and Mind your own uterus, and said she would appreciate it if people who are in support of the Supreme Courts decision could imagine the position they are putting women in potentially. For me, personally, Im someone that doesnt want kids in their future, and if something were to ever happen to me where I were met with that choice, I would like to have that choice personally for myself and for my fellow friends and everyone as well, she said. Doris Machinski of Bryan said the services needed to support women and new babies are not sufficient after Fridays decision. She understands how expensive it can be to raise a child, noting her older child was born with Down syndrome and required speech therapy and glasses. There are no resources to take care of that family and that child, she said. She said the government is condemning families to make sacrifices that will negatively impact the family, and said eliminating access to abortion is not the solution. The young women that are coming up now, they should have the freedom to choose, she said. I dont know what their life is like. Until you know what a persons life is like, you cannot set limits like that. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. As we approach July 4th, we face grave concerns over the political and cultural polarization of our country. The House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Insurrection of 2021 has been hearing testimony related to the conduct of the then-president of the United States in fostering this insurrection. Never before has a president been charged with such an act to overthrow the peaceful transfer of power in the United States, the very cornerstone of our republic. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan reminded us that The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place as it has for almost two centuries and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle. Thomas Jefferson, the man who was most responsible for writing the Declaration of Independence, became President in 1800 in one of the most politically divisive elections in our history and reminded his fellow citizens in his Inaugural Address that this government, was the worlds best hope. He also stated that every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all republicanswe are all federalists. Joseph Ellis wrote in his book American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson that the most revolutionary feature of his elevation to the presidency was its routine character the most significant events were those that did not happen. Today, however, we are witness to the events that did happen on Jan. 6 in our Capitol. We are, indeed, living in historic times. We need to remember, however, that every generation of Americans has faced its own challenges to maintain this very strong but very fragile democratic Republic. In Jeffersons election in 1800, the election not only divided the country on the kind of government to support, but there was the issue of how the president was elected. At that time there was no clear identification of the candidates according to parties or the position they were seeking. Even though Aaron Burr was running as Jeffersons vice president, he received the same number of electoral votes as Jefferson. But according to Alexander Hamilton who would later die in a duel with Aaron Burr Burrsprivate character is not defended by his most partial friends . Mr. Burr [is] the most unfit man in the United States for the office of President. Because Burr lacked the integrity to uphold the process that had been created in the Constitution, the election would be decided by the House of Representatives, where the Federalists blocked the majority necessary for Jeffersons selection for six days and 36 ballots. In 2001, Vice President Al Gore presided over the certification of the electoral votes which he lost by some 500 Florida votes. To Gores credit, he did uphold the Constitution, and there was a peaceful transfer of power rather than a violent attack on the Capitol. The insurrection of 2021 also involved Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to do as the president asked him to do by declaring the certified electoral votes of certain states invalid. As Judge J. Michael Luttig testified before the House Committee, There was no historical precedent from the beginning in 1789 to support the possibility of the vice president of the U.S. counting alternative votes that had not been certified by the states. No basis at all. So, in 1800, we have the behavior of the vice presidential candidate acting to prevent Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, from being certified as president of the United States, while in 2001 and 2021 we have two vice presidents upholding the Constitution by refusing to prevent the election of the president. In 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren, one of the first patriots to die in the American Revolution, told his fellow patriots that, Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. ... On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves. In 2022, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House Select Committee, reminded us that There are times we think the danger has passed but our system will fail but for people like you. We are living in difficult and demanding times, but we have been here before. We all must act worthy of the nation we have inherited and continue to support it as the worlds best hope of creating one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all. Blanche Henderson Brick is a retired professor of history at Blinn College in Bryan. CAIRO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met on Sunday with visiting Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral ties and regional security. The Egyptian president expressed appreciation of the UAE support for Egypt on several critical occasions, highlighting the unique ties and "close coordination" between the two countries, said Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement. For his part, the UAE foreign minister valued "Egypt's pivotal role" as a pillar of security and stability in the Arab world, praising Egypt's keenness to strengthen solidarity among Arab states and advance joint Arab action, according to the statement. He also affirmed his country's keenness to strengthen and consolidate its "strategic relations" with Egypt in a way that achieves common interests and enhances security and stability in the region. The meeting also addressed ways of boosting economic cooperation and increasing the UAE investments in Egypt in various fields including energy, transport and tourism, according to the statement Over the past few days, leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council states made official visits to Egypt and vowed further investment in the North African country, including Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The push for new Grand Island Public Schools leadership has so far been sequestered namelessly to Facebook feeds and whispers of who could be in the candidate pool. Things are starting to look more official, as the group has begun the process of establishing a PAC and has named its first candidate. Leaders within the group, which includes former Grand Island Mayor Jeremy Jensen, have christened their PAC-to-be Chaperone. Their first hopeful Board of Education representative is Grand Island resident and GIPS alum Hank McFarland, who provided enough signatures are collected will be vying for a spot representing Ward B. Wheels began turning faster when candidate Carol Schooley filed a declination of nomination form Monday, June 20, with the Hall County Election Commission. Schooley, who would have been running against Tim Mayfield, was one of two candidates seeking one seat on Ward B. Because she withdrew from the race, Mayfield is currently the only remaining Ward B candidate. Schooley did not respond The Independents requests for comment in time for publication. McFarland, vice president of private banking at Pinnacle Bank, said he had not yet met or spoken directly with Schooley. Because filing deadlines are past, McFarland is trying to become a contender via petition. Tracy Overstreet, Hall County election commissioner, said Its not just a petition that you sit in front of your computer and type your name. Its very regulated by state law the font types, the color of the lettering, the spacing of the signature line and everything. In this case signatures must come from registered voters in GIPSs Ward B. A total of 680 valid signatures are needed by Sept. 1 in order for the name of a successful petitioner to be printed on the general election ballot. McFarland said he is not concerned about getting enough signatures. While he is not on Facebook, he said, McFarland had heard rumblings. I have friends who are teachers and the horror stories that they were telling me. Thats another reason I wanted to get involved. The problems are not with the teachers, the problems are not with us the students its the administration and the board (of education). Teacher strife has been loud and clear recently, but according to Michelle Carter, president of the Grand Island Education Association (GIEA), there has been little response and fewer questions. We want board members who will support teachers, who will listen to teachers absolutely will seek out teachers opinions, she said. While we have administrators, theyre not in the trenches with us every day. While McFarland isnt a teacher (according to the Hall County Election Commission website, GIPS board of education candidates cannot be employed as a teacher by GIPS) he comes from a family of teachers. His parents both taught at GIPS, McFarland said, and his wife, Kathy, was an interventional counselor at GIPS. McFarlands kids, he said, had a wonderful experience at Stolley Park Elementary School a little over a decade ago. McFarland, himself a GISH graduate, remembers his time in senior high and realizes its influence. Chuck Hamner, my English teacher at GISH said this: Speak clearly, speak concisely and mean what you say, McFarland said. When I went to college, that was the only discipline that I was really ready for college English because Chuck Hamner beat it into our heads the importance of knowing the fundamentals. McFarland noted, Grand Island Public Schools has some wonderful things going on (but) we need to pull the rug back and find out what else has been going on. Should he be elected, it seemed McFarland knows what questions he wants to ask. Im a fan of results. What are your test results? What are our test scores? If our test scores arent where they need to be, what do we need to get those up? Those test scores are indicative of the future potential of children. How can they better improve their lives? How are you graduating? And how have we failed you because youre not going to be able to perform in life? McFarland said. If you cannot communicate and cant do simple math, Im sorry, youre not going to be very employable or promotable, either one. One solution, McFarland believes, is shifting power and having a decentralized system where the teachers are left to teach. If they needed help, they went to the principal; the principal knew what was going on in the classroom. That principal observed the teacher, and it was kept within the system within that small microsystem. Thats gone, McFarland said. Carter said more communication and connectedness between teachers and different levels of administration including school board members would make a difference. Carter, a fifth grade teacher at Dodge Elementary School, said her doors are always open. I would welcome any board member to come and walk a day in our shoes. At any given building, come in, see what kinds of behavior problems we have, see what kind of curriculum were teaching. Some have wondered why GIEA has remained relatively quiet in the candidate-recruiting process. That doesnt mean GIEA and recently-named Chaperone havent been communicating, both Jensen and Carter said. Ive talked with Michelle, we visited with the teachers, Jensen said. I think theres some limitations they kind of feel like theyve been on an island. They need advocacy. Aligning with all those teachers is going to be given massive support. Carter said Jensen asked what teachers are looking for in a candidate. She said GIEA had not, and likely would not, proclaim any endorsements. We dont normally do that. Still, GIEA is there to help, Carter said. I will put the information out there. I would be happy to serve as a point person, if they need to contact me to get signs, get them from you, or if we want to host an event, if they need to have support for that, we can do that. Chaperones mission has begun to congeal, Jensen said. Youve got the community piece of it. The Chaperone group representing all these parents, looking for the candidates, now aligning with the teachers, then the other components of it are the kids and the administration. Everybody wants whats best for the kids, theres no question about that. Jessica Votipka is the education reporter at the Grand Island Independent. She can be reached at 308-381-5420. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Following the pandemic, free summer lunches at Grand Island Public Schools remain popular and needed, say GIPS food service employees. A few years before COVID-19 hit, over 1,000 kids were being served, said Kris Spellman, director of GIPS Nutrition Services. Now they are feeding about 600. Spellman said GIPS Nutrition Services Summer Food Services are bolstered by support from USDA and the Nebraska Department of Education, who want every school to do a foodservice operation in the summer. There are a lot of kiddos out there that eat school lunch during the school year and then dont have access in the summer. The program is federally reimbursed, similar to the school lunch program, but with more stringent rules and regulations. Deb Hopkins, head server at Lincoln Elementary School, does headcounts in the cafeteria. The summer meal program is a guessing game, she said. We dont know what were having, Hopkins said, penciling numbers on a clipboard. Today is a good day. Weve already had 46 kids and we still have 35 minutes left to go. The free meals are not simply for GIPS students; they are for anyone in Grand Island ages 1-18. There are no questions asked, Spellman said. They just come to the door and go to the serving line, and we serve them a lunch or breakfast. Adults pay $4 for their meal, and a significant number of parents take advantage of the low-cost, nutritious meal. Some of them are familiar faces in the school, former students now a bit older, Hopkins said. They bring along their little kiddos like Destiny, for one, Hopkins said, pointing out a young mother helping her child sip from a milk carton. She came to school here, and now shes got her little one that she brings in to eat lunch. Her brother and sister came to school here and they come in and eat lunch. Therein lies a complication, Spellman said. Because this summer the sites have been pared down (there are five) children sometimes dont have means to get to the sites. Since we only have five sites, were not able to cover the whole geographic area of Grand Island. If kiddos are at home by themselves, they might not be able to get to a site, which is really unfortunate. Spellman indicated she wished there were more GIPS buildings serving summer meals, but it wasnt plausible. We just we dont have the people to staff our sites. Weve got as many sites as we can handle. For about 25 years, Hopkins has been handling her Lincoln Elementary site while school is in or out of session. By all indications, shes doing it well. The kids giggle and laugh, and parents get together bring all their kids in here to eat all at once, Hopkins said. Look at the happy faces, all the kids. We have a lot of hungry kids. Their parents are working that need this food. It gets me right here, Hopkins said, tearing up. I go home with a happy heart knowing that I did something good to feed the kids. Jessica Votipka is the education reporter at the Grand Island Independent. She can be reached at 308-381-5420. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A new organization called The 5% Project wants people to listen to each other and treat one another with respect in hopes of improving the nations political process. The group will holds its first local public gathering Thursday, June 30, at Railside Plaza. Wayne Anson of Grand Island is the local organizer of The 5% Project. The organization believes that only a small percentage of Americans unfriend each other on Facebook or refuse to engage in dialogue because of political beliefs. While they may hold definite political opinions, the majority of Americans arent against one another, Anson said. A goal is to have people understand one another. We just want people to feel free to be human with each other, Anson said. What were really trying to do is make visible the fact that we can get along. Anson is one of four founders of The 5% Project, three of whom live in Nebraska. The others live in Lincoln, Wymore and Texas. According to its materials, The 5% Project is a neutral, nonviolent, nonpartisan gathering of people who hold wildly different political agendas but come together to stop the current fight and flight practice of politics and seek to form a more perfect union, establish justice and ensure domestic tranquility. Ansons involvement grew out of an online workshop he presented called Talk Politics Without Fear or Anger. The 5% Project, he said, is part of the bridge-building movement. The organization is connected to the Bridge Alliance, which has more than 100 partners, and is part of the Listen First Coalition, which includes more than 400 organizations. At Thursdays introductory gathering, a conservative and a liberal will shake hands. Members of the audience will also be encouraged to shake hands. Were looking to do other public things that bring people together, he said. From humble beginnings, we have the opportunity to build healthy political interaction, he said. Six policy statements, also known as We wants, are listed on the organizations website. They are: 1. We want We the people to be the rightful masters of Congress, the administration and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the individuals who pervert the Constitution. 2. We want An Amendment to the Constitution limiting the terms for Senators and Representatives. 3. We want All committee meetings in the Senate and House of Representatives to be open and telecast unless involving national security with transcripts and recordings of meetings available for public access through the Library of Congress. 4. We want To make it illegal for caucuses and legislators to influence a candidates election through financial support, gifts and/or other donations. 5. We want The body of and any amendments or additions to legislation to be directly related to the initial topic of the document. 6. We want No legislation in the form of a bill or amendment to be enacted without enough time for each voting member of Congress to thoroughly read and question any part thereof. For information, visit www.the5percentproject.com. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. 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: ISLAMABAD, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Sunday reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening action and cooperation to achieve a world that is free of drug abuse and trafficking. "Drug abuse not only undermines public health and socioeconomic development, but also challenges national security and prosperity," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Protecting the youth and the future generations from this menace is inevitable for a safe and prosperous world, said the statement. The illicit drug production and its trafficking is a major problem, the statement said, adding that Pakistan has been at the forefront of the efforts to actively support the ongoing global and regional initiatives that aim to fight drug production and trafficking. In addition to international and regional cooperation, a number of counter-narcotics measures have been taken at the national level including the adoption of a national anti-narcotics policy and the creation of an inter-agency task force on counter-narcotics, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry. Money for projects and initiatives ranging from road improvements to tuition mitigation will be funneled into the local area from the states fiscal year 2022-2023 budget. Local legislators said they are excited about the chance to improve everything from education to infrastructure while work to improve the quality of life continues. We worked on a lot of important legislation, but I certainly think that the budget is the work that I might be most proud of, quite frankly, Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, said. I think that we were able to balance and certainly make sure that our local needs were identified and taken care of this year, but also really be able to do some great things statewide that hadnt been done in some time, he said. Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said, Im quite satisfied with how Orangeburg County came out in this budget. From a House perspective, Im very satisfied with what we were able to do. Everybodys talking about the tax relief and all of that, but Im just glad that we were able to do what we could as far as education, the K-12. What we tried to do ... is focus those state dollars on classrooms and on teachers and give more money to rural and poor school districts, she said. Rep. Lonnie Hosey, D-Barnwell, whose district includes a portion of Orangeburg, said he is also pleased with this years budget, with the addition of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds making much-needed development projects possible. Its a great addition to our regular budgets for the time being. We had money from the American Rescue Plan and also other entities that are allowing us to get the money to do some infrastructure and some projects that weve been waiting a long time for. I think its good, Hosey said. Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg said, I think we fared well. All of those projects are worthwhile and will improve the quality of life in the area. Ott said, We were able to give about a billion dollars in tax rebates this year. So that's going to be money coming directly back to the taxpayers that they can put in their pockets. But, at the same time, we also passed substantial income tax decreases. So that's pretty huge, and that's something that I've been really advocating for quite some time for, he said. The budget includes $250 million statewide for local roads, with Orangeburg getting approximately $11.2 million added to its county transportation committee fund and Bamberg and Calhoun counties getting $2.1 million and $2.2 million, respectively. We're sending additional dollars back to our local county CTCs. That's going to be huge because those dollars can be used locally. Those decisions can be made locally. Sometimes the DOT process is almost too bureaucratic, but sending that money directly to the CTCs is going to be huge, Ott said. Cobb-Hunter said, In Orangeburg County, were going to get about $11.2 million for the CTC. Thats a lot of money, but given that we are a county that is 1,100 square miles, itll help, but there will still be needs. Orangeburg County also has the following: $655,000 for sewer service on Hidden Valley and Essex road areas; $1 million for renovation of the Holly Hill Service Center; $500,000 for property for a spec building in western Orangeburg County, plus $4 million for the building, and $450,000 for the placement of a roof at the Samaritan House homeless shelter. There is also money allocated for Railroad Corner redevelopment in Orangeburg with $250,000 for a civil rights museum, along with $500,000 to finish development of the Lake Edisto Park, $10,000 for a Department of Public Utilities water study and $1 million for the Orangeburg County Council on Aging senior center. The budget also includes $350,000 for Whittaker Park upgrades. Ott said, I was able locally to get some much-needed dollars for Calhoun and Orangeburg counties directly. We were able to get almost $400,000 directed toward the Whittaker community that I worked with Orangeburg County on to identify some needs that needed to be addressed there. So we're moving in that direction. He continued, We've (also) got recreational funds for the rec department and things like a walking trail in Calhoun County and painting for the renovations and the cleanup along the railroad cut. Ott touted the state raising the minimum a first-year teacher is paid to $40,000. Weve got to continue that. Thats not enough. Weve got to figure out ways to retain our teachers, but this was a big step, he said. Increasing the starting salary for state law enforcement and correctional officers to $43,500 was also something needed, Ott said. Weve got to get teachers and law enforcement re-engaged. So weve got to give them salaries that can attract them to come and do that work he said. Ott also touted a 3% salary increase for state employees, along with a $1,500 bonus, with Cobb-Hunter stating that the 3% increase is the largest pay raise state employees have had in six years. While I appreciate the 3%, Im just committed to us doing better because our state employee workforce has just been toiling away through the pandemic and everything else. Im still not convinced that we are doing all that we can to compensate state employees, especially those who make under $50,000. Thats 75% of our state employee workforce, she said. Cobb-Hunter continued, My goal is to work with that 75% of state employees to get them as much compensation as we can because I think they deserve it. I always have and will continue for as long as Im there to fight for state employee pay raises. She has also included in the state budget a proviso directing the Medical University of South Carolina and the Medical University Hospital Authority to partner with the Regional Medical Center for research and improved access to care in rural and underserved communities. The one thing that weve done in South Carolina that Im very proud of is the telehealth medicine system that we have statewide. So I put this proviso in there because Im concerned about improving access to care in rural and underserved communities, Cobb-Hunter said. Also from the budget, she said Orangeburg County will get $516,000 from the states Rural County Stabilization Fund and $3.6 million in local government funds. Bamberg County received $4 million for a new speculative building at its CrossRhodes Industrial Park and will also receive money for a reduction in its school indebtedness. Hutto said the $5 million for school indebtedness had initially been set aside from the states settlement with the Savannah River Site for Bamberg County Airport improvements before Gov. Henry McMaster approved its use for the other purpose. Bamberg is still getting the money allocated to them, its just for another purpose, Hutto said. Education Cobb-Hunter, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and its Higher Education Subcommittee, said she is pleased with what local colleges and universities received in the budget. She said South Carolina State University, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and Denmark Technical College will receive one-time funds for facilities maintenance, renovation and replacement. We gave $33 million to South Carolina State for maintenance, renovation and replacement, she said, along with $5 million for Denmark Tech and $4.7 million for OCtech. OCtech President Dr. Walt Tobin said during a recent OCtech Area Commission meeting that the money would potentially be used for the renovation and repair of Buildings A through J, but also give the college an opportunity to spruce up the campus. Some of thats electrical and mechanical, but some of that will also allow us to renovate classroom space in a segment of the campus that really has not had that attention over the course of the last 20-plus years. Were excited about that, Tobin said. OCtech also received $8 million for a new advanced manufacturing building. Tobin informed Area Commission members its still approximately three years out from being built. Cobb-Hunter said the S.C. Technical College System received $7 million in new recurring dollars, a part of which would assist Orangeburg-Calhoun and Denmark technical colleges with tuition mitigation. She said S.C. State received $1.3 million in tuition-mitigation funding. S.C. State Public Information Officer Sam Watson said, While the administration is still awaiting official confirmation on the overall picture, the legislature has devoted considerable resources to South Carolina State University for 2022-23. Cobb-Hunter said, The other thing under higher ed that will help all these students is the $70 million that we put in needs-based grants. Thats the pot of money that students who have financial needs can access. Then for private institutions like Claflin University, we put in the tuition-grants program $20 million. So students who attend Claflin and other private institutions will be able to apply for that, she said. Cobb-Hunter said the Orangeburg County School District also received $5.1 million in this years budget. Overall, we did pretty well. The one regret I have is that we were not able to allocate monies statewide for Habitat for Humanity. ... Im hopeful that if there is a surplus that we can revisit and come up with some solution. The work that Habitat does in Orangeburg County and around the state in addressing the lack of affordable housing is one that deserves state support, she said. The legislature will address Gov. Henry McMasters budget vetoes on Tuesday. Veterans home, interstate widening Cobb-Hunter said Orangeburg County Veteran Affairs application to the Veterans Administration for an $80 million veterans home, which would be located on U.S. 301 near Interstate 26, also got an added boost in the state budget. As a part of that, theres a $30 million match that is required of the state by the feds. The state has to match $30 million as part of the application process. That $30 million that is needed for the Orangeburg County Veterans Nursing Home is also included in this budget, Cobb-Hunter said. She said the widening of part of the states interstate highway system is also included in this years budget. We added about a billion dollars in additional state road funding from ARPA. I am very pleased to say ... there are two significant interstate projects included: 70 miles of I-26 and 33 miles of I-95. What that ARPA money does is speed up the timeline for those roads, Cobb-Hunter said. She continued, Im still trying to be the squeaky wheel because Orangeburg County calls itself a logistics triangle, and we are indeed in the middle. Even though weve had this infusion and, yes, were speeding up the timeline for the road widening, it wont affect Orangeburg County right away because theyre going to start at both ends of 26 and come down. Orangeburg is kind of in the middle. So we wont see those improvements right away. I know its hard for the public to understand, but the progress that has been made is simply getting it on the DOTs priority list. That, in and of itself, is an accomplishment. Tourism Santee Cooper Country is among the local tourism agencies that were helped with the infusion of dollars into the states tourism industry. We increased the money we gave to the rural tourism groups, Cobb-Hunter said. Santee Cooper Country Executive Director Jane Powell said each one of the South Carolina area tourism regions will receive an extra $100,000 in nonrecurring funds from this years budget. Then they also increased our budget in recurring funds to $325,000. We are very pleased and thankful and grateful to our local representatives and our elected officials like Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter who absolutely understand the importance of tourism in our area, especially with our lake sitting right here in our back yard, she said. Powell continued, Everybodys heard of Charleston and the Columbia and Greenville area, but this helps the little guys. We are so appreciative of it. The money will help with marketing efforts and bringing in fishing tournaments. She said, A little over 4,000 guests will come in our doors looking for things to do while theyre in town, but were also responsible for promoting the water recreation and economic development for the five counties that actually touch the Santee Cooper lakes: Calhoun, Berkeley, Clarendon, Sumter and Orangeburg counties. So we have a large job. Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The speed of care was a key issue discussed as Orangeburgs Regional Medical Center hosted a town hall meeting at the Orangeburg County Library on June 20. The town hall was open to the public and served as a way for hospital management to hear the communitys concerns about the hospitals operation. The event was attended by hospital employees, management and members of the public. A major goal of the meeting was to encourage the community to utilize the hospitals Express Care instead of the emergency room. RMC President and CEO David Southerland said this would help with long wait times in the emergency department. If you have a runny nose or if you have a swollen ankle or an upset stomach, and you come to ED and you expect to be treated in 30 minutes, it's not going to happen, Southerland said. Because we've got gunshots coming in the door, cardiac arrests, we have drug overdoses, people that have much more serious medical conditions that have a higher level of care need to be treated. Southerland said patients with less-serious conditions can be treated in 30-45 minutes in the Express Care instead of waiting hours in the ER. How the hospital plans to shorten wait times was one of several questions asked by community members. Another was about using the hospitals website and the hours of operation of the Express Care Center. One woman at the meeting said she brought her daughter to the Express Care twice when the hospitals website said it would be open only to receive no treatment. On her first visit, the woman said she arrived 45 minutes before closing and was turned away. The nurse said they werent taking any more patients and I said, Well the website says yall are open until 8,' and then she told me that my daughter looked really bad and she sent us to the ER, the woman said. On a second visit, the woman came to Express Care while the website said it would be open only to find no one there. Sabrina Robinson, RMCs vice president of operations, said the Express Care Center like the rest of the health care industry has been struggling to find employees and is still actively recruiting. She also said cutoff times are sometimes necessary during high-traffic times. Sometimes there will be a cut-off time because we don't have the ability to stay until midnight, Robinson said. Robinson said social media is the best way to receive updates about the centers hours changing and that the hospital is currently in the process of improving its website, which she said is difficult to use. It's not an excuse to your point, Robinson said. It's all about communication. So we do have to own the communication piece. Southerland said he had taken note of what the woman experienced and would be discussing it in a meeting the next morning. That's one of the reasons we're having these meetings, Southerland said. To understand where we're not doing a good job. Some attendees asked about the hospitals transportation services and if there was a way to make them more effective, such as by purchasing a fleet of ambulances. Southerland said owning and operating ambulances would be too expensive, but the hospital is looking into a new contract with other EMT providers, including a potential partnership with the Lyft ride-sharing service. Southerland said another reason for the meetings is to encourage the public to use services at RMC, which can handle anything short of brain and open heart surgery. The one thing I do ask from the community, though, is that the community needs to support the hospital, Southerland said. This is a county-owned facility. This is a hospital that was built and owned by citizens of Orangeburg and Calhoun counties and if the citizens continue to go out of the county and seek health care in Charleston or Columbia, at some point, it's going to be more difficult to survive. Southerland said he was happy with the town hall, but he had hoped more people would attend. He said other town halls in other areas of the community are in the works for the future. Caleb Bozard is a news intern at The Times and Democrat through the sponsorship of the South Carolina Press Association Foundation. He is a student at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The police encountered several drink drivers last night, one of whom resisted the arrest after a hit-and-run in Belvaux. Around 6.40pm on Saturday, a person witnessed an accident involving two cars on Route d'Esch in Belvaux and alerted the police, stating that the motorist responsible for the collision appeared to be drunk. Although both drivers agreed to drive to a nearby petrol station to resolve the situation without interrupting traffic, the man responsible for the crash suddenly drove off and escaped the scene. At 8.30pm, police found the responsible vehicle stationed at a car park in Niederkorn. The report states that the man had crashed his vehicle into a concrete block and that his alcohol test showed close to twice the permitted level. Nevertheless, the driver resisted the arrest, insulted the officers, and even threatened them with a screwdriver he grabbed from the glove compartment. Since he represented a danger to himself and others, police confined him to an arrest cell overnight. Routine checks The police also conducted routine alcohol checks by order of the prosecutor's office. From 11pm to 3am, officers stopped a total of 108 motorists on Boulevard Charles de Gaulle and on Rue de Luxembourg in Esch-sur-Alzette. Five tests came back positive and two licenses were revoked at the scene. One driver attempted to avoid the police check by driving off towards Rue Sydney Thomas. Here, the vehicle came off the road and crashed. All four passengers fled the scene, but officers were able to locate all of them soon after. Although only one of them suffered injuries, the car was a write-off. The driver's alcohol test came back positive, which is why the police awarded a provisional driving ban. According to the latest police reports, alcohol-related accidents also took place in Dudelange, Gasperich, and Schwebsingen last night. In all three cases, officers revoked the driving license. With the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade on Friday, Wyomings trigger law abortion ban is set to go into effect. Under the law, nearly all abortions will be outlawed in the state, save for those involving pregnancies that were the product of rape or incest. But Marti Halverson, a former state lawmaker and president of Right to Life Wyoming, said the next step is to remove some of those exceptions. Fresh off the heels of a historic triumph, abortion opponents in Wyoming are already gearing up to add even more restrictions to the practice. This spring, lawmakers passed the trigger bill with the knowledge that an increasingly right-leaning Supreme Court was poised to overturn the landmark decision. Sponsored by Rep. Rachel Rodriguez Williams, R-Cody, the law is expected to end most abortions in the state within the next 35 days. In Wyoming we are thrilled, we are so grateful to Representative Rodriguez-Williams for her 2022 House Bill 92, the trigger bill, and our next job is to delete the rape and incest exceptions, so that will be an issue on the campaign trail this summer, Halverson said. Lawmakers who support abortion rights are anticipating that effort as well. Rep. Pat Sweeney, R-Casper, said its highly probable that there will be an effort to remove those exemptions during next years Legislative session. Thats my biggest concern in this next session, is making sure we leave that in, Sweeney said. And I have a feeling that depending on what direction the House and the Senate goes after this election, who knows what might happen. The trigger bill also allows for abortions when necessary to preserve the woman from a serious risk of death or of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including any psychological or emotional conditions. Whether or not anti-abortion lawmakers move to take that out of the bill or revise it is murkier. Health of the mother is a euphemism, and we do not acknowledge that, Halverson said. Life of the mother is different, and we do allow an exception for that. Confusion The rape and incest provisions of the trigger bill barely made it into law in the first place. Neither exception was included in the bills original form. Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, tried to amend the bill to add those groups, but it failed in the House. The amendment was added in the Senate, passing 15-14 with one lawmaker excused. Our position is it is never necessary to kill a baby regardless of whatever circumstance you can throw at us, Halverson said. Lawmakers wont be able to remove those exceptions until next year at the earliest, leaving room for sexual assault and incest victims to get abortions in the meantime. But how that works on the ground is likely more complex than it appears. Does one have to prove rape or incest under the law in order to not violate the trigger bill? asked Jacquelyn Bridgeman, a law professor and the director of the University of Wyomings School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice. Is it enough for a woman to say that has happened to her? How does one enforce whether shes telling the truth? And how long will that take? What counts as as substantial risk of death, or irreversible physical impairment? I could go on, but yes, I dont see how those exception provisions wont be a legal hot mess and/or lead to serious invasions of privacy, which are technically still protected by the federal constitution and other laws, she added. And thats if doctors or clinics are even willing to provide abortions once the trigger law is in place, said Casper attorney and self-proclaimed cynic Ryan Semerad. Put yourselves in the shoes of a doctor, are you going to roll the dice with your license? he asked. Lawsuit? It seems certain that Gov. Mark Gordon will pull the trigger. After all, he signed the bill into law and indicated support for it as recently as Friday. But opponents of the law could seek to stop it in the courts. If a suit is brought, lawyers could vie for a temporary injunction, which would halt the law until the case is completed. Julie Burkhart, founder of a clinic in Casper that plans to offer abortions when it opens later this year, said that organizers will fight tooth and nail to protect this fundamental right for the people of Wyoming, including in the courts. But the group has not formally committed to a lawsuit yet. We are investigating that avenue at this time, Burkhart said at a Friday press conference. After we have a full assessment and advice from counsel, then we will determine our next step, but that is definitely one of the avenues that we are researching and could quite possibly pursue. Abortion opponents are anticipating that fight as well. I dont think anybody with a sense thought that the damsels of death would give up without a fight, said Mike Pyatt, leader of a Natrona County conservative group, Libertys Place 4 You Wyoming. If a suit is brought, the plaintiffs would likely argue the trigger bill is unconstitutional under the Wyoming Constitution, which includes a right to individual health care choices. Article 1, Section 38 of the state constitution was amended by a public vote in 2012 to say each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions. The U.S. Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to rebuke the state constitution insofar as the state constitution does not violate the U.S. Constitution, Semerad said. While there are 12 other states with trigger bans, the explicit mention of health care rights like that in the Wyoming Constitution is relatively rare. The constitutional amendment came in response to concerns over Obamacare, intended to give Wyomingites the freedom to opt out of government health care and make their own choices. Abortion opponents say that abortions are not a form of health care, while some lawyers say abortion-rights proponents may have a strong case. Both Semerad and David Adler, a constitutional scholar and professor, believe that by incorporating exemptions into the trigger law, particularly for the health and safety of a mother, the Legislature has grouped abortion in with health care, inadvertently making the bill unconstitutional under Section 38. This statute is telling, Adler said, referring specifically to the exemption for mothers whose health is at risk from a pregnancy. It reflects that the Legislature fully understood and comprehended that the performance of an abortion entails a health interest. I think theyve kind of stepped in it now, Semerad said, also adding that the plaintiffs could sue on the grounds that the the trigger ban is discriminatory. By restricting that one thing, youre really discriminating against people that are anatomically female, he said. Still, a legal challenge wont be easy. Once a law goes into effect, its presumed constitutional, so if a party sues over statute, the plaintiff has the burden of proof. The burden is always on them, said Pat Crank, former Wyoming attorney general. Its a very heavy burden. If the lawsuit fails, its unclear what Wyomings legal landscape will look like as it relates to abortion exemptions. Its going to be bizarre, Semerad said. Politicking For nearly 50 years, abortion rights have been federally protected. That means politicians could posture on the issue of abortion, knowing that the matter was settled law (at least at the time.) Now that states get to decide who like rape and incest victims, for example gets an abortion and when they get it, the political atmosphere is likely to be altered, people on both sides of the debate said. They could hem and haw a little bit, they could posture a little bit, because Roe was there, Adler said. Politicians wont have that luxury anymore. District attorneys, for example, will have to decide whether or not to prosecute over possibly illegal abortions. I dont know the [prosecutorial] appetite of the DAs across the state of Wyoming, Semerad said. Theyre going to start winning elections on that platform or losing elections on that platform. Halverson plans to be one of those who doesnt allow the candidates to posture anymore. Candidates for Legislature and governor will be asked, Will you support a bill striking the rape and incest exceptions from [the trigger law]? she said. Most Wyoming lawmakers have public stances on abortion one way or another. But difficult questions remain, especially considering the rape and incest exemptions. When the first victim of sexual assault gets prosecuted for terminating her pregnancy, theyre going to have to look at their constituents in the face and say, Reelect me, and thats going to be an entire different universe, Semerad said. Staff reporters Ellen Gerst and Maya Shimizu Harris contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade on Friday will not herald the end of access to pre-viability abortions in Montana, as the state does not have a so-called trigger law like all of its neighbors. The right for Montanans to access a pre-viability abortion was upheld by the state Supreme Court more than two decades ago in a decision known as Armstrong. In that order, the court found the right to privacy in Montanas Constitution guaranteed women could obtain pre-viability abortions here. The writing was on the wall for Roe following a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court this spring and the inability for Congress to codify protections for women seeking abortion care. The states Montana borders, including Idaho, Wyoming and North and South Dakota, all have what are called trigger laws, or legislation to outlaw most abortions once the court struck down Roe. Reaction to the ruling from abortion access advocates was swift and critical on Friday. Although we are outraged and saddened by the ruling, it is important for Montanans, and for people in neighboring states, to know that abortion remains legal here. Our state constitutions right to privacy has long protected Montanans right to make private medical decisions without interference from politicians, Martha Fuller, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Montana, wrote in an emailed statement. Fuller emphasized access to abortion has not changed in the state. We are proud to uphold (our) mission to provide patients with the health services they need and deserve, including abortion care. Their doors are open and will continue offering the non-judgmental, high-quality care our patients depend on them for regardless of who they love, where they live, and how much money they make, Fuller wrote. Planned Parenthood of Montana said the consequences of the decision will have the biggest affect on Indigenous, Black and Latino communities, as well as those earning low incomes, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants and those living in rural areas. Access to abortion is already challenging in parts of Montana where the nearest clinic could be a several-hours drive away. Challenges to laws, past rulings In 2021, the Republican-majority Legislature in Montana passed four bills that change access to abortion in the state. Those bills were signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican who campaigned on limiting abortion access. However, following a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood of Montana, three of those laws are on hold while the legal challenge plays out. The laws blocked for now would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestational age; require a woman to be informed of the option to view an ultrasound before an abortion; and require informed consent before a drug-induced abortion and block providing the medication through the mail. Theres a fourth law included in the lawsuit filed last August, to prohibit health insurance plans sold in the federal exchange in Montana from covering abortion care, but its not part of the preliminary injunction. When Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen asked the Montana state Supreme Court to overturn the preliminary injunction, he also asked the court to reverse its 23-year-old ruling in Armstrong. That ruling, authored by former Justice James Nelson, found that the privacy provisions in Montanas Constitution ensure women can access pre-viability abortions. In an emailed statement Friday, Knudsen focused on the state Supreme Court, where his effort to overturn Armstrong is pending. The (U.S.) Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion to where it belongs: the people. Now its time for the state Supreme Court to do the same. These decisions, at their core, belong to the people not judges. Today is a day of celebration of the millions in our country who have faithfully, peacefully, and tirelessly fought to end this national tragedy, Knudsen said in the statement. In a follow-up email, spokesperson Emilee Cantrell wrote to clarify what was meant by people was the people elect the Legislature. In his brief to the court earlier this year, Knudsen called the Armstrong ruling a deeply flawed tribute to unrestrained judicial activism. Nowhere in Montanas constitutional text is there a right to elective abortion. Instead, the framers intentionally excluded abortion from the Constitution and left to the Legislature the prerogative to permit, prohibit or regulate it, Knudsen wrote. But a group of delegates who crafted the states Constitution also filed a brief with the court, explaining that their intention was to ensure it would be left to the judiciary to determine what Montanas right to privacy entailed, as it did with Armstrong. The delegates never intended the scope of these fundamental rights to be subject to the partisan, political vagaries of the legislative and executive branches. Instead, these rights exist beyond the reach of politics and therefore must be construed by our states only nonpartisan branch: the judiciary, the March brief from delegates Mae Nan Ellingson, Lyle Monroe and Bob Campbell and staff member Rick Applegate read. State Supreme Court and elections With Armstrong under a legal challenge, Democrats have pointed with urgency to one of the state Supreme Court races, where Republicans have gone all in on Jim Browns candidacy in the nonpartisan race. Brown is the Republican chair of the Public Service Commission and refers to his ideology in campaign messaging as a constitutional conservative. Political analysts, however, note that, in the event Brown wins, the addition of one ideological conservative would not tilt the course of the Supreme Courts decisions, at least not yet. The other seat up for election features incumbent Justice Jim Rice against Billings lawyer Bill DAlton. It happens over a series of appointments, or in this case, elections, Lee Banville, a political analyst and professor at the University of Montana, said in May. Republican state lawmakers have also said they expect to bring bills to further limit access to abortions in the 2023 legislative session. Democrats have also raised concerns around Republicans gaining enough seats in this falls election to have a super-majority in the Legislature, which would make it easier to do things like attempt revisions to the state Constitution. Gianforte has said he would consider a special session before the next scheduled one in early 2023, but only if we have a path that is defensible in the courts here in Montana and we have a consensus in the legislature, Gianforte said on local talk radio show Talk Back on May 5, as first reported by Montana Public Radio. In a press release Friday, the GOP leadership in the state Legislature welcomed the high courts decision and said the battle over abortion access now moves to the state level, where Republicans are committed to proceeding strategically to protect pre-born Montana children. Today we celebrate the Supreme Courts historic decision to correct a constitutionally wrong decision from decades ago that has harmed so many, read the statement from Senate President Mark Blasdel, of Kalispell, and House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, of Billings. As the debate over abortion shifts to the states, all eyes in Montana need to be on our own judicial branch of government. Montana judges should rule based on the text of our state constitution, which doesnt mention abortion at all, and overturn the activist and erroneous Armstrong decision. Gianforte also celebrated the ruling and said he was talking with lawmakers on whats next for legislation in Montana related to abortion access. Today marks a historic win for life, families and science, Gianforte wrote in a statement. With this monumental decision, the Supreme Court has restored power to the American people and their elected representatives. Im in discussions with legislative leaders on next steps as we work to protect life in Montana. Democrats, who hold a minority in the Legislature, said for now the state Constitutions right to privacy protects access to pre-viability abortions. With this decision, an all-out ban on abortion is on the table in a way we have not seen for decades. Now, our states Constitutional right to privacy is the only thing standing between Montanans and the politicians who want to control the most intimate aspects of our private decision making, House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, of Helena, and Senate Minority Leader Jill Cohenour, of East Helena, wrote. At the state Legislature, one of the groups thats worked most notably to restrict access to abortion in the state is the Montana Family Foundation. Their president and CEO, Jeff Laszloffy, said in an emailed statement that the decision nullifies a 49-year-old ruling based on bad precedent, faulty logic and a non-existent, made-up, right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution. Now the focus is on state Legislatures, Laszloffy said, and he called for either amending the state Constitution or nullifying the Armstrong decision. Only then, will Montanas smallest and most vulnerable citizens truly be safe, Laszloffy wrote. At the federal level, the Republicans in Montanas delegation to Congress also celebrated the ruling. The U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs today ends a historic injustice and rightfully ends one of the worlds most horrific abortion policies, U.S. Sen. Daines said in an emailed statement. The long overdue demise of judicially-imposed abortion on demand gives bright new hope to unborn children and their moms across America. Now the American people begin a new chapter in which they, through their elected representatives at the state and federal level, have the power to end the violence of abortion. I will not rest until the day that every child is protected under our laws and can enjoy our nations most sacred right the right to life. A statement from U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale echoed Daines comments. Todays ruling is a historic victory in protecting and defending the sanctity of life, Rosendale said. I have always been a staunch advocate for the lives of the unborn, and today the U.S. Supreme Court has finally redressed a grievous wrong. Now state legislatures, elected by their constituents, will be able to pass meaningful laws that protect life. Our fight, however, does not end today. Certain states in the union will continue adopting radical abortion measures. Because of that, we must stand united to be a voice and advocate for all lives and do so until every unborn life in the United States is protected. Montanas lone Democrat in Congress, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, expressed frustration with the decision. For nearly 50 years, women have been able to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from the government, Tester said in an emailed statement. The Supreme Courts ruling now means women and doctors will be put in jail when exercising this long-held right in states across the country. No judge or politician should be telling women how to live their lives or undermining their fundamental right to privacy. In Lewis and Clark County District Court, another old case over who can access abortions in Montana is expected to be decided by Judge Chris Abbott before the year ends. Thats a lawsuit from 2013 from Planned Parenthood of Montana that challenged both the states Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 2011, which was a voter-approved referendum, and the Parental Consent for Abortion Act of 2013, which was passed by lawmakers that year with a July 2013 effective date. Abbott continued a block on the consent law in April and in a hearing earlier this month said he expected to issue his final ruling later this year. Montana State Bureau reporter Seaborn Larson contributed to this story. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder has recently and repeatedly announced his intention to withdraw Wyoming from the United States Department of Agricultures federally funded school lunch program. Under this program, the Wyoming Department of Education receives about $40 million dollars a year to provide meals for students throughout the state. Superintendent Schroeder has said he will refuse the federal dollars as a result of a USDA requirement that all state and local agencies funded through the Food and Nutrition Services program must update their nondiscrimination policies to include prohibitions against discriminations based on gender identity and sexual orientation. This policy follows a January 20, 2021 executive order directing federal agencies to promulgate or revise rules enforcing the Administrations new Anti-Discrimination mandates. That executive order is in keeping with the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights protection of students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity with such protection guaranteed by the 2020 Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County ruling that the prohibition on sex discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act covers discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But Schroeder tells us that a requirement to state that we dont discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is unacceptable. He holds that the required statement reflects the federal governments engagement in an ever-relentless agenda of social engineering,(the policy is) not about discrimination, it is about control and manipulation, it is about forcing post-modernist thinking on peoplewhos faith or common sense inform them differently. It is, on its face, an egregious, albeit subtle, form of discrimination in its own rightfederal overreach knows no bounds, and to hold our kids hostage in this manner is not only morally repugnant, but another breathtaking display of political ideology run amokIn any other world, this would be sized up for exactly what it is: extortion...we will not allow boys in girls locker rooms. We categorically reject gender ideology and will not bow to the coercive will of a bully government. Be fully assured, this is not the end they will be back (i.e. boys in girls sports, forced usage of pronouns, etc). Im not sure why Schroeder imagines theyll be back to put boys in girls sports. Nor do I understand why, if his concern is sincere, he isnt worried that theyll be back to put girls in boys sports. And what is that about pronouns? Could he really believe that a persons choice of he, she, they is a terrible imposition from the woke federal bureaucrats? I want to state in the clearest terms that as a Wyoming resident, a voter, a parent and a teacher with forty years of experience in K-12 and university classrooms, I view the superintendents statements as misleading and misguided denials of our commitment to one another, of our recognition that our rights are only meaningful when those rights are granted to all. The superintendents statements strike me as a reflection not of his desire to protect Wyoming and its people from what he calls a bully government, but as bald, self-serving blows delivered to some of the most socially vulnerable among us gay and transgender young people and their families. His statements have a fatal whiff of statements made in the past in defense of segregation and Jim Crow laws. It doesnt wash to refuse a statement on nondiscrimination is to embrace discrimination. Superintendent Schroeders statements have prompted a wide range of critical response. On its Facebook page, the Wyoming Education Association asks, Why is our State Superintendent of Public Instruction loudly and repeatedly calling for discrimination against any student in Wyoming Public Schools? And in a public statement, WEA President Grady Hutcherson wrote, Our children should be recognized and celebrated for the countless nuanced differences that make each of us unique. No one should be discriminated against in Wyoming schools. Period. The American Civil Liberties Union called Schroeders comments discriminatory rhetoric. In response to his claim that the federal government is forcing a political ideology on Wyomingites, ACLU of Wyomings campaign director Libby Skarin asked, Since when did equality become a political ideology? Skarin reminds us that, Schools have a moral and legal duty to follow the law and to provide a safe learning environment for all students, and the penalties for discriminating against a student because they are transgender are no different than the penalties for any other kind of sex discrimination. Wyoming Equality Executive Director Sara Burlingame holds that Schroeders statements are about, politicizing and deciding that vulnerable, marginalized kids are going to be the whipping boys of the state superintendent. She adds, Ordinarily people dont campaign so nakedly from their office. Schroeder has said that the USDAs requirement for an added clause barring discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation is extortion. The real extortion is being engaged in by Schroeder, sacrificing the federally funded school lunch program at the altar of his own political agenda. David Romtvedt is a writer and musician from Buffalo, a Rocky Mountain Power customer, and he serves as a board member of the Powder River Basin Resource Council. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 PHNOM PENH, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Sunday thanked the Cambodian people for overwhelmingly voting for it in the fifth commune council election held on June 5. The election was to choose a total of 11,622 councilors for the Southeast Asian country's 1,652 communes for the next five years. The National Election Committee (NEC)'s official results showed that the CPP won 9,376 seats, including 1,648 commune chief posts, while the main opposition Candlelight Party gained 2,198 seats, including four commune chief posts. Seven other parties got the remaining 48 seats, the NEC said. In its statement, the CPP said the party has accepted the election's results, which truly reflected the will of people, and that the election was free and fair, with neither violence nor intimidation. "The Cambodian People's Party would like to express its deepest gratitude to our compatriots in all communes across the country who voted overwhelmingly for the CPP, giving the party a glorious success," the statement said. This victory showed that the people voted for peace and development, which are more valuable than anything else, and at the same time strengthened the basis for the CPP to win another victory in the upcoming seventh National Assembly election in 2023, it added. The statement said the party would honor its policies to maintain peace, stability, security, and social order, to improve the provision of public services, to increase social protection for the poor and vulnerable, and to develop communes in all fields to benefit people. The commune election is seen as a bellwether of the political party's support ahead of the general election scheduled for July 2023. Communes are the subdivisions of districts and municipalities in Cambodia. A section of the North Platte River that snakes between Gray Reef and Casper boasts some of the best fly fishing in the nation. Anglers come from all over to catch trout in a picturesque location thats close to town but far from the crowds. Its an area that is coveted by far-off fisherman, but also provides ample recreation for the people who call Casper home. While the area, which is also prized by hunters and other outdoor recreationists, is a short drive from town, accessing public lands can be difficult because of the patchwork of private property. That reality appeared to get easier when the Bureau of Land Management announced recently that it was purchasing nearly 36,000 acres of private land that borders the North Platte southwest of Casper. It represents the largest such transaction in the states history. It will create a 118-square-mile block of contiguous public land that connects 40,000 acres of what had been unreachable state and federal lands. Put simply, the agencys purchase of nearly all of the Marton Ranch will make accessing public lands easier along the North Platte. Thats something to celebrate if you like to hunt, fish or just enjoy the outdoors in Natrona County. And even if you dont, theres still room to be excited about the economic boost the added public land might mean in the form of additional tourism for the area. But Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and our congressional delegation arent celebrating. Gordon earlier this month announced he would be appealing the purchase. He cited the lack of transparency, arguing the bureau did not involve the public in the acquisition process or consider the sales impact on tax revenues, school funding, mineral development and more. The governor was quick to stress that he supports public access for outdoor recreationists and the right of landowners to sell their property how they see fit. But, he argued, the process matters. There should be public scrutiny when the federal government increases its land holdings here. A statement by the delegation released Thursday made similar arguments. But a closer inspection of the notice of appeal filed by the Wyoming Attorney Generals Office hints at the weakness of the governors argument. It gripes about the lack of state consultation ahead of the sale, but included little in the way of a legal argument to back up those concerns. The notice stated the disregard for the public process violated the spirit if not the letter of the law. If your legal argument centers on the spirit of the law, how strong can it be? Meanwhile, the delegations statement expressed concern that the amount of federally controlled government land will increase after the sale. Fair enough. But beyond the ideological argument, so what? If there is one thing that unites Wyomingites, it is our shared love regardless of political persuasion of public lands. And here is a swath of soon-to-be-public land that will allow more people to access the best of what Wyoming has to offer. Moreover, the owners of the ranch have every right to sell their land how they want. Thats a basic Wyoming idea. The ranch was on the market for several years, and apparently a private buyer never surfaced. Were the owners supposed to sit around and wait forever? Should they have sold to someone who would have chopped up the property into trophy home parcels? The governors notice only summarizes his objections to the purchase. Next month, hell have to make his case. But an observer cant help but read over the notice and wonder whether this is a matter worth fighting. Its also worth asking: Whats his end game? Does he want the deal eliminated? A statement from the BLM that it will be more communicative next time? Gordon and our delegation say they are advocating for the public. But this action doesnt seem like it. Rather, it feels like an attempt to raise an objection over what appear to be minor concerns to a land deal that will benefit hunters, anglers and others in central Wyoming. Of all the issues facing the state right now, is this really the battle that needs to be fought? Should there be less access to the North Platte? Should fewer people enjoy our public lands? It seems like our leaders attention could be better spent elsewhere. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ENERGY Minister Stuart Young told a conference in Suriname last week that Trinidad and Tobago will be able to increase its production of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and fertilisers if the United States were to ease its sanctions on Venezuela. Speaking at the second Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit & Exhibition (SEOGS) in Paramaribo on Tuesday, Young did not mention either the US or Venezuela by name, but he was clearly referring to the Dragon field between that is located in Venezuelan waters to the north of Trinidad. Widely considered a pioneer of black British history, Ove has spent a lifetime sharing his unique perspective on the black experience in Britain. The Belmont-born filmmaker, photographer, painter and writer has built a prolific career in film and holds the Guinness World Record for being the first black British filmmaker to direct a feature-length film, Pressure (1976). Ove has documented racism and the Black Power movement in Britain with films such as Baldwins Nigger (1968) and Dream to Change the World (2003). The office of the Attorney General gave advice to the police during the criminal investigation into the Christian Chandler matter without any involvement, input or consultation with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). This was confirmed by DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, in an affidavit dated June 28, 2022, which was submitted to the High Court in a case arising out of an application for information from the DPP on this matter filed by social activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj, who was represented by former AG Anand Ramlogan, SC. The Prime Ministers shutdown of journalist Darren Bahaw at Saturdays news conference was misguided, based on factual errors, intemperate and unbefitting the leader of a democratic country. In a scene straight out of the Trump playbook for handling challenging media questions, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley shouted down the journalist as he attempted to question him about his due diligence prior to appointing Reginald Armour as Attorney General, saying I advise you, dont go any further. ISLAMABAD, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday said the government will take measures to help narrow the digital divide and promote literacy and skills among youth in all forms of education and learning. "With the increased role of technology and use of the digital medium, we have come to realize that digital transformation is the key to achieving innovative, exclusive and sustainable growth," Sharif said here while addressing virtually the Commonwealth Summit currently held in Kigali, Rwanda's capital. The prime minister appreciated the impact that such multilateral forums can create to implement the shared values and principles as per the Commonwealth Charter. He also reiterated that Pakistan is ready to contribute to the collective endeavors for the development of youth. Sharif announced that Pakistan will host the 10th conference of Commonwealth Youth Affairs Ministers in Islamabad in January next year. The prime minister extended an invitation to the ministers of all Commonwealth countries to visit and explore the diversity and beauty of Pakistan. The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public input on a long-range plan to build out a statewide network of EV charging stations with the help of millions of dollars in federal funding. Over the next five years, Arizona is set to receive $76.5 million through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, ADOT said. The program is being funded as part of $5 billion made available for EV charging through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The goal is to deploy a network of EV fast chargers along a network of designated alternative fuel corridors initially, mainly interstate highways to reduce range anxiety and encourage EV adoption. Current designated alt-fuel corridors in Arizona are I-10, I-17, I-8 and I-40, along with a short stretch of I1-5 in the northwest corner of the state. Interstate-19 from I-10 to Nogales is a proposed corridor, and additional corridors can be added in the future, ADOT said. ADOT is seeking input from the public and a wide variety of agency and industry stakeholders, with public outreach including surveys and online and in-person public meetings. Additional information on those efforts will be provided as available on the study web page, azdot.gov/EVplan, which includes a link to sign up for the EV plan mailing list to receive updates. Or for more information, email: azevplan@azdot.gov. Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The calendar has not yet flipped to July but already Tucson is teeming with amateur weathermen and women, all of us studying the afternoon skies in a hopeful search for rain. The monsoon has begun, offering us a daily reminder of the beauty, power and unpredictable impact nature has on our day-to-day lives. No matter where we live or what we do, weather often shapes our plans, so it is hardly surprising the elements often play a central role in literature, too. Volunteers with the Tucson Festival of Books were asked to recommend some recently released books that are framed by weather. As always, they offered a wide range of stories to choose from: On a Rainy Day by Sarah L. Perkins. In this delightful picture book, a girl and her father are forced indoors from their day at the park when it begins raining. Then comes lightning and thunder, taking out the electricity, so they must come up with things they can do together. Dad puts away his laptop as they build a blanket fort, play a board game and stomp around in a puddle after the rain ends. Perkins gives us a warm celebration of the simple joys of being together with a loved one. Kathy Short Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. The numbing cold of the Scottish Highlands is the setting for this tale of a struggling couple who get away for a make-or-break weekend together. Mr. & Mrs. Wright are looking to save their marriage. Or are they? Tricia Clapp The Lost Boys of Montauk by Amanda Fairbanks. Fairbanks holds two masters degrees from the Columbia School of Journalism and her investigative skills are on full display here. She looks into the disappearance of five Montauk fisherman whose boat was enveloped by a nor-easter in 1984. Neither the boat nor any of the sailors were ever found. The event has since become a local legend near the Eastern tip of Long Island, still vivid in the minds of those who were there. What happened? What has been the impact on the families and the surrounding community? The paperback version of Lost Boys was released last month. Bill Finley L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon. Although the story revolves around a Los Angeles father who is obsessed by the weather the ongoing drought, in particular the real storm is brewing within his Los Angeles family, the Alvarados. Oscars wife is ready to get a divorce. Each of their three daughters has her own trouble bubbling. Into every life some rain must fall, and the Alvarados realize they all need to find higher ground. Estella Gonzalez Powder Days by Heather Hansman. Powder Days is a former ski bums poignant and revealing love letter to a sport that evolved from the joyrides of early thrill-seekers to a multibillion-dollar industry with magnificent resorts all over the world. Hansman looks closely at the past, present and future of a sport she loves and examines ways it is already being altered by climate change. Abby Mogollon Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon. This recently released romance novel features a TV meteorologist who is trying to reunite her boss, a Seattle weatherwoman, with her ex-husband. She does get a romantic fire burning, but its not the one she was trying to light. Jessica Pryde The Guest List by Lucy Foley. A destination wedding on an island off the Irish coast is interrupted by a sudden storm and loss of power. When the lights finally come back on, someone is missing: the groom. Published last year, Foley gives us a rich whodunit that keeps us guessing until the final pages. Bill Finley Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. Part adventure story, part Jules Verne fantasy, this one evolves from a scientific research vessel that sinks to the bottom of the ocean. It remains there for months. When the crew is finally rescued, one of the scientists is different. Real different. Lynn Wiese Sneyd A Childrens Bible by Lydia Millet. A new sub-genre known as cli-fi, or climate fiction, found a noble centerpiece in this creation from Tucson novelist Lydia Millet. A group of college friends and their families have gathered for a summer vacation at a remote lakeside mansion. When a hurricane maroons them all, the heroes become the kids. They are the ones who understand and acknowledge climate change. They are the ones who trust science will help them survive. A Childrens Bible was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award in Fiction. Bill Finley Keep current with news from the Tucson Festival of Books by visiting TucsonFestivalOfBooks.org. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. PHOENIX Gov. Doug Ducey is expected to sign legislation as early as this week to spend $1 billion looking for long-term sources of new water for Arizona. State lawmakers finally lined up the votes for the plan Friday, the last day of their 2022 session. Both the House and Senate agreed to empower a revamped Water Infrastructure Finance Agency to come up with, and fund, ways to deal with the fact Arizona is getting less Colorado River water as its population continues to increase. Given the drought of historic proportions, the situation is expected to get worse. The plan requires that 75% of the funding be spent to acquire water from outside of the state, which could include building a plant to desalinate water from the Sea of Cortez in Sonora. State officials have also mentioned exploring the possibility of a pipeline from the Mississippi River. But several legislators from both parties said the plan, originally proposed by the Republican governor, failed to recognize that Arizona is facing immediate problems and cannot depend only on grand projects that could take a decade and carry enormous price tags. They agreed to go along Friday, however, when an extra $200 million in funding was added at the last minute. That money is reserved for more immediate relief including reducing water consumption, increasing efficiency and promoting various water-saving projects, including rainwater harvesting, turf removal, and gray water systems for outdoor watering. Sen. Lisa Otondo, D-Yuma, one of the architects of the deal, said thinking more short-term is essential at this point in Arizona. Ducey said in a prepared statement: With the passage of this legislation, we are rising to one of the most consequential challenges of our time. We are securing Arizonas water future. Were protecting our water supply, strengthening our conservation strategies and ensuring that our future remains bright, he said. Out of time and out of chances Whats behind all this is the realization that a drought contingency plan adopted by Arizona in 2019 is not going to save the state. The idea was for Arizona and other states to reduce their use of Colorado River water in a bid to stabilize the level of Lake Mead. But the lake has continued to drop amid hotter and dryer weather. The state has followed up with what could be considered stop-gap measures, such as acquiring water from the tribes, which have a higher claim on water from the Colorado and Gila rivers. But officials say there just isnt going to be enough to go around, especially if farming, which consumes 70% of the water used in Arizona, is going to continue. So Ducey unveiled the plan to have the state invest the $1 billion over three years to find new sources of water. He proposed establishing a new state agency to acquire those rights, build the infrastructure and own the water. The idea of a new agency proved to be a nonstarter, however, for lawmakers reticent to create another bureaucracy. Instead, they settled on revamping the existing Water Infrastructure Finance Agency. After Democrats complained that the agencys leadership would all be chosen by Republicans, they were given some input. But that left the fact the lions share of the money was still earmarked for big projects with long timelines. Rep. Andres Cano, D-Tucson, said that wont do. Arizona is facing a water crisis, Cano said. Temperatures are rising, wildfires are raging, and water supplies are drying up. We need to learn to live with less. We are out of time and out of chances. So legislative negotiators found the extra $200 million that could go to something more immediate, with an emphasis on conservation and the kind of research and projects that can make what little Arizona has go farther. And heres the best part, Cano said. These dollars can be used as soon as this bill becomes law, not in 20 years, not in 30 years, now. Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, said another immediate need is recharging the states often-depleting aquifers. Ninety-five percent of the rain we get evaporates before it can get into the ground, she said. Still, lawmakers acknowledged, they have to be thinking not just about short-term water needs but about finding a sustainable and permanent source from outside of the state. Within the state, If I have a water right and you have a water right, and we sell it to a third party, it kind of moves around, we trade paper, said Rep. Neal Carter, R-San Tan Valley. It doesnt create new water, so new sources are needed. Carter said while there should be conservation efforts, hes not sure how much more can be saved. Arizona does pretty well with conserving water, he said. Were using less water now than in prior decades. Augmentation is needed, agreed Rep. Sarah Liguori, D-Phoenix. But she added: Desalination is years and years out. In two years we could be facing the ultimate need of immediate water. In the end, the water legislation passed with just one negative vote each in the House and the Senate. Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, called that amazing. Water is a difficult subject to work with, Fann said. Rep. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe, voted no, as did Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale. I applaud the work thats been done, Epstein said. But she said the state should not be spending $1 billion in a search for new water until it deals with the existing legal issues here, including the laws on who is entitled to pump water from the ground. In about 80% of Arizona, there is no state regulation of groundwater pumping. I disagree with the idea that the person with the most money can go to an aquifer, dig the deepest well, and take all the water away from everybody else who owns property around it, Epstein said. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. The Arizona Legislature has budgeted $335 million for border barrier construction. But what will actually be built might be a combination of a virtual wall and barriers around critical infrastructure not directly on the border, the Governors Office says. A virtual wall could include motion sensors, infrared cameras, mobile towers and aerial drones, which is the type of surveillance technology already being used by the Border Patrol and other law enforcement, said Republican Gov. Doug Duceys spokesman C.J. Karamargin. The state could also use the border wall funding to protect critical infrastructure, Karamargin said, which could include things like canals, wastewater treatment plants and defense installations, such as the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range and Fort Huachuca, which have both had reports of undocumented migrant crossings. All of these things are being analyzed right now, where barriers, both actual and virtual, could be the most effective, Karamargin said Friday. Theres infrastructure and private property that is on or adjacent to that line that is also being looked at as a place where additional barriers, actual and virtual, could be deployed to reduce the flow of illegal traffic into the United States. Officials have not provided any details on whether the state can build anywhere on the actual U.S.-Mexico border line, but its unlikely. The state budget bill approved late Wednesday by the Republican-led Legislature included the millions for a border barrier as well as another $209 million for a border security fund for things like aid to local sheriffs and prosecutors. Of that fund, $15 million is to transport those who entered Arizona seeking asylum to other states, although the federal government is already paying for that. States jurisdiction unclear During the Trump administration there were 226 miles of wall construction planned for the Arizona-Mexico border, most of which were built. Less than 20 miles were incomplete when President Joe Biden took office and stopped construction, such as in Guadalupe Canyon, about 30 miles east of Douglas, where construction crews blasted into mountainsides but didnt complete construction. No government agency or state official that the Arizona Daily Star contacted provided details on where the state would have jurisdiction to build a border barrier, including the Governors Office, nine state lawmakers, the Army Corps of Engineers, Customs and Border Protection, the state Land Department or the Bureau of Land Management. Data provided by the Army Corps show the Arizona projects that went unfinished are generally near Sasabe and Nogales in Pima County, Naco in Cochise County, and areas in Yuma County. But regardless of where state officials would like to build a border wall, it appears there is practically nowhere on the actual border where the state can build because of a 60-foot-wide federal easement that runs contiguous and adjacent to the entire Arizona-Mexico border, except over the Colorado River. The state could build on land it owns that is north of the 60-foot easement, although a majority of public land adjacent to the easement is federally owned. And the state could build 60 feet north of the border on private land with permission, but privately owned parcels by acreage along the border account for just 3.7%, according to Regrid, a provider of nationwide land parcel data, and some of these properties already have a border wall. President Theodore Roosevelt created the federal easement, called the Roosevelt Reservation, in 1907 in order to keep all public lands along the border in California, Arizona and New Mexico free from obstruction. Texas was excluded because the state retained all public lands upon its annexation and admittance as a state, much of which has been sold over the years to private parties. In talks with property owners Arizona is in talks with private property owners about building some type of barrier on their land, Karamargin said. Were going to put up barriers based on the input from local officials and private property owners where we think they would have the most impact. That could include virtual barriers, he said. If Arizona did want to build a physical wall 60 feet from the border, that would leave gaps where it could not connect with the existing border barrier. It also would come up against environmental regulations. The federal government was able to accomplish as much wall construction as it did by waiving all such regulation through the Real ID Act, which allowed it to waive laws that interfered with construction of physical barriers at the border. This law does not apply to states. The state would also likely be responsible for maintenance of the wall, which could be a costly ongoing expense for taxpayers. Gaps in federal wall The largest swath of land without wall on the Arizona border is the 62 miles on the Tohono Oodham Nation where neither the federal nor state governments have permission to build a wall, as tribal officials have been vocal in their opposition. Despite the wall covering much of the Southern Arizona border, there are many gaps where migrants often pass into the country. One such place thats received a lot of attention is a gap in Yuma. Border Patrol apprehensions in Yuma increased dramatically over the last 18 months, from 990 apprehensions in November 2020 to more than 33,000 this May. This gap is also on federal land on the U.S. side and so not somewhere the state could build a wall. In May, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would be closing a small gap in the Border Patrols Yuma Sector, without specifying exactly where. The federal government also announced in December it would be closing gaps in the wall as part of remediation work that was originally scheduled for this summer but was later pushed to the fall. No specifics on physical barrier plans The Star emailed or called nine lawmakers in the Arizona House and Senate who either hold leadership positions or have been vocal on the state building its own wall. One responded. Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said they arrived at the $335 million figure from information they got from the state Land Department and the Governors Office, in terms of balancing what areas need and what is a reasonable amount that can be constructed within a year based on the availability of materials and construction personnel. He said he didnt know how many miles of wall the state could build or where those miles are. It really varies by terrain, he said. It also is determined by whether we can get existing materials that the federal governments not using so its really impossible to do any kind of reasonable judgment that wouldnt potentially be way off. Legislators who didnt respond last week to the Stars questions of how they came up with the $335 million amount and where the state could build a wall include: Sen. Tyler Pace, Sen. Wendy Roger, Senate Majority Leader Ben Toma Jr., Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios, Senate President Karen Fann, House Speaker Rusty Bowers, House Majority Leader Rick Gray and House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding. It was a busy final week of the legislative session for lawmakers. Bolding did put out a statement the day before the budget passed saying, among other things, that the budget spends more new money on a border fence than on our universities or our affordable housing crisis. The budget that eventually passed did contain at least $77 million more for universities. Like Kavanagh, the Governors Office talked about a need to fill gaps in the wall and specifically the larger gap in Yuma County. Karamargin said state officials are assessing now where increased barriers would be appropriate, and that they will be done with that soon. When asked how the state arrived at the $335 million allocated to build some kind of border barrier and what information they gave legislators, he said they based their assessment on talking with local stakeholders in Yuma and Cochise counties on where fencing could be appropriate and would have the most impact. I can tell you that the needs that weve outlined are based on our regular contact with local and federal partners about the best way resources could be used to increase security, Karamargin said. When asked if the state would be able to build on any federal land, he said that is among the questions that need to be answered. I think theres a great sense of urgency on the part of some border communities and businesses to move quickly, so that is our goal, he said. Photos of the U.S. Mexico border fence U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz. Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223 . On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PHOENIX The attorney for the Arizona Senates ethics committee submitted a report on his investigation of a Republican lawmakers online comments that appeared to blame the federal government for a supermarket massacre in Buffalo, New York. But the report from attorney Chris Kleminich reached no conclusions on whether Sen. Wendy Rogers comment broke the Senates rules and said the committees role has been completed. Instead, it will be up to the full Senate to decide whether the Flagstaff lawmakers comments merit discipline. The Ethics Committee was directed by the full Senate in May to look into the online post Rogers made the night a young white man went into a market in a predominately Black neighborhood and fatally shot 10 people. Authorities say the gunman had posted a racist screed before the May 14 attack. As news of the mass shooting was just becoming known, Rogers tweeted: Fed boy summer has started in Buffalo. Many in both parties took that tweet to mean that Rogers was blaming the attack on the federal government, especially in light of Rogers history of embracing conspiracy theories. Rogers later wrote that her comments were misconstrued by the media. She said instead they expressed her worry that inaction on crime and border security will lead to riots and looting. But Kleminich noted that it was not only the media that interpreted her comments to mean the federal government was behind Buffalo attack. He noted that the most comments in response to her post interpreted it the same way. Rogers declined to be interviewed by Kleminich. Instead, she answered questions through her attorney, Tim La Sota. La Sota criticized the investigation, saying it would lead to probes of other activity protected by free speech rights. Where this is leading is obvious and is demonstrated by this case, La Sota wrote. Republicans will be required to defend themselves amid these ethics investigations, and Democrats will receive a pass. Kleminich, who submitted the report Friday, the final day of the 2022 legislative session, said any action will now be up to the full Senate, which asked for the investigation. The Senate, which is controlled by Republicans and has adjourned for the year, could decide on discipline ranging from a formal censure to expulsion. It could also drop the matter with no action. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Upon graduating from the University of Arizona in 1977, Id scan the back pages of Editor and Publisher magazine hunting for newspapers seeking an earnest editorial cartoonist to grace their opinion pages. The help wanted ads in newspaper trade journals often posed this question to wanna-be journalists: Do you have ink in your veins? If the lifeblood of journalism is ink then the opinion page is the beating heart. Its where emotion, subjectivity and debate are encouraged. Its where, in my youth, I discovered columnists like Molly Ivins, Mary McGrory, E.J. Dionne, Royko, George Will and Leonard Pitts. Its where Id find stirring editorials, great written oratory, surprising guest essays, provocative analyses to challenge my assumptions and the most popular and enjoyable feature, letters to the editor, where our neighbors vent, praise, and fret over our Republic. Well, fret away, dear readers, because across our troubled democracy many a corporate high priest is cutting the beating hearts out of their small town and big city newspapers on the sacrificial altar of profit. Permit me here to suck up to my employer. I am grateful to work for the Arizona Daily Star, a rare newspaper that genuinely values local opinion. This lucky cartoonist, as I often note, is also fortunate because my weekly cartoons are syndicated globally by Daryl Cagles Cagle Cartoons, Incorporated. When I returned from celebrating my semi-retirement last week I saw this notice from Daryl Cagle informing we cartoonists Gannett has given notice to all syndicates they are terminating all content produced by editorial cartoonists and opinion columnists. All of it. Thats huge. Gannett owns one-fourth of Americas dailies and already many Gannett papers have jettisoned their opinion pages. Today, Gannetts flagship national paper USA Today runs no editorial cartoons. Gannett and Lee jointly own the Star, but the newsroom typically follows Lee guidance. A devotee of the Google News Initiative, Gannett argues that opinion content is divisive. And unpopular with readers, readers who end up canceling their subscriptions. I am reminded of the great editorial which ran in 1897, in the New York Sun, that begins with Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, only, in 2022, Virginia, there is an Ebenezer Scrooge and he is the CEO of Gannett. And he believes opinion pages are a humbug, obsolete Ghosts of Journalism Past that spook readers, along with those pesky political endorsements and letters to the editor. A Gannett cabal noted at a spring meeting, Readers dont want us to tell them what to think. They dont believe we have the expertise to tell anyone what to think on most issues. Readers will simply have to rely on Fox News and Twitter for analysis now in democracys most perilous hour. They perceive us as having a biased agenda. Did anyone stand up at this gathering and note all opinion pages are wells of bias, leanings, viewpoints and perspectives and that any reader who thinks opinion pages are intended to be beacons of pure objectivity are ill-informed fools? Opinion is our least read content. And is frequently cited by readers as a reason for canceling their subscriptions. Must be after they dont read them. Opinion pages are going out with a whimper. A far more noble end and one desired by editors everywhere would be what befell Mark Twain when he worked for one week, editing, the Morning Glory and Johnson County War-Whoop. Twain noted, vigorous writing is calculated to elevate the public, but, hes reluctant to attract the attention it calls forth. His writing spurs a gentleman who shoots at him through a window and cripples me. A bombshell comes down his stovepipe. Next, a reader freckles Twain with bullet holes, till my skin wont hold my principles, and another throws Twain out the window, followed by another angry reader who tears all his clothes off, and an entire stranger who scalps him with the easy freedom of an old acquaintance. His opining career ends in less than five minutes when all the blackguards in the country arrive in their war-paint, and proceed to scare the rest of me to death with their tomahawks. Twain writes what hes written today will wake up another nest of hornets. I shall have to bid you adieu ... journalism is too stirring for me. Like craven Twains trembling editor, Gannett, afraid to poke the hornets nests, has found 21st century commentary journalism too stirring. I was privileged to work for the late Tony Snow when he was editorial page editor of the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia. The future press secretary for President George W. Bush would answer every irate reader with the same admonition, Thanks for your view. I am confident our democratic republic will survive our differences. Today, I am not so confident, fearing for the press that fears such differences. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Imagine: Thousands of Americans fleeing their home states in a desperate quest for a basic liberty control of their own bodies. State and federal officials not only forbid their free movement, but impose restrictive laws and hire bounty hunters to search for and forcibly return them. Government even moves to fine and imprison anyone assisting the fugitives. This dystopian vision is not a hypothetical description of what might follow the Supreme Courts decision to overturn abortion rights. It recounts what actually happened in the United States nearly two centuries ago. Passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 created a mechanism for slaveowners to extend their power into free states, to seize virtually any Black person they claimed as a runaway, and to fine or imprison anyone assisting them. Northern resistance to this power grab played a major part in the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Since around 1830, a loose network of abolitionists, religious activists, and free Blacks in the upper South and border states informally called the Underground Railroad assisted enslaved persons seeking freedom. Free Blacks working for shipping companies, actual railroads, and other transportation networks played a key role as conductors in the network which operated mostly in the upper South. In the three decades before the Civil War, the Railroad assisted about three or four thousand enslaved persons each year (out of an enslaved population of nearly four million) to find freedom in the North, Canada, and in some cases Mexico. Despite these small numbers, the very existence of the Underground Railroad outraged slave owners and their political representatives. It contradicted their claims that slavery was moral, biblically sanctioned, beneficial to master and slave, and constitutionally protected. In 1850, irate Southerners in Congress (who enjoyed disproportionate clout since their slave population enhanced their representation by 3/5) forced passage of the Fugitive Slave Act. This enhanced legislation from 1793 that compelled Northern states to assist in the return of human property. The new law specified that even if a former enslaved person lived in a free state, she/he had to be returned to bondage simply upon the demand of the alleged slave owner. The accused had no right to trial or to present evidence. Slave catchers received bounties for each returned runaway. Any private citizen or government official in a free state who aided a runaway even by providing food or shelter was subject to imprisonment and a stiff fine. Federal marshals were even empowered to compel white citizens in free states to join posses searching for fugitives. The same Southern politicians who prattled on endlessly about states rights promoted the most dramatic expansion of federal police power in the nations history. The state right they cared most about, it turned out, was the right to own other human beings. In the wake of the 1850 law, the Supreme Court made matters worse, quashing so-called personal liberty laws passed by Northern states in an effort to protect former enslaved persons and those who assisted them. In 1857, the high court went further, deciding in the infamous Dred Scott case that no Black person, slave or free, North or South, was an American citizen and that Congress had no authority to restrict slavery. By passing the Fugitive Slave Act, Southern politicians hoped to strangle the Underground Railroad and to intimidate anyone actively opposing slavery. But the law, like the Dred Scott decision, had unintended consequences. It mobilized a broad coalition of Northerners beyond the small number of abolitionists and Underground Railroad conductors who denounced what they called the slave power as intent on dominating the nation and eliminating all restraints on slavery. This outrage propelled the rise of the new Republican Party and resulted in the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The spiral of anger, sectionalism and clashing concepts of liberty paved the way for the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history. Americans are likely to soon face the prospect of half the states forbidding women from exercising fundamental freedom over their bodies. To enhance prohibition on abortions, many state legislatures plan to punish individuals or organizations in state or out who assist a woman in obtaining an abortion, even offering bounties to private citizen who identify abortion providers. In a post-Roe world, we may witness the creation of a new underground railroad, steering women to states that permit reproductive freedom. If a future Republican-controlled Congress (made more likely by rampant gerrymandering and the rural bias in the composition of the Senate) imposes a national ban on abortion, we may experience a new civil war, with battle lines this time drawn along the lines of reproductive, not racial, freedom. Michael Schaller is regents professor emeritus of history at the University of Arizona. He has written several books on U.S. history, focusing on international relations. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. A large fiberglass sculpture in the shape of a military drone hovers 25 feet above the High Line, the elevated public park on Manhattan's West Side. Although from afar it might be mistaken for the real thing, this drone is a piece by artist Sam Durant, who uses the work to discuss the terrorism of surveillance. Looking at "Untitled (drone)" in the middle of a bright day is the perfect way to start a whirlwind art tour of New York City. In the span of a long weekend, it's possible to take in a good amount of art that will sustain you for months. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Even before a gunman opened fire Saturday at an annual LGBTQ Pride festival in Norway, police officials in a Florida city that hosts one of the largest Pride celebrations in the southeast U.S. were gearing up for all hands on deck" to make sure the three days of festivities went off safely. St. Petersburg Police Department Chief Anthony Holloway said that officers in uniform and plainclothes would have a huge presence" at the weekend celebrations. Though there were no credible threats, St. Petersburg police officers were working with state and federal agencies to monitor intelligence and an emergency operations center was activated. A marine unit was monitoring the waterfront with jets-skis and boats, the police agency said in a statement. The Department will deploy extra resources, including monitoring downtown street cameras, video trailers, as well as Skywatch, the Police Departments raised video platform," the statement said. Organizers expected Saturdays parade to draw more than the 260,000 attendees who went to the parade in 2019. Concerns over safety have grown in recent weeks. A gunman opened fire in Oslos nightlife district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving more than 20 wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act during the capitals annual LGBTQ Pride festival. Earlier this month, 31 members of a white supremacist group, carrying riot gear, were arrested over accusations that they were plotting a major disruption at a Pride event in Idaho. Also this month, a group of men allegedly shouted homophobic and anti-LGBTQ slurs during a Drag Queen Story Hour at a San Francisco Bay Area library. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. MADRID, June 26 (Xinhua) -- An anti-North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) group composed of various members from around the world concluded its congress in Madrid on Saturday, with a declaration calling for widespread peace. "The new NATO has certified that it is willing to intervene outside the mandates of the United Nations charter, as was done in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya," said Willy Meyer, a representative of "Nato, no." Jose Luis Centella, president of the Communist Party of Spain, criticized NATO for advocating an increase in military spending and called for the denouncement of militarism. The group has scheduled a massive demonstration for Sunday against an upcoming NATO summit. The steady, powerful whine of the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 jet engines has a decibel level that requires earplugs. From roughly 50 yards away, the sound is like a million teapots with boiling water steaming, right before they whistle Shhhhhhhhhh ... The planes are lined up, side by side, engines flowing, outside indicator lights flashing, flaps moving up and down, and mirror-like targeting system appendages rotating, then stopping, underneath the pilot canopies. Systems are checked and rechecked for several adrenaline-pumping minutes. Then the planes move forward and turn, one by one, and roll down the taxiway. The whine gradually subsides as the jets move to the edge of the runway and out of hearing range. Then comes the thunderous, streaking, high-pitched roar a sound that trails each jet as it takes off with more than 29,000 pounds of thrust pushing the pilot into the seat with five to six times normal gravity into a near-vertical climb at a dizzying speed. Welcome to the 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, where the Tulsa Vipers put F-16s through their paces. Its a huge rush, every time you go out flying, said Capt. Mike Hondo, 26, one of about 40 pilots in the unit, based on the north side of Tulsa International Airport. Its definitely the best office view you can have. The 138th flies and maintains 21 of the General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons. The plane is a multi-role, single-engine aircraft that can fly at more than twice the speed of sound and is designed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. About twice a week, pilots train in various simulated combat situations, usually at sites near Salina, Kansas, and Fort Smith, Arkansas. The setup could involve two aircraft versus one, four versus two, or other situations involving both enemy fighters and simulated ground targets. Pilots usually have at least a day after being briefed on a particular scenario in which they will be participating. Some are designated the "red," or "bad guys," while others are designated the "good guys," they said. The flight exercises themselves may last as little as 20 minutes to more than two hours, depending on specifics and whether air refueling tankers are involved, pilots said. But they also involve several hours of preparation before the exercise and several hours of debriefing after in which the exercise is analyzed based on computer-generated flight and other data and pilots can learn what they did well and where they could improve. The coordination gets everybody on the same page. Then you go out there and execute it, and then you come back and just talk about, Hey, what could we have done better? Hondo said. Despite its age the F-16 was first flown in 1974 the airplane has undergone many significant upgrades in radar, weapons targeting, communications and other systems that continue to make it a very capable aircraft, pilots said. The coolest thing is it just being a multi-role fighter jet, in my opinion, said Lt. Burt Reynolds, 27, of Owasso, another 138th pilot. So we can do any mission that the Air Force has to offer, whether thats air to air, air to ground, and it keeps things fresh," Hondo said. We use a building block approach like a crawl-walk-run kind of format. So well do like basic skills first, and then well get more and more complex to lead to some pretty big scenarios, and so its pretty cool in that regard, Hondo said. Hondo, originally from northern Illinois, said that about a year ago, he was involved in a training exercise in which F-16s went up against the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, considered by many to be the best fighter aircraft ever built. But he said the F-16 held its own. You have to know what their capabilities are and what your capabilities are and use your capabilities to your advantage, he said. Honestly, a lot of the fights ended neutral. Some of our guys were killing the Raptors; some of the Raptors were killing us, but most of them (simulated dogfights) were ending up neutral. Hondo and Reynolds acknowledged aircraft capability is also extended to pilots as much as possible for advanced Russian and Chinese fighters, should conflict with those aircraft ever become a possibility. Last year, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, tried unsuccessfully to have the 138th's F-16s replaced by the newer Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Instead, the National Defense Authorization Act included provisions for continued upgrades to the 138th's F-16s, which an Inhofe staffer described as the best and most advanced in the military. I have been glad to work with my colleagues in the Senate and the folks at the 138th wing in Tulsa throughout the years to ensure they are well-equipped to complete their missions and do their jobs well and they now have some of the best aircraft available, Inhofe said in a statement to the Tulsa World in a request for this story. Tulsa is my home, and I am continually proud of the Oklahoma National Guards progress and achievements to ensure Oklahoma and the nation are safe," Inhofe said. "Guaranteeing the Oklahoma National Guard is well taken care of always has and will continue to be a priority for me. Most of the 138th's F-16s were built in 1989, with some built in 1988 and 1990, said Staff Sgt. Ceira Howze, 24, who schedules regular maintenance for the aircraft. Theyve had tons of upgrades, and were actually getting more upgrades as we speak, because we are extending the life of these jets, she said. Theyre doing these modifications so we can keep these aircraft flying and use them longer. Maintenance crew members speculated that depending on what repairs are needed, the jets could require up to 30 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight time, but sometimes much less. Much of the maintenance is done at the base, but specialists are sometimes called in to assist, given the complexity of the aircraft and a multitude of systems on board, including hydraulics, computer-aided displays, radar and other avionics, and even explosives contained in the ejection seats. Staff Sgt. Joseph Bridgers, 25, a maintenance crew chief, said one of the trickiest systems is hydraulics on the plane. Its not so much that it's challenging, its just complex, he said. The hydraulic system, subsystem and components control most everything on the aircraft landing gear, flight controls, you name it. When one things wrong, you have to chase it, and sometimes theyre tough to troubleshoot. Theyre messy. You can get hydraulic fluid all over the place. Its just a system that can either be a real easy fix or it can be a headache, he said. In addition to maintaining the aircraft, maintenance crews also play a key role in making sure systems on the plane are working properly before a pilot takes off. Many who are not officers have the authority to ground planes that they deem to have a potential problem. When it comes to them trusting us, they normally listen pretty easily, Bridgers said of pilots. Its nice to know how much trust it is. Youre the last person they lock eyes with you shake hands with before they get into that airplane. Theyre putting their full trust in you, making sure youve got your job done right. Reynolds and Hondo also lauded maintenance personnel on the base, saying they trust their assessments of potential problems. "They can see things we can't," Reynolds said. "If there's something that could go wrong, we really rely on them. ... It's a $40 million dollar aircraft. ... If we didn't have them, we wouldn't be able to fly." With the release of the movie Top Gun: Maverick, pilots Hondo and Reynolds said they were looking forward to seeing the film. They both said the original "Top Gun" had its flaws the main being the bitter rivalries portrayed among the pilots. One thing they did about it (the original) right was the culture, Reynolds said. "How fighter pilots are always striving to get better and better and better. Established in 1957, the 138th has more than 1,000 personnel, including about 300 who work on the base full-time. The mission of the unit is to defend the southern U.S. from New Orleans to Tucson, Arizona, "at a moment's notice," it states in a welcome package for visitors. The 138th has participated in many combat missions, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its a dream to both serve the community and the country, Reynolds said. Tulsa World Magazine summer edition Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Sprawling across more than 250,000 acres of Indian Territory, the Perryman Ranch opened its own post office in 1879, and a mail carrier began making weekly trips on horseback from Muskogee. The first batch of letters was delivered to a makeshift lean-to on the ranch, according to some historical sources, while other accounts suggest that all of the mail went straight to George Perrymans house, which was a veritable palace by territorial standards. It had six rooms, multiple chimneys and a wraparound porch built with lumber hauled in from Coffeyville, Kansas. It stood near what is now 34th Street and roughly halfway between Peoria and Lewis avenues, where a well-worn path led down to a natural ford in the Arkansas River. As members of the Muscogee tribe, the Perrymans named their post office Tulsa, adapted from a Muscogee word for "old town, and probably a reference to the original Muscogee settlement that began near the famous Council Oak tree in the 1830s. Originally, Perryman herds could be found grazing on open range from the Verdigris River to Duck Creek near present-day Mounds. And the lucrative cattle business persuaded the Frisco Railroad to build an extension from Vinita into Creek territory, bringing the first white settlers to the area in 1882. Before the Oil Boom, Tulsa was a cow town. Harry Campbell, Tulsas first attorney, built a small clapboard house near Third Street and Boston Avenue in 1895, when downtown roads were nothing but muddy paths with deep wagon-wheel ruts. And Campbell would sit on his front porch to watch cattle drives, some originating more than 100 miles from Tulsa and ending at the stockyards that used to sit just north of the railroad. The women of Tulsa once called an emergency town meeting to insist that the men build a fence around the old Mission School to keep children from being trampled. In those early days of Tulsa, the boundaries of the Perryman Ranch became widely recognized as what is now 11th Street on the north to roughly 101st Street to the south and from the Arkansas east to Lynn Lane. Covering more than 100 square miles, it encompassed most of modern-day midtown, south Tulsa and Broken Arrow, stretching all the way from Cherry Street to the Rose District. In the late 1800s, the ranch marked one of the last outposts of the Old West, where cattle roamed free and cowboys rode across a vast undisturbed prairie. But the Perrymans didnt own the land. Not legally. It was Muscogee territory, and allotment shattered the ranch into hundreds of pieces in the early 20th century. Now, the biggest surviving relic from the old ranch is the Perryman family cemetery at 32nd Street and Utica Avenue, which dates back to 1848 and holds about 50 graves. Unless, of course, you count Tulsa itself, which literally wouldnt be here if not for the Perryman Ranch. Tulsa World Magazine summer edition Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The South Carolina General Assembly is returning to Columbia on Tuesday to consider nearly $53 million in local projects that Gov. Henry McMaster wants out of the $13.8 billion state budget. All the money went toward items put in by lawmakers for local concerns, like $25 million to help pay for a quantum computer facility in Columbia, $7 million for a cultural welcome center in Orangeburg and $500,000 to improve the stadium at Summerville High School. McMaster allowed projects where lawmakers detailed exactly who got the money and where it was going. Without sufficient context, description, justification or information regarding the project and how the recipient intends to spend the funds, the public cannot evaluate the earmarks merit, McMaster wrote in his vetoes on Wednesday. Some other items McMaster also struck from the budget, which goes into effect July 1, were $5 million for a park in Myrtle Beach, $2 million for a community center in west Orangeburg and $750,000 for a library in Turbeville, In all, McMaster issued 73 vetoes. Ten were policies that did not involve money and 29 were budget lines that spent $1 procedural moves so the House and Senate can negotiate a final spending plan. Th General Assembly meets Tuesday. To override any of the governor's vetoes, a two-thirds vote is needed in the House and Senate. There were only a few votes against the budget when the Legislature approved it earlier this month. McMaster again said instead of giving lawmakers the power to control money for local projects, it should be put into one pot for a public grant process and awarded by merit, with the entire system open for transparency. The state's $13.8 billion budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 sets aside $1 billion to send hundreds of dollars of rebates to many South Carolina taxpayers. It also spends $600 million to cut the state's top income tax rate from 7% to 6.5% and combine other rates to 3%. Lawmakers eventually plan to cut the top rate to 6%. The spending plan also raises the minimum salary for teachers from $36,000 to $40,000, puts $1 billion extra into road repair and expansion and gives state employees a 3% raise and $1,500 bonus. The budget also raises a number of state law enforcement salaries and sets aside about $1 billion in case this is the year the economy craters. McMaster praised lawmakers for most of the budget and thanked them for putting more than 250 of his proposals into the final spending plan. Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. OKLAHOMA CITY Legislators who raised concerns about Epic Charter Schools say lawmakers and others allowed the alleged illegal activity to occur because of massive and widespread political contributions contributions that prosecutors said were made with taxpayer-supplied funds cycled through Epic-related bank accounts. The two co-founders, David Chaney and Ben Harris, along with Josh Brock, their former chief financial officer, were charged Thursday with racketeering, embezzlement, fraud and other misuse of state funds during their operation of Epic, a public charter school, and Epic Youth Services LLC, a for-profit vendor company created to manage the schools. Former state Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, one of the first lawmakers to question Epics handling of state dollars, said legislation he authored to stop the activity was not heard. Instead, he said he was removed from the Senate Education Committee and sued by Epic using state tax dollars. Sharp wound up winning defended, ironically, by attorneys also paid by the state. Sharp, however, lost reelection in 2020 after Epics founders spent tens of thousands of dollars against him, according to the charging documents. State Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, said when she arrived in the Legislature in 2019 with an eye on making charter schools such as Epic more financially accountable for the tax dollars they receive, she was told no such legislation could get a vote unless Harris OKd it. I was forced forced to have a meeting with Ben Harris, Dills said Friday. There were influential people in that room. I wont name names, but Ben Harris had to be in that meeting, and everybody had to agree. It was ridiculous. To Dills surprise, Harris agreed to the language that became House Bill 1395, which required Epic to begin itemizing the administrative expenses being paid directly to Chaney, Harris and Brock. That ultimately was a factor in their arrests on Thursday because prosecutors say those itemized invoices were falsified. Dills said she thinks Harris agreed because he didnt think the invoices would ever be examined, and because pressure against Epic was beginning to mount. The House unanimously passed additional oversight this spring but Dills could not get a vote on it in the Senate. Dills, who is not seeking reelection after two terms, said: The culture (of the Legislature) is ridiculous. The people of Oklahoma are getting ripped off big time. Its a disgusting environment. Chaney and Harris used their financial and political resources to influence elections including Sharps 2020 defeat, according to the charging document. Harris made payments from his personal bank account to an opposition research company that produced negative campaign mailers regarding Sharp during the 2020 election, according to the documents. Harris also made large donations to a political action committee that was formed to produce negative information on Sharp, according to the documents. They totally destroyed me in 2020, said Sharp, who is considering another bid for the office. The charging document and other information indicates Harris and Chaney have also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to defeat state Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, whose offices scathing investigation of Epic and associated entities contributed greatly to Thursdays charges. A document released in connection with the charges shows that between 2014 and 2020, Chaney, Harris and Brock dolled out at least $460,119 in funds to lawmakers, candidates, statewide officials and others. They also paid $774,500 to Prosperity Alliance Inc., a 5014 organization used to essentially launder political contributions. Prosperity Alliance has been linked to the attacks on Byrd. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who switched from Republican to Democrat to run for governor, was a top recipient at $52,138. Hofmeister said Friday she set in motion steps with the Ethics Commission to legally refund back to public schools any campaign donations that may have come from public funds via Epics founders. According to the charging documents, Harris, Chaney and Brock paid $450,000 to Conservatives for a Great Broken Arrow, $85,120 to INIT 2 LLC, and $25,800 to Vote Safe, all of which are associated with political consultant David Tackett. They also seem to have been involved in a nearly successful bid to defeat state Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow, in 2020. Contacted Friday, McDugle said he believes he was viewed as vulnerable because of a much-publicized Facebook rant against teachers and because he voted for the tax increases that paid for teacher raises. I figured then it was probably $55-$60,000 they spent against me, McDugle said. Other improper payments with state funds, according to prosecutors, included $100,000 to the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs, a vocal supporter of Epic and charter schools. When people give to OCPA, theyre supporting our mission, not the other way around, said Trent England, OCPA David and Ann Brown fellow. The OCPA has supported education reform since the 1990s, so the idea that a donation in 2019 changed our position is silly. Gov. Kevin Stitt was a recipient of $10,800 in campaign donations. His campaign manager, Donelle Harder, said Friday he will donate that amount to Crossover Academy, a private Christian school. Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, received a maximum donation of $5,600 two days after Byrds audit was released, according to the document. Ronsino then authored Senate Bill 895, which sought to limit the authority of the State Auditor, control how they reported investigative audit findings, and significantly cut their funding, according to the documents. The bill did not pass. Rosino did not return a phone call seeking comment. Between March 14 and May 2021, Chaney, Harris and/or Epic Youth Services paid $520,000 to Capitol Gains, which is owned by lobbyist Bobby Stem, according to the document. Stem is a longtime and well-known lobbyist at the Capitol. He did not respond to a request for comment. Sharp said the situation could have been addressed years earlier. I presented eight bills in 2019 and into 2020 which would have stopped this, Sharp said. I could not even get them heard. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Barbara Hoberock Capitol Bureau Writer I have covered the Oklahoma Legislature since 1994. I cover politics, appellate courts, state agencies and the governor. I have worked for the Tulsa World since 1990. Phone: 405-528-2465 Follow Barbara Hoberock Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today If the idea of being sent off to war didnt sound all that appealing, Bob Kenslow had at least one consolation. He would not be going alone. I remember we all came out to the fairgrounds, where we were based, to meet the train, Kenslow said, recalling the day he and the other members of his Tulsa Marine Corps Reserve unit departed for service in Korea. Our families came out to see us off. But for Kenslow, the comforting proximity of his Tulsa comrades would not be enjoyed for long. As soon as they arrived in California, he was singled out and separated from the group. The Marine Corps, it seemed, had something different in mind for him. Some of his special training from World War II was going to make him more valuable in another role. This past weekend marked the 72nd anniversary of the start of the Korean War, on June 25, 1950. It officially began when communist North Korea invaded South Korea, which spurred a U.S.-led United Nations force to intervene. Occurring between World War II and Vietnam conflicts that both, for different reasons, stand out in Americans minds Korea has long been overshadowed. But for those who fought the Forgotten War, as its sometimes called, there can be no forgetting. Ive had the good fortune to interview a few Korea veterans and can confirm that their stories are well worth remembering, their sacrifices deserving of acknowledgement. A WWII and Korea veteran who later worked on the Atlas and Titan missile programs, Kenslow, 96, of Coweta, originally had his sights set on becoming a Marine fighter pilot. But shortly after graduating from Tulsa Central High School in 1943, his dream was tripped up. I couldnt pass the color-blindness test to fly, he said. Instead, he would play a supporting role to the pilots. For the rest of WWII, he was stationed in North Carolina, where he worked in aviation communications. Called back After the war, Kenslow transitioned to the Marine Corps Reserves. We thought we were done with wars, he said. When I heard about how things were going over there (in Korea), I grabbed my duffel bag, went out to the fairgrounds and told them I want to resign from the Reserves, Kenslow laughed. They told me I was two days too late. Called back to active duty for Korea, Kenslow was assigned to a Marine aircraft wing, where his job was communications for close air support missions. In close air support, the enemy targets are nearby to friendly ground troops, meaning a high level of communication between air and ground forces is critical. Kenslows introduction to Korea came in October 1950 at Wonsan. When I first got there, I thought, Well, well be winding this down soon. UN forces were having their way with the North Koreans, pushing them not only out of South Korea but all the way to their northern border with China. We didnt realize the magnitude of what was to come, Kenslow said. When Chinese units began pouring over the border to support North Korea, it changed everything, he said. That was when the big, big war started. One of Kenslows teams busiest times was that first December, when UN forces in North Korea were forced to evacuate. Communication was constant with the pilots who were supporting the evacuation, he said. Kenslow, who operated in and around combat zones all his time in Korea, would also contribute by learning cryptography. They wouldnt allow cryptographers to work near combat areas. It was too great a risk if they were captured. So they would pick someone out in the unit and train them in cryptography. That way, if you were captured, cryptography wasnt in your job title and you didnt have to lie about it. You were just another rifle-totin Marine. As his units de facto cryptographer, Kenslow encoded and decoded messages. Another task that often fell to his team was rescuing downed pilots. Once it came over the radio, if you werent doing something specific, youd grab your rifle and go along. Wed all pile in a truck, try to get there before the enemy. The responders would retrieve the pilot, then blow up the aircraft to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Kenslow went on a couple of these runs, including to retrieve two Australian pilots whod run out of fuel. They were characters, he laughed. Once a Marine When Kenslow, who achieved the rank of staff sergeant, finally got back to Tulsa, he was interviewed by local TV. He believes it was because he was the first Tulsa serviceman to return from Korea. Those who had WWII service were often sent home before others. Kenslow went on to work for the U.S. Air Force as a civilian employee. He served as a contract administrator on intercontinental ballistic missile projects. It included the Atlas, the first operational ICB missile developed by the U.S., along with the Titan I and Titan II projects. Kenslow remains proud of his military service and the tradition of the citizen soldier he represented. Guard members and reservists, both recruits and veterans like Kenslow, played a big part in Korea. At their peak, nearly 50% of all Marines there were reservists. Around 122,000 Marine reservists were called to active duty during the war. Kenslow wishes he could reconnect with anyone from his Tulsa Reserve unit. His career took him around the country before he eventually came back to Oklahoma. I dont think I ever saw any of those guys again. Ive often wondered what happened to them. If you can help, reach out to me at the email address below. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Thats what we said, Kenslow said. Tulsa World Newsroom podcast: Tim Stanley talks about the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. OKLAHOMA CITY Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to determine primary winners and those who will face a runoff. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Most of the primaries are among Republicans. Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said this is the first statewide election since redistricting. It is important for voters to confirm where their polling place is before they head to the polls, Ziriax said. Due to redistricting, a number of voters are in new districts with new polling places. Ziriax said while Oklahoma has closed primaries, Democrats have opened their primaries to independent voters. Every voter has the right to vote on nonpartisan candidates and issues on the ballot, including casting ballots for judges and associate judges. Voters will be required to show photo identification issued by the state, federal government or a recognized tribal government. They may also use the free voter identification card, Ziriax said. A third option is to sign an affidavit and obtain a provisional ballot. Gov. Kevin Stitt is fending off Republican challengers Joel Kintsel, who took a leave of absence from leading the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as Mark Sherwood and Moira McCabe. If no one gets 50% of the votes plus one, the top two vote-getters advance to the Aug. 23 runoff. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who switched from Republican to Democrat, hopes to defeat former state Sen. Connie Johnson, making her second attempt for the governors office. Independent Ervin Yen, a former state senator, and Libertarian Natalie Bruno will also be on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell did not draw a Republican challenger but will face Libertarian Chris Powell and Democrat Melinda L. Alizadeh-Fard in the general election. The race for state auditor will be decided Tuesday. State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd faces fellow Republican Steven W. McQuillen. Byrd is seeking a second term. There are no Democratic candidates for the role. Republican Gentner F. Drummond is making his second attempt at attorney general. He faces Oklahoma Attorney General John M. OConnor, who was appointed by Stitt after Mike Hunter resigned. The winner will face Libertarian Lynda Steele in the general election. Republicans Todd Russ, a House member who is term-limited; Clark Jolley, a former Senate member and past member of the Oklahoma Tax Commission; and David B. Hooten, who recently resigned as Oklahoma County clerk, are seeking the Republican nomination for state treasurer. State Treasurer Randy McDaniel is not seeking another term. Libertarian Gregory J. Sadler and Democrat Charles De Coune will also be on the general election ballot for treasurer. Peggs Public Schools Superintendent John Cox, Shawnee Public Schools Superintendent April Grace, Education Secretary Ryan Walters and William E. Crozier are seeking the Republican nomination for state superintendent. Cox is making his third attempt at the office. Crozier has run for the post once and also ran for lieutenant governor. Democrat Jena Nelson will be on the general election ballot for state superintendent; Hofmeister could not seek another term. Incumbent Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn, a former House member, hopes to fend off Republican challengers Sean Roberts, a House member who is term-limited, and Keith Swinton, who ran in 2018. Libertarian Will Daugherty and Democrat Jack Henderson, a former Tulsa City Council member, will also be on the general election ballot. Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready, a former House member, was unopposed. Republicans Kim David, a term-limited state senator, Justin Hornback, Harold Spradling and Todd Thomsen, a former House member, are seeking the GOP nomination for corporation commissioner. Dana Murphy, a Republican, is term-limited. Democrat Margaret Bowman and independent Don Underwood will be on the general election ballot. Primaries for both of Oklahomas U.S. Senate seats are on Tuesdays ballot. In one, 13 Republicans are vying for the nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. Public polling consistently shows 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullin leading the field but short of the simple majority needed to avoid a runoff. Former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon appears the most likely to be the second candidate in that election. Republicans and Democrats, as well as independents, have primaries for the other Senate seat. Incumbent U.S. Sen. James Lankford is opposed by Jackson Lahmeyer and Joan Farr on the GOP ballot, while the Democratic field consists of Jason Bollinger, Madison Horn, Arya Azma, Brandon Wade, Dennis Baker and Jo Glenn. The 1st Congressional District, which includes most of Tulsa and all of Tulsa County, does not have a primary, but CD 2 and CD 3 do. The CD 2 race is particularly bumptious, with 14 Republicans entered and no clear favorite. Among those running are state Sen. Marty Quinn, R-Claremore; state Rep. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee; state Rep. Dustin Roberts, R-Durant; former state Rep. John Bennett; former state Sen. Josh Brecheen; former state Rep. David Derby; Muskogee Police Chief Johnny Teehee; Muskogee pharmacist Chris Schiller; and tribal officials Guy Barker and Wes Nofire. Other candidates are former law officer Clint Johnson, Rhonda Hopkins of Rose, former nonprofit leader Pam Gordon and military veteran Erick Wyatt. In CD 3, 14-term Republican incumbent Frank Lucas is opposed by Enid pastor Wade Burleson and Yukon window cleaning service owner Stephen Butler. CD 4 and CD 5 also have GOP primaries. In CD 4, incumbent Tom Cole is opposed by perennial foe James Taylor and the largely unknown Frank Blacke. CD 5 incumbent Stephanie Bice is opposed by Subrina Banks, a real estate agent worried about critical race theory and social emotional learning. State House and Senate races will also be on the ballot. Randy Krehbiel contributed to this story. Featured video: Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. This is the first statewide election since redistricting, so "it is important for voters to confirm where their polling place is before they head to the polls, Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said. Hundreds of Mexican same-sex couples married on Friday, marking the first time that the annual mass ceremony in Mexico City ahead of its Pride parade has taken place after being cancelled for two years due to the pandemic. A live band played traditional songs like Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" as joyful couples, some in matching outfits, said their vows together. Several rainbow masks were pulled lower for first kisses as newlyweds. A man shows his bowtie as he celebrates LGBTQ+ pride month with a massive wedding of same sex couples in Mexico City, Mexico, June 24, 2022. Photo: Reuters The ceremony, funded by local government, provides an economical way for couples to get married. A large wedding cake topped with rainbow frosting was shared. "Truth is, this is something we'd been planning to do for awhile," said Miguel Delgado, who wore a rainbow bowtie for the occasion. "And because of the pandemic we hadn't been able to do it, so once the occasion arose, we decided to take advantage of it," he said. A couple dances as they celebrate LGBTQ+ pride month with a massive wedding of same sex couples in Mexico City, Mexico, June 24, 2022. Photo: Reuters Mexico City, the country's capital, legalized same-sex marriage in 2010. Since then, 26 of Mexico's 32 states have followed suit. Thousands are expected to participate in Mexico City's Pride Parade on Saturday. A couple embraces as they celebrate LGBTQ+ pride month with a massive wedding of same sex couples in Mexico City, Mexico, June 24, 2022. Photo: Reuters Monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) ruled on Saturday, although WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was deeply concerned about the outbreak. "I am deeply concerned about the monkeypox outbreak, this is clearly an evolving health threat that my colleagues and I in the WHO Secretariat are following extremely closely," Tedros said in a statement. WHO said in a separate statement that although there were some differing views within the committee, they ultimately agreed by consensus that at this stage the outbreak is not a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The "global emergency" label currently only applies to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio, and the U.N. agency has stepped back from applying it to the monkeypox outbreak after advice from a meeting of international experts. There have been more than 3,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox and one death reported in the last six weeks from 48 countries where it does not usually spread, according to WHO. So far this year almost 1,500 cases and 70 deaths in central Africa, where the disease is more common, have also been reported, chiefly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Monkeypox, a viral illness causing flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, has been spreading largely in men who have sex with men outside the countries where it is endemic. There are vaccines and treatments available for monkeypox, although they are in limited supply. Some global health experts said WHO may be have been hesitant to make a declaration because its January 2020 declaration that the new coronavirus represented a public health emergency was largely met with skepticism around the world. But others said the outbreak met the criteria to be called an emergency. Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University who advised the committee but who is not a member of WHO, told Reuters by email on Saturday that he thought the decision was "misguided". "It met all the criteria but they decided to punt on this momentous decision," he said. There is a "real risk" of multiple famines this year, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said on Friday and urged ministers meeting on food security to take practical steps to stabilize food markets and reduce commodity price volatility. "We face an unprecedented global hunger crisis," Guterres told the meeting in Berlin via video. "The war in Ukraine has compounded problems that have been brewing for years: climate disruption; the COVID-19 pandemic; the deeply unequal recovery." More than 460,000 people in Somalia, Yemen and South Sudan are in famine conditions under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) - a scale used by U.N. agencies, regional bodies and aid groups to determine food insecurity. This is the step before a declaration of famine in a region. Millions of people in 34 other countries are on the brink of famine, according to the IPC. "There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022. And 2023 could be even worse," said Guterres, calling mass hunger and starvation unacceptable in the 21st century. Guterres said there could be no effective solution to the crisis unless Ukraine and Russia, which produce about 29% of global wheat exports, find a way to properly resume trade. Shipments from Ukrainian ports have been halted by Russia's attack on its neighbor. Moscow wants certain Western sanctions lifted in order to resume its grain and fertilizer exports. The United Nations and Turkey are trying to broker a deal. Guterres did not elaborate on the talks, saying: "Public statements could hinder success." He also asked ministers at the Berlin meeting to address a finance crisis in developing countries. Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue left Hanoi on Saturday for his official visit to Hungary from June 26 to 28, the Vietnam News Agency reported. COVID-19 Updates -- The Ministry of Health documented 657 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the national tally to 10,742,891, with 9,642,514 recoveries and 43,084 deaths. Society -- Traffic police from the Ministry of Public Security have fined a 47-year-old man from the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long for threatening an ambulance driver with a knife and not giving way to a priority vehicle after a video of the incident was shared on social media earlier this week. -- Seventeen passengers were hospitalized after a sleeper bus carrying more than 40 people ran off the road and overturned along National Highway No. 1 in south-central Binh Thuan Province on Saturday afternoon. -- Local fishermen have found the body of a 25-year-old woman who jumped off a bridge with her four-year-old son in north-central Quang Tri Province on Thursday. -- Police in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City are investigating the suspected arson at a house in an alley on Nguyen Tu Nghiem Street that led to the death of two women early on Saturday morning. -- Officers in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly stabbing to death a 58-year-old man in front of the victims villa. Business -- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday attended the Da Nang 2022 Investment Forum held in both online and in-person formats in the namesake central city with the participation of a total of 900 delegates. Lifestyle -- Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau, a 28-year-old beauty from southern Tay Ninh Province, was crowned Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 during the pageants finale held in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday evening. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police are investigating an allegation against an English teacher of his sexual assault on one of his students in a province in north-central Vietnam. Officers from the police department in Vu Quang District, Ha Tinh Province have transferred the case to their colleagues at the provincial level for a probe after receiving a report from the family of the victim in question, a sixth grader at Vu Quang Middle School. On June 23, a leader of the Ha Tinh Department of Education and Training said that the agency had required the Vu Quang education bureau and the school to submit a report on the alleged sexual assault. The school is now closed for summer vacation but the education department will severely punish the teacher whenever police investigation proves him guilty, the leader said. According to the victims family, the student, only identified as T., attended an after-school English class taught by 42-year-old L.D.C., the accused, on June 20. At night-time on the same day, T. went home with abnormal behaviors so her family asked questions but she did not answer them. T.s family then learned that she had been sexually assaulted by C. after receiving information from her friends family. The schoolgirls family then reported it to local authorities and at the same time brought her to a hospital for a medical check-up, before police stepped in. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh City authorities will remind local residents to get their second COVID-19 booster shots through text messages as the city is committed to providing the doses for everyone who is eligible. The municipal Peoples Committee has directed local organizations, agencies, and units to promote the second COVID-19 booster campaign in the metropolis as well as take certain measures to encourage residents to receive the doses. The Department of Information and Communications was told to work with Viettel Telecom Corporation to utilize the COVID-19 vaccination database and send text messages to residents who are eligible for such booster shots. These messages will act as a reminder for citizens to get vaccinated with the booster jabs at local inoculation sites. The management boards of export processing zones, industrial parks, high-tech zones, companies, and enterprises are in charge of urging workers to get further inoculated. These management boards will coordinate with the administrations in all districts and Thu Duc City in making a list of laborers eligible for the second booster shots. The Department of Health was tasked with publicizing the lists of inoculation sites across the city and make daily updates on the number of booster shot recipients. The People's Committee required local authorities to administer all the allocated vaccine doses to eligible residents before they expire. People who do not agree to get the second boosters will be required to sign a written commitment and take responsibility for their decision if the virus rages again. As of June 22, health workers in the city of nine million had administered more than 21.1 million vaccine doses to local residents. The Ministry of Health announced that Vietnam had so far received over 251 million COVID-19 vaccine shots of various types, of which 228.8 million had been distributed. There are more than 22.2 million Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech doses left, the ministry added. By June 23, almost 100 percent of adults and 95 percent of children aged 12 to 17 in the country of 97 million had been fully inoculated against the disease. However, the progress of providing booster shots for adults has been slowing down, with only 64.7 percent of people aged 18 and older having received the third jabs and only 2.5 million adults having received the fourth doses. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A restaurant in Nha Trang, a coastal city in south-central Vietnam, has been fined over US$900 after being accused of charging customers $26 for three servings of beef pan-fried noodles. Nha Trang authorities have issued a fine of VND21 million ($902) to Ngoc Phu Seafood Restaurant for operating without a food safety and hygiene certificate, and for failing to clearly list dish prices, Phan Thanh Liem, deputy chairman of the citys administration, said on Saturday. The fining followed a report from a team that inspected Ngoc Phu after a rip-off allegation was posted on social media against this restaurant, located on Tran Phu Street. The penalization served as a deterrent to other food caterers, helping keep the image of a safe, civilized, and friendly Nha Trang, the capital of Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam, the team said. Inspectors asked the eatery owner to promptly obtain the aforementioned certificate and list its dish prices clearly, without giving details. On June 16, a Facebook account named Luu Phuong Linh displayed photos of beef pan-fried noodles stored in a foam food box, accusing Ngoc Phu of fleecing her and her family. Linh said in the post that she and her family arrived at the eatery two days earlier and had to pay VND600,000 ($26) for three servings of the beef pan-fried noodles, which she said did not taste very good and were totally not worth it. A takeout portion of pan-fried beef noodles from Ngoc Phu Seafood Restaurant in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Photo: Luu Phuong Linh The price put aside, the serving contained many noodles and vegetables, but only 4-5 pieces of beef, which were dry, tough, chewy, and very displeasing, the customer wrote in her Facebook post. When asked about the high price, the restaurant simply explained that it was expensive because it was beef noodles, the customer narrated. She went on to advise people not to eat at the eatery, where the rip-off was considered an embarrassment to the beautiful tourist city of Nha Trang. "Although the restaurant has a prime location, near the Nha Trang beach, it is unacceptable for it to charge customers at such a rate," she wrote in the post. In response to the allegation, Ngoc Thanh, owner of Ngoc Phu, said his staff told him that the customer finished two servings of the pan-fried noodles at the restaurant before ordering one takeout of the same dish. Each serving cost VND200,000 ($8.6). The lady voiced no complaints during the time at the restaurant, Thanh claimed, adding that it was not fair that she complained later on the Internet, instead of directly to his restaurant. We have our prices listed clearly for customers, the owner claimed. If its our fault, I will apologize. A serving of the beef pan-fried noodles at Ngoc Phu used to fetch VND150,000-160,000 ($6.5-6.9) but rising costs of materials and fuel forced the restaurant to increase the price, the restaurant explained. The price of this dish on the menu was VND220,000 ($9.4) per serving, but the customers asked to be served a VND200,000 portion so the restaurant charged them at such a rate, an employee of Ngoc Phu elaborated. Beef prices are quite high, at VND250,000- 270,000 [$10.7-11.6] per kilogram so a serving of beef pan-fried noodles [for two eaters] is that costly, the staff said. Meanwhile, when contacted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters, Linh said she and her daughter were driven to Ngoc Phu by a cyclo driver named Dung, who said it was an affordable eatery. The restaurant staff didn't give me a menu but I thought fried noodles would be cheap so I ordered three servings, including one for taking away, Linh recounted. This image shows the Ngoc Phu Seafood Restaurant menu, in which beef pan-fried noodles are priced at VND220,000 ($9.4) per serving. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre After finishing the meal, the restaurant staff asked Linh to pay VND600,000 for the three portions. When she asked the staff why the price was so high for a serving that had only a few pieces of meat, the employee said beef pan-fried noodles were served at such a price. Linh said when she told the staff that she would raise this issue on social media, the staff said nothing. She said at that time she wanted to report the case to local authorities, but she eventually did not. I posted it on my Facebook page with a view to warning travelers to Nha Trang against such rip-offs, and many friends commented that they were overcharged similarly, Linh told Tuoi Tre. A seafood restaurant located on To Hieu Street, Nha Trang, said the price of VND200,000 per serving of beef pan-fried noodles is quite high because ingredients such as noodles and beef are neither too difficult to find nor expensive like seafood. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! One person was killed and another injured in a wall collapse that took place during the demolition of a house in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday. The accident occurred at a house on Dang Nguyen Can Street in Ward 14, District 6 at around 8:25 am on Sunday, according to preliminary information. A group of workers were demolishing the house to prepare for the construction of a new one when a big wall collapsed and buried two people. Officers use a crane truck in their efforts to rescue the victims of the wall collapse in Ho Chi Minh City, June 26, 2022. Photo: PC07 After being notified, officers under the Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue Police Division (PC07) arrived at the scene to rescue the victims. With the help of a crane truck, officers eventually managed to move the victims out of the debris, but one of them had already died. The other suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Police are working to determine the cause of the fatal accident. Officers use a crane truck in their efforts to rescue the victims of the wall collapse in Ho Chi Minh City, June 26, 2022. Photo: PC07 Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Hue Festival 2022 kicked off on Saturday evening in the eponymous city in central Vietnam, after a two-year halt due to COVID-19, centered around the Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development theme. The opening ceremony at Ngo Mon Square, which attracted thousands of visitors, began with a unique art program along with an ao dai (Vietnams traditional gown) show, depicting cultural values and identities of Hue City, an ancient capital, as well as Thua Thien-Hue Province in general. After over 20 years of organization, Festival Hue has become a national cultural and artistic event to promote Vietnams cultural quintessence and the ancient royal city of Hue as a safe, friendly, and beautiful destination, said deputy chairman of the provincial administration Nguyen Thanh Binh, who is also head of the festival organizing committee. This years festival, scheduled to last from June 25 to 30, includes eight main festive programs, along with 29 accompanying exhibitions and other activities, said Huynh Tien Dat, director of the Hue Festival Center. Among its diverse activities will be a beer festival, a street carnival, and a music program featuring famous songs by late composer Trinh Cong Son. A hot-air balloon festival and a display of 20 paintings of Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu) and traditional costumes of ASEAN countries are also included in the events plan. The Vietnam Summer Fair 2022 and a SUP (Standup Paddle Board) competition along the Huong (Perfume) River will also take place in the festive period. Those loving the excitement of modern music genres will not want to miss electronic dance music and rock fests as part of Hue Festival 2022, which gathers nearly 400 performers of 15 domestic troupes, along with many international art groups from seven countries. This years festival will see performances by domestic and foreign art troupes on stages set up along the banks of the Perfume River, not just confined to the area of Hue Citadel like in previous editions, the organizing board said. The festival is also a chance to introduce to international visitors UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage sites in Hue, including the Complex of Hue Monuments, Hue Royal Court Music, Woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty, the Nguyen Dynastys royal documents, and the Royal Literature on Hue Royal Architecture, according to the organizers. About 200,000 visitors are expected to join the festive activities, the provincial Department of Tourism said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Abortions to move underground in half the US: Here's how it might work Before the Supreme Court released its ruling Friday upending abortion rights in the U.S., Elisa Wells was thinking of virtual mailboxes. For people who move or travel a lot, a virtual mailbox is a way to check their mail online. If an item is critical, they forward it to their current location. For Wells, founder of the online abortion site Plan C, which tells women how to find the abortion pill, its a potential workaround to state laws restricting access. Using dried garbanzo beans and old pill bottles, Wells tested whether a virtual mailbox set up in a state like California or New York -- which allow abortion pills to be prescribed through a telehealth appointment -- could make its way to a woman in a state like Texas or Oklahoma that restrict access. PHOTO: Abortion rights supporters protest at the U.S. Supreme Court, in response to the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling on June 24, 2022, in Washington that overturned the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) The answer was yes. We want all the information we provide on our website to be as helpful as possible, Wells told ABCs "20/20." We know that people looking for abortion care, especially in restricted states are in a really stressful situation. And we don't want them to have to guess about what to do and which services to use, she added. MORE: With Roe gone, what can Biden do on abortion access? Advocacy groups say plenty As 26 states are expected to eventually ban or severely restrict abortion in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson, a grassroots resistance movement is on the rise that looks notably different than it did in the 1960s. Unlike before the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion, about half of the U.S. will already offer abortion access, and several online-based state funds are providing patients with flights, child care, gas cards and access to food delivery services like Grubhub and DoorDash if they need to travel far. The National Abortion Federation is expanding a nationwide hotline -- established in 1978 -- to connect abortion seekers to those funds. It is just really important that people understand that there is an infrastructure in place right now to help people move across the country and to help provide support," said Melissa Fowler, chief program officer at NAF. Story continues It's possible anti-abortion rights states will try to brand such efforts as illegal, paving the way for more court challenges. The other major difference is federal approval 22 years ago of the drug mifepristone. Used in combination with another drug, misoprostol commonly prescribed for stomach ulcers -- the Food and Drug Administration says the pills can be used to induce an abortion so long as a woman is within 10 weeks of pregnancy. PHOTO: Protesters march as part of a Black areproductive justicea protest for abortion rights in Washington, June 18, 2022. (Anne Flaherty/ABC News) The FDA also says those drugs can be prescribed through a telehealth appointment and mailed to the persons home, although anti-abortion states have restricted access. A group called Just the Pill and Abortion Delivered said Friday that it's now launching new mobile clinics in Colorado -- one that will offer surgical abortion for patients over 11 weeks, and another equipped entirely for telehealth appointments for medication abortion. Another group, called Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equality, is training local activists on how to "self-manage" an abortion, including when and how to take mifepristone and misoprostol. Several anti-abortion rights lawmakers and activists say this could potentially violate state laws that prohibit "aiding and abetting" abortion. Kimberly Inez McGuire, head of URGE, said she believes their work will be protected as free speech. "Before Roe (v Wade), we did not have safe and effective abortion pills like we do now. We didn't have the internet. And so it really is a different circumstance," she said. MORE: Major US abortion pill producer says it has ample supply if demand soars PHOTO: Protesters march as part of a Black areproductive justicea protest for abortion rights in Washington, June 18, 2022. (Anne Flaherty/ABC News) This grassroots movement also is looking overseas. Among the options the website Plan C points people towards is Aid Access, an international organization that prescribes the abortion pill to women in the U.S. even if their state law prohibits it. Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, founder of the organization, told ABC that she will personally conduct a telehealth appointment online with American patients and prescribe the pills to them for 95 euros; the pills are then filled from a pharmacy in India and mailed to the US address. Gomperts said she believes state laws only apply to residents of that state, whereas she works out of Amsterdam and Austria. The FDA though warns getting medications overseas from sites not regulated by the US could be dangerous. Under federal rules, the abortion pill can only be prescribed by certified clinicians and provided from FDA-inspected manufacturers. Another drawback: The medication can take as long as three weeks to arrive posing a risk that patients may take the medication too late in their pregnancy. Gomperts said she is confident in the quality of the product and will continue to offer the service. She predicted other doctors in the U.S. and around the world will follow suit as states ban abortion. What will happen (in the U.S.) is what happens everywhere in the world and that is that there will be huge underground markets, she told ABCs Nightline. ABC News Erin Murtha contributed to this report. Abortions to move underground in half the US: Here's how it might work originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Cello soloist Li La performs "Vivendo il sogno" (Living the dream) during a special one-off "East Meets West" classical music concert at the Rome Opera House in Rome, Italy, June 25, 2022. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) ROME, June 26 (Xinhua) -- A special one-off "East Meets West" classical music concert was held Saturday evening at Rome's iconic opera house, with Chinese and Italian musicians enthralling the audience with an impressive performance. At the Rome Opera House, the most important music hall in the Italian capital, the 1,600-seat venue was mostly full, and several of the pieces performed attracted extended rounds of applause. The program is a centerpiece of the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism, featuring seven performances from both Italian and Chinese composers and focusing on young musicians. The event was part of the first full season of the opera house in its home facility since it closed for the coronavirus pandemic. Other performances since 2020 had been held in outdoor venues. The nearly two-hour selection, conducted by Qian Junping, got underway with a performance of "Jasmine Flower" from Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. "Nessun dorma" (None shall sleep) from the same opera was also played near the end of the evening. The main theme from the Oscar-winning film "Cinema Paradiso," written by Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone, was another highlight. Wang Bing Bing, a soprano who wore a long, white dress for spotlight performance in "Pamir, my beautiful hometown," received a strong round of applause, as did Lu Wei, the violin soloist in "The Butterfly Lovers," the high-profile first performance after intermission. Li La was the cello soloist for "Vivendo il sogno" (Living the dream), while Italian tenor Gianluca Sciarpelletti was the voice soloist for Puccini's "Nessun dorma." The audience was a mix of Italians, Chinese nationals, and other nationalities. Several spoke about the importance of cultural exchanges between Italy and China. "There was such a contrast in styles that it made the concert seem very dramatic, with interesting highs and lows," Marianna D'Alessio, a communications consultant, said in an interview. "The musicians involved were very talented as well." "Italy and China have long ties commercially and in other areas, including art and culture," Marco Zhou, a 49-year-old Rome-based restaurant owner who originally hails from Shanghai, told Xinhua. "An event like this can only make those ties stronger and deeper." The "East Meets West" event was part of a broad "Image China" initiative that aims to increase awareness of both traditional and contemporary music from China. Photo taken on June 25, 2022 shows a special one-off "East Meets West" classical music concert at the Rome Opera House in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Violin soloist Lu Wei performs "The Butterfly Lovers" during a special one-off "East Meets West" classical music concert at the Rome Opera House in Rome, Italy, June 25, 2022. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Soprano Wang Bing Bing (L, front) and Italian tenor Gianluca Sciarpelletti (R, front) sing during a special one-off "East Meets West" classical music concert at the Rome Opera House in Rome, Italy, June 25, 2022. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 25, 2022 shows a special one-off "East Meets West" classical music concert at the Rome Opera House in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will travel to Iran on Friday to try to urge Tehran to seal an agreement to revive the nuclear deal with world powers signed in 2015 that the United States withdrew from but is now seeking to save. Called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and struck by Iran and six major powers, Tehran limited its nuclear program to make it harder for it to get a bomb in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. "Josep Borrell will visit Iran on 24-25 June, as part of the ongoing efforts to bring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) back to full implementation," the EU said in a statement. Borrell will meet Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian. Tehran for its part said its focus was on sanctions relief, not directly mentioning the nuclear deal. "Bilateral relations, regional and international issues, as well as the latest status of sanctions lifting will be discussed during the visit, which is part of the ongoing consultations between Iran and the European Union," ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said. The revived deal seemed near in March but talks were thrown into disarray in part by a dispute over whether the United States should remove Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards from its Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO] list. (Editing by Mark Heinrich, William Maclean) (Photo: Maskot via Getty Images) (Photo: Maskot via Getty Images) Identity and belonging for a Black Brit are complicated things. Whether first or second generation Black British, many of us struggle with knowing where our home really is. If you were born here in the UK, its easy to see yourself as British, but equally common not to feel truly accepted by wider society. And when you go back home, its not smooth sailing either. Often, you can be labelled as British or foreign, especially when its noticeable you werent born or raised in that country. This only gets more complex when youre queer. For most Black Brits, going back home is a time to meet extended family, practise your mother tongue and learn more about your culture. But how can you do that when home is homophobic? What happens when you want to explore your roots while knowing it could be dangerous to be you. In Nigeria, for example, the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill not only allows lengthy prison sentences for anyone entering into, witnessing or enabling a same-sex marriage, but also for anyone operating of gay clubs and societies, and public displays of same-sex affection. I spoke to three LGBTQ+ British Nigerians about their relationship with home. Bolu*, 20, is originally from Nigeria and her father passed away in December. She was expected to be travelling back this summer for his memorial. But she has decided against going due to her familys intense Islamic conservatism. Although she identifies as queer, Bolu is not currently out to her family as she believes that it would lead her to being disowned. I have a relatively good relationship with my mum but thats because I conceal most of my life from her, she says. I dont live at home so this has been easy. However, its getting to the point where its pretty laborious having to lie constantly to my mum. When I think about going back to Nigeria, I feel a lot of pain and sadness.Bolu, 20 Her family are from the north of Nigeria where full Sharia law has operated for two decades. This means that if anything regarding my sexuality came out while I was in Nigeria, I wouldnt be safe from my family and no laws would protect me, she says. Story continues Even if I hide my sexuality incredibly well, which I have done in the past, I still have to deal with my family imposing patriarchal expectations on me as a woman. Bolu usually does spend two months in Nigeria every year, meaning she has built a life and connection there but, increasingly, she feels like its fake. When I think about going back to Nigeria, I feel a lot of pain and sadness, she says. My family dont know me and they cant. My true self feels severed from my ancestry and heritage. The approaching trip home that she will be missing is very significant to her immediate family, Bolu says. In many ways its a homecoming my dad was the eldest of his family and my family want to see his legacy, his children. Seeing the places my dad grew up in and experiencing Nigeria through my grief is something I really wish I could experience, but I just dont think I can mentally hack it. It is just incredibly painful. JJ, 21, who identifies as bisexual and transmasculine, and has a disability, most recently visited Lagos in 2021. Theyre planning on returning this year, but thinks its going to be their last trip back for the foreseeable. Going back [last year] just made me realise how I could never again fit in, both into my family and Nigerian society as a whole, they tell HuffPost UK. I cant commit to hiding my queerness forever and Im too disabled to get a real job so I couldnt live there without relying on my family. I could never tolerate them putting mouth into my life and decisions when I dont do the same to them, and when they wont listen to my explanations for why I am the way I am. (Photo: vm via Getty Images) (Photo: vm via Getty Images) They arent out to their family and dont think theyll ever come out. Im still closeted because I have no idea how theyll react, only that itll be negative, JJ says. As someone who cant live independently at present, I cant risk getting kicked out, or shipped. I am out to my friends though, they were cool with this. Ill just get more and more visibly queer over time and if they dont figure it out, thats on them. For Henry*, a 24-year old entrepreneur from North London, immigration issues have been the major reason he hasnt been back to Nigeria lately, but his sexuality is also a contributing factor. Im out to my family but it too me six years, Henry says. I knew I was queer when I was 17, but I was still living at home and didnt want to risk getting kicked out. When I was 23 I felt like I was capable of coming out to my family as Id moved out by myself and had a stable job. I just couldnt get the concept of coming out out of my head and eventually just came out to them. As a result, he currently isnt speaking to one of his parents and says his wider family were not accepting of his identity. Asked if he wants to go home, he says: What home? There is no nation I call home. I dont believe in nations and borders, so I dont understand that concept of home. He adds: The socially conservative Christian ways of Nigerian (specifically Yoruba people) have ruined the idea of going for home for me. Realistically, I feel like a westerner I do want to go back and visit where Im from, but I would be doing that as a tourist not as someone whos actually from there. This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated. Related... Billie Joe Armstrong is renouncing his US citizenship over the Roe v Wade overturning credit:Bang Showbiz Billie Joe Armstrong is renouncing his US citizenship over the Roe v Wade ruling. The Green Day frontman, 50, says he is planning to move to Britain in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision on Friday (24.06.22) to reverse the landmark 1973 ruling, leaving terminations illegal for millions of women in America. He made the announcement while performing a concert in London on Friday night (24.06.22), with fans sharing his declaration on Sunday night. (26.06.22) He said about his homeland: Theres too much f****** stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f******* excuse for a country. Oh, Im not kidding, youre going to get a lot of me in the coming days. He also called the justices responsible for overturning Roe v Wade p*****. Armstrong went on to yell at his gig at London Stadium, on the bands Hella Mega tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer: F*** the Supreme Court of America. He then played Green Days anti-war anthem American Idiot, the title track of the groups album of the same name from 2004. The record was written under as a response to then-US president George W Bush leading America to invade Iraq after 9/11. Armstrong joins an ever-growing number of celebrities hitting out at the Roe v Wade reversal, including Jack White, Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Lizzo. The 1973 Roe v Wade battled centred around Jane Roe, a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey. She was a single mother pregnant for the third time who wanted an abortion, and sued the Dallas attorney general Henry Wade over a Texas law that made it a crime to terminate a pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest, or when the mothers life was in danger arguing the law infringed on her constitutional rights. Joe Biden blasted the ruling as un-American in an address from the White House on Friday (24.06.22), adding it was a sad day for the court and the country and calling the move wrong, extreme and out of touch. Well-wishers have lined the harbour walls to welcome home the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales as it returns from exercises in its role as the Nato command ship. The 65,000-tonne warship sailed into Portsmouth Naval Base, Hampshire, on Saturday, having operated alongside Spains aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Cadiz. HMS Prince of Wales returns to Portsmouth Naval Base (Ben Mitchell/PA) A navy spokesman said: The Nato task force made up of 20 ships from six nations was assembled to show the alliances commitment to the regions prosperity and security ahead of the Nato Madrid summit. HMS Prince of Wales was involved in her role as Natos command ship, which means she is ready to deploy quickly in response to crises as part of the alliances response force. The naval exercises began with a royal salute from the Spanish fleet to King Felipe VI of Spain, who was aboard aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I. The crew of the HMS Prince of Wales as it sails into Portsmouth (Ben MItchell/PA) Captain Richard Hewitt, commanding officer of HMS Prince of Wales, said: Being able to formally recognise the Spanish royal family, saluting King Filipe VI from the bridge of HMS Prince of Wales, was a real honour. Coming only a few weeks after our celebrations for our Queens Platinum Jubilee, operating alongside the Spanish flagship represents another milestone in the operational journey of HMS Prince of Wales. SSAFA celebrates Sussex family of veterans for their military service A FAMILY of army veterans are among those being recognised for their work by a charity this Armed Forces Day. Armed Forces Day takes place today Saturday, June 25, and Armed Forces charity SSAFA is recognising its volunteers and staff, and their families, who have served for many generations. One of those is Richard French, who lives in Littlehampton. Richard, a SSAFA regional fundraising officer from Littlehampton, joined the Coldstream Guards aged 18. The Argus: FROM LEFT (now) Capt David Heath French RAMC (R) and Cpl Richard French Coldm Gds Gds Para Pl FROM LEFT (now) Capt David Heath French RAMC (R) and Cpl Richard French Coldm Gds Gds Para Pl His service which included joining the Guards Parachute Battalion, two tours of Northern Ireland, as well as Iraq, three tours of Afghanistan, and deployment to Kenya on anti-poaching operations - was cut short in 2017 after a parachute accident in America. Richard said: I always wanted to be active in the military because of my parents military service. The Argus: Col Michael French RAMC Col Michael French RAMC This is hardly surprising as my father joined the Army as a boy soldier aged 15 in 1966, leaving the Royal Army Medical Corps as a full colonel 38 years later. The Argus: Lt Shirley French QARANC Lt Shirley French QARANC Richard added that Shirley, his mother and ultimately a captain in the Queen Alexandras Royal Army Nursing Corps, even nursed Monty Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery in his final years. His elder brother, David Heath French of the RAMC, is a captain and on a Full Time Regular Service appointment. A ruined village in eastern Afghanistan, just 10 kilometres (six miles) from the epicentre of this week's deadly earthquake, is struggling back to life as aid trickles into the isolated region. Wuchkai, three hours away from the nearest town of any substance, can only be reached by a narrow, rutted dirt road -- with space for just one vehicle in places. Isolated, without electricity and water, the village sprawls over a large basin surrounded by imposing hills and bisected by an almost-dry river. Many of the village dwellings, workshops and stores were destroyed by Wednesday's 5.9-magnitude earthquake, whose epicentre was recorded on the other side of the hills that flank it. More than 1,000 people were killed in the quake -- the country's deadliest in over two decades -- with Wuchkai alone accounting for at least three dozen. Now the survivors are trying to find shelter in the ruins of their homes, desperately dependent on the aid convoys that have started to arrive. "I ask and expect the world and the government to provide us with the basic things we need to live," says Raqim Jan, 23. - Almost every family lost someone - Jan lost 11 members of his extended family when their single-storey dwelling caved in on them as they slept early Wednesday. Almost every family lost at least one member -- and most lost many more -- so they are coming together to share resources. Jan now lives with four other families -- including 15 women and about 20 children -- in three large tents set up near their ruined homes. Help has arrived, but he worries for how long it will last. "The tents, food and flour that we have received for a few days are not enough," Jan says, as a communal fire for cooking sends smoke spiralling above the makeshift campsite. Nearby, children are playing -- seemingly oblivious to their plight -- while babies wail for attention. A cow tied to a pole ruminates as chickens strut around the dusty compound, pecking at nothing in the dust. Story continues The village men make occasional forays into the ruins of their houses, looking to salvage whatever valuables can be found in the debris. But they tread gingerly, as any walls still standing are cracked -- threatening to collapse at any moment -- and aftershocks are still being felt. A violent tremor killed five people in the same district early Thursday. - Aid vehicles arriving - In the centre of Wuchkai, a steady stream of aid vehicles arrive, kicking up clouds of dust from roads that are finally drying after days of torrential rain. While the big operators appear organised -- such as the World Food Program and Doctors Without Borders -- smaller Afghan-led distribution is more chaotic. Tempers flared as dozens of villagers scrambled over the back of a truck Thursday, trying to grab bags of beans that had been donated by a businessman from Kabul. A platoon of armed Taliban grabbed one particularly exuberant young man and roughed him away in their vehicle. Not far away, bent double under the weight of the bundle, Kawsar Uddin, 20, and his uncle carry a tent that will become the family's temporary home. Faced with the influx of aid that is now arriving, Uddin is sceptical of the motivation and accuses aid organisations of staging "photo ops". "They have distributed food and tents... but some are doing business on the blood of Afghans," he says. ah-ep-fox/dhc TSA PreCheck The Transportation Security Administration will host TSA PreCheck enrollment through Friday at Waco Regional Airport. TSA PreCheck is an expedited screening program that allows travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case, and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids and gels bag in a carry-on. To register and schedule an appointment, go to tsa.gov/precheck. Applicants must bring proof of identity and U.S. citizenship. The application fee is $85. Summer arts camp A Mission Waco Creative Arts Summer Camp, featuring a choice of theater, dance, art or a mix for youths ages 6-17, will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through July 8 at Mission Wacos Jubilee Theatre, 1319 N. 15th St. The cost is $40 per child. To register, go to forms.gle/wEmaeXZx4T8hFpQL8. Genealogy program The Central Texas Genealogical Society will host a virtual presentation by author Jonah Barnes on family history for children at 7 p.m. Monday in the West Waco Library, 5301 Bosque Blvd. The free program is for genealogists, educators and parents who want to interest the younger generation in family history. For more information, call 254-745-6018. Climate movie Waco Friends of the Climate will screen the BBC documentary Life at 50 C at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St. As the world gets hotter, survival gets harder. The film details the extreme hardships of people suffering heat waves at multiple sites around the globe. Refreshments will be provided, all are welcome and the event is free. For more information, email anorthc@aol.com. Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; or email goingson@wacotrib.com. Judging from their tightly regulated timetable, property appraisal review board members are about halfway through meetings with homeowners and others disputing local appraisal notices mailed out this spring. On average the notices reflected a 30 percent jump in valuations, a consequence of spiraling home sales, steady building construction and basic laws of supply and demand, especially at a time when supply-chain problems arising from the pandemic continue to render materials, labor and new construction more expensive. Taking the heat as always: McLennan County Chief Appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt, even though subsequent property-tax bills are also a consequence of city councils, county commissioners, school districts and the community college setting tax rates; state legislators who have tweaked property-tax laws while refusing to consider a more equitable state income tax subject to far less volatility; and the state comptrollers office, closely involved in the actual appraisal process. Bobbitt has worked at the McLennan County Appraisal District since June 2011 after a five-year stint in the Army that included two tours in Iraq. He has an agricultural science degree from Texas A&M University where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets. In this Q&A with longtime Texas journalist Bill Whitaker conducted as formal protest hearings got underway on May 16, Bobbitt talks about the impact Waco-based home-renovation reality-TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have on appraisals, the difficulty appraisal districts face because Texas doesnt require disclosure of home-sale prices, efforts to better accommodate taxpayers meeting with appraisal review board members and a whole lotta shaking going on in the western half of McLennan County. Question: Every so often we go through angst, outcry and the gnashing of teeth over property appraisals mailed out by the McLennan County Appraisal District. This year is no exception. Is there anything different about this year as opposed to previous years? I mean, obviously, your office pegged the rise in property values at an average of 30 percent in general market values, not taking into account the 10 percent homestead cap that people sometimes forget when hyperventilating or certain tax exemptions allowed by state legislators. Has the temperature in encounters with property owners risen? Bobbitt: The conversation has changed from year to year in the past. Maybe were starting to get the word out about how all this works. But it seems like even though property values have gone up exponentially compared to previous years, the people who come in have for the most part been understanding. They know the real estate market has changed. They just want to make sure their values are correct. But we havent had as many as in the past who are upset people who, you know, cant listen or dont want to listen and are just mad about the situation. Theres actually been less of that this year than in the past, which is surprising. So far the ones who have scheduled a meeting with us and have come in to talk to us informally most of those have left amicably. Q: Why do you think people are more reasonable? I mean, Im the guy on the Waco Tribune-Herald opinion page who gauges political temperatures, which I would say are very, very hot lately in matters admittedly not always related to property taxes. A group of angry taxpayers showed up at the county commissioners court recently. I mean, they were upset and lashing out at everything and everybody. They were also confused. Many clearly didnt understand the system. For instance, one woman castigated county commissioners for not promptly paving Bosque Boulevard. I say all this with understanding and empathy because, well, the Texas property-tax system is pretty byzantine. Bobbitt: Extremely. Q: Yet you say youre not seeing that kind of thing the way you have in years past. Bobbitt: Not yet. People first experience sticker shock over their values (as appraised). Even my staff, when some of them saw their own values and they know whats going on in the market but it was still like, Man, that cant be right. But then you go and look at the data, and it is right. So theres initial shock, but most people, when we talk to them, they understand market forces. They dont like it. The biggest fear is that because the market went up 30 percent and because of years past involving the market and the tax rate, they worry one will follow the other (in rising). Your taxes were more based on value because the governing entities didnt have to lower their rate to stay under the voter approval rate [which kicks in when property-tax revenue rises to a certain point]. Q: And now we have a 3.5 percent cap in year-to-year property-tax revenue growth for cities and counties and a 2.5 percent cap for year-to-year school property-tax revenue growth per state legislation passed in 2019. [NOTE: An April 2022 Texas Taxpayers and Research Association report pronounced the new state caps successful despite Texas hot real-estate market raising property values: Though few tax bills are actually shrinking, the spiraling growth of property taxes of the past few decades has been abated. As property values rise, jurisdictions are finding they must cut tax rates or face voters. As a result, property tax rates are dropping like never before. And that has translated into taxpayer protections. Based on historical trends, TTARA estimates Texas property tax bills would have been $6 billion, or 8%, higher in 2021 had it not been for property tax reforms lawmakers enacted recently.] Bobbitt: Thats probably the biggest change. Thats been in effect for two years, but theres always been some disaster. There was COVID, then there was Winter Storm Uri (in February 2021). And in disasters state law allows governing entities to opt out [of the property-tax revenue scheme] and go back up to 8 percent. Again, thats because there was a disaster. Thats because usually when theres a disaster, additional costs are incurred on local governing entities and thats their fallback [to cover costs incurred because of disaster]. I mean, there have been things outside our area that have been formally declared disasters just this year. COVID is not eligible as a disaster this year, but with fires and flooding, tornadoes, there are some counties that may fall into that category. As far as Im aware, there havent been any of these in McLennan County. Q: Let me go over some ground you covered when you very thoughtfully visited the Waco Tribune-Herald a couple of years ago and talked about property taxes and appraisals to our staff. First, I dont hear Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame blamed as much for rising property values as I did a few years ago. In fact, when someone blamed them during the taxpayer protest at the county commissioners court this spring, one of their number objected and said: Thats not true. OK, once and for all, what is the deal with Chip and Joanna when it comes to property values? Bobbitt: Originally we werent sure of the direct impact they were having on the local economy [as opposed to such factors as, say, Central Texas growing appeal along busy Interstate 35 between Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin and other evolving economic improvements in the Waco area]. But now were seeing values increase in economies all around us, the entire state. I mean, Chip and Jo are great, but theyre not impacting the entire state market. Theyre helping in doing a lot of great things in Waco, but theres no way even they can impact these 30 percent increases across the state. So whatever impact they had is probably more localized to around the (downtown Magnolia Market) Silos. But beyond that? When Hill County and Bell County and Navarro County when all those are going up in similar amounts, thats beyond (the Gaineses influence). Thats really the state of the state. Q: Are the Gaineses scapegoated in some ways? Bobbitt: Especially this year if people are blaming them. If they had any impact, it would have been in the past. I dont think this year has well, I cant measure it. Ill put it that way. Q: A few years ago I was out knocking on doors and interviewing homeowners about midterm elections and some people kept complaining about immigrants. I thought they were talking about people crossing over our Southern border, but they meant fellow Americans moving here from California or Colorado and buying up homes in McLennan County. That has been a theme Ive heard a lot more this year. An acquaintance of mine from decades ago, Richard Petree, who has been serving as interim chief appraiser over the Bandera Central Appraisal District I knew Richard when he was a kid, hell when I was a kid he suggests a lot of what we see is a perfect storm that, among other things, simply involves folks caught up in the so-called Texas miracle and relatively low property values and the fact one can buy a whole lot more house fairly cheap here in Texas. Is that accurate so far as McLennan County housing sales and property values are concerned? Are we seeing a lot of people moving here from out of state? I can confirm that anecdotally but statistically that conclusion may be erroneous. Bobbitt: I dont have the data to say for sure, because I dont know where everybody came from, but Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center did a study on it and they said it was less than what some people believe. Anecdotally it may seem pretty likely, but when they actually started looking at the numbers, its not. [NOTE: The Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center reports that more than one of every 10 people moving to Texas in 2020 was from California and that in 19 of the 20 previous years, California ranked as the top move-to-Texas state. The only exception was Louisiana in 2005 as the result of Hurricane Katrina.] Theres probably not one scapegoat (rating blame for rising property values), its probably 12 different things going on and they all contribute. Construction costs impact theyre up 17 percent right now. Builders are saying they cant get doors, they cant get windows, you have to get the appliances when you sign with the builder. So theres backlogs affecting pricing. Its just basic supply and demand, because for whatever reason more people are trying to buy houses. The other thing were seeing is more institutional investors. Large companies like Zillow come in and buy a bunch of them to be rentals or whatever the case is, and then you have Airbnb and the whole rental market. Theyre using these for rental or short-term rental. Q: And with fewer residential properties available, the price naturally goes up. Bobbitt: Its a lot of different things all impacting values at the same time. I mean, was Harvey the last hurricane? When that happened (in 2017), construction costs went up because all the material went south (for rebuilding). And it kind of got better, but then COVID hit (in 2020). Between all this, new construction costs can never quite catch up. Q: Why is there this supply shortage presently? Bobbitt: I dont know if its the same as all these boats sitting off the coast, the trucking shortage or this shortage of people. I mean, Im down eight staff out of 44. Its like everywhere you go, theres less people and I dont know why. Q: Ive heard a lot of people are trying to get better jobs, which I can appreciate. Thats a good thing, a very market-driven, even capitalist-savvy thing, even if it means higher prices and stressed-out employers. Bobbitt: Theres just a lot of strange things and I dont know if its all because of COVID or just the repercussions. Q: Is there one big misunderstanding that people have when they come in to question or protest their appraisals? Bobbitt: (Pauses.) Well, with the whole process, they assume that the local governing entities [the school districts, cities, county and local community college] and my office work hand in hand and that these entities simply tell me they need more money. They assume those guys talk to me and say, Raise the values, we need more revenue. Thats not the way it works. Theyre actually prohibited by law from even discussing values with us. Q: Precinct 3 McLennan County Commissioner Will Jones mentioned something like that during a recent town-hall meeting held by Congressman Pete Sessions in West. He mentioned that as a commissioner he has to be very, very careful because of certain penalties. Bobbitt: I think its a class A misdemeanor. Id have to go and look. But if the school superintendent or somebody contacts me and tries to influence the values of local properties up or down, its a violation of the law. They can get fined. So theyre restricted from that. It has to be in a public meeting and even then its still real iffy if theyre trying to influence the values. Q: Now, so far as property values go, county appraisal districts must abide by property-tax studies of a sampling of local property conducted by the state comptrollers office. Now, these come out before you set appraisals, right? Bobbitt: No. One misperception that gets spoken a lot is that the state tells us what to do and how much to increase the values. Yes, they forecast in the state budget how much values are going to go up, but theyre not telling us we have to hit that mark because theres some counties out there in West Texas where the average value went up only 3 percent because theres nothing going on [economically] while some others have gone up, say, 50 percent. Each county has a market specific to its area. And right now this is a property-value study for McLennan County, so we have to do the best we can with the data we have Q: And that data is limited in Texas, I know, because Texas doesnt provide for disclosure of all real-estate sales prices. Bobbitt: Yes, sir. And then the state gets all our data and all of our sales (as can best be determined) and then they have other sources. And they check all that. And after were done with all our values and we went up an average of 30 percent in McLennan County the state may well come in and say, Well, you should have gone up 40 percent. And then we get dinged. Or they may come in and say, You should have gone up only 20 percent. So theyre going to grade us after the fact. Theyre going to tell us how far off we were by school district and by state code. Q: That doesnt strike me as very helpful. Bobbitt: No, its not. Q: Wouldnt it be better if the state comptroller did his study first in order to help set local appraisal districts on a more accurate course in appraisals? Bobbitt: I dont think they have the staff. Also, our state is prohibited by constitution from having a state property tax, so if the state is valuating everything ahead of time, thats essentially what theyd be doing. So we have to hit the mark [in property appraisals], then the comptrollers office comes in subsequent to that and determines whether we did a good enough job or not. Q: And if the appraisal district overshoots or undershoots? Bobbitt: Then we get two years of grace. That means we can screw it up for two years but the third year we better get it right. And as far as me, my name goes on a website saying I didnt do a very good job. Thats really the only punishment I have beyond potentially getting fired if the appraisal district board gets tired of it. But really what happens is it affects school funding because the second reason behind the [state-comptroller] property-valuation study is state funding of schools and trying to share those funds between the rich schools and poor schools [in regard to property-rich or property-poor school districts]. And they use my values, total values, to determine, This is how much taxable revenue there is in this school district, and they use that to try and equalize. So if I intentionally keep the values low and that school gets extra state funding because it looks like they have less tax base to play with well, the goal is to make sure Im staying at 100 percent market value so that all of the schools are funded equally. Q: Are we getting dinged a lot as you say? Bobbitt: We got dinged in 2020 for McGregor. That was the first time since about 2010 or so. We went up 12 percent, the state said we were still 10 or 11 percent too low, so the next year we doubled down and hit it even harder, McGregor, and the state came back and restudied just McGregor and we were within the proper range that is, within 5 percent plus or minus. Q: Thats real tricky. Bobbitt: It is. For a state that bases so much of its revenue on property taxes, were one of only three states that dont have (property) sales disclosures. Actually, there are like nine states that dont have sales-price disclosures, but some also have a state income tax. Q: Is anybody in state government suggesting we have the cart before the horse in all this and that maybe the state comptroller should be doing his school-district property studies beforehand? That way you guys wouldnt get dinged and appraisals would have the benefit of being bolstered by state authority at the comptrollers office. Bobbitt: No. The state doesnt want that responsibility, that burden. Everybodys happy with my office being the scapegoat, which is fine. We knew what we were getting into, and thats fine. Again, the states not going to get into that. I dont think something like that would even get very far in the Legislature. The biggest thing appraisal districts argue for is sales disclosure. If were going to have to do this, then tell us what theyre sold for. [NOTE: Given no state law allows state government, including county appraisal districts, to compel one to provide it with sales price information, real estate broker Randy Reid, co-founder of Reid Peevey Commercial Real Estate, proposed in a recent Waco Tribune-Herald column that the appraised value for homeowners who voluntarily disclose purchase prices be discounted by 20 percent and that this discount be granted in perpetuity.] Q: Every once in a while, often in the lead-up to the Legislature every two years, I hear something about a bill proposing sales-price disclosures. Such a bill may even get filed. But it never seems to go anywhere. Is sales disclosure something that would really help you guys a lot? You say were one of only three states in the nation that dont have public disclosures of property sales prices. Bobbitt: And that dont have an income tax. There are like six other states that dont have sales disclosures but they have an income tax and so that takes away part of the tax burden. Q: But because we in Texas put most of our eggs in the property-tax basket, weve made it increasingly difficult to even think about a state income tax. Bobbitt: It would make sense if youre going to put all your eggs in that basket to then give us all the tools to do a good job of it. Q: Is there anything else you would like to see the Texas Legislature pursue? Bobbitt: From the taxpayer perspective, one thing were trying to fix is we have a very limited window to do all this. We send out appraisal notices in April, the deadline to file to protest is May 15 and we have to be done (with appraisal review board protests) by July 25. And so by the time we get all those hearings in well, its like 200 hearings a day and its very packed in our office. Were just trying to get everybody through. The state comptrollers model procedures allow for a 15-minute hearing with taxpayers. Thats what theyre promoting and recommending. Well, if you come in as a taxpayer and you get what you want in 15 minutes, everythings great. If you have a 15-minute hearing and you lose, its They didnt hear me or Nobody was listening or Its a kangaroo court or This is just the biggest waste of time in the world. But if you could at least allow taxpayers 30 minutes, 45 minutes, to discuss the issues with their house everybody doesnt need it, but some do then at least the taxpayer will feel like, you know, Hey, they heard me. They may not have agreed with me, but at least ... Q: So the calendar is really important in all this? Bobbitt: Im suggesting moving up the deadline to protest, giving us an extra two weeks so that everyone gets properly considered in the review process. You cant move the end of the process from July 25 to later because then you start getting into the setting of tax rates [by cities, counties, school districts, community colleges]. What I propose: If I get my appraisal notices out April 1 and keep the 30-day window, then lets do a May 1 deadline for protest filings, because now no one sends them in till about May 16. I mean, todays the deadline and were going to get half of them (taxpayer protest filings) today. Out of all the people we see as appraisers, we settle 70 to 80 percent of those. If we talk to you, were probably going to resolve it. If we can get that date moved up a little bit, that would help. I mean, commercial (appraisals) just went out and theyve got 30 days too. Q: You know, this spring I saw state candidates suggesting Bobbitt: Like Don Huffines? Q: Well, yes, I saw this huge campaign billboard of Huffines staring down at me not too far from the appraisal district office here. The problem was Huffines didnt really have a workable alternative to simply eliminating property taxes. You know, Ive watched some of these legislative hearings, and when they start talking about putting everything in the sales-tax basket, the reality of what might result can be pretty bracing. I mean, one hearing of the Texas House Ways and Means Committee in 2017 suggested that to get rid of the school property tax, which consumes most of ones property-tax bill, youd have a sales-tax rate of about 14 percent. And Republicans back then said such a scheme could only work if you strictly prohibit exemptions for certain services and items sold. And if you ignore that and start handing out exemptions and legislators seeking reelection love to dangle tax exemptions then the sales-tax rate could go all the way up to 21 percent. All of this prompts the question of how businesses and economists and chambers of commerce around the state would feel about 14 to 20 percent sales-tax rates and the impact on business. [NOTE: During Thursdays McLennan County Republican Club luncheon, James Quintero and Vance Ginn of the Texas Public Policy Foundation outlined a set of proposals to reduce and eliminate most property taxes through such steps as using the states Rainy Day Fund to further reduce the burden of school district property taxes and broadening the state sales tax by eliminating the many exemptions now dotting the tax code, thus keeping the tax rate sufficiently low. The proposals have been debated in the Legislature the past several years, but may be picking up more steam. In an interview with the Trib on Friday, state Rep. Charles Anderson of Waco signaled general support for such a plan. And in April, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick ordered the Senate Finance Committee to review and report on proposals to use or dedicate state revenues in excess of the state spending limit to eliminate the school district maintenance and operations property tax.] But enough of this. Whats the best thing a taxpayer and property owner can do when he comes down here to protest? Bobbitt: If theres something wrong with the house, bring us pictures. We dont need a hundred, we just need like 10 or 15. If the roof is bad or the foundation has problems, if the windows are leaking, wood rot and that kind of thing, and its just an old 1940s house and its got the usual stuff and just hasnt been maintained, we just need photos of that. We can work with that. Beyond condition issues, we need sales data, so if there are things around you that have sold that were not aware of, we need that. East Waco is a different kind of market where things are typically owner-financed. They dont always go through a mortgage, so its a different kind of market. If all we see are the five houses that did go through a mortgage but we dont see the 30 that didnt, then were going to base it on the five we have. And those may be completely different than whats typically the case. Q: Its funny. There was one guy going through the line here to drop off a protest filing and I asked him what his excuse was. Real nice fellow. And he said, Well, Im actually just trying to get an agricultural exemption, and I said, Sure, and what are you growing on your property? And he laughed and said, Butterfly plants! And your staff assured me he might have a point. If hes got a sufficient number of honeybees on his spread, he can qualify. Bobbitt: Sure, between five and 20 acres if you have bees, you can qualify for an exemption after five years. Q: In our conversation you mentioned your office getting dinged in 2020 because your appraisers undervalued property in the McGregor area, at least according to the state of Texas. Now periodically property owners in West Waco, Woodway, Hewitt and elsewhere explode on Neighbor apps about shaken foundations and broken windows supposedly resulting from Elon Musks SpaceX rocket-testing plant in McGregor. Bobbitt: Oh, I know all about it. I live in McGregor. Q: Well, is that a viable excuse in terms of devaluing your property the SpaceX rocket-testing facility shaking the heck out of houses? I mean, one of these days I need to consult a geologist out at Baylor University to see if those tremors really compare to the natural ones felt in other areas of the country. Bobbitt: At our home weve had things fall off shelves, pictures fall off, so I know it definitely had an effect. When we first bought our house in 2008, we didnt know SpaceX was out there. And two weeks later, it was like, What the heck is that? Our neighbors finally told us. I was still at Fort Hood at the time. Q: I imagine you thought youd heard everything out at Fort Hood with the artillery practice. Bobbitt: Well, yes, it is just like artillery. The first time the sky lit up and everything was shaking and I thought to myself, Fort Hood just got nuked. I dont have to go to work tomorrow. And, yes, its weird for us as appraisers to account for it. I mean, we want to see it has an effect on the actual market value (of properties sold), so that wed be able to see that these homes are affected in showing, say, a 15 percent lower value than houses that are farther away. Q: Well, do they? Bobbitt: Wed have to be able to [deduce] that from market-based data on sales prices, but so far we havent been able to. The state in 2020 said we were 10 percent low in McGregor. I mean, these homeowners out there could be ignorant like me. They could have moved out there and then said, Whoa, what did I just get into? So such a realization may well be something after the fact unless SpaceX just happens to kick off a rocket while youre standing there looking at the house and considering buying it. You know, you cant describe it to somebody. But we can hear it here at the office in Waco. Interview conducted, condensed and edited for brevity and clarity by Bill Whitaker. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. by Bryan R. Swopes of This Day in Aviation On June 26, 1942, the Grumman XF6F-1, Bureau of Aeronautics serial number (Bu. No.) 02981, prototype for the Navy and Marine Corps F6F Hellcat fighter, with Grummans Chief Engineer and Test Pilot Robert Leicester Hall flying, made a 25-minute first flight at the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation plant, Bethpage, Long Island, New York. Grumman XF6F-1 The first Hellcat was powered by an air-cooled, supercharged, 2,603.737-cubic-inch-displacement (42.688 liters) Wright Aeronautical Division Twin Cyclone GR2600B676 (R-2600-10) two-row, 14-cylinder radial engine. This engine had a compression ratio of 6.9:1 and required 100-octane aviation gasoline. The R-2600-10 was rated at 1,500 horsepower at 2,400 r.p.m. at Sea Level, and 1,700 horsepower at 2,600 r.p.m. for takeoff. It turned a three-bladed Curtiss Electric propeller through a 0.5625:1 gear reduction. The R-2600-10 was 4 feet, 6.26 inches (1.378 meters) in diameter, and 6 feet, 2.91 inches (1.903 meters) long. It weighed 2,115 pounds (959 kilograms). Beginning with the second prototype, Bu. No. 02982, the Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp SSB2-G (R-2800-10) 18-cylinder engine became the standard powerplant. The R-2800-10 was an air-cooled, supercharged, 2,804.4-cubic-inch-displacement (45.956 liters), twin-row 18-cylinder radial engine with water injection. The engine had a compression ratio of 6.65:1 and was rated at 1,550 horsepower at 2,550 r.p.m. at 21,500 feet (6,553 meters), and 2,000 horsepower at 2,700 r.p.m. for takeoff, burning 100-octane gasoline. The engine drove a three-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic constant-speed propeller with a diameter of 13 feet, 1 inch (3.988 meters) through a 2:1 gear reduction. The R-2800-10 was 4 feet, 4.50 inches (1.334 meters) in diameter, 7 feet, 4.47 inches (2.247 meters) long, and weighed 2,480 pounds (1,125 kilograms), each. The engine weighed 2,480 pounds (1,125 kilograms). The first prototype was quickly re-engined to the Pratt & Whitney radial and redesignated XF6F-3. Bob Hall flew it with the new engine on 30 July 1942. A few weeks later, on August 17, the Hellcats new engine failed and Hall crash-landed at Cranes Farm. The airplane was moderately damaged and Hall was seriously injured. The airplane was rebuilt and continued in the test program. It was eventually converted to the XF6F-4 with a two-speed turbocharged Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp 2SB-G (R-2800-27) which produced 2,000 horsepower at 2,700 r.p.m. It was armed with four 20 mm cannons. The Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat The Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat was a single-place, single-engine fighter designed early in World War II to operate from the U.S. Navys aircraft carriers. It is a low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction. The wings can be folded against the sides of the fuselage for storage aboard the carriers. The landing gear is conventional, retractable, and includes an arresting hook. The F6F-3 is 33 feet, 7 inches (10.236 meters) long with a wingspan of 42, feet 10 inches (12.842 meters) and an overall height of 14 feet, 5 inches (4.394 meters) in a three-point position. It has an empty weight of 9,207 pounds (4,176 kilograms) and a gross weight of 12,575 pounds (5,704 kilograms). The F6F-3 Hellcat was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp SSB2-G (R-2800-10W) engine with water injection, rated at 2,000 horsepower at 2,700 r.p.m. for takeoff, using 100/130 octane aviation gasoline. The normal power rating was 1,550 horsepower at 2,550 r.p.m. at 22,500 feet (6,858 meters). The engine drove a three-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic constant-speed propeller with a diameter of 13 feet, 1 inch (3.988 meters) through a 2:1 gear reduction. The engine weighed 2,480 pounds (1,125 kilograms). In the clean configuration, the F6F-3 had a maximum speed of 321 miles per hour (517 kilometers per hour) at Sea Level and 384 miles per hour (618 kilometers per hour) at 18,000 feet (5,486 meters). It could climb to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) in 3.2 minutes, and to 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) in 7.0 minutes. The service ceiling was 38,800 feet (11,826 meters). It had a combat radius of 335 nautical miles (386 miles/620 kilometers). The maximum ferry range was 1,540 miles (2,478 kilometers). The Hellcats armament consisted of six air-cooled Browning AN-M2 .50-caliber machine guns, mounted three in each wing, with 2,400 rounds of ammunition. AD Robert Leicester Hall Robert Leicester Hall was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, on August 22, 1905. He was the son of Bicknell Hall, a mechanical engineer, and Estella Beatrice Lane Hall. Hall attended the University of Michigan, graduating in 1927 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (B.S.M.E.). In 1929 he went to work for the Fairchild Airplane Manufacturing Company in Farmingdale, New York. While there, Hall met his first wife, Eugenie, a secretary at the plant. They were married in 1930 and lived in a rented home on St. James Avenue, Chicopee City, Massachusetts. Their son, Robert Jr., was born on November 5 1931. Also in 1931, Hall began working for Granville Brothers Aircraft in Springfield, Massachusetts. He designed the Gee Bee Model Z Super Sportster air racer. He left Granville Brothers in 1933 to go to work for the Stinson Aircraft Company in Dayton, Ohio. There he designed the Stinson Reliant. In 1936, Bob Hall became the Chief Engineer for the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Bethpage, Long Island, New York. He designed the F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F8F Bearcat fighters, and the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber. As corporate vice president, he supervised the design of the F9F Panther and Cougar jet fighters. Hall married his second wife, Rhoda C. Halvorsen, on January 18, 1939, in New York City, New York. Hall retired from Grumman in 1970. Two of his sons, Eric and Ben Hall, founded Hall Spars and Rigging of Bristol, Rhode Island. Robert Leicester Hall died in Newport, Rhode Island, on February 25, 1991, at the age of 85 years. The Grumman Hellcat was the most successful fighter of the Pacific war, with a kill-to-loss ratio of 19:1. It was in production from 1942 to 1945 and remained in service with the United States Navy until 1956. A total of 12,275 were built by Grumman at Bethpage. This was the largest number of any aircraft type produced by a single plant. The University of Northern Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) offers support to Iowas entrepreneurs amid a changing workforce With changing workforce trends across the state, Iowas entrepreneurs work in more diverse spaces than ever before. The newly-reorganized University of Northern Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (UNI JPEC) has extended its services off campus, creating an entrepreneurship program that supports students, community startups and established small businesses in Northeast Iowa. JPEC is continuing its commitment to UNI with the R. J. McElroy Student Business Incubator, an educational learning laboratory designed to inspire and educate students interested in entrepreneurship and small business. The incubator offers physical office space, networking opportunities, and small business support to its seven current tenants. JPEC provides students with a collaborative and creative work environment where they can find balance between their roles as an entrepreneur and student, said Maddie Palmersheim, program assistant at the JPEC. In comparison to their previous offices, Palmersheim says the layout of our center allows students to choose from a diverse pool of workspaces with sections designated for community and others for solitude. Students who are currently operating a business are eligible for a free office space in which they are encouraged to design and customize for optimization of their work and school priorities. Additionally, JPEC offers students a minor and a certificate in entrepreneurship, which can be as few as nine credit hours. These two programs can round out any degree at UNI, not just business. Two existing UNI small business assistance programs join the JPEC team and service portfolio. For the community, JPEC now houses Americas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and IASourceLink. This move allows for better collaboration among the entrepreneur and small business support programs. SBDC expands JPECs reach by providing resources to small businesses outside of the UNI student body. Appointments are provided at no cost, and advisors focus on real-world small business needs, including startup assistance, business planning, accounting, human resources, marketing, sales, and information on local and statewide resources. IASourceLink connects Iowa entrepreneurs to a network of over 360 nonprofit resource organizations that provide business-building services, and has served over 73,000 entrepreneurs since 2012. They facilitate the linking of these organizations to one another and to established, emerging and start-up small businesses. Network resource partners provide a wide range of business-related services, like marketing, financial planning, sales, loans, technical assistance and more. JPEC sees a changing workforce, but not necessarily in a shift to remote work. All JPEC programs have witnessed a shift in Iowas workforce preferences. While these changes might provide flexibility for Iowans starting ventures on their own, JPEC sees more challenges for employers than employees. Businesses continue struggling to find and retain employees for in-person jobs, said Amy Dutton, regional director of the SBDC, who worked with about 300 clients throughout the past year. Continued rising costs are making it hard for smaller businesses to manage pricing and payroll. However, we have seen anecdotal evidence from our local Main Street districts that consumers (at least during holiday season) were turning their focus to local businesses to avoid shipping and supply chain issues, and to support local options. Because most SBDC clients have brick and mortar businesses, Dutton says that remote work isnt an option. However, there has been an increase in individuals starting small home-based businesseslots of micro projects that are social media driven. I had a few individuals who have flexibility due to a spouse that can now work remotely, and this may affect a business decision or path for the trailing spouse. I do have one client who now has less than 1% of his employees working at an office site. They found that some of their top performers in the office were not successful working remotely and vice versa! From a campus perspective, a more flexible environment within the JPEC offers a space where students can be operational at all hours. Since we work with students, we aim to be accomodating to their needseven if its 9 p.m. on a Monday! said Palmersheim. Students enjoy the ability to go back into the traditional classroom, but are still receptive to utilizing the tools popularized through the pandemic. Our center now takes on a handful of students during winter and summer breaks for remote programs. The UNI JPEC is prepared to meet the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Northeast Iowa with quality guidance and support. Through entrepreneurial education, applied learning experiences and real world business guidance to students and community members, the UNI JPEC is helping to build a better Iowa. JPEC is located in Business and Community Services at the University of Northern Iowa. Learn more about JPEC, SBDC, and IASourceLink by visiting https://jpec.uni.edu or emailing jpec@uni.edu. Those interested in individual business support can request counseling at www.iowasbdc.org/uni. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO -- Black Hawk Button Club will meet on June 29 at 1 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 207 W. Louise St. The program will be on "Whistle Buttons," a type of sew-through button so named because of the construction of the holes. Anyone interested in the art, history, and preservation of buttons is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Anna at 319-415-7550. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO Two Cedar Falls fishermen have been honored for saving an elderly man who drove his car into the Cedar River in Waterloo in April. Waterloo Fire Rescue on Friday gave Bryan Olson and Rodney Barnes the departments civilian commendation for pulling the driver to safety. Their quick thinking and brave actions in this dangerous current, and at night, undoubtedly saved this individuals life, said Battalion Chief Bill Beck. Olson and Barnes met about five years ago at ConAgra where they worked and quickly became friends, bonding over their shared interest in fishing. On April 29, they took to the Cedar River from the Sherwood Park ramp with their poles despite a recent dearth of nibbles. Instead of catfish, the two caught sight of odd lights floating downstream. We noticed some lights that shouldnt have been on the river, and we decided to run up on it and see what was going on, Olson said. As they got closer, they realized they were approaching a partially submerged car. It kind of caught us off guard, Olson said. They reached in through a window and unbuckled the drivers seatbelt. I put one leg in his car and held us tight so he wasnt going anywhere and pulled him up in the boat, Barnes said. After delivering the driver to fire rescue workers, the two continued fishing, but they didnt have any luck. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO Josh Payton has been named the interim principal for George Washington Carver Academy. Currently the assistant principal at East High School, he has worked in the Waterloo Community Schools for 15 years. During the last nine years, Payton has been in his leadership position at East. He succeeds Sheena Canady, who accepted a position with the district in student services. I am excited and honored to be the next principal for George Washington Carver Academy, Payton said in a news release. Im committed to continuing to ensure all students have access to high-quality education. I look forward to working with the amazing students, staff, and community at George Washington Carver Academy. We are excited to add Josh Payton to the Carver team. He is a dedicated leader that has served in various capacities throughout his tenure with Waterloo Schools. Mr. Payton will bring great experience and passion to the position, said Jared Smith, Waterloo Schools incoming superintendent. Prior to his nine years as Easts assistant principal, Payton served in an administrative role at Independence High School for two years and was a teacher with the Waterloo Schools for six years. Payton graduated from Upper Iowa University with a bachelors degree in education, followed by a special education Strategist 2 certificate also from Upper Iowa. Most recently, he earned an Educational Leadership K-12 Supervisor degree in 2014 from the University of Northern Iowa. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DES MOINES Iowas creative community is visible everywhere you look this summer, from art fairs and cultural events, to concerts in the parks and headlining performances at music festivals and county fairs. Every two years, this same community comes together at the Iowa Arts Summit, the states premier conference for the arts organized by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The 2022 Iowa Arts Summit includes a three-day program and kicks off with inspirational, half-day virtual sessions featuring leading voices in the arts on Aug. 10 and Aug. 11. The Summit culminates with an in-person, collaborative conference on Friday, Aug. 12, at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines. Registration for the event is open now at www.iowaartssummit.com. At this years Summit, attendees will learn about and discuss ways that communities of all sizes benefit from a focus on cultivating the creative workforce and partnering with artists. Summit attendees will hear from a range of leading voices in the arts. Speakers on Wednesday, Aug. 10 include Pam Breaux, the president of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Nina Ozlu Tunceli, who serves as chief counsel of government and public affairs at Americans for the Arts, will address Summit attendees on Aug. 11. Dynamic sessions and workshops on Friday, Aug.12 will spotlight innovative Iowa approaches to addressing local issues through the arts. Attendees will also hear from communities that have undertaken major projects to support their creative workforce and from Iowa artists who have built a robust creative life in Iowa. Additional sessions will explore youth-centered arts projects and ways to empower creative entrepreneurs. Visit iowaculture.gov for more information and to register in advance. Aug. 10-11 Virtual sessions are free with registration required. 9 a.m. to noon each day Aug. 12 The in-person event is $50 and includes breakout sessions, collaborative workshops and a networking lunch. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mainframe Studios, 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines. Iowa Arts Summit scholarships are available for Iowa creatives, arts professionals at small nonprofits, and students currently pursuing an arts-related major at an Iowa college or university. Selected scholarship recipients will receive complimentary registration to the full conference, including both virtual and in-person events (a $50 value). 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